Atlantis - Return of the Nation

by Steven Cook

  *

  The Jungle West of the Canal 22nd May

  Hildar and the others paused and looked behind them as the heard the grenade explode. The unnatural noise caused the background noise of the jungle to stop. After a few seconds it resumed, only to be silenced again as the enraged roar of Minotaur rose above the trees.

  ‘Move on.’ Hildar motioned for his men to continue.

  They passed him, dragging the two blindfolded American officers. He caught the arm of one of the last warriors to pass him.

  ‘Coran, drop back and make sure nobody is following us. I do not trust Minotaur enough to believe he will let us get away with these two. And see if you can find out what that noise was.’

  The warrior nodded then melted into the undergrowth. Hildar resumed his march and quickly made his way to the head of the small column.

  The undergrowth started to thin and the warriors started to pick up the pace. They quickly entered into a quick jog, dragging the Americans at the same pace. Fisher coped with the rate better than Warnett due to his training.

  The two blindfolded men had no idea which direction they were heading. The weak sunlight passing through the trees gave no indication of the suns position, leaving them with the assumption that they were still heading North towards Atlantis. They stumbled alongside the Warriors.

  Back in the woodland Coran squatted in the undergrowth, waiting for the sounds of the warriors to disappear. Satisfied that they had gone, he waited a few minutes longer before slowly standing.

  Working quickly he stripped off his armour and took off his tunic. Standing in his loincloth he replaced the armour, and then turned the tunic inside out to reveal a mottled grey and green lining. He pulled the tunic back on and replaced his belt around his waist. Finally he looped his sword-belt over his shoulder, ensuring that the blade was loose in the scabbard.

  He placed his helmet under the shield alongside his javelin. Taking a quick look around to fix the location he drew his sword and started back tracking parallel to the path towards the clearing.

  Like a ghost he slowly drifted through the muted light. The camouflage of his reversed tunic enabled him to melt into the shadows.

  Finally he came to the clearing. He found a vantage point twenty feet from the edge of the opening and surveyed it slowly. He kept his head still and allowed his eyes to take in the details of the massacre.

  He was about to stand up when he became aware of a soft buzzing beneath his chin. Slowly he looked down to see an Orichalcum short-sword being held a fraction of an inch from his throat.

  ‘You’re good, but not in my league.’ Dingo slowly reached around and disarmed the warrior.

  Coran raised his hands, then slowly stood and walked into the clearing. He noticed the destruction caused by the grenade and silently wondered what had happened. He was also impressed to see that two Minoans lay slain.

  ‘OK, sit down with your hands on your head. We’re going to have a little chat.’

  Coran sat as instructed and turned his head to follow Dingo as he walked around in front of him. What he saw put the fear of Zeus into him.

  Dingo’s face was pale beneath the camouflage paint he had applied. A shallow gash across his cheek was oozing blood. He had regained his body armour, which now appeared to have several strips of Orichalcum forced through the material over the Kevlar.

  What terrified Coran the most was the look in Dingo’s eyes. They were totally devoid of emotion that indicated to Coran that the man was fearless and would kill him as soon as talk to him. He swallowed unconsciously.

  Dingo noticed the sign of nervousness but made no outward sign but was emboldened. He knelt on one knee and looked closely at the warrior. The sword rested easily in his hand, the tip just touching the ground.

  ‘Do you want to explain to me why you and your mates just wandered off and left us to die?’ The question came out in a reasonable tone.

  ‘I am Coran, Trooper of the Sixth Border Phalanx,’ said Coran.

  ‘Do you want to explain to me why you and your mates just wandered off and left us to die?’ The question was repeated patiently in the same tone as if Dingo hadn’t heard the reply, but the face behind it left no room for Coran.

  ‘I am Coran, Trooper of the Sixth Border Phalanx,’ he repeated, ‘but I am elsewhere known to be a member of the Fifth Intelligence Corp.’ He followed up quickly.

