Atlantis: City of Mages

by M. Arcturus

  Seth and Sorbek stared at each other and then Sorbek stepped forward, “Yes, my Lord. The fifth one was slain near the jail cell. There are other Ackrids in the marketplace, but I’m sure that they were not informed of the incident.”

  That answer didn’t seem to be enough for Oberon. He kept thinking about the first Ackrid who approached Sorbek. No matter how many times the Ackrid was stabbed, it laughed it off as if it was being tickled instead of being painfully attacked. Out of instinct, his eyes glanced down at the corpse. Just the potential threat to the population was enough to send shivers down his spine. From this distance, surely, he would be able to hear screaming and mass hysteria from the marketplace if that was the case. Though he heard nothing of the sort, the vision kept replaying in his mind.

  The Council room was filled with a thick, warm silence. The spotlights that were added to the arena after it was originally built swayed on their cords ever so gently in the soft breeze that drifted through the crumbled sections of the wall. Like the light source in Selené’s quarters, the other spotlights held their orb-like structure, but the light they radiated wasn’t direct enough to show on the floor. The three warriors—Seth, Sorbek, and Pandora—took their seats wearing exhaustion on their sleeves and blank empty stares on their faces.

  Selené surveyed the reaction of the congregation as they left at least five feet between them and Seth. They almost appeared to be afraid of him. Very calmly, Selené sat between Seth and Pandora. Sweat dripped from his hair as he sat head-down with hands on his knees in a forced upright position. He was breathing heavy, almost straining as he gasped for air. For once, she saw what she believed to be a tear fall from his eye, which added to the sweat stains on his pants.

  Though curious, sorrowfully Selené lightly probed her friend, “Seth, why are you breathing like that? Are you okay?” Her words were so soft she wondered if he even heard her.

  “It’s getting hard to breathe,” was all he seemed to have the strength to say.

  “Seth, what happened? You sound awful.” Her response betrayed her calm posture. Seth’s breathing started to possess a rattling sound. It was as if his lung had been punctured.

  Seth figured that if he worded his response just right, she wouldn’t understand enough to worry. “My Kit-Lar, they used my Kit-Lar. Just need to catch my breath.” Since she sat so close to him, she didn’t see the blood start to trickle down his back. She wanted to ask what a Kit-Lar was, but she just took his word for it and sat there in fear, letting him have his rest.

  Most of the audience took their seats, not even trying to reclaim their previous designated spot. Though they sat quietly, their subtle body movements revealed an eager nervousness that accompanied their discomfort. Through the thick, uneasy stillness of the area, a set of footfalls contradicted the underlying echo of nervous energy. With steady calmness, the individual approached parting the remains of the standing crowd. As the sea of people parted, Oberon took notice and anxiously waited to see who would emerge.

  Her bright brown eyes met her husband’s gaze, and the sheer light blue veil that covered her head could not hide her elegance or her grace as she took the floor. Though shy in presence, the crowd did not intimidate her or her wisdom. The Lady of Avalon stole the attention from her husband with cunning patience. In response, the congregation paused and waited for her words. She had lingered in the undercurrent long enough, and her observations were going to be heard.

  “It appears that a certain group among us had something to say, but they were ignored.”

  She turned her gaze to the back of the room to where the dragons had once stood. They had already migrated to the other end of the arena, had turned their backs and were walking away through the torn section of wall. Realizing that all eyes fell on them, the leader paused and reeled his head around, using his long neck to face the Council. The others finished exiting through the wall, not even fazed by the stares. As he eyed the advancing figure, the leader’s eyes narrowed as if in defense. A slight chill of energy shot down his spine. Brushing off the chill, he shook his head back and forth, causing the spikes on the back of his head and down the back of his neck to shift like sand dunes in the wind.

