Atlantis - Return of the Nation

by Steven Cook

  ‘So if humans hunted deer they would try to kill the sphinxes?’ pondered Hernet.

  ‘I’m afraid so. Whether it was intentional or not,’ said Danny.

  ‘But there are plenty of deer to feed everybody,’ the young sphinx countered.

  ‘Not necessarily when you consider the population of the world is six and a half billion people and growing.’ Danny felt sickened.

  M’Varak, Hernet and Coran sat in silence.

  ‘Before Arcanadia was taken away from the world our empire had a population approaching six million, spread over a wide area.’ Interjected Saraph from where he sat with his back against the control console.

  ‘How many are there on the island now?’ asked Fisher from behind the console.

  Saraph looked back at the officer.

  ‘In the last census there were over two million adults. The majority of who live in Atlantis.’

  The soldier in Fisher was forced to ask the next question.

  ‘How many of that number are in the various armed forces?’

  Saraph mentally tallied up the figures in his head.

  ‘About two hundred thousand are in arms or on the immediate reserve list for the army, another eighty thousand are navy or marines. The majority of the rest of the population have had some basic arms training and could be levied to supplement our military forces.’

  ‘Basic arms training?’ asked Dingo.

  ‘Four months of infantry training in manoeuvres, tactics, fighting skills both armed and unarmed, and general fitness.’ Saraph explained.

  ‘It is a harsh world we live in. Our people need to be able to defend themselves from rogue elements and monsters.’ Coran looked at Hernet and M’Varak. ‘No offence intended.’

  ‘Why should we take offence?’ said Hernet, ‘my race is sentient and is not roguish or monstrous.’

  The humans exchanged glances.

  ‘We Minoans may have the odd rogue or two,’ chipped in M’Varak.

  Danny looked at his and was surprised when he winked at him and started chortling in his deep bass voice.

  ‘I think there are the odd rogues and monsters in all races,’ said Danny.

  They fell silent and turned to watch the riverbank speed past.

  ‘Danny, a word,’ Fisher called forward.

  Danny got to his feet and moved down the boat to the officer.

  ‘Yes?’

  Fisher moved to the rear of the boat and beckoned Danny to follow him. With the noise of the engines covering their voices he grabbed Danny be the elbow and moved his head close to his ear.

  ‘If you disobey my orders again you will be swimming back to Atlantis. What you did was stupid and dangerous. Coran and Sophia understand the risks involved. If you can’t get your head around it I need to know now.’ he hissed.

  Danny tried to shake his arm free but the Ranger held it tight.

  ‘It turned out alright didn’t it?’

  Fisher released him. His voice softened.

  ‘Danny, you have to understand the importance of what we are doing. I know it worked, but we could have lost three people. I need you to follow orders, not go off on your own playing the hero.’

  ‘I saved Coran, and possibly hundreds more by answering the Sphinxes riddle. Anyway, what about not leaving anybody behind? Isn’t that what you Rangers always say?’

  Danny finally released his arm.

  Fisher breathed deeply then nodded.

  ‘Just consider your actions next time. The orders I give have sound reasoning behind them. OK?’

  Danny looked at the Ranger for a moment.

  ‘I’m sorry, that was a low blow. We’ve lost too many people already; I didn’t want to loose Coran, not after what he’s done for us.’

  ‘I don’t want to loose anybody, but I would rather sacrifice one to save two others. Do you see where I’m coming from?’

  Danny lowered his head.

  Fisher put his hand on the back of the young sailor’s neck.

  ‘What you did was brave and entirely the right thing to do. You assessed the situation and acted as you saw fit. You should have told me what your assessment was and I would have supported it. Independent thinking is something we rangers look for.’

  Danny raised his head, a small smile on his lips.

  ‘You did good,’ Fisher smiled.

  ‘I’ll be more careful next time,’ Danny apologised.

  ‘Go on. Your new pet is looking worried.’

