The Royal Pursuit

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “You need me as much as I need you,” William flatly told the man. “I will not be talked down to or used. This is a partnership. Is that agreed?”

  The man smiled. “Agreed. I don’t want to rule over you. I simply want to have that technology back.”

  William remained skeptical, but he was willing to give the man a chance to prove it. “How are you going to get Ann Kerwin? She’s on another planet.”

  “I have managed to recall some of the technical knowledge the people on Atlantis had. All I need is money, and I can make it happen.”

  William raised an eyebrow. “So you need more than my video chip.”

  “And you need more than money to make your dreams come true.”

  “Touché. Very well. I will give you what you need. If she is not pregnant with Amanda, we will find someone to perform a tubal ligation on her. If she is pregnant with Amanda, we will kill her.”

  “I’ll get Ann before she conceives.”

  The man left with a large sum of William’s money, and at first, William wondered if he had made a big mistake. But when the man contacted him from a planet called Lone and updated him on his progress, William knew he had made a wise investment after all.

  He had managed to gain the advantage over the man because now the man needed him to resurrect Atlantis. William relished the opportunity to order him around. It gave him a sense of power he’d never experienced before.

  William broke out of his thoughts as the pilot announced their arrival at Gate 45A. He lightly touched his pocket to make sure his key was still there. He would take his own private jet to Atlantis, which should be above water by the time he arrived there. Thanks to Captain Reed, he knew the exact location of the infamous city.

  Soon. Soon he’d be the most famous man in the world. And if history proved to repeat itself, Hathor would be following Ann, like he did last time. Only this time, William wasn’t interested in making Ann his wife. This time, he had a score to settle. He would kill Hathor for robbing him of the fame he should have had on Raz. He smiled at the thought. Hathor’s days were numbered.

  ***

  Atlantis

  Planet: Earth

  The man in white led Athen, Optima, and Dour to the lost city of Atlantis. They were still in their merpeople form, so their swimming was effortless through the cool blue water.

  The man held his cane firmly in his hand as he swam, careful not to drop it. His heart pounded in anticipation as his eyes fell upon the city, still standing majestically as if it was built that same day. It was a city of dreams and hopes. It was a city he longed to return to since that fateful day it sank into the ocean.

  He was returning home.

  He patted his jacket pocket, which held the crystal that held the queen’s magic. Once he inserted the crystal into the holder above the screen of the future machine, it would bring Atlantis back from its watery grave. Once again, he would have the technology and knowledge he had once taken for granted.

  He glanced behind him at the Razian and Nicals. He might need them later, but he didn’t need them now. He couldn’t allow Athen to see where he needed to put the crystal. Athen would only remove it, and Atlantis would sink back into the ocean.

  He needed a diversion so he could escape without Athen following him. He examined his surroundings. He spotted a snake dragonfish swimming idly nearby. Its large eyes and sharp teeth made its long green snakelike form look menacing. He smiled. It would be the perfect distraction.

  He waved his cane to get its attention.

  It turned its head in his direction.

  He dodged below some seaweed that was ten feet tall. He hid in the seaweed before the others had a chance to stop him.

  Athen came for him, but fortunately, the snake dragonfish slithered across the water and reached Optima and Dour, who screamed in fright. This made Athen halt in his pursuit so he could help them.

  Glad, the man swam lower in the seaweed, making sure he was completely out of their sight. By the time he reached Atlantis, Athen and the Nicals were forgotten.

  He remembered every inch of this glorious city. His heart swelled with pride as he examined how well preserved it was. The six leaders of the city had done a wonderful job of creating material that lasted through time and circumstance. The man swam between the buildings with ease. He didn’t realize how much he’d missed his home until now.

  Swallowing the lump in his throat, he went directly to the arc where the future machine resided. He opened the door to the arc and swam up the stairs, passing the side where the male leaders did their business.

  The crystal in his hand began to glow. He noted it with interest. Apparently, the queen was in this building, but she wasn’t on this side. She must be on the female leaders’ side. That was useful information he could use as soon as he plugged the crystal into the future machine.

  When he reached the top of the arc, he saw a person messing with the controls of the future machine. “Get away from there,” he ordered.

  The man turned around, not hiding his surprise at seeing a merman.

  “You don’t know what you’re doing with that machine,” the man in white said. “You could break it.”

  “Are you working with William Nichols?” he asked. “He told me to expect a man wearing all white who carried a cane.”

  “Yes, I’m working with him. Is it safe to assume that you are, too?”

  He nodded. “I’m Captain Reed. I led the expedition down here.”

  “Who else is here?”

  “Four others. Stacey, Kent, Stephen, and Mark.”

  “Why would William bring so many others to this place?”

  “Stacey discovered the location. The other three are here to help her with her research. They don’t know the real reason for this trip.”

  “What are we going to do with them? Are they going to be a part of the leadership here?” The last thing the man wanted was to share the technology with someone else. He knew he’d have to share some of it with William, but he’d hoped William would be so busy being president he wouldn’t have much time to indulge in the technology.

