Shades of Atlantis

by Carol Oates

  The woman fighting against Caleb abruptly stopped. I stared at the mass in my hand and then to Caleb’s startled eyes, unable to move. The roar of the earth was now a ringing in my ears. The woman got to her feet and fled, blurring into the distance. The young blond man who was fighting Joshua didn’t get up from the ground; he just lay there on the wet grass, defeated, terrified at what he had just heard and witnessed. Annice and Samuel watched us from where they still stood a short distance away, and Eila came up over the edge of the mound. All the while the storm still raged around us and the heart I held in my hand still beat, although it was weakening and fading fast. Lucien continued to stand in front of me, swaying side to side as if listening to some music I couldn’t hear, before his body finally gave out as his heart stopped beating. With its last thud, Lucien’s knees gave way. He fell, his skull crashing against the Stone with a sickening crunch before he hit the ground.

  The next thing I knew, Caleb was beside me. He put one hand at my back and with the other he took my wrist. I looked down at the dead heart I was still holding. It seemed to deflate in my palm, shriveling up like a dried prune. It began to desiccate until it was so brittle that the splashes of rain hitting it started to break it apart. It crumbled and fell apart until it resembled burnt paper absorbing the heavy droplets of rain, and I just stood there watching, until Caleb pushed my hand into the air, flinging the pulpy mass away from us. My body wasn’t reacting; I couldn’t move unaided. He had to maneuver me backward before he could kick Lucien’s lifeless corpse out of the way. It rolled down the side of the mound in a crumpled mass of limbs. Then Caleb took me in his arms, even though my hand still held the shape of the heart I had torn from Lucien, and I was unable to return his embrace. The rain was already washing the blood from the Stone. That was good; I couldn’t bear for his blood to taint such a precious monument.

  Another crack of lightning roused me from my stupor. I pushed against Caleb and stepped back; he resisted, trying to keep me close, but I was stronger. I closed my eyes and lifted my face to the rain, isolating the part of my mind I needed and seeing the clouds in my mind as they would appear when they dispersed. I concentrated on the metallic taste at the back of my throat, willing it with all my strength to fade. I raised my hands as I had watched Lucien do and took a deep breath. Then I exhaled slowly, listening as the rain eased. I felt the heat on my wet skin as the clouds evaporated and the rising sun, still low in the sky, shone down on me. I opened my eyes, blinking at the suddenly bright light, and lowered my hands. Caleb stood by me, his eyes wide and his expression amazed. Annice and Samuel looked on with a combination of what seemed like relief and slight panic by the way Annice gripped the fabric of Samuel’s jacket and bunched it in her fingers. Eila’s lips turned up in a smile, and her shoulders rose and fell sharply. I could have said her expression verged on admiration if it wasn’t for the fact she was holding her breath. Joshua was frozen, watching curiously and waiting. All their eyes studied my face, waiting for something. They were looking for the fear and panic to hit me, but there was none. This was natural to me; it was what I was born to do.

  Ben! I yelled, sweeping a glance over the ground around me.

  I spotted Amanda and John first. Amanda was crawling over the top of the mound away from the small cell where we had left them, keeping herself near to the ground. John was following her. He appeared to be attempting to grab her leg, but each time she managed to wriggle from his grasp. I looked northward to see where she was headed, but I should have guessed. Beyond the mound in a flat area of land I could see Ben. He was still fighting against a blond man whose long hair was pale gold against the dark clothes he wore. His hair swung about his shoulders as he thrashed on the grass with Ben. First he was on the bottom, then Ben, then him again.

  It had to be Zeal, refusing to give in. He was smaller than Ben, slighter just like the man-boy that Joshua fought moments ago. I looked behind me to see he was still lying on the grass, his arms crossed over his face. Zeal’s son, maybe? Ben was on his back again protecting his torso. Bright red gashes appeared on his sleeves as Zeal lashed out at him.

