Beyond the Garden

by S. Y. Thompson

  A man was standing too close to the caisson when the trap went off. He had taken the full brunt of the pressurized acid in the face. Screaming in pain and terror, he dropped to the ground clutching at his face. His features seemed to melt and flow together as the acid did its work. Blood soaked into the ground and Lil could only stand by in horror, helpless to do anything but watch. Though he suffered terribly, the man’s death came quickly. Lil gave a tiny sigh of relief as his thrashing stopped and the screams abated. For a moment she could do nothing as another rush of adrenaline sang through her body.

  When Lil could think clearly again, she turned to find that the others had backed away from their deceased comrade. They appeared terrified by what they’d witnessed and she really couldn’t blame them. In truth, Lil was more bothered by the worker’s death than she cared to admit. She had thought herself inured to the truth of mortal pain and suffering. It came as a rude awakening to realize she’d only been fooling herself.

  “Professor, are you all right?” Her voice was huskier than usual.

  Clayworth slowly stood. “I think so. If you hadn’t shoved me aside…” Tears glistened on his cheeks in the artificial lights.

  Lil cleared her throat and called for some men to remove the body. They reacted slowly, hesitant to approach until Lil stepped around the artifact and knelt beside the victim. Her actions were intended to prove that the danger had passed. Eventually, the workers did respond and carefully carried the dead man away. Lil had no illusions that they were merely following her orders. They did as requested out of respect for the deceased. Two dead in less than an hour. Lil would hardly be surprised if the morning revealed that some of the men had deserted the expedition. As it was, the other workers returned to camp along with the men carrying away their fallen companion. Lil was alone with the professor.

  “Can you continue? I’ll understand if this is too much for you right now.”

  Clayworth hesitated. “No, this damned thing has already cost lives. Let’s see if it is worth the price.”

  Despite his brave words, Lil noticed that he was slow to approach. Since she already stood beside the open crate, she turned the flashlight inside. As she had suspected, it was another pillar. That seemed all that Gobekli was made up of. This one barely fit inside its container. The sides were perfectly smooth and square. It came to a point at the top in the fashion of an obelisk, but the end was different from any other column she had seen at the dig site so far. In this case, the pillar was recessed at the base. The rest of the column appeared approximately a foot and a half square. The far end was considerably smaller, perhaps three quarters of a foot. In addition to this odd characteristic, the pillar contained a single carving on all four sides.

  “Do you see what I see?” Clayworth sounded breathless.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you think…?”

  “Yes, perhaps.”

  “Should we…?”

  “Try it? I don’t see why not. We have little to lose at this point.”

  “Other than a finger or an eye?”

  Lil pretended not to hear this last comment. She took her medallion from the groove and slipped it into her pocket before she hefted the smooth stone pillar from its crate. While it was heavy, it wasn’t unmanageable outside the container. Lil rested the column on her shoulder and took off across the sand. She headed in the direction of Complex E with the professor hot on her heels.

  The sun had just started to rise in the east, reminding Lil that they had worked all night to unearth this relic. She hoped it proved worthy of the sacrifice they had paid in blood. The rising orb provided them with enough light to navigate away from the work site and prevent them from tripping over debris. Lil’s heart pounded as she approached the bovine carving she had stood near the night before. As she approached, her eyes fixed upon the slot she had discussed with Muhammed. What were the odds that Professor Clayworth had discovered the very column she had pondered such a short time ago? They were about to find out.

  Lil eased the column off her shoulder and across her forearm. She stood staring at the indention, mentally assessing the size of the receptacle. Before she even attempted to slide the slab into place, Lil knew it would fit. The cut groove on the heavy pillar dropped inside without hindrance. The column and the repository were a perfect match.

  Unable to express her emotions, Lil cleared her throat. She wasn’t prepared when Clayworth slapped her on the back and she stumbled forward a step.

  “You’ve done it, my dear. No one else has believed there was anything here but broken stones for decades. You have proved otherwise. Congratulations.”

