At last, Marik roused himself. “Na-Kai, how did it come about that a topsider must be our only choice? I am at a loss. How is she related to Kai-Dan? And if she is, how did you find her?”
The wisp of a smile passed over Na-Kai’s face. She disentangled herself from Daria and approached the edge of the dais. Daria saw that she was still a bit unsteady on her feet, and that she summoned the energy that remained so that her voice would reach the back of the Hall.
“Prior to the downfall of Atlantis, many Healers lived throughout our history. Each displayed different levels of the healing ability, yet one would always rise to become the Most Sovereign Healer. Her power was the greatest of them all. Kai-Dan was the last and most revered Healer Atlantis ever knew before we were consigned to these icy depths. It was Kai-Dan who foretold the awful fate that would befall our people.
“However, there is one part of the story that has been purposely hidden from memory. Until this moment it was a closely guarded secret, passed down from Healer to Healer.” Na-Kai stopped. She drew several deep breaths and cleared her throat. “Kai-Dan had a twin.”
Shouted questions exploded around the room. As Na-Kai no longer had the strength to withstand the multitude, she bowed her head. Marik intervened. “Silence! I would have Na-Kai finish!” He gestured to the Healer: “Please, continue.”
Na-Kai’s eyelids drooped, but she lifted her head to finish. “Kalli-Dan was a Healer every bit as great as her sister. As the end drew near, both women felt that the chances were infinitesimal that anyone would survive the sinking. Regardless of the lengths to which the small band prepared, there was only so much that could be done. And though the sisters had given their people an outside chance to survive the catastrophe, they had no idea if the tunnels would hold.”
Na-Kai shifted position and looked out over the assembly. “The Healers embarked upon another, even more desperate plan. Because Kai-Dan was the Most Sovereign Healer, she was surrounded with a thought-form generated by every Healer throughout the land. Smuggled out of Atlantis, she was sent into the world in an effort to ensure that some small remnant of Atlantis would endure beyond the end. Their last hope was that somehow her line would survive and continue through the ages. Kalli-Dan stayed behind to either live or die within this mountain refuge that has become our home.”
Na-Kai stopped, and motioned for Marik to bring her a chair. The Council Leader hurried to comply. While she waited, a timid question from the back of the hall floated to the stage.
“Why was it necessary to hide the identity of Kalli-Dan?”
Marik returned, and the chair made a metallic scrape as he positioned it behind Na-Kai. Without a backward glance, the Healer sank onto the seat and leaned back. She rested her elbows on the arms and dangled her hands over the edges. Daria and Marik flanked her, and Daria placed a protective hand on top of her shoulder.
“It is difficult to say, except that times were horrific enough without the added loss of morale that would have occurred had the band of one thousand not had the strength and guidance of their Most Sovereign Healer. The ruse was most probably motivated by fear. Fear that the one thousand would not follow Kalli-Dan into the prepared shelter. If they balked, then all would truly have been lost.”
The leap had been made. The Atlanteans understood that Daria was a miracle, the embodiment of the vestiges of a great line that had surfaced at their time of need. A tear slid down Na-Kai’s cheek, and Daria hugged her. Dark heads bowed in a loving tribute for the sacrifice with which Daria honored them.
A murky figure, unseen by anyone but Daria, drew the shadows closer and slipped from the Council Hall.
Lost in the multitude that swarmed the dais, Ni-Cio forged his way through the press of bodies. Spurred by feelings he could no longer deny, he elbowed friends aside who were trying to congratulate him in an attempt to reach Daria.
Hemmed in by the crush of people that thronged the stage, Ni-Cio felt the blood rise and he could only imagine the colors swirling over his face. He muttered, “By the gods, I will scare her to death.”
He eased his progress and tried to calm his mind, but Aris accosted him with his laughter. “Ni-Cio, you look ready to burst into flames! Slow down, my friend.”
“Aris, I must talk to her.” Ni-Cio shoved through a few more bodies before Aris grabbed his arm.
“Surely, you would not approach her now? Why, every last one of us is trying to make amends for behavior that can hardly be justified.”
