“That’s her,” Sprite informed them.
“Squishy?” Vance verified. The other ranger nodded.
“She’s been performing in Atlantis for centuries,” he told the group, “and is quite popular and very well networked, which should help us.”
When the song ended, there was light applause and Squishy took a sip of a purple liquid from a tall glass on a nearby stool. She used a straw that was a few feet long to avoid having to pick up the drink with her short arms. She finished quenching her thirst, then spoke to the crowd in the same deep, gravelly tone as her singing voice.
“This next song is dedicated to a couple who walked into this club over a decade ago,” she said in a Japanese accent. “So very much in love. This was their song. Squishy often wonders what happened to them.”
The band kicked in with the song “Happy Together.” Sam recalled hearing the tune around the house and in the car with his mom. Ettie called it an “oldie but goodie,” and she’d often sing along. This version was slower, more deliberate in its delivery. Oddly, Squishy didn’t take her eyes off Sam or his table during the entire performance.
“I prefer the original arrangement,” Vance quipped quietly to Sam.
“Me too,” Sam agreed.
At the end of the tune, Squishy waved one of her stubby appendages to her audience, who clapped appreciatively. She waddled offstage, where she was met by a yeti that sported two blue-tinged stripes on its head and was easily the largest Sam had yet seen. Sam saw Tashi tense at the sight of the Guardians’ mortal enemy.
“Stand down, Guardian,” Sprite told her. “He’s hired security. Very professional.”
“I thought yeti weren’t allowed outside their valley,” Sam remarked, thinking back to what Vantana had told him. He knew the yeti had rebelled when the gryphon chose the Guardians as protectors of the claw. It had been a new arrangement that ended centuries of yeti protection of Phylassos and spurred tremendous discord. The yeti were subsequently prohibited from leaving their home in the Himalayas.
“Yes, but the prohibition applied only to the yeti who were present in the valley when the edict was put in place,” Sprite explained. “They were the ones who organized and launched the rebellion. There were several clans living on Atlantis then, working as security for officials and celebrities. These yeti were allowed to continue their work but were banned from returning home.”
“Learn somethin’ new every day, huh, Tashi?” Vance said, nudging the Guardian with his elbow. Tashi eyed the doctor curiously.
“I do, Doctor. Often more than one thing,” she replied, clearly not catching the sarcasm. Vance just shook his head and chuckled.
“You crack me up, kid.”
“Here she comes,” Sprite announced. “I will do the talking.”
As Squishy approached the table, she eyed the group and slowed to a stop. The yeti guard loomed over her from behind, leveling a steely glance at Sam and the others.
“Woodruff Sprite,” Squishy said. “It has been a long time since Squishy has seen your face.”
“Yes, it has,” Sprite replied with a smile. “The DMW keeps me quite busy. But I’m pleased to see that you sound as wonderful as always and are just as lovely as when last we met.”
“Flattering Squishy, are you?” she said with a cynical tone. “Woodruff Sprite must need something. The DMW does not travel to Atlantis without a purpose.”
“My compliments are sincere, I assure you, but you are correct that I come with a purpose. A rather important one. Urgent, even.”
“One that could affect the fate of the world, no less?”
“There is that distinct possibility,” he responded.
“There always seems to be with you,” she replied snarkily.
“What is that smell?” Sam asked Tashi under his breath. It had just now surfaced. The stench was subtle, nearly overwhelmed by a strong flowery scent. But it was there, lingering just beneath the perfumed air. It was best compared to rotting fruit. What was with the pungent odors on this case? Sam wondered. First the skunk apes, and now this.
“What odor?” Tashi replied loudly.
Squishy immediately bristled at Tashi’s remark, and Sprite’s face changed to one of extreme concern. Iaira must have recognized a faux pas in the making and quickly intervened.
“I think it smells wonderful! Like gardenias,” she remarked with her charming smile. Squishy shifted her gaze to the mermaid and appeared to relax.
