The Last Atlanteans

by Katrina Ryan

  Victoria emerged from her covers for air. “I would do anything for him. He is the best person I know, and he completes me and makes me a better person.”

  “Is there any chance that he could be your Forever Love?”

  “He is my soulmate,” Victoria whispered, opening her eyes. “I don’t know how I could love anyone more.”

  Athelea exchanged a glance with Sarah that Victoria couldn’t decipher. Sarah nodded, and Athelea was silent for what felt like an hour before she sat down on Victoria’s bed.

  “I’m sorry, Victoria. Being away from your Forever Love is killing you.”

  Victoria and Sarah both stared at Athelea. “What do you mean?” Victoria asked.

  “I should have seen it earlier, in your memories. Tom must be your Forever Love. Being away from him is making you dangerously Lovesick.”

  “It makes sense,” Sarah interjected. “How I’ve seen it, you two have always been so sure of your relationship. You do make each other better people, and you’re never apart from each other for more than a few days.”

  “How can we fix it?” Victoria whispered.

  “I suffered very similar symptoms when Tristan left me. The healers were able to cure me with advanced medical dexes, but those secrets disappeared with them. There is nothing I can do, no dex I can invoke, to help you feel better.

  Silence filled the room. “What does that mean?” Sarah said eventually. Victoria didn’t have the courage to ask the question herself.

  “You must return to England.”

  Victoria felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. “We still haven’t protected Atlantis,” she said.

  “That’s the fever talking,” Sarah said, sitting next to Victoria. “We’ve protected all the buildings, Vic. They’re all secure now.”

  “It’s not good enough,” Victoria said. The others would never understand. “Caelan can still get in.”

  “But he cannot do any harm,” Athelea said.

  Victoria would have argued, but a thought suddenly occurred to her. “Is Tom okay?”

  “If you are Forever Loves, he will feel the effects of separation eventually. Being out of Atlantis will probably make it easier. What does your intuition say?” Athelea said.

  Victoria closed her eyes and searched her heart for the answer. “I think he’s safe still. He seemed fine when I Watched him the other day, and he’s always been stronger than me.”

  “You must still return to England,” Athelea said. “Your symptoms should improve as you get closer to Tom. When you are reunited with him, you will have returned to normal. The journey will not be easy, but you will have Sarah with you to help.”

  “My Sentence faded a bit last night,” Victoria said, suddenly remembering. “Does that mean anything?”

  Athelea and Sarah looked at their wrists simultaneously, and Athelea gasped. This news seemed to be even more important news to her than Lovesickness. Her eyes flooded with tears, which Victoria didn’t know how to interpret.

  “My Sentence is lighter, too. You’ve changed the curse,” Athelea whispered. “How did you do it?”

  “My Sentence is completely gone,” Sarah said. Everyone turned to look at her, then back to Victoria.

  “It probably went when mine did,” Victoria said. “Athelea, I put the orb into the ground at the foot of the throne, and then I felt a flash of heat through my wrist when I sat down.”

  “Do you feel well enough to show me exactly where you put the orb?” Athelea asked.

  Victoria nodded. “If you think it’s important.”

  “I can pack,” Sarah offered. “We should leave as soon as possible.”

  “That would be helpful,” Athelea said. “If I don’t see you before you leave, Sarah, I want to say that you can keep your drawings of Atlantis. I trust they mean a great deal to you, and that you will continue keep Atlantis an absolute secret even though you have the proof.”

  “I will,” Sarah said, leaning in to hug Athelea. “Thank you so much. It’s been lovely getting to know you.”

  With that, they parted. Athelea helped Victoria walk to the city, taking the shortcut through the Eternal Forest. In the meadow where she’d first met Athelea, Victoria began to feel faint. “I need to sit down,” she said. Athelea guided her to the stone bench without any question, and Victoria reclined. The meadow faded in and out of focus until she managed to take a few deep breaths. Athelea sighed next to her, obviously worried.