  Ben locked his hands together and with great might slammed them against Zeal’s chest. I expected the blow to crush Zeal’s sternum, but it hardly managed to wind him. He slumped back slightly, and in that moment Ben’s legs came up and caught him in a scissor grip around his neck. Ben brought his legs down, flinging Zeal over his head and away from him, and jumped to his feet. Amanda was getting closer to them, still close to the ground. This time John caught her by the ankle and held her there, out of harm’s way.

  I glanced at Caleb and then leaped from where we stood to the top of the first embankment. I didn’t ask anyone to follow, but I should have known they would follow anyway. My legs were stronger, though, and I was ahead of them. The grass was slippery under my feet, but I rushed forward, barely even touching it.

  Ben and Zeal circled each other, each ready to spring at his adversary.

  Far away dark specks began to appear over the horizon from every direction. Zeal saw me coming for them; a sneer touched his lips, and his eyes darted for less than an instant in the direction of Amanda and John. He knew they were there. Ben waited, slightly hunched, his arms held out from his side as he moved defensively. His face was completely focused on Zeal.

  He didn’t notice Amanda above them near the top of the mound, starting down the slope that led precariously downward to where they stood. It was happening so fast, faster than I was moving.

  Zeal reached over his shoulder to his back and pulled at something. I hadn’t seen him carrying it, but I could hear the ringing sound of metal being drawn from metal. He held the long sword high above his head. It looked like it was made of pure white light gleaming in the sunlight. I couldn’t see Ben’s face, but I could see the terror in Amanda’s expression.

  Zeal moved nearer to Ben, swinging the sword in circles over his head and then in front of him, his knees slightly bent as if he were a samurai. Flashes of color glinted off the sword again, making Zeal’s blond hair shimmer.

  The Sword of Nandu! Annice cried from behind me.

  I remembered this the sword of light that once drawn from its battle-scabbard no man could resist. In the distance the specks grew larger; there were people coming. I only had time to act, not to think about what I was doing. I could see the fury in the dark murky colors that surrounded Zeal.

  Amanda, seeing the sword, kicked out hard at John’s face. I heard him scream and saw the blood splattering from his nose. Ben looked up to see Amanda dive from the mound in front of him as Zeal plunged the sword forward.

  I was less than a heartbeat away but too late. No! I screamed. A fiery pain shot through my heart.

  The sword cut through Amanda’s chest right at her heart and came out cleanly through her back. Her hands flew to the point of the entry. Ben froze in horror, and John lay in a curled up heap on top of the mound clutching his face. I heard the footsteps and speeding heartbeats of Samuel, Annice, Joshua, Eila, and Caleb behind me. I felt Caleb’s hand brush through the air near my shoulder; he was trying to touch me, but I was just out of his reach. Amanda was silent, bewildered. Zeal grinned maliciously as he first twisted the sword and then pulled it slowly from her chest. I could hear the metal slicing through her flesh. There was no blood on the sword, just the white light; the blood was all pouring from Amanda. A dark red stain spread out across her back, and bright, clear red gushed over her hands as if she was holding a bunch of red roses close to her body, their petals wither-ing and dropping to the ground. Ben caught her as she fell backward, her body limp as a rag doll. He collapsed heavily to his knees holding her, and his head lowered over hers.

  Zeal corrected his stance to bring the deadly weapon down a second time; his eyes glinted at me before he swung at Ben. I took a final leap and landed with my knees bent in the space between them, my arms extended from my body to protect Ben. My heart pounded frantically, and my chest rose and fell in exaggerated mo
vements with each jagged breath as I crouched beneath Amanda’s murderer. My eyes scrunched tight in readiness for the lethal blow, but nothing happened. There was no pain, no burning sensation from the blade penetrating my skin. Nothing. Hesitantly, I allowed my eyes to unclench and open, and stared disbelieving at the sword of light no more than an inch from my face.

  Zeal and I were inside an invisible bubble, a hole in time. Outside, everything and everyone was frozen. Caleb and the Guardian members of our family encircled us but made no movement; they were absolutely still.

  Annice’s and Eila’s hair flowed behind their heads fixed in place by the breeze their speed created. Caleb’s face was trapped in a contorted expression of agony. Joshua’s mouth was open as if to speak, his lips locked in position, and Samuel appeared to be flying through the air at us. The people arriving from every direction were mannequins stippled on the horizon. Overhead, birds halted in midair, and behind me I could feel that Ben, like everyone else, was utterly still.