  ‘That’s very nice, but it doesn’t answer the question does it mate?’ Dingo emphasised the word ‘Mate’.

  ‘I need to give you information about what is happening on Arcanadia,’ said Coran, ‘may I lower my arms?’

  Dingo shook his head.

  ‘Keep talking.’

  Coran took a deep breath.

  ‘Arcanadia is not at peace with itself. There are factions and alliances between the various Realms.’ He paused as Dingo raised an eyebrow in question.

  Coran attempted to explain.

  ‘There are ten Realms within Arcanadian Society. Each relates to one of the original Royal Brothers. The first is related to Atlas, the second to Gadeirus, third to Ampheres and so on. My faction the fifth is related to the elder of the third set of twins Mneseus.

  ‘In ancient times the Realms coexisted in peace, but as time passed the factions started to get their own agendas. Some endeavoured for peace with the world, others for domination. The foremost faction for domination was that of Autochthon, the Sixth. They are close to the fifth as they were twins.’

  ‘What has that got to do with the slaughter in this clearing?’ Dingo tried to take control of the questioning.

  ‘Hildar, the commander of the phalanx, has reached his position by his skill with the sword and his loyalty to the principals of the Sixth Realm. One of the main principals is subjugation of all other nations. Your colleagues are outsiders and as such are beneath him. The Minoans have always wanted to get back out into the world and get their revenge. I was infiltrated into the Sixth to discover what was going on.’

  ‘So the team got caught in the middle of a power struggle for supremacy?’

  ‘I am afraid so. The strangest thing is that Arcanadia has returned to the world before it was meant to. We have also stayed up longer than any time before. Poseidon may have decided that our exile is at its end.’ Coran stated.

  ‘It seems that the Sixth has allied itself with the Minoans. I need to warn the Council in Atlantis. It is an act of treason.’

  Coran started to get to his feet.

  ‘Sit.’ Dingo stood and raised the sword. The warrior slowly sat back down again.

  ‘It is imperative that the Council is warned. If the Sixth has allied with the Minoans it may have allied with other races. They will attempt to make Zeus put Arcanadia back into the real world. Then they will achieve dominance.’

  ‘What do you mean? You said Poseidon raised the island.’

  ‘Poseidon decides when the island raises and lowers. Zeus decides what happens when it has risen.’

  ‘And if that happens?’ Dingo asked. ‘Surely if Arcanadia becomes part of the world the world’s laws of physics will override the stasis?’

  ‘Not necessarily, if they control Zeus they will push the boundary of Arcanadia out, making the world part of ours instead of the other way. That will neutralise all of your technology.’

  ‘We’ll be packed back into medieval times.’ Dingo thought for a moment before looking at the young warrior.

  ‘I guess that you don’t agree with this Hildar?’

  ‘No. The Fifth are one of the Realms dedicated to integration with the world. We have had contact with several people from the outside world. The things we have been told are wondrous. It would be wrong to stop all they have achieved.’

  Dingo made a snap decision.

  ‘You can warn the coun
cil when we’ve rescued the LT and the others.’

  ‘They are being taken to a fort held by the Sixth. There is no way you’ll be able to get inside.’ stated Coran.

  ‘I won’t be going inside,’ said Dingo. ‘You will.’

  Coran looked at him in amazement.

  ‘Show me the layout of the fort.’ Dingo cleared a patch of earth and handed Coran back his dagger hilt first.

  The warrior took the dagger, realising the trust that had been placed in him.

  ‘Do you have a plan?’

  ‘I’m sure I can come up with something.’ He indicated the ground.

  ‘Show me.’

  Coran started to draw the layout of the fort from memory. His intelligence training enabled him to recall the layout almost to scale. Finally he pulled back satisfied.

  Dingo pulled out another knife and started asking questions, pointing various areas on the drawing with the point.

  Coran answered the questions and started to grasp what Dingo had in mind.

