The Royal Pursuit

by Ruth Ann Nordin

“We have the Book of Spells. You can use this, correct?” she asked.

  He smiled as he took the book. “This is great! It’s just what I need.”

  Before he could open it, the room went dark and gas floated into the room, which caused them to fall asleep.

  ***

  An hour after Pallid left, Ann had taken a shower and put on her long dress, which swayed softly at her ankles. She let her curls fall loosely over her shoulders, deciding against her usual style of pulling the sides back in a barrette. She sighed. She didn’t care to look in the mirror. If she wasn’t dressing up for Hathor, she didn’t care how she looked. She hoped Hathor, Stacey and Kent were alright and that she’d soon be with them.

  A knock at the door broke her out of her thoughts. She reluctantly walked over to it and opened it. She knew it was Pallid before she saw him. He was still dressed in his white suit, his white hat, and his white cane.

  He smiled widely at the sight of her. “You are more beautiful than I imagined you’d be,” he complimented.

  She rolled her eyes. “Can we get this over with? What do you want?”

  Not disturbed by her impatience, he held his hand out to her. “I need a blood sample.”

  She stepped away from him. “No.”

  “I need it to find out something important. It will determine your fate.”

  “Tell me what it’s for.”

  “I don’t want to upset you with minor details.”

  She frowned. “You want to draw my blood and run a test on it. It wouldn’t be a pregnancy test, would it?”

  His eyes widened in surprise. Then understanding lit up his eyes. “Oh. So you found out why I captured you back on Lone.”

  “I was filled in on the details, yes.”

  “Hmm… Apparently, I was careless in my actions back there. The Nicals must have overheard one of my conversations to that William Nichols person.”

  She gasped.

  “You recognize the name,” he observed. “He recognized yours as well when I met him. You two share a romantic past.”

  She frowned. Would William always haunt her?

  “He is coming here to establish Atlantis,” Pallid continued. “Do you still have feelings for him?”

  “No. I don’t even like him anymore.”

  “Good.” He swiftly took her hand and pricked it with a small needle before she had a chance to protest. “We will discuss this when we learn the results of the test. Now join me.” He held his arm out for her to accept.

  She crossed her arms in response.

  He gently pressed his hand on the small of her back and guided her forward.

  She moved away from him. “No. I’m not going with you. This is absurd. I am the Queen of Raz, and I won’t let you kill me.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t let it come to that. One way or another, I will make sure you live.”

  His soft tone was reassuring, but she couldn’t fight the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  He sighed. “I will give you an option. Either you come willingly with me, or I will have to put this rope around your wrists.” He pulled out a purple cord from his jacket pocket. “It may not look like much, but I assure you this rope will not only bind your wrists together, but it will create a force around you that won’t allow you to get six feet away from me.”

  When he put it like that, she didn’t have a choice. “Fine. I will follow you.”

  She walked with him down the hall, and he stopped by a tiny room with various machines and equipment that she didn’t recognize. He slipped the needle into a circular one-quart container and pressed a button. She knew what he would find, so she wasn’t surprised when she saw his frown.

  He walked back to her and took her arm.

  “Did you receive displeasing news?” she snapped.

  “I won’t let you die. I promise you that,” he replied.

  They walked down the hall to a large library with books along the walls that looked brand new.

  He closed the door behind them and turned to her. “Nichols won’t be happy. Your child poses a threat to the future of Atlantis. Nichols has spent the last couple of years in search of fame and glory. I’ve seen enough of the future to know he desires the praise that authority brings.”

  “And what about you? Why did you join him?”

  “I used to belong here. The Olympians aren’t the only ones with the Stone of Immortality. I got one, too. I was born here. I was in the war that doomed this wonderful place to the bottom of the ocean. But I saw its future ascension from the ocean and greatly waited for the time when I could return home.” He looked into her eyes. “Now I am complete again. Do you know what it’s like to be without something for so long and to finally have it again?”

  She considered his question. “Yes. It was hard being without my best friend after I moved to Florida, and seeing her here again brought back a lot of wonderful memories.”

  “She’s here?”

  “She’s with others who are researching Atlantis. Certainly, you are aware of them.”

  “Yes. I just don’t have the connections with her that Nichols does. He’s the one who funded her expedition here.”

  So that was why William contacted Stacey. “Where are the people I was with?” Ann asked.

  Pallid shrugged. “Nichols plans to meet up with someone named Hathor. From the way he was talking, I take it he hates Hathor.”

  “Hathor is my husband. Hathor will have no trouble defending himself.”

  “I don’t know. Nichols had a special room he had me put a bomb in, so whatever he has planned, I’m sure it’s a trap.”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. “You can’t let him kill Hathor.”

  He raised his eyebrow. “I might be able to arrange something to your liking. Hathor is not in any immediate danger. Nichols wants to play a game of cat and mouse with him before he does anything serious. In the meantime, however, I have something to show you.”

