“You humans are a crazy people,” said one of the healers. “Do not take this the wrong way, Dean Seaborne, but we hope to never see you here again.”
Dean propped himself up on his elbows, realizing as he did that his hands had been wrapped with bandages. “That’s fine. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m tired of waking up in here.”
One of the healers—Dean could never tell one from the other—patted his head. “Try to stay out of trouble. You deserve a long life.”
“We are forever in your debt,” the other healer said. “Both of you.”
“Both of us?” Dean asked, but the healers were already on their way out. They shut the door behind them, leaving him alone with—“Waverly?” Dean rolled over and saw her recuperating in a sick bed next to his.
“Feeling better?” she asked him.
“Look at you,” Dean said, taking note of her bandaged hands.
“Good thing you gave me the blood,” Waverly said with a smile. “Otherwise neither of us might be here.”
“I gave you that so you could escape to the sea if you needed to. Not so you could get yourself electrocuted.”
“Is that your way of saying thank you for saving your life?”
“I think I was pretty heroic there myself. Let’s not forget that,” Dean said playfully. “Just how long did you let me fry before you jumped in, anyway? I’m guessing you must have come in right at the end.”
“Ha!” Waverly laughed. “I wish. Mookergwog told me I held out two minutes longer than you did before I blacked out.”
Dean laughed back. It felt good to be laughing with Waverly again. It felt good just to be alive. “I’m glad that’s over with.”
“Almost. They’re waiting for us.”
“Who’s waiting?”
Waverly smiled. “Everyone.”
Chapter 36
Atlantean Knights
Dean and Waverly were the last to arrive in the throne room. The two of them limped in to the sound of thunderous applause. Dean winced as Ronan picked him up in a bear hug.
“Easy, Ronan! We’ve taken enough punishment for one day.”
“Sorry.” Ronan set Dean down and backed away to allow Gentleman Jim, Verrick, Mookergwog, and Lyndra to give him and Waverly a hero’s welcome. Neptunians and Abyssians were standing side by side in the room, cheering for Dean and Waverly’s selflessness in saving the city.
“Where’s Finneus?” Waverly asked Ronan. “Not invited?”
Ronan laughed. “He’s in jail with Shellheart, Skinner, and the rest of his scalawags. Not liable to get out anytime soon, either.”
“When the pirates turn human again, they can have my old cell,” Gentleman Jim said.
The queen cleared her throat, and the room quieted. Dean and his friends fell in line before her.
“My friends,” Queen Avenel began, “today is a day of tragedy and triumph. For the past hundred years, we have had peace under the sea. A peace that, mere hours ago, was almost shattered—along with this city. Through the work of noble hearts, Atlantis lives. Peace endures. But I have come to realize that peace is not measured only by the absence of conflict. It stems from understanding. Compassion. Love for one another. These are things that, despite our best efforts, we did not have here. Perhaps we have never truly had them. After all these years, I think I know why. I must reveal a harsh truth to you. It pains me to say this, but the Atlantis you know is based on a lie.”
A murmur ran through the crowd. Dean and his friends looked at each other. This was not the victory speech any of them had expected.
“You may wonder how it is I knew Lord Poseidon would deem Finneus unworthy to wield His power. It was not my faith in the sea god’s wisdom that made me so sure, but rather the fact that no merman or mermaid has ever wielded such a power—myself included. The Blood of Poseidon does not grant mastery over every fish in the sea. That was all just a story. My father first told it a hundred years ago, and we’ve been telling it ever since.”
“I don’t understand,” Captain Lyndra said. “That can’t be.”
“Believe me, it can,” Queen Avenel assured everyone. “It’s very simple, really. Our ancestors wanted to end the war but didn’t know how. My father helped negotiate a truce between Neptune and Abyssal, but both sides were concerned about the opposing army’s willingness to lay down arms. It was my father’s idea to use the Blood of Poseidon as a deterrent, and thus the ‘Atlantean Navy’ was born. An unstoppable force, the living embodiment of the sea god’s wrath, and a creative solution to a shared problem. The sea god’s will became the means to convince the Mer-Realm that peace was the only alternative to annihilation.”
“People wouldn’t have just believed a story like that,” Lyndra said. “They would have had to see it for themselves.”
“They believed it because the rulers of all three cities swore that they had seen the power of the blood in action. You all believed it because you grew up hearing those stories. And why would you question it? Atlantis is filled with wonders. The transformative power of the blood is real enough. All of you here have seen its effects firsthand. Was the rest of the story any harder to swallow?”
