Maiden of Atlantis

by Maidenofatlantis(Lit)

  It was the impetus that sent them both over the edge into mindless bliss. They groaned into each others mouths, their bodies convulsing with ecstasy. His hips jerked, and he began pumping into her hard and fast.

  As the last echoes of passion faded, they lay gasping, staring at one another. Claire lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck. Pulling him down until he was lying on top of her, she caressed his back lovingly. After a few moments, he shifted to one side and gathered her close, stroking her back as she had caressed him.

  She was still drifting in a haze of repletion when Eros stiffened suddenly. Alarmed, she lifted her head to look at him questioningly. He was staring at the far wall, but she could tell that his mind was focused inward. "What is it?" she gasped in a frightened whisper.

  Slowly, his gaze focused on her face. He cupped her jaw and kissed her, deeply, with a hint of desperation. Thor comes. Whatever happens, stay close to me.

  Chapter Twelve

  The door to the room burst open abruptly. Soldiers garbed in leather breast plates, helms, gauntlets and leggings, carrying shields and swords and pikes like ancient warriors poured inside. Eros sat up abruptly, thrusting Claire behind him, but his gaze was fixed on the archer.

  "Time walk!" Claire whispered fiercely.

  I can not.

  Why? You did before.

  I can not take you with me and I will not leave you.

  If you leave now, they won’t be able to use me against you!

  And they will have no use for you.

  Claire bit her lip, looking wildly around, but she knew there was no escape. Even if Eros had a weapon, he was no match for so many. As she returned her attention to Eros, however, she saw his body contorting. Black hair sprouted along his spine, then covered his back, his neck, his arms. His skin rippled, the muscles beneath bunching, stretching, changing shape. Abruptly, a deep, feline growl rumbled from his chest.

  "Eros?" Claire squeaked in a frightened whisper.

  His ears twitched in her direction, but his golden gaze was fixed unblinkingly on the door. He snarled a warning as the soldiers, led by Zeus and Mercury, halted on the other side of the bars.

  Zeus’ eyes narrowed. "Attack, and I will have her killed. Yield, and I give my word that Claire will be released unharmed."

  Eros studied him for several long, unnerving moments through his panther eyes, then, as quickly as he had transformed into a huge, black panther, he shifted into the form of a man once more.

  Either he had more faith in Zeus’ word than she did, or he saw that he could not possibly fight them and protect her at the same time. If he made a move in any direction, she had no doubt at all that the archer would find his mark. She would almost have preferred to fight to the death—because she was afraid even that remote chance would be taken from them, but, where there was life, there was always hope.

  She stood up as Eros did, moving to his side. The door opened and a half dozen men surged inside, pulling them apart. Zeus strode to the band Eros had tossed to the floor and retrieved it, examining it carefully. Apparently satisfied, he moved to stand before Claire and placed it on her head.

  He glanced at Eros then, smiling.

  Anger suffused Eros’ face with color. "It is the device."

  Zeus nodded, then shrugged. "You do not believe she could have healed such grievous wounds without some aid? We had to test it—take them."

  Turning, he led the way from the room and back into the corridor. Claire was forced to the front. Behind her were a half a dozen men, and then the men holding Eros. She glance back at him for reassurance, but was jerked forward and almost tripped.

  To her surprise, they were taken to the infirmary. She realized after a moment, however, that the stairwell Mercury had led her through must be the main entrance into, or out of, the compound, perhaps the only entrance. It seemed insane to think it. On the other hand, the rebels were clearly insane.

  She was led to a column and pressed back against it. To her surprise and relief, Eros was shoved into position beside her, and then two men wrapped heavy chains around both of them and the column.

  She looked up at Eros anxiously. As if sensing her gaze, he turned to look at her. With an effort, he moved his hand close enough to hers to clutch her fingers reassuringly.

  Soldiers began to pour into the room. The beds were piled before the outer door, forming a barricade. Moments passed. An absolute silence fell over the group that was more unnerving than anything else. She couldn’t imagine so many men, squeezed together, armed to the teeth for hand to hand combat, standing so perfectly still that not so much as a creak of leather could be heard.