  Danny turned to look forward. He could see Hernet looking anxiously back at him.

  He smiled at Fisher and made his way back to the prow. Fisher rejoined Wallace at the console.

  ‘Let’s see if you can pick up some speed.’

  Wallace responded by nudging the throttle further forward. At the prow M’Varak and Hernet turned their heads into the increasing breeze.

  *

  Northern Arcanadian Plain 25th May

  The column of Minoans finally slowed and stopped after a further five hours of their steady, ground eating lope. The four members of the column carrying the humans unceremoniously rolled them off their shoulders to drop to the ground.

  Craig landed with a thud and groaned as his limbs were finally able to move into different positions. While he was still recovering the Minoan who had been carrying him removed the bindings from his ankles and wrists. It replaced them with a leash around his neck.

  The Minoan dragged Craig by the leash towards another Minoan who was hammering a stake into the ground. One by one the humans were tethered to the stake.

  They were left under the wary gaze of a single Minoan as the rest of the small force prepared to rest for the night.

  Like a well-oiled machine the individual warriors carried out their tasks. Some collected firewood whilst others prepared food. As the sunlight finally faded a pair of campfires was lit to provide heating and light.

  The Minoans settled down to eat, leaving a couple of their number to nervously watch the darkness surrounding them. The humans gathered close to each other to eat the rations given to them and to quietly talk.

  Hildar sat several feet away from the others, unwilling to join in. He occasionally cast withering looks at Craig. Darath sat halfway between the sailors and Hildar, wanting to join the easy going seamen, yet nervous of the notorious temper of his commanding officer.

  They watched Minotaur and several of his warriors huddling together in deep discussion for a while.

  ‘I wonder what they’re planning?’ mused Carl.

  Hildar overheard and shuffled closer.

  ‘I believe Minotaur intends to create a stronger base for the Minoan race. He may be able to petition Zeus to affect humankind in such a way that he would be able to take control.’ he announced quietly.

  ‘Surely Zeus would not listen to him and subjugate humans?’ asked Darath.

  ‘As long as the petition is confirmed by all the required races Zeus will probably carry it out. Poseidon assumed that it was a human request to raise Arcanadia, which it was. Zeus may well assume that Minotaurs request is from a human as well.’ Hildar was quiet.

  ‘Were you there?’ asked Carl.

  Hildar nodded reluctantly.

  ‘Describe what happened and what the temple is like.’

  Slowly Hildar described what the chamber beneath the temple of Poseidon looked like, and ran through the ceremony. Craig cut in at the point where he described reading out the agreement.

  ‘The words you needed to say appeared within a dark window?’

  Hildar nodded.

  ‘And your skin was pricked by needles?’

  The warrior nodded again.

  Craig looked at Carl.

  ‘If I didn’t know better I would say
that it is a computer that samples DNA and voice patterns. Certainly more advanced than the civilisation we’ve seen on the island.’

  The two Arcanadians exchanged glances, as the seaman got more excited.

  ‘What do you mean?’ asked Darath.

  ‘It could mean that Zeus and Poseidon are not gods, but machines that carry out specified tasks. If that is the case it wouldn’t matter what the request is, as long as all parties agree to it.’ said Craig.

  ‘And with a knife at your throat I guess you’d agree to anything.’ added Carl.

  Hildar looked up into the night sky before slowly speaking.

  ‘The honourable thing to do would be for us to not agree to any petitions. It would obviously result in us being killed but it would prevent Minotaur from getting his way.’

  ‘We have to get away from here.’ whispered Craig.

  ‘I realise that, but how?’ said Carl. He tenderly touched his elbow where he had bashed it as he landed.

  ‘If I can get loose I would stand a better chance than any of you three. I could get ahead and warn the priests. They may be able to close up the temple and prevent Minotaur from entering.’ Hildar offered.

  ‘Why should we trust you?’ asked Carl.

