The Last Atlanteans

by Katrina Ryan

  Instead of sharing such knowledge with the world, they would have used it to their own advantage, Victoria thought. Without the need for food, they would have had unlimited resources to trade and been invincible in war. She hated the injustice of it, but given that she and Sarah were currently in the middle of nowhere with limited resources, she had to try. Atlantis put it here for a reason, she thought, though looking at the cloth around her hand, she wished Atlantis had provided a charm to heal injuries. We’re not going to start a war.

  “Can I borrow a pen?” she asked Sarah.

  Sarah obliged. Victoria copied the symbol onto the skin above her navel and explained what it was.

  “Can I draw it, too?” Sarah asked.

  “Why not?” Victoria replied. “You already have the Sentence.”

  She handed the pen back, and Sarah drew the symbol on herself. Victoria had seen enough in Atlantis to believe in magic, but she still doubted whether the symbol would work. She drifted off to sleep, wondering whether the Atlanteans could have been so selfish. It was nearly midnight when she heard a branch crack in the forest, not far from the tent. She sat up, trying to ignore the images of the Atlantean ghosts. Someone was in the forest.

  Victoria listened carefully, praying it was Gryffin. Talking to him would be easy after everything she’d endured this week. A gentle breeze rustled the tent, and Victoria relaxed. You’re being ridiculous, she scolded herself. She wanted to believe she and Sarah were safe, but she couldn’t ignore the horrible feeling of someone approaching the tent. She crawled to the tent door, unzipped it without a sound, and peeked outside.

  There were no ghosts. But since sunset, the island had undergone a transformation that made Victoria feel like she was suddenly in a nightmare. Fog had crept into the meadow, so thick that she couldn’t see the nearest trees. Victoria shuddered. She was essentially blind, but her intuition was screaming at her now that someone was out there, that something terrible was about to happen. With a feeling that time was running out, she shook Sarah awake.

  “Hide in the forest,” she hissed, trusting Sarah would hear her urgency. “No matter how long I’m gone, don’t go looking for me. I’ll find you. Go!”

  Sarah followed Victoria out of the tent without question. As soon as her ruby hair had disappeared into the fog, Victoria raced to the opposite side of the meadow. Nearing the edge of the forest, she felt the presence of something real and even more dangerous than the Atlantean ghosts grow stronger. Someone was watching her.

  She ran faster, knowing she had no time to hide. In the forest, she threw herself against the nearest tree, trying to catch her breath without making a sound. Through the fog, she could sense the presence approaching quickly, and it wasn’t Gryffin. He never felt dangerous like this, she thought. She took a final breath, not knowing how else to prepare for whatever was coming. The fog in front of her began to glow with firelight.

  And then, Victoria felt her entire body immobilize against her will, as if by magic, as a hand touched her shoulder.

  “Hello, Victoria,” a deep, male voice murmured. “How wonderful to meet you, at last.”

  Chapter Nine

  CAELAN

  It was the strangest sensation Victoria had ever felt. Her lips refused to scream, and she had the feeling that her mind was disconnecting from reality, like a force was hypnotizing her. She tried to escape the stranger’s grasp, but her body refused to obey her thoughts. Beneath her panic, she couldn’t guess who this man was. She knew from his voice that he wasn’t Gryffin, and he was too strong to be a ghost.

  “Please don’t struggle, Victoria,” he said. His voice was pleasant and had an accent she couldn’t place. “I’m being careful not to hurt you. We will talk in a few minutes.”

  Victoria felt her body relax, until she was standing limply. Only the stranger’s hold on her back kept her on her feet, while his other hand held a burning torch.

  “Let’s walk,” he said. He gently took a hold of her arm and began to lead her across the meadow. They climbed up the hill, following the same path Victoria had taken in the afternoon. We’re going towards the monument, she realized. She had no idea what they would be doing there, but she had a horrible vision of him locking her in the crypt. She felt herself swoon. Sarah will never find me. I’ll die there.