  Seeing that his spikes were easily three yards long, the Lady of Avalon halted before him in surprised hesitation, as she did not fathom his size until she came upon him. Even then, it took great effort to meet his gaze which was just as intimidating as his broad face. His head was roughly twelve feet in width, twenty feet in length, and about eighteen feet in height; not to mention his body about the size of a football field! She wondered how any of them had fit into the Council room given the leader’s size. The leader’s scales on his back and sides shimmered from brown to olive green out of agitation. He lowered his head to be nose to nose with her. She eyed the broad muscle structure of his upper body. Though his belly had started to collect fatty mass, his upper strength had been resistant to time, and the golden scales on his chest gleaned like armor with opposition. She paused for a moment to collect herself before speaking.

  “I greatly apologize for the insubordinate attitude of this Council. We would appreciate it greatly if you and your kin would stay,” the Lady continued. “Please, tell us what you came here to say.”

  “It’s already too late for that. You have already wasted too much of our time. We have seen enough to know what has happened here, and we suggest you figure it out quickly.”

  Realizing the stench of bitterness under his words, she quietly asked, “How much time do we have?”

  “Until our patience runs out—”

  She was about to press further, but he turned and walked away through the crumbled section of wall. Out of instinct, most of the Council members stood up and followed them out, watching them go almost in disbelief that the event was actually taking place. Though it remained unsaid, it was evident that humanity had lost yet another ally from beyond the stars. Up the ramp and into the daylight of the marketplace they followed, watching the dragons lift off of the ground and take off into the sky.

  Once the dragons unblocked the view before them, what caught them off guard was the war raging on before them. Women and children ran for their lives and the palace guards, including the questionable Secret Guard, were doing their best to hold down the fort. It was now obvious that the Ackrids’ altercation had made it outside of the palace and onto the streets of Atlantis. With weapons drawn once more, the Council members ran out into the sunlight to finish off what had been started, and Oberon sunk to his knees weakened from disbelief. Only the soft rumble of the earth signaled his intentions. Filled with anger and vengeance, gathering strength, he stood back up and joined the fray.

  Selené sat in one of the arch windows of the palace looking out toward the marketplace. Memories of Ackrid faces melting off or exploding in front of her flickered in her mind like scenes from a horror movie as the resonance of blades cutting flesh and heads being smashed in by unseen war hammers vibrated in her ears. The smell of blood lingered in the air, and the distant cries of the living who searched among the dead echoed in the wind, invading Selené’s thoughts and reminding her of the present. It sent chills down her spine and unnerved her calm composure. Thanks to the vision the sea creatures had given her, the landscape filled with the fallen was all too familiar to be of any liking. Not to mention, the feeling of loss emanating from the people magnified her own feeling of hopelessness.

  Many hours had passed, and many lives had been lost. The war had been over for nearly three hours, and yet after the fight, Lord Oberon had returned to the mouth of the passageway that led to the Council room sitting in shock over the mass destruction. There were many survivors who walked among the bodies either for the count, disbelief, or identification. Though the trials were not over, the Council meeting had become officially dismantled as the alien allies fought for Atlantean lives and then flew off to report back to their governments.

  Not a
single race that left took the Ackrids’ actions lightly. It would not take long for the Galactic Council to convene and discuss the containment of the Ackrid race. If Atlantis was still standing, after the current quarrels with the dragons, the members of the Galactic Council would come back to pick up where the meeting had left off and once again, Selené and her friends would be placed under house arrest. Until then, Oberon had granted everyone’s freedom except for Juron, who had gone off the deep end in only a matter of days. Thinking back to the Galactic Council, Selené thought it was strange that unlike the Council meetings on Atlantis, not a single species created on Earth was invited to join the Galactic Council, which ruled over the heavenly stars. To think about it, it didn’t seem entirely fair.

  “You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

  Selené jumped at the sound of someone coming up behind her, but was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by the Lady of Avalon’s smile. “I was just thinking about the Galactic Council and how it seems unfair that no one from Earth, including those from Atlantis or the magical realms, are allowed to attend.”

  “There is no easy way to explain it, but I shall try if you wish.” Selené didn’t speak a word; she nodded instead. “I don’t like using this term, but have you heard of the phrase ‘Middle Earth’?”

  “Yes?”