  “The find is yours, Professor. You deserve all the credit. There’s only one problem that I can see.”

  “Yes?”

  Lil looked around the sandy expanse, pondering their next move. “We still have one more pillar to find.”

  She could see that she had shocked Clayworth. His eyes flew to their feet and the remaining, empty slot. Then he looked back at her with a question in his gaze.

  “Something goes in that opening. What it will lead to, I haven’t a guess. I do, however, suggest that this information remain between the two of us.”

  “I concur. If you’ll assist me in carrying this artifact back to my tent, I’ll see to the security.”

  Lil almost agreed. “I’m sorry, but I think I’ll take care of this one myself. I understand you’ll need to catalog the information and you’ll have access to my tent while you’re doing that. What about the container? Is that something you might also want to document?”

  “Yes, yes of course. I’ll see to it. I believe that we should set up a grid pattern to survey the remaining area for the other artifact.”

  “That’s a good idea, but it can wait until after you get some sleep. I don’t want you to keel over from exhaustion.”

  Chapter Five

  While the rest of the camp enjoyed a much-needed break, Lil cordoned off the region where Clayworth discovered the first pillar. Using rope and wooden stakes, she spent half of the day laying out grid squares. The sun and heat didn’t bother her as much as the cold of most northern climates. Around midday, workers began to stir. A few self-motivated individuals joined Lil and by early evening, they completed the layout. She had yet to see Clayworth and assumed he was busy with their secret treasure.

  Muhammed returned in the truck just before the evening meal. Lil saw his expression and knew he bore bad news. She left the workers to finish up and joined her foreman. He began to speak as soon as she was close.

  “Rafet did not survive his injuries.” The outrage flashed in his brown eyes though he was careful to keep his tone respectful. Muhammed’s voice trembled with the effort.

  Lil rested a hand upon his thickly muscled shoulder. “I’m so sorry, my friend, but the news does not improve. Another died after you left camp last night.”

  Muhammed inhaled with a hiss. He spun away from Lil to hide his more emotional reaction and she wondered if the big, soft-hearted man fought tears. She knew she should feel sympathy for the needless loss, but in truth experienced only the hollow ache of emptiness. Objectively, she realized that ancient peoples protected their treasures with all sorts of devices. Intended to deter grave robbers and the like, they were still as effective today. Coupled with her beliefs in the fleetingness of life, Lil found it hard to dredge up any emotion but impatience. She was ready to move on with the dig and all of these unfortunate happenings would create nothing but problems with the workers. She needed them to get busy and focus on something other than their bad luck.

  “I wish we had time to mourn them, Muhammed, but word of our find will soon travel back to Istanbul.”

  “Is a stone box more important than the lives of my men?” he grated, turning back to confront her.

  Lil realized he had missed their discovery of the pillar. She quickly filled him in and impressed on him that others would arrive in an attempt to find the matching column. He didn’t like it, but Muh
ammed had given her his oath to help find the artifacts she searched for. After a heated discussion about the fate of the latest victim, Muhammed agreed to allow one of his other men to take the body into the nearest town. He stayed at the site to coordinate the activities of his workers and soothe their fears. Muhammed promised Lil he would do his best to limit the number of deserters.

  While he set to work, Lil went in search of the professor. She found Clayworth in her tent, cataloging the bovine column as they had agreed. “How can you still be taking measurements? It is almost time for the evening meal.”

  Clayworth blinked and looked up. He still held a set of calipers, but appeared lost in thought. His eyes slowly focused on her. “Precision takes time. I’ve also removed a small piece to send to the lab for carbon dating.”

  The comment disturbed her. “How small of a piece? Professor Clayworth, you could render the artifact useless out of simple carelessness. If you have irreparably harmed that relic, there will be a fourth death in this camp before the night is through.”

  Although she didn’t really intend to murder the old man, Clayworth took the threat seriously. His eyes rounded and he sputtered for a moment before he spoke sternly. “How dare you? I have worked very hard since you hired me, Ms. Primus. I assure you that I am not so incompetent as to completely destroy the integrity of the piece. The sample I took is a simple scraping from the outer edge.”

