A Knight in Atlantis

by Diana Bold

  “Yes, I think we’re nearly ready. Kaylee gave me plenty of antibiotics and also some written instructions on how to use them.”

  “Good. I gathered some food from your kitchen for our trip. I hope that is all right.”

  “Of course,” she assured him. “I hadn’t even thought that far ahead.”

  “Then let us get started.” He cast one last, regretful glance around her apartment, his eyes lingering on her data unit. “Best to be far away before your father wakes.”

  She nodded, trying to ignore the fact that she might never see her apartment again.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  After gathering up all their supplies and packing them securely in the waterproof packs, Sebastian and Rhoswen stole out into the corridor and made their way to the docking bay. Thankfully, no one challenged them. Though he had no doubt he could best anyone they sent against him, he did not want to use violence to make his escape.

  The people of Atlantis already wanted him gone. If he absconded in a stolen submersible with the leader’s daughter, after Oberon had already agreed to grant him safe passage, he would never be welcomed back. Still, he wanted to make things as easy as possible for Rhoswen when she returned with Trevelan.

  When they reached the control room, they found that the technician who had been left in charge for the night was a female. He recognized her as the same one who had been there when they arrived.

  “Hello, Loralei.” Rhoswen gave the girl a cheery wave, which Loralei returned, motioning them forward through the security gate.

  “Hello, Rhoswen.” Loralei turned her attention to Sebastian. She gave him an appraising glance, but seemed unsurprised to see them. “Hello, Sebastian. You’re looking much better than the last time I saw you. I’m glad Kaylee was able to help you.”

  “Thank you,” Sebastian told her, surprised by her friendly demeanor. He dreaded the thought of having to subdue her by force and tie her to the chair. He had never even considered that the guard might be a woman. “She is a miracle worker.”

  “Yes, she is.” Loralei gestured toward the docking bay. “Oberon told me he’d given you permission to leave, but I didn’t expect you until morning. I was also under the impression that he’d be escorting you himself.”

  Sebastian and Rhoswen exchanged a quick, elated glance, and then Rhoswen hurried to capitalize on her friend’s mistake. “There’s been a change of plans. I’ll be taking Sebastian back to the Surface myself. That’s not a problem, is it? You can call my father and clear it with him, if you’d like.”

  Loralei shook her head. “Of course not. I wouldn’t want to wake him up in the middle of the night.”

  “Did he say we were to take The Dolphin or The Whale?” Rhoswen edged toward the door that led to the docking bay, keeping her tone light and conversational.

  “He had us ready The Whale,” Loralei replied. “You should find it fueled and ready to go.”

  “Thank you so much, Loralei. We’ll be on our way, then.”

  “Have a good trip,” Loralei replied. “It was nice to meet you, Sebastian. I wish you could have stayed longer.”

  “So do I,” he replied, amazed that they were having such a stroke of luck. “My dearest thanks for having everything ready.”

  She waved again and pushed the button on the control panel that opened the door to the docking bay.

  “That was easy,” Rhoswen murmured as they pushed through the doors. Over a dozen submersible crafts were lined up in neat rows, but they headed for the largest vessel of all.

  “Too easy,” he told her, and hoped their luck held.

  Moments later, Sebastian settled himself in one of the comfortable passenger seats of Oberon’s private submersible vessel, still awed by the amazing technology of the thing. This craft was far larger and more luxurious than the one he and Rhoswen had arrived in, boasting a comfortable sleeping chamber in addition to the spacious operating cabin.

  He gazed upon the bank of knobs and instruments with fascination, trying to fathom how the thing worked. Rhoswen sat down beside him and flicked the switch that activated the docking bay’s immersion in water. As the sea came flooding in, he found himself gripping the arms of the chair, still a bit confused by how the vessel managed to sustain the crushing weight.

  Giving him an amused look, Rhoswen guided the craft away from Atlantis. “I imagine this mode of transportation can’t be very comfortable for you. You must have many questions.”

  “And I remember how comfortable you were on the back of my destrier,” Sebastian reminded her with a wry smile.

  A small grin tilted Rhoswen’s mouth. “You’re right. It’s all a matter of one’s perspective.”

  “Our worlds are very different,” Sebastian agreed. “But I like to think you and I have a bit in common.”

  “I think we have much in common,” she replied. “And our differences provide something special to our relationship, don’t you think?”

  He gave her a quick glance, wondering what she meant by that. “I hope my backward ways are not the only reason you like me.”

  “You’re not backward,” she chided softly. “And there are a lot of reasons why I like you, so many I couldn’t begin to name them all.”

  Like. God, what he wouldn’t give to hear the word love from her lips. Just once. Desperate to change the subject, he gestured at the amazing craft. “This vessel makes me wonder if it will be possible to someday send a craft into the air, to glide high above the earth from one place to another.”

  She cast him a quick, surprised glance. “I think so. In fact, I know my father would like nothing more than to experiment with a flying craft, but he fears that is not something he could keep secret from those on the Surface for long.”

