The Last Atlanteans

by Katrina Ryan

  THE LAST ATLANTEANS

  by Katrina Ryan

  © 2018 Katrina Ryan

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner, except for the use of quotations in a book review.

  First paperback and ebook editions published August 2018.

  Book design by Katrina Ryan.

  Cover art by kellepics (Pixabay).

  ISBN: 9781521345252 (paperback)

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Twitter: @LastAtlanteans

  Facebook: /TheLastAtlanteans

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  to all my friends

  PROLOGUE

  Atlantis was the most dangerous civilization the world would ever see.

  In the beginning, after the gods left, generations of Atlanteans prospered under the reign of King Atlas. He celebrated education, fair laws, and righteousness. The Atlanteans did not tolerate violence or inequality. The paradise endured for a thousand years after Atlas's death, until vanity and a thirst for power corrupted royal blood. Princes killed princes, and the Atlanteans were cursed for generations. Elite Atlanteans faced no punishment when they abused their powers, and common Atlanteans were too indifferent and too complacent to demand justice.

  In the end, on the evening before the gods destroyed Atlantis, the sweet scent of tropical flowers and fruits lingered in the humid air, as it had every night for thousands of years. At sunset, a fleet of ships appeared on the horizon, and Atlanteans flooded the streets. The military had returned at last, victorious from a war that had ruined generations. Fireworks illuminated the night, music filled the streets, and the most expensive wines flowed. Most Atlanteans believed that a new era had finally begun.

  Only a small group of scholars realized Atlantis was facing its destruction. They begged their neighbors, families, and friends to evacuate, and some Atlanteans listened. But when the sun rose again, nobody who remained on the islands was worried that this day would be their last.

  That morning passed in a hungover silence as the night's rain grew heavier. A sense of restlessness replaced the euphoria of the previous night, and even the most reluctant Atlanteans had to admit that something felt wrong. In the afternoon, strong winds howled through city as the canals began to flood the streets. The water rose at an alarming rate. The Atlanteans stayed in their homes, watching their neighbors for a signal to return to their celebrations and praying that the storm wouldn’t damage their homes.

  At one of the military towers on the great Mount Theus, a young Atlantean Guard was watching over the city. Hungover and tense, he had the same sensation of impatience that often overcame him before battle. He could sense the lethargy of the city and tried to remember if he had ever seen the streets so quiet. Even the ocean was an unremarkable shade of gray, growing more violent as the day progressed. More ships filled the harbor than he had seen in years, now swaying in the gales and waves. Another Guard had tied the masts away for the storm, and the ships were unprepared to go anywhere, especially now the war was over.

  The Guard stared at the black words that had been on his wrist since birth. Just as he thought he would have nothing to report at the end of his shift, the stone watchtower trembled under his feet. Earthquake, he thought, bracing himself from falling on his sleeping companion. But as the tremors intensified, he looked to the horizon. There, barely distinguishable through the rain, was the unmistakable cause of the disturbance.

  Enormous waves were approaching Atlantis.

  Swearing, he shook the other Guard on duty. The waves were approaching Atlantis with speed that his hangover could not comprehend. The men lit their beacons, issuing a preliminary warning to the island, before they rang the emergency bells. Atlanteans flooded the saturated city streets, rushing to the shelters, as the bells drowned their cries of terror.

  At the same time, the princess of Atlantis raced through the Eternal Forest at the base of Mount Theus. This had always been one of her favorite places on the main island because other Atlanteans rarely came here, and today had been no exception. She loved how the trees here had leaves like glass, so translucent that they reflected rainbows of light like diamonds, but she didn't have time to admire the forest now. She sprinted along a crude, dirt path, feeling like she had been drugged. Her black dress clung unhelpfully to her slender body, and her infant child slept peacefully in her arms.

  “We're almost at the shelter,” the princess breathed, though she wasn't sure who she was reassuring. She was sure the Guards had sounded the alarm because of the storm, but it was impossible to tell. “It'll be okay.”

  In her heart, she knew Atlantis was bound for destruction. The bells pounding in the distance confirmed her deepest fear that the prophecies had been right.

  Her muddy path finally broke through the forest and became paved with ancient, translucent stone. In the corner of her vision, she noticed that the beautiful beach was deserted, apart from the shipwreck that had been there for generations. She had never seen such large waves, and they would reach her home, the Isle of the Gods, in minutes. Feeling sick at the thought, she ran even faster, determined to save her baby.

  She was nearly at the ancient castle at the middle of the island when her vision seemed to dim. Affording one glance behind her, she found that the fault was not in her own eyes. Dark storm clouds had eclipsed the sun, and a second later, she heard a terrible roar as waves battered her home island. She blinked back tears and continued to race to the castle, wondering seriously now if someone had drugged her the previous night. Her memories of the celebrations were even more blurred than her vision. She couldn't remember the castle ever feeling so far away, or her body ever seeming so helpless.