  Lil wanted to shout at him for speaking to her in such a manner, but caught herself. She could always hire another scientist and there was no love lost for Clayworth, but she stopped for selfish reasons. Clayworth already knew of the column. If she fired him, word would spread about the artifact that much faster. Lil would lose time employing someone else and bringing them up to speed.

  “My apologies. I would never harm you. I’m just…a little too excited over our discovery.”

  Clayworth let out his breath and his shoulders sagged. “Indeed. I do understand. I’m a bit on edge myself. This column may lead to nothing, but on the other hand it may be the key to unearthing the secrets of Gobekli. At any rate,” he placed the calipers on the table, “I have done as much as I can with this piece for the moment.”

  “In that case, may I buy you dinner?” Lil waved toward the tent exit.

  As they left, Lil saw that the guard outside her temporary abode had changed while she spoke to the professor. She wasn’t concerned that she didn’t recognize the man since there were many of the workers she had never engaged in personal conversation. Instead, she headed toward the torchlight and the cooking fires with Clayworth in tow. Unless they worked on a find during the evening hours, Lil confined the camp to natural torches rather than the hot and overly bright incandescent lights. She found the torchlight more soothing and easier on her eyes.

  The smells of olive oil, goat meat and vegetables assaulted her nose as she settled down onto her camp chair near the fire. Most of the men resided on the ground or milled around in groups. She rarely took part in their conversations, but felt it important to be near them during mealtimes so as not to appear standoffish. Also, the closeness allowed her to overhear conversations that might indicate trouble in the camp. Absently, Lil noticed that the previous guard outside her quarters wasn’t anywhere in sight. She didn’t really think much about it. Many of the workers grabbed a quick bite at dusk and then retired for private prayers or a little extra rest.

  “What are your plans for the morning, Madam?”

  Lil glanced over to Muhammed who had taken a knee beside her. He held a chunk of barely cooked goat in one meaty paw and took a healthy bite while awaiting her response.

  “By morning, I intend to be finished with one of the grid squares.”

  Muhammed stopped chewing for a moment. “You intend to work through the night?”

  “Along with anyone who will do the same. I don’t want to waste any time and the lighted dial on the radar equipment will show up even better in the dark.”

  “Many of the workers will not agree to this, Ms. Primus. Their religion will not allow it.”

  Lil nodded. “That’s fine. I’m not asking them to. Now when the sun is up there is no excuse and I will fire any man who doesn’t pull his weight. That unfortunate soul will find himself walking out of the desert.”

  “Agreed. I will work with you. It seems only fair since I have lost a day taking my men into Sanliurfa.”

  “That’s hardly your fault.”

  “Nevertheless, it is the right thing to do. When you become tired, I will take your place with the equipment.”

  Muhammed wasn’t a scientist or even a person Lil considered technically inclined. Nevertheless, she could call up the scans from Clayworth’s discovery on the PDA and show him what to look for. “I accept your offer. Thank you.”

  “Gecirmek!”

  Lil lunged to her feet and ran toward the shouted alarm, instantly aware that it came from the direction of her own tent. Running steps behind her informed Lil that others followed to discover the source of the problem. As she approached, she noticed the absence of the guard. Lil sprinted into the tent to find it empty. The column was gone from the camp table. She spun around and left the tent as quickly as she had entered.

  The sound of a scuffle came from nearby in the darkness. A few men struggled on the ground, but she couldn’t identify them among the tangle of robes, shirts and shadows. Muhammed waded into the tangle and shoved one of the men aside with a hand on his shoulder. Lil recognized the missing guard she’d left on duty when she went to eat. Nearby, she spotted the stone pillar. One of the men with whom he had fought began pointing and shouting. He spoke so quickly that Lil had difficulty following.

  Muhammed translated. “Avni says that he found this one leaving camp with the stone. He shouted for Niyazi to stop, but the thief ran. Avni pursued him and they fought.”

