Shadows of Atlantis- Awakening

by Mara Powers

  He lifted her hand to kiss her fingers, then got up and began picking his way through the smashed estate. “This is quite a lot of information,” he called back. “I don’t know what to do with it all, or even if I understand it. All I know is I must find Loressai.”

  She followed. “You will need friends in the coming days. You have been through the awakening. You should consider the conclaves.”

  With a lazy gait and heavily placed footsteps, he wandered through the rubble. “I don’t even know what I’m doing here.”

  She followed. The blue haze faded in and out of existence around them. She noticed his awareness of it. “You followed the markers, right? Then you are meant to be here. You are in the vortex.”

  “What is the vortex, anyway?” He stopped.

  Her laughter was bright and cheerful. “When you relax into the flow of the One, you are in the vortex. You would not be able to see the blue-dream signs if you were not in the vortex.”

  They picked their way through rugged ground until the music faded in the distance. The cliff sloped down to a place where land met sea. As the waves crashed rhythmically, he took note of a strangely shaped rock where the water met the land. Moonlight mingled with the blue mist as they drew closer. His hackles rose. Each step brought more certainty. It was not a rock but a body.

  He let out a breath he had not realized he was holding. D’Vinid did not want to see a dead body. He shuddered to think of why the Watchers would guide him to see such a thing. Fa’nariel bent over what looked like a man, and touched his head gently. Receiving no response, she placed her fingers on his wrist. She looked at D’Vinid eagerly and nodded. Carefully, she cradled the man in her arms and turned him over. He moaned.

  D’Vinid knelt, and as the moon caught the man’s features, he cried out, “Watchers! No!” He yanked the body from Fa’nariel, and slapped the man’s cheeks gently. “No, no, no, no. Wake up. You have to wake up.” D’Vinid rocked the man in his arms. “Help me,” he looked on her pleadingly. “We have to get him somewhere safe.”

  She gestured to her companion, who had silently followed them. She responded by running back along the path.

  “Bavendrick,” he muttered. “If this was Kyliron’s doing . . .”

  The prince’s eyes opened. The color in them shifted as though they were made of the ocean itself. D’Vinid marveled at the sight, and wondered if he was dreaming. He had never seen eyes turn to liquid before. “D’Vinid,” Bavendrick smiled weakly. “Are you a Watcher?” His strange eyes fluttered as he passed out again.

  D’Vinid cradled the prince in his arms and began to weep. He looked into the sky and out into the ocean, holding his childhood friend. He thought he could make out the shape of a woman sitting on a rock in the middle of the cove. Moonlight glimmered on her wet skin. But when he blinked the tears from his eyes, the vision was gone.

  They sat in silence. Every breath Bavendrick took flooded D’Vinid with gratitude. After a while, approaching footsteps drew his attention. The identical smiling faces of the Aello twins greeted him with surprise.

  Fa’nariel’s companion accompanied them. “These two came in a hover-carriage!” she called out to warn of their approach. “They can help us take him somewhere safe.”

  The twins examined the scene with mouths agape.

  D’Vinid could do nothing but sputter into maddened laughter at this new synchronicity. He squeezed his eyes closed, feeling the sting of exhaustion. He could feel the touch of the Watchers, and helplessness brought him to a point of trembling desperation. Jensyn put his hand carefully on D’Vinid’s shoulder. “The Watchers work in mysterious ways,” he said with a cunning smile.

  Kayden brought a blanket, and wrapped it around Prince Bavendrick.

  D’Vinid tried to collect himself, rubbing tears from his red eyes. “Obviously, we can’t take him to a healing center,” D’Vinid sighed. “Your father will know what to do.” He pointed sternly at both of them.

  They nodded in unison.

  “Of course,” Kayden agreed. His slightly wider features were barely apparent in the blue light of the moon, but D’Vinid could easily tell who was who. “Sometimes it seems our father has more resources than the king.” They picked Bavendrick up between them and began climbing the steep beach.

