Raider and the Lost Lamp Ch. 07

"I think we might have the right one this time," Clara said with a hopeful smile. The humour of the situation did not escape Clara as she sat staring up at Jeff, who was blissfully unaware that he was dripping shaving cream all over the floor of the historic mansion's library. And for a second, she could almost feel that same unspoken connection she made with him a couple of nights earlier, when they'd deduced the location of Caesar's tomb. But it didn't take Clara long to remind herself to remain wary of him.

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Jeff, Clara and His Lordship spent the next two days gathering all the information they could about the mountains around Lake Van. They calculated which mountains had a view of a sunset over water, then they used geological data to rule several mountains out, based on the assumption that certain types of rock would've been too hard for a culture that ancient to burrow in to. Once they had done this, four mountains remained as possible sites for the tomb. Unfortunately, none of the information they had gathered made any of these mountains stand out as the tomb's probable location.

It soon became apparent that they had narrowed down the tomb's location as much as possible from England. All they could do now was go to Turkey and explore each of the mountains in person, searching for some sign of the tomb's entrance.

By the time they had decided upon this course of action it was already mid afternoon. At Lake Van, two timezones ahead of them, there were only been a few more hours of daylight left. Jeff suggested that if Clara transported them onto one of the mountains instantaneously, they could get at least some exploring done. But Clara argued that instantaneously raising a person's elevation by over two kilometers had never been attempted before. While she, as a genie, would be safe, the dramatic drop in air pressure could quite likely give any human companion the bends. The lake's shore, although still several hundred meters above them, offered a much safer destination for Clara to transport them to.

However, it was far too late in the day to make the trip and then climb a mountain. It was decided that Clara and Jeff would make the trip early the next morning, just as day was breaking in eastern Turkey. Lord Roft implored his daughter to take him as well and allow him to assist her further in her search, but Clara firmly denied his persistent requests. She was not about to have him risking his tenuous health by trudging up and down steep mountain trails. Clara was more than capable of navigating rough terrain and she was no stranger to the subtleties of searching for hidden tombs.

The Roft family and Jeff all sat down to dinner together at the usual time. Despite the amazing progress that they had made in the past couple of days, the mood at the table was somewhat sombre. Jeff surmised that Lord and Lady Roft, to a large extent, had still not gotten over what happened the last time they farewelled their daughter as she took off on one of her adventures. The fact that he and Clara would be departing the next morning to explore the mountains of Turkey was strangely not discussed in the dinner conversation that night.

After dinner, Clara asked Jeff to try and get an early night's rest, so that they could be ready to leave by three-thirty AM. Jeff agreed, once again inviting Clara to share a bottle of wine with him in his room before bedtime. Clara flatly refused, telling him that she would much rather spend her last few hours at Roft Manor double-checking their research. Jeff did not pursue the matter any further. With much chagrin Jeff climbed into bed, alone (again), just after nine o'clock. It took him over an hour to get off to sleep. The next thing Jeff knew, the lights had been turned back on and Clara was standing over him calling his name.

"It's time," she told him, when his drowsy eyes eventually opened.

"I thought I was supposed to be the one who gives the orders..." he grumbled as he slowly lifted the covers and sat up. Clara wandered over to the far side of the room, acting as if she didn't even hear the remark. Jeff looked her over and noticed that she was fully dressed in outdoors gear, complete with climbing boots and a small backpack. With a grunt he lifted himself off the mattress and began lumbering over towards the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" an obviously anxious Clara snapped at him after he'd taken no more than two steps. Jeff stared at her with a perplexed expression, as if she'd just asked the dumbest question he'd ever heard. "Oh, very well!" she responded, a little embarrassed by her own ignorance as she turned her back on him. "The sooner we find that amulet, the better," Clara thought to herself. "I'm starting to forget about bodily functions, for god's sake!"

Clara turned around again when she heard the toilet flushing in the bathroom. A few seconds later, Jeff wandered out of the bathroom. Without a word of warning, Clara summoned a cloud of smoke to surround his feet and make it's way up his body, clothing him in an adventuring ensemble as it went, complete with the same akubra hat he was wearing when they first met. Jeff was clearly a little disoriented by this bizarre new method of getting dressed, but he quickly adjusted. Clara waved her hand in his direction and his backpack, still containing the lamp, teleported onto his back, from under his bed.

"Are you ready?" Clara asked him in the same unreadable tone she'd that been giving him for the past couple of days.

"I guess so..." Jeff shrugged. Clara led him out into the hallway, and down to her own bedroom. Lord and Lady Roft were waiting inside, still in their dressing gowns. Lady Roft seemed very apprehensive.

"Well... we're ready," Clara announced, as she and Jeff approached her parents.

"Very well, dear. Good luck!" Lady Roft said as she tightly embraced her daughter, trying very hard to conceal her worry. She held Clara for many seconds, before forcing herself to let go.

"You needn't worry, Mother," Clara said with a confidant smile. "We're going properly equipped this time. I have my sat-phone in my pack, and I'll be sure to call at least once every day."

"Good-bye, Nugget," Lord Roft said quietly as he hugged Clara goodbye. Jeff had never heard His Lordship use this pet name for her before, and had to struggle to keep a straight face. "If there's anything you need, any further research you need done..." Lord Roft continued.

"I know, Father. I won't hesitate to call. And thank you!" Clara interrupted. Lord Roft let his daughter go and stepped towards Jeff, extending his hand, which Jeff proceeded to shake.

"It's been... interesting, Master Rourke. I wish you luck..." His Lordship said.

"As do I," Lady Roft interjected.

"...I'm sure I don't need to tell you how important it is to my wife and I to see you both return safe and sound, preferably with Clara restored to her human form," The lord continued.

"Don't worry, Your Lordship, I'll take good care of her," Jeff smiled. Clara shot him a suspicious glance, but nobody seemed to notice.

"We'd better be off," Clara declared after a brief silence, "Good bye, Mother, Father."

"Good-bye," Lord Roft replied solemnly.

"Godspeed," said his wife. Then in a poof of dark smoke Jeff and Clara had disappeared. Lady Roft closed her eyes tightly, and took a deep breath, mustering all her resolve to hold back her tears. Within seconds her willpower had won the struggle. Without a word she lead her husband back to the main bedchamber of the mansion to get what sleep they could and though her proud noble face clearly displayed unease, it was unmarred by tears.