by Katrina Ryan
“I believe what we just saw was an echo of the storm that destroyed Atlantis long ago,” Athelea said. “It wasn’t real, and it didn’t cause any damage.”
Victoria breathed a sigh of relief. “Where’s Sarah?” she croaked, asking the next question that had come to mind. She needed so many answers. “Please help me find her.”
“I’m sorry,” Athelea said, “but who is Sarah?”
“My friend, Sarah,” Victoria repeated. Every syllable hurt. “Ruby hair, pale skin, almost my height, and my age. She was here with me earlier, but we got separated.”
Athelea’s silver eyes widened in alarm. “You brought someone with you?”
That was exactly what Victoria had been trying to say. She told Athelea an edited version of her story, starting with her dream about the destruction of Atlantis and ending with the echo of the wave. She decided not to mention Gryffin until she’d determined what Athelea knew about him. Athelea listened without asking any questions, and Victoria slowly felt suspicion replace her frustration. Nobody else had believed her so readily this past week. There was no reason that a perfect stranger should be the exception.
“And now I can’t find her,” she concluded, her voice breaking.
Athelea frowned. “I haven’t seen her yet, but I will find her. Atlantis has always been full of both mysteries and miracles. Don’t lose faith.”
“What about Caelan?” Victoria asked. “Can we do anything about him?”
“Possibly,” Athelea said. Victoria could tell she was uncomfortable with being uncertain. “It doesn’t all make sense to me yet. It would help if I knew exactly what he is.”
What he is. Victoria shuddered, unsure if Athelea was implying that he wasn’t human. A week ago, she would have dismissed the thought instantly, but it wouldn’t surprise her now if more legends were real than she’d thought. “What do you mean?”
Athelea frowned at her hands, seeming reluctant to meet Victoria’s eye. “In Atlantis, there were ancient prophecies about a woman who would destroy us. Nobody ever believed that one person could do what armies couldn’t, but Atlantis has never been weaker than it is now.”
Victoria knew without any doubt that the prophecy was referring to Caelan. She was about to say that the prophecy had been wrong, that the destroyer was a man, but Athelea held up a hand to silence her. “I do not believe for a second that you are that person.”
Victoria snapped her mouth shut. Until she’d met Caelan, she hadn’t considered that anyone would doubt her intentions in Atlantis. She’d been so convinced from her previous visits that Atlantis was deserted that she hadn’t been prepared to meet people, and certainly hadn’t considered she might be intruding.
“I’m sorry,” Athelea continued, punctuating the prolonged silence. “This information must be terribly overwhelming.”
Victoria shook her head. “It doesn’t change anything, really. I’d rather know the truth than be unprepared.”
Athelea raised an eyebrow, but Victoria maintained her stance. Ignorance wouldn’t protect her the next time Caelan found her. “I’d genuinely rather know. Please tell me everything, Athelea.”
“It could be many years before you see Caelan again, or it could be days. I will try my best to protect you for as long as you’re in Atlantis,” Athelea said.
“He’s already gotten to everybody else, hasn’t he?” Victoria whispered. Athelea’s promise didn’t make a difference. “That’s why they’re all gone. Except for you.”
“I regained consciousness as the storm faded. The Atlanteans have been gone since the moment the real waves struck, long before Caelan ever thought of us,” Athelea said. Victoria couldn’t hear untruth in her words. “To my knowledge, he has not destroyed the Atlanteans or harmed Atlantis in any way.”
She’s got no idea Gryffin is alive, Victoria realized. “Has anybody ever found Atlantis?”
“Never. I suspect any protection around Atlantis fell when you arrived, which is why Sarah was able to enter with you.”
Victoria felt a twinge of guilt. “Could anybody find Atlantis now if they make the journey?” Victoria asked, thinking of Gryffin again. He’s her son, she reminded herself, but she still wasn’t going to mention him until she knew Athelea better. She deserves to know eventually, but a few more days won’t make a difference after all these years. “Couldn’t you restore the protection around Atlantis?”
