Depth

by Emily Thompson

  Although Twist couldn’t see anything in the darkness, he could guess at the size of the space thanks to the haunting echo of every tiny sound he and the others made. Twist, his crew, and another four Rook sailors from the other craft met on the narrow jetty, which seemed to be made of metal judging by the sound of their footsteps.

  “What can you see?” the captain asked Mitchel.

  Mitchel was already staring down one end of the jetty. “There’s a shore all around, sir,” he began, gesturing into the nothingness. “But there’s some kind of door or hatch over there,” he added with a gesture down the jetty.

  “The city is in that direction, sir,” one of the other Rooks mentioned, indicating the same direction Mitchel had.

  “Sounds good,” the captain said. “Lead the way, Mitchel.”

  Mitchel did as he was asked, taking the others into the blackness The sailors pulled out their pocket watches and all turned the watch faces over to reveal the soft blue light that filled the interior of each one, to light their way. Twist silently wondered if any Rook ever owned a normal pocket watch. Not seeming to have a glowing watch himself, Rodney followed close behind the others as they walked.

  Not wanting to follow too closely for fear of accidentally touching one of the other men, Twist found that his vision began to fail him completely. Suddenly remembering his walking stick, he nearly laughed at himself for not thinking of it sooner. With an easy flick of his thumb, he brought the light inside the cobalt glass ring of the hilt to life and shed a wide ring of deep-blue, electric light on the world around him. The others froze, clearly startled to suddenly be able to see by this brighter and wider light.

  “Well, isn’t that a neat trick,” Rodney mentioned, looking to Twist’s walking stick. “Where’d you get such a useful cane as that one, lad?”

  “It was a gift from a sky pirate who wanted me to join his crew after he’d abducted me to Hong Kong.”

  Rodney’s bushy ginger eyebrows rose sharply on his face.

  “Come along,” the captain muttered, turning to continue on.

  They reached the end of the jetty and found a wide dock resting at the edge of the cavern’s shore. In the light of his walking stick, Twist noticed a control panel like the others he’d encountered in the rest of Atlantis, set into a free-standing dais in the center of the dock. The large plate of glass was black, but it was surrounded by the same array of valve wheels and small controls as all the others inside the city had been.

  “Our first priority is to get that door open,” the captain told the others. He began to order them to various tasks but suddenly caught Twist’s attention. “Mr. Twist, see if there are any mechanical systems you might enable.”

  Twist nodded, glancing toward the door. It stood three times as high as himself and looked wide enough for an elephant to easily pass through. A quick glance over the surrounding rock wall, however, showed him no sign of another control panel. While the others all moved closer to the door, Twist turned his attention to the panel in the dais. On his last visit to Atlantis, he’d found that the whole of the city seemed to be connected to these panels, and with the help of his Sight, he’d been able to easily control various systems through them.

  He leaned his walking stick against the edge of the dais and placed his bare palm against the cold, empty glass face of the panel. His Sight slipped easily into the alien and vastly complex nerve-like pathways that connected the silent panel with the humming life of the city’s systems, farther away. Just like with the other panels, Twist found the switch that would bring this one to life, sitting at one edge. He flicked the switch and then waited for a moment.

  “Mr. Twist?” the captain’s voice called to him from the door, as the glass face of the panel began to glow with a soft blue electric light.

  Twist glanced back at the captain and saw the man’s expression change swiftly from annoyance to wonder as he seemed to see what Twist was doing. “What’s that?” the captain asked, approaching.

  “These panels control everything in the city,” Twist explained as the captain came to join him. “There might be a way to open that door from here,” he went on, examining the glass panel.

  An image of the dock before him, made only of blue light and shadow, had filled the square of glass, just as Twist had assumed it might. He pressed his hands to the glass once again, now sensing the nerve-like system more clearly, and focused on the silent machines and contraptions that were the closest to where he stood. Sure enough, he found a direct connection between the massive mechanical locks that held the door closed and the panel under his hands.