  Lil recognized Avni as the man who stood guard before the treacherous Niyazi replaced him. She didn’t ask where he’d been, just grateful that he had stopped Niyazi before he absconded with their find. She approached Niyazi but he refused to look at her, his eyes pinned upon the horizon.

  “Who paid you to steal from me?”

  He remained silent and Lil wasn’t in the mood to attempt to extract the information. It could be that Niyazi simply took it upon himself to take the pillar in order to sell it on the black market. Unfortunately for him, this wasn’t America. Stealing in this region usually cost the offender a body part. Lil would leave his punishment to Muhammed.

  “Do what you will with him, but I want him gone. Please appoint your most trusted men to guard my tent.”

  Muhammed bowed his head and Lil walked away, catching his dangerous expression from the corner of her eye. She didn’t envy Niyazi’s fate, yet his disloyalty did impress the urgency of the situation upon her. Sitting around waiting for the dig to proceed would only allow opportunities for trouble. It was time to get to work.

  ****

  Lil adjusted the strap on the Profiler, shifting it to a more comfortable position on her shoulder. She had worked tirelessly since Niyazi’s betrayal, rarely turning the radar equipment over to anyone for the last three days. When she did, it was to check on the sentries and the pillar. The traitor had disappeared from the camp, though the small pool of blood near the edge of camp and the scream she’d heard that night told her that Muhammed had carried out her orders.

  The morning of the third day after the attempted theft, the sky grew overcast. Light rain began to fall, made all the more impressive by its rarity in the Southern Anatolia Region. Workers ran to fill containers with what little water that fell in an effort to conserve their supplies. None of them had showered in days and the sweltering heat caused them to sweat heavily. The rain wasn’t even close to enough for them to bathe and Lil thought it just made the smell worse. At least the moisture eased the dryness from her throat.

  Lil blinked droplets from her eyes and returned to work. They had eliminated three quarters of the grids and she intend
ed to finish the rest within the next two days.

  “I will relieve you,” Muhammed said from near her shoulder.

  “I’m fine.”

  He slipped the strap from her shoulder. Lil rounded on him, ready to lambaste him. The concern in his eyes was the only thing that stopped her, concern for her well-being. She gave up the coil scanner without argument.

  “This is the last section of the grid. Let me know when you’re ready for a break.”

  Muhammed nodded and Lil went for a drink of water. The rain tapered off as she tilted the canteen to her lips. She raised a hand to shield her eyes and looked toward the sky. The clouds had already begun to dissipate, spent by the extreme heat. Steam rose from the slightly mushy ground.

  “Mistress Primus?”

  “Yes, Muhammed?” He couldn’t be ready for respite so quickly.

  “Would you please look at this? I believe I may have done something wrong.”

  Worried that he had somehow damaged the expensive equipment, Lil dropped the canteen onto her chair and rushed over to him. They couldn’t afford to stop now and replacing the ground penetrating survey equipment would cause the loss of several days. She hoped it was something simple, like a loose wire or a problem between the wireless connection and the PDA.

  “What seems to be the trouble?”

  Muhammed slipped the strap from his shoulder and settled the coils onto the ground. He held out the data pad so that she could see the scan. “Have I somehow broken the display?”

  A single perfectly straight edge stood out through the static. It ran from the top of the readout to the bottom of the screen. Lil frowned and took the device from his hand to peer at it more closely. The screen was not cracked. They had discovered many massive buried stone columns, but she could just make out the perimeters of something familiar.

  “Muhammed…I think you’ve found it.”

  Lil almost couldn’t believe it. She called Professor Clayworth over to verify her initial impression. When he did, she could hardly contain her exuberance. Never had she been so close before. Muhammed shouted for workers and within minutes they were digging toward the all-important artifact. Now that they knew what they were looking for, it seemed to take much less time to reach the stone casket. Buckets on rope were lowered as before to draw the loosened sand from the quickly emerging pit.