Atlantis Rising (The Myth Hunter Book 6)

by Percival Constantine

  “So how’s it feel?” she asked. “Going from rogue myth hunter to lapdog?”

  “Shut up!”

  He pushed the attack and Elisa began to question her plan. But she stuck with it, regardless.

  “You never bowed before anyone, always forged your own path. Even though we were usually on opposite sides, I had to respect that about you. And now here you are. Trapped under some spell and forced to serve Wade, then Connelly.”

  “Shut! Up!”

  The ferocity of his strikes grew. Elisa blocked his next strike with both khopesh and hooked his katana in the sickles. She twisted, wrenching the sword from his hands and it clattered to the ground. Seth charged in with his hands and Elisa spun to avoid him. Completing a full rotation, she brought the khopesh down on the back of his neck as he passed and his body stumbled and fell, his head striking the ground and rolling a few more paces before coming to a rest.

  Elisa stood upright and looked around her. The mummies were vanquished, bodies scattered amongst the library. She dropped the khopesh and walked over to the center of the room where the scroll Connelly had used remained. Max came by her side and the two of them read over the strange symbols.

  “Do you know what it means?” she asked.

  Max shook his head. “I haven’t the first clue.”

  “I do,” said Sun. “It means get ready for the apocalypse.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Elisa, Max, Jason, and Asami all stared at Sun Wukong with a mix of horror and confusion. Elisa stood from kneeling over the scroll and walked towards the Monkey King. “What do you mean by that?”

  “This scroll,” Sun pointed to it with his staff, “is a way to absorb the full knowledge of the Akashic Records. Connelly is bursting with power and he’s going to use that power to restore Kurios to life.”

  “Kurios?” asked Max.

  “The last king of Atlantis,” said Jason. “The skeleton you found? Those are his bones.”

  “Connelly will infuse Kurios’ bones with that power, and that will restore his flesh and his soul,” said Sun. “All that power will become his and he’ll have the energy necessary to restore Atlantis.”

  “That’s the same thing Himmler tried, isn’t it?” asked Asami.

  “That spell means a massive sacrifice,” said Elisa. “And if Atlantis were to be restored to this plane, the environmental implications alone are too massive to contemplate.”

  “What the Dragon Kings unleashed would be nothing compared to it,” said Sun.

  “So where is the skeleton?” asked Asami.

  “The Order has it,” said Max, then looked over at Wade’s corpse. “Although with Wade dead, who knows if they’d even listen to us.”

  “There’s something else. The power that Connelly’s absorbed, it was never meant for a human. He won’t be able to contain it for long,” said Sun. “He needs to get rid of it before time runs out, so he’s going to go seek out those bones as soon as possible.”

  “What happens if he doesn’t get there in time?” asked Max.

  “The energy will break from his body, in a pretty explosive way.”

  “How explosive is explosive?” asked Jason.

  “Imagine the power of an atomic bomb, then multiply it by a lot.”

  “We can’t let that happen,” said Elisa. “Is he aware of this?”

  “Probably is, so that means he’ll go straight to the bones.”

  “Does he know how to find them?” asked Max.

  Sun nodded. “He knows. He’s connected to ’em now, and he can track them anywhere on the planet.”

  “That means he’s already heading for the Order’s base. We have to get there before he does.”

  “I can teleport us there, but first, I need some time to suss out where they are,” said Sun. “Don’t suppose you know?”

  Max shook his head. “I was blindfolded when we left their base.”

  “Damn, would’ve made things a lot easier,” said Sun. “It’ll take me some time to sense them, but that vril power he’s got gives him a connection to the bones. He can probably get to them before us."

  “We have to try. Elisa, are you—” Max cut off when he saw Elisa wasn’t standing with them. He looked around and saw her shadow moving down one of the halls to an adjoining chamber. Max told the others to wait here and he jogged down the corridor.

  Elisa’s eyes were wide as she stared at a map of the ancient world mounted on the wall, a map that included both Lemuria in the Pacific Ocean and Atlantis in the Atlantic. She reached a hand out and ran her fingers over the map.

  “Elisa?”

  “There has to be a way to stop it.” Her fingers traced a line from Atlantis on the map up to an area marked prominently in what would eventually become the British Isles. “He’ll get the bones, but he won’t raise it there.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Call it a hunch.” Elisa turned and looked at her mentor. He could see something in her eyes, a trait he almost never associated with her—fear. “Max, this is big. Maybe bigger than anything we’ve ever gone up against. So big that even the Order is on the same side as us.”

  “I know,” he said, his tone somber.

  “I made this happen.” Elisa’s eyes fell to the ground. “When we captured him in Antarctica, Wade told me that opening the gates to Lemuria was a catalyst to all of this…this horror. This whole thing, it’s my fault.”

  Max walked up to his protégé and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. With his other hand, he gently lifted her chin so she had to look at him. His deep, brown eyes held the same kindness she’d known from him all his life and he gave her a warm smile.

