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" ‘Bride’ could s," Welch said "She could simply have been devoted to him, as a priestess, for instance"

"Like the Mistress of the Labyrinth?" Drake suggested

Welch nodded thoughtfully "Possibly But you’re allthe point The first chamber explicitly refers to Crocodilopolis, and this one to Knossos and the island of Crete"

Drake stared at hirowled, "What the hell are you standing there for?"

Welch stood aside as they rushed out of the worship cha to the labyrinth at Knossos Jada led the way down the few steps into the third roo around in front of her

"Greek!" she said, turning to face them as they followed "This one’s in Greek, too"

But as Drake studied the octagonal altar, noticing the triple-octagon sy looked different about the inscriptions on the base He flashed his light at the walls and at the vases, and his suspicion increased

"Are you sure--"

"It’s Hellenic, without question," Welch said, picking up one of the jars and peering"But it isn’t any variation on ancient Greek I’ve ever seen Doubtless a dialect, but soht be a lost language," he said excitedly

"That’s nice, Ian Really," Sully said "I’ether But the clock is ticking"

"Can you tell what god the chah," Welch said, s on the walls Drake spotted a trident "The third labyrinth was built in worship of Poseidon Or soe comes froht be?"

A chill went up the back of Drake’s neck, and he felt a shiver Frowning, he glanced around Had he heard a whisper?

The four of theh Welch concentrated s required no explanation There were ies on each altar base that showed the same scene as the one upstairs of the Mistress of the Labyrinth, and there were others that depicted the Minotaur There were labrys, the symbol for a labyrinth, carved into stone and painted on jars He had noticed in the second cha a throne old and other objects that had been painted that color and ht have indicated the presence of treasure There were sies here But the rest of it was unreadable to hiht he heard the rustle of cloth He glanced at the entrance to the rooht the darkness see?" Drake asked

"Just you," Sully said, gnawing the end of his cigar

Jada glanced at Drake and shook her head She hadn’t heard a thing

Welch was crouched at a lower shelf, one of the jars--or honey pots, if that was really what they were--in his hand

"Here we go," he muttered

Drake and the others turned to stare at hi under his breath and nodding

He gave no warning before his legs went out fro into his lap, protected fro by the loose cotton of his shirt

"Thera," he said

"Never heard of--" Sully began, but then his eyes lit up

"Thera as in Santorini?" Drake asked

Welch’s face had gone slack Drake thought he’d had too le day and his archaeology geek brain ht have blown a circuit

"I’ve been there," Jada said "It’s beautiful"

Drake agreed The ashed buildings and blue domes, the multicolored boats and shutters, the bells, the ocean, the wine There was nothing about Santorini he did not love, though he’d been there only once But he had a feeling Welch wasn’t thinking about vacation spots

"Talk to us, Ian," Drake prodded

Welch looked up at him "Daedalus built the third labyrinth on Thera"

"Santorini," Jada said, apparently trying to clarify that they were talking about the sa’s an active volcano," Sully said

"Right," Jada said, snapping her fingers as she recalled "There are a bunch of little islands thatThera before it exploded or whatever?"

Welch setting so excited about Inof islands formed a circle around the deepest spot in the Mediterranean The islands were all that reer Thera as it had been before the ht it was the fourteenth century BC, but it ht have been the fifteenth He didn’t re on Santorini, but he knew that soo had volcanic vents and were still active

"Minoan civilization collapsed around the same time as the destruction of Thera," Welch said

Jada threw up her hands in frustration "Well, that’s great So if the third labyrinth was there, we’ve lost any clues we ht’ve found in a volcanic eruption thousands of years in the past"

"Maybe andat the air with his unlit cigar to e what I think you’re saying?"

Welch grinned "I think I a in riddles!" Drake snapped "It hurts my head"

Sully arched an eyebrow and shook his head "Oh, Nate, you’re going to kick yourself for not getting this one You’ve been to Santorini There’s only one archaeological dig going on there that’s of any consequence"

"Yeah," Drake said, shrugging, the bea on the wall "Akrotiri"

"Which was a Minoan settlement," Welch said "One that many modern scholars believe once went under a different naain but barely noticed He stared at Welch and Sully and grinned

"You can’t be serious"

"It all fits, Nate," Sully said

Jada punched Drake in the arry look, she hit hi at Sully