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“Actually, since we’re on this side of the international date line—”
“Shut up,” she told his chest. “Just hold me.”
He obeyed her.
“And make sure Kowalski doesn’t bring another grenade,” she mumbled.
He sighed. “I wish I could.”
He held her until the muscles of her back and shoulders hardened. Her legs pushed straighter, girding herself for the dangers ahead. He held her a moment longer—not because she needed it, because he did.
He finally let go, and they headed back across the bow. Still, he kept a grip on her hand, but as they passed the wheelhouse, they were slowly drawn apart by the forces ahead of them.
The stern deck and wheelhouse were crowded with twenty men. Half the group were from Gray’s contingent. The remaining forces were those of Xue and Wen. The small Harbin transport plane could hold no more. Both sides had to leave some of their men behind. At Gray’s request, those left back at Jakarta would continue to protect the museum.
It was the only way he could thank its director, Kadir Numberi, for agreeing to accompany them on this dangerous outing. Much of the story they were following was tied to the secret history of the Aboriginal people, and Gray had wanted the director’s continuing expertise. He still had many questions and hoped for some answers before they reached the waters where theTenebraesank.
To that end, Gray waved to Xue and Heng as he entered the wheelhouse. “Could you bring Stamford’s steel box down to the galley? I’ve had some further thoughts that I’d like to discuss with Dr. Numberi.”
“Certainly,” Xue said.
The pair followed him to the steps leading below deck.
At the helm, Captain Wen stood next to the boat’s pilot. He glanced back, but he made no effort to accompany them. He’d clearly had enough of their historical discussions.
Gray remembered Seichan’s warning about not trusting anyone.
That certainly applies to Wen.
Seichan stayed in the wheelhouse, stepping over to Yeung, who carried weapons over both shoulders. She intended to keep close watch on the others.
With his back guarded, Gray descended into the galley. Guan-yinand Zhuang sat at a small table. Across from them, Kadir was reading through Stamford’s account with a furrowed brow.
Gray crossed to the table. “Dr. Numberi, I was wondering if I could pick your brain about your great-grandfather’s people.”
Kadir pushed the pages aside. “Of course.”
“We’re placing all our hopes on this lost Aboriginal history. But there’s one aspect I was hoping you could shed further light on.”
Kadir shifted to face him. “Concerning what?”
Gray remembered back at the museum how Kadir had responded strangely to a part of their discussion. He had looked as if he had wanted to say something but had been reluctant to speak.
Gray raised that topic again. “In Stamford’s records, he mentions a span of time that he called the Dark Dreaming. It seemed important, but he never elaborated further. Do you know anything about it?”
“Maybe.” Kadir sat straighter. “The Aboriginal concept ofDreamtimeor simply theDreamingis difficult to put into words. It encompasses their origin stories, a time of gods and heroes, but it also includes the past and present. It’s a merging of time into one single continuum. Sometimes referred to asEverywhen. Truthfully, I was surprised to see it mentioned in Sir Raffles’s account.”
“Why is that?” Gray asked.
“During Stamford’s lifetime, the termsDreamingorDreamtimewere never mentioned. They only appeared in more common usage decades after his death. So his mention of theDreamingis odd. As is his use of the worddarkto describe it.”
“What do you think Raffles was referring to?”
“I can only guess, but it must tie to the earliest history of the First Nations peoples.” Kadir looked contemplative for a moment before continuing. “The typical date that most archaeologists assign to the populating of Australia is around sixty thousand years ago. That’s been accepted for some time. But as further studies have been done—something that’s been sorely neglected until very recently—anomalies surrounding that date have come to light. The examination of an Aboriginal fishing site in Warrnambool, Victoria, was recently dated to 120,000 years ago. Another ten locations have similarly shown tobe far older than the accepted 60,000 years. Some critics have questioned those numbers, but the initial research was done by respected academics.”
Xue frowned. “Regardless, what does thedatehave to do with a time called the Dark Dreaming?”
Kadir turned to him. “Many of the earliest stories of Dreamtime are apocalyptic. They speak of a giant wave sweeping far inland and killing almost everyone. And of fiery gods warring in the earth and bursting forth or raining down fire, killing thousands.”