  She forced herself to stay calm. Until she knew who he was or what he wanted with her, there was no point in wasting valuable energy. Maybe it’s all a misunderstanding, she thought. Maybe he knows about Gryffin. Reaching the point where the path split, the man turned towards the forest instead of continuing up the mountain steps. Victoria felt her heart race faster. He’s taking me to the lake, she realized with horror. The prospect of seeing the ghosts again was even worse than being locked underground. And still, she had no choice but to go where the stranger led, her own body betraying her with every step.

  After what felt like an eternity, the procession stopped in the middle of the bridge. The man muttered a few foreign words, and glittering, crystal bars sprung up around the bridge, making a prison. Victoria felt herself regain control of her body. Her instinct was to run, but she knew the fog would slow her down if she got past the bars. Glancing into the lake, she couldn’t see past the reflection of the firelight. Victoria swooned, realizing she had no way to escape, but the man supported her. Either he didn’t know about the ghosts, or he wasn’t afraid.

  “Who are you?” Victoria gasped.

  The man rotated her to face him. For a second, she was struck with a strange impression that Gryffin had aged twenty years in a matter of days. The man before her had had the same angular face, brunette hair that brushed his shoulders, and piercing silver eyes that were both captivating and dangerous. He was even taller than Tom, but his arrogant air forced her thoughts back to Gryffin. He was wearing a cloak Victoria knew hadn’t come from modern day.

  “I am Caelan,” he said. He flashed an unreadable smile. “I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you.”

  “What do you want with me?”

  Caelan said nothing for a moment. Victoria wondered if she’d discovered the crux of who he was. “It’s very simple,” he began. His eyes, silver and unfathomable, met hers steadily. “I exist to ensure you stay out of Atlantis. I know you’re meant to restore the empire, but doing so would endanger the entire world. Atlantis is an ungodly, reprehensible place, with power that must stay broken and forgotten. If you do not believe me now, you will discover so at your own peril.”

  Victoria stared at him, trying to determine whether he was serious. He seemed to believe that Atlantis was real, but his faith that she was supposed to restore the empire was laughable. “How do you expect me to help Atlantis? I’m only seventeen. I can barely drive, let alone save an empire.”

  “Are you denying your intent to restore Atlantis?”

  He likes a debate, Victoria realized. It was her only way to buy time to make a plan. “I wouldn’t even know how.”

  “Not yet,” he agreed. “But you’re not like most people. You’re not even like most Atlanteans. In time, you will find ways of restoring Atlantis that nobody else could imagine, and the repercussions will be severe. I’m sorry, but I simply cannot risk letting you reach Atlantis.”

  “The whole world thinks Atlantis is a myth.”

  “It’s in your blood, Victoria,” he retorted. Victoria heard a sudden sternness in his voice and sensed he had lost interest in her debate. “I know you can feel the truth. You know Atlantis is real, and you never doubted it for a moment.”

  Victoria decided it was best not to say anything.

  “You are an intelligent young woman, Victoria, and I do not intend to trick you or cause you any harm. You should believe me when I say that the only way you can save yourself is by swearing to stay away from Atlantis,” he said. Victoria felt a shiver run through her body as he met her gaze directly. Something in his eyes lacked the generosity in his words, though she believed him, for some reason. “If you cannot give me your promise b
y tomorrow morning, I have other ways to make you forget about Atlantis.”

  “I promise now,” Victoria said, crossing her fingers behind her back. Some promises were meant to be broken.

  An amused smile crossed Caelan’s lips. “I should explain myself,” he said. In a flash, he unsheathed a dagger from his cloak. Its sharp, silver blade glittered in his torchlight, and Victoria instinctively recoiled. “Spoken promises are too fragile. I require a blood oath, sworn on your own life and enforced by the magical contract of your words. Any violation of your promise will kill you instantly.”

  Victoria stared into his eyes, hoping he couldn’t see her fear. Magic like that didn’t exist in the real world. But he’s serious, she realized. She’d seen enough this week to know she should believe in these blood oaths, even if she didn’t want to. She stood there, too stunned to stay anything.

  “You have until midday to decide, Victoria,” Caelan said. “It is a simple decision. You must swear on your life to stay away from Atlantis, or face great consequences.”

