Shadows of Atlantis- Awakening

by Mara Powers

  He smiled back, bowed to the king and slipped behind the throne to stand beside Allondriss.

  Festively dressed courtiers mingled throughout the courtyard, which was decorated to look like Dreamtime. As expected, the court styles were far more grandiose than those on the streets. Womens’ dresses were unique and fabulous. Shining colorful fabric hung in layers, sometimes gathered at the sides, or in thick ruffles. Their bodices and collars were cut in patterns, exposing skin intermittently. Headdresses boasted arrays of feathers cascading down the back. Men wore pleated robes with high collars fastened up the front and parted at the bottom to show the signature short pants made of rich shining fabrics and lace up shoes. All men wore the same wide sashes featured in many different colors. Brigitte had come to understand that sashes were a symbol of the life accomplishments of men. Upon emergence as an Atlantean, they received an embroidered symbol on their sash, which was granted to them at their passage into adulthood. Through the years, the symbols accumulated, and at their death, the sashes were kept in the family to honor the memory of their ancestor long after their bodies were merged with Sophaiya.

  A table filled with delicacies and delights was set up before them. Servants carried out plates of sweet and savory foods, delivering them to rows of wide tables in the courtyard. The courtiers began to assemble around the tables and select morsels as they were set down. A seductive servant woman approached, balancing two crystal goblets on a silver tray.

  Kyliron took both goblets in hand, his eyes lingering on the woman hungrily before turning his attention to Brigitte. “A tribute to you, my love,” he handed her one of the goblets. “This is an aphrodisiac elixir for desire and fertility. You will become intoxicated.” He smiled wickedly, placing the rim to his lips. “We often indulge in such elixirs. I should hope you soon become accustomed to it.”

  She sipped carefully. Almost immediately her senses danced to life. The taste was fruity and pleasant, and she found herself compelled to take another deeper drink. Her eyes searched the assembly, looking for familiar faces. The High Council was in attendance, sitting at their own table, speaking in hushed tones. She tried to memorize the many beautiful faces of the courtiers who came to pay them tribute, faces who seemed to contend for her attention.

  The joining celebration spilled by in a swirl of tastes and sounds, smells and sights. Brigitte and Kyliron were given performances, gifts, and presentations. Performers left Brigitte speechless. Dancers literally held fire in their hands while moving in ways Brigitte had never seen. They lit torches at the end of chains to spin in intricate patterns. The Order of the Spiral Dancers made a special presentation Brigitte particularly enjoyed, performing amazing tricks by spinning variously shaped rings around their bodies.

  Intoxication saturated the many beautiful courtiers as they mingled in the gardens. Bodies began to move, snakelike as the music gradually fused with deep rhythmic sounds. Their musical journey slowly elevated the celebration to a new level of excitement. It was the feast of the Ka-Ma-Sha, a meaningful day of change and renewal.

  Eventually, Kyliron coaxed her from their landing, and led her around the crowd, showing her off like fine jewels acquired in an exotic market. She could barely walk or talk. Anyone who touched her skin became the newest object of her desire, but knowing the elixir’s effect on a first timer, Kyliron would jealously snatch her away the moment her eyes lingered on another. Guests began to tie the ribbons hanging from their outfits to recognize the couple’s union.

  At midnight, the palace gardens came to life with lush precipitation. A layer of fog cast long shadows amidst amber and purple lights. It rendered the scene dreamlike, as if that which was solid would soon fade. The moon was full, and cast its delicate luminescence over the festive courtyard. Glowing insects sparkled in the gardens.

  Walking barefoot across carpets of green moss, Brigitte beheld all the nighttime wonders of the courtyard with abandon. Kyliron remained at her side, fending off anyone who might arouse her senses. The ribbons bound them together so if one were to fall, the other would soon come tumbling after. A small entourage tagged along, laughing and showing Brigitte mysterious floating bio-luminescent creatures, explaining how they had been created for this very courtyard by scientists.

  She could not remember a time when she had enjoyed herself more. They danced close in the twinkling lights as thousands of flower petals were let loose to float over their heads. Effervescent fire exploded in the sky and echoed off Poseidia’s heights, raining streams of tumbling sparks. Brigitte watched in wonder and laughed.

