The Prophecy of Atlantis

by Susan Weakley

rang a third voice.

  The fish who were carrying her hovered closer together. It was more difficult to see the crowd, but Lilliana could hear the voices yelling at her. Spectrum came out of the cave with his legs bound and his eyes on her. The crowd grew hushed.

  “It’s so big,” a fish whispered close to her ear.

  “Is it bigger than the king?” whispered another voice back.

  The soft voices continued in awe as they traveled until the whole company was out of the cave. The murmurs turned to mumbles and the mumbles returned to yells and calls.

  “This will never work,” a familiar voice said. “We can’t get past all the citizens of Star-Shadow, and even if we do we can’t keep them away from the healer’s house.”

  “What should we do then, Pierce, toss her up and play a game of catch?” Lance replied. “It could be fun if you just watch out for the pink nubs at the ends. Those little buggers pack quite a punch.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Pierce said, “and keep your voice down. We need to see the king.”

  “Oh no, not that.”

  “It’s the only way we can find out what the creature is without the whole kingdom watching. Besides, I’m sure he’s forgotten the whole urchin thing.”

  “The king doesn’t forget anything.”

  “You have to show your face at court sometime, and even if he hasn’t forgotten, I’m sure he’s forgiven you. Think of it as introducing an important guest to the royal family.”

  “All right,” Lance said pulling closer to Pierce, “I’ll clear the way in, but you have to explain to the king.”

  “Why me?”

  “Because I want to help him forget the sea urchins, besides my head still hurts from those pink nubs on the end of the creature, you always sound more polished at the court, and I am so good-looking that he’ll forget the real reason we’re there and then there’s the way people start to hum and look around when I talk.”

  “All right, all right, you’ve made your point. Actually you’ve made no point, but we have to move. Go to the front and clear the way, have the herald announce us and I will do the talking.”

  The big fish swam in front of Lilliana and then spoke quietly. “I assume you understand what I am saying so listen very carefully. There are citizens here who would like to hurt you. Some would even feed you to the mermen. You will soon enter the palace of the king. Do you understand?”

  Lilliana thought of all kinds of things she didn’t understand, but the fish’s directions seemed clear enough. “Yes, I do,” she said.

  “Tell your horse to calm down, and we will keep you safe,” Pierce said.

  Safe from whom, thought Lilliana. “I’ll try.”

  She struggled to a sitting position and looked directly at her horse. His nostrils were flaring and his gills were open wide, spreading his mane out beside his face like a fearsome lion. He struggled against the bindings on his legs.

  “Spectrum, be still. We are going to meet their king and you must be quiet,” said Lilliana over the noise. The crowd grew still and hushed. Many wide eyes looked at the princess, and smaller fish huddled closer to their bigger companions. She ignored them. “You must be calm now.”

  The horse looked back at the princess with desperation in his eyes. His muscles twitched with nervous energy. He tossed his head and shook his mane, and kicked off the fish who gathered at his bound hind legs.

  “Your horse…” Pierce began tersely.

  “Please sir, can you allow me to be next to him, to calm him?” she asked.

  The fish looked at the huge beast with the flaring nostrils. He watched the many wary fish behind the horse trying to control him and stay away from his legs at the same time. He saw the wild fire in the horse’s eyes that matched the growing hostility of the watching crowd.

  “Lance will have his sword at your back, but you may travel upright next to your horse,” Pierce replied.

  Lilliana nodded her head in agreement and began to get up. She was surprised that her legs had stopped hurting while they were talking and she looked down to notice that the skin was perfect and unblemished, as if she had never been bitten. She shivered, remembering just what these fish could do if they were threatened.

  She swam next to Spectrum’s head and put her hand on his cheek. The horse blew water out of his mouth and nuzzled her hand with half-closed eyes. He leaned his head against hers for a long moment, and then lifted his gaze to her eyes. Lilliana felt her heart grow as she gazed at him. It was good to have a friend at her side.

  “We’re ready,” she said to the fish.

  Pierce swam to the front, “To the castle,” he announced loudly.