“Thank you. You smell nice as well,” the creature told her, before pivoting back to Sprite. “Squishy is sorry, Woodruff, but she has to prepare for the next performance. Some other time, perhaps? Squishy will check her calendar and get back to you.”
“Squishy, I—” Sprite stood up and began to make a plea, but the yeti held him back with one hand. Squishy waved him away.
“Thanks for coming.”
And with that, the creature shuffled off, disappearing through a doorway at the end of the bar. Sprite was dumbstruck.
“I wasn’t expecting that sort of response,” the ranger admitted. “We have not seen each other in some time, this is true, but I was hoping she’d be willing to at least hear me out.”
“Maybe she offended her,” Iaira suggested, gesturing toward Tashi.
“Me?” Tashi asked defensively.
Sam interjected. “That was my fault.”
“It’s possible. She’s very self-conscious about her smell,” Sprite told them thoughtfully. “Always has been.”
“Why’s that?” Sam asked.
“Nuppeppos are known to stink somethin’ awful,” Vance explained. “But I thought she smelled rather nice, considering. Perfumed herself up, I reckon.”
“Squishy prizes perfume. That I recall,” Sprite said with a smile.
“So what’s plan B?” Vance inquired.
“I’m afraid I don’t know. We may have to contact the big guy,” Sprite posited.
“Phylassos?” Sam asked, to which Sprite nodded.
“That could take days,” Vance said. “I’ve already got a line in to him and I haven’t heard a thing.”
A moment of silence passed as the five sat considering their circumstances and options. And then Sam had an idea, or rather, he smelled one.
“Princess?” Sam said, getting Iaira’s attention. “Do you have any of your perfume in your bag?”
“Yes,” she replied. “It’s a perfume that I—I mean, Pearl—helped create. It’s sold in boutiques in Miami. You can smell like me. It was pretty popular with all of my gems.”
“Can I have it?” Sam asked. Iaira eyed him curiously, then reached into her waterlogged purse and handed him a small glass bottle in the shape of a pearl. The liquid inside was clear, and an etching on the front read “Shimmer by Pearl.”
“It’s all yours,” she said with a smile.
“What’s percolating in that head of yours?” Vance asked him.
“Follow me,” Sam replied. He slipped out of the booth and led the group to the backstage door. He cracked the door open and noticed the yeti standing guard outside Squishy’s dressing room. “Ranger Sprite, do you think you could get his attention?”
Sprite eyed the boy. “I believe so. As long as Tashi has my back.”
“I do,” Tashi assured him, gripping her shekchen. Sprite swallowed and headed into the hallway.
“Excuse me. Mr. Yeti, I demand an audience with Squishy this instant!” Sprite announced as he marched toward the creature. The yeti turned and met Sprite halfway, blocking his path. “You don’t scare me,” Sprite told him. He attempted to push past the yeti, but the creature moved to block him. Sam took the opportunity to slip by the two of them and head to the dressing room unnoticed. He could hear Sprite continue to protest as Sam knocked on the partially opened door. Sam peeked inside to find the singer sitting at a dr
essing table, applying copious amounts of makeup in the mirror.
“Fans are not allow—” Then she paused, spotting him. “You again? Squishy thought she made herself clear to Woodruff. Must she call security? He’s a yeti, you know. Rumor has it, you had an experience with yetis not too long ago.”
“So you know who I am?” Sam inquired with a touch of surprise.
“Of course, Sam London. Everyone knows about you. Some longer than others,” Squishy said.
“Oh?” Sam replied, unsure of her meaning. Squishy gazed back into the mirror and continued her regimen.
“Woodruff is well aware that secrets have a cost, and the one you seek is highly valuable, as it puts Squishy in danger.”
“You know what we’re looking for?” Sam asked her curiously.
“That girl with you…she is Princess Iaira, is she not?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sam responded, feigning ignorance.
“You’re an adorable liar, Sam London,” Squishy said. “What is that in your hand?”