  “It’s not your fault. Don’t forget that your parents and I spent most of our lives searching for Lemuria, too. We had no idea what the consequences of our actions would be—how could we? There was no way we could have known, just as there was no way for you to know. You can’t blame yourself for your natural curiosity—it’s a trait we nurtured in you since you were a child.”

  “But if we fail—”

  “What did your grandfather always say?”

  She smiled as she remembered the words Kenneth Hill taught her as a child. “‘We’re myth hunters, and our faith is in something greater than all the religions put together. In ourselves.’”

  Max nodded. “That’s right. We need to have that faith in ourselves right now if we’re going to win this.”

  “Then what?” asked Elisa. “If our explorations have brought all this on…do we stop?”

  “Technically, I already have,” said Max with a chuckle. “But if I had the power to, I would keep going until I breathed my last.”

  “What should I do?”

  Max wagged a finger at her. “Don’t even think about putting that on me. You gotta follow your own path. That’s something you’ve done your whole life, there’s no reason for you to stop now.”

  Elisa hugged Max and he returned the embrace. He never married, never had children of his own. But with Elisa Hill around, he always felt he had a daughter.

  ***

  The Monkey King sat in the middle of the large chamber, his legs crossed, hands resting on his knees, and his eyes shut. The meditation was necessary to focus his concentration and to pinpoint the location of Kurios’ skeleton.

  While he went about that, Jason and Asami dragged the corpses into one of the adjoining chambers. Asami looked down at Seth’s head, his eyes glaring at her. The spell kept him alive, even now. She kicked his head down the corridor.

  “Was that necessary?” asked Jason.

  “No, but it was fun.”

  Jason scoffed and went back to work, dragging Wade’s body last. The late leader of the Order was heavy, and Jason strained while pulling him across the floor. Finally, he finished and paused, his hands set on his knees as he caught his breath.

  “Maybe you need to work out more,” said Asami.

  “You could’ve helped.”

  “Could’ve, but didn’
t.”

  Jason stood upright and rested his hands on his hips. “How long are we going to keep this up?”

  Asami rolled her eyes. “Kuso. Not this again…”

  “You really think there’s nothing between us?”

  She turned from him and walked across the chamber, passing Sun’s meditating form. Jason walked after her.

  “I know that wasn’t just a one-night stand for you.”

  A scoff was her response as she looked at him. “And how could you possibly know that?”

  “Because it wasn’t for me, either.”

  “Do you even remember it?”

  “Not at first, but after the hangover passed, I did. And I remember there was a connection between us. I remember everything that led up to that first kiss.”

  Asami slapped the back of his head. “I’m not human, okay? If anything happened between us, it wouldn’t last. You’ll grow old and then fifty years or so from now, you’ll be dead. Do you know what fifty years is to someone who’s had a bicentennial? Do you have any concept of what it’s like to stay ageless while people around you die?”

  Jason paused. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by—”

  “You’re an idiot, Shroud,” she said. “We work together, but we’ll never be part of each other’s world. We’re a completely different species. You’ll never find what you want out of life with me.”

  Asami turned her back to him, shutting her eyes. Jason reached a hand for her, but hesitated. He let his arms drop to his sides and sighed as he turned. “I’ll be outside. Someone should probably keep an eye on the hammer.”

  Once his steps receded into the distance and she was certain he’d gone, Asami huffed and rubbed her eyes.

  “Kinda hard on him, don’t you think?”

  She crossed her arms and looked at the Monkey King. “Aren’t you supposed to be meditating?”

  “I am. But I was also listening to you two fight. I can multitask. I’m awesome like that.”

  “What business is it of yours?”

  “None. But I know a thing or two about immortality. And whether you wanna admit it or not, that guy means something to you.”

  “Shigata ga nai…” muttered Asami. A phrase in Japanese that meant, ‘it can’t be helped.’

  “Don’t give me that bullshit. People are gonna die, that’s just the way of the world. Someday, you and I will be dead, too. But it’s not about the endgame, is it? It’s what you do with that life.”

  Asami was about to say something in response, but then she saw Elisa and Max return to the chamber and she stopped herself. Elisa’s eyes went over the group.

  “Where’s Jason?”

  “He’s waiting topside. Said someone should watch the hammer.”

  “Everything okay?” asked Elisa.

  “Fine.” Asami’s answer was short and clipped. “We’re just waiting for the furball to figure out where these bones are.”

  Sun’s eyes opened. “I’m ready, let’s go on up.”

  He stood and walked past the others, going up the stairs. Max followed, while Elisa lingered behind with Asami, looking at her partner.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “Like I said, I’m fine.” Asami ascended the steps. Elisa hesitated another moment, then followed herself.

  Outside the Sphinx, Jason stood at the altar with Mjolnir resting on it, staring out into the night sky. He turned when he heard footsteps and pointed to the hammer. “I think it’d be a bad idea to leave this thing here.”

  “Think you’re right.” Elisa knelt down and picked it up, groaning slightly as she did. The altar rose back to its original position and the entrance to the Sphinx closed off. “Besides, once this is over, I plan on spending a lot of time in that library.”

  “Let’s get moving.” Sun extended his staff and spun it, opening a portal. “Time to save the world."

