by John Corwin
"Long ago, yes," he said. "The practice was banned by the gods not long after they arrived on Mount Olympus."
"Interesting." I made eye contact with Elyssa. "Sounds like the gods want to corner the market on magic."
"Good luck with that," Elyssa said. "The Sirens probably use magic all the time."
About two-thirds of the way up the mountain, Adonis stopped in front of a tall mansion with soaring columns and domes. What had once been brightly painted murals on the outer walls had faded with age, though not as much as one might expect from thousands of years of weathering.
"This is where you will be staying." Adonis motioned us inside and held up his hands to keep the crowd from following.
The foyer and most of the rooms on the first floor were empty aside from some marble tables and bronze chairs, and aside from murals on the walls, there were no other decorations.
As Adonis explained, "We have comfortable furniture, but there is no need for it in uninhabited abodes." He then led us into a bath house that could have easily accommodated twenty people, though I didn't relish the thought of bathing with Shelton or Adam around.
Elyssa was thinking the same thing. "Is this the only place to take a bath?"
"Each bedroom has a small bathroom," Adonis said. "You will find the toilets in there as well."
"Regular toilets?" Shelton sighed. "Guess I gotta start wiping again."
Elyssa's mouth dropped open. "TMI, Shelton!"
Adonis showed us the upstairs bedrooms which contained the bottom half of giant clam shells instead of beds.
Shelton ran his hand along the edge. "Are we supposed to sleep in these things?"
Adonis pulled a bronze lever and the shell filled with water. "Now you may sleep in it."
"I ain't sleeping in water!" Shelton looked at him as if he were crazy. "What do I look like, a mermaid?"
Adam hopped right in. Instead of splashing into water, it sank down like a cushion and supported him. "Wow—it's like a water bed but without all the sloshing. Give it a try!"
I sat down on it and discovered it was nearly as comfortable as a cloud bed. "Must be Siren magic."
"Indeed," Adonis said. "Now, if you'll step this way, please." He showed us the bathroom which was marble from top to bottom and had a deep circular bath with bronze faucets and handles. There was even a hand shower. The toilet was short and squat with a thick lip instead of a seat.
"Where's the toilet paper?" Shelton asked.
Adonis frowned. "What use is paper with a toilet?"
Elyssa groaned. "He means for cleaning your backside after, you know."
"Ah." Adonis grinned and pointed to a bronze handle. "Press down to flush, and pull up for a jet of water to sanitize."
Shelton shrugged. "Not as good as mist bathroom, but it'll do."
"I should be surprised they have running water," Adam said, "but then again, this is Atlantis."
"The Sirens used their water magic to make it possible," Adonis said. "They helped our ancestors build this city with their songs of creation. Their magic desalinates the ocean water and distributes it to our homes, cold or hot."
The image of two Sirens singing an Obsidian Arch into existence flashed through my mind. They'd been the builders for the Apocryphan. They'd probably sung this city into existence by growing it out of the mountain itself. Could they sing new a new Alabaster Arch? If the Sirens had been separated from their kin for so long, they might not have learned the magic behind it.
"This place is truly a marvel," Adam said. "I'd love to study the magic that made it."
"You mentioned mist bathrooms," Adonis said. "What are those like?"
"They use magic mist to dispose of the waste and clean you all at once," Shelton said. "Makes going potty a cinch!"
Adonis's forehead wrinkled. "This sounds very much like the bathrooms in Heval."
I caught looks from Adam and Elyssa and wondered if it might shock our host to know we came in on a ship full of people with powers like their gods. "Have you heard of Seraphim?"
He nodded. "Yes, the gods of Heval once ruled the angels before the destruction of the world."
This guy doesn't even know his gods are just angels. I decided not to broach the subject right now. "Interesting. Well, we're going to rest before supper."
Adonis bowed. "Very well. Since tonight is a special occasion, we will eat at the acropolis on the mountain summit."
"The one with the huge statue of Poseidon?" Shelton said.
Adonis nodded. "The very same."
