Atlantis Reborn

by Gloria Craw

  Theron looked down at his bare feet. “Have fun,” he said. “I’ll just be cauterizing my wounds upstairs.”

  I smiled and mouthed, You big baby, as Katherine led me down the hall.

  “Make yourself at home,” she said, ushering me into the suite. “I need to get some things from the closet, and I’ll join you back here.”

  Sitting down on the Thanes’ comfortable sofa, I considered the difference between their suite and mine. The size and layout was similar, but mine definitely had a better view of the ocean. That was more than made up for by the fact that they had furniture to sit on. I had nothing but a lot of crates to go through.

  There were some amazing paintings hanging on the walls, too. One in particular caught my attention, and I got up for a closer look.

  It was a depressing scene, featuring two laborers with dirty faces and even dirtier clothes having a beer in a dark tavern. It was how the artist caught their expressions that intrigued me. I could almost feel the grind of their everyday lives and their acceptance of poverty. I breathed a long breath. Regardless of the gloomy subject matter, the artist had been a genius.

  I searched the canvas for a signature and then said, “Holy crap. This is a van Gogh.”

  From the bedroom, Katherine replied, “Yes. I bought it from Vincent in 1885. His talent was obvious, but I never guessed his work would be as valuable as it is now.” She came to stand beside me. “I have a Raphael, a Rembrandt, and a Vermeer in Sydney.”

  “I’d love to see them,” I admitted.

  “I’m certain you will,” she responded with a small smile. “I’m giving this van Gogh to you as a gift.”

  I snorted a laugh. “I didn’t think you were the practical joke kind, Katherine.”

  “I’m not. When you settle somewhere, it’s yours.”

  “I can’t accept…”

  She shook her head. “My son is alive because of you,” she interjected. “Consider it a token of appreciation.”

  Ian came out of his room, rubbing his eyes. “Yes…please take it,” he remarked. “That one gives me nightmares.”

  Katherine ignored him. “Come and see what I brought for you, Alison,” she said.

  She laid three dresses out on the sofa. They were various shades of light blue, and the fabric and styles were different. Holding one of them up to my chin, she checked the length.

  “Perfect,” she said. “What do you think?”

  The dress was long to the floor and had sleeves that would end in a point above my wrists. The neckline was square, and the waist was low. The skirt flared out below it. Katherine ran her fingers down the length of a sleeve. Everywhere she touched the material turned all the colors of the rainbow and then faded back to blue. “The style is a bit antiquated,” she said, “but the technology in the fabric more than makes up for it, I think.”

  I nodded my agreement and ran a finger over the dress like she’d done. “It’s beautiful,” I said.

  Pleased that I liked it, she put it back on the sofa and held up another dress. It was the darkest of three and also long. Instead of sleeves, it had thin shoulder straps. If I judged correctly, it would be form-fitting and chic. Katherine pointed to three pairs of shoes she’d set on the coffee table. “I know you don’t like heels, but for this dress, I think they’re a must.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll be able to walk in them,” I replied, “but I’ll give them a try.”

  Ian chuckled. “You’re turning her into a girl, Mom.”

  Katherine gave him the you’re not as funny as you think look and then lifted the final hanger. “This is what you’ll wear to the naming ceremony,” she said.

  Upon closer examination, it seemed more like a long sheet looped over a hanger several times than a dress. “Ah…how do you wear it?” I asked.

  Instead of replying, she unwound the fabric from the hanger and draped one end over my shoulder. Then she did a series of complicated wraps around my waist, pulled the remaining fabric across my back, and secured the two ends on top of my shoulder with a glittery pin.

  “All of the female clan chiefs wear something similar to this,” she said, stepping back to check her work, “but in our own clan colors.”

  “So, yours is red,” I surmised.

  She nodded. “You and I are lucky. Amelia Dawning has to wear orange.”

  I envisioned the tiny Dawning clan chief, who had strawberry-blond hair, in an orange toga and made a sympathetic face.

