Serenity moved around the site like a whirling dervish as her team tried to keep up. The whole time, she never stopped talking

“And don’t neglect the older methods, we need to use all the tools in our repertoire for this site. I know some of the team are tempted to rely heavily on the tech. And don’t forget to regularly check in with the security team concerning the status of the No Tech radicalists. They keep moving closer. Oh! The engineers said the satellite system is fixed up now and they did an upgrade of some of the software so it should be more reliable now. Please make sure you upload the daily updates as well as the monthly reports and phone me if you find anything…”

Beth and Sam share amused looks. Beth laughed as she caught hold of Serenitys arm and swung her around so she could look into her face.

“Serenity relax. You can trust us we know exactly how you like things to be done. And the dig will be wrapping up in two weeks anyway. Trust us.”

Baths sweet face grinned reassuringly and Serenity sighed out her stress, relaxing a little under her friends reassurance.

“I’m sorry Beth. Sam. I do trust you, you know that. I’m just being silly.”

“We know hun. We’re so proud of you for deciding to do this. We’ll join you as soon as this dig is wrapped up.” Beth enthused.

Sam, characteristically quiet, smiled knowingly. “Besides, we’re both dyeing to know what this huge secret is.”

The three laughed together and Beth pulled them all into a quick hug. Serenity loved her friends and was so thankful and happy to have them. Sam produced her luggage from now where that she had packed last night and left in her tent. She smiled her thanks and turned to her transport while her friends waited to wave her off.

“Oh, and don’t forget that everyone needs to submit their private tablets for records update on the last day.”

Sam and Beth exclaimed in unison. “Yes now go!”

Serenity laughed and climbed into the transport that would take her to the Solar Vapor plane. Waving she watched until her friends were out of site.

***

Since the signing of the Paris agreement in 2016, the great world leaders had made great strides towards cleaning up the beautiful blue planet. The greatest achievement was the development of a vast array of clean energy technologies. The Soar Vapour plane was one of the most popular of them, clean fast and able to stay in the air for indefinite periods thanks to utilisation of moisture in the high altitudes. It also made sure that the journey was quiet. So quite that now, aboard the plane back home, Serenity hadnothing to distract her from her own thoughts. Feeling anxious and on edge... Serenity irritation was directed at the man sitting next to her. Although it really wasn't his fault.

She had decided to accept the job despite the fact that it was in the UK. And she knew nothing about it… not even a quick call to her father could reveal the era of this oh-so important dig let alone it's locale. That was another reason to be annoyed. She loved her dad but they had never worked together before. Doing so now was… unsettling.

"Sigh, no use worrying about it. I'll just deal with it when I get there."

Talking to oneself was never a good sign. And Serenity was feeling tired. It had been a rush to get all the necessary personnel and procedures in place at her Cyprus dig before her very early flight. Two days was not enough time and Serenity had hardly slept to get everything ready. Not only was she, the head archaeologist and dig co-ordinator, leaving but Beth her very experienced dig supervisor, was coming with her. Thank goodness Sam, her equally experienced but less sociable supervisor, was staying behind. She trusted him to do a good job and handle any unexpected obstacles, but she was leaving him shorthanded and she didn’t like it…

Serenity liked to think of herself as a strong person. Someone who faced issues and dealt with them, but as she sat on the plan heading towards her home, she had to acknowledge that she had run away. She wasn’t as strong as she thought she was. When she got out of university and offered some dig experience in Finland with her professors colleague, she jumped at the chance. It was only after her arrival that she realised she didn’t see the shapes any more. Okay, she still dreamed about them, but they didn’t haunt her mornings anymore. The relief was… overwhelming. She just wanted a break from the stress, but each time she moved to a new dig, in a new country and the shadows were absent, it became harder and harder to face the reality of them at home. But now she had no choice. She had to face her nightmares.