"Isn't an acropolis a defensive structure?" Adam asked.
"Perhaps it once was," Adonis said. "Now we use it for gatherings and celebrations." He smiled. "And the view is lovely."
After he left, I went upstairs and sank into a clam bed. Elyssa curled up next to me and groaned with appreciation. "This is amazing."
I wrapped my arms around her and smiled. "Lying anywhere with you is amazing."
I jerked awake to the sound of a horn in the distance. The room was pitch black but my demonic night vision kicked in, casting a bluish glow on the surroundings. Elyssa's violet eyes glowed back at me, her dhampyric night vision granting her sight.
When I stood up, the sconces on the wall began to glow and my night vision flickered off.
"The Sirens really know how to build a house." I peered inside the sconces and saw what looked like glowing algae inside.
Elyssa rubbed her eyes. "Is it time to eat?"
The horn trumpeted again. "I think so."
"Either that or we're under attack from the Kraken." Elyssa flashed a smile.
I snorted. "You joke, but the fact that we're standing in the lost city of Atlantis proves that anything is possible." I wanted to spend a few days just sight-seeing, but unfortunately, we had a mission to complete. Even more unfortunate was the fact that I had no idea what Kaelissa might want from this place. Did she know about Atlantis? Did she think they had advanced weapons of some sort?
I need to have a conversation with Adonis. Maybe there was an ancient super weapon somewhere in the Atlantean arsenal.
A large bronze chest that hadn't been there before sat just inside the door. Elyssa opened it and oohed at the clothing inside. "Finally something besides Nightingale armor."
We left the house both wearing the local fashions—Elyssa in a dress, and me in a blue tunic.
"It's weird not having underwear," I complained as we made our way up the stairs. "My junk keeps flapping around."
Elyssa rolled her eyes. "I told you to wear the loincloth."
Bronze lamps with shimmering spheres of glowing water lit the way up the winding road. A long chariot drawn by a team of horses and loaded with people came up beside us and stopped.
"It's the guests!" a young woman shouted.
"May we offer you a ride?" the driver asked.
"Yes, thanks." Elyssa stepped onto the back of the chariot and took a seat on a bench. I sat down next to her and crossed my legs so nobody would look up my tunic.
"You're so beautiful," the woman said to Elyssa.
"Thanks," I said. "I moisturize daily."
The woman's eyes flashed with surprise and then she burst into laughter along with the others.
"He's funny," a man said. "I am looking forward to his stories."
Moments later, we reached the grand building at the summit. The acropolis towered above, and the statue of Poseidon looked as huge as the goliath stone golems we'd fought during the war against Daelissa. Thankfully, this one hadn't been enchanted to life.
Statues of Sirens and other people circled the courtyard outside the building, possibly a monument of the original builders. Tall marble obelisks bore finely etched words. I stopped at one and realized it was a history of the Siren immortalized in stone next to it.
Once upon a time, Arine, mother of Narine, Jident, and Flohn left her homeland, Aquilis, to escape the Apocryphan rule. She convinced a group of Tridents and Sirens to follow her across the world where they disc
overed a place untouched by mortals or immortals.
Elyssa gripped my shoulder. "Hey, let's eat. You can read their stories later."
I took in the hundreds of statues and marble slabs and realized I had a lot of reading to do. My stomach grumbled and let me know I also had a lot of eating to do to make it happy, so I took Elyssa's hand and we went inside.
Music from lutes, lyres, and harps played a fast-paced ditty that adults and children alike danced to around a huge globe of brilliantly glowing water in the middle of the acropolis. I saw a group of people with bluish skin just like Lash and his friends, but I didn't recognize any of them. They seemed comfortable mixing with the mortals, and I hoped they were a bit more polite than Lash.
Adam stood on a stone pedestal near the glowing water, a tight knot of people around him as he spoke. We walked closer and heard him telling a story about how he and Shelton had pranked someone at Arcane University. While the story was considered legendary by the participants, it certainly didn't compare to everything else he'd been through. When he reached the part about how their hapless target had lost all his hair and begun clucking like a chicken, the crowd burst into laughter. Even the first time I'd heard the story I thought it was more cruel than funny, but these poor people were absolutely starved for entertainment.