“Aris, unhand me now.”
Ni-Cio saw the quick shrug after Aris dropped his arm, but he chose to ignore the evident “I told you so” look planted on his friend’s features. He turned and bulled his way toward the dais.
He saw Marik take Na-Kai’s elbow, and escort her and Daria down the stairs. Ni-Cio locked on the topsider. Dressed in a long robe that glistened with purple and scarlet hues, Ni-Cio admired the unconscious grace with which the topsider carried herself. The women descended the steps, and a shy smile lit Daria’s face as she acknowledged the heartfelt wishes sent her way. She bent to shake someone’s hand and caught sight of Ni-Cio. Alarm leapt into her eyes. He balked, knowing that his over-colored face was screwed into a terrible grimace. He couldn’t help it. But her startled reaction to his approach told him that he had already scared her more than he thought he would.
She grabbed Na-Kai’s arm, and Ni-Cio didn’t need to read her thoughts to know what she said. “I need to leave. Now.” She pulled Na-Kai toward the closest exit.
Ni-Cio’s way was again blocked when everyone realized that their new Healer was leaving. People scrambled to offer their goodbyes. Ni-Cio was buffeted by the crowd so much that he almost lost sight of the retreating figures. Before the women left the Council Hall, however, Daria glanced back at him. The look on her face made him feel as though he was a curse, one to be avoided by any means possible.
He knew his coloring was somewhat alarming, but he was perplexed as to why he would engender such a reaction. Nevertheless, he threaded his way through the packed Hall. Reaching the passageway that Na-Kai and Daria had taken, he lengthened his stride.
Before the women neared the end of the tunnel, Ni-Cio had closed the distance. A tremor ran deep within his body, and he knew that Daria was aware of his presence. He wanted to break into a run and sweep her into his arms, but he reminded himself to keep his composure.
Na-Kai stopped their headlong rush in order to let Ni-Cio catch up, but the topsider refused to turn around. Her back looked as though made of stone. Ni-Cio was not very surprised when wisps of a thought-form teased the edges of his mind.
“Go a…way, go…away…”
He cleared his throat, and when his voice finally came, it sounded like a growl even to him, so he couldn’t imagine how it sounded to Daria. “Hold, I would have a word.”
Before Na-Kai could respond, Daria pivoted and pointed a finger in Ni-Cio’s face. “Leave me alone! I have nothing to say to you. Na-Kai, please.”
She grabbed the older woman’s hand and almost broke into a run. Na-Kai, a look of surprise on her face, was dragged along in her wake.
Startled by the topsider’s vehemence, Ni-Cio sent a thought-form trailing after Na-Kai. “What did I do?”
Na-Kai’s response did nothing to solve the mystery. “Later, Ni-Cio…we are both overtired…”
The two figures receded from sight and Ni-Cio shook his head. He couldn’t fathom what he had done to deserve such wrath. Aris had always said that the ways of women were at best a mystery, but by the gods, he had never believed him until now.
Ni-Cio reluctantly retraced his steps back toward the Council chamber. He slowed when a vague feeling of menace pricked the outer parameters of his awareness. Ni-Cio hesitated and scowled at this unusual perception of danger. Turning in a gradual circle, his thoughts scanned the area.
Other than that first disquieting impression, he could discern nothing. He ran a hand through his hair. “Surely my mind has not started playing tricks.” He r
aised his eyebrows, scratched his head, then gave up and ambled to the end of the tunnel to find his friend.
The sounds of Ni-Cio’s footsteps echoed off quiet tunnel walls, and eyelids that had been closed, inched open. With reptilian patience, Travlor examined the retreating form until it was out of sight. He inhaled and stepped away from the shadows and the granite walls that had served as the backdrop for his camouflage. He willed his heartbeat, which had been suspended to almost nothing, to regain its normal rhythm. He felt his own leprous gray coloring slither down the length of his body, as the colors that had given him the same appearance as the surrounding rocks leached away. Travlor was no longer concealed.
He needed no warming robes to cover his form-fitting bioskin, for the chill of Atlantis never sank into his bones. The bleakness that encased his heart was colder than any tomb, and he never again expected to feel the least measure of warmth.