  Her heart beat dully in her chest, hard, pain thrusts that made breathing difficult. When she first became aware of the tremors, she thought it was her own body shaking, but it was unlike anything she had ever felt before.

  Earthquake! Her mind screamed abruptly, her throat closing against any chance of screaming.

  But as she stared around her in stark terror, her gaze was caught by the wall in front of the soldiers. The movement, she realized, was focused there, in the center of the wall. The stones vibrated. Mortar and stone began to disintegrate into grains of sand, crumbling. In little more than two thudding heartbeats, the wall shattered abruptly, flying toward her. Finding her voice, she screamed, turning her face away.

  Even as she did so, however, something heavy and dark slammed against her. Eros grunted as the stones pelted his back.

  Claire was as stunned by the realization that Eros had broken the chains as she was by the exploding wall. She had no time to wonder over it, however. A battle cry went up from a hundred throats and was answered by a hundred more as men poured through the shattered wall.

  Mercury landed abruptly in front of them. His face contorted with hate, he swung his sword at Eros’s neck. Claire’s eyes widened in horror and Eros whirled to face the threat. Catching Mercury’s wrist as he swung, Eros slammed Mercury’s hand against the column only inches from Claire’s head. Despite the unmistakable crunch of bone and flesh, Mercury held fast to the weapon, driving his knee into Eros’ belly. The impact slammed Eros into Claire before she could dodge out of the way. Stunned, Claire would’ve fallen to her knees as he moved away again, if not for the chain still wrapped around her. With an effort, she managed to disentangle herself from the heavy chains as they moved a way from her, locked in a battle for supremacy.

  Raking the room with her gaze for any sign of immediate threat, Claire saw Zeus locked in battle with a man who stood out from the others as starkly as a wolf among sheep. He was golden--his long, flowing hair, his tan skin—and as beautiful as any concept of an angel--or a god.

  Claire had no doubt that this was the Thor of whom Eros had spoken.

  She could tell nothing of the battle, of who seemed to be winning. Blood sprayed from dozens of wounds, half severed heads lolled from gaping necks—blood, there was so much blood, so many screams of agony and rage.

  Clapping her hands over her ears, Claire focused on Eros’ battle. Relief flooded her when she saw that he had managed to find a weapon on his own, but it was far from total relief. Stark terror filled her as she watched their deadly dance. She felt sick—icy cold one moment when it seemed Mercury’s blade would strike home—hot the next as Eros parried and relief momentarily flooded her.

  As suddenly as it began, it ended. Mercury lunged, but his strike went wide as Eros caught him and drove his sword into Mercury’s belly to the hilt. Mercury’s eyes widened in stunned surprise. He coughed and blood surged from his mouth, dripping down his chin. When Eros pulled his sword free, Mercury fell to his knees, hovered for a moment, and then fell flat on his face on the floor.

  Eros’ head whipped toward her. Leaping over Mercury’s body, he skidded to a halt before her. Grabbing her hand, he ran toward the opposite end of the room, shoving her down in the corner. Putting his back to her, he crouched before her, his weapon at the ready.

  Claire hovered behind him, qua
king, trying to stem the terror clawing its way up her spine. She couldn’t think beyond escaping the sights and sounds of the carnage. Covering her ears, she closed her eyes—closed her mind to it, seeking escape from the fear that threatened to overwhelm her.

  From somewhere deep inside, she found the strength she had been seeking, felt the freezing, numbing cold ease from her until she began the feel the ache of her cramped muscles. Slowly, she uncoiled from the tight little ball she had curled into. "Go," she managed to say through chattering teeth. "I’m safe enough here."

  Eros stiffened, but he did not turn. "The fates willing, there will be other battles to fight. I am content to guard you."

  Claire wasn’t certain she believed him. She didn’t want him to chafe at his inability to fight with his fellow Atalanteans, or regret later that he had not helped them when they needed him.

  He shook his head sharply. I would never regret anything save leaving you in danger.