  ‘Everything I have done has been for the good of Arcanadia. I am willing to sacrifice Atlantis being the supreme power in the world if it means Minotaur doesn’t get his way. You have my word.’ He looked at them.

  ‘And you know I do not lie,’ he added.

  The two seamen exchanged looks the turned to look at a nearby fire as a log collapsed in a shower of sparks.

  ‘What have we got to lose?’ said Carl.

  ‘Our lives?’ suggested Craig.

  ‘We need some kind of distraction so he can do a runner.’

  They turned to look at Hildar.

  He wasn’t there.

  ‘Pretend to be asleep,’ said Darath, ‘then they may accept that we do not know where he has gone.’

  *

  Chapter Sixteen - In the Night

  Northern Plain 26th May

  Hildar crouched in the dark barely ten feet from Craig and Carl and smiled to himself. It had been remarkably easy to slice through the leash using the sharp flexible strip of Orichalcum that had been concealed within the sole of his sandal.

  He had used the cover of the two Outworlder seamen bouncing their thoughts back and forward to roll into the darkness. Darath had registered the motion but had kept it to himself until the sailors noticed.

  He was pleased that Darath had taken the initiative and told the sailors to feign sleep. Although he didn’t particularly like either of the Outworlders, he now hated Minotaur with a passion due to the indiscriminate slaughter of his men. From his shadowed location he watched the three men settle down.

  The experienced warrior considered his options. He was cut off from friendly forces, was almost unarmed and without provisions. In addition he was in poor condition due to the bruising he had suffered whilst being carried, and the muscle in his leg went into spasm now and then due to the deep muscle injury inflicted by Carl’s boot.

  His decided his first task was to get clothing and a weapon more suitable than the four-inch sliver of metal that had freed him.

  Taking care to stay low, he limped further away from the fires back into the bushes. Although the Minoans had poor night vision, their senses of smell and hearing were much better than humans. Once he had moved several yards back he came upon an almost dry creek bed. He scooped up some of the dark clay-like residue from the bed and smeared it over his pale skin.

  He moved slowly along the bed of the creek until it started to be set on rock. Taking advantage of the relatively hard surface he picked up speed and hobbled further downwind of the camp.

  Satisfied that he would not be detected by scent he dropped to the ground and began to crawl slowly back towards the camp. His superior night vision enabled him to pick out the slumbering forms of several Minoans that had slept further away from the warmth of the campfires.

  Hildar slowly raised his head to look further into the camp. It surprised him that his disappearance had not been discovered yet. A motion caught his eye. A Minoan warrior had rolled out of the blanket it had been wrapped up in, wrapped it around its shoulders and started walking towards him.

  Hildar held the small blade in his hand; ready to leap up as soon as the Minoan saw him. Instead, the creature walked past him yawning, its focus on where it was going, not what was hidden in the course grass at his feet.

  Hildar slowly turned his head to follow the movement of the Minoan. It stopped ten feet past him and started urinating into the bushes. Hildar took a quick glance back towards the camp, then rose to his feet and moved silently behind the creature.

  The Minoan finished what it was doing and lowered both its hands to its groin to rearrange its armoured skirt. Hildar chose that moment to attack. He leapt onto the Minoans back, grabbed one of its sensitive ears with one hand and threw his weight backwards.

  The Minoan threw its head back and drew in a deep breath ready to bellow. Hildar whipped his right hand across the exposed throat once, releasing a gush of blood as he severed one of the arteries. He slashed again, slower this time. The flexible blade bit deep and cut into the windpipe.

  The Minoans bellow produced no sound, only a spray of blood that arced into the air. Although mortally wounded the creature wasn’t ready to die just yet. It hunched forward, attempting to throw Hildar from its shoulders. Fortunately Hildar had a tight grip on the creature’s ear, but he could feel the tendons parting.

  In desperation the warrior released the small blade and let it drop. He reached for the gash in the Minoan’s neck with his free hand. Thrusting his fingers into the pulsing wound, he clenched his fingers then wrenched with all his strength.

