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"It’s her And I’ve waited too long," he said

"No… it’s too soon," Liz protested

"No The ti toward the hill and plateau, she saw no sign of Clay and Liz

She glanced toward the area of the encan of Grant, either She stretched, wondering if she shouldn’t just head toward the tents and find hi restless She liked being where she was There was a very gentle breeze that day The streaks of color in the sky as the sun began to settle in the ere

She surveyed her surroundings again

The ground around her had been well trampled, and she noted the spot where Maria Britto’s body had been found

By Grant

Near it, there were other areas where bodies had been discovered Some had been taken away Some renated a find Most of the bodies found had been reduced to bone, but so, re that had deeply excited Carlo--an almost perfect pair of leather shoes circa the late eleventh century

Bodies… bones…

It was growing dark

She had an absurd vision, of the bones suddenly rising fro at her fro unnerved herself

Still, she h as she did so Her vision hadn’t really been all that terrifying; rather like a remake of Ray Harryhausen special effects; she saw Jason and the Argonauts battling the bones as they pursued their way through Greek myth

And still…

She decided that it was ti the path, then paused, certain that she’d heard her na called

"Stephanie!"

"Grant?" It was his voice, wasn’t it?

But there was no reply

"Stephanie!"

The voice was slightly different

She turned around "Liz? Clay? Are you two around here somewhere?"

Stephanie… Steph… Stephanie Where are you?

Puzzled, she stood her ground for several minutes She looked toward the encaone Once again, she was certain that it was Grant’s voice

"Just head to the encampment," she told herself aloud, irritated

But she felt the overwhelo the other way Maybe one of them was in trouble

Stephanie!

The last sounded like a weak and desperate cry of pain

Was so it? There was still just a bit of light rehtened There were actually many people in the vicinity--the camp was not far away at all Tempted, she started toward the trail

"There is always a balancing act between the needs of the living, the present, and the discovery and preservation of history," Carlo said He was deeply pleased, showing Grant ato him "Much as destroyed as well as delayed when the police were here, but… then there was this!"

Grant wanted to be as impressed and pleased as Carlo apparently wanted hi

"This is a boot buckle!" Carlo told hireat"

"Not just any boot buckle"

"No, of course not It’s athe piece "Look… here That is the coat of ar of France, and there, beneath, the arms of François de Venue! Believe it or not, the police unearthed this gem for me in their search for clues to the circumstances of Maria’s death and burial"

"It’s a fine discovery," Grant said

"It is your work area," Carlo , to say the least, and, of course, now you are involved with the theater But hopefully, you will continue to ith us, and it’s important that you realize just how dear every little discovery is Thisright in this very area, and if he was killed, his remains must be very near"

"He was killed in the battle, wasn’t he?" Grant asked

"That is the assuh were all reported to have died that day

They disappear froh was hailed as a hero by the locals, who apparently went on to live for years in peace and prosperity So far, we have found little proof of the fact that these ht here And we have found many bones But, ah! If we could just find the remains of the key players, then, what triumph!"