  As if on cue, the high priestess, followed by a processional of temple priestesses, entered the courtyard, and all fell into reverent silence. Brigitte searched the recesses of her foggy mind for the reason, and then all at once, fear attacked her heart. This was the fertility blessing. And Brigitte thought again of D’Vinid and the child in her womb.

  The courtiers paraded Brigitte and Kyliron to their thrones. Temple women filed around them. Chanting, they placed a series of crystals at the feet of the king and queen, while arranging small crystal bottles on the table in front of them. An incense brazier was set burning around their heads. Brigitte prayed to the Watchers.

  The high priestess began uttering in lyrical, ancient Lemurian verse. She placed a hand on Kyliron’s stomach, then on Brigitte’s, who watched the high priestess nervously. The priestess paused for a moment, stealing the slightest look at Brigitte’s stomach. With barely a furrow of the brow, she continued, moving toward the crystal bottles.

  Arranging two goblets as receptacles for the fertility potions, she removed multi-faceted lids one by one, and began pouring various colored liquids into each goblet, chanting as she worked. Smoke billowed from the incense, and the crystals lit up at their feet. When the incantation was complete, she handed the goblets to Brigitte and Kyliron, who drank deeply at the nod of her head.

  “The queen is fertile!” the priestess announced. “Tonight will be the conception of our heir!”

  A cheer erupted from the courtiers. Kyliron stood and offered his hand to his mate. Brigitte lingered darkly on the high priestess, wondering if she knew about the child that was already conceived.

  The priestess nodded. Her voice appeared in Brigitte’s mind. “You are Moirae. The Watchers know what is best.” It was in this moment Brigitte knew the high priestess may have been on her side, for whatever reason a side was necessary.

  Kyliron snatched Brigitte into his arms, and devoured her with a ravenous kiss. The courtiers cheered drunkenly. The priestess tied the final ribbons left untied. It was the final binding of the couple. Without another word, Kyliron snatched her into his arms, and carried her from the landing into the king’s personal chambers.

  GASEOUS BLUE ENERGY formed into cords, twisting and turning through alleyways. D’Vinid could see them clearly. They steered him to a part of the city seldom visited. Here, part of Poseidia had crumbled into the sea. Its remains stood forgotten, hanging from the cliffs of the shoreline. No one ventured here. No one wanted to imagine Atlantis could ever again experience catastrophe as it had at the end of its previous two ages. It was easier to ignore the ruins.

  He barely hesitated. He was on a mission, and he did not know if or when his stalker would spring to attack him. The path headed to what seemed like an old mediator estate. At his approach, the sounds of rhythmic thumping drifted out of the moonlit rubble. He hopped off the hover-disc and brandished it like a weapon, careful not to lose it again. Creeping through the rubble was easy enough. The moon provided ample light, and the music was so loud no one would hear his approach.

  D’Vinid couldn’t believe his eyes. The blue markers had brought him to a rather unique revelry. Everyone in attendance moved to syncopated beats he assumed to be amplified through resonance amplifiers. The revelry was pure chaos. Those who weren’t dancing on every available surface were somehow creating light from their hands. As they projected the lights toward each other, they created intricate geometrical
symbols.

  The gathering was in a perfect natural amphitheater of crumbled rock, looking out over the ocean. Laughter mingled with the pulsing rhythm. D’Vinid was enthralled. The scene reminded him of the renegade revelries many cycles back when he was at the height of his hover-trickster fame. They seemed like celestial beings who had stolen one night on this side of the Dreamvale. Their collective chaos seemed like an incantation. The spell they cast with their lights and sounds seemed to banish the shadows. D’Vinid had a hard time staying still as he watched.

  “It’s too late for your Loressai.” A voice merged with his thoughts. “She belongs to ussss now.”

  D’Vinid jumped, looking around. No one was there. He looked everywhere he could, holding his hover-disc at the ready. “So, you have been following me.”

  “We have always been with you. Give yoursssself freely to ussss, and we will sssspare your queen. Because of you, Kyliron has nearly reached his point of desssspair. Ssssoon he will be ripe for the taking. And then we will make her ssssuffer. You can ssssave your queen from thissss fate.”