  But there would be no hope for Atlantis if she couldn't save her baby. As she climbed the final steps to her castle, she could see the shelter through the open doors leading to the Keep, but she knew she would never reach it. Her weakness was overpowering her. She collapsed paces away from the shelter doors. Fading out of consciousness, she felt a tiny palm caress her face, and she embraced her fate with the last of her strength. She closed her eyes, kissed her baby one last time, and whispered three words. As the infant's crying silenced and the wave loomed overhead, she had never felt more alone.

  Someone, she prayed, please save Atlantis.

  Chapter One

  BURNED

  Save Atlantis.

  Victoria felt her heart race as she read the text message from an unknown sender. It was the omen she’d been waiting for all morning. Her nightmare had unsettled her so badly that she’d checked news for natural disasters every hour since waking up, despite her best effort to stay offline. She just couldn't forget those final moments of fear as the catastrophic storm destroyed the most beautiful place she'd ever seen.

  Stop worrying, she scolded herself, shoving her phone onto a box of wine glasses on her kitchen counter. Someone sent the message to the wrong number, and the place from your dream isn't even real.

  The reality was that she had a serious amount of work to do. Today was the day that her aunt and uncle had agreed to let her move into their guest house. She’d already moved boxes of clothes and books over from her childhood bedroom in the main house, but she knew it would take hours to unpack and arrange everything how she wanted. She’d be having a housewarming tomorrow, and her aunt, Andrea, had already taken the liberty of stocking the kitchen with food and wine.

  Bracing to see some natural disaster in the news, she turned on her sitting room TV at noon. N
othing in the headlines caught her attention, but she left it on, hoping she wasn’t tempting fate. While she arranged her kitchen, the BBC channel changed over to a program about some city scientists had recently found underwater.

  You've got to be kidding me, she thought.

  Despite her apprehension, she watched the documentary out of the corner of her eye while she worked through the boxes. She relaxed as she realized the city on TV wasn’t the place she’d seen in her dream. While the program discussed new technology for mapping the seafloor, a knock sounded from the front door. Victoria turned off the TV and ran to answer it, guessing her aunt or uncle was visiting to see her progress.

  But behind the door was a tall, handsome boy who made her heart race. Tom. A halo of blonde hair framed his tanned, smiling face, and Victoria was sure his beautiful silver eyes were sparkling behind his sunglasses. My modern angel, she thought. Even after three years together, she still couldn't believe such a perfect boy could exist. She threw herself into his arms, and his lips found hers before she could say how glad she was to see him. His cologne and the taste of his kiss far surpassed her memories, and the strength of his body made her feel complete.

  “Hello, Stardust,” he murmured into her neck. “I’ve got a charity meeting to go to in an hour, but I wanted to make sure you’re settling in alright. You didn’t answer your phone, but I hope you don’t mind me stopping by.”

  “Not at all,” Victoria said. “It’s still a bit of a mess, but I’ll show you around.”

  She gave a quick tour of her house, made a pot of tea, and snuggled onto one of the sofas in her sitting room with Tom. Aiden and Andrea had always trusted her to be alone with Tom, but she’d never had more privacy with him than now. She knew she had no reason to be nervous, but she glanced at Tom, wondering what he was thinking. He smiled, and a comfortable understanding fill the room.

  “I can’t believe your aunt and uncle have let you have your own house, Dusty,” he said. He’d been in the guest house before, but Victoria could tell he was viewing it now with new appreciation. “You have such an amazing family. What would you like to do this summer, once you’re settled in?”

  Victoria sighed. “I should probably start researching universities,” she admitted. “I’ve suspect Aiden and Andrea want me to start making plans for my future. Letting me have this house is probably only the first step in making me independent.”

  “We can go to university open days together,” Tom suggested. “And why don’t we order two copies of prospectuses so we can read together?”

  “That would be brilliant,” she said. The thought of spending so much of the summer with him, even if it was to research universities, made her heart soar. “The house should be ready in a few days. Just let me know if there’s anywhere you want to book to see before then.”

  “Durham’s got one next week. I can book us in,” he said. Looking into her eyes, he seemed to stare into her soul, understanding her better than she did herself. “Is everything alright, Dusty? You seem a bit quiet today.”

  Victoria shook herself out of her daydreams. She took a deep breath, feeling like she was about to reveal a dark secret, which was ridiculous. It was just a dream, she reminded herself. “Was there ever an island that was destroyed by a wave?”

  Tom laughed, catching her by surprise. “I'm have a feeling lots of places have been destroyed by waves, Dusty. You’re probably thinking of Atlantis, though.”

  Victoria felt a shock hearing the word. Atlantis. The message on her phone couldn’t be a coincidence. The word lingered in the air, electric, and Victoria didn’t know what to do it. She’d found her answer, along with so many more questions.

  “Thanks,” she said. “That must have been the name I couldn’t remember.”

  “No problem,” Tom said. “Just don't go looking for Atlantis. That's a dangerous errand.”