Adam looked delighted to have his crowd hooked on every word. "We finally took pity on George and gave him the antidote. The moral of the story, folks, is don't try to get someone else in trouble for something you did."
The audience burst into cheers.
"Better even than Aesop!" one woman exclaimed.
I spotted the only frowning face in the crowd, an old man on the opposite side. "If looks could kill," I murmured.
Elyssa had seen the old man as well. "He must be the local storyteller or something."
A horn sounded twice in succession and then drums began rattling a beat designed to get people excited. The dancing stopped and the people stood to the sides as a procession of people laden with trays of food marched inside, setting their goodies on tables and making way for those following while everyone cheered loudly at the procession.
Adam hopped off the table and stood next to us. "Man, I can't wait to see how they react when they hear some of our really outrageous stories."
"I'll let Justin do all the telling," Elyssa said. "He's more entertaining to watch."
I was about to respond, but the sight of Shelton and three other people carrying trays filled with bacon cheeseburgers and French fries made me lose all concentration. Suddenly, there was nothing I wanted more than to be face-first in burgers.
"Holy crap!" Adam nearly danced with glee. "Looks like Shelton has been busy in the kitchen!"
Elyssa laughed. "Leave it up to Shelton to make hamburgers in Atlantis."
I could hardly hear her over the sound of my mouth watering.
The food parade ended moments later, and Adonis stepped up onto the stone pedestal. "Today we give thanks to the gods for our guests and the stories they have to tell."
The crowd burst into cheers.
Adonis smiled. "I hope old Aesop's memory is good enough to remember them all for the retelling."
People burst into laughter and the old man looked ready to cry.
"Aww, poor man!" Elyssa said. "Maybe I should give him a new story to tell."
"You're such a softie." I kissed her cheek. "I'm sure he'd love having some pretty young thing telling him stories."
Adonis spoke again. "For now, let us enjoy the exotic foods prepared for us by the legendary Harry Shelton."
Shelton pumped a fist. "Tonight you'll learn what real food tastes like!"
The crowd roared with approval.
Adonis cleared his throat and motioned to the table. "Guests go first, please."
Adam looked flummoxed. "Since when is Shelton legendary?"
"Just ask him," Elyssa said. "I'm sure he'll tell you."
I would have stuck around and laughed, but the siren song of all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun proved irresistible. I grabbed two burgers, some fries, and a goblet of red wine since they didn't have soda. Shelton had even made fresh catsup from ground tomatoes. Without waiting for anyone else, I sat down at a table and bit into the juiciest burger I'd ever had the pleasure of eating. The crispy bacon atop the patty practically melted in my mouth.
Shelton sat down across from me, a huge grin on his face. "You in heaven?"
"Om-nom-nom," I moaned in pleasure. "You're my hero."
He took a gulp of wine and leaned forward on the table. "Yeah, I know."
"Aren't you going to have one?" I asked.
He laughed. "Man, I ate the first three that I made."
Adam sat down next to him, three burgers on his plate. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the legendary Harry Shelton."
Shelton threw up his hands. "Guilty as charged."
Elyssa dropped into a seat with two burgers on her plate and gave Shelton a respectful nod. "I'll admit it—you really pulled off an epic mealtime."
"Guess what I'm making tomorrow?" A grin split Shelton's face.
It wasn't hard to figure out since we'd shared our culinary fantasies after being stuck with Seraphim cuisine for so long. "Pizza!"
"Can I use the word epic again?" Adam said. "Because pizza would be totally epic!"
"Dude, the food here is so fresh, it's unbelievable." Shelton sighed and looked at our burgers. "Damn, I think I'm hungry again already."
Adam grinned. "I won't tell Bella if you won't."
Shelton raced away to get another burger.
The Atlanteans, for the most part, seemed a bit unsure about the burgers until the first few bit into them and loudly exclaimed their divine nature.