  She watched as he walked over to the large desk in the room. He picked up a piece of paper that was lying on it, read it, and unlocked one of the drawers in the desk. She glanced at the doors that were closed. She wished Hathor were with her. Most of all, she hoped that William wouldn’t find him. Hathor wouldn’t let William get the best of him. Hathor was too smart for that.

  “Have you ever wondered if you made the right decision in choosing Hathor over William?” the man asked her, interrupting her thoughts.

  She glanced at him. “No. I already know I made the right choice.”

  “Would you like to test that theory?” He showed her a rectangular mirror with several blue buttons on the side of it. “Isn’t it good to know if you really did?”

  “I don’t need that…thing to know I made the right decision.” She paused. “What exactly does it do anyway?”

  He grinned at her. “Curiosity is my weakness, too. It not only tells the future, but it can also show you what would have been if you had chosen a different route in life. It really is a marvelous invention. In fact, it’s how I knew Nichols would be the one to finally see to it that Atlantis was reborn. That’s why I even talk to him.”

  “I don’t care to see what would have been. I don’t believe in dwelling on the past. You can’t change it, so why think about it?” Besides, she had wasted four years of her life in the past wishing for William to return her love. She would never let the past haunt her like that again.

  “The past is good if you want to learn some important lessons about what not to do in the future,” Pallid said.

  “So you don’t repeat a mistake.”

  He nodded. “Exactly.” He set aside the mirror and led her to the only wall without any books decorating it. He pressed a small button on it, and the wall split in half.

  She didn’t hide her surprise as the wall retreated into two vertical columns. A huge window showed her the entire city of Atlantis. She gazed in amazement at the beauty and grandeur of the city as it reflected a variety of colors off the
buildings. There was a magical quality about it that took her breath away. She had thought Raz was gorgeous, but this city impressed her more. At one time, this must have been the diamond of all the cities on Earth. People must have come here just to view its splendor.

  “Magnificent, isn’t it?” he whispered in her ear.

  She hadn’t realized he had walked next to her. “I can understand why you missed this place so much.”

  He smiled in appreciation at her comment. “It feels good to be back. Soon it will be flowing with people. The technology is even more impressive than the city. The six leaders developed incredible things. They created spacecraft that no one on Earth has been able to duplicate. They saw the future. They made other human beings and crossed species for exotic creatures like the three-headed dog, a Pegasus, a sphinx. They even created a race of superior people who could not tell a lie. Those people were the Augurs, and they were entrusted with protecting the technology from anyone who might abuse it.

  “The leaders learned the hard way advanced knowledge could be a curse when placed in the wrong hands. It was Hera who created the first person without using a cloning technique with only an egg. I don’t know how she made him, but his name was Hephaestus. He turned out lame and crippled, though he was the most skilled craftsman who’d ever lived. He created the buildings and everything in them. Even now, these buildings attest to the fact that he was superior in craftsmanship.

  “However,” he continued, “his ugliness was repulsive to everyone else on Atlantis. The leaders had created formulas to make everyone amazingly beautiful and in perfect health. There was not a single blemish or defect on anyone, except for Hephaestus. None of the treatments or formulas worked on him. The only reason they kept him around was for his skill. If it hadn’t been for that, they would have banished him to the Underworld.”

  She winced at the thought. Hephaestus had always been a gracious god with the humility none of the other Olympians possessed. “Did the people here regard all humans as being expendable? Are humans only worthwhile as long as they are wanted?” she snapped.

  “I didn’t make the rules. I agree it was harsh. He wasn’t treated well at all. Most of the time, people laughed at him. The Augurs were the exception. Their honor held them to value everyone, regardless of ability or stature.”

  “What about you? Did you join in that laughter since you were not an Augur?”

  He turned to her. “I admit I also laughed with the others regarding Hephaestus’ condition. It’s not my proudest moment. I’ve had centuries to reflect on his fate.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, when the leaders discovered that Hephaestus’ condition could not be cured, they made the Augurs protectors of the technology. The Augurs’ sense of justice and trustworthiness would not allow anyone to create another blunder like Hera did. If I remember right, Athena was the one who established the Augurs’ prominent role in Atlantis.”

  She knew Athena well, so she could imagine Athena would be wise enough to ensure certain safeguards were put into place to protect the city this way.

  “We were not perfect back then, just as we are not perfect now,” he said. “I can’t think of one person who hasn’t regretted something they’ve done in the past.”

  She couldn’t argue with that statement.

  “I have a proposition for you, which I hope you will find to your liking,” he said.

  She looked at him. “What is it?”

  “I offer you the technology in this wonderful city. You may take it back to Raz to help you rule. Your magic, the one Raz granted you when you became queen, is the source of energy behind this city right now. That is how Atlantis rose again.”

  “But I need that magic.”

  “You can still be Queen of Raz. You can also be queen of Atlantis.”

  A sense of dread filled her. “I cannot be a queen here.”

  “No. I’m talking about taking this technology and the magnificence back with you to Raz. Raz can look like this.”

  She examined the city again. It was incredibly seductive. She would love to wake up every morning to such beauty.