  “Are you aware of the definition?”

  “No, I never knew what that meant.”

  “Through the existence of magical gateways, portals, and vortexes, even through the actions and choices we make, we are all connected to each other here on Earth—elves, faeries, unicorns and humans alike. I’m not sure if I’m the one you should talk to about this, but I will explain as much as I can.” Selené nodded in gratitude and understanding. The Lady of Avalon continued, “The planet Earth is in the center of two rotating planes. Each plane is in the formation of a five-pointed star, which consists of five interconnected realms. The realms create the arms of the stars. So, including Earth, there are eleven realms. The top pentacle rotates clockwise, and the pentacle underneath rotates counterclockwise with what humans consider to be the planet Earth in the center of the two rotating circles,” stated the Lady of Avalon. She demonstrated by using her hands by placing her palms parallel to each other and then rotating her hands in opposite directions. “A long time ago, there was a race known as the Elders. They were too ancient to have a name, but they created all of Atlantis. They saw potential in the human race on Earth and discovered a dilemma they thought they could solve. Unlike humanoid races from other galaxies, this one never appeared at the Galactic Council meetings. In most galaxies, the planets connecting other planes, have vast technological advancements. In this galaxy, Earth is slow in advancing, which has caused the other races on the connecting realms to have to wait for the Middle Earth to evolve before they can interact with other alien races.

  “All middle worlds, such as Earth, act like the bridge between all of the realms. Without the bridge achieving the right technological advancement to reach distant galaxies, the humanoids on the other parallel plains are just going to have to wait to join the Galactic Council.”

  “Who is a part of the Galactic Council? And what can we do to complete the bridge?” Asked Selené.

  Selené looked a little overwhelmed, but the Lady continued, “The Galactic Council consists of all of the peaceful, advanced alien races in the universe. Once you become a member, you become laden with the responsibility to protect the inferior worlds around you. As for completing the bridge, that’s what Atlantis was designed to do. It was designed to help speed up and finish the incomplete bridge of Earth. Atlantis rides on the top of the fabric of time and space to allow humans to subconsciously communicate with alien races to speed up their advancements scientifically. When the subconscious communication doesn’t work, Atlantis is supposed to materialize and help the humans through a more hands-on approach. Unfortunately, the ability to physically manifest has not been properly used ever since Juron took charge. Over time, he has used it to fuel his lust for gems and gold by searching for treasure.”

  Selené was a little shocked to find this out about her friend, Juron. She knew he would send guards out to look for treasure on the many lands they came in contact with. A lot of times, he would leave Atlantis to go on the treasure hunt himself, but she didn’t know his greed was getting in the way of Atlantis’s true purpose. Though it did explain why he accepted the cargo, which had gotten them into this mess. However, there remained a question on her tongue. “What has caused the human race to be so slow in advancement?”

  “I’m not quite sure. I think it has to do with their religious beliefs.”

  “That seems pretty stupid. What would a belief system have to do with it?”

  “Humans have created many belief systems that eliminate the existence of magic and creatures, such as elves and faeries. Even dragons have been reduced to mere faerie tales and legends, yet you saw today that they are very real. If humans were to look at their ancient cultures, they would see that many of them believed in creatures such as dragons. Not many of their ancient societies had the technology to travel very far to interact, so how could they all know about dragons and the faerie realms? But they ignore that type of evidence because it’s easier to say that they don’t exist when they should be asking, ‘Where did they go?’”

  “Will that ever change?”

  “Sir Anthony is here, isn’t he?”

  “I don’t understand? What makes him special from the others?”

  “You haven’t been on Atlantis long enough to observe the human timeline. Most human representatives are from the 1500s and earlier. Very few are from between 1600 to the 1900s. Thanks to the Elders, human history is always changing. It is not uncommon for new representatives to be from the same time as an old representative, which causes new discoveries in the past, creating advancements in the future. ”

  The Lady of Avalon could tell that she had lost Selené in the logic. So she tried one last time. “Do you remember Leonardo da Vinci?

  “Yes?’