  “Exactly,” Katherine said, undoing the pin and beginning to unwrap me.

  “The Thane color is red, and your seal is a knife with a curved blade,” I said. “What’s your motto?”

  “Defenders unto death,” Ian replied blandly. “It doesn’t exactly inspire warm, fuzzy feelings.”

  I was helping Katherine put the length of material back on its hanger when Spencer, Theron, and Lillian came into the suite.

  “Oh, good,” Katherine said. “You’re right on time. I was about to go over the bonding ritual with Alison. Have a seat and get comfortable. I’ll hang these up and join you in a second.”

  “Bonding ritual,” I said, sitting next to Ian. “What’s that?”

  No one would make eye contact with me, and I started to feel a little bit sick. “It’s the part with the blood, isn’t it?” I grumbled.

  “I told you to look through the book,” Lillian chided.

  Katherine came back carrying a silver box in her hand. “This has been passed down through generations of Laurels,” she said, handing it to me.

  The box was heavy and, like the crates in my suite, vibrated with my clan’s signature. Feeling a sense of awe, I lifted the lid and looked inside. A small dagger was lying on a bed of light-blue velvet. The hilt was inlaid with white and blue stones I was sure were diamonds and sapphires.

  “It’s called Gladium Laurus,” Spencer said. “It means dagger of the Laurels. Each clan has one.”

  I gently picked it up by the hilt, noticing how beautifully the light reflected off the precious stones. The dagger wasn’t just for show, because the blade had been sharpened to a fine edge. “And what do I do with it?” I asked.

  “It’s a ceremonial knife,” Katherine explained. “You’ll use it during the part of your naming ceremony called the bonding ritual.”

  I gulped as a few unpleasant scenarios passed through my mind.

  “The bonding ritual is between you, the water, and Atlantis,” Spencer explained. “It happens at sunrise as we float above where Atlantis used to be.” He turned his palm up so the V in it looked like an island poking out of the ocean. Pointing to one end, he said, “Starting here, you trace a cut along the mark in your hand. It needs to be deep enough for your blood to flow freely, because you’ll let some fall into the ocean. As your blood mixes with the seawater, you signify a renewed bond with Atlantis.”

  “Okay,” I said unenthusiastically.

  “You make the same cut in Lillian’s and Theron’s palms,” Katherine said. “Then they add their blood to the water, too.”

  That’s when I really felt sick. “You’ve got to be kidding,” I objected. “I can’t cut them like that.”

  “You can, and you must,” she insisted.

  I looked at my two friends. “If you want to back out, I’ll completely understand,” I said.

  Theron shook his head. “As unenjoyable as I’m sure it will be, I’ll stand by you.”

  Next to him, Lillian shrugged. “I’ve been through worse,” she said without a hint of emotion.

  Theron put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “See, this little ball of sunshine won’t abandon you, either,” he said. “So, it’s the three of us against the Gladium Laurus.”

  Lillian’s lips twitched, and the corners turned up.

  Seeing it, Ian muttered, “She smiled…my mind is officially blown.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  I was in my room hanging the dresses Katherine gave me when Ian knocked on my door. “Come in,” I said, peek
ing out of the closet to give him a welcoming smile.

  He walked to my bed, sat down, and flopped back on the mattress with his arms spread above his head. “I just had an interesting conversation with Theron,” he remarked.

  Knowing it had been about the Vasitass and potential hybrids, I closed the closet and went to sit by him. “How do you feel about it?” I asked.

  “You mean how do I feel about some lunatic having the recipe to make more crazies like Sebastian and offering to sell it to the clan chiefs?” he asked with a frustrated expression. “Not so good. We just can’t catch a break. I’d hoped you’d get through your naming ceremony, move to Sweden, and attend twenty years of low-key roundtable meetings before destiny dropped another bomb in our laps.”

  “No such luck,” I remarked, feeling equally cheated.

  “You and Theron are right, though,” he added. “We have to know what’s on that video the Vasitass have.”