Travlor surveyed the passageway, for he knew well the path the topsider had taken. He had spent countless hours pacing that avenue in the solitary, never-ending vigil he maintained over Na-Kai. The Healer would shelter that abhorrent woman in her chambers, so nothing could be done at this moment, but time, which had never before merited a thought, now became his mortal enemy. “The topsider is here! Where you have failed, I will not!”
Travlor released the thought-form. It scorched its way toward the surface to burn a track into the frantic mind of his only descendant. He watched with indifference as his son fell to his knees on rocky cliffs. Razor-sharp edges cut his hands, and the whitened rock became stained with vivid slashes of scarlet. He could feel the numbness that invaded his son’s consciousness, and the ghost of a smile played over his lips. Evan’s scream echoed through his mind.
“Travlor! Nooooo!”
Daria woke with a start. The feel of her mother’s embrace lingered in the confines of her dream-cluttered mind. She had whispered, something, that the release of sleep chased away like traces of fog on a sunny day.
She closed her eyes in an effort to encourage the dream to return. However, a tone sounded and the door dematerialized. Kyla entered, laden with a huge tray of food. “Good morning. You have been asleep for more than twelve hours. We thought you would be quite hungry, so Na-Kai had me prepare this tray for you.”
A delicious aroma followed the woman into the room and wafted around Daria in a tantalizing dance. Her mouth watered.
Kyla set the tray on a table and laid out their feast. “I am the head chef of our kitchens, and I have brought you something special today. I think you will like it.”
Daria threw the plush covers aside and scooted out of the comfort of her warm bedding. “Oh, it smells wonderful and you’re right, I’m famished. I feel like I haven’t eaten in a week.”
She covered her new bioskin with a warming robe and hurried to the waterwall. She rinsed her face and hands, grabbed a towel and joined Kyla as she finished drying her hands. She tossed the towel aside and pulled out a chair. Intoxicated by the aromas, she reached for a freshly baked muffin. “Surely this can’t all be for me. Please sit down and join me; there is enough for an army.”
A timid smile lit Kyla’s face. She accepted the offer and seated herself opposite Daria. She took a plate from Daria’s outstretched hand and helped herself to the food. For a time, the companionable silence was only broken by the soft clink of silverware. However, as Daria began to feel her ravenous hunger subside, she wiped her mouth with her napkin, placed it beside her plate and pushed her chair from the table. She looked at the Atlantean and before she could stop herself, she released a flood of questions that soon had Kyla relaxed and laughing. They shared an intense curiosity about each other’s life, and as the morning passed, Daria felt the beginnings of a lasting friendship.
At last, Kyla excused herself and started to clear the remains. “I so enjoyed our time together, but Na-Kai is on her way. It is almost time for your lessons to begin.”
Daria laid a hand on the young woman’s wrist. “One more question before you go.”
The Atlantean set the stack of dishes down and waited.
“Kyla, you have to understand, I have, had a life topside. Na-Kai insists that our time is critical, but the lifespan of everyone here stretches over hundreds of years. She has told me that I should be able to acquire the healing skills within a few months; and yet, she refuses to let me leave. Why?”
Kyla lowered herself back into the chair. She refolded one of the soft linen napkins, and after she had smoothed the edges, she looked up. “No one in Atlantis lives beyond the age of four hundred and eight. Na-Kai is well beyond her four hundred and seventh year. The time is drawing near for her transcendence.”
Daria shook her head and raised her eyebrows in an unspoken question.
Kyla pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “The closest example I can think of is to compare it to the Terran form of dying, although transcendence is quite unlike death.”
She cleared her throat and scooted her chair closer to the table. “As we near the age of transcendence, the physical aspect of our bodies begins to metamorphose into pure spirit matter. I don’t quite know how to explain it to you other than to say, we start to become transparent. At the vernal equinox of our four hundred and eighth year, the physical gives way to the spirit and in the course of one glorious moment, we are transcended. Even topsiders are given awareness of this incredible event when the sun meets the ocean at sunset and a brief emerald flash can be seen. That flash, more powerful than all the other flashes witnessed by topsiders, signifies that someone in Atlantis has left the physical existence behind and entered the realm of the spirits.”