  “William didn’t say. For all I know, he plans to send them back to the United States with a large paycheck,” Reed replied. “He told me I’ll be his vice-president.”

  “Is there anyone else I should know about?”

  Reed seemed offended by the question but didn’t retaliate. Instead, he shook his head. “I’m not aware of anyone else. I was told to expect you, but that is all.”

  The man sighed with relief. “Good. It’s not a good idea to share the glory with too many people. That would only create tension since there would ultimately be a struggle for power.”

  “William said you would bring this city back up from the water?”

  He showed him the crystal. “This is all we need.” Without explaining anything else, he swam to the top of the large screen. He set the crystal into its designated slot. It slid in easily, as if it had been waiting for this moment.

  The effect was immediate. The entire city shook, rising from the ocean floor. He didn’t have much time. He needed to find the queen.

  “Hold on to something stable. You don’t want to fall off the edge of this floor,” he warned Reed, pointing to the large gap between the end of the floor and the wall.

  Reed rushed to hold on to the side of the doorway.

  The man swiftly made his way down the arc, heading for the women’s side.

  ***

  Ann was following Hathor, Stacey, and Kent out of Athena’s old office when the building shifted as Atlantis began to ascend. The sudden movement forced her back into the office. As soon as she fell back, the city shifted again, the door closing so that when she lurched forward, she slammed against it. The heavy desk in the room came at her, pinning her in place.

  She heard Hathor pound on the door then tried to open it. “Ann?”

  She tried to move, but she found the task impossible. “I’m stuck!” she yelled. “The desk ha
s me pinned to the door. Is there another way to get into this room?”

  “Yes.”

  The voice came from behind her. She tried to look at the source of it, but the desk blocked her view.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  “I believe you know me from the planet called Lone.”

  The man in white walked over to her, no longer a merman.

  She hadn’t noticed they were no longer under water. How was such a thing possible?

  As if he could read her mind, he leaned close to her and whispered, “Atlantis is back on the map. It is now above the ocean. I have come to show you your future.”

  She was ready to ask him what he meant when Hathor said, “We’re going to try to find another way in.”

  “The floor is Pallid,” she called back, knowing Hathor would understand the man in white was in the room with her.

  The man raised his eyebrow. “I’m sure you just sent him a secret message. I may not be hip to your lingo, but I’m not stupid.”

  As soon as they heard Hathor run up the stairs, the man quickly moved the desk away from her. “Obviously, I don’t have much time.”

  She was greatly relieved to have the pressure of the desk off of her. She fought to get up, but her body was weak from the weight of the desk. He picked her up and stood on the chair with ease. It was then she noticed he had removed a part of the ceiling. So the gods and goddesses had kept trap doors for an easy escape.

  He pushed her through the opening in the ceiling. She grunted as the top half of her body landed in a small passageway that was between the ceiling of Athena’s room and the floor of the office above her room. She managed to move her arms enough so that the rest of her body was in the passageway. The scuba gear was uncomfortable, but she forced herself to keep crawling. She doubted she would escape him since he wasn’t restricted by a heavy outfit like she was, but she had to try.

  Below, she heard someone enter the room. It sounded like it was Kent. “She’s up there!” He called out.

  Without warning, there was a loud thump.

  Ann wondered what the man had done to Kent but knew she couldn’t go back. She had to keep going. Maybe Hathor was ahead of her somewhere. She turned a sharp left at the corner and kept crawling.

  She made it halfway down the small passageway when someone grabbed her ankle.

  She shrieked. Looking back, she grimaced when she realized the man had caught up with her.

  “Nice try, but you didn’t actually think you’d get away from me in that heavy suit, did you?” the man asked, not at all upset by her attempt.

  “I had to try,” she replied.

  He grinned at her. “Yes, I guess you did. You wouldn’t be a queen if you didn’t. It looks like you have more courage than I anticipated. That’s an attractive quality.”

  She rolled her eyes. She wasn’t trying to impress him.

  “Come. Let me show you your private room.” He crawled in front of her. “It’s not far from here.”

  She considered turning around and going back the way she came, but she knew it would be useless. He would only catch her and take her back this way. She reluctantly followed him. She only hoped Hathor would track her down.

  “I’m not a bad person when you get to know me,” he casually remarked. “You have to give me a chance.”

  She considered not responding, but her curiosity got the best of her. “What do you plan to do to me?”

  “I’m going to show you what you can have.”

  “Could you be less clear?”

  “I know it’s not the answer you were looking for, but I don’t want to give away all of my secrets before the time is right.”

  She sighed, not liking the sound of this. By the time he stopped, the growing pit of dread in her stomach had grown to the size of a melon.

  He opened a panel beneath them and jumped down. “Come on. I’ll catch you.”

  She peered down at the elegant room. She tried to hide her awe at the lavish splendor of the place but it was impossible. The room was decorated much like the Olympians’ guest rooms except for the soft blue furniture and crystal floor. She squinted at the floor. It seemed to change colors, one right after another.