  “Were you introduced to Nostradamus? He’s a new representative, isn’t he?”

  “I was introduced in a way.”

  “He’s from the same time period as Da Vinci. Don’t you think if human time ran in a solid line that Nostradamus would have shown up the same time as Leonardo? That’s what the Elders gave the human race; a means to change their course by altering their past. That’s why human history books are always changing. They keep digging up old discoveries and asking how such archaic civilizations could create such complex things. It’s all about making them see past their dogmas to ask how and why and then be inspired to take the next step forward.”

  Selené’s eyes were wide with comprehension. “That’s very complex. It took me a while to understand, but that still doesn’t explain Sir Anthony.”

  “When humans created religion, which destroyed magic, science started to show the humans that magic was still a possibility. All magic really is, is the manipulation of matter. Due to the slow discovery of a theory called ‘the M theory,’ humans have finally realized that it is possible to manipulate energy, which creates matter, and this same theory has shown them that their universe is made up of eleven dimensions. Don’t you find that odd that it’s the same number of realms that we just discussed? Five on each parallel plane, with Earth in the middle? This same theory also states that everything in the universe, including forces like electricity, is made up of vibrating strands of energy called strings. These strings make it possible to either rip the fabric of time and space or shield a tear by creating a sweeping tube in the chaotic fabric. Using the strings to create rips and heal them has opened new doors to humans. Atlantis has used strings to travel for well over a millennium. Our particle converter, known as the celestial sphere, transforms point-like particles into strings, allowing us to cause tears and then mend them once we have passed thro
ugh. Unfortunately, instead of using the sphere to materialize Atlantis where we need to be to help humans, Juron has used it as a treasure hunting device. Despite Juron’s misuse of the sphere, it appears the universe has found a way to adapt and overcome.

  “You see, it is very nice to see Sir Anthony here. He is proof that the human race finally understands the function of strings on the fabric of time. They no longer need us to use the celestial sphere. They have found their own way to come to Atlantis by creating a time machine for him and others to travel in. He is the first representative to arrive well after the late 1900s. For some reason, there seems to be a gap in time between the 1900s to the 2200s where aliens must work directly with the humans instead of allowing Atlantis to aid in their advancement. I would like to blame Juron for the gap in time, but his obstructive personal use of the sphere is a fairly new development. With three hundred years unaccounted for, it’s almost as if Atlantis has disappeared.”

  “So, what’s going to happen or has happened to Atlantis?”

  “I’m not quite sure. That’s why I traveled to Atlantis for the trial. Oberon does not know of my speculation or my worries, but I intend to keep Atlantis on its course; Even if it means losing Avalon to Queen Mab.”

  Selené seemed to be in shock. She was torn between digesting the new information and fathoming the choices the Lady had made. Fatigue was setting in on her face. The Lady of Avalon turned to go, but one more question still clutched on for dear life in the chaos of Selené’s mind.

  “Humans know about aliens outside of Atlantis?”

  “Well, yes and no. You are wondering why humans would kill your father when they work alongside aliens on Atlantis. Some humans believe in the existence of aliens while others don’t, and those who choose to believe are broken down into groups that fear them and those who want to be friendly and meet them. In their defense, I cannot blame them for their confusion. There have been many alien races that have been harmful to the human race by performing genetic experiments on them. On Atlantis, there are rules in place that prevent this type of activity, yet without these rules on the rest of the Earth, humans adopted a shoot first, ask questions later mentality, causing mass hysteria and unnecessary death, including the death of your father. Yet, due to the unjust treatment from other alien races, who can really judge the humans for their actions?” She paused for a moment before continuing, “Around the 1900s, well after your father’s death, a few alien races still believed in the human race, seeing a small window of opportunity to grasp at the last thread of hope. To avoid human hostility, they opted to reincarnate into human bodies to help the advancement. At least that’s what my spiritual guides are telling me, but the question remains, what happened to Atlantis? If Atlantis was still around, these alien races wouldn’t need to interfere with the human race directly by reincarnating.”