  CHAPTER 19

  Aldrich Connelly had never felt power like this before. Although he’d been instructed in the manipulation of vril as a member of the Brotherhood of the Morning Light, what he absorbed from the Akashic Records was far more incredible.

  After he blasted through the head of the Sphinx, his senses drew him towards the bones of his master. Connelly flew through the clouds, the power increasing around him until he vanished in a flash of light.

  When he rematerialized, he hovered over the sands of the Sahara. Connelly held out his hand. “Where are you…?”

  He slowly waved his hand from side to side, trying to sense the bones of Kurios. The vril aura that surrounded his body glowed with more intensity and he smiled.

  “Ahh, there you are.”

  Connelly rocketed towards the sand and a burst of energy signaled his teleportation beneath the desert and into a facility hidden underground. The Grand Master stood in a corridor and heard alarms go off.

  The Order’s security forces poured from the corridors, rifles aimed at Connelly. They pulled the triggers, filling the corridor with the deafening sound of gunfire and smoke. Once their magazines were empty, they peered through the smoke and saw an incredible sight.

  Connelly still stood there, the aura around him just as bright as ever. And all those bullets they’d fired, well those remained frozen in the air. The Grand Master’s hands were held out in front of him, palms up. When he lowered his arms, the bullets harmlessly fell as well, clattering against the floor.

  “Insignificant Lemurian toads,” said Connelly with a scowl. Clasped hands were raised and then Connelly separated them. The vril followed his movements, shoving the guards against the wall and making a path. With a calm stride, Connelly walked past them, his hands clasped behind his back.

  But as he walked past, pins on the grenades the guards had clasped to their vests suddenly jumped out. And the men were frozen in place, powerless to dispose of the explosives.

  They all went off in a cacophony of flames that Connelly didn’t even bother to acknowledge. He just continued through the halls of the Order’s facility, a grin plastered on his face. A few other guards tried to attack him, but Connelly easily killed them with his powers. He forced two of them to shoot each other. Facing another, Connelly turned his hand and the man’s neck snapped.

  Kurios’ soul called out to him. He could feel the power held inside those bones. Connelly approached a locked door and placed his hand on the surface. It blew open and he walked inside, staring at the skeleton locked behind glass.

  His eyes were wide with joy. Connelly’s smile grew broader and he took a few, careful steps before falling to his knees in supplication. Connelly laid his hands out in front of him and bowed his head so low, it almost touched the floor.

  “My Lord, the time has come for your return. Centuries upon have passed, empires have risen and fallen, and the planet cries out for you to restore order. Your power will cause the oceans to boil, the people to tremble, and the gods to fall.”

  Connelly sat upright, then slowly moved one bent leg out and rose with a graceful movement. Vril glowed along his body as he held his arms out to the sides, taking a few more steps towards the glass. His hands rested on the barrier and his eyes burned with the power of vril.

  Cracks appeared in the glass, spreading all across its surface, until it completely shattered, falling to his feet. Connelly reached his hands for the skull and wrapped his fingers around it.

  The power of the Akashic Records flowed from his body, coursing into the skeleton. The bones convulsed, life being breathed into them for the first time in centuries. Their aged appearance gradually faded, turning almost pure white. Organs and muscles formed, then skin spreading all along the body.

  Something else happened to Connelly. As the power flowed from him and his energy transferred into the skeleton, Connelly’s own aura dimmed, his body rapidly aging. He screamed as the vril burned his eyes out and when the last of the power left him, his corpse fell to the ground.

  The newly resurrected Kurios fell to his knees, coughing. It was the firs
t breath he’d drawn since the destruction of Atlantis. He slowly rose, his skin so pale it was almost white. Long, blond hair flowed down his back and his face was lined with a thin beard, his eyes a strong blue.

  But even more amazing were the large, feathered wings that protruded from his back. Kurios looked down at Connelly’s body and knelt down beside it, gently laying a hand on his servant’s head.

  “Thank you for your sacrifice, my son. For everything you’ve done.”

  Along with Connelly’s life force, Kurios had also absorbed the Grand Master’s knowledge and memories. He was completely aware of everything that had transpired since his death centuries ago.

  The gods had tried to prevent Atlantis from increasing its power. Kurios had ravaged most of the planet in his mad pursuit to destroy Lemuria and its inhabitants. And it was those deities who interfered, killing all of them and then exiling Atlantis a place between dimensions.

  But now, Kurios was back. The power of the Akashic Records—the power of Atlantis itself—pumped through his veins. He had the power to undo what the gods had done. And once he completed his task, once Atlantis was restored to its rightful place, the time would come for him to exact his vengeance on those gods who murdered his people.

  Kurios laughed and vanished in a flash of light.

  ***

  Sun Wukong’s portal opened in the Order’s facility beneath the Sahara. And once the group stepped out, they witnessed what Connelly had done. The expressions on their faces were ones of terror. Even the Monkey King seemed affected by the grotesque display of inhumanity Connelly was capable of.

  “We have to stop this son of a bitch,” said Elisa.

  “Amen to that,” agreed Jason, drawing his guns.