A short distance outside the city, the coral shelf fell away, revealing a vast seabed brimming with life. Some species were recognizable—dolphins, rays, octopi, and eels. Others were variants of the upper realm—triple-finned sharks, dual-sided squid, bioluminescent jellyfish. But the third group were true anomalies—sabretooth seals, whales with wings, and schools that swam apart only to coalesce into one mighty form when predators drew near.
“Beautiful,” Columbus whispered.
He thought he saw Elara turn her head, though there was no way she could have heard him.
As the pod entered a larger canyon, Columbus was surprised to feel the water grow warmer until the chill disappeared completely. He felt as comfortable there as he was on land. Had they entered some new current or did the volcanic activity below the surface play some part? More mysteries he would likely never know.
Only then did he allow himself to think of the world above. Was it day or night? Were the waters of the Atlantic calm or swelling with storms? Were the Niña and Pinta still up there, making repairs, searching for survivors? Or had they been scuttled in battle or felled by the leviathan?
Columbus decided to push those thoughts away for now. He knew he would have to find a way back to the surface, but first he needed to concentrate on the task at hand: the retrieval of the keys. The Fates had shown him much, but those keys took the entirety of his focus now. Three keys to enter to Poseidon’s Temple. Three keys to net him the ultimate prize. Three keys and Christopher Columbus’s legacy would be secured forever.
One-two-three, Columbus is key! Nope. That was a terrible catchphrase. Where were all the great poets when you needed one?
As Vespucci moved through the city, he felt the eyes of every citizen fall upon him only to look away with indifference or outright disdain as he passed. After what happened in the Nave, he had been labeled persona non-grata. Weak. He almost laughed. The depiction itself didn’t bother him because he knew the opposite was true. He was not weak. He was strong. Only his strength—the bulk of it anyway—came from within. In the annals of history, no sword wielder ever achieved true greatness. It was the man who commanded the army—who moved the pieces into place—that the people remembered.
Amerigo Vespucci was just such a man.
He had never expected to find Atlantis. While pursuing Ferdinand’s secret passion, his objective had always been to curry the monarch’s favor, never once suspecting the myth of all myths might actually prove true. Yet, when he first saw this glorious, decadent city appearing from around the bend, everything changed, and he devised a new plan. He would learn all he could of Atlantis. He would steal all her secrets. And once she was mined for all her worth, only then would he return to the true realm of men where it would be his favor that was curried. And not just by kings, but emperors, countries, even the Pope himself. It was a vision he could see clear as day. The question was how to realize it?
With the mad king, obviously. The man had humiliated him upon their first meeting. Vespucci knew why. He needed to make a point. Not to this party of strangers—he had no intention of even entertaining them. No, Atlas had acted solely to reinforce his position with his people. Vespucci understood that, however shortsighted it was. If Atlantis truly was dying, nothing mattered more than its leader maintaining his aura of strength, even if that strength was a fabrication. For Vespucci to achieve his goal, he would need the king to see him as a person of value as Columbus had done.
Columbus.
The very thought of the man stoked a flame in Vespucci’s belly that threatened to immolate him from within. How could a man of such little intelligence, such poor breeding, come out on top again and again? Blind luck. There was no other answer. Columbus claimed to be pious, but he was a womanizer and a thief. Could God truly support such a scoundrel? Of course not. If anything, Columbus was an affront to His name. Which meant all the Genoan’s successes were simply stepping stones leading him up the side of a very large mountain. One false step and he would take his tumble at long last. Vespucci’s one regret was that the world wouldn’t be there to witness it.
He promised himself that he would be there in their stead.
And like a candle put to flame, an idea came to him. How he might achieve both goals. And, as fate would have it, he was afforded the opportunity that very afternoon when he saw the king enter the Nave alone. This was his chance. He waited an appropriate amount of time before making his entrance.
