by Katrina Ryan
The palace was dark and quiet when Victoria left the Royal Tower. She ventured through the Garden of the Gods to see if she’d run into Athelea and ended up in a small, dark hallway she’d never seen before. In the middle of the hall was an alcove containing a large statue of a man. Victoria was certain she recognized his face from the portrait in the Grand Library. He wore what seemed to be traditional Atlantean robes, cradled a large book to his chest, and had a beautiful bird perched on his shoulder, its feathers carved with careful detail. He had a handsome, kind face and eyes that were full of knowledge and secrets. It must be Atlas, she mused. But what is he hiding?
And then she noticed the narrow passageway hidden in his shadow. Her curiosity flared as she realized there was just enough space in the alcove for her to squeeze around the statue and explore. She jumped onto the ledge and carefully made her way through the gap, her back pressed against the stone wall. Victoria felt her way along passage and found a set of steps going up. With some hesitation, she began her ascent.
As a faint light at the other end of the passage visible, Victoria realized it was leading to the roof of the palace, which hadn’t been visible from any of the towers. The enormous terrace here had an unobstructed view of the sky and the Garden of the Gods. Its perimeter was paved with flat Atlan stone for walking, but the middle was overgrown with tall grass and wildflowers, looking like nobody had cared for it in decades. It was beautiful in an untamed way. Victoria could imagine the royals hosting their most exclusive, extravagant parties here on warm, summer nights and wondered if Athelea had ever been here.
And in the corner of the courtyard was a large, silver block that almost resembled a casket. Victoria approached it, intrigued yet aware that anything could be inside. The stone lid slid off easily, lighter in weight than Victoria had expected, to reveal a bundle of pristine blankets and pillows. Victoria smiled, her apprehensions vanishing. It had probably been centuries since anybody had been here, but she wasn’t the first person to stargaze here. She spread out a blanket on the grass, tossed two pillows on top, and looked up.
The stars she could see between the clouds were so beautiful that the drizzle of rain didn’t matter. Victoria found Celeste within seconds. The pull she felt towards the little star was weaker than before. Probably because it’s nearly morning, Victoria thought. She let the warmth of the bond fill her for a few seconds, reassuring her that she knew what to do next.
“Celeste?” she whispered.
Silence. Victoria bit her lip. She felt ridiculous talking to herself, for expecting a star to listen to her from across the galaxy. It would be so easy to lose her grip on reality in Atlantis, but as she wondered what reality was, a little voice broke into her thoughts.
Why is Victoria so sad? a little voice asked.
Victoria opened her eyes, feeling the strength of that gravitational pull explode in a way she could never doubt. Celeste was glowing brighter than she’d been a minute ago. Victoria took a breath and let the entire story flood out.
Make Atlantis fireproof, Celeste suggested once Victoria had finished. Her tiny voice was more serious than Victoria had ever heard it, and it reassured her instantly. Then he can't hurt Atlantis.
Victoria thought it could have been a brilliant, simple solution, except for one problem. “I still can't invoke any proper dexes.”
You can learn. You can learn very quickly. Or ask Athelea to help.
Another obvious yet flawed suggestion. Victoria shifted uncomfortably. “I can't tell her. She wouldn't let me out of her sight again, and we’d never get anything done. I'm so tired of people worrying about me.”
Celeste was silent for a second. Build an army and fight.
It's true, Victoria thought, hoping Celeste couldn’t hear her thoughts. Stars are great listeners, but their feedback is less than helpful. “There are no Atlanteans. We have tried to bring them back, but nothing has worked.”
Not yet, Celeste said.
Victoria sat up, her heart racing. “What do you mean? Will they come back?”
Silence followed these words for too long. Victoria had a feeling she’d finally asked the right question. Stars see nearly everything, Celeste answered, but we have many secrets, and there are many things we cannot tell the beautiful humans. I am sorry.
