by E J Pay
I move around the room and take in each painting, suspended from my fears and intentions for just a moment. I move carefully around incredible ottomans and lounging couches that rest under each painting. Some of the furniture is covered in pure, white fabric. Others are decorated with gold and jewels on their arms and legs. Many have ornate pillows covering their seats. I bend over a side table to see a book that is resting atop a pile. I pick it up and read its title, Timaeus by Plato. Everything in the room is still. I move slowly as I look at the next book in the pile, Critias also by Plato. When I move this aside, I gasp at what lies beneath: The Sunken Kingdom: The Atlantis Mystery Solved by Peter James.
I drop the books and spin around. I clench my chest as a flood of memories, real memories, rushes into my mind. I have been in this room before. This room called to me more than two thousand years from now. I am not who I think I am. I have been living someone else’s life for the past seven years. The realization makes my head spin. I look to the center of the room. The place where the pearl was last floating in the watery grave of Atlantis. Nothing is there. Just a beautiful mosaic sunburst outlined on the floor.
And me.
Chapter 41
What is happening?! I ask the air. Where is Namaah? A gentle breeze encircles the empty space before me. The air moves gently until it reaches me and speaks.
We are Namaah, it says. We communicate only with those who are worthy. We speak to you, dear child, so we may help you fulfill the quest you began seven years ago.
I don’t understand, I return. What quest? Are you my Namaah? How is this possible?
Yes, they reply in their unified voice, we are your Namaah. We embrace our physical form but rarely, only when it is most required of us. You were in need of a human being. We gave you our human form so we could better comfort you.
I blink several times to help process what they are saying to me. So, when Abraxas’ men captured you…
We disappeared…
Into thin air…
I feel a gentle laugh from the breeze. She has a sense of humor as well as a sense of loyalty and devotion.
Why were you so intent on helping me? I ask.
You are a special being, child. Descended from a line of humans whose hearts are pure and just and kind. Since the first day you breathed air into your lungs, we have been with you, watching what you would do, what you would choose. You gave of yourself willingly to overcome a powerful threat to the world.
Abraxas? I ask.
She doesn’t understand
We must tell her
Do it gently
The voices speak over one another, having a conference as though I am not able to hear. But I hear everything.
No, child. Before Abraxas ever came into your life, you gave yourself to save the world from Ceto.
Ceto.
What do you mean? I ask. Who is Ceto? Vivid memories attack my mind as I say her name.
Tell us who you are, child. The wind commands. It grows stronger with each passing minute. The pearls in my hair are beginning to bounce to the ground and across the floor.
I am Pearl, I answer, twin of Domideus. Daughter of… daughter of…
Daughter of whom? the wind asks. But I cannot remember. I do not know who I am.
I don’t remember my mother’s name, tears sting my eyes as frustration grows within me. If I cannot remember the name of my mother, can I ever know who I am?
Marisol. The wind whispers to me.
Marisol
Marisol
Marisol, the voices whisper on top of one another.
Marisol? I ask. Then, who am I?
The wind smiles as she answers me.
Evelyn
Evelyn
Evelyn
Evelyn
You are Evelyn, she whispers. I listen to the name over and over again. Evelyn, Evelyn, Evelyn. As I listen, memories flood my mind. Dreams, people, schools, country, yearning, running, swimming, finding, becoming.
I AM EVELYN!!! I rush to the center of the room, filled with energy. I know who I am! I know why I am here! I am here to save the world from destruction twenty-four hundred years from now.
What do I need to do? I ask the air around me. It swirls swiftly, giddy over my excitement.
You must trust us, Evelyn. You must not be afraid.
The man in purple is coming. He is on the temple steps.
Focus on our voice, Evelyn, she says. Do exactly as we say and you will fulfill your destiny.
Hurry sisters! He comes! He is not alone!
Evelyn, allow your mind to focus on your heart. What do you feel? I turn my thoughts inward and focus on the fiery beating in my chest.