  He sank back in his chair, imagining a flying machine. Until he had met her, he never would have let his imagination soar so far, but now it seemed that his mind had become something he could not control. The mechanics of how such a thing could be accomplished whirled like a dervish inside of him.

  “Is there anything to write with in this vessel?” he asked, his excitement impossible to contain.

  She waved toward the sleeping chamber. “Try the desk beside my father’s bunk,” she advised. “Why, do you have an idea?”

  “I have a hundred ideas.” He hurried toward the back of the craft and found some thin, crisp white paper and a superior writing instrument. “Tell me everything you know about how this vessel works,” he coaxed, as he sat back down beside her.

  She smiled and shook her head. “To tell you the truth, I don’t really understand it myself. I’ve never been good at engineering. But I think this will help.”

  Sliding her chair toward him, she flipped a section of the vehicle’s dash forward to reveal a data unit. Her fingers moved swiftly over the keys, then she sat back, motioning for him to take her place. “Here are detailed blueprints of The Whale, plus a history of the technology that led up to the design.”

  He gave her a cautious grin and moved in front of the screen, feeling like a child who had just been given a fantastic sweet.

  Rhoswen watched Sebastian pour over the data unit, her emotions swinging wildly between joy, sadness, and a bittersweet poignancy. Again, she was struck by the thought that he had come home, that he belonged in Atlantis, and his time upon the Surface had been a dream.

  He looked so comfortable, bent over the data unit, his brow wrinkled with concentration as he scribbled busily on the piece of notepaper beside him. If her father could see him now, she knew he’d be pleased. Perhaps he’d finally understand why his daughter had defied all the rules for love of him.

  They were much alike, Oberon and Sebastian. In fact, she thought that if they spent any amount of time together as equals, they could achieve remarkable things.

  Suddenly, he glanced up, his cheeks flushed with embarrassed heat. “Sorry. I am not very good company, am I?”

  She waved a dismissive hand. “It’s fine. Take all the time you like. Our trip
will take several more hours, and I enjoy watching you work.”

  He raised a brow. “Is my ineptitude so amusing?”

  “You’re not inept,” she scolded. “You’re brilliant. And I find your total immersion in your subject incredibly attractive. I could watch you forever.”

  He held her gaze for a long moment, then reached over and squeezed her hand. “It means so much to me, to have a chance to study this amazing vessel. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.”

  She held his hand for a long moment, then let him go, turning back to the control panel and setting their course for Wales. “I plan to dock The Whale farther north than I did before. Near where the River Clwyd meets the Irish Sea. That should put us closer to the entrance to the caves.” Pausing, she gave him a cheeky grin. “In the meantime, I expect you to design a flying machine.”

  * * * * *

  Sebastian collapsed upon the rocky Welsh beach, panting heavily. The long swim from The Whale to shore had made his shoulder ache unbearably. In fact, during the last hundred feet, he had wondered if he had the strength to make it. He feared he had torn Kaylee’s careful stitches wide open, losing the precious gift of blood she had given him.

  He turned to see Rhoswen stumble out of the water behind him. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded and sank to her knees at his side, shivering a bit despite her thermal suit. “How are you? Is your shoulder holding up?”

  “It aches,” he admitted. “Can you look and see if the stitches have held?”

  “Of course.” Her trembling hands peeled the stretchy fabric off his shoulder, probing gently.

  He bit back a curse as she touched a particularly tender spot, but her brisk efficiency calmed him. If there were ought to worry about, she would not be poking him so roughly.

  “It looks fine,” she confirmed, moments later. “A little red, but healing well.”

  “That is a relief,” he muttered. “We have enough problems.”

  She brushed a few wet strands of hair from his eyes and then pressed her lips to his brow. “Thank you so much for bringing me with you, Sebastian.”

  He leaned into her kiss, wishing for more time. His eagerness to get back to Hawkesmere and help his people had driven him thus far, but now he was all too aware that every step he took toward Hawkesmere was one taken away from Atlantis.

  With a sigh, he pushed himself to his feet. His time of hot showers, endless information, and cleanliness was over. Battle, exhaustion, filth, and hunger… these were the things he was accustomed to. He was a fool to imagine ever finding a permanent respite. He could only hope that once they had ascertained Trevelan’s fate, Rhoswen would see that she had to return home.

  His brother would never allow him to return to Hawkesmere, and he could not bear to drag her along on the life he was going to be forced to live.

  He held up the waterproof pack that contained their clothes, wishing desperately for his destrier. They had a long walk ahead of them. “Shall we change and begin our journey?”

  * * * * *

  Rhoswen trailed Sebastian through the thickly wooded forest, fighting her exhaustion. She was having difficulty keeping up with the swift pace he’d set, but didn’t dare ask to take a short rest. She’d promised she wouldn’t slow him down and meant to keep her word.

  For some reason, he’d pulled away from her since they’d Surfaced and she feared he was preparing for an eventual permanent separation. She wished she could delve his mind and see what was going on in his head, but feared what she might find.

  Somehow, he seemed to have gotten the mistaken impression that her quest to save Trevelan was about something more than her guilt and regret for having put him in such a terrible position in the first place. He seemed jealous, when he had no reason to be.