Sensing an opportunity, Victoria raced for another question. She wanted an answer that Athelea couldn't give her, something that had been bothering her for a few days now. “How is Caelan getting into Atlantis? Athelea has put up defenses to keep Atlantis safe from intruders, but he's gotten right past them. I don't understand. Is he using a portal?”
It is neatly sunrise. We will talk very soon. I love you.
Victoria sighed. Nothing could ever be easy.
The first ray of sun appeared over the horizon, and the conversation ended. Victoria ran her fingers through the grass, wishing she could be the person Celeste thought she was. Stars have it so easy, she decided. All they have to do is shine, and nothing can ever hurt them.
And then, a horrible realization slowly dawned on her. Unless she found a way to fight Caelan, she would have to leave Atlantis much sooner than she’d hoped. As amazing as the experience was, she refused to put Athelea or Atlantis in danger by staying. There was simply no other solution. She had one day to leave, or she had to raise an army to fight.
She closed her eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted and overwhelmed with responsibility, and when she opened them again a few hours later, it was to a bright day. Victoria swore, never having intended to fall asleep on the roof. She raced back to her room, slowing only to look for signs of life in the Garden of the Gods, but the Atlanteans hadn’t returned. She didn’t hear worried voices when she reached her bedroom door, so she entered with the hope that her excursion had gone unnoticed.
Sarah was sketching in the balcony. She looked up as Victoria closed the door, her expression immediately conveying relief. “Morning,” she said. Victoria could tell she was trying to sound conversational, but she didn't seem upset. “Where have you been?”
“Exploring,” Victoria said, omitting the fact that she’d been out all night. “Please don't tell Athelea.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow but resumed sketching without any question. Twenty minutes later, Athelea joined them, wearing another black dress and carrying the usual basket of beautiful fruit. Victoria had lost her appetite, but she made an effort to join the conversation and drink her tea, hoping it would keep her alert for the day. She would have to be on her best form to avoid raising suspicion. She relaxed slightly when breakfast finished and Athelea brought them to one of her workshops to collect candles to bring to the Hall of Divinity. The room smelled amazing, tempting her for a moment to forget her worries. She and Sarah exchanged glances when Athelea wasn't watching.
“Have you got any other exciting secrets to tell us, then?” Sarah asked when they returned to the Garden of the Gods. Victoria snapped back to reality, thinking for a second that Sarah had been talking to her. She reminded herself that they still didn't know anything about Caelan. Her paranoia would give her away soon if she wasn't careful.
“Not that I can think of at the moment,” Athelea said. Victoria heaved a sigh of relief that nobody had noticed her paranoia. “But I thought we could make a quick excursion to the Isle of Time.”
“You can go without me,” Victoria suggested. “I should stay here to keep watch for Atlanteans.”
“If that is what you want, Sarah and I can make the journey,” Athelea said. “We won’t be gone more than a few hours, which should be ample time for you to study dexologs or do whatever you wish while you wait.”
Victoria felt a surge of disappointment. “I’m tired of all these dexes that don’t seem to help anything. I’ve met Caelan a few times now and managed to escape only by luck. Atlantean magic had nothing to do with it,” she said. And even if she had no intention of reading dexologs, the mere suggestion annoyed her.
“Victoria,” Athelea said, interrupting her thou
ghts, “do not underestimate how important dexterity is. I appreciate that you still find it difficult, but you must persist. Atlantis would be a much more dangerous place without it.”
“I won’t stay behind if I can’t roam around the main island,” Victoria said. “I don’t want to be locked in the Grand Library like last time.”
Athelea sighed. “I suppose you can roam. You should spend your time how you see appropriate.”
The others departed for the harbor, and Victoria took a few more minutes to admire the workshop. Athelea does so much around Atlantis, Victoria thought. She realized it more every day she was in Atlantis, and it made her proud that this woman was her mother. It’s amazing she has the time and energy to do everything she does.