He looked like a man deeply troubled, chin in hand, slumped over his throne, staring into space. Vespucci spared the king a single glance before crossing toward the center of the amphitheater and halting to examine the rock he’d noticed in the center of the floor.
A rock with three holes.
Vespucci suddenly looked up, a show of fright lighting his features.
“Your Grace, forgive my intrusion. I didn’t think anyone would be here.” He waited for the king to respond, but the man simply glowered instead. “I saw this yesterday and for some reason it struck me. I’m not sure why.”
The moment stretched. Vespucci thought he might have erred again when King Atlas finally spoke.
“Legend says it is real,” the king grumbled. “That the earth turned to stone when Poseidon thrust his trident into it.”
Vespucci’s eyes widened. “You mean this is…”
“I have always had my doubts. Through the years, stories get turned around, making it hard to know what to believe.”
Vespucci took a small step toward him, praying it wouldn’t result in a repeat of the previous day’s events. “If I might inquire, sire. There is an odor in the air.”
“Sulfur. From a volcanic artery beneath your very feet.”
“I see. Fascinating.”
“Tell me again what nation you speak for?”
Vespucci realized the king had forgotten, probably because he was no longer drunk. He took another small step toward the monarch. “Spain, Your Grace. Iberia as you know her.”
King Atlas nodded. “She is powerful, Iberia?”
“Very. They recently expelled invaders that had plagued their country for over eight hundred years.”
King Atlas scoffed. “If they are so powerful, why did it take them so long?”
“A fair question,” Vespucci chuckled, moving closer again. “The real answer I believe is that there is profit in war. The longer the war…”
“The greater the profits. And Athens? Are they still a force to be reckoned with?”
“I’m afraid not, sire. Many nations have risen and fallen since your kingdom slipped under the veil of sea. Athens—or Greece as it is now known—is a lesser player on today’s stage.”
The king deflated as if he was disappointed his old enemy was no longer there to challenge.
“But there are others,” Vespucci continued. “France. Prussia. The Mongols. The heathens of the Far East.” He stepped to the bannister to whisper. “It is said they use black magic and can set fire to the sky.”
“Black magic?” King Atlas repeated, skeptical.
“Oh, nothing that could challenge Atlantis. As far as I know.”
King Atlas murmured again. Vespucci let the man think. “This ruler you serve, he sends out emissaries like you and Columbus often?”
“Oh, yes, sire. King Ferdinand has trading partners the world over who have come to count on his kinship and sound judgement. I should point out, however, that Columbus—as he himself stated last night—is but a ship’s captain and nothing more. Surely, he is a capable man of action, but I would be remiss if I didn’t warn his Highness to keep a close eye on him. Especially around your daughter.”
“My daughter?” the king growled.
“Undoubtedly a formidable woman in her own right. But the young are so impressionable. So apt to making mistakes. I hate to even mention it but forewarned is forearmed.”
In the ensuing silence, Vespucci thought he might have pushed things too far. Then, the king spoke.
“This Ferdina
nd of Iberia. He welcomes new allies?”
Vespucci fought hard to hide his smile. “Yes, sire. Allow me to tell you how.”
“Columbus?” Elara’s voice rang in Columbus’s head. He was so shocked he nearly fell off his eldock. He looked up to see the princess staring back at him. She spoke again. “Touch the circular orb on the belt near your waist.”
“This?” He said, his own voice amplified in his mask. He thought he heard Elara laugh.
“Yes. We can communicate now.”
“By the holy trinities, how…?”
“Yet another wonder of my people. Only a handful still work, and only I can activate them—one on one or all at once. I wanted to ask you something in private. You don’t have to answer.”
“By all means, Princess. I have no secrets.”
And by none, I mean plenty.
“What did you ask the Fates of the past and present?”
Columbus had been relieved that she didn’t ask when he first stepped from the room. During the night, he’d had time to fashion his answer.
“Of the present, I must admit with great shame, I was duped. You warned me, but those lasses are cunning, indeed.”