“It’s a gift for you,” Sam told her, holding up the bottle of Pearl’s perfume. He added, “Sprite said you like perfume, and we all wanted to give you a gift after you graced us with your wonderful voice.”
Squishy eyed Sam, then waddled over with surprising speed, snatched the bottle out of his hand, and returned to her dressing table. Sam was stunned by her quickness. Squishy sprayed herself with the perfume, then closed her eyes and smiled as she breathed in the scent. When her eyes opened again, they were fixed on Sam.
“Squishy likes you, Sam London,” she said. “You know how to treat a lady.” She gestured for him to come closer, and Sam stepped forward. He was happy she had sprayed the perfume, as it helped mask her true scent. “Squishy does not know for certain the answer to what you seek, but she hears many things,” she said just under her breath. “One thing she has heard more than all the others, and so that is the one she believes to be true. The first sacred point is said to lie above the great crystal at the top of the Tower of Atlas.”
“You mean the one way up…” Sam gestured, and Squishy nodded.
“Iaira’s return to Ta Cathair will save lives, but be warned, there are those who do not wish to see her return. Squishy hears many things.” Sam nodded, understanding.
“Thank you,” he said, then moved to leave.
“Do you know why Squishy did not give Sprite this information?”
“Because he didn’t have a gift?” Sam answered earnestly. Squishy shook her head, which shook her entire body.
“Because he did not make good on his promises. Squishy has been keeping a secret for him and the gryphon for twelve years.”
“That’s as long as I’ve been alive,” Sam told her.
“Of course it is,” she said, and smiled. “Perhaps he will tell you this secret. Perhaps you should ask him.”
“Okay…,” Sam said, uncertain as to why he should but wanting to be agreeable.
“And tell Dr. Vantana Squishy said hello, though he may not remember Squishy,” she added. “Memories are fleeting things in his line of work. This reminds Squishy that she has a gift for you as well.”
“You do?”
Squishy nodded, and again her whole body moved. She reached into a drawer in her dresser and pulled out a small, wrapped, square-shaped package. “Well, not for you in particular. But for you to give to someone. Squishy has been holding on to this for quite a long time. Waiting for the recipient to come along.” She handed it over to Sam. “This is to be given to Dr. Vantana when your journey is over, and not a moment before. Do you promise this?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“When the journey is over, Sam London,” she repeated. Sam nodded.
As he exited Squishy’s dressing room, Sam considered what the creature had said about Vance. He knew from his first case that Penelope Naughton’s memory had been erased, and it appeared Squishy was suggesting that Vance had also lost memories of some kind. A discussion for another time, he thought as he exited the club and found the group waiting outside.
“Well, she didn’t eat you,” Vance quipped. “That’s a good sign.”
“You assured me she was harmless, Dr. Vantana,” Tashi said, annoyed. “I would never have agreed to—”
“It’s a joke, Tashi. Relax. He’s fine.”
“I’m more than fine,” Sam announced. “I know where the first sacred point is,” he whispered. They all leaned in to hear. “The Tower of Atlas, above the crystal.”
“Of course,” Sprite said. “Makes perfect sense. Though I am surprised she told you.”
“The perfume softened her up,” Sam explained. “She claimed you didn’t make good on some promise,” he then told Sprite. “Something about a secret. And she wanted me to say hello to you, Dr. Vantana.”
“Me? I’ve never met her before,” Vance replied.
“She said you might not remember.”
“I reckon I’d recall meetin’ a Nuppeppo named Squishy,” Vance said, puzzled. “What do you make of that, Ranger?”
“Memories can be fleeting things,” Sprite replied with a shrug. Before Sam could note that Squishy had spoken the same words, Sprite quickly added, “I best be getting back to the Everglades before the trees start to miss me. You’re on the right track now. Good luck.” Sprite headed off to the main canal and waved over another taxi.
