The man in the lead stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Thor as if he was seeing a ghost. Slowly, a grim smile dawned. "Thor!"
With the threat past, Thor collapsed abruptly onto the couch behind him. "Eros! What has happened?"
Eros was no longer listening, however. He was staring at the two women who lay on the floor beside the couch. "Claire!" he exclaimed. Striding forward and falling to the floor beside her, he scooped her into his arms. Her head lolled, like a flower on a broken stem. He cupped her head with a hand that shook, tucking her head carefully against his shoulder.
"She will recover—given time."
Holding her tightly to him, Eros looked up quickly at Thor’s comment, feeling relief so potent rush through him that dizziness followed. "Aurora?"
Anguish twisted Thor’s features. He shook his head. "I managed to thrust Claire away in time. Aurora would not release me and I had not the strength to force her from me until it was too late."
The rebels have outflanked us. We have barricaded the entrance, but it will not hold long. They will be upon us. We must destroy the device.
Thor nodded, but looked around the room. Where is Alex, he demanded abruptly.
Eros surveyed the room, as if he might see her hiding in the corner. She was here, with you. Perhaps she went home to see about the babe when the rebels attacked?
Thor lifted his head. Nay! She is here. He rose, stood for a moment to steady himself and moved into the small adjoining sleeping chamber. He found her sleeping as Aurora had left her. Gathering her into his arms, he lifted the slumber from her mind. She climbed slowly toward consciousness and then wakened abruptly as memory flooded back, struggling against Thor for several moments until she realized it was he who held her.
She burst into tears then, hugging him tightly. "I thought you were dead! Don’t ever scare me like that again! What happened? I can’t remember what happened after we brought you here."
Thor’s arms tightened around her for a moment. We do not have time to discuss it, love. The rebellion has started—the rebels are beating at our gates. We have to leave here—now.
"Rebels? The baby! Oh, God! Thor! I left the baby with Miah."
Thor’s arms tightened as she struggled to free herself. He is safe—for now. Miah has taken him to the shelter I built for you. We will go to him together. Right now, we must move quickly to forestall the rebels.
Nodding, Alex scrambled off the bed. She was dismayed, however, to see how weak Thor remained. She clutched at him as he swayed. Fortunately, he was strong enough to catch himself. If her life had depended upon it, she could not have held him upright. You’re still weak.
Aye. And heartsick, as well. But my mother sacrificed her life for me so that I could save her beloved Atlantis. I must try.
"Oh God! No!" Alex exclaimed, pushing away from Thor and rushing from the room. She stopped in the threshold, feeling as if she’d slammed into a stone wall. Aurora lay upon the couch where Thor had lain, her face peaceful.
She might almost have been sleeping.
Alex turned to look up at Thor, who’d come up behind her. "You’re sure? There’s nothing that can be done?"
If there was a way, I would do it—but I can not heal. Only Aurora of all of us had that ability. Claire is nigh too weakened from helping me even to help herself.
Alex burst into tears, but Thor caught her arms, giving her a slight shake.
I need you to be strong for me now. For me, for the babe. We have no time. Already, it could be too late to stop them. He lifted his head and looked at Eros. Leave her. She will be in far less danger here.
Eros’ lips tightened.
Alex will stay and watch over her.
Eros glanced at Alex. After a moment, he nodded. Rising, he carried Claire into the bedchamber and placed her carefully on top of the bed, smoothing her hair from her face.
Thor gasped his arm. I need you. Atlantis needs you.
Eros nodded. After a moment, he turned his back on Claire and strode from the room on Thor’s heels. They paused in the corridor and Thor turned to stare for several moments at the entrance.
Abruptly, he lifted his head, focusing inward. He cursed. The rebels have broken through.
Eros glanced from Thor to the entrance. Light from outside shown through in a dozen places, but it still held.
Nay. Below. They’ve tunneled through the catacombs beneath us. At that, Thor turned away from the entrance and began jogging in the opposite direction. Signaling his men to help the defenders at the entrance, Eros followed Thor into the council room.