  “Can you make it work?” the captain asked, while Twist began to adjust the controls.

  A resounding note rang out like the clap of a massive bell, followed quickly by a low rumbling sound. Twist glanced toward the door to see both halves begin to slide slowly apart, while a torrent of blinding bright light spilled through the widening seam. The Rooks made startled sounds, each stepping clear of the door and watching it in surprise.

  “Good work,” the captain said, to Twist. “That was bloody quick.”

  “It’s no trouble,” Twist muttered. “What would you like to be done next?”

  “Mr. Campbell told Aden that there’s a way to bring the Phorcys inside the city without flooding the streets,” the captain said thoughtfully. “The next thing we need to do is figure out how to do that, if it is possible.”

  “Oh, it’s possible,” Rodney said, approaching Twist and the captain. “I’m sure of it. Many of the legends say that when the Atlanteans left their city behind, they built one great ship inside the city and then all got in and left together. There has to be a way to bring our ship inside.”

  The other Rooks were now peering eagerly through the fully open door, obviously ready to begin exploring the ancient city immediately.

  “Well, Mr. Twist?” the captain asked, looking to the panel. “Can that thing lend any more help to that end?”

  “Just a moment,” Twist said, pressing his hand to the panel once again and closing his eyes to help himself concentrate.

  Twist searched the maze of systems that surrounded the dock, looking for any way to do what Rodney suggested. He found a multitude of machines and systems hidden under the surface of the rock around them and struggled to keep his attention from getting lost in the complex connections between them. He found something at the very edge of this large section of the city’s systems, and his eyes opened in amazement.

  “That’s incredible,” he muttered, his Sight still exploring the impossibly huge and powerful engines he’d found buried in the seafloor.

  “What’s that?” the captain asked.

  “The tunnel we took is only one of the ways into this cavern,” Twist explained. “There is a truly enormous set of doors hidden in the seafloor just outside, which, when opened, would certainly allow the ship to enter easily.”

  “You see, Enzo?” Rodney said with a proud smile. “Didn’t I tell you?”

  “Please, Mr. Campbell,” the captain snapped.

  “Right, sorry,” Rodney said amiably. “It’s Lorenzo, of course. Still, I was right, wasn’t I?”

  “Can you open those doors from here, Mr. Twist?” the captain asked, his tone tight but emotionless.

  “Oh yes, of course,” Twist said, adjusting the controls.

  A deep, distant rumbling rose on the air, like the low growl of a terrible beast. Twist’s mind’s eye filled with the vision of the massive engines that had come suddenly awake to pull the doors on the seafloor open after centuries of stillness. The Rooks looked around at the echoing sound with apprehensive expressions.

  “Judging by the speed at which they’re moving now,” Twist mentioned, “I think the doors should be fully open in just a few minutes, Captain.”

  “Thank you,” the captain responded. “Wonderful work, Mr. Twist. You’ve saved us all quite a lot of time.”

  Twist smiled and nodded, unsure how else to respond. While he was flatter
ed by the praise, Twist couldn’t banish thoughts of Myra from his mind. Soon, he told himself firmly, he would surely see her again. Touching Atlantis’s amazing technology once again, he felt much more assured that there must be something in all of this wonder to help him to rescue his love.

  Within half an hour, the Phorcys had found its way into the cavern and docked at one of the other jetties that ran out from the docks. Twist had gotten the glowing lines of light that ran through the black rock of the cavern walls to burn brightly and light the cavern clearly. By the time the passengers began to depart the submersible, everything was ready to begin the expedition.

  “Well, Twist?” Jonas asked as he, Kima, and Niko joined him where he stood near the dais. “I see you unlocked all the ancient secrets and got everything up and running. Did you do it all single-handedly, or did you let anyone else help?”

  “I thought we were in a hurry,” Twist answered.

  Jonas chuckled. “Of course. So, what now?”