  He could feel the creature reaching into his thoughts, filling his head with mockery. The guilt tried to consume him, as it usually did. The creature seeped deeper with every wave of self-loathing. It snaked into his blood like poisonous black ooze. His hands trembled violently as he raised them to eye level. Suddenly D’Vinid’s eyes flashed orange. His lips formed a devious smile. The creature retracted.

  “If you’re so confident I will succumb to your influence, why ask me to give myself to you freely?” He stood up straighter. “Simply take me.”

  Darkness pressed in around him, and fear tore at his resolve.

  “Come with ussss and we will sssspare your queen.”

  The thought of Brigitte as Kyliron’s queen irritated him. But thinking of her ignited the love he had felt in her presence. Embracing the feeling made the darkness shrink away. A reckless grin touched his lips. “Something tells me you wouldn’t be offering me this bargain if you could actually claim me on your own,” D’Vinid chuckled. “In fact, I find myself wondering if this horrible guilt I always feel is you trying to take over my mind. Who are you? What do you want with me?” D’Vinid could feel the creature swirling around him as if a hundred spiders crawled around on his back.

  “We are the Triad.” The voice reverberated in his head. “And you are ourssss.”

  D’Vinid gathered his energy, feeling the darkness fold inward upon him. “Triad. I see.” For a moment he appeared to be considering the offer. “In truth, I would prefer to see you banished from this planet.” A surge of passion swelled his heart. His eyes flashed. Light appeared out of nowhere and bathed the area. The creature screeched in agony, and was hurled into the nebulous night.

  As its shrieking faded, a woman approached in the darkness. The shape of her figure was obscured under a full-length robe. A hood was drawn up to cast her face in shadow, but he easily recognized the feminine fluidity of her movements. Many dark braids spilled from the hood’s opening to rest on her buxom chest. She was accompanied by another woman with the stature of a warrior and a shaved head.

  “You, over there. Did you feel that?” she demanded cautiously. Her face was steady.

  “The darkness that just flew off . . . into the darkness?” he grimaced. “I’m afraid I may have led it here.” His answer was honest, though he was not entirely sure it should be.

  “How could you lead it to us?” the shaved-headed woman snapped.

  “Well, I didn’t know where I was going in the first place! Your blue-dream markers led me here.”

  “Everyone knows the rules! Don’t bring shadows to the gatherings.”

  D’Vinid shrugged innocently. “At least now it’s gone. I suspect when I leave, it will follow me.”

  The buxom woman with the braids stepped closer to him. Narrowing her eyes, she tilted her head curiously. “What is your name?”

  “I might ask you the same question,” he said as he leaned on one leg, tossing a look into the direction where the creature disappeared.

  “Seeing as I asked you first, decorum would suggest you might answer first.” The beauty of her face shone in the moonlight.

  He cracked a smile at her comment. “I am no one special. I’m searching for a friend.”

  The woman with the shaved head crouched at a sound in the ruins nearby, and moved to inspect it.

  The other inched closer. Her movements were the definition of eloquence. “My name is Fa’nariel Ma’at,” she said. “Now I see you closer, I know who you are.”

  He propped his leg on the base of a toppled column, and returned her attention levelly. She lowered her hood, revealing the full beauty of her face. D’Vinid did his best to appear unaware of her lure.

  “You were at the cartel docks earlier.” Her voice was almost musical as she spoke. “What you did was very brave.” She flipped her head, sizing him up with measuring eyes. “Foolish. But brave.”

  He pointed at her sharply. “You were one of those people who took Loressai!” He marveled at the thorough perfection of the Watchers’ web. At the same time, his heart ached imagining Loressai’s face contorted in its madness.

  Fa’nariel seemed to look directly through him. “You possess the innate wisdom of our Source creator. It’s up to you to tap into it. You must simply ask, and surrender to the answers.”

  “I am not really interested in your Law of One dogma,” he snapped.

  She smiled. “As you wish.”

  “For the present moment I will ask you one simple question. Where is Loressai?”