Without hesitation, Thor strode toward the dais and leapt on top of it. Grasping the throne of the High Coucilor, he tossed it aside, revealing the door beneath it. It was welded closed, but within moments Thor, focusing a funnel of sound waves, blasted it open.
Grasping the wrought iron handrail revealed in the opening, Thor half slid, half fell down the ladder. Eros, on his heels, managed the steep descent less hazardously.
Thor was already on his feet and racing to yet another ladder when Eros hit the hard packed earth and stone at the base of the first ladder. They descended three more in a similar manner, racing from one to the next. As they reached the final descent, they heard the babble of excited voices, the pounding, that told them the rebels had already reached the chamber.
Roaring in frustration, Thor paused at the final opening, staring down at the milling soldiers, focusing his mind to form a blast of searing sonar. The explosion knocked Eros from his feet. Smoke billowed upward, and the stench of burning flesh.
Coughing, Eros waved his hand in front of him, trying to dispel the smoke enough to see. He caught sight of Thor as he raised his arms above his head and leapt through the opening. Stumbling to his feet, Eros looked around for his sword, scooped it up and followed suit. He landed on a pile of broken, tangled bodies.
His stomach lurched. Swallowing with an effort, he glanced around in search of Thor.
Either the blast had blown the doors wide, or the rebels had burst through even as Thor struck them down. Ignoring the stench, Eros scrambled over the bodies, found his footing at the threshold and stumbled into the chamber.
Thor was standing stock still near the center of the room. We are too late. They have activated the device.
Shut it down!
Thor turned to look at him. We will surely perish if I try it. We have failed.
Bitterness filled Eros. The rebels have won.
Thor shook his head, gesturing toward Zeus’ lifeless body. No one won. We have all lost.
The ground beneath them began to quake, shuddering, groaning and heaving like a wounded beast trying to rise.
Eros glanced around them as the walls began to shudder, crumbling. We have to get out.
Thor nodded tiredly. Save your woman. I must get to Alex.
* * * *
Claire was shaking. She was cold, freezing. Every muscle in her body felt tensed almost to the point of breaking. There was no part of her, not even her mind, that did not ache and burn. When she felt herself rising, she thought at first that it was her spirit fleeing her body.
She felt pain, though, too much pain to be dead. Struggling, she managed to lift her eyelids a fraction. Eros’ worried face came into focus. Blood was smeared across his face, his arms, his leather armor, and her heart clutched painfully with fear. She couldn’t help him. She was too weak.
Peace, beloved. I am well. It is you who are hurt.
She was hurt? How, she wondered? Flickering images of disjointed memories scurried through her mind. "Don’t hate me, please! I tried to fix it."
Eros’ arms tightened around her. Peace, beloved. I know. Gather your strength. You may need it still if we are to escape this death trap.
The comment sent a jolt of alarm through her, but she couldn’t even gather enough energy to feel the fear the words should have inspired. Darkness closed around her again. She was jolted awake again only moments later as smoke filled her nostrils an
d a great roar filled her ears. Clutching frantically at Eros, she lifted her head and looked around.
Horror seized her. Smoke billowed around them. The ground shook. Tongues of flame leapt from the buildings around them and stone rained down all around them. Her stomach went weightless as Eros launched himself into the air with a great sweep of his wings. Coughing, her eyes tearing from the smoke, Claire burrowed against Eros’ chest. "What’s happening?"
Atlantis is rising. We were too late to stop the rebels.
"Oh my God!" She lifted her head once more, trying to peer through the drifts of smoke. She could see little behind them, but the noise was deafening. She faced forward once more when she felt Eros dipping downward. Her heart leapt in her throat when she saw the channel. It looked as if it were buckling. Water lapped the top edge of the rounded tube as if it had begun to dip downward. We’re not going in there!
There is no other way out. Atlantis is at the heart of Atalantium. We can not reach the exit shafts from here.