It burns.
Yes, Evelyn. It burns, but that burning will only make you free.
Will I be able to stand it? I ask.
We will help you. Remain with us and we will take you where you need to be. I nod this time, unwilling to speak and break my concentration.
Pearl, the wind calls. Pearl! I am confused and try to answer the air as she speaks, but she stops me.
Remain focused, Evelyn, she says. We are not speaking to you. I turn my mind back to my heart. Back to the burning inside. Somewhere down the long corridor, a pounding of footsteps is rushing toward us.
PEARL!!!! The air screams, filling the room with her voice. The hamsa medallion around my neck lifts from my chest and rises into the air.
Pearl, you must release her. The time has come.
What if it doesn’t work? I hear another voice in the room. This time it comes from the small black pearl in the eye of my hamsa. It is Pearl’s voice. What if she is not ready and I am trapped forever? What if I…
You must quiet your fears, Pearl, the wind speaks to her. She is here and she is ready. You are the one who prepared her for this moment.
Yes, Pearl responds, I did. I will listen. Forgive me.
You need not apologize, our Pearl. You are safe here. We are here to help you both.
Evelyn, the air addresses me. You must allow the burning to grow. Allow it to take over everything. We will help it to live. You must burn the tie that keeps you tethered to Pearl.
I will do it, I say. I allow the burning to grow in my chest. As the pain grows the wind grows with it. Soon, I am inhaling all the air I can and leading it to the fire I feel growing within me.
As the fire grows, the door to the room bursts open. Abraxas is here with his followers and soldiers. He is screaming, but I cannot hear anything he says. He points at me, and several guards rush toward me, but the fire within me has grown too large to be contained within my body. I exhale and flames explode from my entire body. The room fills with fire, consuming everyone it touches. They fall to the ground and I continue to burn.
You are doing well, Evelyn, the wind comforts my mind. Continue with your strength.
Pearl, it is time to let go. The golden chain that holds my hamsa medallion to me, breaks and the medallion floats alone in the air. The golden hand turns before me in the flame until the black pearl eye is facing me.
Thank you, Evelyn, she whispers. Her voice is soft, but her words pierce my heart and the burning grows. Together, we grow the flame in the temple. It reaches the outer walls and the ground begins to shake. Still, I burn.
As the ground moves beneath my feet, I receive one more command from the wind.
Hold out your hand, Evelyn. You must take hold and do not let go. I force my hand outward through the wind and flame. I open my fingers and wait. The golden medallion melts in the air above my hand. The melted gold falls onto my fingers and to the ground, but I do not feel the pain of it. The black pearl is all that remains.
Slowly she pushes through the wind until she is once again in my palm. I wrap my fingers around her small form and pull her to my chest. Once I have her held tightly to me, I feel her pushing toward my heart. It feels like she is trying to push through me. I have no other choices, no other paths to take. I must remain strong.
The pea
rl pushes and I burn. The ground shakes and the island moves. I am weightless and the entire island falls into the sea. Ocean water pours into the room. Still, I burn. Pearl pushes and pushes. The island moves across the ocean floor, through space and time. It feels like an eternity of burning and pushing and pulling, but it isn’t an eternity, it is only twenty-four hundred years.
We slow and the scenery changes. It is murky, dark and cold. The furnishings are deteriorating. The paintings no longer show their smiles. The fire within me cools. The pulling and pushing stop. I look to my hand held tightly to my chest. My robes are gone. The gold and pearls that were entwined around my waist and neck have disappeared. I am wearing tightly fitting clothes instead. Something I have worn before. But I am no longer in the temple of ancient Atlantis. I am in the modern temple of Atlantis, underwater.