"Surely, this is food from the gods," one man said between mouthfuls of French fries.
Shelton sat back down. "I think they like my cooking!"
Adam polished off his last burger and sat back, swishing wine in his goblet. "While I am tickled pink to have real food once again, I think we should talk about why we're here."
For a moment, I'd stopped thinking about our mission. Now that I'd finally tasted hamburgers again, it was time to talk business.
Shelton sighed. "Thanks for spoiling the mood."
"No, Adam's right." Elyssa wiped her mouth with a cloth napkin. "We've finally reached the middle of Voltis, but we have no idea where the secret weapon is."
"Man, these people wouldn't know war if it bit them in the ass." Shelton looked at the cavorting crowd as the music picked up once again. "Ain't no way they have a super weapon tucked away somewhere."
"Unfortunately, I think I know exactly what Kaelissa wants." Adam's eyes looked troubled. "And if she gets it, we're screwed."
Chapter 24
Adam's statement sent a chill through me. Ever since the first time I'd met him, he'd proven himself to be a genius when it came to coding magical spells and seeing patterns where most people would only see gibberish. That was why, when he thought we were screwed, odds were pretty good that he was right.
Elyssa proved she was no slouch at evaluating danger and stole some of Adam's thunder. "It has to do with the bloodstones."
Surprise flickered through Adam's eyes. "Yeah, that's exactly right." He chuckled. "You're definitely your father's daughter."
Her cheeks flushed red and her eyelids fluttered with pleasure. "Thank you, Adam. That's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all day."
Shelton groaned. "Do you think Kaelissa wants to use the bloodstones on the Atlanteans?"
"No," Adam said. "On the gods." He jabbed a finger into the distance. "She wants to control the Fallen."
I smacked the heel of my hand on my forehead. "Of course! It's so simple."
"Do you really think Gallifer and his pals are that strong?" Shelton shook his head. "I know they're ancient and all, but what makes them more powerful than any other Seraphim?"
"They're second or third gener
ation Seraphim," Adam said. "They're probably just as powerful with Brilliance as they are with Murk."
"Not only that," Elyssa said, "but they've had access to mortals over a thousand years."
Feeding on human soul essence amplified Seraphim magic considerably and Daelissa had proven that the feeding on humans over centuries flushed her with even more power. Unfortunately, Daelissa had limited her feeding to only light essence and driven herself insane. If the Fallen had been feeding on human soul essence all this time, there was no telling how strong they might be.
"First thing in the morning we should pay a visit to Heval." I munched on a fry and considered our approach. "At least since the Fallen tried to use a bloodstone, they'll know how serious a threat Kaelissa poses. Maybe they'll know how to counter her."
Shelton held up his hands. "Do we really want to visit the Fallen? They might just kill us."
Adam frowned. "In all the time they've been here, they don't seem to have harmed the locals."
"We can't just let Kaelissa get the drop on them," I said. "I'm sure they'll be grateful. Then we can go home."
"Speaking of which," Adam said, "that might be harder than you think."
"Son of a—"Shelton put down his half-eaten burger. "You really know how to spoil my mood."
"After Justin found out about pocket dimension, I studied Queens Gate and the Grotto." He leaned back in his chair. "The scans came back almost identical to my scans of Eden, but they also have slightly altered gravity—a side effect of touching the Glimmer."
"Does this place have the same gravity?" I asked.
Adam shook his head. "No. I think this place is not a full realm or a pocket dimension. I'm just taking a guess, but putting together the puzzle pieces from the stories Narine and the others told us, I think this might be a fragment of the original Earth."
Elyssa's mouth hung open. "You mean before the Sundering?"
"Pristine Earth?" Shelton said.
Adam nodded. "Do you remember when the Alabaster Arches weren't working?"
"Yeah, kinda hard to forget," I said.
"Remember the gray static and lightning when the portals tried to form?" Adam showed us a video of an arch sparking and roiling with gray clouds where a clear portal should be.