Mara was the first to turn away from the carving.
“We should find Jonathan.”
Daniel lowered the cover onto the case. The two halves settled together so neatly that he had to tilt it towards Vale’s lamp to find the seam again.
He wrapped it in his handkerchief and slipped it into his jacket pocket.
Lindiwe covered her own amulet. Without the light from its stones, the chamber seemed smaller. Vale crouched beside the three tiles.
“Help me put these back.”
Daniel knelt opposite him. Mara brushed loose grit from the edges while they worked out the order. The first tile sat slightly proud of the wall. Daniel lifted it again, cleared a small fragment from beneath it and tried once more.
This time it fitted.
They replaced the remaining two.
Mara passed the lamp across the carving. The joins were visible now that she knew where to look.
She moved the beam away.
“Will he notice?”
“Pieter hasn’t been in here,” Daniel said.
They looked towards the doorway.
There was still that to deal with.
Vale went through first, checking the passage beyond the original tomb.
No voices reached them.
Daniel waited until Mara and Lindiwe were clear, then returned to the lever. He eased it upwards.
The stone doorway began to move.
He stopped pressing for a moment, watching its edge. Then he continued until the opening had narrowed and the adjoining chamber disappeared behind the carved wall.
A little dust fell at his feet.
Mara stood beside him.
“That sounded louder this time.”
Daniel listened, but heard nothing more, and released the lever.
The end they had uncovered remained visible in its recess. They could not replace the deposits around it without leaving another obvious disturbance.
“Leave it,” Vale said from the entrance.
Daniel took one last look, then followed.
They found Jonathan standing beneath a low section of roof while Pieter explained something with considerable patience.
Jonathan’s hat was in his hands.
At the sight of them, his attention shifted so quickly that Pieter turned.
“There you are.”
“Sorry,” Daniel said. “We lost track of the time.”
Jonathan looked at him. For a moment, Daniel thought he might ask exactly how much. Instead, Jonathan put his hat back on.
“Pieter’s been explaining why the photograph doesn’t give us the whole layout.”
“It was taken before some of the later work,” Pieter said. “You can’t follow it as a map.”
“No,” Jonathan agreed. “I’ve established that.”
His eyes moved briefly towards Daniel’s jacket, then back to his face. Daniel gave the smallest nod. Jonathan adjusted the strap of his bag.
“I think I’ve asked enough questions for one morning.”
Pieter looked towards Lindiwe.
“Did you find what you remembered?”
She folded the cloth more securely around the amulet.
“I recognised parts of it.”
He waited, but she offered nothing further.
“Old photographs can do that,” he said. “You come down expecting it to look the same.”
Jonathan stepped aside to let him lead.
On the way back, he fell into place beside Daniel.
“You took your time,” he murmured.
Daniel glanced ahead. Pieter was helping Lindiwe over an uneven stretch of floor.
“We found something.”
Jonathan’s hand tightened on his bag strap.
“What?”
“Later.”
He looked back towards the passage they had left.
Daniel caught his sleeve.
“Keep walking.”
Jonathan did, although reluctantly.
Mara came alongside them.
“You can look at it when we’re out.”
“That,” Jonathan said quietly, “is the least helpful thing either of you could have said.”
But he kept walking.
Daylight made them blink.
Pieter waited while they moved clear of the entrance. Lindiwe stood with her face turned towards the warmth, her good hand resting against the cloth.
Daniel thanked him.
Jonathan added his thanks, with enough sincerity to make Daniel glance at him.
Pieter had answered every question he had been given. Daniel found he could not quite meet his eyes as they said goodbye.
They started towards the car.
Mara slipped her hand into Daniel’s.
Through his jacket, he could feel the small case resting against his side.
Jonathan waited until they were beyond Pieter’s hearing.
“Right,” he said. “What have you put in your pocket?”