by Apryl Baker
Val gasped as the two creatures behind Kronos rose and yanked him backward, their massive paws resembling human hands. They held him, and the crowd cried out in fear as more of the chimeras herded them in tight circles while the monstrosities called Titans marched in, daring the soldiers to move.
“What is this?” Kronos demanded.
Hera stepped forward, her face a mask of triumph. “Why, my lord, I think you, of all people, the original usurper, would understand what is about to happen.”
The man on Kronos’s right stepped forward, drawing his sword. “I knew you were not to be trusted! Men…” He stopped speaking, the sword falling from his hand and the other clutching his throat. No air left his lips, and he began to turn blue.
“Ajax, you should know by now not to cross me.” Hera twisted her hand slightly, and the general fell to his knees, desperate for air. “Your men will either follow me or suffer the same fate as you.”
With that declaration, the army of Atlantis all fell to their knees, gasping for lifesaving air. More and more of the black robed magicians came forward, their faces intent as they worked their magic on the soldiers of Atlantis.
Hera smiled. Val’s gut twisted. This woman was mad.
She leaned down and said something to Ajax no one else could hear before he fell over, his eyes unseeing. With a swift hand, the head sorceress had killed the general of the armies of Atlantis. Many in the crowd cried out in fear, but not Kronos. He watched the woman with the eyes of skilled predator. He had something up his sleeve. But what?
“Let them breathe, but do not release your hold,” Hera commanded her own army of magic wielders. “It is time for them to understand they now have a new ruler.”
Kronos laughed, and it pulled Hera’s attention back to him. Her eyes narrowed as she moved closer to him. “Why are you laughing?”
“You think if you kill me, the city is yours?”
“I will be the new ruler when you are dead, yes.”
“Rule all you want, but this city will never follow you.”
“Explain.”
“In order for the city to obey you, you have to be given control of it by its current ruler. Thanks to your trickery, Tobias gave me control of it. I will never do the same for you.”
Her trickery? What was he talking about? How did Hera trick Tobias? So many questions.
“Tobias was a fool, easy to manipulate and even easier to bespell.” She threw her heavy mane of jet black hair over her shoulder.
“But I am none of those things.” Kronos gave her his own evil smile. “Atlantis is mine, and it will never be yours.”
“You are a fool as much as Tobias was. The city’s hardwired to accept a Dendali. The girl will never need you to give her control of it. She has it now. Once I have dealt with her, Tobias will give me the city.”
“When he finds out you were the reason he brought about his family’s death, he’ll never trust you again. He’ll kill you.”
“Perhaps, but I think not. I am stronger than Tobias, my magic more powerful. He will kneel before me and do exactly as I tell him.”
Valeria outright laughed at this declaration. Tobias would never kneel before this woman. She’d often wondered what drove Tobias to betray his family, and now she knew. Hera had cast a spell on him. She’d used him to help Kronos take control of the city. Her heart twisted for her grandfather. To know he’d been a pawn in a game would kill him. He’d be out for blood, but Valeria wasn’t sure she wanted Tobias anywhere near Hera. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if that spell had lasting effects. Could she still control Tobias even now, all these years later?
Without a clear answer, it would be best to keep the two of them separated.
Kronos was dragged to the front of the dais, where everyone could see him. The chimeras all made a weird chirping sound, something that sent spikes driving through Valeria’s temple. Forced to kneel, he spat at Hera, but she only smiled.
“Hear me now, people of Atlantis. I am Hera, the only Queen of Atlantis you will ever follow from now until eternity. All those who do not follow me shall follow Kronos into the afterlife. It’s an easy choice—life or death.”
She pulled a shining red blade from thin air, and the people below her cowered in fear. The magical blade touched Kronos’s neck, and he hissed. “You will pay for this, Hera. I swear it from this life into the next. You will pay.”
She grinned and brought the heavy blade down, slicing Kronos’s head from his neck in one fell swoop. The head rolled, blood spraying as it landed at the feet of the people below.
Hera stepped forward, facing them all. “Kneel and live, stand and die.”
The quiet in the square was deafening. Slowly, the soldiers fell forward, as they were already kneeling, and the people soon followed.
Atlantis was hers.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
“I am just made of questions right now,” Stephen said as he stepped into the command room of the newly risen Atlantis. “How did you—what are those—we have an army now?”
Since his arrival into the Atlantis that had risen from the depths of the ocean, Stephen had been introduced to wonderous sight after wonderous sight. Things he didn’t understand like Arulian’s magical heritage, screens that showed them views of various parts of the city, and most of all, the events that had pitted them against a new magic wielding enemy and her monstrous creations.
“I wish there was more time to explain.” Valeria’s glance at Stephen said she meant it. “I’m still dealing with the discovery of a sleeping Atlantis and its technology as well. But there’s no time to go over details. I’ve asked you all here because we need to move, and move at once.”
Every head in the command room nodded along with Valeria’s words. From those who had been with her since the beginning, like her first mate Lukas, to the most recent member of her group, the woman named Serath, who spoke for the recently risen part of Atlantis and its inhabitants.