  ‘How does that sound?’ Dingo asked.

  ‘It is possible. Just one final question.’

  ‘Shoot.’

  ‘What is your name?’

  ‘It’s Tony Martin, Dingo to my mates.’

  ‘Nice to meet you Dingo. I am Coran.’ The two men shook hands, grinning at each other.

  Together they stood up. Coran erased the drawing of the fort with his foot, and then joined Dingo as he collected equipment. Dingo indicated what he was looking for and the two were soon separating the equipment into two piles.

  Satisfied with the results of the search they started to pack the supplies into a couple of backpacks they had liberated.

  With a final sad look around the clearing they put the heavily laden backpacks over their shoulders, turned and walked back into the jungle, leaving the corpses as they had fallen.

  *

  Sixth Border Fort West of Canal 22nd May

  The sun was barely above the horizon as Hildar and his men approached the Fort. They had taken a dogleg approach to the fort, avoiding the easy path of the roadways through the fields in favour of secrecy. The route had also served to further disorientate the two captives.

  The warriors continued to be on their guard as they approached the entrance to the Fort, only relaxing as they stepped into the archway.

  Hildar stood to one side and watched his men drag the two blindfolded Americans inside, smiling at the sight of them and the rips and tears in their clothing. He motioned for his Second Officer to stop.

  ‘Take them to the Northern Cells. Make sure to go by the servant’s passageways. I do not want anybody seeing them who does not need to.’

  The warrior nodded than led the rest of the men through the darkened entrance, cut the corner of the courtyard beyond and disappeared through a doorway. Hildar watched them for a moment before turning to the Captain of the Guards.

  ‘Has Saraph arrived?’

  ‘He arrived with five warriors and five outsiders; one was on a stretcher with a broken leg.’

  ‘How long ago?’

  ‘Just after the start of the watch,’ replied the Captain, ‘he was directed to the Eastern Dormitory.’

  ‘Good, I do not want him seeing me and asking too many questions. Inform me as soon as our allies get here. And tell Coran to report to me as soon as he arrives.’ he ordered.

  The Guard Captain saluted.

  Hildar entered the fort and strode after his men. He failed to notice Eraz standing a short distance from the gate getting his javelin re-shafted by one of the fort’s armourers.

  Eraz fought the urge to look over his shoulder and waited patiently until the work was done. He thanked armourer and slowly walked out of the courtyard, pretending to examine the javelin. As soon as he was out of sight he dropped the pretence and picked up his pace.

  As he approached the Eastern Dormitory he slowed his pace again. He walked slowly past the off duty guards and warriors lounging around in the common area and stepped into the small sub dormitory they had been directed to.

  Gently he pulled the door almost closed, taking a quick glance beck into the main room before closing it quietly.

  Saraph looked up from the table he was sitting at.

  ‘We are in trouble.’ Eraz stated.

  ‘What is it?’ Eraz had everybody’s attention.

  ‘Hildar has just arrived with most of his men but only two of the outsiders. He does not want us to know he has arrived and is waiting for some allies to arrive.’

  ‘It has started then,’ said Saraph.

  ‘And the guards out there look too casual. They may be tasked with keeping us here,’ added Eraz.

  ‘What’s started?’ asked Carl.

  ‘For the past few years there have been discussions about what should happen when Arcanadia rose again. It looks like some people were not happy with the decision.’

  ‘Excuse me,’ said Fitz, ‘are you telling me that this Hildar has killed the Rangers and our crew?’

  ‘I assume he has kept the leaders alive to answer questions. The rest would be considered expendable.’ The cold, hard facts shocked Fitz and the others.

  ‘I guess we come into that category as well.’ Dave Carrick spoke up from where he had been made comfortable on a low cot.

  Saraph stood up and paced the room for a few minutes. Finally he motioned for one of the warriors to stay and stand guard by the door. The rest gathered together by Carrick’s bed.