A bubble of air enveloped her as they dove beneath the wildly churning waters. Claire gasped anyway, flinching. Fear washed over her as she saw chunks of stone dropping into the water all around them. The walls wouldn’t hold. Any moment they would disintegrate, she knew, and rupture the protective field around her.
She wanted to cling to Eros, but she couldn’t even reach him now. She could do nothing but watch in horror as, all around them, the Atlanteans fled, struggling to pass each other, threatening momentarily to bottle neck the small channel in their maddened dash for safety. For hours, it seemed, they struggled to reach the other end of the channel, hampered by the other Atlanteans.
Brace yourself. The dome has ruptured.
The words had barely registered in her mind when an invisible force smacked into them. Claire closed her eyes as she spun dizzily, slamming into first one side of the channel and then the other. They emerged at last in Oceanus’ bay, bobbing to the surface.
Chaos reigned here as well, however. Claire clung to Eros as they were battered on every side. Eros was gasping for breath. He glanced around them, searching.
"What is it?"
The exit channel has collapsed.
Thor surfaced nearby. The woman Claire had seen before was clinging to him, a small child clutched protectively to her chest. As Eros had, Thor scanned the bay, the dome above them—the burning city that had once been Oceanus. The dome is holding, but we can not trust that it will remain in tact. If it fails, it will sweep us away.
Alex and Claire exchanged a look. Neither Thor nor Eros would have been greatly concerned about it for themselves. There was danger for everyone, but less so for the Atlanteans. They could breathe beneath the water.
"Do not even think it!" Thor and Eros said at almost the same moment.
Thor and Eros looked at each other assessingly. The channel is our only hope. Protect my family for me and I will go and open it.
Before either Alex or Claire could say anything, Thor thrust Alex and the baby at Eros and ducked beneath the waves. Eros considered their position for several moments and finally decided they were as safe as possible where they were.
Claire swallowed, felt her ears pop. "Pressure. The pressure is changing!"
Alex stared at her. "She’s right. We’re rising."
Eros’ lips tightened. There was no way to tell if the pressure would be a threat to the outworlders. He couldn’t detect it himself. He couldn’t chance it, however. Claire. Help Alex to tread water.
Releasing her grip around Eros’ neck, she moved toward Alex. Alex, who’d been holding herself and the baby above water by holding onto Eros’ other arm, released him and grabbed for Claire. A pressure bubble appeared around them. They huddled close, the baby between them, but it was easy for Claire to see that Alex was as scared as she was. "It’s a boy?"
Alex smiled nervously. "Rory."
Claire bit her lip. "He is so quiet."
Alex looked down at him. "Thor put him deeply to sleep. We didn’t want him to be frightened."
Claire nodded and fell silent. Unable to think of anything else to say.
"Thor is stronger now. He can do it," Alex offered.
As if on cue, a hard vibration shuddered through the water and echoed through them. Despite the pressure bubble around them, Claire felt heat as the water temperature rose suddenly. She glanced, wide eyed, at Alex, wondering if they were about to be boiled alive. Before she could voice her fears, Thor surfaced once more. I have cleared a way--but we must hurry. It will not hold long.
Reaching for Alex, Thor gathered her and their baby close for a moment. In the next, he had encased them in a bubble and dove beneath the water with them. Claire was stunned when he reached through the bubble with no difficulty whatsoever and removed Alex and the baby without rupturing it. She was still trying to figure out why she’d imagined it was a bubble at all when Eros pushed her beneath the waves and followed Thor.
Melted stone was the first thing that Claire saw of the exit shaft. Now solidified, it looked like hardened candle drippings—but not lava, she realized even as the thought occurred to her to wonder if an erupting volcano beneath the sea had created the heat in the water.
Sound waves.
Claire looked back at Eros.
Sound? Did this? She almost felt foolish for questioning it. But the magnitude of it! It was difficult to believe that a man could have control of such a thing.
There was little room for doubt, for all that. Thor had not been carrying anything, no weapon beyond his sword, certainly not any explosives. In any case, the blast, she soon saw, had traveled almost in a straight line outward creating a narrow tunnel barely wide enough for three men to swim abreast of one another. No explosives known to man could do such a thing.