I pull my hand away from my chest and unpeel my fingers from around the pearl. It is lifeless now. A simple, voiceless object. But something ahead of me catches my eye. Not far from where I stand, I see a young boy, about ten or twelve years old. His skin is golden brown and his eyes are darker than chocolate. His hair is thick and full and his face is familiar. It is more than familiar. It is Dom, my Dom. Pearl’s Dom. I see my Dom and I see through him. His features move in the water. I am seeing his spirit.
He reaches his hand toward me. Before I can reach back, a spirit girl, the same age as Dom, with long, dark, beautiful curls, deep golden skin, and dark eyes walks toward him. She is leaving the pearl and reaching for her brother. Pearl takes Dom’s hand and they both turn to face me. They smile and wave then turn away and fade from view. They are finally together again. heading to the world of spirits. I smile and let a single tear escape into the salty water around me. I have saved her. I have saved the Atlantean pearl. The power source that was a girl, trapped in the bonds of a stone, is now free. She is with her Dom, my Dom. They can be happy. My heart is light. In these brief seconds standing here and watching my Pearl reach for her eternity, I have forgotten everything else.
Until I realize I can no longer breathe.
I turn around and see an empty room. I am drowning and there is no one who can save me. No one who will know what happened or where to find me. As my vision goes blurry I see someone coming through the water. They rush to me and wrap their strong arms around my body. I hold my breath as long as I can until everything goes black.
Chapter 42
When I wake up again I am dry. I hear beeping and whirring. Something cool and fresh is blowing softly into my nose through a tube. I hear voices I recognize, but it takes me several minutes to be able to open my eyes. When I do, the most beautiful woman in the world is standing over me, saying my name.
“Evelyn,” she says. “Evelyn, darling. It’s mom. Can you hear me, Evelyn?”
I blink to clear the blur and I smile. She reaches to touch my face and cries as she brushes her fingers across my cheek.
“Oh, my Evelyn, my Evelyn,” she whispers over and over again. “My beautiful girl. I love you so much. You have done amazing things. You are so wonderful. I love you.” I fall asleep to the sound of her voice reassuring me that she is here and will not leave my side.
Several days of scattered consciousness go by before I am awake for long periods of time. I have several visitors. Celia, Uncle Russ, and Jack all come to check on me. Jack stays the longest and listens to every word as I tell him and my mom about the last seven years of my life. My mom cries over and over when I retell the sad things that happened to me. She tells me how proud she is of all the good choices I made. She listens quietly and strokes my hand when I tell her about the bad choices. Jack is fascinated by all of it.
“So you were actually going to marry the guy?” he asks when I get to Gileaus.
“I was,” I assure him. My heart breaks as I remember and I start to cry. “Life is so different there, Jack. I didn’t know how long I would even live or exist there. Most girls were married and had children by the time they were 17. I was making the best of it. To be honest, I actually forgot who I was. I thought I was Pearl.”
It takes an entire day to tell them about the biggest events in the last seven years of my life. By the time I finish, Jack excuses himself.
“I need to report to Lady Pescara so she knows how you are and what happened to you.” He holds my hands as he says it, rubbing his fingers across mine. Before he leaves, he pauses, then leans down to kiss my hand. The memory of Gileaus is overwhelming. I let go of silent tears as Jack leaves the hospital room. We were beginning to share something before I left. But seven years is a long time to hold onto those kinds of memories. And my life changed in those years. I was reborn and remade.
Except it wasn’t seven years for them. It was only a matter of hours. When I touched the pearl, a burst of light shot through the water, forcing everyone back. When both sides of the conflict regained their footing, the pearl and I were gone. The battle began again in that very room. The forces of Atlantis pushed until Ceto and Gwen fled with their armies. Lachlan and his forces remained with Atlantis. They were a large part of how Atlantis was able to win the battle.
Jack remained in the temple room, keeping watch in case the pearl and I returned. When we came back, he saw Pearl and her brother leaving together and rushed in to keep me from drowning. I don’t know why I couldn’t breathe in that moment. Mom says she thinks I was just out of practice. I hope she is right.
When Jack comes again to visit, he has a message from Lady Pescara.
