Shimmer: The Revelations of Oriceran (The Fairhaven Chronicles Book 2)

by S. M. Boyce

  “Wow, that was fast,” Audrey said.

  The queen smiled. “Our servants were notified as you walked over the grand lake. We strive for perfection in all things, Miss Audrey, and no guest should ever be forced to wait to relax after a long journey.”

  “This is incredible,” Audrey said with an admiring grin on her face.

  On the bed lay a silky white dress and several towels. The queen gestured to the door on the far wall. “You have a full bathing room at your disposal, and several maids will provide whatever you need. Once you have freshened up, have one of them send for us. We've planned a small feast in your honor.”

  “Thank you so much,” Audrey said with a warm smile.

  The queen nodded and returned to the hallway, leaving the doors open as she left. Audrey now had views from two sides of the castle, and they were spectacular—nothing but clear water and beautiful homes. Now and again she would catch a glimpse of a dark-haired beauty strolling along one of the sandy walkways, a long dress trailing in her wake. It was so calm here, so joyful.

  What had begun as a small voice in Audrey's head when she first touched the crystal in the marketplace had now became an overwhelming force that drove her thoughts. Atlantis was like nothing she had ever experienced in her life. This felt like heaven. Like happiness. Like home.

  ***

  Victoria gaped at the empty room into which she and Diesel had been shoved by the guards who had led them through the castle. She still hadn't seen Audrey, and part of her worried for her friend. But based on the reception her friend had been given, Victoria figured it was more prudent for her to worry about herself at the moment.

  The room she was supposed to share with Diesel contained nothing but a pile of hay and a loaf of brown bread on a plate on the floor. Along the far wall was a single window, barely wide enough for a head to fit through.

  Diesel leaned in. “At least they gave us a plate. How generous.”

  Behind them, the door slammed. Both she and Diesel flinched and spun on their heels, but the door didn't have a handle from this side, and it opened inward.

  “This is insane,” Victoria said under her breath.

  Diesel shrugged. “It’s about what I was expecting. I had hoped I would be wrong.”

  “Do they hate everyone who isn’t Atlantean?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “They didn’t even give us a bed! It's just hay!”

  Diesel grinned. “A bed? You only want one?”

  She shot him a pointed look. “Focus, Romeo. This isn't a room, it's a stall.”

  Diesel leaned against the wall and put his hands in his pockets. “Like I said, they only take care of their own.”

  Victoria placed her hands against the door, biting her tongue and shaking her head in an effort to keep from doing or saying something stupid. They had welcomed Audrey like royalty, but were treating Victoria and Diesel like cattle.

  Styx fluttered overhead, his tiny wings beating the air with a slight hum that reverberated in the otherwise empty room. She beckoned him over.

  “Go look for a vault or something like one. Let me know when you find it.”

  Still hovering in the air, Styx gave a salute before flittering off through the tiny window in the far wall.

  “A vault, huh?" Diesel asked.

  She met his gaze and dared him to challenge her, but he didn't. Instead, he pushed himself off the wall and begin to pace around the room, observing every brick as though it were interesting. Maybe he was looking for a secret passage or some other way out, but Victoria was too pissed to even think about escape.

  She had sworn she wouldn't steal from the Atlanteans when Fyrn had suggested it, and he told her she would change her mind. She wasn't quite ready to steal anything, but she was sure as hell considering it.

  These people were assholes.

  Chapter 18

  Later that evening, Audrey left her room in a magnificent white dress with a train that whispered over the floor as she walked. The soft fabric was unlike anything she'd ever felt and it fit her like a glove, flattering the curves she had always hidden beneath her jeans and baggy T-shirts. It was as though a permanent smile had been etched into her face, and her cheeks almost hurt from it.

  She was off to a private dinner with royalty who wanted nothing more than to get to know her and ask her questions about her life.

  A flare of warning crept into the back of her mind, a rare moment of sanity in the midst of the fanfare.

  Ask yourself why, her intuition said.

  This was different than the voice that had guided her through the labyrinth on the way to Atlantis. This was deeper and stronger—her real self, the natural intuition she had trusted since birth.

  She paused in the center of the hallway, joy rushing from her like water from a balloon. Since she had come here, she had listened only to the voice that had first appeared back in Fairhaven. The one that had told her to keep her magic a secret. That plan had failed and yet, the closer she got to Atlantis, the more she felt compelled to listen to that voice.

  It was almost as though she wasn’t in control of herself. And since she had been here, she had ignored her common sense almost completely.

  She pressed herself against the wall and held her head as she tried to sift through her conflicting thoughts. She felt crazy, and legitimately wondered if she were losing her mind.

  Atlantis did things to her, shifted her thoughts in a way she wasn't sure she liked. Moments of sanity weren't supposed to be few and far between—especially not for her.

  Throughout her friendship with Victoria, V had been the bubbly fun one and Audrey had been the asshole who had kept people from taking advantage of her friend. Yet here Audrey was, without a clue as to where Victoria had even gone.

  “Audrey?”