  “What do you think? Your capital city can be called Atlantis. The rest of Raz will be as it is now. You make such a lovely queen. Why not have the land reflect that beauty as well?”

  As gorgeous as Atlantis was, if she turned Raz into this place, then Raz would lose its identity. She couldn’t do that. She turned back to him, ready to decline his offer when he leaned in to kiss her.

  She turned her head to the side. “There’s only one man I love.”

  He didn’t move. His breath brushed her cheek as he said, “Hearts can change over time. Your past has taught me that.”

  She shook her head. “I will never leave Hathor for anyone.” She turned away from him and looked out the window.

  “I see you made it to Atlantis safely,” a familiar voice said.

  Turning to the person, she cringed. She should have expected William to show up at some point. Pallid mentioned him enough, but she still couldn’t believe he kept interfering in her life.

  “It’s been awhile since we last saw each other,” William said. “That was on planet Pale.”

  Her eyebrows narrowed.

  “Yes, I remember everything,” William said. “I didn’t at first. I even remember how Earth was nearly destroyed by Omin-2 and his mission to chip everyone.”

  She didn’t know what to say, so she kept quiet.

  He stopped in front of her and gently stroked her cheek. “I also remember it was you who spared my life.”

  “I won’t leave my husband.”

  He chuckled and removed his hand. “Oh, don’t flatter yourself. I’m not interested in you. I was merely saying thank you.” He looked at Pallid. “So, what are the results? Is she pregnant?”

  The man seemed hesitant to speak.

  Her stomach knotted up. She knew the complications of William finding out the truth, and she didn’t trust William to be merciful. If her child was going to pose a threat, he’d do whatever it took to get rid of her.

  “I will take that as a yes,” William said.

  “I don’t think killing Ann is a wise idea,” Pallid interjected.

  “Hey, I don’t like the idea any more than you do,” William replied, “but we must not allow her child to be born.”

  “I have come up with an alternative plan which might be more beneficial to everyone.”

  William grinned. “Amazing. You fell in love with her.” He turned to her. “At least you can attract some men.”

  She didn’t appreciate the way he said that, as if he was putting her down.

  “I wish you no ill will, Queen Ann. I’m sure I will agree to whatever this man has planned,” William said.

  “I have to go to Raz. I-” she began.

  “Don’t have a choice,” William finished. “We are the ones who decide your fate. And as for that husband of yours, he won’t be a problem much longer. I have special plans for him.”

  Her face flushed as anger swept over her. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Let’s just say this man won’t have any competition.”

  She clenched her jaw. “Hathor knows how to fight. He’s been training since he was five. You won’t beat him.”

  “I recall what happened on Pale,” he snapped. “I already thanked you for saving my life. That is the only reason I’m being gracious to you now. I don’t wish for you to die, but I will see to it that he does. And he will have the displeasure of knowing you will be with this man before I deal the fatal blow. It will give me great pleasure to know his last moments alive will be filled with such sorrow.”

  It was a mistake for her to let William live when Hathor had the chance to kill him. Hathor was right. William was more of a threat than she’d ever dreamed. She pushed aside her anger. She had to be careful. If she said or did the wrong thing, it could jeopardize Hathor’s life.

  “William,” she softly began, “please don’t do it. I won’t let Hatho
r near you. I am the queen, and he has to do what I say.”

  “I’m sure you would keep your word. You were always good about that kind of thing.”

  Her spirit lifted at his acknowledgment. “We can work something out about the future of Atlantis, too.”

  “We might be able to work something out, but that child of yours will not work with me. She will destroy this city. I’ve seen the future.”

  “She is meant to be the next Queen of Raz. She won’t bother coming to Earth unless something happens to threaten the well-being of Raz or one of her allies. Do you have any idea what that something might be?”

  “The technology,” the man in white interrupted.

  Ann glanced at him.

  “I don’t know any more than that,” Pallid added.

  “So we can’t fill in all the blanks,” William told her. “You’re just going to have to trust our judgment on this. Atlantis will be the greatest city on Earth until she comes to ruin it.”

  “Because of the technology?” Ann asked, wishing there was more to go on than this little piece of information.

  Pallid nodded.

  An idea came to her. “Well, Atlantis sank in the past. Why did that happen?”

  “The six leaders, in their pursuit of creating the perfect person, made a man that was a little higher than the Augurs in intellect. He desired the power they had and tried to take control of the city by manipulating its technology. It was a bitter war.”

  “The leaders used the technology to produce him after determining the technology was dangerous?” she asked, appalled.

  “Even the best of us can’t resist its appeal.”

  She took that as her cue. Looking at William, she made her case. “This city possesses technology that may not be what humans can handle. You know how we are as a species. Growing up, we were told that someday mankind would destroy the Earth with bombs. The only thing that has held us back is our fear of being bombed by someone else. Can you imagine what people might do with the technology in this place? Perhaps the sinking of this place was the best thing that happened to Earth.”

  Pallid sharply inhaled.

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t think everyone will be responsible with the power in this place,” she said.