Daria groaned. She placed her elbows on the table and lowered her head into her hands. “Oh my God. This is surreal. I don’t think I can learn any more without my head exploding.”
Kyla reached across the table and took one of her hands. Daria sighed and looked up. The Atlantean could see the astounding loneliness that clouded the topsider’s eyes, and she felt like weeping. She wanted to comfort her friend and tell her that everything would be all right, but she kept her thoughts to herself.
Daria struggled to understand. “I just thought Na-Kai’s coloring was different. When I look at her, it’s like looking into the reflection of the sun on a calm sea. She shimmers, and it’s hard to look straight at her; she’s already almost transparent.”
Daria stared down at the hand that held hers and marveled at the difference in their skin tones. She didn’t know she could feel so close to people who were so different from herself, but she still felt lost in the labyrinth of their world. “Could this transcendence happen accidentally?”
Kyla shook her head and gently released Daria’s hand. “No, my friend; an elaborate ceremony is held, with every member of Atlantis in attendance. I will tell you this, should another Healer not be named and active in our community, the chances are great that none of us would reach the age of this singular event. Our Most Sovereign Healer is a battery, so to speak. She recharges us, and enables us to continue into transcendence.”
“Oh, Kyla, to lose Na-Kai is unthinkable. I can’t be what she is to you. You ask too much.”
Kyla stood up and rounded the table. She knelt beside Daria and placed a hand on her thigh. “I know you are afraid, and I know how alone you feel, but you are also very brave. Come, let us sit in comfort. There is more I want to share.”
Daria could see the empathy in her friend’s eyes, so she followed the woman to the sitting area. She pulled her robes around her and settled into a chair. Kyla sat opposite her. “Daria, we will be sad when Na-Kai transcends, but when one person transcends, then another can be born. It is a form of controlled reincarnation, and it is a wondrous time. However, for transcendence to occur, not only must we reach the required age, we must also be filled with the joy of life.”
Daria laughed at the memory of some rather irate Atlanteans. Kyla nodded her head as though she had read her mind.
“That idea may be dif
ficult to accept after everything you have been through. But even though we experience the normal fluctuations of feelings, from the outright fear you saw at Council to the grief of the loss of a loved one, we still retain the joy of life. And it is this joy that is crucial. Without it, the miracle of transcendence cannot be fulfilled. Therefore, we try not to create hurt or bring strife, for we are all tied to each other. Simply put, you are me and I am you. Why would we want to harm ourselves?”
Daria fell back into the cushions. She closed her eyes as she considered the implications. She felt tired and bewildered, and her tongue stumbled over her next questions. “What happens if you reach the age of transcendence and aren’t filled with joy? Do you die a normal death?”
“Unless kept in health by a Healer, yes. But there is one other substantial benefit we derive from transcending. It is the gift of energy. At the moment of transcendence, a tremendous force is released. The energy that is freed becomes the fuel that sustains our world. It has been thus from the very hour Poseidon created Atlantis, and it will remain that way as long as the healing line continues. It is a miraculous experience, one for which we are eternally grateful. And, my cherished friend, were it not for you, we would not continue.”
Daria’s shoulders sagged, and she frowned. She crossed her arms and slouched low in her chair. She was overwhelmed, and she was more frightened by the idea of becoming their Healer than she had been about being ejected at depth. “I will never be able to do that. I can’t be your Healer! I, I just can’t do it!”
She stood up and walked away from Kyla. She massaged her neck muscles, and focused on one desperate idea. She faced her friend. “Couldn’t Na-Kai choose not to transcend? If she didn’t transcend, you would still have your Healer, and then you wouldn’t need me.”
Kyla flashed a small, understanding smile and shook her head. “Once you have immersed your soul in the joy of life, the feeling does not dissipate easily. But even so, day by day, Na-Kai would lose her strength, and with it her powers, until she could no longer sustain us.”
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