  ‘We have three things to do. One,’ he held up his thumb, ‘we need to get the other outsiders joined with us and get out of here.’ The group nodded in agreement.

  He raised his forefinger.

  ‘Two, we need to inform the Council in Atlantis and the rest of the world what is happening.’ more nodding.

  The middle finger was raised.

  ‘And three, we need to stop Hildar and his allies doing whatever they plan to do.’ The group looked from one to another, agreement showing in their nods.

  ‘How do we do that then?’ asked Craig.

  ‘I have not got a clue, but I am receptive to ideas.’ said Saraph, smiling grimly and closing his fist.

  He slumped down onto one of the cots.

  The rest joined him, selecting other pieces of furniture or parts of the floor.

  ‘So we just wait until Hildar comes for us then?’ said Danny from his part of the floor.

  ‘I can not see a way out of this. Me and my men may be able to get out, but there is no way you will be able to leave here.’ Saraph looked apologetic.

  ‘Great,’ said Craig.

  All of their heads dropped a little and conversation petered out. They were provided with several trays of food which the Atlantian warriors dug into enthusiastically.

  ‘It could be poisoned,’ suggested Carrick.

  ‘Poison is not an honourable way. This food is safe,’ said Eraz through a mouth full of chicken.

  The meal passed quietly and they fell back into silence. After an hour the quiet was lifted.

  ‘Something is going on out there.’ The hissed whisper came from the warrior by the door. He affected a casual lean against the wall by the door.

  The latch on the door lifted and the door started to swing open.

  *

  The Farms West of the Canal 22nd May

  Dingo and Coran lay concealed in an irrigation ditch half a mile from the fort. Each was staring intently through a pair of liberated binoculars at the distant building that was slowly fading into the night.

  Dingo spoke without lowering the optical device.

  ‘So you think that the LT and the XO will be kept at the back, and the others will be shacked up in a room under that platform halfway down the eastern wall.â€
™

  Coran lowered the glasses, marvelling at the simple efficiency.

  ‘Yes. The cells are at the back and the guest dormitories are midway along the eastern wall, directly below that turret.’

  ‘Do you think you can do it?’ Dingo lowered the glasses and looked at Coran.

  ‘I can not see any problems.’ He smiled at Dingo.

  ‘Good luck.’

  Coran moved down the ditch until he came to one of the bridges, and then clambered out onto the road. Crossing the bridge he hefted his shield onto his back, grasped his javelin loosely and started jogging down the road towards the fort.

  Dingo used the binoculars and watched Coran until he had reached the fort and unconsciously held his breath until he saw the warrior admitted.

  ‘Act one, scene two. Exit Dingo stage left.’ He muttered to himself and slid backwards into the two foot of water in the bottom of the ditch.

  Hunched over he started to head down the ditch towards the wall of the fort nearest to the river.

  True darkness soon started to fall. Dingo selected a spot and ate an energy bar until it was completely dark. He scanned the fort one last time, easily picking out points of reference. The guards were even kind enough to light torches on the platform above his target.

  He waited for half an hour before making his move. Leaving all but the essential equipment he slipped out of the ditch and slowly approached the fort. Although the fort’s garrison weren’t expecting anything he still took his time and paused periodically to check his location.

  Finally he reached the wall. He was about to begin his task when voices drifted through the quiet night towards him. Looking around he saw the light of a flickering torch start spilling around the distant corner. Realising he only had a few seconds to get in cover he did the only thing possible and dropped to the floor.

  He moulded himself into the deep shadows at the join of the forts wall and the uneven ground. He gathered his arms in and held the Orichalcum knife hidden under his chest. With his face blackened and wearing his fatigues he hoped that the complacent guards would walk straight past.

  He heard the guards approaching slowly and slowed his breathing as much as possible. They were laughing and joking over something that made Dingo hope they weren’t really paying attention to what they were doing.