* * *
—
On the way to the Tower of Atlas aboard the Loch Ness water taxi, Dr. Vance Vantana reflected upon the fact that he had never been to Atlantis before. Technically speaking, he was barred from traveling to the lost city. It wasn’t anything he’d done, per se; rather, it was a request made by Dr. Knox after an incident in the Russian taiga forest more than a decade earlier. Vance’s memory of the ordeal was sketchy, given his run-in with a mythical creature known as the Baba Yaga.
As Knox had relayed the story days later, Vance had come to check on his mentor after Knox went to speak with the Maiden Council—a ruling council of swan maidens on Russia’s Lake Baikal—regarding human encroachment on the habitats of mythical sea creatures. When Vance didn’t hear from the doctor after an agreed-upon time, he hiked into the forest to check on Knox. Unbeknownst to Vance, this was a major violation, and the attack from the Baba Yaga was swift. Vance was knocked out cold and woke up in the care of Knox, who explained that the meeting had not gone well.
Knox subsequently concluded that it’d be best if Vance and other human rangers working with the DMW avoided interactions with creatures of the sea realm. This included visits to Atlantis, given the island-city’s preponderance of mythical sea creatures. Fortunately, no investigations had required Vance to travel to the city, so the issue had yet to come up. That is, until now.
It had been years since Knox’s edict, and given the urgency of this case, Vance felt it was permissible for him to travel to Atlantis on this occasion. After all, it was a mythical sea creature that had violated the gryphon’s law on land, and the DMW was well within its jurisdiction on the matter. He wondered if he should have checked with Phylassos about the decision, but the gryphon had become even more difficult to reach since the events in Hérault. Phylassos was clearly distracted by something, but by what, Vance hadn’t a clue. Maybe it was another case that was more critical to the mission of the DMW. Hard to say, but whatever the situation, Vance had little choice but to follow this lead to Atlantis and take his chances.
Vance stepped off Niles’s back and onto the city’s bustling central plaza, which was filled with all manner of mythical creatures selling their wares or shopping. He stared in awe at the gleaming tower that stood at the plaza’s center and represented the very heart of Atlantis, literally and figuratively. This tower held the crystal that powered the entire city, so getting inside would not be an easy task, especially since two s
toic scorpion men were guarding the entrance. The humanoid scorpions, complete with tails that could sting with deadly harm, hailed from Mesopotamia, an ancient area of the Middle East.
“How are we going to get inside that place?” Iaira asked.
Before Vance could propose a plan, the massive orichalcum doors opened and a large figure stepped out. He was a broad-shouldered and bare-chested man, wearing a long turquoise robe and a short beige kilt with elaborate colored symbols. He held what appeared to be a kitten in his hands, until he got closer and Vance realized it was actually a tiger.
“Naw, it can’t be,” Vance thought out loud.
“Who? Who is it?” Sam asked.
“Gilgamesh.” They all looked at Vantana blankly. “Seriously? The Epic of Gilgamesh? Only happens to be one of the great ancient works of human literature. Y’all need to go to a library when we get back.” Of course, the doctor had learned years ago that The Epic of Gilgamesh wasn’t exactly literature, at least not of the fictional variety. It actually happened. The story told how Gilgamesh was an arrogant king whom the gods sought to punish by sending a wild man to defeat him in battle. But the man and Gilgamesh became lifelong friends. When the wild man died, Gilgamesh was heartbroken and went on a pilgrimage, searching for the secret to eternal life. In the story, he never discovered this secret, but in reality he found it and kept it to himself ever since. Vance had a run-in with Gilgamesh back when the doctor was just starting out with Dr. Knox, and he remembered the former king as being the consummate big-time operator, someone who traded favors like they were currency. Recently Vantana had learned that after a long stint in the Atlantis Assembly, Gilgamesh had ascended to be mayor of the city.
“A meeting with the mayor? I’m guessin’ this ain’t coincidence,” the doctor said with a smile as Gilgamesh walked up. The latter chuckled deeply.
“You’d be surprised how quickly word spreads when continent dwellers are roaming around my island with a long-lost mermaid princess,” he replied.
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