Yawning, Serenity tried to settle in as the plane accelerated quietly into flight. Not only had she slept little, but what miniscule sleep she did get was plagued with unsettling dreams that had not experienced for a long time:

All was black as night, like she was blindfolded. She was frozen in place, waiting for her eyes to encounter any hint of light or an echo of sound. Slowly, the blackness seemed less black. She peered into the dimness and light filtered in and out as the sounds of a battle reached her. She was assaulted by the cacophony of shouted ordered over screams and the clashing of metal. Fast on its heels the images rushed at her like a charging cavalry. She was in the middle of a field and men at battle stretched in all directions for acres. The once green lush grass was now a muddy plain, scarred and gouged and tinted with blood. Gore-covered men wielded sword and shields, the horribly wounded reached for help and the eerily still and silent dead leapt out at her in contrast to the surrounding chaos. Everywhere she looked the horrors of war that no words can convey invaded her mind giving her no reprieve. Desperately she tried to cover her ears, close her eyes but still she could not escape. Just when she felt she could no longer take it, silence pervaded… opening her eyes slowly, she found them all just looking right at her, accusing, pleading. Her mouth went dry. "What do you want? Why me? WHY??". At the sound of her voice, the dead, the soldiers and the wounded, all still staring right at her reached out their hands. Hoarse whispers more penetrating that any shout bombarded her continuously. A unified voice engulfed her, "Help us, save us, save us, HELP US!"

Serenity sprang awake with a gasp. The familiar nightmare still buzzing in her mind began to recede. Looking around, she saw the cabin of the plane and a concerned stewardess hovering over her. Terrance was oblivious and Beth slept on in the next seat. Reassuring the stewardess, she tried to settle again but her mind was in turmoil.

Why had her childhood nightmares suddenly returned with a vengeance? The horrors she had endured every night as a child, that she thought she had been freed from, had returned weeks before Terrance arrived, relentlessly hounding her worse than ever before. Was this dig worth it? No answers were guaranteed and if her nightmares were any indication, this would just drag up all her hidden horrors. Her fears. A shiver of apprehension rippled through her. She didn’t want to do this. But the decision was made... She had her responsibilities now and, no matter what was to come, she would face it bravely.

***

The seatbelt light pinged on and the plane began it's decent. Apart from the dreams, it have been a smooth flight. On the ground, as she waited hopefully for her luggage to appear, Serenity was met by her father and three suited men. The formal attire and serious look on her father's face told her that he was here in a professional capacity. That explained why Mum wasn’t about, she usually left them to it when it came to their work. Or she could still be in Africa, Serenity couldn’t quite remember when she was due back. Or what day it was for that matter.

That must also mean that one of the stiff looking men was the enthusiastic sponsor that fought so hard to get her here. Terrance appeared beside her, probably to make sure she was being good.

"And now, I think we can expect some answers. That is our sponsor with your father, Sir Andrew Robinson. Apparently his grandfather was quite the archaeology enthusiast. Set up his own team and made a TV programme out of digging different sites in just days… Bit eccentric if you ask me, and the grandson is said to be just the same."

"Really? You wouldn't think so by looking at him. You know, that programme did a lot to reignite the enthusiasm of the public for archaeology. It’s good to have passion but I hope he won't be interfering too much in the dig. We have to practice good archaeology, follow procedure and have good judgement while still being sensitive to the site." Serenity sighed. "Well. We’ll deal with what we get there. Into the breach."

They headed towards the waiting men, luggage now safely in hand having appeared stealthily while she wasn’t looking. She was so glad they passed the legislation limiting mechanical labour and favouring human employment. People really began to value employment when the mechanical labour crisis hit. It’s a shame the legislation wasn’t enforced on the southern hemisphere.

The tallest of the three unknown men stepped forward to meet them and extended his hand. His eyes seemed to pierce through her as they closed the distance. Momentarily stunned, Serenity steps faltered and Terrance stepped forward first to meet, who she assumed was, the famous…

"Andrew Robinson. I am so glad to finally meet you Professor Neville. I am so glad you decided to accept my offer. I'm looking forward to working closely with you."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Belatedly shaking his hand, Serenity arched her brow.