Athelea paused. Victoria guessed the process was complicated, and unless they knew exactly where Caelan was, there was a risk of sealing him inside. Athelea suddenly looked years older and more weary than she had moments before, and Victoria sensed she’d spent many years with preoccupations.
“How do I know you’re not with Caelan?” Victoria asked, remembering suddenly. Her suspicion flared. “He said he wasn’t alone. It seems terribly coincidental that you’ve shown up in Atlantis after I’ve escaped from him.”
“You don’t believe we are the same person?” Athelea said. The surprise and offense in her voice seemed genuine, but Victoria didn’t respond. She hadn’t suggested anything along those lines, but it was interesting that Athelea had offered it herself, without prompt. Victoria bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say next. Trusting Athelea seemed so instinctual, but she couldn’t shake her suspicion that Athelea was hiding something from her.
“I’ve been here for what feels like centuries,” Athelea said, seeming to sense her hesitation, “and I haven’t seen a single soul since the Destruction. Caelan’s interest in Atlantis is news to me, though I realize I have no way of proving this to you. You must simply believe me on my word that I knew nothing about him until today.”
Victoria said nothing.
“Let’s walk,” Athelea suggested. She offered her hand, and Victoria caught a glimpse of the Sentence on her wrist. “I will show you what’s left of Atlantis, teach you our history, and we can talk more. If I must earn your trust slowly, I will.”
Victoria hesitated before letting Athelea help her up. The royal’s palm was not rough from manual work but not perfectly smooth, either. Something bright flashed at Athelea’s hip, and Victoria imagined for a second that it was a sword. Why does she need that? She wondered with another wave of suspicion. Despite Athelea seeming honest enough, reminded herself that this was Atlantis. Nothing was what it seemed.
“The Eternal Forest was always my favorite place in Atlantis,” Athelea said as they left the meadow. If she sensed Victoria was nervous, she didn’t show it. “The trees had leaves like diamonds, and the whole Forest would glow with the most amazing light. I would come here whenever I needed a quiet place to relax or think.”
Victoria remembered this from her dream, but she didn’t know how to reply. Until now, she’d only been reasonably confident that the events from that dream had happened how she’d seen them. Seeing this woman in the Eternal Forest confirmed it all. “That sounds beautiful,” she said simply.
Athelea offered a smile. “I come here often to reflect on how Atlantis used to be.” There was sadness in her words, and Victoria sensed Athelea would be the last person in the world to help Caelan destroy Atlantis. This is her home, Victoria realized. She’s trying to protect what’s left of it. She instantly felt guilty for distrusting Athelea, but there was just so much she didn’t understand.
After a minute of walking in silence, they reached the edge of the forest, and Athelea cast a final glance at the trees before stepping on to the main path that Victoria now knew ran around the island. “Please don’t take this the wrong way,” Victoria said, “but why are you still here, when everybody else is gone?”
“I’m the exception, for a reason only the stars know. I’ve spent years seeking a way to bring the Atlanteans back,” Athelea replied. The pressure of this task was apparent in her melodic voice. “But I believe the stars have kept me here because I was supposed to witness your return and guide you to success where I have failed.”
Victoria sensed Athelea had been working up to this moment sin
ce the start of the conversation. “Please explain.”
“I’ve researched every prophecy Atlanteans have ever made about the Destruction. The only one that was correct was never completed, but it did say that an Atlantean would return to restore the empire.”
“You’re wrong,” Victoria said. “I’m not Atlantean.”
They were in the heart of the city now. Athelea stopped at the top step leading down to the Plaza and gently took a hold of Victoria’s wrists. She adjusted the dirty pink ribbon, revealing the black words beneath. “Only an Atlantean can wear the Sentence,” she said. She met Victoria’s gaze steadily, then looked at the cloth Victoria had tied around her injured palm. “You’re hurt.”
Victoria hesitated, embarrassed to tell the story to a stranger. “On the other island, I found an underground room and fell on some glass in the dark. I cleaned it and made a bandage.”
“It would only take me a second to heal it,” Athelea offered. “You should sit down, so you don’t faint. I’m not sure how your body will respond to this treatment.”
