Fire

by Helen Scott

  Just as Dres began to make his way across the bridge, a large metal gate clanged shut between us and the stone bridge gave way. Thankfully, Dres had enough skill with his abilities, or maybe just pure athleticism, that he jumped backward far enough to land on more solid ground. The gap between us was probably only fifteen feet or so, but I knew from recent experience that I wouldn't be able to make the jump. The irony of the fact that he'd used his powers to save the piece of bloodied crystal that he was still clutching and not me wasn't lost on me, but I knew it wasn't intentional either. It seemed they had all forgotten that I was just human since we'd come to Atlantis. Well, all except Griff, but I expected that was partially because he was the one training me.

  "What the fuck is this?" Kai growled.

  "Looks like a gate to me," Finn said with a smartass tone.

  "You're lucky it's there, or I'd be all up in your business right now," the other man shot back.

  "Listen, instead of pissing about, how about you two go back to the palace and let them know what's going on while we investigate and look for yet another way out," Griff said, looking as tired as Finn.

  "Fine, but don't let her die again. Gaia knows she can't protect herself." Kai really seemed to have a bee in his bonnet about that, or maybe it was just that he hadn't been the one to kill me.

  I stuck my tongue out at him, to which I could almost swear he grinned.

  As I watched Dres and Kai disappear around the front of the statue, I couldn't help the feeling of foreboding that was making itself at home in my stomach. I hated that we were being split up again. No matter how much Kai disliked me for whatever reason, I would have preferred that we all stayed together as we figured everything out.

  "Down we go, I guess," Finn said with a sigh.

  As though they'd practiced it before, Griff flicked his wrist and a ball of flames sprang to life above his hand, lighting the stairway before us for a few feet. I'd hoped for more light, but I knew that was foolish. This was an ancient stairway that was built behind a trap door in a land that didn't have electricity. Most of the rooms were lit by bioluminescent bacteria that were specifically cultivated to grow on the ceiling in the palace. Outside of the palace, people had candles and fires when they really needed to. If they were some of the lucky people to have more magic than just the ability to manipulate water, then they could create an energy ball or something similar, but that was draining since it fed off the energy they had in their bodies. Finn had explained it all to me within the first month of getting to Atlantis, but it never ceased to amaze me.

  "At least we have the option of stairs this time," I added while I followed him carefully down the steps. I was trying not to think about the fall or the drowning that had occurred shortly thereafter, but it was creeping in anyway, and the only thing I wanted to do was leave this temple and go back to the palace, or better yet, go home. The thought stopped me. I didn't have a home anymore. All of my belongings were in the guys’ old house, and my apartment had probably been rented out again by this point.

  When I stumbled, Griff caught me by the elbow and shot me a worried look. "Everything okay, Dove?"

  "I just realized that I don't have a home anymore." My voice was quiet, which was saying something since all the sound from the outside had disappeared as we'd been circling lower and lower on the stairs. The only sound until Griff's question had been the careful footfalls of the three of us, and even that sounded muffled, as though the stone was absorbing it instead of reflecting it back.

  Finn stopped in front of me. "You have a home," he said as he turned to face me carefully. "It's here, with me, if you want it."

  "With you?" Griff asked, sounding slightly offended. "Why you? She can live wherever she wants with whoever she wants."

  "I just meant--"

  Griff cut him off before he could explain. "I know what you meant, that somehow your relationship with Tessa is superior to everyone else's. Well, I've got news for you, bud, it's not."

  "I wasn't trying to imply that it was, just that if she wanted to stay in Atlantis when this was all over, she could."

  "And what if she wanted to stay in El Dorado? What then?"

  "She hasn't seen it yet, but if she wanted to that's fine," Finn replied sounding slightly disgusted by the fact that I might prefer El Dorado to Atlantis.

  They were like two schoolboys going back and forth, and I'd had enough. "Guys! I can make my own decisions, and frankly, right now I'm not wanting to stay in either place. Can we just find a way out of here? This temple is creeping me out the longer we stay here."

  "Of course, you're right. Sorry, Dove," Griff said while Finn just glared at him.

  I wasn't sure why there was so much contention between them right now, but I didn't like it. "What's going on with you two?"

  "Finn thinks I should back off and let him woo you," Griff muttered.

  "What?" I demanded.

  At the same time Finn said, "I never said that," exasperation coloring his tone.

  "You didn't have to. I know you, brother. You think because you staked your claim on her first that we should all back off. Well, that's not how it's going to work, Tessa said so herself."

  "He's right." I sighed. "Look, I don't know what's going on here. Magic, other worlds, dragons, it's all new to me. Most men never got a second look from me, but the four of you... I don't know. I'm drawn to each of you, even Kai, heaven help me. I'm not going to choose, and if you keep fighting about it then I won't be with any of you." I huffed and stepped past Finn and continued until I was just on the edge of what my vision could make out in the dark.

  Eventually, I could see the light coming closer, and I knew that whatever was going on between them was done with, at least for now. As I proceeded down the stairs ahead of Finn, much to his dismay, the steps became wider more like those at the base of a stairway, so I wasn't surprised when a few moments later the stairs ended. A short tunnel lay before us, and when we emerged onto the other side it was like there was a whole new room there, one that defied comprehension with how big it was. Giant pillars sprang up out of the ground and were the only thing keeping the ceiling up from what I could tell.