  Audrey snapped upright. General Cato was standing at the end of the hallway and watching her with a concerned expression. In a matter of seconds he crossed the gap between them with his long, powerful strides.

  “Are you all right?" He set a hand on her shoulder, and as quickly as her moment of sanity had come, a warm numbness took its place. Her worry faded with his touch, and the blissful happiness she had felt since entering the palace returned.

  She still knew she was supposed to be worried about something, but she couldn’t remember what.

  “I'm fine,” she said softly, not quite believing herself.

  He smiled. “You must be hungry. I bet you haven't had real food in quite a while. Come with me. The king and queen are waiting for you in their private dining area. The royal family has taken quite a liking to you, you know. I have a feeling you will be joining them here frequently.”

  She grinned. “What a kind thing to say. Thank you. Do they have children?”

  “Sadly, no. They’ve tried, but all their children died young. I think you remind them of—” The general cleared his throat and cast his gaze to the floor.

  “Of whom?”

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t say. Perhaps the king will tell you someday, but it’s not my place.”

  Deep in her chest, a warning flared like a bonfire through her body. Something was wrong about what he had just said, but she couldn't place it.

  General Cato leaned in. “You'll have to act surprised when they share this with you, but I happen to know for a fact they'll be offering you training.”

  “Training?”

  “Of course! You were raised by humans, so you have no idea what it means to be an Atlantean. We possess powerful magic, Audrey, and you need to learn to control it.”

  “That's actually why I'm here,” Audrey said.

  He tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

  “I took out half a city block in Fairhaven when I lost control. I need to learn to manage this magic, or I might hurt somebody.”

  General Cato’s smile widened, and he looked at her in appreciation. “I'm impressed, Audrey. Most Atlanteans don't realize their potential even when raised here. I expect gre
at things from you, and I know you won't let me down.”

  “How could I? I feel at home here.”

  “You are home, Audrey.”

  She nodded without thinking, and the suspicious little voice in her core grew quiet again.

  ***

  With every step Victoria took in the Atlantean palace, she became more and more uneasy.

  A short while after they had arrived, the door had clicked open and a maid delivered a curt “follow me” before darting off. She and Diesel had obeyed simply to get out of the room, but the maid walked too quickly and they could barely keep up.

  Out of spite, Victoria refused to walk any faster than a casual stroll, even if it meant getting lost.

  Each soldier she passed glared at her as she walked by. Even the maids stared at her with a mixture of wariness and disgust. She hated it here. It felt as though they would kill her at any moment simply for not being Atlantean.

  “Don't let them see that it gets to you,” Diesel said softly from beside her.

  Victoria tried to take his advice, arching her back and relaxing her shoulders as best she could, doing her best to keep her eyes forward. Diesel put his arm around her waist and nodded charmingly to the next maid they passed, who averted her eyes quickly and hurried down another hallway.

  Victoria smacked away his hand and he chuckled. “I had to try.”

  “Focus, Diesel,” she said under her breath.

  “Do you know where we’re going?” he asked, apparently trying to change the subject.

  She shook her head. “I haven’t seen that damned maid in at least five minutes.”

  “Where are you two going?" a man asked from behind them.

  Victoria spun on her heel to find a guard in the middle the hallway, his shoulders squared and hand on his sword as he stared them down.

  “We’re looking for Audrey,” Victoria said.

  “She's with the king and queen, and you're not to interrupt. Go to her quarters, and she will give you instructions when she returns.”

  Victoria gaped when the guard summoned one of the maids from a nearby room and spoke to her in a language Victoria didn't understand. Diesel, to his credit, simply burst out laughing.

  They thought she and Diesel were servants.

  Without making eye contact, the maid gestured and began to head down a side hall. “This way.”

  Victoria could feel the heat in her cheeks, but did her best to restrain her boiling anger.

  Unbelievable.

  Chapter 19

  Not long after her meal with the king and queen, Audrey had been ushered to one of the many palace gardens to begin her training. The ornate wrought-iron fences were covered in ivy and roses, and giant hedges surrounded her on all sides. To her left an Atlantean woman adjusted one of the dozens of glistening artifacts on display, almost all of them crafted from the same stone as those Audrey had bought in the Fairhaven marketplace. Most of them had been carved into beautiful animals, though some were unfinished crystal points.

  The Atlantean instructor pulled her long braid over her shoulder and smiled warmly. “Do you know why some of them are carved into statues while others aren't?”

  Audrey shook her head. “They're beautiful, though.”

  The instructor nodded. “Indeed they are. The weaker crystals are carved into statues or figurines while those with the most power are left untouched, preserving as much of the original stone and its power as possible. The weaker stones are made beautiful in a different way.”

  Audrey grinned, thinking of the stones hidden in her pack in her room. No wonder that one had given her so much power back in Fairhaven.

  “As our honored guest, you may choose any of these you like. Which draws you?”

  Audrey stood in front of the table, eyes wandering over the brilliant facets and edges of all the crystals. But one in the center caught her eye, a brilliant blue crystal about the size of a golf ball. She lifted it, and white light danced along her skin at its touch.

