Misplaced (109 page)

“Wh
o
know
s
th
e
trut
h
o
f
thes
e
legends
?
Besides
,
what
difference
does it make?”

Though
it
w
as
clear
she
w
as
intruding,
V
ictoria
interjected,
“He
r
fascinatio
n
fo
r
thes
e
storie
s
i
s
m
y
fault
.
I
w
a
s
tryin
g
to
explain
why
New
Mexico
is
called
the
Land
of
Enchantment—
you know, giving her a taste of local history.”

Watching
him
carefully, Khara asked, “Do
you
belie
v
e
the
legend?”
he
r
emphasi
s
suggestin
g
h
e
ha
d
th
e
authorit
y
to
substantiate the tale.

Be
n
shrugged
.
“There’
s
proo
f
enoug
h
scattere
d
acros
s
the
mesas, if you know where to look.”

Khar
a
edge
d
close
r
t
o
him
.
“Di
d
the
y
trul
y
v
anis
h
suddenly?
And from where?”

Ben’s
e
y
es
came
to
rest
on
Oli
v
er,
who
w
as
standing
by
the
fire,
legs
apart
and
expression
defiant.
“Loose
lips
sink
ships,
boy,
”
h
e
tol
d
hi
m
reproachfully
.
“Learne
d
tha
t
i
n
th
e
navy.
True
then,
just
as
true
now.
Our
legends
belong
to
us;
they
’
re
o
n
e
o
f
th
e
fe
w
thing
s
w
e
ha
v
e
left.
”
H
e
s
ho
o
k
hi
s
hea
d
in
disappointment.
Just
then,
the
breeze
caught
Khara’s
long
hair.
A
s
sh
e
smoothe
d
i
t
a
w
a
y
fro
m
he
r
face
,
Ben’
s
e
y
e
s
follo
w
e
d
he
r
closely.
Too
closely.
He
reached
for
her
arm
and
the
coronation
bracelet. “Where did you get that?”

Sliding
it
off
her
wrist,
Khara
placed
the
gold
band
in
Ben’s
palm
.
H
e
inspecte
d
i
t
a
s
w
el
l
a
s
possibl
e
i
n
th
e
meage
r
light.
V
i
c
t
o
ria
w
as
m
il
d
ly
s
urpri
s
ed
to
find
that
there
w
as
no
greed
in
hi
s
e
y
es
;
h
e
studie
d
th
e
piec
e
wit
h
th
e
appreciatio
n
o
f
a
je
w
eler.
P
erhap
s
h
e
w
a
s
a
sil
v
ersmit
h
b
y
trade—tha
t
woul
d
account
fo
r
hi
s
heavil
y
bracelete
d
wrists
.
Still
,
sh
e
ha
d
place
d
i
t
so
trustingly in his palm that Victoria
w
as nervous.

Khara leaned for
w
ard. “Is it familiar to you?”

“This,”
Ben
pointed
to
Isis,
her
winged
arms
spread
wide.
“I’
v
e
seen
something
similar.”
For
a
moment
he
seemed
to
be
somewhere
else.
“Is
this
why
you
w
ant
to
know
about
Urraca
Mesa?”

“Thi
s
sacre
d
plac
e
o
f
whic
h
yo
u
spea
k
i
s
marke
d
b
y
a
winged goddess?”

Ben nodded and looked afraid. “Used to be. Urraca Mesa is
the
last
place
the
Anasazi
w
ere
seen.
Bad
medicine
there,”
he
commented,
smiling
w
eakly
and
sounding
like
a
TV
w
estern.
“
W
e
sta
y
a
w
a
y
fro
m
tha
t
place
.
I
w
en
t
onc
e
whe
n
I
w
a
s
a
teenager
;
ne
v
e
r
since
.
I
t
feel
s
unholy
,
i
f
yo
u
kno
w
wha
t
I
mean.
”

Khar
a
spo
k
e
a
s
i
f
i
n
a
t
rance
.
“Tha
t
ni
g
h
t
i
n
t
h
e
sands
.
Nandor said that I must first
survi
v
e the journey of death.”

“Luckily,
you
won’t
ha
v
e
to
take
him
literally.
He
probably
mean
t
th
e
Jornad
a
de
l
Muert
o
.
It’
s
no
t
to
o
fa
r
fro
m
here,
”
Be
n
confirmed.

“Then
I
w
as
to
follow
the
road
of
a
king
and
pass
through
the city of faith.”

“Y
ou
must
mean
the
Camino
Real.
It
hasn’t
been
used
since
th
e
railroad
s
came
,
bu
t
th
e
Spaniard
s
use
d
i
t
t
o
coloniz
e
thi
s
area. It takes you straight into Santa Fe.”

Khara
said
rapturously,
“It
w
as
ne
v
er
meant
that
I
return
to
Egypt
in
one
of
your
flying
chariots,
V
ictoria!
This
is
the
w
ay
back.”

“Y
ou can’t be serious!”

“Nando
r
appeare
d
tha
t
nigh
t
t
o
sho
w
u
s
th
e
w
ay.
”
The
cloud
y
nigh
t
hi
d
th
e
stars
,
bu
t
Khar
a
oriente
d
hersel
f
easily
enoug
h
withou
t
them
.
“Thi
s
sacre
d
place
,
doe
s
i
t
li
e
t
o
the
northeast?”