The queen was right, Dean thought. By the time he found out about the Atlantean Navy, he had seen so many impossible things that he no longer questioned any of them.
“That means Finneus was doomed to fail,” Dean said. “Everything he did to get the blood . . . even if we had given him the real thing, it would have gained him nothing.”
“His plot to commandeer the storied navy—that was doomed to fail. But his plan to overthrow me by other means could have easily succeeded. He would have had me killed, if not for you.”
“Queen Avenel, why are you telling us this now?” asked Captain Lyndra. “Finneus’s treachery has been exposed. You could have maintained the facade. The threat is passed.”
“The threat is passed today. What about tomorrow? We have been given the chance to be true to each other, and I refuse to waste it. I won’t be here forever. The Atlantean Navy was a lie told for noble reasons, but it was a lie nonetheless, and a relationship cannot be built upon a lie. Communication. Trust. This is what we need now.”
Dean’s eyes met Waverly’s. The queen might as well have been speaking about the two of them.
“Finneus was right about one thing,” said the queen. “The new era of Atlantis begins today. As of this moment, the kingdoms of Neptune and Abyssal are formally released from their pledges of fealty to my throne and to the kingdom of Atlantis. Henceforth, our people shall share the sea as equals. And if we have peace—as I pray that we do—we will share responsibility for that peace together. The ocean is big enough for all of us.”
The mood in the throne room was somber.
“What if it isn’t?” asked the scar-faced Sir Riptide.
“It has to be,” the queen said softly. “If not, we deserve our fate.” She clapped her hands. “Mookergwog, keeper of Aquatica, come forth!” Mookergwog did as he was told and stepped forward. “Your talents are clearly wasted in your current occupation. Your mechanical prowess saved us all. For this reason, you shall have a place among my royal engineers as long as the kingdom stands.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Mookergwog beamed. “Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“Thank you, good sir,” the queen smiled. “Captain James Harper, also known as Gentleman Jim,” she called out next. “Your sentence is commuted. You are free to go—or stay, if that is your wish. It is up to you.”
Gentleman Jim took Lyndra’s hand in his. “I mean to stay.” He turned to Lyndra. “If you’ll stay here with me.”
“With your permission, Your Majesty?” Lyndra asked the queen.
“It will be my honor to have you here together,” the queen replied.
With that, Lyndra grabbed hold of Gentleman Jim and kissed him. Ronan’s eyebrows shot up.
“He didn’t mention that?” Dean asked him.
“No.” Ronan shook his head an
d smiled at Gentleman Jim. “You old dog, you.”
“And finally, we come to my three world-class daredevils,” said the queen. “It seems you were even more daring than expected. Stealing the Blood of Poseidon?” she aimed a reproachful eye at Dean. “I don’t recall reading that in the playbill.”
“I am sorry for that,” Dean said. “Hopefully, my actions are considered less sacrilegious now that we know it was not truly the blood of a god.”
The queen frowned. “I never said that. The blood may not do all that the legends promised, but I have no doubt it is born of divine provenance. Poseidon works in mysterious ways. Even now, after all of this, I sense His trident in the water, shaping the current. Showing us the way. I shall include you in my prayers always and thank Him for sending you here. Without you, all would have been lost.”
The queen stood up. One of her guardsmen handed her a silver sword, which she carried down the steps to Dean, Ronan, and Waverly.
“Bend thy knees.”
Dean kneeled before the queen and bowed his head. His friends did the same. “For your service to my kingdom, for sacrificing your bodies to save the Water Tower . . .” The sword lightly touched Dean’s shoulders as the queen spoke, then proceeded to Waverly and Ronan in turn. “. . . for your commitment to justice, for stopping the pirates who accosted me . . . I dub thee Knights of Atlantis.”
Spirited shouts of approval filled the room. Dean, Ronan, and Waverly arose, humbled by the honor.
“My people,” the queen began. “My friends. Today, we celebrate peace under the sea. I don’t know what the next hundred years will hold, or tomorrow for that matter, but I have faith. Whatever the tide brings in, we will face it together.”
Dean looked at Waverly. “That sounds good to me.”
“Me too.”
“Well then,” Ronan said, putting an arm around each of them. “Where are we off to next? We’re going to have to sail to the ends of the earth to top this adventure.”
“Ugh,” Dean grunted. “I was hoping we might take it easy for a bit.”
“Exactly what I was thinking,” Waverly said.