The conference room was one long hall with a giant monitor showing a map of the city on the far wall. A long table stretched down the center with high backed chairs on either side. Stephen sat between Ryder and the changeling, who was in the form of a little boy at the moment.
The changeling had received a few confused looks when he entered the war council in the appearance of a ten-year-old, but he had acted like it was the most normal thing in the world.
“Why is there a child in the room?” Serath turned a raised eyebrow at the changeling’s chosen form. “This is no place for children.”
“But my mommy and daddy said I could come,” the changeling whimpered in his seat. “Please, lady, let me stay.”
“Not everyone gets his brand of jokes,” Valeria said from the head of the table. “He’s a changeling, and—well, it’s a very long story. We need to concentrate on the army bearing down on us right now. Ileana, you know the city the best. How will Hera attack?”
Ileana sat between Tobias and Stephen. Her sharp eyes looked past Valeria and to the map of the city behind her. “Kronos would have been an easier opponent. Hera is more cunning, as we have all seen now. She’ll be patient, she’ll plan, maybe even try laying siege to the newly risen portion of Atlantis.”
“Ileana’s right.” Tobias spoke up for the first time since the war council began. “We must attack where Hera is weak. With Kronos, we could have been on the offensive, but with Hera, we’ll have to be the aggressor to finish this fight.”
Stephen caught the look that passed between Valeria and her grandfather. It was obvious the two had not had a chance to speak yet. The information that came to light when Hera had killed Kronos was circulating like smoke in a boiler room of a flying ship.
The look on Valeria’s face was one he had come to know well over the years. It said there was serious conversation in store for Tobias soon. This just wasn’t the place or time. Speaking later was a sign of maturity. Years ago, Valeria wouldn’t have waited to have the conv
ersation and would have forced the topic there and then.
How much had Valeria changed? How much had she grown? How much had they both grown? And Stephen hated to admit how much had they grown apart, each sharing memories with others and experiences on their own.
“I agree,” Valeria said to Tobias. “I have no desire to turn this into a siege or prolong this engagement in any way. Hera has her magicians, the Atlantian army, Titans, and chimeras at her disposal.”
“Well, when you put it like that, it just makes me want to jump right in.” Stephen couldn’t help himself. “Hera does have all of those things, but you have a city ready to fight for you, including the Merchants and Thieves Guilds, a sleeping Atlantian army—”
Stephen felt Ryder nudge him under the table. She sat to his left, still quiet, but her touch spoke volumes. She was ready to fight. More than that, she felt comfortable enough to encourage Stephen with a touch. Was this really the shifter he had wanted to kill not so long ago?
“And we have a mother freaking Dragon.” Stephen looked at everyone at the table. “We can do this. Tell us where to fight, and we’ll give Hera a war she never imagined.”
“We’re not going anywhere,” Lukas said following Stephen’s words. “Tell us where to go, and we’re with you until the end.”
“Well, maybe not all of us feel that way,” the changeling said in his young, prepuberty voice. “I mean, I like you guys and all, and Valeria, I think you’re great, but I’m not a platinum member of the fan club yet.”
To everyone’s surprise, Valeria actually smiled. “That’s okay. I’m not sure how I feel about you either. What I do know is we need a plan. Time is not on our side.”
“The Titans and chimeras, I’m not too worried about.” Arulian pursed her lips in thought. “These are physically formidable opponents, yes, but the magic wielders will be more of an issue.”
“I agree.” Valeria walked over to the map of the city behind her. “We need to hit Hera, and hit her hard. If we can take away even a facet or two of her force, I believe the Atlantian army she is ruling with intimidation will cross to our side. I’ll be leading the bulk of the Iron Brigade right into the main Titan and chimera force. If we can break them there, I think we have a chance of turning the Atlantian army to our side.”
“You can’t lead them into that,” Tobias said with frustration in his voice. “The fighting will be bloodiest there. I’ll lead them.”
“Real leaders lead from the front,” Valeria said, shaking her head. “I refuse to send soldiers to die for me. I’ll do the killing, and if need be, the dying myself.”
“I’m going with you,” Lukas said without hesitation.
“I’d argue with you if I thought that would change anything,” Valeria said with a smile.
“As am I,” Tobias and Serath both said at once.
Valeria nodded as if she expected the words to come out of both of their mouths.
Stephen was about to volunteer as well, but he knew Hera’s magicians as well as the Atlantian soldiers would have to be kept at bay by someone while Valeria and her force dealt with the Titans and chimeras. Valeria hadn’t overlooked this fact.
“We have a chance here to keep Hera busy while we remove her key pieces from the board.” Valeria now turned her eyes on Stephen, Ryder, the changeling, and Ileana. “Ryder is more than capable of keeping the Atlantian army at bay on her own in her Dragon form, but she’ll need the help of the Thieves Guild, the support the merchants promised, and a captain to lead them.”
Valeria said this last part looking to Stephen. “Will you lead them?”