  “I've no idea,” Twist said. “I don’t know what we need to do to rescue Myra and Tasha, or if we can even find anything to help here in this city. I don’t suppose you’ve had any visions that might point us in a particular direction…” he asked, watching Jonas carefully.

  Jonas’s pleasant mood dimmed instantly at the mention of his visions. He shook his head. “Myra will be with us when we meet your father, in some European city. I know that much for sure. Therefore, we will find a way to save her. But I don’t know how.”

  Twist nodded, remembering the unnerving prediction Jonas had told him. At least, if he had to go through the uncomfortable experience of confronting his absentee father in his future, he could at least be sure that it meant that there was some salvation for Myra. Jonas’s visions were never wrong. Not even in a single detail.

  “We’ve been talking to your followers,” Niko said.

  Twist looked back at him, startled.

  “The people with the charms,” Jonas clarified sourly.

  “Whatever,” Niko muttered. “Anyway, apparently, there are a lot of old stories about the Atlanteans communicating with the fairies. They were trying to find a way to bridge the gap between our world and theirs. There should be something here.”

  Twist glanced to Jonas questioningly.

  “I’m starting to realize,” Jonas said, “just how much attention I’ve not been giving to Sighted culture. Apparently, just about everyone but me has heard stories like that.”

  Kima raised a finger. “Doesn’t that man with the funny accent know about stories?”

  “Do you mean Rodney?” Twist asked. He glanced to where Rodney still stood with Captain Enzo and Mitchel near the now-open doorway into the city.

  “Yes, that’s him,” Kima said, nodding.

  “Was he in the landing party?” Jonas gave Twist an incredulous look. “What for?”

  “I didn’t choose the crew,” Twist answered, already heading toward Rodney. The others followed behind him.

  “The legends say,” Rodney was telling the captain, “that there’s a central point where all of the technology of the city is connected. It should be in the middle of the city. That’s probably the best place to start from.”

  “All right,” Captain Enzo said with a nod. “Thank you, Mr. Campbell.”

  “Oh for heaven’s sake, Enzo,” Rodney said in exasperation. “I’ve known you since you were a lad. Drop all of this formality, will you?”

  Captain Enzo’s eyes flashed with distaste, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he bid good day to Mitchel, said nothing more to Rodney, and took his leave, heading to where a number of Rook sailors were gathering to one side of the swiftly filling docks. Soon, Twist thought with concern, there wouldn’t be anywhere left to stand as the whole of the ship continued to fill it in one long, continuous stream.

  “Just leave him be, Rodney,” Mitchel said softly once Enzo had left.

  Rodney gave a sigh and shook his head.

  “Excuse us,” Jonas said, drawing Rodney’s attention. “Can we have a word with you?”

  “Oh yes!” Rodney said, his smile returning instantly. “You’re the clockwork princess’s other companions, aren’t you?” he asked, looking to Kima, Niko, and Jonas. “Where’s she gotten to?” he asked pleasantly.

  Twist’s chest tightened, preventing him from making any answer.

  “Here, take one of these,” Jonas said, producing a cluster of silver charms—each hung on a thin black string—from a pocket. Twist watched this with confusion. “The followers of that legend collected a bunch of spares so we can talk to people,” Jonas explained to Twist.

  He handed one of the charms to Rodney. Rodney took it hesitantly, his smile replaced by a worried expression. He looked at the engraved symbol and then back up to Jonas.

  “What’s all this, then?” he asked slowly.

  “Please, just put it on,” Jonas said.

  Rodney didn’t move, still holding the thing in his hand. “I don’t mean to be rude,” he began. “But all that about the witch’s son—” Twist unconsciously sucked in a breath, readying himself to see Rodney vanish suddenly. Rodney, however, remained. His words stopped the moment Twist reacted. “It’s just a story, you know,” Rodney mentioned with a grin.

  “He’s holding a charm,” Jonas said to Twist to calm him. “He shouldn’t vanish so long as he has it, no matter what he says.”

  “Vanish?” Rodney scoffed. “Are you serious?”