  “Victoria, would you promise me something?” she said. “Whatever happens when you return to England, you must never speak of Atlantis to anybody, unless you trust that person with your life,” Athelea said. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I do,” Victoria replied, remembering how difficult it had been to convince Sarah that Atlantis was real. She had a feeling that Tom and Nick probably would believe her more readily, but she wasn’t in any hurry to test her suspicions. “I’ve only ever told Sarah. There’s only a few people who would believe me, anyway.”

  “Never underestimate the power of friendship,” Athelea reminded her, seeming to read her thoughts. “Keep your friends close, and they will never let you down.”

  Victoria smiled at the flash of maternal advice. “I always have. They mean the world to me.”

  “I’m glad,” Athelea said. Victoria had a feeling she was working through topics to discuss before they parted, making up for the time they’d never spent together. “If you want me to, I can bring a boat to Shipwreck Beach while you get Sarah, if you’re feeling well enough. I will put a dex on it to calm the nearby waters like your boat before, but it will probably drain some of your energy, so remember to rest occasionally.”

  “I can get Sarah,” Victoria said.

  “The boat will know exactly where to bring you,” Athelea continued. “You should probably leave soon if you want to have a full day of travel today. And help yourself to food from the palace. You haven’t got a dex to sustain you this journey, and Lovesickness won’t help your strength.”

  “That would be really helpful,” Victoria said. She wondered if the orb would return to make another portal, but if it didn’t, the boat would still have saved them from swimming. Otherwise I would die of Lovesickness here. “Thank you again, for everything, Athelea. We couldn’t have survived here without you.”

  “It’s the least I can do,” Athelea said, standing up finally. “Thank you for everything you have done.”

  Victoria tried to convince herself that she was only imagining the sadness she heard in those words. She felt guilty for leaving Athelea behind in such an empty, quiet land, but even stronger frustration that Athelea seemed to be content with this. Even the hope that the Atlanteans would return someday wasn’t a good enough excuse.

  “Come with us,” Victoria said. “Live in England with me and Aiden and Andrea. You would love it.”

  Athelea shook her head. “It is my responsibility to watch over Atlantis while it is defenseless. I belong here as its guardian, and you must follow your own destiny. You must have the life you deserve, a freedom I could never have myself.”

  Victoria her heart breaking, but the tears in Athelea’s eyes prevented her from arguing. Nothing in the world, not even the pain of losing her daughter again, could make her leave Atlantis.

  When Victoria regained enough strength to walk, she and Athelea finished the journey to the Castle. Victoria showed Athelea where she’d put the orb into the stone, then sat on the old throne while Athelea silently examined the surrounding stones. Victoria couldn’t see anything unusual about the Keep in the light of day, and she wondered where the orb was now.

  “What exactly is the orb?” she asked.

  Athelea shook her head. “Ever since you first told me about the orb, I always thought it sounded like one of the gifts that King Atlas received from the gods. Legend says it was what granted Atlantean dexterity, though some scholars say it is the soul of Atlantis. Until now, I had thought both theories are myths, but I don’t know what to believe.”r />
  “It felt powerful,” Victoria said. Neither of Athelea’s theories seemed likely to her, but she couldn’t believe that the orb was simply a ball of light. “It’s guided me so much on my journey here. It seems more probable that it’s the soul of Atlantis, but how can a place have a soul?”

  “The gods lived here once,” Athelea said. “Anything is possible. Regardless, I should bring the orb to the palace. I can guard it there.”

  Victoria nodded weakly, thankful that Athelea wanted to take responsibility. Athelea invoked a dex to lift the stone out of the ground and used her other arm to support Victoria. Passing through the heart of the city, Victoria took the opportunity to soak up her surroundings one last time. She tried to memorize the way each building looked, the way the cobbled street felt under her feet, and the silence and emptiness that filled the air. There was still so much she could have learned, so many secrets in Atlantis that she hadn’t discovered, and her memories would never be enough.

  In the Plaza, she automatically glanced at the Reflector. Her journey with Atlantis has started here, and she’d never imagined she’d never see it again. An inexplicable energy surged through her without warning as she neared the front door.