  With a bow, he walked through the bars at the edge of the bridge and disappeared into the fog.

  As soon as the light of his torch disappeared, Victoria collapsed to the ground, shaking. She suspected that Sarah would start looking for her late tomorrow afternoon, when Victoria had been missing for most of the day. By then, it would be too late. The only glimmer of hope Victoria could find was that Caelan didn’t seem to know about Sarah yet, but even that would change once Sarah stepped out of hiding.

  I’ve got to get out now, Victoria realized. She wasn’t sure if Caelan would return before morning, but now was her chance to escape. Taking a deep breath, she glanced into the lake. Without the light of Caelan’s torch, the water was black, and it was still impossible to tell whether the ghosts were still lurking there. She ventured to the small island in the middle of the lake and saw that Caelan had barricaded this, too. He must not know about the ghosts, she thought. If the only way off the bridge had been through the water, she would have faced them again. But even that wasn’t an option now.

  Victoria returned to the bridge and sat down. Her next plan was to kick through the bridge’s wood railings, which she guessed were the weakest part of her prison, but the bridge was sturdier than it looked, and it refused to budge. After a few minutes, she turned her effort to the diamond bars, feeling helpless. She pushed and pulled until she was in tears, suspecting that Gryffin could have escaped from prison within minutes. How the hell would he do it? she wondered.

  And then, she had a revelation.

  Gryffin was the baby from her first dream of Atlantis.

  She stopped pacing the bridge, stunned. Gryffin and the woman from her dream had the same hair and the same silver eyes, and she was amazed she hadn’t realized it the second she’d seen him. He had lost his mother and grown up into a young man with some sort of Atlantean magic. Though she had no idea how any of it was possible, it was the only answer she had. That’s why he’s got the Sentence and knows so much about Atlantis, she mused. There is still at least one Atlantean around.

  Thinking about his mother again, she felt a wave of sadness and surprising empathy for him, though it didn’t excuse his behavior. She deeply regretted not talking to him properly when she’d had the chance, to glean any information he had about Atlantis. She felt helpless as she resumed pacing along the bridge, and then slapped the wood in frustration. She was locked in, and she had no power to escape.

  A second later, a warm feeling spread through her hand, intensifying until a few bursts of sparks burst from her fingertips like miniature fireworks. I’m going mad, she thought, sinking to the wood planks beneath her. Despite Gryffin’s warnings, she’d never expected this danger when she’d set off for Atlantis, and now she would never return home. She’d left so much behind in England that she’d taken for granted until now. Aiden and Andrea had only wanted to protect her, and Tom wouldn’t forgive himself for letting her run away if she never came back. Her disappearance would hurt everyone.

  Shaky and exhausted, Victoria closed her eyes. After what felt like an hour, she had no tears left to cry, and even if she did, she wasn’t going to waste them on herself. Sarah might never return home. Victoria was sure there was hope for Sarah, though she couldn’t see it yet. After what could have been a minute or an hour, it began to rain. Victoria moved to the little island in the middle of the lake for shelter under the trees, and after what felt like hours of laying in the dark on the soft grass, exhaustion overwhelmed her fears. Drifting off, she wished she could see Tom and her family one last time and tell them what she most wanted to say. I love you, and I’m so sorry.

  Chapter Ten

  ESCAPE

  Victoria woke on the island an hour later. She was sure she had heard someone in the distance through the mist, but after a moment, she realized it was the bridge creaking in the wind. The night was still dark but surprisingly warm, and a light rain had begun to fall. Wiping rain off her face, Victoria stretched and stood up. She had to break out of her prison while Caelan was still gone. Gryffin has the Sentence, and he could probably do it, she thought. He and I aren’t that different.

  A moment later, a shattering crash filled the air. Running to the bridge, Victoria saw that one of the wooden bars had shattered, leaving enough space for her to escape. With her heart racing, she slipped through the gap and dove into the lake. She reached the shore before she remembered the ghosts, but the water had remained calm and, for the moment, undisturbed apart from her own movement. Victoria ran down the mountain without a glance back or a second thought about her soaked clothing. Reaching the meadow, she came to a halt and surveyed her surroundings.