  Fa’nariel and her staunch companion followed to the waiting carriage. After Bavendrick was safely tucked inside, she turned to D’Vinid. “We can help. Our healers are advanced beyond any of the Temple Sect. We have access to ancient Nexes records. Let us care for the prince.”

  “In whatever secret place Loressai may or may not be that I would have to awaken my gateways to access? No thank you.”

  The twins watched with growing interest.

  “I will take you to your friend in exchange.”

  D’Vinid knew this was his chance to find Loressai. He struggled with Fa’nariel’s criticism of his motivation, but his love for Bavendrick took over. He would not use the prince as a pawn to ease his guilt. “We will take him to your father’s estate and keep him under guard,” he ordered the twins. “I wish I knew if this was Kyliron’s doing,” he muttered to himself.

  Fa’nariel smiled again. “It would be simple for me to find out. Would that information gain your trust?”

  He looked at her incredulously, and noticed a bracelet on her arm, which had only just slipped out of her robe. It bore the royal trident. He looked up to catch her triumphant gaze.

  “I am one of Kyliron’s kallistas,” she said.

  A wave of realization nearly knocked him over.

  “I’m not the only one. The king has a voracious appetite,” she continued. “I will find out what the king knows about his brother. It will take some time, however. When he is finished with his joining night, and making love to his new queen, he will call us all back. Even the arrival of his queen would not force him to separate from his court ladies.”

  D’Vinid flinched. Thoughts of Brigitte with Kyliron caused him twisting regret and envy. “I will trust you more if you just tell me where to find Loressai, without using Bavendrick or Kyliron as bargaining tools,” he demanded between clenched teeth.

  “I already gave you the information plus a whole lot more. You can find her whenever you wish. You have the answer in your pocket.” She patted his chest where he had stashed the crystal wand she gave him. “In the meantime, we will look into the Triad. The vortex will unite us again, D’Vinid.” She nodded to the Aellos, and slipped away with her companion.

  D’Vinid pulled the new hover-disc from his shoulder satchel, and tossed it to the ground. Both twins examined it with delight.

  “Well,” Jensyn smiled, clapping his hands. “A fine hover-disc you’ve acquired, D’Vinid.” He bobbled his head from side to side.

  D’Vinid shrugged off their leering faces and gestured to the hover-carriage. “Let’s move. Bavendrick requires attention.”

  As the twins climbed into their sleek carriage, D’Vinid felt for Bavendrick’s heartbeat. He looked almost dead in his repose. He did not want to return to Pan’s, and yet could not bring himself to leave Bavendrick, not just yet. For now, he would continue his journey within the vortex.

  BRIGITTE BARELY HAD time to examine the king’s court, but it was as magnificent as any other place she had seen that day, and seemed designed almost entirely with water features. Their walk was exhausting. He had to hold her up, as she often melted in his arms, giggling at her loss of control. She could barely contain the bursting feeling in her heart. The ribbons on their arms now linked them, and even when she fell, she was held up by his weight.

  He said nothing, merely dutifully remained at her side until they entered his suite. He quickly removed his vest to unlink the ribbons from his person and relinquish their bond. “This is a stupid tradition,” he scoffed. With nimble fingers, he freed her from her top dress. The ribbons crumpled to the floor in a red heap. He disappeared, leaving her to look around.

  The room’s main attraction was a very large
pool of shallow blue water, fed constantly by a fountain depicting a shapely sea nymph, whose hair and clothing were made to seem as the fountain’s flowing water. Brigitte blinked at the illusion, watching it curiously.

  Her fingers traced the edges of dimly lit crystal walls, which were warm to the touch. She squinted at the reflection in the surface of the crystal. She wondered if the elixirs were tricking her perceptions. Leaning in closer revealed it was not a reflection at all, but the face of the apparition who had appeared in the crystal-node. Panic clutched her heart. The woman’s bloody face was trapped in an eternal scream. Brigitte stumbled backward.

  Kyliron appeared with two crystal goblets. “What’s wrong?”

  Wide-eyed, she stared at the surface of the crystal wall.