Victoria still didn’t trust Athelea entirely, but she knew it would be dangerous to leave her wound unattended any longer. The cuts didn’t look infected when Athelea unwrapped the cloth, but Victoria sat down, accepting help. A second later, she felt a gentle heat radiate along her palm, and when she blinked, the cuts were disappearing. She looked at Athelea in surprise, and when she looked down again, the wound had healed completely.
“Stand up and test it. Is that any better?”
Victoria obeyed. Even though her hand hadn’t been hurting before, it seemed perfectly fine now, and she couldn’t help but think that magic was responsible. “It disappeared.”
Athelea paused, then muttered an oath and produced two shimmering objects from within her dress. “Take this,” she hissed, shoving a heavy object Victoria’s hands. After a second, Victoria realized it was a diamond dagger, glittering in the afternoon sun. Athelea held the longer sword that Victoria had seen earlier, which now seemed perfectly capable of slaying. Victoria immediately thought of a medieval dragon.
“What’s going on?” Victoria asked, her hands shaking. She tried to keep the panic out of her voice, but she knew she wasn’t fooling Athelea. She'd been right about the sword. “Is this another echo?”
Athelea shook her head, scanning the horizon with her piercing silver eyes. “Something very dangerous is out there, but I don’t yet know what.”
“Since I’m a trained warrior,” Victoria murmured.
Athelea laughed without breaking her stare. “I am. Use the sharp end of the dagger when you fight. If you trust me and do exactly as I say, we will be fine.”
Victoria clenched the dagger, expecting to see a massive pair of wings on the horizon, but nothing happened. The ocean was visible from the Plaza, and it reassured her slightly that another wave, real or echo, wasn’t approaching. Athelea remained tense and observant, radiating calmness and confidence that Victoria wished she could absorb.
And then, Victoria felt the stone beneath her feet begin to shake.
Athelea muttered something under her breath that Victoria could tell wasn’t polite. “It seems Caelan has sent us an earthquake.”
Victoria heard her dagger clatter onto the steps of the Plaza, safely missing her feet as she dropped it. She didn’t see any point in retrieving it. “An earthquake? Honestly,” she gasped, not sure how anybody could control the ground. “I’d rather face a dragon.”
“Oh, Victoria.” Amusement flashed across Athelea’s face. “Dragons only exist in legends.”
Victoria laughed, surprising herself. “So did Atlantis, until this week,” she said. She had no idea how they could be joking at a time like this. “What are we supposed to do now?”
“We’re going to fight it. Focus. Find your quintessence and bring it forward.”
“My what?”
Athelea took a fast breath. “I don’t know what you would call your essence, perhaps your energy? The Atlantean word for that is quintessence.”
Victoria nodded.
“Perfect,” Athelea continued calmly. The ground shook so violently that they both took a step back for balance. “Close your eyes and feel for that energy. When you find it, push it out of your body against the earthquake. You’ll probably going to fall, but I’ll catch you, and everything will be fine. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Victoria closed her eyes and began to search for her mysterious quintessence. The earth groaned and rolled beneath her feet, and for a second, she couldn’t even feel her own breathing. She could hear stones crashing in the distance as ancient buildings began to lose their integrity. This is no way to fight an earthquake, she thought. But when she finally found her pulse, everything outside her body suddenly became unimportant.
She understood exactly what Athelea meant. Deep within her, at a level she couldn’t quite define, was a shimmering mass of sparkles. She tugged at it gently with her mind and found that it followed her command, flowing effortlessly to her fingers. She pushed it out so it collided with the earth. The energy met resistance, but the violent tremors softened every time Victoria pushed her quintessence against them.
When only one sparkle of energy remained within herself, Victoria stopped pushing. The earthquake had ended. She exhaled, losing consciousness, and gentle arms cushioned her fall towards the unmoving earth of the Plaza.
Chapter Fourteen
AFTERSHOCK
“Victoria, you won’t believe the history this place has,” a familiar voice enthused, gently breaking into Victoria’s consciousness. “It’s really incredible. I hope you feel better soon and can see everything.”