  “Don’t be afraid. I won’t let you get hurt,” the man assured her.

  Breaking out of her thoughts, she glanced at him. She whirled around to crawl away, but he must have expected her futile attempt to get away from him, for he lifted his cane and caught her ankle with its curved handle. She kicked at the cane but was unable to get it off her boot. He proceeded to drag her down the hole until she fell into his arms. She swiftly jumped out of his arms and landed on her stomach.

  He sighed heavily, shaking his head. “I can see this will be a contest of wills. I hope you understand that since I have my own Stone of Immortality, I have been around much longer than you and have more experience in patience than you can imagine.”

  “What do you want?” She stumbled as she stood up. He caught her under her elbow and helped her up. She pulled her arm away, not delighting in the physical contact.

  “I want you to put this on and freshen up,” he answered.

  Her eyes narrowed at the long blue flowing dress. He pointed to the large bathroom with a shower and all the cosmetics she would need to make herself look as if she hadn’t just taken a long journey through the galaxies.

  “No,” she said. “I won’t do it.”

  “If you don’t do it, I will bathe you and dress you myself.”

  Her jaw clenched at the ultimatum. “Fine. I’ll do it.” She grabbed the dress.

  “I thought you might be more agreeable to my request once you understood the terms. I will give you one hour to make yourself presentable. Then I will summon you.”

  She couldn’t believe the audacity of the stranger. He probably wanted to kill her. What difference did it make whether or not she was wearing jeans or the dress?

  “I’ll explain in good time,” he stated, as if reading her thoughts. He turned and strolled to the door. He glanced behind him. “Oh, and if you think you are going to go through that hole in the ceiling, you’re mistaken. The furniture in this room won’t move, so you can’t stand up on anything to reach it.”

  She watched him as he left, shocked and horrified. She wanted to cry, but a part of her couldn’t believe this was happening. It seemed like a bad dream she would soon wake up from. She swallowed the lump in her throat and removed the scuba gear. Please get here soon, she silently told Hathor.

  Chapter Eighteen

  In the Wilderness

  Planet: Lone

  Jaz picked up the Book of Spells, relieved they found it. She knew Queen Ann would be anxious to get it back. She turned to Falon, who stood with Xan, Tan, and Sando who were as eager as she was to find the other group that had left with the man in white.

  “I was wondering if we should notify Hathor of the situation,” Jaz told them. “He would want to protect the queen.”

  “Can we locate him using any of those spells, or do we have to go to Raz?” Falon asked.

  She opened the book and searched through it.

  “Is this a magic book?” Xan asked.

  “In a sense it is, but it’s primarily used to locate the queen,” Jaz replied. “And the king is the one who usually carries it since it’s his job to protect her. The queen has all the magic, so she doesn’t need the book, but he doesn’t have magic so he needs it.”

  “That is strange. We elect our leader, but everyone else is equal in status on this world,” Xan commented thoughtfully.

  “If our leader does not do our will, we have the obligation to overthrow him and elect someone else,” Tan added.

  “That’s similar to our world,” Falon said. “We also have a First Commander and a Second Commander whose jobs are to ensure the Leader does his job right. We aren’t necessarily equal in status though.”

  “I think I found it!” Jaz exclaimed. She glanced at the Nicals. “Would you like to come along?�
��

  “We are concerned about Ruler Dour and Optima. With the Stone of Immortality in our possession, we don’t need to fear death,” Xan said, glancing at Tan and Sando. “What do you think?”

  “We need to be with them if we can,” Tan and Sando agreed.

  They looked hopefully at her.

  She reflected on the way the Nicals defended and supported each other. There was a sense of closeness about them that Palers and Laxes lacked. Although the Palers and Laxes got along with each other remarkably well, they would never share the close friendship the Nicals did. The Nicals seemed to have one mind, and she couldn’t imagine they would ever hurt anyone. It opposed their peaceful nature.

  Turning her attention to the spell, she said, “We should hold hands. The spell should transfer to everyone if we maintain some form of physical contact.”

  They obeyed her.

  She took a deep breath and read the spell, hoping it would work. It did, except they expected it to take them to Raz. Instead, it took them to Atlantis, where they appeared in an immaculate room with a woman’s picture in front of a desk.”

  Before Jaz could assess the situation, Hathor ran into the room, the top of his scuba gear off since he no longer needed the oxygen in the tank to breathe.

  “Hathor, what are you doing here?” Jaz asked, surprised to see him in such a strange environment.

  “Thank goodness you’re here,” he replied, slightly out of breath. “Ann is somewhere in this building, but I don’t know where he took her.”

  Sando looked at Xan and Tan in alarm. “The man in white?”

  Hathor blinked. “Yes. I never saw him, but Ann described him to me.”

  “This isn’t good,” Jaz said with a groan. “He intends to kill her.”

  “I know. We need to find her.”