  Blood splashed onto the ground, black in the flickering light from the distant campfires. The Minoan staggered, then collapsed to its knees. Hildar released his grip and stood back, breathing heavily. He watched as the creature finally died and sank to the ground.

  He glanced back at the camp and was satisfied that he had a few more moments before he was discovered. Moving quickly he removed the Minoan’s belt and dagger. He rejected the massive sword strapped across its back, realising he would not be able to use it in combat. The heavy, eighteen-inch blade of the dagger was more than adequate.

  Crouching low, Hildar limped away from the camp, pausing only briefly to pick up the discarded blanket. He quickly folded the blanket in half, cut a slit along part of the fold, and then poked his head through. Finally he wrapped the belt around his waist to pull in the rough poncho to keep it from flapping.

  Taking a bearing on the stars he headed away downwind from the camp for several hundred yards before turning to the north. The further he got from the camp, the more at ease he became. Soon he broke into a fast hobble, making as little noise as he could, but attempting to increase the distance between himself and eventual pursuit.

  *

  North River 26th May

  ‘I think this is as far as we can go.’ stated Wallace as the Guardian’s hull scraped across yet another bar of gravel.

  The pilot pulled back on the throttle, killing the last of the boats forward momentum. They had been coming across sandbars and gravel for the last three quarters of an hour, reducing the speed at which they could travel, and also losing the daylight.

  Wallace reached beneath the console and pulled out a hand held spotlight, coated like everything else in shiny ceramic. Turning it on he directed it upstream. The powerful beam of light cut through the twilight to show that Wallace was correct.

  The river was now wide and shallow, barely covering the bed. The searchlight easily picked out boulders that blocked any further progress.

  ‘That’s it, we walk from here.’ Fisher smiled grimly.

&
nbsp; Wallace put the boat in reverse to pull it off the latest gravel bank. He then rotated the control yoke and eased the engines back into forward drive to propel the boat towards the eastern bank.

  As the hull grated up onto the bank the warriors began gathering their equipment. Eraz and Coran were the first onto the beach, their shields and javelins ready, eyes scanning the surrounding gloom.

  Danny dropped into the shallow water and turned to help Saraph lower some of the heavier equipment over the gunwale. He looked towards M’Varak and Hernet and was surprised to see the Sphinx’s eyes glowing brightly in the dim light. Evidently there was more cat in the sphinx than was immediately apparent.

  ‘Hernet, what’s your night vision like?’ he asked as he heaved a case onto the beach.

  ‘I will tell you how good it is if you tell me the answer to the riddle,’ the Sphinx turned from gazing into the distance to stare unerringly at Danny.

  Danny returned the stare.

  ‘It was worth a try,’ Hernet’s face broke into a toothy grin.

  ‘I will tell you when we have finished our mission.’

  ‘In that case I can tell you that I can see a pack of dogs about fifty strides away. They can smell us but are put off from attacking because I am here.’

  The humans peered into the darkness and finally made out the skulking shapes of a number of dogs. They were pacing slowly back and forth, periodically pausing and turning their heads in the direction of the beach.

  Wallace turned the spotlight towards the dogs. As the powerful beam swept over them the dogs reacted as if they had been burnt, leaping as it touched them then scampering away with their tails between their legs. Their eyes glowed balefully as they stopped and stared back at the camp.

  ‘I reckon we’ll have a problem with them sooner or later,’ announced Dingo.

  ‘Why do you think that?’ asked Fisher.

  ‘Have you considered our walking steakhouse here?’ Dingo jerked his thumb at M’Varak.

  The Minoan had been peering into the dark in an attempt to spot the dogs. He turned his massive head towards Dingo.

  ‘It is true that Minoans have problems with dogs. Generally they only try once unless they are in packs like those.’ He waved his hand towards the sounds of the dogs snuffling around.