Even as she stared at it in wonder, however, cracks began to appear in the surfaces above them, below them. Small pieces of stone broke loose and began to fall, striking the bubble surrounding her like huge chunks of hail, pelting against Eros, who had no protection from it.
Terror surged through her as she looked behind them. The tunnel was collapsing!
She curled into a tight ball, trying to control her wildly thundering heart, fighting the urge to yield to mindless terror.
The noise receded, became fainter and fainter and Claire lifted her head at last to see that they’d emerged from the tunnel. Behind them a half a dozen merfolk emerged. She turned her head away as, with a great rumble, the exit tunnel collapsed, trapping everyone inside who had not managed to escape ahead of them.
Chapter Sixteen
The sun was just peering over the horizon when they bobbed to the surface. Claire could barely believe it. She turned full circle. Around them, as far as the eye could see, was nothing but swells of ocean. We made it! We got out!
Eros pulled her close and kissed her soundly on the mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back. Almost reluctantly, he pulled away from her and looked around.
Thor and his wife and son had surfaced some distance away.
"Are we safe here?"
Thor was frowning. "We will know in a few minutes," he said, staring grimly at the water to the west of them. He frowned. This way!
Like a school of fish, the Atlanteans bobbing on the water to the west of them dipped beneath the surface almost as one, their tail fins slicing through the air as they dove. Within moments, the water around them was churning with people. Claire didn’t know whether to weep or feel gladness, but both emotions nearly overwhelmed her. There must be thousands of Atalanteans in the water, but there could not be anywhere the number who had once lived on Atalantium. Atlantis and Oceanus had both been cities of thousands. Eros had said there were seven great cities.
To their left, someone shouted and Claire was jerked from her morbid thoughts. Turning to look, she saw the ocean heave upwards, saw jagged stones emerge as the sea yielded up a great chunk of what had been part of Atalantium. In the distance, another piece emerged and then another
. Each time something emerged, the Atalanteans let out a ragged yell of triumph and excitement.
Pity nearly overwhelmed her as she watched them, as she turned to study Eros’ face. His expression was stony, but she knew he must be devastated. "It looks like some of the houses are almost intact," she offered tentatively.
He glanced at her, swallowed with some difficulty and then looked away again. As the day wore on, Claire began to wonder what they would do—where they would go.
Eros turned to look at her. "I can take you to your home."
If he had slapped her she didn’t think it would have hurt any worse. "Where I belong?" she managed to ask.
He looked away. "My home was there," he said, pointing.
Claire followed the direction, but she couldn’t tell if he was pointing to a specific area or the broken bits in general.
She cleared her throat. "I don’t have a home either," she said tentatively.
He said nothing more and after a while she glanced around at the other Atalanteans and then frowned. They seemed to be waiting for something.
The islands drift with the current. Thor is guiding them. We wait to see if the islands will ground themselves, continue to drift …. Or sink.
Claire couldn’t even tell the land was moving. She realized that she was hungry and thirsty, but then so, too, must everyone else be. Finally, exhausted, she slept, her head resting on Eros’ shoulder. She was awakened hours later by a ragged cheer. With an effort, she lifted her head and looked around to see what all of the excitement was about. She could see nothing at all different except that the Atalanteans were now moving rapidly toward the remains of Atalantium.
"What’s happened?"
Eros smiled wearily at her. The islands have settled on a shelf.
Claire stared at him a moment. "They’re stable?"
We will see. First, I will take you onto the land.
* * * *
Claire found when Eros set her down that she couldn’t hold herself up. Eros had protected her for much of the long day by encasing her in the pressure bubble, but she knew how tired he was and she had spent almost as much time in the water. As a result, she was sunburned, as wrinkled as a prune and too weak even to hold herself up at first. She sat in the sand, watching Eros and Thor as they returned to the sea, watching Atalanteans emerge from the water by pairs, in threesomes, alone, and merely stand for long periods of time, staring at the wreckage of their city.
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