"Oh, it was an offer? You, Sir Andrew, are relentless, I doubt you would accept a no from anyone. Never mind, I look forward to what this dig has to offer. Do you wish to begin today?"

Sir Andrew looked mildly surprised. Terrance seemed to stiffen waiting for the offended sponsor to throw a fit. Serenity half hoped he would, but now that she was actually here, she was beginning to feel excited about this highly secret dig. Half a heartbeat passed and Sir Andrew suddenly grinned widely and chuckled. Everyone, including her father, seemed relieved and a little non-plussed.

“I like you Professor. We’re going to get along well, I can tell.”

Sir Andrew lead them to a group of waiting cars which took them directly to the dig site. As they pulled up to a giant tent, Serenity got a sense of the size of this dig and how important it was. Inside the tent, small groups occupied the different areas.

One area was filled with a colossal table covered in maps and geo-phys print outs. There was a large finds area where artefacts were cleaned and catalogued, a social area with comfortable seating. Large screens connected to an ocean of wires occupied one end of the tent and several people watched live video feeds. Terrance and Beth were awed by this display of resources but Serenity still felt uneasy. This dig, or digs if the screens were any indication, scared her. She didn't know if she could handle what she would find.

"I hope you like out main tent, there are separate tents for the kitchen and sleeping areas but everything else will be done in here. I want to be able to pool everyone's ideas and contribution to get a real picture of these sites. And it helps to keep an eye on everyone too. Until the dig is finished, I don't want any information leaked."

It was the first time Serenity had seen their sponsor be anything but jovial. Why was this dig so important? Turning her attention back to her facilities she began the run down.

"Thank you Sir Andrew. The facilities are fine. Can we talk about staffing and the running of the dig. I hadn't realised you wished to connect to other sites, so I'll have to change my structuring slightly. I'll put a main team at each site, people I trust who are competent, and I want to meet with them every other day. I'll also need to visit each site before we start digging. Where are they?"

"Buckinghamshire, Colchester and Durham"

"Wide range there. Right, first things first what staff do you have in place? I have some suggestions."

Aa she rolled up her sleeves and dove into the work before her, Serenity didn’t see the relieved and satisfied smiles on the faces around her.

***

The dig was progressing nicely. Wonderful archaeology and evidence of large settlements never before recorded. Serenity had even been able to forget her fears and enjoy her work. Not that she had much time for sleep anyway. Overseeing the many sites left her less time in the trenches but she got first dibs on all the new finds. Everything was going so well, even working with her father was proving to be less awkward than she had imagined. And so inspiring. He had so much experience and insight.

The only mar was the slightly over enthusiastic Sir Andrew. He had insisted on a few conditions when she agreed to take the job. She had free reign on structuring and running the dig but he had to be updated daily and would often make unannounced visits at his convenience. Thank goodness she had Beth with her. She handled people much better than Serenity could. Still, often, she had to send Beth to the other sites to manage and oversee the work leaving her the joy of public relations. She missed digging.

Serenity was in Trench seven (for once) at the main sight. As usual, she was losing herself in the scraping and brushing, inch my inch, clearing each square she mentally mapped out. Happily working away she noticed in the very corner of her square a smooth surface. A shout from Trench five distracted her attention and before she could get out of the trench, Beth, acting as her assistant, ran over.

"Boss. We've found something in Trench five. It isn't normal. Looks important."

Serenity and Beth jogged together towards the commotion. A crowd had gathered on the edges of the trench and one of her main team, Sandy, was kneeling in it just staring. As Serenity approached, she noticed the unusual quiet of the crowd. The atmosphere was tense and sombre, and then Serenity saw why.

In the 12x6 metre trench, as she looked down on it, were skeletons. Dozens of them. They were piled up so thick that no one could distinguish one set of bones from the next. Only the skulls gave them an idea of the number in the trench. Looking more closely at the bones, it was clear there were both adult and juvenile bones. Some had grooves cut into them and skulls were crushed or sliced. Everyone here were professional archaeologists, no volunteers this time, but even they could not detach themselves from the obvious situation they had uncovered. So much life lost.