  I moved to take a step forward but Finn and Griff each took one of my hands. "We don't know if there are any traps or things like the gate upstairs," Finn said, his voice husky and low.

  The whole room, although room wasn't an adequate way to describe it. Hall? Ballroom? Chamber? Auditorium? Arena? Yes, that worked better for the feel of it. The whole arena was glowing a faint blue color and had a distinctly wet smell to it. Not quite wet dog but close. I hadn't seen any animals with fur during my time in Atlantis, so the scent was definitely new to me.

  "Do you have any idea what this place is?" I asked Finn.

  "None whatsoever."

  "It looks like a tournament arena," Griff said, and I nodded my agreement.

  "That was the feeling I got as well," I said quietly.

  The sound of rocks shifting or falling echoed through the large area and the blue light grew as something began to happen. I couldn't see anything or sense anything other than the musty mildew feeling, but that didn't mean nothing was happening. Finn and Griff both moved to shield me from whatever it was just as a large gust of nasty smelling air ruffled the back of my hair. I turned in time to watch as a gate, similar to the one upstairs, fell shut behind us.

  When I turned to find the two men watching with grim expressions as well, I knew that we were in trouble. Atlantis had been around since before Plato's time and as such had possibly influenced the ancient Romans with the gladiator battles and mock sea battles that used to be held in the Colosseum because there was no denying that was the feeling I was getting as the lighting increased.

  Turning all around, I could see the stands that were at the very edge of the arena floor, with seating going high into the still dark recesses. If the Colosseum was said to have had average crowds of sixty thousand then this was at least half as big again, if not bigger. Gla
diators not only had to fight each other but beasts of all shapes and sizes as well. That's why when the ground shook with heavy, shuddering footsteps and a large creature unfolded itself from the dark I tried not to be too surprised. Tried and failed.

  12

  Kai

  The clang of the gate falling echoed in my head again and again, along with the news that Tessa had died. Dres and I had made our way back to the palace, and he had explained to the queen what had happened. To say she was unhappy was an understatement. That wasn't my problem though, oh, no. My problem was that my head wouldn't stop repeating those words.

  The gate clanged in my head once more.

  Dead.

  Clang.

  Dead.

  Clang.

  It was driving me mad.

  "Why don't we spar to take your mind off... things?" Dres asked.

  The damn zephyr was too observant even without his ability to read minds. I would never let him into mine, it held too many secrets for me to risk it. Even so, he seemed to know me better than most, and he knew I was agitated. I gave him a sharp nod and followed him down to the ring that was allocated for us to use our powers in.

  The expression on his face from when he almost fell blinked across my mind. I'd never seen the other man look so terrified. Why he ever thought we would tell anyone of his slip up was beyond me, and if they all thought Tessa shit gold, then I didn't know why he doubted her ability to keep a secret. It was all too much for me to keep up with. All I knew was that I was barely keeping myself under control and needed to go back to Agartha soon.

  "This would be a lot easier if you just admitted that you cared about her," Dres said as we stepped into the ring.

  "Why the fuck would I care about her? She's a tool, the Key. The only reason I'm even taking notice of her is because she is supposed to be the one thing that can save all of our lives."

  "Whatever, little flower," Dress called out as he took up a fighting stance. Little flower? He knew that was an insult to my people. The man was purposefully trying to get me riled up, I knew it. I'd let him have it, but not yet. For now, I'd batten down the hatches and prepare for the oncoming fight. We might just be sparring, but that didn't mean we held our punches all that much.

  Neither of us had bothered to change. There was little point. It wasn't like enemies would wait for us to slip into something more comfortable before attacking. Besides, we were in Atlantis. Their water was amazing for getting stains out of clothes. It was one of the few trade deals that Agartha had with them, laundry services in exchange for some of our plentiful farming land. We would grow whatever they asked for and even let a few select Atlanteans stay on Agartha to make sure that we were keeping up our end, which was why there were some Agarthans that lived in Atlantis to work with them on the laundry situation.

  I flicked my wrist and a chunk of the ground sprang up, almost knocking Dres off balance. I wasn't fast enough though, because the jerk just flew over it. He and I were equally matched when it came to our manipulation abilities. Air and earth; we were in harmony and also forces that pushed against one another. Just like Finn and Griff were able to cancel each other out but also had similar abilities.

  A tiny tornado sprang up in front of me, and I knew that if I wasn't able to react fast enough then it would have me on my ass. As I flipped a piece of rock up to shield me from the winds, I couldn't help but remember when I'd seen Griff and Tessa sparring the other evening. At first, I thought he'd seriously hurt her, and my temper flared enough that I'd even opened the door to the room, but then I saw her trick, and the moment went from something that was just combat practice to something much more intimate. It was like the two of them had been resisting each other for too long, and just like a crack can spell doom for a dam wall, so did the small kiss that she placed on his lips.