  The procession went forward through the throng of fish. The fish were more than just a single school; there were thousands and thousands of multi-colored fish. Sometimes they would dart in and nip Lilliana’s arm. Lance would send his sword their way, and they would dart away laughing about how the beastie smelled. Lilliana realized she was no longer royalty. She was now the beastie.

  8. Castle

  When the procession stopped they were in front of a large black wall with gates of glittering white. Lilliana looked up and the wall stretched as far as she could see. It was dark and rough, but nothing grew along its edges. Lilliana tried to make out the top of the wall, but it disappeared into the dark blue above. It looked like it might even break the surface. The surface. She longed for air in her lungs and sunlight on her face. Lilliana wanted to see the sky and feel wind instead of water flowing through her hair. Her chest squeezed tightly and she wondered if tears in the ocean would be salty. The angry crowd of fish was still swarming around the group, yelling strange things that must have been insults in their language. The light around them was dimmer now, and Lilliana could not tell if it was shadow, twilight, or storm that made the darkness grow. She focused instead on the gate ahead.

  Pierce spoke to two guards and they opened the gates. In the center of the two gates were several large white glittering spikes forming a circle in the metal gates. It looked as if they were large suns or stars reaching out from movable walls. The gates opened into the walls silently and smoothly. Lilliana could feel her heart race.

  The procession poured through the walls and Lilliana heard a clang behind her as the gates shut. Peace flowed around her like a warm river as the angry sound of the fish was replaced with quiet music. Lilliana looked to see where the sound was coming from. She watched in fascination as she saw pale pink fish with round bodies hovering over a collection of pipes sticking up from the ground. The pipes themselves were made of a glowing crystal that was larger than Spectrum. The crystal shimmered with bright white and yellow light. There were rows of large and small pipes and the music sounded like bells. Lilliana paused to watch as the fish seemed to dance over the crystal with a mysterious rhythm that made chords and notes that resonated in her soul, not just in her ears.

  “Walk forward and wait with the prisoner outside the castle gates,” Pierce said to Lance and the other fish guarding her.

  The walls were circular dark stone and they were as high as she could see. The light from the surface was dim, but there were lights shimmering all around. Lilliana looked more closely at them and she found that some of the lights were coming from schools of small fish that looked like they had lights on their heads and tails. Lamps along the side of the street seemed to grow from the ground inside crystals, and each time Lilliana moved her toes across the sandy floor glimmers of light shone in pieces of the sand.

  The castle ahead was bright and glowed pale yellow like a distant star in the dim light. Pierce entered in through doors taller than the doors of Lilliana’s own majestic castle. Home. Her father and mother must be so worried about her now. Did they think that the witch had caught her? Would they think to look out at sea? They were supposed to have her birthday dinner tonight with a grand ball. Lilliana’s stomach growled at the thought of food. She
wanted stuffed mushrooms, wild grouse with clams, a turkey with shrimp stuffing, and ocean bass covered with roasted onions. She smiled at the thought of seafood. She was surrounded by some of her favorite foods, but they were holding her prisoner. Lilliana doubted she could ever look at her meals again in quite the same way. All the same, she wouldn't mind something to eat now. What did one eat while under the sea? She doubted very much that she could ask for roasted sea bass or shrimp.

  A sparkle of light caught her eye as Pierce came out the doors and swam towards them.

  “The king and queen have declined an audience after twilight,” he announced. “Our guest is to be led to a visitor cottage in the walls toward the east.”

  “What do you mean guest?” Lance asked.

  “The creature and horse are to be considered our guests. The king decreed that until we feel a threat, they are to be treated as ambassadors to our land,” Pierce explained.

  “Did you tell him about my head? I consider that a threat, not to mention the beastie’s horse is prone to fighting I’m sure.”

  “I don’t think the king is very concerned about your head, brother. It has survived so much before, that one more kick couldn’t possibly do much harm,” said Pierce with what looked like a smile. He turned to face the princess. “Shall I show you to your quarters?”

  “That would be nice, and may I have some dinner as