Nothing. There's nothing here. I've dragged us both into legal trouble for a fantasy.
At thirty minutes, Ben sat back on his heels, sweat darkening his shirt despite the dry heat. "Maple, maybe we should?—"
Her shovel struck something solid with a metallicclangthat echoed off the canyon walls.
"Jackpot." The word came out breathless.
Ben's head snapped to her, skepticism replaced by sudden alertness. "What did you find?"
"I don't know yet." Maple's hands shook as she set aside the shovel, reaching for her brush. "But it's not natural stone."
They worked together now with renewed urgency, carefully clearing away centuries of accumulated earth and debris. The object emerged slowly—first a curved edge, then what looked like carved symbols, finally the full outline of something that made Maple's breath catch in her throat.
Red stone, smooth as glass despite its obvious age, roughly the size of her palm. At first glance it looked ordinary, like any number of artifacts she'd uncovered over the years. But as she lifted it from its earthen cradle, the weight felt wrong—too heavy for its size, as if it contained something denser than mere stone.
"Careful with that," Ben warned, though his voice carried more curiosity than concern now. "We don't know what kind of preservation issues?—"
Maple's fingers traced the carved symbol on its surface almost without conscious thought. A triangle, perfectly geometric, etched deep into the stone with a precision that spoke of advanced tools and careful craftsmanship.
But the moment her fingertip completed the triangle's outline, the world changed.
Light erupted from within the stone, not harsh or blinding but warm and pulsing, as if she held a beating heart made of fire. The glow spread up her arm like liquid heat, flooding her system with a sensation that was part pleasure, part terror, part recognition so profound it stole her breath.
Mine,something whispered in the depths of her mind.
"Oh no." The words tumbled from her lips as heat flooded her body, racing through her veins like molten gold. "What is happening?"
Ben scrambled backward, his eyes wide as he stared at the glowing artifact in her hand. "That was unexpected."
Unexpected.
The understatement would have been funny if Maple could think past the fire spreading through her chest, and the way her pulse seemed to sync with the stone's rhythmic glow. She felt changed, as if something fundamental about her biology had just shifted.
The artifact didn't just react to her touch—it felt like it recognized her.
"We need to get this and ourselves out of here. Now." She forced her voice to remain steady despite the chaos in her blood.
Ben nodded, already reaching for their packs. "I told you this was a bad idea."
Maybe he was right.
The thought cut through her euphoria like a blade. She'd found what she'd been searching for, but now she held stolen property that defied every law of physics she understood. Property that was somehow connected to her on a level that transcended rational explanation.
The hike back to her Jeep passed in a haze of heat shimmer and mounting panic. The artifact had stopped glowing once she'd wrapped it carefully in her spare shirt, but she could still feel its presence like a second heartbeat. Every step took them further from Trigg Corporation land and closer to safety, but also closer to the moment when she'd have to decide what to do next.
By the time they reached the vehicle, parked in a wash where it wouldn't be visible from the main road, Maple'smind was racing through options. She could try to handle this alone, research the artifact in secret, hope that whatever was happening to her would resolve itself without outside intervention.
But as she slid behind the wheel and started the engine, reality crashed over her like a cold wave.
I need help. Real help. The kind only one person can provide.
"I have to call my mother." The admission scraped her throat raw.
Ben glanced at her sharply. "Your mother? The retired historian who spent your entire childhood telling you to stop chasing fantasies?"
"She knows more about artifact authentication and legal protection than anyone else in the Southwest." Maple pulled onto the main road, her knuckles white against the steering wheel. "If Serena finds out about this—if anyone finds out I've been trespassing on corporate land and concealing a discovery—my career is over."
The words tasted bitter in her mouth. Her mother would be disappointed but not surprised. Another example of Maple's impractical obsessions leading her into trouble. Another reminder that wonder and professional stability could never coexist.
