“Dead archaeology is the driest dust that blows,” wrote Sir Mortimer Wheeler in 1954.

At the Art Abernathy Archaeological Institute, a renowned collective of archaeologists driven to infuse their discipline with the figurative life Sir Wheeler called for, a more literal sort of death has begun to stalk their ranks.

Kami Abernathy, a brilliant child desperate to step out of her father’s shadow; Anja Prandula, a talented graduate student high in intelligence but low in confidence; and Cayda Sinclaire, a celebrity anthropologist who fears her sudden fame may be due more to her beauty than her academic achievements—three women that have found themselves part of the Institute, whose celebrated founder has recently died under mysterious circumstances.

But the Institute’s new director, Dr. Geoffrey Miller, is digging up more than just the past, and his students are about to learn that some secrets are better left buried.

In this collection of seven stories, follow Kami and the rest of the Institute as they journey around the world and encounter vengeful spirits, haunted ruins, and ruthless grave robbers in a series of adventures that prove archaeology is far from the driest dust that blows.