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Zavala brushed the dirty walls with his fingers "You could be right This looks like dried pond scum"

They climbed back into the fresh air and explored the perimeter of the structure It was built onto a stone platfor in the lake Seeds, probably brought in by birds, had sprouted, and their roots kept the dirt froe of the island, it was possible to see a stone terrace Austin kicked off his boots and slipped into the water, swam out a few strokes, and dove

"This thing is like the tip of an iceberg," he said when he resurfaced "It was probably a teoes"

"Told you we should have brought a subave Austin a hand back onto dry land "So if e think is true, and that building is a teround zero The jaws"

All we have to do is figure out how to get into the gullet"

"Lovely thought We could try blowing that slab blocking the way"

"Yeah, we could do that, and it ical approach Our archaeologist friends would never speak to us again Let's think about it while we look around"

They got back in the plane and taxied to the end of the lake, where they went ashore and made their way inland The forest was in seh the tree canopy The trees discouraged undergrowth,for an easy hike on a carpet of leaves Austin followed a babble of water to its source and stopped where the river they had seen from the air was flanked by stone foundations The river bed between the foundations was filled with earth and vegetation, but several streams flowed from the substantial reservoir that had built up behind the crude dam and around the old barricade toward the lake The main course of the river turned abruptly just before it hit the foundations and angled off into the forest Austin followed the rushing waters away froain at a similar pair of foundations

"Just as I thought," he said

Zavala was is would be here?"

"Would you believe it if I said I was a daenius?"

Zavala winced "Of course I would Now tell me how you really knew"

Austin picked up a branch, threw it into the river, and watched it disappear fro bubble and foam "You remember how this river looks froles than a belly dancer Just before it coht line My first iht to be natural Like that te in nature is absolutely perfect Maybe it was a canal, I thought You know the Chesapeake and Ohio historical park north above Washington?"

"One of my favorite places for a cheap first date," Zavala said with a sot to do with anything?"

"Think about that temple Sometimes it's underwater Sometimes it isn't"