“I know it well.”
“But of the past, I asked after the history of Atlantis. And I saw how all this was made.”
“And?”
“And what can one say after witnessing Genesis? It was amazing, horrifying, grander than anything I’ve heard of save the flood itself.”
“You said horrifying.”
“Yes. I saw what Atlantis represented before the Gods clashed, before your city fell. All shine and promise, like an apple in the tree. If those memories are true, then these gifts were but a paltry smattering of what your ancestors possessed, or what they dreamed possible. Imagine had they continued unmolested. What might Atlantis have been? What might it be today?”
“Some believe it was for this reason the Gods waged war. Not over Athens or petty jealousies, but for fear we might one day grow strong enough to challenge Elysium itself. I know, it is blasphemous to speak—”
“But it could be true. Zeus and his siblings challenged the Titans after all. And won.”
“Yes, the Gods won. But we are not Gods. Though it is in our nature to reach for the heavens, it is also in our nature to stumble when the prize is within our grasp. For some, success can be as daunting as failure.”
That, Columbus understood. “For some, indeed.”
“But not for you?”
“I tasted enough failure in my youth to last a lifetime. These days, I always keep my eyes on the prize.”
He saw her glance at him and imagined her wondering if he meant her. To his surprise, she didn’t seem displeased. That’s when he noticed another one of those red vials hanging around her neck. He asked about it.
“We call them the second heart. As you’ve seen, they can heal most wounds short of death. Long ago, every citizen possessed one. Now, there are only a handful left. They are usually reserved for the king’s line.”
“And you used yours to save me? I’m flattered.”
“I used mine to save the Anak-Ta Eleece. Actually, the sirens took mine when they captured me. That one belonged to my mother.”
She looked down. Columbus decided not to press her.
Just then, Columbus felt a flutter in his chest. It was the same feeling he’d experienced in the caves when the voice spoke to him. He was so focused on it, he failed to hear Elara call his name. When he finally answered her, she pointed off into the distance. “Look. Gadeir capture an eldock. It is a rare sight. Would you like to see?”
“Do we have time?”
“We’ll make time for this.”
She touched her belt to communicate with the others before leading the pod off to a long plateau where six Atlanteans were wrestling with a very large eldock in a net.
“Poseidon’s Crown,” Elara gasped. “he must be old as the sea. I have never seen one his size.”
The creature was indeed massive, almost as big as a whale. It was spotted with blue and gray, making it difficult to distinguish through the rustling net. When one of the Gadeir lost their grip on the net, Columbus saw Elara turn to Dion, presumably to issue an order. Dion spurred his eldock forward. That’s when all hell broke loose.
The spotted eldock bayed. The sound was so loud and piercing, most of the party had to cover their ears. Then the spotted eldock flipped sideways, using its massive tail to shed the net while ripping the Gadeir from their saddles.
Rather than flee, the spotted eldock charged. Columbus was aghast to see it headed straight for Elara. She fumbled for her sonstave but had no time to extricate it and she braced for impact. That’s when a blur shot in from her right and Columbus reined his eldock to a stop straight in the behemoth’s path. With unfathomable power, the spotted eldock drew to a halt, the water rushing over Columbus, carrying with it that same flutter that he’d felt before, only this time with the power of a tempest.
When he came to his senses, he saw the spotted eldock was only a few feet away. Columbus stared into those inky gray eyes and felt a strange connection. A sense of peace came over him. Life and death seemed trivial. And then all at once, the beast turned and swam away.
For a moment, Columbus couldn’t move, the only sound: the pounding of blood in his ears. And then Elara’s voice rang through.
“How did you stop him?” she asked.
“I didn’t. I—” He had no answer. He patted his eldock instead. “I think it was this one.”
Even underwater, Columbus could tell she was dubious.
“Regardless, twice you have saved my life. These debts I will repay.”
The moment was still too raw for Columbus to joke.
“Where did it go?”