Serenity began to recover from the… what they had found. History was definitely more real with this job. Sometimes too real. A slow cold spread through her body and a bad feeling twisted the pit of her stomach. She tried to breathe normally and slip back into her professional skin… but another shout from trench two was heard…

“I need to call the police.”

***

“What are we looking at Beth?”

Beth rubbed her face and rested her hand on her knees. They were all working overtime now that the site was cleared by the authorities.

“I don’t know Serenity. It’s only been a couple of hours. Whatever it is, it’s gonna change our history. It doesn’t fit into the known timeline.”

It had taken the police a relatively short time to confirm that the bones weren’t modern, although they were so close to the surface. A few hours after they had got back access, it was clear what they had found but not why it was here.

It was a mass grave, several mass graves. And not just at the main site, similar graves had been found at every dig. Some were mass graves for Anglo-Saxons and some Normans and some both. They were a mix of what looked like villagers of all ages and solely men of fighting ages. Andrew was having conniptions.

There seemed to be no consistency between the sites except that over a hundred bodies were found at each site and they all dated to the same time frame. Although the test could not be so accurate, Serenity felt that they had occurred within years of each other. Coinage and other artefacts were beginning to point towards her hunch. One thing had been established, these graves were not a part of the 1066 invasion. It happened around a decade later and the locations were all wrong. Why were they still fighting? All records indicated that there were no major uprisings or battles in this area at this time. The Norman control on the land and the people was too strong…

Standing in front of the live feeds, Serenity watched as the skeletons continued to be uncovered and recorded. This was it. This was what she was supposed to find. This was why she was here. But why? What could have happened to these people that the effects were still felt almost a millennium later? And why did this all feel so… personal? Ever since Terrance had turned up at her Cyprus dig, this had all felt… inevitable.

The ringing of her private line interrupted her thoughts. Picking it up she saw Sam's number flash on the screen. Sam? She'd had the regular reports from Cyprus so this was unusual. She hoped nothing had gone wrong.

"Hello? Everything alright Sam?"

"… Serenity. We have a problem here. One of the volunteers has gone missing. No one's seen him since just after you left… and there are some things missing from the dig and your tent. But all his stuff is still here. The local authorities think he was smuggling artefacts and something went wrong."

"… Who was he? And how badly was the dig compromised? Have you smoothed things over with the sponsors or do you need me to talk to them?"

"No we had almost finished the dig so not much was taken and the sponsors have been understanding. Mostly, they are concerned about us, apparently the smugglers can be quite reckless around here.”

"What about the crew, is everyone alright?"

"We're a little shaken but we're all fine. It’s not the first time there have been unscrupulous people in the team. Especially with large digs. Once the authorities let us go, we'll head back to the UK. Do you still want us to join you on your new dig?"

"If everyone feels up to it, I'd like the support and it might help them to keep busy. But if anyone doesn't feel up to it, they can go home. We don't need distractions on this job, it's too big and…"

Serenity sighed, suddenly feeling breathless.

"What is it Tee?"

"There’s something strange here Sam. I feel… uneasy. Maybe even a little scared."

"Are you sure it's the dig? It could just be the fact you're back in the UK."

Serenity was pacing slowly.

"No Sam, it's this dig. Wait 'till you get here, you won't believe what we’ve found."

"I'm coming Boss. Just don't do anything drastic till I get there. You always have all the fun."

Serenity smiled the first genuine smile since she left Cyprus.

"Whatever you say Sam. I'll be good. Keep me updated and let me know when you're due to arrive. I'll have you and the crew picked up."

"Okay boss, talk soon."

Serenity hung up. Knowing Sam was on his way felt reassuring. But the problems in Cyprus were nagging at her. It was unusual. Hopefully it was finished and wouldn't go any further. She'd have to tighten up her volunteer screening and security for all her sights here. Damn!! Sam never said which volunteer had gone missing. Despite what he'd done, Serenity hoped he was okay.