  Inside the invisible bubble, the only sounds were our heartbeats and the shallow breathing coming from Zeal. I couldn’t breathe. The light from the sword flashed in his mystified pale charcoal eyes. It was the first time I had seen a Guardian whose eyes didn’t resemble jewels or precious metal.

  Zeal’s eyes were the color of cold iron. The sneer vanished from his lips, and he tried to force the sword forward through some unseen barrier between us. His expression became horrified, his eyes widened, and the arrogance slipped away. But his efforts didn’t cease; he thrust forward again uselessly.

  Cautiously, not sure what I was doing, my hands raised to the luminous blade. I brought them together near the end of the static cold tip, pressing my fingers and the heel of my palms together. Zeal watched aghast as the sword began to change, extending from where my skin made contact with the blade. The white light became orange, seeping outward and down toward the hilt; the color deepened and glowed red. His heart jumped and thundered loudly. He was terrified of me and unable to release his grip.

  Black cracks appeared along the now poker-hot blade until finally Zeal crashed backward, the blade exploding into fiery dust and floating down as ashes all around us, like black snow landing and then melting into the wet grass. The bubble burst.

  The world came to life again, and Annice and Eila ran to me, wrapping their arms around me. I stood with them, motionless, allowing them to cling to me for a few moments. Annice seemed to be checking for injuries where my clothes were bloodstained. It hadn’t occurred to me until now that maybe Ben and I wouldn’t be as resistant to injury and as quickly healed because our father was, after all, human.

  I’m fine, I assured her, gently pushing her hands away.

  Caleb was a few feet away watching Zeal pathetically stumble around trying to regain his equilibrium. Caleb’s face was livid with rage and his shoulders were rigid, his fists clenching and unclenching. His eyes repeatedly darted from Zeal to me and then to Ben and Amanda, torn between finishing him off and wanting to comfort me. I looked down to my distraught brother crying on his knees; his body shook as he rocked Amanda’s lifeless body and whispered into her ear.

  The crowd gathered nearer there were over a hundred now, all Guardians. Caleb made to move for Zeal as soon as he got to his feet.

  Caleb, I called out firmly.

  Caleb’s eyes came back to me and then flashed to Samuel and Joshua near me, seeking their reinforcement.

  He’s finished, Caleb. He’s over, I told him coolly. I stared into Zeal’s cowardly, defeated eyes and finished, keeping my tone quiet and commanding. Let him go. We won’t give him the gift of ending his pitiful existence. Zeal bowed to me with phony graciousness.

  Not unless he begs us to, I added with venom in my voice.

  Zeal was too much of a coward to beg for his life to be ended. He turned and ran with a shock of blond hair streaking out behind him. He blurred and was gone.

  Caleb let out a deep sigh and approached me, his expression relieved of some of the fury. He edged Annice and Eila aside and slipped his arm around my shoulder before we knelt onto the grass beside Ben. The pain of Ben’s heartbreak filled the air around us. We sat there an age as more and more people gathered around us, watching us as the sun rose higher.

  It was still early in the morning, but this was already the longest day of my life. Hot tears streamed continually over my flushed cheeks, and the pain in my heart threatened to consume me. All I wanted to do was curl up in Caleb’s arms and hide from the wrenching, aching feeling in my chest.

  Instead I just sat there and let the tears quietly flow, rubbing my hand over Ben’s back and wishing I could take his pain too.

  He was still whispering to her, although now I could make out some of it. He was begging her not to leave, saying I love you over and over. I had to stop myself from listening anymore; it was making my own anguish almost unbearable. Caleb sat close to me, one arm holding my forearm, the other at my back. When he kissed my hair and sighed miserably, I looked up to his sad eyes. I could see the guilt and relief in them, and I couldn’t blame him for it. I knew he was relieved it wasn’t me lying there lifeless and equally guilty about feeling that way.