“Lady Pescara sends her good wishes, Evelyn,” he says, “and her gratitude. There’s no telling what would have happened if Gwen had gotten hold of that stone before you. There may never have been an Atlantis for us in the first place.
“She also wants me to tell you that Atlantis is still in danger. Ceto and Gwen took their forces with them. That was over a week ago. Ceto’s fortress is still secured by our army, the two are not there. Lady Pescara thinks they are seeking refuge with Ceto’s mother.”
“I didn’t know Ceto even knew her mother,” I interject.
“She does,” Jack continues. “Her mother wasn’t a part of her life, it’s true, but Lady Pescara thinks she may still be willing to help her daughter. Our armies are preparing to travel once we know for sure where they are. Lady Pescara wants you to join us when and if you are ready.”
My mom sighs and takes my hand. “You can tell Lady Pescara to…” but I interrupt her.
“Where does she think Ceto is headed?” I ask.
“To the Mediterranean,” Jack replies. “Off the coast of Jaffa. Ceto’s mother lives there. She is an incredibly old sea witch named…”
“Named Queen Nyobi Kadul,” I say.
“Yes. How did you know?” he replies.
I lay in my bed, staring at the ceiling. My mom holds one hand, Jack’s hand is resting on my arm. In my fingers, I still hold the small black pearl.
“I know the queen,” I tell Jack. “She stole seven years of my life and Pearl’s.” I turn my face to his. Every fiber of my being tingles with the anticipation of repairing the wrongs in my life. I know my answer. I will be a part of that army.
“I will come.”
End of Book Two
Acknowledgments
Writing isn’t easy, my friends. It falls into the category of things that are hard, but fun. Like hiking a mountain. Once you reach the top, the view is worth every step (if you have the right attitude). Also like hiking a mountain, writing is easier when you don’t go it alone. I have been SO BLESSED to have the best hiking and writing companions in the world and we are reaching a spectacular view!
I have the world’s best muse. If you are a writer, you need a librarian of your own. If you are a librarian, you should be writing books. Sarah Bleyl is my librarian muse and I love her. Sarah knows books inside and out and gave me invaluable advice and suggestions during this process. If I had questions and research that couldn’t be solved by Wikipedia, I turned to Sarah. Sarah ALWAYS found the right answer. And
she LOVED IT!!!! Thank you, my Sarah. I love you.
Erin Salvesen is one of my fantastic beta readers. And I mean FANTASTIC. Erin sends me live notes as she reads. It cracks me up to see her reacting to my work the same way I did when writing it. Thank you, Erin, for your support, your advice, your questions, and your love. You are fabulous in every way.
Anna Simkins jumped in as a beta-reader-in-a-pinch. Her insights and questions made my story better. I loved being able to text her answers to questions and then go add those answers to the book. I’m pretty sure she got a kick out of the process, too. Thank you, Anna. You are the best!
I have known Marlowe Blodgett my ENTIRE LIFE. We grew up together and she is the closest thing to a sister that I have. She loves and supports me and shares my love of good literature. I called Marlowe in as a draft three beta reader when I needed a new set of eyes on my work. As I knew she would, Marlowe read, questioned, advised, and approved in all the right places. Thank you, Marlowe. I love you.
If you are self-publishing, you MUST have a pro in your corner. Knowledgeable and well-read friends can only take you so far. You need someone who knows the business. For me, that person is still TJ MacKay, owner of InD’tale magazine. TJ gave me the kind of advice that only a professional content editor can. Because of her advice, I was able to take my work to the professional level I am looking for. Thank you, TJ. You are completely wonderful in every way!
I again sought out Penny Friday Baker of Baker Blooper Editing for my copy editing work. Not only is Penny professional and experienced, but she is also a caring and supportive individual. She reminded me when I needed to slow down and smell the roses so I could enjoy my writing journey and my life. Thank you, Penny. You are a gem of a woman.