  “So, you’ll get Rose out of the house tonight?” I asked.

  His arm snaked around my waist, and he pulled me down next to him.

  “I already called her on Theron’s fancy phone,” he said. “I’m taking her to dinner.”

  Remembering how Rose had clung to him, I started to feel uncomfortable. I hadn’t been jealous before, but I was suddenly struck by the idea that the two of them could likeness. I shivered at the thought.

  Knowing Ian wasn’t looking forward to his night out any more than I was, I tried to keep things light. “At least you’re cheating on me for a good cause,” I said.

  “This will only encourage her,” he complained. “When you’re ready to make our relationship public, I’m going to kiss you in front of her at every opportunity. Maybe that will send a clear enough message, and she’ll leave me alone.”

  I chuckled wryly. “Or she’ll try to kill me and make it look like an accident, so you’ll be all hers.”

  The worry line near his eye deepened. It was the only imperfection on his face, and he had it because he’d killed another dewing to save my life. “Don’t say things like that,” he told me. “I’m a little sensitive about people trying to kill you. It almost happened twice.”

  Snuggling closer to him, I listened to the steady beat of his heart. There had been a time when I thought Ian would be killed, too. I never wanted to feel that desperately lost again.

  He brushed some stray hairs behind my ear and said, “You told me earlier you were shutting the door on your past, but there’s something I think you should know.”

  I almost refused to hear it, but respect for Ian’s judgement won me over. “Okay,” I replied, “go ahead.”

  “Alex has been sneaking out of the house” he said. “The past three nights, he crossed town and spent hours at a sketchy skate park. He sneaks back in through the laundry room window in the morning.”

  “Oh, no,” I whispered, sitting up.

  “Donavan has security guys tailing him,” Ian continued. “He’s safe, but it’s not the best way to deal with grief.”

  “I thought Alex had changed enough to turn to our parents for help to get through this,” I said. “I should have known better.”

  “I think he wants to get away from the house because it reminds him of you,” Ian suggested.

  I nodded. “He’s distancing himself from the source of pain. That’s how kids like us are conditioned to cope. It’s how we survive.”

  “Is that what you want for Alex?” he asked. “Do you want him to go through all of this alone?

  “No,” I said miserably. “He needs help, support, and encouragement.”

  “And don’t you need those things, too?” he pressed.

  “I have responsibilities. I can’t…”

  “You can’t what?” he interjected. “Be sad…worry…grieve?”

  “You don’t understand,” I muttered, moving to get up.

  He caught my hand and pulled me back. “I don’t understand because you won’t talk to me. Theron told me you shrugged him off when he asked how you were doing, and I can’t imagine you and Lillian have had a heart-to-heart. You want to build a wall between you and the past eighteen years of your life, but it won’t work. Like it or not, you’re going to have to deal with your emotions, so why not let someone help you. What are you so afraid of?”

  With everything else on my mind, it was like he’d laid the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back.

  Turning an angry look on him, I replied, “I’m afraid of everything. I’m afraid my parents won’t recover from what I did to them. I’m afraid I’ve ruined Alex’s chances of living a well-adjusted life. I’m afraid of the responsibility of being a clan chief but just as scared the others won’t accept me. I’m afraid Theron is so messed up he’ll start living like a hermit in the jungles of India. I’m afraid Lillian will die any day now.” My voice cracked, and my eyes burned with unshed tears. “I’m afraid you’ll likeness with someone else. And I’m terrified that after losing everyone I’ve ever loved, loneliness will eat me alive.”

  He sat up and pulled me to him. “Your parents are devastated right now,” he admitted, “but they’re grateful they had you as long as they did. It won’t be easy, but they’re going to be able to move on. I’m returning to Vegas after the roundtable, and I’ll stick to Alex like glue. If I have to, I’ll postpone moving until I’m sure he’s going to be okay. As far as Theron goes, he might very well end up a hermit. Lillian will eventually die. But you will not lose everyone you love because you are meant to be with me…forever. I’m as certain of it as I am that the sun will rise tomorrow.”