  Samuel and Annice stood over us. Annice, unable to look, kept her face turned to Samuel’s shoulder, and he held her tightly in his arms. Joshua and Eila stood close too, holding hands so tightly their golden skin was white. John came down from the mound; his face was bloodstained, and fresh bruises were already forming where there had previously been purple smudges from lack of sleep. He stood a few feet away from the others. The large group of Guardians whispered and murmured among themselves, no doubt at the sight of the Guardians, half-humans, and a human grieving the loss of the young human lying bloodied on the grass.

  What are they doing here? I sobbed quietly to Caleb. Why don’t they go away?

  He kissed my hair again and spoke in a hushed voice that was, as always, beautiful, so beautiful it added to the amalgam of emotions I was feeling; I couldn’t help but be relieved that he was safe too. They heard the Stone, he explained softly. They’re here to see you. I looked around me. They appeared like any group of people, all different colorings and different heights, women and men of all ages. All with shimmering eyes and silky golden skin. Some children stood among them too, ranging from toddlers to teenagers, and they looked completely human, no different from the children I had gone to school with.

  You’re the first since Dagda — Caleb didn’t finish the sentence.

  I looked at him. His eyes were suddenly wide and enthused. He got to his feet abruptly, not explaining his sudden excitement, and went to Samuel and Annice. Joshua and Eila moved closer to them too. A fresh wave of tears erupted from me when Ben’s head lifted slightly and I saw Amanda’s face. Her head lay across his knees. She looked so peaceful, like she was merely asleep. Ben wasn’t crying anymore, only silently rocking his body back and forth.

  Ben, I murmured, pulling myself closer to him so I could rest my head on his shoulder. I’m sorry.

  I picked up Amanda’s hand and held it. It felt different, not real. But none of this seemed real. Ben didn’t reply. He lifted his hand, placing it on top of mine, and squeezed gently. The silliest thought crossed my mind just then, that I would never again scold Amanda for her lack of discretion about all the secrets she conveyed to Ben and all the gossip she told me.

  I couldn’t prevent the distressing sob that escaped my lips and my body heaved painfully. Where was destiny in this?

  Caleb fell to his knees on the ground beside me and put his head close to mine. Triona, Dagda had other gifts — His voice was low and urgent, and he sounded almost optimistic. He could revive the dead. My eyes flashed to him, and my heartbeat jumped with panic. Ben lifted his head too; his cheeks were red and raw from tears, and his sparkling green eyes were horribly bloodshot and swollen.

  What? I spluttered. I heard Ben’s heartbeat quicken beside me. This wasn’t fair. I knew Caleb wouldn’t want to intentionally
raise Ben’s hopes, but I couldn’t raise the dead. That was just crazy. Why would he say that in front of him?

  The things you’ve done already, Caleb insisted, the strength, the power over metal, the colors you see and the way you can read people all that comes from the Goddess Brigid. They’re all gifts passed through the blood line from Dagda. It’s worth trying, isn’t it? I stared into his sapphire eyes and could see the complete confidence he had in me. His eyes narrowed, and his eyebrows came together waiting for an answer. It was impossible. Annice pulled away from Samuel, even John hesitantly moved nearer, observing our exchange with sudden hopefulness in their expressions.

  Please, Triona, please just try, Ben pleaded, squeezing my hand again.

  I was numb with shock at what I was being asked to do. I considered my own ache and the sick feeling I had in my stomach at never seeing my best friend smile at me again. It couldn’t be a fraction of what Ben was feeling right now or what her parents and sisters would feel. I sucked in air and held my breath for a moment, then released.

  Okay, I’ll try, but if it doesn’t work —

  Ben nodded and a tentative smile started at the corner of his mouth. If I couldn’t make this happen, I would probably never see him smile again.

  My breathing was suddenly coming very fast.

  What do I do? I asked Caleb nervously.

  His perplexed eyes shot to his family, and I heard a low murmuring from the still-growing crowd. Samuel’s head lowered and shook slowly side to side; even Eila had no answer. She gazed at me with a frown on her face, unable to offer any help.

  We — we don’t know, Caleb admitted, his shoulders drooped.

  Please, Triona, Ben murmured again with tears pricking at his eyes.