  Sarah was nowhere in sight, and the tent was gone.

  Fighting a wave of nausea, Victoria she ran to the edge of the forest. The island wasn’t massive, but the search for Sarah would take time they couldn’t afford. Victoria prayed for a miracle, realizing she had no idea how or where to begin. Sunrise wouldn’t be for at least another hour, by which time Caelan would probably be looking for her.

  And then, a twig crackled overhead. Victoria froze, sensing this sound hadn’t been from the wind. There was only a handful of people who could possibly be on this island. Holding her breath, she looked up. After a second, she noticed a figure sitting on a branch halfway up the tree, silently watching her. Despite the darkness, she recognized the flash of red hair instantly.

  “Sarah?” she whispered.

  “Vic?” Sarah replied, sounding relieved. “Bloody hell. You scared me. I thought I saw someone coming, so I hid. What the hell is going on?”

  “I was hoping you could tell me,” Victoria admitted. “Have you seen anyone else here?”

  “Nobody but you, until now.”

  “Right,” Victoria sighed. “Could you come down? We need to leave this island. Now.”

  “What’s going on?” Sarah repeated. For the first time this week, she sounded genuinely afraid. “You just disappeared overnight without any warning. Where did you go?”

  Victoria shook her head. She felt horrendous for putting Sarah in danger, but she couldn’t explain now. “Later. We need to go.”

  Sarah sighed and climbed down the tree. “You will tell me as soon as we’re on that boat,” Sarah hissed. She reached around the tree and pulled into sight an enormous bag containing their tent and supplies. Victoria felt her spirits soar. The stars had answered her prayers. “I was worried sick about you.”

  Victoria knew she’d lost the debate, though she could only feel relief that Sarah was ready to leave. “I will,” she promised. Scanning the meadow, she could see that their path to the beach was clear, and it would only take a few more seconds to get to the pier. “I’m going to run to the boat now. Follow me and don’t stop.”

  Holding their bags of supplies, they ran.

  The boat was still on the dock at the beach. Caelan must not have known about Sarah or our resources, Victoria thought with relief. She untied the boat, Sarah
jumped in with her bag, and Victoria pushed off before jumping in herself. This time, she didn’t have to instruct the boat to move. It glided through the water without a sound, picking up speed by magic, and five minutes later, the island had disappeared into the darkness. Victoria could swear her clothes were getting dry.

  “Vic, please tell me what’s going on now,” Sarah said. “You’ve really scared me. I’ve been up all night worrying about you.”

  Victoria took a deep breath. Sarah deserved the truth. “When we were on that island, a man named Caelan found me and imprisoned me on the bridge on the lake,” Victoria said. “He said he would kill me if I didn’t promise to stay away from Atlantis.”

  Sarah’s eyes widened in horror. “He threatened to kill you? Who the hell does that?”

  “I don’t know,” Victoria admitted. “I didn’t know so many people thought Atlantis was real.”

  “How did you get out? Did you promise to stay away?”

  Victoria shook her head, and Sarah rolled her eyes. Victoria could see her perspective, though she knew Sarah would never fully understand “He probably would have killed me anyway. But I do want to go home,” she said. “Right now. England might not be perfect, but at least nobody wants to kill me there.”

  Sarah nodded, not seeming surprised with her decision. “If that’s what you want, I’m happy to go back. You mentioned it yesterday, and I see I should’ve listened earlier.”

  They looked at each other for a moment, and Victoria knew she and Sarah had realized the same problem.

  “How do we change the course of the boat?”

  Victoria wished Sarah wouldn’t have asked. She didn’t have the heart to admit that she still had no idea how to control the boat or, even worse, that it was probably still going to take them to Atlantis.

  “Turn back to England,” Victoria begged the boat, feeling agitated and helpless. The boat continued through the water in what seemed to be a straight line. They had already reached open waters, and the island was quickly disappearing into the distance. Victoria repeated every command she could think of while touching the Sentence on the boat until she’d she felt exhausted. The horizon was getting lighter with dawn, and she sensed they were getting closer to Atlantis every second.