“Not west. That way lies the Gaia’s Craw. To the south, Atlantis. It must have headed east to the eldock dens, though adults rarely return there past breeding age.”
“Not north?” Columbus asked.
“There’s nothing to the north but…”
“But what?”
“The Temple of Poseidon. But it is beyond the border of the Void now and out of our reach.”
Columbus heard someone suck in their breath. It took him a moment to realize it was him. He’d hoped Elara hadn’t heard it. He prayed she was wrong.
When Columbus looked up, Dion was next to Elara, worry apparent. This was more than duty, Columbus realized. The man loved her. It explained a lot, though to him, it was just another complication. When the princess pointed toward Columbus, the giant surprisingly didn’t glower. He returned to formation instead.
“We’ve stayed here too long,” Elara said. She reined her eldock around and resumed course.
It was just past midday when the group reached the Isle of Illumination’s beach and ran for the first line of trees. Once they were in position, Sareen whistled and the eldocks swam away.
“So, where’s this tower?” Columbus asked.
Elara peeled back some palm fronds. Columbus whistled.
The tower was made of smooth stone that glistened like pearl. It had arched columns that alternated in height as it rose, giving the appearance that it had no floors but grew from the earth like a vine, twisting and turning as it rose. Stained-glass windows reflected colors from the sun while a wooden waterwheel at least three stories high stood motionless at the tower’s side. The most stunning sight, however, was the tower’s apex, which had been shorn off by the Void above. Even now, Columbus could see that roiling darkness crowning the tower’s zenith.
Elara saw only the tower. “I have seen paintings that revealed a beacon at the pinnacle of the tower, lighting the path for citizens at night. As you can see, it was lost when the Void descended.”
“It’s stunning. Bigger and grander than I could have imagined.”
Columbus had seen the Tower of Pisa in his travels. Even it, with its famous lean, couldn’t compare to this. He recalled another famous tower—the Tower of B
abel, which was said to have existed in the land of Shinar in Mesopotamia. Biblical scholars claimed that tower offended God, so he smote it and took away the speech of its builders, so they would never again threaten his domain. Was this the tower they spoke of? Had word of it also been bastardized over the ages? There were other versions—Christian, Babylonian, Sumerian. Could they all be traced back to this?
The thought was interrupted when Sareen suddenly appeared out of the brush.
“My Lady,” Sareen whispered. “Stay low. Make no quick movements.”
“What is it?” Elara asked.
“We are being watched.”
Chapter Twelve
“How many?” Elara whispered, lying behind the sandbank, sonstave in hand.
“It appears only one,” Sareen answered. “Twenty paces ahead. Dion spotted fresh tracks near the beach. Thetra is attempting to draw its attention while Dion works to its flank.”
“Is it a siren?” Elara asked.
Sareen wasn’t sure, so the trio sat tight and waited. They didn’t wait long. A minute or two later, a shout rang through the trees. The trio rushed out as Dion emerged from the brush holding a thrashing figure in the air by one leg.
“Let me down!” Nyx shouted.
“Looks like someone caught a fish,” Fanucio howled.
“I said let me down, damn you!”
With a nod from Elara, Dion dropped Nyx. She hit the sand with a thud. She was on her feet instantly, hitting Dion with punches and kicks that might have felled a normal man. The giant never flinched.
“Well, well. What do we have here?” Columbus said as Nyx turned to meet his stony gaze. “You followed us from the city?”
“That’s right,” Nyx said defiantly. “And I’m not sorry I did it either.”
“How did you get out?” Elara asked.
“I borrowed an eldock. How else?”
“You mean you stole an eldock from under Master Leopole’s nose? Wait until news of this spreads. He’ll never live it down. I take it you also slipped past our position when we stopped to watch the hunters?” Nyx nodded. “You are resourceful, Nyx. I am impressed. But what did you plan to do next?”
Christopher Columbus and the Lost City of Atlantis Page 15