Victoria finished her tour of the tower and got to work on the main island. She checked on the Broken Portal, only to find it was still inactive, and then read a few dexologs in the Library to make Athelea happy. Every sound she heard filled her with hope that the Atlanteans had returned, until she realized it could equally be Caelan. Would he really burn Atlantis? Victoria wondered. He wouldn’t make an empty threat. There must be something holding him back from doing his worst damage.
She eventually sat down on the grass in the Plaza to wait. She had a feeling that if the Atlanteans did return on this island, it would be in this magical place. After a while, she found her thoughts wondering to what the truth about her heritage meant. Aiden and Andrea had walked in this Plaza once but had never told her about Atlantis. Apart from their recent argument, Aiden and Andrea had been the best family she could have asked for, but she didn’t know how their relationship would be the same after such astounding deception. She could understand why they hadn't told her the truth, but the revelation that even one of her parents was still alive filled her with a sense of being unwanted.
Athelea had valid reasons to send you away, she reminded herself. There's no point dwelling on the past.
Sarah and Athelea found her in the Plaza an hour later. Victoria could tell from their expressions that the Isle of Time had been deserted, and they took a boat out to sea after lunch without any mention of their excursion. Victoria sulked while Sarah taught Athelea how to fish. She would have to think of a solution soon if the Atlanteans didn’t return, or Atlantis would be burning in hours.
Caelan could come back any time.
“It's been a while since we practiced dexterity, Victoria,” Athelea said when they returned the boat to the harbor. They had caught quite a few beautiful fish, but Victoria wasn’t any closer to deciding how to fight Caelan. She couldn’t do anything without the Atlanteans. “Shall we try again in a Neutral Room?”
Victoria agreed to practice dexterity, and she and Athelea left Sarah in the Grand Library to draw. Victoria attempted to focus her thoughts while she and Athelea walked back to the Isle of the Gods, though she knew she would be doing meditation exercises in a few minutes regardless. They passed through the palace gate in silence, and as she stepped into the Garden of the Gods, she felt herself swoon. She held up her hand, stopping without a word.
Athelea looked at her in alarm. “Is everything alright?”
Victoria shook her head. Closing her eyes, she fought off another wave of nausea. For a moment, she thought she’d gotten too much sun out on the boat, but a horrible feeling was overwhelming her, radiating from the middle of the Garden of the Gods. As she forced herself to walk closer to the middle of the courtyard, her discomfort grew even stronger, and when she was a few steps away from a large circle of Atlan stone filled with water, she understood exactly what had happened. It was a well. “Something about the Garden doesn't feel right,” she said, turning to Athelea. “I think the water is poisoned.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
POISON
Athelea stopped dead in her tracks. Victoria could see this news had surprised her. “Don't you feel it, too?” Victoria asked.
Athelea shook her head. “I don't understand. This is the water we drink. It was fine this morning.” She waved her hand, and a moment passed before the water turned the color of fresh blood. Victoria exchanged a dark glance with Athelea, feeling sick. “There is enough poison in the water to kill a herd of elephants. It's no wonder you sensed it.”
Victoria shuddered. “What kind of poison is it?”
“I don’t recognize it. I do not believe, however, that it originated in Atlantis.”
Victoria felt an unexpected surge of relief push through her nausea. “Does that mean Caelan isn't staying in Atlantis?”
“The evidence would suggest so.”
Victoria felt her heart soar. Along with the burnt feather, the evidence did seem to prove that Caelan wasn’t hiding in Atlantis. “Can you fix the water?”
“I can treat it easily enough,” Athelea said. “It depends how the water has been poisoned. I should be able to make an antidote or, as royalty, can overrule practically any dex in Atlantis. It may not take effect immediately, but we will have drinkable water by the evening. You should probably sit down. This might take a minute, and you look rather faint.”
Victoria took a seat on the nearest bench without being asked again. Athelea leaned over the well and began to invoke a dex. When she stood up a minute later, frowning, Victoria couldn't see any difference in the water, though that was hardly indicative of progress. She still felt too sick to function properly.