  The instructor beamed. “You have a gift, Audrey. In all my years of teaching, only royalty has ever picked the most powerful stone the first time they tried.”

  Audrey smiled, pleased with herself.

  “Let us practice your aim,” the instructor said, gesturing toward a circular target at the end of the red brick path. Behind it was a tangle of vines and ivy dotted with pink flowers.

  “How do I do this?" Audrey asked.

  “Atlantean magic is all about intention and focus. The power is in your connection to the crystal you hold in your hand. Therefore, you need never question your ability, only where to channel the energy. There is limitless power in that crystal. However, as you are new to its magic, it will drain some of your energy as well with each shot. The more powerful your attack, the more of your own energy you will use—at least in the beginning. Over time, you will learn to overcome this fatigue, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself winded in the early years of your training. Now, focus your mind and trust the power within the crystal you hold. Where would you like its magic to go?”

  Audrey stilled, narrowing her eyes as she focused her attention on the target at the end of the path. There were three concentric circles, as was the case with most targets, and she focused on the centermost one.

  “There,” she said, pointing to it.

  As if on command, a bolt of white light shot from her fingertip and struck the center of the target. Smoke billowed from the mark, and the fabric sizzled.

  The instructor gaped at the burn in the center of the target. “Miss Audrey, forgive me if I've related basic things you already understood. I was under the impression you were new to Atlantean magic.”

  “Oh, I am. I don't have any control over this yet. That must've been luck.”

  The instructor shook her head. “No, my dear, that was skill. We will need to work on refinement and what to do if you're caught off-guard, but I'm astonished that we can proceed to such advanced conversations on the first day.”

  Audrey beamed with pride. Finally she was getting the hang of this magic of hers.

  “The king and queen will be most pleased to hear this,” the instructor said with a wink.

  “I'm just grateful for the opportunity to train here,” Audrey said.

  “Keep impressing us, dear one, and you will get far more than training. Come, let us continue.”

  Audrey squared her shoulders, anticipation dancing along her fingers. She ached to access her magic once more.

  This was too good to be true.

  ***

  Audrey had lost track of how much time she spent in the palace gardens with the instructor, but they had covered immense ground in their training today. She had been thrown into uncomfortable situations where the magic had pushed against her skin, begging to be set free just as it had when she fought the monster in Fairhaven. This time she was able to keep her cool, and it paid off. She only lost herself to the magic once, and even then she had regained her composure quickly.

  It wouldn't be long before she mastered this new magic well enough to return to Fairhaven.

  She had returned to the hall where her room was located while she pondered her new situation. At the thought of leaving Atlantis, she hesitated. Her heart ached at the prospect.

  Perhaps she should stay.

  As she leaned against her bedroom door, something glimmered on her skin. She examined the back of her hand and found it had a slight sheen, not unlike the blue and green iridescence she had observed on all the Atlanteans here.

  She smiled, her heart warming at the thought of fully embracing her Atlantean heritage. She had known things would change when she arrived in Atlantis, but she hadn’t thought the changes would be literal. Her body was already adjusting to life in Atlantis.

  “There you are,” Victoria said from down the hallway.

  Audrey looked up and saw Victoria carrying a handful of towels and wearing a scowl that would wilt a flower. “What's wrong with you?”

  Vict
oria let loose a humorless laugh. “What's wrong with me? Oh, I don't know—maybe the fact they think I'm your servant? I wasn't allowed up here without towels and a change of clothes for you.”

  Audrey couldn't help herself. She laughed. “Well now, servant girl, I don't see a dress.”

  Victoria shook her head, but even the towels couldn't hide her smile. “Fuck you.”

  Audrey chuckled and pushed the door open, holding it for her friend. “I've spent the last I-don’t-even-know-how-many hours training. I’ve already got a bit of this magic stuff down, Victoria.”

  Victoria tossed the towels on the bed and laid back on the comforter, staring at the ceiling. “Thank goodness. Hopefully we won't have to stay very long.”

  Audrey’s smile faded, and an irrational wave of anger crashed through her. She set her blue crystal on the bedside table and crossed her arms. “Why wouldn't we stay here? It's beautiful.”

  “Yeah, your room is. I'm in a stall with Diesel, sharing a bundle of hay.”

  Audrey rolled her eyes. “Stop exaggerating.”

  “I'm not. That’s the pathetic part.”

  Audrey set her hands on her hips, disgusted that Victoria would be so disrespectful to the people who had been nothing but welcoming. “Look, okay, they mistook you for servants. I'm sorry, and I'll get it fixed. But come on, there's no need to be an ass. You’re not literally sleeping in hay.”

  Victoria's rested on her elbows, narrowing her eyes a bit as she studied Audrey's face. “I'm a little worried about you.”

  “About me? Why?”

  “I'm concerned you're getting caught up in the beauty of Atlantis, while ignoring the darker side of it. These people aren't as nice as they seem.”

  Audrey threw up her hands and began to pace around the room. “They don't fawn over you, you mean.”

  “Why would I want—”

  “They have been completely delightful to me, Victoria, and maybe you don't like them because they aren’t fawning over you like the people back in Fairhaven.”