An Unearthing of Goddesses

An Unearthing of Goddesses Part 15

"Morning sunshine!" Aurae called over from her mount, a few yards ahead. "Don't fall off! We're almost to the dig."

Kate shook her head and repositioned herself. The camel snorted. "Where am I? What happened to the ice castle?"

"You are in the Arabian desert. Who knows? Maybe it melted." Aurae tossed her blue veils and slapped her camel, who bolted ahead. Kate gripped her camel's lead and held on as her beast followed. They galloped ahead to the next dune.

They were in the desert, dunes as tall as palaces drifting away in the distance. Aurae called back, "We're almost to the site. Keep up!" The two camels galloped side by side, their hooves kicking up the sand behind them. Then suddenly, Aurae stopped, her camel rearing up. Kate's camel followed suit, slowing to circle his brother. Aurae got a waterskin out and threw it to Kate, who gulped thirstily, already dehydrated. The air was dry and sand was settling in her hair and seeping into her clothing.

Then Aurae dismounted. She was willowy and graceful, her long sky blue robes blowing in the light wind. Her head covering blew back from time to time, showing her long ink black hair and a circlet of turquoise blue stones framing her strong arched brows and heavily kohled eyes. More stones hung in an elaborate chain that draped from one ear to another, laying low across her olive-hued neckline.

"We've arrived."

Kate surveyed the arid land around them. It looked no different than the desert they had been traversing. "Arrived where?"

"At our dig site of course. Here's a shovel." She lifted down two shovels from the saddlebag on the camel. The goddess held out a hand, and Kate pulled herself over the camel's back, accepting Aurae's assistance and jumping to the ground. She took her shovel. Suddenly a gust of wind took Aurae, who spun round wildly like a dervish, throwing sand out like pellets so that Kate had to turn and shield her eyes. Just as suddenly, the wind had vanished.

"Sorry," Aurae said, dusting herself off. She was now in an outfit befitting a desert dig, with khaki pants and blouse, leather boots and a colorful head scarf. Kate wore similar gear. "The shovels are only ceremonial of course. But we may get a bit dirty – at least I hope so! Let's break ground." She readied her own tool.

Together, they dug deep into the soft sand, lifting a shovelful and tossing it over their shoulders. Beneath their feet the sand started to jiggle, then a swirling motion started, and a spiral of sand began sinking under their feet – they quickly moved back, guiding the camels along. The spiral grew bigger and deeper and Kate moved the camels further and further back, while Aurae stood on the outside of the deepening pit, guiding the sand with her hands, gesturing wildly as it continued to empty downwards, the wind gusting it along.

Soon, a spire was visibly poking up through the sand several feet and then, a golden dome started to surface. The dome leveled out and curved down to join another dome beneath; at the joint were a ring of windows. Aurae stopped her hand gesturing and the wind ceased.

"Far enough," she called. "In we go." She dropped down to the dome below, sliding a bit at its convex surface. She knelt by the windows and started working at one until the sash loosened and she was able to open it outward.

"C'mon!" She called up to Kate as she disappeared within. Kate dropped the camels' leads in the sand.

"Well – stay here I guess," she said and took another swig of water, putting the waterskin over her head and shoulder. She walked to the edge of the sand and blithely slid down to the golden dome. The sun hit it beautifully in the afternoon light. She scrambled up the window and looked at it warily – she was a bigger girl than Aurae. But she lifted her feet over the edge and scooted till they were dangling over. Then she bent over and took a look, catching herself with a gasp as she looked down into a chasm. She was on the windowsill of the top dome forming the ceiling over the much larger bottom dome that stretched over an expansive space below. It was dark save for a lone torch, held by Aurae who stood far below.