  She might have continued to argue, but the lines broke at that moment. Almost as if a signal had been given, a dozen men surged toward Thor. Zeus broke away in the confusion, gathering men as he fell back. A ragged cry of triumph went up from the Atalatanteans. They charged after the retreating rebels.

  Eros steeled himself, surging to his feet as the battle moved toward them. Erupting from the melee of struggling bodies, Zeus, roaring, raced directly toward them, a dozen men flanking him.

  "Oh my God!" Claire screamed as they fell upon Eros all at once. Carrying him by sheer weight of numbers to the floor, he was stabbed twice in the chest as his arms were caught and held.

  Claire screamed and kept on screaming, scrambling toward him, pressing her palms to his chest to stem the flow of blood. It surged between her fingers, filled her hands, ran down his chest. When she looked up, she saw that the rebels had fled. Thor stood before her, looking down at Eros, his face contorted with sorrow.

  Sobbing, Claire looked down at Eros, knowing she could do nothing.

  Dragging in a shuddering breath, she focused, pulling her healing powers into her hands, feeling heat surge through her arms, into her palms. They had pierced his heart. She pushed the thought aside, focused her mind on his heart. It was a muscle like any other. She could heal it. She knew she could.

  The strength came to her. She focused her entire being on Eros, ignoring Thor as he came to his knees beside them, focusing on tapping the reservoirs of strength she hadn’t even realized that she had. With agonizing slowness, she sensed the flesh beginning to pull together, to knit. She squeezed her eyes shut, commanded the healing to come to her.

  Her arms and hands began to burn. She ignored it, biting her lip, forcing her mind away from the pain that grew more unbearable by the minute, pulling his flesh together until she sensed his heart was whole once more. She lifted her hands then, picturing his heart in her palms, massaging it until it flexed, compressed. Releasing it, she drew back, watching it in her mind breathlessly, waiting. It beat again, stronger, and again.

  Placing her palms on his chest once more, she pulled again from that reservoir of healing strength, closing the flesh above his heart, layer by layer.

  Eros caught her hand abruptly, his fingers digging into her.

  Cease! Now!

  She sat back on her heals, staring at him, stunned.

  Gritting his teeth, he levered himself up on one elbow. It was only then that she became aware of her surroundings once more. The room had emptied of fighting men.

  All save Eros and Thor, who lay lifelessly beside his friend.

  Claire stared at Thor, dumbfounded, unable to grasp that he had fallen, unable to understand how.

  "The headpiece," Eros ground out, gasping with the effort. "You have slain Thor to save me!"

  "I didn’t!" Claire cried. "I couldn’t have! I’m a healer. I’m a healer!"

  Eros collapsed back on the floor. "The head band. That was the trap. It was what they had planned all along. They wanted to draw Thor here."

  Claire could hardly speak for crying. "But … I don’t understand! How? How could they have planned this?"

  Eros covered his eyes with his arm. "By making certain that they found someone who would care for me enough to risk their life--and making certain that I drew Thor to them. They never meant to harm you. I was targeted for death so that you would have to draw upon your powers to heal me. But you could not have healed me without the band--and Thor, who’s life force you have drained to do it."

  Chapter Thirteen

  Claire knew he was right. She had healed a mortal wound to his heart. She had never been able to do such a thing before, and even those wounds she had been able to heal had left her drained, too weak even to move. It must have been the band that had allowed her to heal Eros before. That was the test. They had allowed her to pull just enough energy from them so that they knew that it would work, and then they had left.

  That was why they had been wearing the bands—to protect themselves and make certain she could only pull enough energy from them to assure them it worked.

  And she had still been so weakened by the experience that she had hardly known that she was still a part of the world for more than a day.

  Thor had been far more powerful than the three of them—perhaps more powerful than all of them together. He was the only true threat to their success—and she had helped them to slay him!

  But Eros had stopped her, perhaps in time to save his friend? Her pulse leapt at the thought and she dragged herself across Eros to check Thor for life. She could not find any sign of it, but as she focused upon her healing power, searching deeply, she discovered it—faint, but still a spark.