  “Myra’s been stolen by unseen hands,” Jonas said to him, his voice weighted and grim. “She was snatched into thin air right in front of us, after speaking about the legend of the witch’s son.”

  Rodney’s face washed over with alarm. “What, really?”

  “She’s not the first to be stolen,” Jonas went on. “All of this started when someone called Twist by a name he’s never heard. Of course, he wasn’t raised by his family and so has no idea what his intended name was. Meanwhile, have you seen his watch?”

  Twist sighed and pulled out his pocket watch, showing the engraving to Rodney. Rodney gasped, backing up a step, as he stared at Twist’s watch in total disbelief. Twist put his watch away quietly, hoping against hope this madness would soon be over.

  “How old are you?” Rodney asked Twist, nearly breathless with shock.

  Jonas rubbed irritably at his brow. “He doesn’t know. But I was born on the 17th of November, 1852. And our Sights don’t work right on each other.”

  “Good heavens!” Rodney exclaimed, staring at Jonas in wonder now as well. “You’re the other half!”

  “Yes, yes, it’s all very shocking and mysterious,” Jonas droned. “But honestly, Myra has vanished. We don’t have a clue how to rescue her because we don’t know anything about fairies and didn’t actually believe any of this nonsense until today. Can you tell us if it’s true that the Atlanteans had a way into the fairy land?”

  Rodney listened to him intently as the amazement drained from his face, replaced with sober concentration.

  “I have no idea if any of the stories I know are true or not,” he said sadly. “But what you’re asking about is indeed in some of the legends. I mean, that’s why there are Sights at all. The fae wanted a reliable route into our world and thought Sights might be the answer, but it didn’t work out the way they wanted. I mean, they thought they would be in control, not the human children that took on their souls. Anyway, according the stories, it’s a lot easier for humans to cross worlds. There’s one story in particular that mentions a gate that can open onto Fairy itself.”

  “A gate?” Twist asked. “Like a physical gate? Is there one here in Atlantis?”

  “That’s what the legend says,” Rodney said, nodding. “The Atlanteans worked for years to widen the connection to Fairy. According to all of the stories I know on the subject, the fae promised them powerful magic in return. But once the fae started attacking Atlantis, all of that ended fast, and they abandoned every connection to Fairy. If they really built a gate, they woul
d have surely left it behind when they left the city.”

  “Good,” Twist said, ignoring his confusion on the details that wouldn’t lead him closer to Myra. “So what we need is a gateway of some kind that leads into another world entirely, right?” Twist asked, remembering what Arabel and the Rook dandy had said.

  “Well, yes,” Rodney began with a thoughtful frown. “All of the legends I know agree that Fairy isn’t a place you can find on planet Earth. It’s more like the realm of the djinn. Dragons are the only creatures out of the three great powers that are actually from this world. People can’t even exist in the djinns’ native realm, apparently, but mortals—well, children for sure—can travel to and from Fairy. You can get to Fairy through dreams, spells, and portals, mostly.”

  “When I wake up from this dream,” Niko muttered darkly, his arms crossed, “I’m going have my head examined.”

  “You and me both, mate,” Jonas grumbled.

  Rodney shook his head, wearing a grin that implied he agreed as well. Twist was startled to find himself chuckling at Niko’s comment but did his best to banish his own confusion and derision.

  “All right, so we need a gate,” Twist said. “How do we find it?”

  “Well,” Rodney said, “there’s supposed to be a central point in Atlantis where the whole of the city is connected. If we can find that, it might be the best place to start our search. If everything is connected at that location, there might be information as well. A ledger or something.”

  “It was helpful last time we were here,” Jonas mentioned to Twist.

  “Right,” Twist said, nodding. “Let’s be off then, shall we? No time to lose. Would you come with us, Rodney?”

  “Wait, you already know where that is?” Rodney asked. “I mean, it’s real?”

  “Yeah, it’s a big dome thing in the center of the city,” Jonas answered. “There’s loads of information there, in glowing glass panel things. Twist can make it all work.”