  She wanted to put him at ease, but whenever she tried to bring the subject up, he refused to talk about it. They’d been walking most of the day, and he’d yet to say more than half a dozen words to her. She could only hope that when they camped for the night, he would let her get close to him.

  Longingly, she thought of the muscle rub he’d given her on the trip to Atlantis. She wanted that back: that tender hunger she’d fallen in love with. The silent warrior who strode toward a battle he seemed convinced he could not win was a stranger to her.

  She pulled her crumpled map from her pocket, studying it as she stumbled along behind Sebastian. Many of the landmarks the ancients had used to mark their way had disappeared due to the vast passage of time, and she was no longer certain she was even going in the right direction.

  If she’d read the map right, the entrance to Old Atlantis should be several miles further, past the bend in the river. She prayed it was there. Otherwise, Sebastian was bound to think she’d made the whole thing up as a pathetic attempt to bind him to her for a few more days.

  The secret entrance to Titania’s Tower was the only gift she had to give to Sebastian, her only contribution to making sure he lived through the next few days.

  “Are we close?” Sebastian asked. He gestured upward, toward the threatening clouds on the horizon. “I fear a storm is brewing.”

  “Not much farther,” she promised. Please, she prayed, let it be there.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Sebastian leaned against the entrance to a small cave, watching Rhoswen with no small amount of amusement. The storm he had feared had swept in yesterday afternoon, forcing them to take shelter in a larger cave several miles further up the river. They had huddled together beneath the strange, thin blankets she had brought along, yet somehow managed to stay toasty warm. This morning, she had been all fired up to get started and had not complained even once about their arduous trek through the snow.

  Now, she paced back and forth along the back wall, pressing her hand against random spots, muttering under her breath. Since she had first mentioned that she believed there was another entrance to the hot springs — one that led many miles through an underground cave system no less — he’d had his doubts.

  He had spent hundreds of hours beneath Titania’s Tower, bathing and examining the mosaics. If there was another way in, he was certain he would have found it. Impressed as he had been by Atlantis’ recordkeeping and data bases, thousands of years had passed. Perhaps there had been some mistake. This cave certainly did not seem to hold the answers.

  A sudden grinding noise interrupted his thoughts. He took an unconscious step back, stunned, as a large section of the cave wall swung forward, revealing a dark, gaping passageway.

  Rhoswen’s face lit up with accomplishment. “You see? I told you I could find it.”

  He returned her smile, his caution giving way to excitement. She had done it. “I am sorry I ever doubted you.”

  Flushing, she reached down by her feet and picked up the pack she had discarded earlier. She pulled out two of the large lightsticks, turned them on and handed one to him. “I must confess that the thought of traipsing around so deep inside the earth frightens me a bit.”

  “Really? I thought you would be accustomed to being deep below the Surface, having lived your life beneath the crushing pressure of the sea.”

  “That was different,” she told him with a weak smile. “Atlantis is light and bright. I fear this place will be far too dark and crawling with nasty creatures best left to the imagination.”

  He thought she was probably right, but did not wish to add to her fears. “I am sure it will be fine.” Hefting his own pack higher upon his shoulders, he stepped around her, shining his lightstick into the darkness, unsurprised to see a stairway leading down. Way down. In fact, the light faded long before the stairs did.

  “It looks as if there is only one way to go,” he told her with false cheeriness. “Follow me.”

  She gave him a doubtful look, but offered no protest. She is so brave. A pang of longing swept through him as he watched her gird herself for the nightmare to come. Christ, he was such a fool. He should not have pushed her away last night. He should have
held her tight and cherished every single moment they had left together.

  I should have made love to her in the shower.

  Turning on the third stair, he stopped and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. For a moment, he just held her tight, relishing the feel of having her in his arms again. Then he lifted her chin and covered her mouth in a searching kiss, trying to apologize for every harsh word, every time he had tried to protect his heart at her expense.

  When he finally pulled reluctantly away, she swayed against him, blinking up in dazed confusion. “I’m not complaining, but what was that for?”

  “I just wanted you to know that no matter what the future holds, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

  “Don’t do that,” she whispered, her eyes welling with tears. “Don’t you dare say good-bye to me.”

  He sighed, knowing he had handled this badly. “I did not mean it to sound that way, but perhaps you are right. We do not know what lies ahead, and just in case something bad happens, I do not want to leave things unsettled between us.”

  “Nothing bad is going to happen,” she chided sternly. “And there will be plenty of time for us to settle things once we do what we’ve set out to do.”

  Frowning, he let her pull away from him and resume her trek down the endless stairs. She was, of course, incredibly wrong, but if she did not want to talk about her feelings for him, he was not going to push her. Truth be told, he still was not completely sure what she did feel for him.

  He needed to see her with Trevelan. He needed to see how she reacted to her chosen mate’s release. Would she still want to talk to Sebastian once Trevelan was safe? If she did, then he would know. Then he could decide what his future held.

  Just when he had begun to think they would never stop their descent, the staircase bottomed out into a wide, dry tunnel that angled east, toward Hawkesmere, if he was not mistaken.