  To me! To me! Thor has fallen!

  The words erupted in her mind as a bellow of sound. She covered her ears before she even realized the voice rang in her mind and could not be blocked. Her head throbbed painfully.

  The sound of pounding feet on stone, approaching rapidly, penetrated the haze of pain. Within moments, she felt herself seized and lifted. She cried out, struggling.

  Peace, Claire. It is our men.

  She subsided, looking around fearfully, but she saw that the men were garbed as those who had accompanied Thor. Two men stepped forward and grasped Thor by his shoulders and feet. Two others lifted Eros in the same manner. The man who had pulled her to her feet, swept her into his arms and followed.

  When they had climbed over the bodies and debris from the battle and the broken wall, Claire saw that the stairs were gone. A great hole opened above them and she could see the dome above Oceanus, lit now as if the sun shone down upon them.

  As they cleared the room, the first two soldiers, who were carrying Thor, sprouted wings and launched themselves toward the sky. Behind them, the men carrying Eros also sprouted wings and flew up the shaft. Claire glanced up at the man who held her, then locked her arms frantically around his neck and buried her face against his chest as she saw wings sprout from his shoulder blades.

  The rustle of flapping wings filled her ears. Wind swirled around her. In a moment, she felt her stomach drop sickeningly. The air blew harder against her, whistled past her ears as they rose rapidly. Pressure bubbles formed in her ears as they emerged. She swallowed, felt the bubbles rupture.

  Minutes passed. Slowly, her fear subsided enough that she ventured to open her eyes. Her stomach immediately did another free fall. She clutched the soldier more tightly, closing her eyes again. Finally, she nerved herself to open her eyes and take a quick look around.

  Below them, she saw the edge of a wharf. Several small boats bobbed beside it. Abruptly, as the land gave way to nothing but water, the man carrying her began to descend toward the water. Claire stared at the water as it seemed to rush toward her, unable to take her eyes from it, her heart thundering in her ears a mile a minute. She stiffened as she realized they would crash into it, caught her breath, closed her eyes, expecting momentarily to feel crushed by an onslaught of water.

  Instead, stillness surrounded her, silence. When
she opened her eyes, she discovered that she was surrounded by water that did not touch her. Glancing back at the man who’d carried her from the rebel compound, she saw that he was no longer winged, but a man fish—a merman as Eros had been that day that she was captured.

  She was surrounded by some sort of force field, encapsulated in a bubble of air. Shivering, she looked around in awe as a school of fish, swirling like wind swept leaves, swept past them. In a few moments, they entered a tunnel of some sort. It seemed to go on for miles.

  Finally, they emerged once more and the soldier pushed her toward the surface of the water where she could see sunlight dancing, making the peaks of water sparkle like gemstones. The bubble surrounding her vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

  In the near distance, she could see a bay much like the one they had so recently left. Beyond the shore, pale stone and stucco buildings lined narrow streets paved with cobbles. People walked the streets, many as naked as she was, others wearing light, flowing robes, some dressed in bizarre, brightly colored costumes. There were no vehicles of any kind in the streets, only an occasional push cart.

  As they drew closer, she began to see details in the architecture of the buildings, columns, friezes, arches, statuary. In the distance, somewhere near the center of the city, a tower rose well above any surrounding buildings. The city, the buildings, the people bustling in the streets--looked like something from a Grecian, or Roman movie set.

  Here and there she saw people stop, turn to look toward them, their expressions, shocked at first, then fearful, worried, sorrowful. Almost as one, they began to move toward the waterfront. The soldier carrying her set her on her feet as they emerged from the water. Eros, more recovered now, was set on his feet, as well, but the two men who’d carried him, placed a shoulder under each of his arms, half supporting him.

  Still leading were the men who carried Thor. The crowd parted as they approached, formed a column of respect and grief. Guilt swamped Claire. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t known she was part of the conspiracy to destroy the Guardian, that she hadn’t realized that it was his life force that enabled her to heal Eros. She had all but destroyed him and she knew she could not live with herself if she couldn’t find a way to heal him.