The Crook, His Kids, the Goddess, and Her Jewel
Peter Lerangis had another novella coming up, right before the publication of "The Curse of the King". Readers who don't have a clue would be led to the Seven Wonder Series. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, which Hellenic tourists considered as remarkable constructions during the classical era.
Four teenagers possessed extraordinary abilities, but it would have grave side effects. They needed a remedy, or something to control these unheard powers, before they would celebrate their fourteenth birthday. It happened that these powers were separated and placed inside a loculus. There were seven loculi, found in each of the ancient wonders. Only the pyramid of Giza survived up to the present time, but the quartet found out that the Colossus of Rhodes was still intact. They also discovered a remarkable thing beneath the surface of the Euphrates River, which brought them to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. As for the Masoleum at Halicarnassus, what remained were ruins. The spirit of Artemisia guarded the place.
Misery loves company
"We have always been the bridge between East and West. Civilizations have risen, flourished, and fallen here. Who even knows what riches they left behind them?"
- Khalid
Artemisia II of Caria built a splendid temple to Mausolus, her husband and brother. Her grief was beyond words, and this august structure was a way to keep his memory alive. It could have rivaled Taj Mahal if not for the earthquake. In fact, tremors were frequent back then. It caused damage to many of these priceless landmarks.
Aliyah Bartevyan was supposed to attend school, but she didn't mind not doing homeworks. This teenage girl was the daughter of Khalid, a small-time crook. He had a gentle disposition, though. Aliyah was annoyed, not liking how his partners-in-crime treating him because of that very distinctive trait. This endeared him to Osman, his son (and Aliyah's younger brother).
Khalid was on a tight spot. He was told to find something valuable, but most of these artifacts were heavily guarded. Except the ruins in Halicarnassus. Readers would be quite disappointed at the abrupt ending of “The Tomb of Shadows”. There might be a possibility that the siblings would appear in the succeeding novels. ("The Curse of the King" refers to the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, while "The Legend of the Rift", which has no date of publication yet, may be the mystery surrounding the Lighthouse of Alexandria.) And Osman had that mark found in our four young heroes.
Aliyah and Osman met Artemisia, emaciated and shriveled up. She had a shining rock, which could fetched millions in the black market. But the queen wanted something in return. And we may not have seen the last of her. It was what readers expected, sensing it from the very beginning. Lerangis didn't disappoint, as they wanted more of Artemisia. Or Aliyah.