Dean double-took Waverly. “You? Take it easy? I didn’t realize you knew how.”
“Of course I do,” Waverly said, starting toward the exit. “This is Atlantis, after all. We deserve to enjoy it.” She turned to look back over her shoulder. “Care to join me for a swim?”
“Aye,” Dean smiled. “I’m right behind you.”
Acknowledgments
So, this book you’re holding . . . it almost didn’t happen. In fact, it wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t happy about it, but a year ago, there was nothing I could do but accept that Dean Seaborne’s maiden voyage would also be his last. Fortunately, you did something. That’s right. You. My readers. (If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’re one of them). You guys went out and bought The Lost Prince, and you bought enough copies to send Dean off on another adventure. The only way I can repay you is with a good story. I hope I’ve done that here.
While we’re at it, there are a few other people I need to thank:
My agent, Danielle Chiotti, who was there for me at a very tough time in my career, and whose guidance, support, and friendship are invaluable. I’m very lucky to have her, and everyone at Upstart Crow, in my corner.
My editor, Greg Hunter, whose keen insights helped me find the heart of this story. This book is a better one because of his input. I also want to thank Matt Armstrong, the terrific illustrator behind the Seaborne covers, and the entire Lerner and Carolrhoda team for keeping Dean Seaborne alive. He was dead in the water (pun intended) until you guys came along. Thanks for bringing Dean on board!
I have to thank my mom, who has literally been there since day one. She’s still there today, providing countless hours of free babysitting as I write. Thanks mom, for all the help you gave as I wrote and rewrote this book. And while we’re at it, thank you for all the love and support you and dad gave me growing up. I owe you both so much.
On that note, I have to single out dad here too. I learned so many things from him, but the biggest thing he ever taught me (by example), was that you could do anything if you worked hard and refused to quit. I know, that sounds like a cliché, but my dad was a guy who could fix anything, build anything, and teach himself just about anything too. He didn’t complain, he just did the job, whatever it was. (Well, that’s not true. Sometimes he complained). But he did the job anyway. His dedication and perseverance stuck with me, so that even when I could not fathom getting this book done on time, something inside me knew I would.
But, it wasn’t all such hard work. Writing is fun. It’s rewarding. Every story is a puzzle I need to solve, and I love doing it. So much so that I’d probably disappear into fictional worlds of my own creation if not for my two boys, Jack and Dean, always tugging at my sleeve. Their craziness and laughter is a daily gift that makes the real world a far better place than anything I could ever dream up.
And, speaking of dreams, mine came true in more ways than one. There is one person responsible for that—my amazing wife, Rebecca. If you’re a fan of my books, then you’re a fan of her too, because I wouldn’t be able to do this job without her love and support. Rebecca, I’m the luckiest guy in the world, and I’m smart enough to know it. Thanks for always being there and always being you.
Thank you all for making this book happen. And now, on to the next adventure!
Matt Myklusch
Strangers in Atlantis
Cover
Title Page
Part 1
Chapter 1: Trouble in Paradise
Chapter 2: Jungle Hunt
Chapter 3: The Dock of the Bay
Chapter 4: Just Passing Through
Chapter 5: Decisions
Part 2
Chapter 6: Let's Make a Deal
Chapter 7: The Plan
Chapter 8: Once a Spy
Chapter 9: Aquatica
Chapter 10: An Unexpected Journey
Chapter 11: Atlantis Ho!
Part 3
Chapter 12: Getting There Is Half the Fun
Chapter 13: Welcome to Atlantis
Chapter 14: The Great Machine
Chapter 15: The Queen's Court
Chapter 16: The Prisoner of Atlantis
Chapter 17: A Friend in Need
Part 4
Chapter 18: Opening Night Jitters
Chapter 19: Partners in Crime
Chapter 20: Blood from a Stone
Chapter 21: Treacherous Depths
Chapter 22: Ride the Lightning
Chapter 23: Change of Plans
Chapter 24: Fight Night
Chapter 25: The Heist
Chapter 26: The Great Escape
Part 5
Chapter 27: Back So Soon?
Chapter 28: Parley
Chapter 29: Tides of War
Chapter 30: Just Add Water
Chapter 31: Blood and Guts
Chapter 32: God Save the Queen
Chapter 33: Bad Blood
Chapter 34: Downfall
Chapter 35: Not Dead Yet
Chapter 36: Atlantean Knights
Acknowledgments
Back Cover
Strangers in Atlantis (Seaborne) Page 18