As they helped Cassie out of the hole and up the stairs they reached the top just as Harmon started berating both Abjul and observer Grenard. Once she came close enough to see them Maelyn sternly asked, "WHAT do you think you're doing Harmon?! Why are you jumping on these two when they have been DOING THIER JOB?!"
"They have NOT!" Harmon insisted, "They are not down there observing EXACTLY what you have been doing!"
Reaching the top herself Cassie walked up to Harmon with a wide grin on her face and asked, "You want to go down there and inspect everything and make sure I didn't touch anything or damage anything? Here ya go! Have at it!" She then shoved her helmet into Harmon's chest and added as she pulled herself out of her wetsuit and tapped the air tank, "But you're gonna have to hold your breath and not breath too much cause this tank only has about ten to fifteen minutes of air left in it."
"I will NOT dress up in some rubber outfit to inspect this site!" Harmon haughtily told them, "I will remain in my clothes and inspect this site on my own! But I expect FULL apologies from Grenard and my son for not being down there with you as you opened up this site when I return!"
Smiling mischievously at him Maelyn told him, "How about we continue what you started with Jonteel and transfer me Grenard's property along with the properties of the rest of the observers to me if you DON'T make it as close to this site as Cassie was! In fact, I'll even bet that you wont even get one foot through that access hole!"
Huffing up and looking at Maelyn like she wasn't worth listening to he replied, "And if I do you will turn over the keys to your new bank and all of the gold that is contained within it."
Smiling at the humorous situation Maelyn readily agreed and invited him to tlead the way down the stairs. As they started down them Abjul came up to her and asked, "Why did you so readily agree to giving him the bank?"
"Leaning over so she could tell him without Harmon hearing she quietly told him, "He wanted the gold IN the bank but there isn't any! Also, if he does win this bet, I can always start ANOTHER bank with the gold I used to start the first one!"
Smiling as he realized the ironic situation that Harmon's assumptions had caused, Abjul couldn't resist walking down with them to see his father's reactions when he reached the bottom and realized what he would have to do to inspect the site. As they neared the bottom but before he could see the water Abjul couldn't help but ask Harmon to egg him on, "I heard their pilot mention finding a talisman next to at least one of the bodies. Do you think they tried to steal the crystal dragon talisman from the throne room and hide in the pond thinking it would protect them from the lava?"
"WHAT!" Harmon shouted at Maelyn in anger, "If ANY of you touched the crystal dragon that is supposed to be in the throne room I will have you arrested and charged with theft as well as treason!"
Making him madder by continuing to smile at him, Maelyn replied, "We didn't touch ANYTHING near the bodies! If you want you can inspect the are to make sure!"
"You better not have!" Harmon demanded as he turned and continued walking down the rough steps. Then, when he rounded the last part of the curved staircase, Harmon shouted as he stepped into the water that continued to slowly rise and shouted out, "Where did this water come from?!"
Calmly stopping a couple of steps shy of the water Maelyn replied with a smile, "The water is coming from the pond that is at the bottom of this site that keeps rising up through the access hole we had to dig out to access the site."
"Well why isn't the clothes of ANY of y'all wet from this water?" Harmon demanded, "Were you and Grenard too lazy to come down her to inspect what they were doing?!"
"No sir." Abjul told him, "We were standing above them when they first broke through the bottom of the rock and the water came gushing up. After that, when they went back down to assist Cassie into the hole so she could inspect the site, we had Maelyn loan us one of their phones so we could see and hear what Cassie was doing while underwater."
"And how could you trust someone who knows NOTHING of archeology to NOT do something to this site that you couldn't see?" Harmon demanded, "How do you KNOW she didn't take something from this site!"
"Because she was holding the camera with one hand and kept her other hand in view the whole time." Maelyn answered for him, "And, on top of that precaution, she also didn't get within five feet of the bodies and only got within two feet of ROCK that was sealing the way in because I directed her to. But if you think she'd chip off some rock and steal it, go right ahead and try to search her. Or, since you insisted on inspecting the site, take a breath and I'll push you in so you can see for yourself!" She finished as she put her hand on his shoulder.
Shrugging her hand off he angrily responded, "I REFUSE to dirty myself with this water that has had dead bodies in it for hundreds of years!"
Smiling as she turned to go back up the stairs, Maelyn told him, "Your observers are glad you don't like to get dirty." She then smiled at Abjul and walked back up to the top of the site.
Reaching the top of the stairs she turned and hollered down to Harmon, "have fun getting to the site without getting wet or ruining those clothes! Now that you're here I'm heading up to the palace site!"
As she started to walk away Grenard told her, 'Thank you ma'am for taking ownership of our homes. Hearing of what you have done for Jonteel and others has made us look forward to the day he would give you our properties as his punishment."
"He will probably do like he has been doing to all other properties he has lost and demand this month's rent today." Maelyn informed him, "If he does tell everyone to go ahead and give him the money and I won't charge you your new rent until next month. Also tell anyone that doesn't have enough to pay him today to come let me know before they leave and I will give them enough to cover it."
"Thank you immensely ma'am!" Grenard told her and surprised her with a hug, "He has already made it to where I have to borrow more every couple of months!"
"Don't worry Grenard." Maelyn reassured him, "We will take care of that before you leave tonight." She then continued on towards the ramp up to the palace site.
Arriving at the site and seeing joseph working on constructing stairs to make it easier for them to reach the area they were clearing she laughed and called him over to the side of the basalt block facing the site she had just come from. She then pointed to it and asked with a smile, "You see how big of a hole they have?"
"Yeah!" Joseph told her, "I've been jealous of how fast Professor Daughtry has been able to clear out such big blocks of stone! If we weren't restricted to just the two of us up here I would've asked him to come help me with this stair case I'm having to add to help us get down to the bottom easier and faster."
"Sorry to break it to you," Maelyn told him with a smile, "But the person doing all those big blocks is Allison. And she's able to do each block in like five minutes with just one tap per side!"
What?! No way!" Joseph responded in shock, "How can so small of a girl do that with just one tap per side?! I just don't believe it!"
Smiling at him she turned and yelled, "ALLISON!" and, once she saw her look her way, waved her to come up to them and turned back to Joseph and told him while laughing, "Well now you get to see and get proved wrong!"
Allison got to them at about the same time Harmon finally made it to the top of the ramp and he started complaining, "This girl is FORBIDDEN from this site! Only those of the proper lineage are allowed to touch the palace!"
"She won't be touching it." Maelyn calmly told him, "She is here to show Joseph how to build this staircase quicker and easier."
"I will allow her to assist with the part he is working on." Harmon grudgingly allowed, "But HE will be the only one allowed to finish once they get three feet away!"
"We can do that." Maelyn told him then turned to Allison and told her with a smile, "Can you show Joseph how to do that thing you've been doing to free those blocks? That way we can start getting closer to accessing this site."