  “Are you afraid of your reflection, my darling?” He laughed and handed her one of the goblets. The sight of the red liquid turned her stomach. She could not bear the thought of entering the elixir fog even deeper. She stole another look at the shiny wall. The apparition was gone. She watched his perfectly formed arm as he handed her a goblet. She was afraid to speak. No matter how kind he acted, she could not dispel the fear.

  “I have received news that has caused me great sorrow.” His pensive voice mingled with the delicate sound of trickling water. “I believe my brother Bavendrick to have been taken by the ocean. I don’t know what to do with my feelings about this,” he lowered his head, his face full of despair. “It was with great regret I had to send him away to join with the princess of Og. It was an important political move, but it pained my heart.”

  “Do you think that choice angered the Watchers? Your line is slated to mate with the dreamclans in this generation.”

  His murky eyes scrutinized her. “The people wanted me for their king because I have lived my life among them, concentrating on the sects and their happiness. They love me. This is what matters to me.”

  He had not yet drunk from his glass. She held onto hers, hoping he would turn around, so she could pour it out somewhere. “You joined with me. Obviously the pact did carry some weight with you,” she suggested.

  “I am king. I have done my duty. My brother would remain prince, so he could be spared. He was betrothed to a dreamclan half-breed. But she was an unscrupulous vixen. She was chosen by our mother. But my mother was not politically intelligent. My father never wanted this woman in the royal dynasty. I have carried out our father’s wishes, because he knew what was best. My brother hated me for it. He claimed to love his betrothed still. A monarch has to make difficult decisions sometimes, my love, and people don’t always like us for it.” He reached out his hand to touch her hair. His caress was soft, his eyes warm. With a strange facial twitch, he raised the glass toward her in tribute. “To you, my royal mate. Your coming is a great honor for me. And to my brother Bavendrick. May his soul find rest from this unjust world.”

  She mimicked the action, wondering why he almost seemed happy his brother was gone. He drank the liquid in one long gulp. When he was finished, he shattered the crystal on the ground and wiped his face. His eyes dilated, seeming to spiral into a frenzy.

  “Drink yours. Go on, drink it like I just did.” She was dismayed when he leaned in to watch her closer, urging her with his bleary eyes.

  Frightened, she choked it down. Some of it dripped down her cheek. He licked it with his tongue, and grabbed the glass from her, tossing it to shatter on the marble floor. Animata servants appeared from the shadows to clean it. He pulled away as if he had felt a sudden pain. He doubled over, sucking in a shallow, labored breath.

  “What is it?” She wanted to touch him, but held her hand back. Fear began to clutter her mind.

  He lifted his face. His eyes gleamed with cold malice. The energy in the room shifted. “It’s you,” his voice strained to a deeper pitch. “You’re making this happen. It started when you arrived.”

  “Making what happen?”

  “You are here to destroy me!” he growled at her.

  Brigitte backed away in alarm. His words stabbed into her soul. “How can you say that?”

  “The Watchers want me to fall!” he gasped. His eyes shifted madly to the window. “They hate me! Like they hated my mother! No matter how much the people loved me, or how much my father loved me, the Watchers hated me! And now they send you to undo me! I hate them, too!”

  Brigitte stared in stunned silence, trying to stifle her expression under the weight of the realization that all her childhood fears were coming true on the very eve of her joining. His deep preternatural eyes seared into her like molten steel, and she burned from the pain of his gaze. Could it possibly be the King of Atlantis, her new mate, was falling to the madness? He staggered to the window and buried his face in his hand.

  She was dizzy from the elixir’s effects.

  “You bring me these emotions.” His voice was calmer, though just as filled with malice. “You did so when you first looked into my eyes, when your mind came into mine like a Watcher.” He began laughing. He propped himself against the wall, hugging his body.

  Brigitte did not know what to say. She stared in confusion for a few moments, then headed toward the pool, sinking into her own thoughts. She didn’t notice him follow. The moment she sat, her feet entering the water, his hands gripped her shoulders. A rush of adrenaline seized her in shock. Resisting the urge to flee blindly, she turned her head to feel his breath upon her cheek. Her breathing shallowed.