“That was a generic dex for water purification,” Athelea explained, “but it doesn't appear to have worked. I believe the poison is combined with a dex that makes it difficult to purify. Fortunately, whoever made it seems unaware that I have the power to revoke any dex. If you would allow me a moment, I will look for an antidote in the Garden.”
Victoria nodded meekly. The longer she was near the well, the worse she felt. Athelea disappeared for a few minutes and returned holding a handful of flowers that Victoria didn't recognize. She threw them into the water and began to walk around the pool, repeating a new dex under her breath. Victoria felt a shiver run through her body. Whatever this dex was, she could feel it was incredibly powerful.
With each circuit Athelea walked around the pool, the water became less red, until it was finally back to its beautiful shade of blue that mirrored the sky. The flowers disappeared in a burst of smoke, and Victoria instantly felt normal again. “That should be it,” Athelea said, returning to Victoria with a smug smile. “At least you detected the poison before it was too late. Shall we proceed?”
Victoria didn't know how Athelea could be so calm, but she followed Athelea through the Garden, regretting that she’d agreed to practice dexes. It seemed like playing a silly game in the middle of a battlefield. We might not have known about the water if I hadn't agreed, she reminded herself. Maybe Caelan won't come back now.
The glimmer of hope lasted until she returned to the Neutral Room. She hated how the room made her feel disconnected, like she was missing an important part of her unconscious of which she was never usually aware. She suspected that the Atlan fire was interfering, too, even if Athelea said it was there to help. The familiar headache returned within a few seconds, and Victoria would have rather turned around and walked back into the Garden of the Gods.
“You remember the process of blocking your mind from the other day, I'm sure,” Athelea said after she had led Victoria through a series of meditation exercises. “With your permission, we will try that again. The best way for you to learn is through practice.”
Victoria took a deep breath. She’d known that coming to Atlantis wouldn't exactly be a holiday in the sun, but this was much more difficult than she’d expected. She closed her eyes, trying not to think of all the civilized places she could have visited instead, but with a gentle breeze on her face, her thoughts returned to the Neutral Room. She could never escape Atlantis. Feeling the full force of Athelea touching her thoughts, her resistance collapsed, and she thought of Tom. The summer before, they’d spent long nights talking in the garden, and she had never wanted it to end. Every
thing seemed so different now.
“I can't do it,” she sighed after a few more unsuccessful attempts at blocking her mind. “I just can't do any of this dexterity stuff. I'm trying so hard, but you're still able to read me like a book.”
Athelea frowned sympathetically. Victoria didn't think it was much consolidation. “I can tell you're anxious about the poison, and you're letting those thoughts overpower your concentration. Don't say you can't, though. You detected the poison, and you must believe that you'll discover the rest of your dexterity soon.”
“Of course I’m worried about the poison. If I hadn't discovered it in the well, we would have drunk the water and died,” she snapped. “Caelan's efforts to harm us and Atlantis are becoming more successful every day, and it terrifies me that he might one day succeed. I might discover dexterity eventually, but it won’t be soon enough.” Pushing her loose hair away from her face, she took a deep breath. You've got to find your dexterity, she thought. She was just about to suggest another attempt at the dex when she suddenly realized something.
“You said the other day that royals often have a natural affinity with dexterity,” she said, “but I can’t even manage a stupid dex coloring book. I've gotten starlight from Celeste, and even that hasn't helped. Is something wrong with me?”
Athelea sat down on the bench and gestured for Victoria to join her. “Nothing is wrong with you,” she said gently. Victoria couldn't hear any doubt in her words. “As I have been saying these past few days, you haven't been in Atlantis for very long. Your body is unaccustomed to this new energy, even with the starlight to help. Like anything, it takes time to learn dexes. I am terribly sorry if the coloring book offended you, but at least the poison confirmed without a doubt that you have dexterity. Not every Atlantean does. You just need to find it.”
“Could we stop for now, please? I’m not up for training at the moment.”