  It took Victoria half a second to realize he was joking. A second later, he looked at his watch. “Sorry for such a short visit, but I need to go to this meeting. Good luck with the rest of your move. Everything looks fantastic so far.”

  “Thank you,” she said, giving him another kiss before they stood up. “See you tomorrow.”

  She watched Tom walk across the garden towards the main house, her happiness fading with every step he took. After everything he’d said, she wanted to prove that the message she’d received this morning wasn’t related to her dream. She brought her iPad to her conservatory, took a deep breath, and fired off a search to see what she could learn about Atlantis.

  Different versions of the myth attributed the destruction of Atlantis to various natural disasters, though most favored a cataclysmic flood or wave. Many of the Atlantis myths said gods had destroyed Atlantis as punishment for its vanity and corruption. Reading this over and over in different articles, Victoria began to feel sick as the truth became unavoidable.

  Atlantis was the place from her dream.

  She’d overlooked the dark undertones of Atlantis in her dream, but it made sense now. She’d been so amazed that such a powerful empire could fall that she hadn’t even considered the obvious. Atlantis had been too arrogant, too corrupt, and probably too drunk to prevent its own destruction.

  If it ever existed, she reminded herself. It reassured her slightly to read that modern historians believed Atlantis was nothing more than a morality tale. Explorers throughout history had claimed to have found the lost empire in every corner of the world, and scientists had scanned the seas, but the best technology throughout the ages had never found anything. To this day, nobody could say exactly where Atlantis might have been. It was the greatest ancient mystery Victoria could imagine, and she understood how easily the hunt could turn into an obsession for anyone.

  You need to stop this, Victoria told herself after an hour of researching. She’d reached a dead end of unanswerable questions. She didn't know how she could dream of Atlantis so vividly when she’d never even heard of the place before today, but she was sure she could research Atlantis for the rest of her life and still never understand why the cryptic message about Atlantis had ended up on her phone the same day as her dream.

  Feeling more confused than when she’d started her research, she returned to her bedroom and put her iPad away. She still had countless boxes to unpack, but her new furniture was already where she wanted in relation to the large windows. Her new bed was so much larger than her old bed, and it was the feature of her room that made her feel most like an adult.

  Leaning against the wall was the enormous mirror her aunt and uncle had always kept in the guesthouse. Victoria had often admired it as a child, and she paused now to look at her reflection with a sense of how much she’d grown up. Her dark hair fell to her waist in gentle waves as ever, but her bright silver eyes, her favorite feature, were darker than usual with stress. She thought it was strange that even without a bit of makeup on, she looked older than she felt today. She smiled at her reflection, and then she noticed that a small, golden ball of light was floating behind her.

  Victoria spun around, hoping the mirror was playing tricks on her. But the ball of light was there, and she sensed it was somehow alive. With her heart racing, Victoria took a few steps towards the door, ready to slam it shut. The orb soared to the mirror, and Victoria felt an unexpected force grab hold of her, trying to make her follow. She resisted, and the orb flared a shade of crimson that spoke of anger and frustration. After a second, Victoria relented and took a few steps forward.

  And with a blinding burst of light, the orb disappeared. Victoria frowned. From where she stood, it looked like the orb had gone into the mirror. Impossible, she thought. She held her breath and waited, ready to dive for cover if the glass shattered, but the mirror stayed upright and still, and the room was silent.

  “Where the hell have you gone?” Victoria whispered, edging towards the mirror. Even if the orb wasn't violent or dangerous, she expected it to burst back into the room any second. She ran her hand along the metal frame, wo
ndering where the orb had gone, and with a few deep breaths, she summoned the courage to touch the glass. Her reflection seemed to ripple, making her doubt her sanity. Then, without any warning, she felt a sharp pain like fire consume her hand, binding her to the mirror. Before she could pull away, her body lurched forward, and her room began to slip out of focus.

  She was falling through the mirror.

  When she opened her eyes, she was standing in the middle of the strangest building she’d ever seen. She turned in a slow circle to take it all in. Thousands of massive square pillars surrounded her, each side of which supported a mirror larger than most doors. Each pillar was linked to its neighbors by towering arches and separated by large walkways, creating the impression of endless space. The layout of the building reminded Victoria of train stations in London, but this place was unnervingly empty. Everywhere she looked, it was only her own reflection that stared back at her, silver eyes bright and alert.

  Where am I? she wondered, feeling uneasy. The orb wasn’t here either. Noticing the glow around the nearest mirror, she held her hand to it, and her fingers slipped through her reflection into what she assumed was her bedroom. I could turn back, she thought, but her curiosity was impossible to ignore.

  Spotting massive gates nearby, she ignored her reflections and began to walk, hoping she could exit that way. She expected the orb or another human appear any second from behind any of the hundreds of pillars, but she reached the gate uneventfully. Pushing it open, she found herself at the top of a set of stone steps leading down to a massive city square. The number of enormous, moonlit buildings around her suggested that she was in the middle of a capital city, and the beautiful mountain visible through the gentle mist of rain confirmed her suspicions that this wasn’t just any city.