  “Why have you come to me, Brigitte?” He tightened his hold on her shoulders. “Do you feel love for me?” She writhed to free herself from the pain, but he gripped tighter until she stopped struggling. “The less you struggle within my grasp, the less pain you will feel.” She could feel him smiling with his lips pressed against her cheek. “I asked you a question. Do you feel love for me? Or did the Watchers train you to destroy me?” He nudged her shoulder back with a sudden tenderness in his touch, guiding her to face him.

  “I have always loved you, Kyliron! I love you even now as you tell me I am destroying you. I would seek to help you, and you do nothing but scorch me with false blame!” Tears began to flow from her eyes.

  He caressed her skin softly. “You are so wondrously lovely, Brigitte, especially when you are in pain. How could I ever bring myself to destroy that? I would rather watch your beauty gradually fade than see it snuffed out before it has a chance to suffer. I will show the Watchers what I think of their trickery.” He caressed her cheek with a gentle tenderness.

  She flinched, unable to control the trembling of her hands.

  “Look at you,” he continued. “Every feature, a masterpiece. The very essence of temptation. The Watchers are so clever, seeking to lure me from my path with the sweetness of beauty.” He smiled wickedly. “They know beauty is my weakness.” He continued to pet her face gently. Sadness pooled in his eyes. All the while he avoided her gaze, examining the rest of her like an animata appraisal. “I will use this gift for all it’s worth,” he spoke into the air at some invisible floating entity. Clouds formed in his eyes. Abruptly, he pushed her away and stumbled to the wall. With his full weight against the smooth surface, he sank into a crouch and clutched at his head.

  She gazed at him in awe, wanting to fear him, wanting to pity him.

  He fell silent, hunched over with his face between his knees. “What have you done to me?” he choked helplessly. “I must free myself of this nightmare.” He buried his face in his hands, turning his back to her.

  She approached cautiously. “Please allow me to help you.” She reached out to touch his back. He flinched at her touch. “What nightmare, My Lord?” she begged him softly to respond. A sense of futility caused her tears to flow, and they wept together.

  She knelt in front of him. “My tears I shed for this land, and for you, Kyliron. My life I give to this land, and to you, my mate. My King.” She gently pulled his face up to meet her. He gazed at her beauty. “I am here to help rid you of that which plagues your mind and your heart. I am not your bane.
I am your strength. Your lady and queen.”

  Without warning, he jumped up with all his might, shoving her away. She tried to gain her footing, but his momentum forced her into the water. Fighting the water’s resistance, she stood up as quickly as possible. Dripping wet, she poised in a defensive posture.

  He rose weakly with his fists clenched. His eyes burned, red-rimmed with hatred. “You are trying to manipulate me!” His words rang out in a mocking tone. “You can’t fool me! Your very presence has been the catalyst for all this to begin! I’ve always been stronger than it, but somehow whatever possesses my mind comes out with you here! That’s what has made this evil inside of me expand! You are my joined mate, sent by those who are meant to protect us. But your very presence threatens my existence! And me, the most powerful figure in the entire land, is left powerless to counteract their wishes, the one authority who can override me! This is the very thing that will make me the weakest link in the line of Atlas! Are you proud of your role, Brigitte? You are my destroyer. You are the destroyer of Atlantis.” His voice broke in the rage.

  Brigitte edged herself away into the depths of the pool. Water dripped down her face, and she reached up to wipe it away. “The answer is obvious, My Lord.” She eyed him, reaching blindly to feel for a solid object as she waded backward. “I have been sent to help purge you of whatever this evil is.” Her voice shook. “I cannot judge you, nor will I speak of it to anyone outside of this room. My duty is to help you. Whatever is in you was already there before I came, and would be here if I weren’t. Perhaps my presence has made it more apparent, but you cannot continue denying it. Your denial is what makes you weak, not I! You must be strong and face whatever it is that makes you suffer. You cannot deny me. I am your joined mate now. But you must face yourself!” She couldn’t help but doubt her words as she spoke.