  The humor of her expression faded. “You will not like what you see if you find her.”

  He leaned closer. “It is of the utmost importance she is found. Her father is very concerned. It’s not right to keep her from him.”

  Her eyes were piercing in their intensity. “Perhaps she is safer where she is. Did you give that any thought? Are you certain your heart is true in this matter? Is this simply an attempt to satisfy her father? Or do you really care about her well-being?” She looked around, and sat on the edge of a fallen rock. “The madness takes people all the time. That is unfair to their families. But what if there is a possibility she could be saved? Wouldn’t you choose this path for her?”

  He opened his mouth to respond, but found himself frozen by her line of questioning. He exhaled, folded his arms, and copied her movement, seating himself on a rock to face her.

  “Fa’nariel Ma’at,” he chanted. “I am certain I will remember your name.”

  She adjusted her position, and one of her legs peeked out of the robe. Her elegant beauty sparkled in the blue night as she spoke again. “You must be an initiate of the conclaves to have access to where your friend is. If you can pass through the inner gates, you will be able to find her.”

  He raised his eyebrow in dismay, not at all sure of what she was talking about.

  “Look,” she continued. “All conclaves have a specialty. My father is an adept of the Law of One. I have been raised with this information. My conclave and I have gone through the gateways of initiation together since we were quite young.” A smile brightened her luxurious lips. “I see you have gone through the blue-dream awakening. And yet you have not unlocked the first gateway. You’re a step closer than you would have been without the awakening.”

  D’Vinid shifted, scratching his head. His thoughts began to darken.

  She produced a small quartz crystal in the shape of a wand, with one end rounded and the other terminating in a point. She dangled the crystal enticingly. “This is a record-keeper. If you can figure out how to access it, it can lead you to her. But you must go through initiation, however, and you cannot do that unless your own soul-crystal appears.” She pulled on a chain necklace to reveal a sparkling pendant hidden in her tunic. He could tell it was more than just a tool, as most crystals were. It had a telluric soul. “We all have one. Yours will appear when you are ready to receive it.”

  D’Vi
nid sank into confusion. He was drawn to what she said, yet he fought it.

  She lowered her voice, as if preparing to impart a great secret. “Everyone has accessors built into their mindlights. We call these gateways. But most people don’t know this anymore. It’s what Belial wanted us to know. The code can be found in his Cantos, and unlocked in the Grid. The Temple Sect has been hiding this from us for generations. You are the master of your own fate when you go through initiation.”

  She extended the crystal wand toward his hand. He searched her eyes. His interest piqued, he reached to take it. Somehow expecting to be shocked, he flinched when he touched it. But a cool surface was all he felt. It was, as she claimed, merely a tool-crystal.

  She recognized his interest. “When you go through initiation, you learn to access all human knowledge stored in the archives of our own DNA. This access is simply stimulating a remembrance of what we already know.”

  “If you can know anything, then what were those creatures today in the market?” He asked.

  “I wish I could tell you. We have been on their trail, but they are not familiar to us. They are living in the same realm as the shadows that have been terrorizing Atlantis. Was it not one of them that followed you here?”

  “It was. What do you know of the Triad?”

  Her face sank into concern. “The Triad were the sorcerer kings of the ancient fire nations. They were the ones who waged war against Lemuria, and caused the war of the Watchers. But they were said to be imprisoned in ice. If they have returned . . .” She shook her head. “It couldn’t be them.”

  D’Vinid pondered the concept. “That’s what it told me. They are the Triad. Unless they’re lying.”

  They looked around, paranoia prickling their spines. Fa’nariel caught the eye of her companion, who indicated there was still no sign of the creature. “You are part of this, D’Vinid, whether you know it or not. Our society has become a trap keeping us in the illusion of separation from our Source. But some of us can’t be fooled by this trap. People like you. People like me. This is a secret,” she waved her soul-crystal. “There is a culture of people who are immune to the shadows. We have watched as our society crumbles around us. We see the monsters who haunt our Dreamtime. And every day we are developing more immunity to their poison. The Temple Sect keeps this information from the people. It is almost as if they want us to be vulnerable to these creatures.”