Chapter XXXIX
The Final Stronghold
Early morning, the Atlantean infantry stands ready outside their defensive position for another battle. Every person from the Continental Alliance is in attack formation. Despite millions of warriors prepared to destroy one another, there is only silence before the inevitable.
The battle begins. Protectors of the Atlantean capital are being overpowered by numbers. The enemy catapults and tightuses move closer, focusing on the Atlantean archer emplacement, and taking out one at a time. With fewer arrows flying over head from the capital, the enemy destroys the Atlantean warriors outside the gates. After desperate fighting, the walls of Atlantis are breached.
The Continental Alliance pours into Atlantis. Persephone takes charge of a counteroffensive, and keeps the enemy at bay, but with high casualties. It becomes almost a pushing match between armies.
When the initial attack is over, the enemy has captured their first objective. They try to take the second wall immediately, but the Atlanteans defend it mightily. The enemy has to regroup and determine another way to take the wall.
Daygun, Quentoris, and Persephone gather to form a new strategy. It is only a matter of time before the city is overtaken. Although Atlantean ships continue evacuating people from the capital, the majority of the civilians have no way to escape the onslaught. Daygun does not have enough time to save everyone. Ninety-thousand children under the age of sixteen remain inside the city and are being transferred out first. The Atlantean Emperor is trying to buy time.
Daygun says, “What can we do? We can’t defeat our antagonists. We don’t have the resources, or anything to bargain for peace.”
Quentoris replies, “Sire, My soul is contaminated with death and destruction. I feel God let me live to die here. Let me lead our men that have no choice but to give their lives. Permit me to depart this life in battle, so I can hold honor into the afterlife.”
Persephone says austerely, “This is my home. Death is a part of life, and I agree with Quentoris’ intentions. There is not enough time to evacuate everyone. My focus is the word of God. If even a handful of Atlanteans live to tell what happens here, they will spread His word. Thousands of years from now, mankind will understand what we see in Him, and want to take His hand. With what I have witnessed here, Edicus’ prophesies are taking place.”
Quentoris replies, “Daygun, we will all die here except you. You are needed to honor your father’s beliefs. Persephone and I will lead the last stronghold to allow as many of our people to sail out of the harbor.”
Daygun says, “As a leader, I should remain here. I will not leave as a coward.”
Persephone replies, “You will not be a coward. You will fight on after we are dead, and continue the knowledge of God’s name. You, Sire, are the basis of our belief. If you die here, our culture will perish. The last dying wish from your father was to get Edicus’ writings to a safe location. This is your legacy now.”
Daygun says, “I understand death and what it can do to a person. However, I need your guidance in the future. Do not forfeit your lives here. Our people need your leadership to fight on. They need heroes in the uncertainty of what is to come.”
Quentoris says, “I will stand to protect you no matter what. I will do what I can. If the timing is right, I will board the last ship. In so doing, I will be your protector in your endeavors to come.”
Persephone smiles and says, “I will do the same.”
Daygun says, “Edicus’ writings are onboard the battlecruiser that I will be sailing on. I will need your help to take them to the location dictated from our priests.”
Daygun hugs Quentoris and Persephone as family and salutes them as warriors. The three leave the room and go to their positions in preparation for the final fight. Quentoris and Persephone fight at their post for hours, trying to find weaknesses in their aggressors. After twenty-four hours, the enemy makes a final push and the second wall is theirs. The Atlanteans fire upon their own buildings with artillery. Quentoris and Persephone want nothing left behind that can be useful to the enemy.
Quentoris commands half of his infantry to fight between the second and third defense. Every man, woman, and child are fighting side-by-side. The Atlanteans kill tens of thousands of men, but to no avail.
On another Atlantean offensive, the enemy counters with their own battle tactic: pushing the Atlanteans against the third barrier. Atlantean archers give cover for their infantry, but the Atlanteans are trapped and slaughtered. The enemy reaches the harbor gate, trying to take the last formidable defended area.
Persephone and Quentoris are there to oversee their army. Few Atlantean warriors remain and the enemy is advancing rapidly. From their vantage point, the two generals look at each other and shake their heads. Persephone runs to Quentoris and says, “We need one more push from our infantry to hold them back. Our emperor will not be able to leave this land if we don’t.”
Quentoris responds, “The only way to accomplish this is with our leadership. Take your position.”
Persephone smiles and says, “We have fought this far in battle to die in our capital. At least we will die protecting the Emperor and the word of God.”
Quentoris responds, “God gave us this time to be here at this moment. It is time to die for His word.”
Persephone leads her infantry to meet the Continental Alliance head-on. Quentoris directs the archers to protect the offensive. In the mix of the fight, Atlantean artillery is redirected to hit the enemy inside the capital. The whole city is ablaze.
In a courtyard, near the docks, Kaydence and Daygun are advised to board the battlecruiser. Some soldiers have remained near the ships to protect the Emperor, knowing that death is at hand. The enemy is starting to overpower the Atlantean warriors and flood near the Central Trading Building.
Near the battlecruiser, Kaydence and Daygun battle off enemy warriors who have fought into to the harbor. Daygun uses all his daggers to protect Kaydence. The archers of the Atlantean battlecruiser fire their arrows, allowing Daygun’s escape certain death. While retreating, Kaydence uses her sword to save her husband from a Ladonean warrior.
Once aboard, the battlecruiser disembarks from the peer quickly. As the oarsmen row to safety, Daygun and Kaydence watch the Atlantean defenders in the harbor get massacred.
Everyone onboard ship views the city of Atlantis for the last time. The Atlantean Emperor asks to speak, then walks to the highest part of the ship. He addresses, “We have lost our city and our land, but we have not lost each other. God is not done with us yet, and we will not be forgotten. This war was prophesied five-hundred years ago by Edicus. Our high priests believe in his prophecies. He foretold that the destruction of Atlantis will unite mankind in the distant future. A library will be constructed twenty-five feet underground to tell our tale. When the time is right, a man with an incredible gift will uncover the library and find Edicus’ writings. The man born thousands of years from now will bring peace and prosperity to humanity… For now, the only way we will survive is to spread our population throughout the known world. I will settle a colony where Orion ruled in helping make our empire great. He was a forefather of our beliefs. Not all of us can go there, because the enemy will find and destroy us if we all stay together. We will inhabit on every continent in the world, merging with the rest of humanity. We must learn the languages of lands where we reside, yet always remember that we are Atlanteans. The world isn’t ready to believe God. We must remember Him and spread his word. Our culture may die, but God will not let us be forgotten. As long as we believe in Him, Atlanteans will be in the hearts of men forever.”
Epic Unearthed Page 39