“Wow, India!” Cassie exclaimed. “That’s a place I’ve always wanted to visit.”
“And soon you shall.” Griffin frowned in concentration as he regarded the gem-studded bull.
Apparently sensing his concern, Faye turned toward him and asked, “What is it, dear?”
“What?” he peered up at her distractedly still lost in thought. “Oh, very sorry. I just had a thought.”
“Yes?”
“There’s one other fact which I can glean from this riddle. Some sort of time delay will be related to the retrieval of the next artifact.”
“How do you figure that?” the paladin asked.
“It’s in the second line. The words ‘biding til’ concern me. Our dove, apparently thirsty from her long sojourn in the desert, has landed at a mysterious tower seeking water. However, it appears she must wait there until some other condition is met. Her kindred must fill the jaws of the lion. Let me just say I haven’t the foggiest idea what those words mean but our dove can fly no further until that event happens.”
“That’s a pretty gruesome condition,’ Cassie observed. “I mean, think about a flock of doves flying into the jaws of a lion to get chomped on. Yuck!”
“One can only hope they’re metaphorical doves,” Griffin retorted. “I don’t savor the idea of sacrificing a flock of innocent birds.”
“Metaphor or not, we’ve gotten around tricky clues before,” Cassie objected. “If there’s some astronomical thing going on, you can just calculate around it, right?”
Griffin shook his head. “We’ve never seen explicit instructions to wait before. It may not be an astronomical event that drives this next leg of the artifact quest.”
“So, you’re saying this is going to take some time to figure out?”
“Quite,” was the scrivener’s succinct reply.
“Are we talking days or weeks?”
“In all probability, we’re talking months.”
“If that’s the case, might I offer a proposal?” Faye’s quiet interjection startled them all.
Everyone’s focus shifted from the bull to the memory guardian.
“I believe you three will stand the best chance of solving the clue if you can distance yourselves from the problem for a while.”
“How do we do that?” Cassie asked doubtfully.
The old woman smiled. “By taking some time off. Spend the next few weeks engaging in whatever activity you enjoy most.”
“But we’re operating under a serious deadline here,” Erik objected. “The sooner we solve the riddle, the better our chances of getting miles ahead of the Nephilim.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Faye replied.
Erik registered puzzlement.
She continued. “‘Sooner’ is the operative word. I believe you’ll work far more efficiently toward a solution if you aren’t simultaneously battling exhaustion. Don’t you agree?”
“I suppose,” the paladin relented.
“Maddie’s unfortunate incident should be a warning to you of the dangers of overextending yourselves. The fatigue I see etched on all your faces tells me you’ve already reached the point of diminishing returns.”
“Oh,” Cassie said in a small voice. She hadn’t even realized that she was wound up as tight as a coiled spring. They all were. “But what about Daniel?” she protested feebly. “He’s bound to get the jump on us.”
The memory guardian raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I suspect, given the stresses of his home environment, that he may be even less able to achieve clarity than the three of you currently are. I think we can afford to take that risk.” Faye turned to her second-in-command. “What do you say, Maddie? Have they earned a short leave of absence?”
Much to everyone’s surprise, the chatelaine didn’t explode into outraged protests. She gave a bark of a laugh. “You’re asking me? I’m the new poster child for the hazards of all work and no play. Do you really think I’m gonna say no? I vote to let them each take two weeks on the Arkana’s nickel to go wherever they want.” She paused and fixed the trio with a fierce stare. “Just in case you think I’m going soft on you, be warned. I expect all of you back here in fourteen days ready to hit the ground running.”
“Aye, aye, chief.” Erik gave a mock salute.
“I’m eager to delve into the mystery of that last missing artifact transfer,” Griffin murmured half to himself. “It’s unlikely the problem resolved itself in Maddie’s absence.”
His two teammates stared at him in disbelief.
“The Powers That Be just gave you a blank check to do whatever you want and that’s how you plan to spend your downtime?” Erik asked.
The scrivener chuckled. “Intellectual puzzles are my favorite way, as you would say, to decompress.”
“I’ve got an urge to visit some beaches in Tahiti.” Cassie darted a swift glance toward Erik. He seemed to understand and grinned back at her. Nobody else noticed.
For Griffin’s benefit, Faye and Maddie launched into a recap of the state of the Catalog since he’d been gone. In no time, the three of them immersed themselves in an animated discussion of the hapless tyro and his missing artifact transfers.
Erik leaned over and murmured to Cassie, “I thought we were supposed to be on vacation as of now. They’ll be talking shop for at least another hour, and Griffin is supposed to ride home with us. Do you think I should tell him to wrap it up?”
The pythia laughed softly. “Dude, look at his face. I haven’t seen him this happy since before we left for Africa. I think he’s already started his vacation and the last thing I want to do is rain on his parade.”
The paladin paused to consider. “What if Faye dropped him back at the vault to pick up his car? It’s right on her way.”
“I suppose that would be OK,” Cassie agreed.
Erik leaned in a little closer. “So, you want to go to Tahiti, huh? I know a guy who’ll show you around for dirt cheap. In fact, he’ll give you the friends with benefits discount and show you around for free. When do you want to leave?”
“How about right after I throw a bikini and a toothbrush into a duffel bag?” she whispered back.
He nodded. “I like a woman who knows what she wants.”
“Or who,” she corrected pointedly.
“Or who,” he agreed,