  “Wait,” she begged Athelea. Even without seeing it, she knew something was happening to the Broken Portal. She ran the rest of the distance, knowing it could only be good news, but nothing could have prepared her for what she found inside. The Broken Portal was emitting a faint white halo that made all the other mirrors in the Reflector seem dull. Athelea gasped next to her, her eyes full of the awe and curiosity Victoria felt.

  “What’s going on?” Victoria whispered. She ran her hands gently along the top of the frame and watched in fascination as her fingers left a glowing imprint. “It’s warm,” she noted.

  Before Athelea could answer, a blinding light burst from the stone. A sparkling vapor began to cascade down the mirror, making her reflection ripple surreally. Whatever it was, the vapor didn’t look or feel dangerous. After a moment of deliberation, Victoria lowered her hand to touch the glass. She couldn’t feel the vapor, but she could see it flowing across her fingers, trickling over her palm and her Sentence.

  And the next second, the vapor disappeared, like her skin had absorbed it.

  “Don’t move, Victoria,” Athelea instructed. “Are you okay?”

  A sweet fragrance of flowers and spices suddenly struck Victoria and rendered her speechless. The scent bore traces of the past, reminders of the present, and promises of the future. Victoria could feel the failures, triumphs, and secrets of Atlanteans surround her, and she could feel Atlantis become a part of her more than it already was. She swayed for a second but stayed on her feet with Athelea’s support.

  “Are you okay?” Athelea asked repeated. She seemed completely unaffected by whatever the Broken Portal was emitting.

  “I think so,” Victoria said. She stared at the mirror, perplexed. There didn’t seem to be anything dangerous hidden behind the seductive, luxurious scent. She ran her finger through the vapor again, even more cautious and intrigued this time, and attempted to touch the mirror. Her fingers tingled for a second before her palm went numb, warning her to move away, but she couldn’t. When the mysterious force of the portal finally released her, the senses returned to her hand, and the fog around her consciousness lifted. Fascinated, she watched the vapor shimmer on her skin before it disappeared, leaving her hands completely dry.

  “Athelea,” she demanded, “what’s happening?”

  Athelea lifted her hand to the waterfall. From what Victoria could see, the vapor simply ran over her skin. “It has probably gone into to your bloodstream,” Athelea said. Victoria didn’t understand how she could announce that so calmly. “But it won’t harm you. You sensed that there wasn’t anything dangerous in it, and there isn’t. I don’t understand why my own skin hasn’t absorbed it, though.”

  Victoria looked closer at her hand, appraising it for damage. The idea of having anything foreign in her blood was unappealing, but at least Athelea wasn’t worried. “What is it?”

  “I may be completely wrong, but I believe this may be the foundation for a portal.”

  Even with a fever, Victoria could comprehend what this meant. “A portal for travel in Atlantis?”

  “Exactly.”

  Victoria felt her heart race, imagining the possibilities. This was the second sign of real progress she’d seen in Atlantis since she’d arrived here, if not the first real change to happen since the Destruction. She wished Athelea would let excitement overcome her maternal worry. “Have you got any idea where this one goes?”

  “Unfortunately not. The other side doesn’t appear to have formed yet. It could be anywhere in Atlantis, and it could take years.”

  Victoria stared at the portal in wonder. Atlantis was healing. The process was bound to be slow, but this portal had to be a sign that Atlantis was finally healing. She simultaneously felt more and less guilty about leaving, knowing that Atlantis would be okay, though she was bitterly disappointed that she would miss all the amazing changes that were sure to come. “Could you keep an eye on this for me?” she asked. “Just in case it leads outside of Atlantis.”

  “Of course.” After a few minutes, they set off. Fifteen minutes later, they reached the palace gates. Victoria stopped for a moment, shivering although the morning was already warm. She suspected it was a combination of her fever and her growing apprehension at the journey ahead.