***

Two days later and Serenity still felt uneasy. Sam was due in tomorrow, thankfully. It would feel good to have her top team back together. Beth and Sam were her right hand men. She and Sam had worked together since they had left university and they made a good team but with Beth, they were great. She helped round out their skills and made sure they were never too serious. It helped that she had the social skills lacking in Sam and herself.

Serenity had sat in front of her computer since finishing supper, trying to summarise the entire dig across all locations. She also had to co-ordinate the next few weeks of work, organise supplies and wages and check up on the preservation teams. Sir Andrew needed to be consulted about transporting the finds to the appropriate museums, and he had mentioned something about an important visit from an expert.

Serenity stretched and sighed, rubbing her tired eyes. Taking a break was a good idea. She needed to stretch her legs, being in charge of a dig like this meant more responsibility and less time in the trenches. Thank goodness for Beth, she made the days bearable. Reliable, competent and hands on, she coped well both in and out of the trenches.

***

Lying awake in her bed, Serenity was chaffing from a lack of dig time. And the dreams… They were almost constant now. But something had changed. Among the shouts, battle sounds and pleas, three silhouettes stood at the centre of the chaos, waiting. Three enemies silent and still. One was like a void, a shell that felt dark and corrupt. It acted like crude oil seeming to engulf her in its inescapable slick grasp. She felt like those sea birds caught in oil spills, unable to breathe or fly away. But the other two were different, they repelled the oil-like darkness. Not completely but enough. They protected her. Suddenly, the three enemies clashed, entangled together but not merging, still distinct before flinging apart and, out of nowhere, surrounding her. All stilled and the silence pierced her ears, all battle stopped and again all seemed to watch her. As if waiting for her choice. What choice? What do they want? Rousing herself from her memories and dreams, Serenity shook her head and stood.

Taking advantage of the good weather, Serenity left her private tent and headed towards the trenches. The sky was clear and, out here in the country, the stars shone bright. It was so quiet, she felt totally alone, peaceful. How odd. She hadn't felt a moment of peace since arriving. It was a nice change. Serenity headed towards trench 17, a remote area of the dig that had security cameras and motion sensors to protect it. Sir Andrew had provided his own security men and equipment to guard all the dig sites, so thankfully that was one area she didn't have to deal with. Though having to be ID'ed every time she moved sight was a pain. She honestly loved archaeology but the bureaucracy of it all was…

Reaching the trench, she lay down on her stomach to look over the side, giving a little wave to the hidden security camera. Although she was technically a scientist, she was also a bit of a dreamer. She watched the shadows play in the trench and imagined this place all those years ago, the people, the houses, the pottery, coming and going. Sometimes, she wished she could live in those simpler times, when they lived life.

When life was about working with the land, helping one another as a community and horses. Everywhere there were horses instead of polluting airplanes and cars. As long as the health care improved a little, she would love to have lived in history. As the clouds moved, the moonlight shone into the trench, illuminating the progress of the dig. It was coming along nicely.

Laying her head on her arms she lowered her eyelids to squint at the shapes. She hoped to spot a pattern or shape emerging from the dirt. But she only saw… a glint. Was that right? Something glinted in the moonlight. She knew she shouldn't reach for it, it had to be recorded and lifted with care but, at that moment the world narrowed.

She could see only that glint, think only of holding it. It was so important, that little object. It was ridiculous, she didn't even know what it was yet she needed to hold it. It all happened in slow motion, her hand reached out and her fingers brushed against the shine. It seemed to come loose from the dirt so easily. Kneeling up from the ground, eyes fixed on her fist, she opened her hand and brought it close to her face to inspect.

A ring. It was a small ring, so unique, like nothing she had ever seen before. It looked old… and new, like she was seeing two rings. Two… times. And then everything began to dim. The loudest ringing assaulted her ears. And it brought pain. She began to shake and the world tipped towards her…