  A few tears escaped the corners of my eyes. I desperately wanted to believe him, but destiny had never been kind to me. All I could do was keep hoping he was right.

  Smoothing my hair back from my face, he said, “I’m also sure you have to grieve the life you left behind. So, when everything is settled back in Vegas, I’ll find a nice soundproof room where you can cry for days. I’ll buy you a truckload of boxed tissue to wipe your eyes and gallons of water to keep you hydrated.”

  Chuckling, I wiped my tears with the back of my hand.

  We were interrupted by Lillian, who knocked and then immediately pushed the door open. “You should start getting ready for the reporting ceremony,” she said.

  She had a large pair of scissors in one hand.

  “Who are you planning to stab, Lillian?” Ian asked, getting up. “Might I suggest Helen or Valentine Vasitass?”

  She blinked. “Alison’s hair needs to be evened.”

  He pulled me to my feet and gave me a kiss. Then, pretending to be terrified, he scooted around Lillian. Good luck, he mouthed behind her back.

  I followed Lillian with her murderous scissors to the bathroom.

  “You’ll need to sit on the edge of the tub,” she said. “You’re too tall otherwise.”

  I did as she suggested and closed my eyes while she combed through my hair.

  “You asked about Valentine the other day,” she commented. “I used to know him quite well.”

  Surprised, my eyes flew open. She had volunteered personal information, and that almost never happened.

  “Our parents lived close when we were young,” she continued. “You could say we grew up together and fell in love. We were with each other for a hundred thirty-six years.”

  I sort of figured she’d had a romantic relationship in the past but not one that lasted 136 years.

  “That’s a long time,” I muttered.

  “It ended when he likenessed with Helen at a clan gathering,” she explained. “Needless to say, my entire clan witnessed my devastation.”

  “Crap,” I muttered. “That’s terrible.”

  She made a few more cuts. “I wanted to avoid Valentine after that, but Helen was the clan chief, and so he became one too. They were always a topic of conversation and front and center at every clan event. I kept hearing sympathetic whispers behind my back…poor Lillian, dear Lillian. I endured it, hoping I’d likeness as well, bu
t time and my hope wore thin. It got to the point that I couldn’t take it anymore. Vowing I’d never get hurt again, I cut all ties with my clan and pretended the past hadn’t happened.”

  “Oh, Lillian,” I said quietly.

  “I’m telling you this because I could have been happy. If I’d accepted destiny, I could have been happy…even alone. Instead, I let my past turn me into who I am now.”

  “I like who you are, Lillian,” I replied.

  “Do you know how ancient Egyptians’ physicians treated battle-wounded soldiers?” she asked. When I shook my head, she answered, “They scrubbed the wounds out with salt water. Imagine how that must have hurt. The warriors endured it because they knew they’d heal without infection when it was over.”

  “That’s interesting,” I replied, “but how does it relate to anything we’ve been talking about?”

  She put the scissors down. “I think it’s time I healed some wounds.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nervous anticipation made me jittery as I got ready for the reporting ceremony. I was looking forward to getting the initial introductions over with, but it was disconcerting to know the Illuminant and Ormolu didn’t want me at the roundtable.

  I brushed out my hair, thinking Lillian had done an amazing job on it. She’d shortened the length again, layered it in places, and shaped it to perfection. Dark and glossy, it hung an inch below my jawline, giving my face some added definition. I had cheekbones. Buoyed by this new realization, I applied some light makeup and then pondered which of the long gowns to wear.

  The rainbow dress was beautiful and romantic-looking but perhaps a little too sweet for the first impression I hoped to make. The simpler dress would make me look more grown-up and worldly. Deciding a mature look was the better option, I took it off the hanger and slid it over my head.

  The material felt cool and light against my skin as I did a turn in front of the mirror. The sleek cut made me look elegant, and the color emphasized the odd blue-gray shade of my eyes. I gave myself a nod of approval and went to meet Katherine and Spencer in the foyer.