  I shook my head, trying to clear the confusing thoughts, but all that seemed to happen was a trip even further down memory lane as I remembered kissing her in the kitchen back at our house on the origin world. The way she had said my name as I held her hands above her head was still burned in my ear. Part of me couldn't help but wonder what things would be like if I'd followed my body's demands that night. Would I be down there with them? Could the ancient magic of the temple tell who had claimed her and who hadn't? I knew she'd fucked both Finn and Griff, and for some reason it didn't piss me off. The only thing I knew was that I was much too tempted by her.

  Another gust of air came, but this time I wasn't fast enough to deflect it and it knocked me on my ass. I landed with an oomph and a curse.

  "Your head is stuck on Tessa. Get it back in the fight, or I'll win much too easily." Dres offered a hand to help me up.

  I batted it away and manipulated the ground to push me back into standing. He was right. I pushed Tessa as far away from my mind as possible before I reached into the ground with my magic, sensing all the loose gravel and dirt I flung it all upward. There was too much there for Dres to block all of it, and though his dark eyes glared at me, I couldn't help but grin with satisfaction as he spat some dirt onto the ground.

  Using my magic felt good. It had been much too long since I'd used it to any great extent. Even on the origin world I had kept my use of it to a minimum, only utilizing it when it was absolutely necessary, like when we'd been heading to the portal.

  The air around me cooled, and I knew the trick that Dres was using now; the idiot was going to try and suffocate me. A quick tap on my necklace and I had my bubble in place. The others always forgot that my people were the engineers. Without us the four worlds wouldn't have ever known the other existed, which would have probably been for the best in truth, at least then we wouldn't have been able to try and kill each other.

  "Dresden Cain," a voice called from behind us just as I was about to blast him with rocks again.

  The two of us turned to find one of the palace guards there holding a scroll that could only come from the kingdom of Hyperborea, as they were the only ones who used scrolls.

  Dres walked forward and accepted the scroll, returning the bow that the guard gave him even though he didn't have to. He broke the wax seal and unrolled the fragile paper, his eyes darting back and forth as he took in whatever was important enough for someone to not only send a note through from the embassy but to send it through with enough urgency for a guard to leave his post to track us down and interrupt our sparring match.

  "Well?" I impatiently asked as I watched the eyes of my brother in arms get wider while his eyebrows seemed to get lower and lower until they no longer appeared to be separate entities from his eyes.

  The other man was silent for much too long, which only made my gut twist with anxiety even more. Tessa being gone I could only handle because I knew she was safe with Griff and Finn, I wasn't sure that I would be able to handle whatever made Dres scowl like that. Whatever it was, it was about to be added to the shit pile I'd been managing since we turned up in Atlantis, and it was starting to get out of control. Even though I tried to keep an even keel most of the time this shit was really starting to try my patience.

  "Hyperborea is falling into civil war." The words dropped like lead balloons into the room.

  "What?" I asked, making sure I heard him correctly even though I knew I had.

  "Apparently, Vayne Driscoll is gathering forces for an all-out attack on the queen?"

  "Who the hell is this Vayne guy and what makes him think he has the stones to rule?" The sweat from our sparring was starting to dry on my skin leaving me feeling dirty and sticky, something I hated, which was hilarious given that where I came from that was pretty much the constant state of things.

  "He is claiming he has the bloodline to rule and is going to undo a lot of the shit that has been happening while I've been away. It seems, the queen has instituted martial law and is threatening to just start executing people who break it. Vayne wants to overthrow the crown in favor of an electoral system, which would basically throw our government into chaos. The people are starvi
ng, and riots are happening all across the country. Nowhere is safe and no one knows who to trust. My sister is begging for me to come home to help her protect our family and her children since her husband was already executed for rebellious thoughts."

  "Rebellious thoughts?"

  "You know we can read each other minds. It's harder to keep my people out of my head than you'd think. The only reason you keep me out so effectively is not only because you're from Agartha but also because I don't want to invade your privacy like that." Dres sighed and slumped down onto a nearby bench as though holding himself up at that moment was just too much to ask.

  "So, you all know what everyone is thinking all the time, and the queen is now executing people who don't think she's fit to rule?"

  "That about sums it up."

  "Shit," I murmured as I wiped my face down with the edge of my t-shirt.

  "Exactly."

  "What can we do?"

  "Fuck if I know." The fact that Dres cursed told me exactly how upset he was.

  "We need something big, something that would unite your people and distract them from the shit storm the ruling class is about to unleash on them," I said as I sat on the floor opposite him.

  "The only thing I can think of is taking the Key to them. It might be able to stall what’s happening and save lives in the process while we run back up for whichever side is in the right."

  "You think the queen might be right in executing people for their thoughts?" I asked, my surprise showing in my tone.

  "I'm not saying that, but she might have her reasons, and we need to find out what those are before we blindly back a side."

  Ever the reasonable zephyr was our Dresden. "Well, what if we go there and run interference until Tessa and the guys get back? Then they can come and join us?"

  He shook his head. "I wouldn't be able to concentrate until I knew Tessa was safe. It would be better if we waited for them and then went, so long as the queen allows us to leave."

  "I'm sure she will, especially if you make it seem as though the new guy, Vayne, wants to side with the one worlders."