  “If you can manage to get Sarah, I’ll prepare the boat for you,” Athelea said as she unlocked the gate. “It will be waiting for you at Shipwreck Beach when you get there.”

  Victoria nodded, her throat suddenly tight. She was struck with the impression that this was their last goodbye, and she had to take her chance. “Thank you for everything, Athelea. This has been the most amazing experience. I’ll really miss you and Atlantis.”

  “You deserve the thanks, Victoria,” Athelea said. “You have been so brave and done so much for Atlantis. I will keep searching for the Atlanteans, and if they ever return, I will find a way to let you know.”

  “Stay safe until then,” Victoria choked out. “Please take care of yourself, and don’t fight Caelan if you ever see him.”

  “I will stay safe, and you, too. You have a wonderful future ahead of you.”

  Victoria realized neither of them were going to say the word, but a second later, she found herself in Athelea’s arms. Their unspoken goodbye lingered in their embrace, and after a long second, they parted. With a final smile, Athelea turned around, and Victoria turned to the palace.

  You got what you want, Caelan, Victoria thought, her heart breaking. I’m leaving everything behind, including the most amazing mother anyone could ask for.

  And a tear slid down her cheek.

  Returning to her bedroom, she found that Sarah had made their beds and collected their belongings in a small pile in the middle of the room. Victoria used a dex to transform her cloak into another bag and turned her attention to packing.

  “Goodbyes are horrible,” Sarah said.

  Victoria nodded and put away Sarah’s notebooks and the clothes they’d brought to Atlantis. Apart from a few dresses Athelea had made, there was so little they would be taking back. She added all the food from the table, knowing they would need it for the journey ahead since they no longer had a dex to help them.

  “I’m going to miss this place, too, you know,” Sarah said softly. “But at least we have the memories to take back. They’re not going anywhere, are they?”

  But what does Athelea have? Victoria wondered. After all these years, Athelea still no proof that she’d finally met her only daughter. Victoria knew nothing could make up for the lost years and memories, but she wanted to give something. When Sarah wasn’t looking, she reached into her bag for the tatty pink ribbon that had been on her wrist for so long after she’d first gotten her Sentence. The words mene mene tekel upharsin still shone brightly on her skin, and she never
wanted to hide them again, no matter what Aiden or Andrea might think.

  And, blinking back tears, she let the ribbon flutter onto the bed. I hope you can forgive me for leaving, someday, Victoria thought. It felt right to leave this reminder of her past behind for Athelea, especially now that she was facing the future, and Athelea would know what it signified. She stood up, knowing she’d done everything she could for Atlantis and would never really feel ready to leave. She could only pray that the Atlanteans would return soon to keep Athelea company.

  She and Sarah left the Isle of the Gods. Victoria felt a nervous flutter in her stomach as they approached Shipwreck Beach. The city was still empty, and she struggled to believe this was the last time she would see it. A wooden boat was on the sand, but Athelea was nowhere in sight. Victoria felt a wave of sadness as the truth hit her. “That was goodbye,” she said. She could feel Atlantis begging her to stay with everything it had, but her raging fever was impossible to ignore.

  “We have to go home.”

  Victoria nodded. She tossed the bag of clothes and sketchbooks to the bottom of the boat, hoping she hadn’t forgotten anything. Looking to the pier, she shuddered as she saw that the ship in which Caelan had imprisoned her was there, reminding her that leaving was the right decision. “There's one more thing I'd like to do,” she said to Sarah, suddenly realizing what was preventing her from leaving Atlantis with a clear conscience. “Could you wait here? I'll be back in a sec.”

  Sarah nodded, and Victoria grabbed a spare sheet of paper from the bag and made her way onto the pier. Boarding the ship with black masts, she had no way of telling if Caelan had been here since she’d escaped, but she would have to take the risk. She made her way through the empty cabin and down to the hold, knowing it was the first place Caelan would eventually search for her. When she reached the small closet that had been her prison, she found her pen and paper and scrawled a note that was still perfectly legible in the dim light.

  You will never destroy Atlantis, she wrote. I promise.