Stephen slowly nodded. Valeria had her mind already made up when they sat down at the council. She would have Lukas at her side when the final battle took place. Maybe it was best this way. Maybe it was meant to be this way from the beginning.
“I’ve never battled a force of magicians before,” Stephen said, catching Ileana’s eye. “But if anyone can do it, I think a force of thieves and whatever assassins and scoundrels the merchants are digging up is the right unit for the job. We’ll keep them busy.”
“And I’m guessing I’m going to be you while I go with Stephen to throw myself in harm’s way again.” The changeling rolled his boyish eyes. “You want Hera to think it’s you going after her magicians while you take out the real threat.”
“That’s right.” Valeria nodded.
“Can we at least bring that medicine man of yours with us?” The changeling grinned. “I’m going to need a few drinks before walking into a fight with magic wielding psychopaths controlled by an evil overlord.”
“Ya-You can go with you if he chooses,” Valeria said, granting the request without a pause in the conversation. “Let’s get this done.”
Everyone in the room looked at one another with grim eyes and determined hearts. The meeting adjourned with the two parties already beginning to plan with their counterparts how to assemble their units as quickly as possible.
Ryder was refusing a pleading request from the changeling to ride her into battle when Stephen approached Valeria. She was giving instructions to Tobias and Lukas when he walked up.
“Can you give me a moment?” Valeria nodded to Lukas and her grandfather. “I’ll meet you outside the city when you gather the sleeping Atlantian army.”
Tobias nodded and left. Lukas gave Stephen a sideways glance before doing the same.
“So, this is it, huh?” Stephen wished he had something better to say, but at the moment, it was all that came to mind. “This is the end.”
“I needed you to lead the other end of the assault. You’re the only one with military training.” Valeria looked into Stephen’s eyes like she always had, not shying away from the lingering question that still haunted each of them. “This is how it has to be.”
“I’ll buy you all the time I can,” Stephen said, already moving on from personal feelings to the battle. “You’ll be surrounded by people who will have your back and care for you, and you for them. It’s the way it should be.”
“You’ll have the same,” Valeria said, looking over Stephen’s shoulder.
Stephen followed her gaze behind him and caught Ryder staring at him for a split second before she turned back to her own conversation with Ileana and the changeling.
“I’ll see you after you take out the Titans and chimeras,” Stephen said, suddenly feeling awkward. “Fight hard.”
Valeria nodded. “I’ll see you then.”
The next moment, they were interrupted as Valeria engaged with conversation with Serath. The woman had come up just as they were finished speaking, one of many questions for Valeria on her lips.
Stephen took this opportunity to head back to Ryder, Ileana, and the changeling as they discussed their own parts they were to play in the coming hours. They quieted as Stephen approached. Ileana looked ready, the changeling like an excited kid, and Ryder with serious determination in her eyes.
“All right,” Stephen said, taking time to address each of them. “Ileana, we’ll need you to place your assets in the city in very specific locations to take out the magicians. Change in his Valeria form and I will lead whatever force the merchants are sending, and Ryder, you get the best job.”
“What’s that?” Ryder asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Intimidation,” Stephen said, smiling. “You’re going to make the Atlantis army pee their pants.”
“Stephen, Ryder…”
They both turned their heads to see Val and Serath motioning them over. It must be urgent. Valeria knew how important it was to get their plans moving and for everyone to get into place.
“What is it?” he asked once they reached the pair.
“Serath has something she thinks might help. Sending humans against non-magic wielders, no matter how stealthy they might be, is risky.”
“We know that. That’s why we went with this ploy. They’ll never suspect it.” What could she have that could help them?
Serath smiled. “Yes, but you
need magic to fight magic. Our own magicians will be helping deal with the chimeras and the Titans, but I have another secret that may aid us.” She turned and looked at Ryder. “More of your kind are here in the city, asleep. Dragons are impervious to magic, and they be able to shield your men while they work by drawing the fire of Hera’s magicians.”
“Dragons?” Ryder’s eyes went wide. “Here?”
“Yes.” Serath smiled. “They’ve been sleeping for nearly five hundred years. We do not know how to wake them or even if it would be too dangerous, but I’m sure one of their own might be able to do it safely.”
Ryder exhaled, her eyes unfocused. “There is a tale among my people of a great king who slumbered beneath a sleeping city. He grew dissatisfied with his own kind and went into hibernation until such a time he was needed, or the world changed enough to pull him from his eternal rest.”
“I don’t know about the king part, but I do know there are three dragons beneath us. We’ve often feared they’ll awaken and destroy us because they would have been as trapped as we were.”
“Dragons are not to be feared unless you encroach upon our territory.”
“Things are happening quickly. Do we even have the time to wake them?” As much as Stephen would like the extra help, waking Dragons and convincing them to help didn’t sound like something that could be done on the fly.
“I think we need to make the time.” Valeria bit her lip, thinking. “Even I have reservations about sending you and the thieves into that mess with no magical backup. I think having four dragons instead of one will help you win the day.”