Victoria just wanted to sleep. She felt exhausted, and it took her a few seconds to remember why. Earthquake. The memory of falling stones and shaking ground felt distant, like days had passed since then, and even now, it seemed to be slipping further away. And then, she realized who had spoken and opened her eyes.
Sarah.
A figure with familiar ruby hair was sitting next to her on the bed. Her bright emerald eyes were glittering, and a beaming smile lit her face. Victoria sat up, and Sarah threw her arms around her in a massive hug. Victoria felt her fill with tears. Blinking them away, she realized she and Sarah were in the Plaza. She was laying on the bedding that had been in their tent a few days before. Athelea was watching from a few paces away with a smile.
“Thank you,” Victoria mouthed to Athelea over Sarah’s shoulder. Nothing could express the gratitude she felt to see Sarah alive and well. Athelea smiled in acknowledgment.
“This place is amazing, Victoria,” Sarah said when she pulled away from the hug, practically bouncing on the bed. “Athelea’s already showed me a bit of the city and palace, but we were waiting for you to recover before we did the whole tour.”
Atlantis doesn’t have a palace, Victoria thought, looking to Athelea for answers, unless Sarah means the castle. Even if there had been a palace, it would be amazing if Atlantis was still intact after that earthquake. The Plaza didn’t seem to have sustained any damage, but it was only a small part of the city. “How long have I been sleeping?” she asked as Athelea approached.
“Just for the afternoon,” Athelea said. “You lost a lot of energy fighting the earthquake, but that’s to be expected. How do you feel?”
Victoria stretched. Her entire body was sore, but she had a feeling Atlantis was in worse condition. “I’ll be fine tomorrow,” she said. “How bad is the damage?”
Athelea took a deep breath that seemed ominous to Victoria. “There’s no significant damage,” she said, keeping her voice steady. Victoria braced herself for bad news. “But it could take quite a while to repair everything.”
“The whole island?”
“Fortunately not. The earthquake shook a few buildings in the city badly, but Mount Theus seems to have absorbed most of the shock. There is no damage to the Isle of the Gods.”
“The Isle of the Gods?” Victoria asked.
Victoria gave up pursuing an explanation. If Athelea wasn’t worried, it couldn’t be that bad. There was still so much she needed to know about Atlantis, and she had no idea where to start.
“Would you like a tour of Atlantis?” Athelea asked, seeming to read her thoughts. “Sarah and I thought you would want to explore, so we were waiting for you to wake up. Do you feel strong enough for that?”
Victoria nodded, thankful that the others had waited for her. “We could probably clean up the streets a bit along the way.”
“That’s a wonderful idea,” Athelea said. She held out her hand, revealing the Sentence on her wrist again, and helped Victoria to her feet. Sarah flashed Victoria a reassuring smile. “To begin, this courtyard is the Plaza. Our first king, King Atlas, built it from the ancient castle grounds during his reign, along with the Grand Library, which I believe you’ve both seen, and the Reflector, which I’ll show you later. Follow me.”
Victoria and Sarah followed Athelea out of the Plaza. Although Victoria had expected to find heaps of debris on the streets after the earthquake, she was pleased to see that the buildings were still mostly intact. Only a few chunks of stone had fallen to the ground, leaving gaps and cracks where they’d once been. My quintessence must have helped, she thought with a sense of relief. Athelea stopped in a wide street of uniform buildings, four stories tall and made of the dark silver stone that was everywhere in Atlantis. Victoria guessed this area had once been part of the shopping district.
“Is it safe to be here?” Victoria asked Athelea. “Are the buildings unstable now?”
Athelea surveyed the nearest wall. To Victoria, the building appeared to be a basic building, but she suspected Athelea saw much more. “They should be perfectly safe,” Athelea said after a second. She picked up a stone fragment from the ground and held it up. In the light, it seemed to have a pearlescent glow, though Victoria wasn’t sure if she was just imagining it. “This is Atlan stone. It comes from mountains in the outer Atlantean islands, and since it is remarkably versatile, masons have used it in nearly every building in Atlantis. It is the strongest material in the world when cut correctly, but it also requires dexterity to be most effective.”