Atlantis - Return of the Nation

by Steven Cook

  Danny didn’t notice Coran and Sophia turn to look at him in admiration. He started to walk carelessly around the clearing, scanning the bodies of the warriors one-by-one. He soon spotted a flash of bright red and walked quickly towards it.

  Bending over he tugged Craig’s football shirt out of the pile of discarded clothing and held it in both hands. Coran joined him and rummaged through the pile.

  ‘It looks like the Minoans and the sixth have fallen out. There are two dead Minoans and almost a full detachment of Border guards. I didn’t find Hildar or your two friends. I think they have been taken along, possibly with another warrior. ‘

  Danny nodded in agreement.

  ‘It looks like they’ve been stripped apart from their boots and skiddies. Craig would never leave his shirt.’

  Coran looked at him.

  ‘Skiddies?’

  ‘Underwear,’ explained Danny, ‘come on let’s leave this lot and get back to the boat.’

  They turned and walked back to Sophia who was nervously watching the sphinxes. She smiled nervously as the two men approached.

  ‘Do you have an answer?’ Danny asked the sphinxes.

  ‘We admit defeat. You are a master riddler,’ said the male sphinx.

  ‘Then we’ll leave you. But remember the terms.’ Danny turned and walked to the trees.

  Sophia and Coran flanked him, walking backwards facing the sphinxes.

  ‘What is the answer?’ pleaded the young male. He furled his wings and followed after Danny.

  ‘I can’t tell you that, I might need the riddle again,’ Danny replied.

  The young sphinx lowered his head and dropped his wings to his sides to duck into the trees.

  ‘Then I will follow you until I can determine the answer. It will be my quest.’ It seemed almost petulant.

  Danny turned to it.

  ‘If I allow you to follow me you must not hurt any of my colleagues. You must also comply with everything I tell you. Understand?’

  The creature smiled, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth in a shockingly innocent face.

  ‘I promise I will not interfere with you. All I wish to know is the answer to the riddle. I would follow without your permission, but I would rather be close without having to dodge spears and arrows.’

  Danny almost laughed at the sphinx. He frowned at it in exasperation.

  ‘Alright, but don’t get in the way.’ He resumed his march through the trees.

  ‘My name is Hernet,’ said the sphinx as it kept pace with him.

  ‘Great,’ said Danny.

  They eventually emerged from the trees onto the small beach. The rest of the crew were spread out, weapons to hand. There was a bellow from the boat as M’Varak launched himself forward, between Saraph and Fisher towards the Sphinx.

  Hernet flared his wings and reared, extending his claws and roaring at the challenge of the Minoan.

  Danny recklessly leapt into the gap between the two creatures and waved his arms.

  ‘Hold it!’ he shouted at the top of his lungs.

  M’Varak stopped his charge but kept his sword raised in both hands. The fur on his back was bristling and his nostrils were flared. Hernet dropped to all fours but held his wings high, ready for flight; his mane was erect, bulking his silhouette.

  Dingo dropped onto the beach from the boat and moved until he faced M’Varak.

  ‘What the hell was that about?’

  ‘They are monsters. They kill our young. It is every warrior’s duty to wipe them out.’ M’Varak’s nostrils flared with each breath he took.

  ‘Does duty supersede a debt of honour? Besides it’s walking beside Danny without attacking.’ Dingo looked up at M’Varak.

  The Minoan said nothing but his eyes flicked between Dingo and the young sphinx.

  ‘Have you ever thought that mankind is in the same position? The sphinxes ask their riddle then kill everybody because they do not know the answer,’ said Saraph.

  ‘It is the same with our people,’ M’Varak spoke through gritted teeth.

  ‘It looks like we have more in common than we thought,’ said Dingo.

  Danny turned to face Hernet.

  ‘Do you always ask the same riddle?’

  Hernet considered the question.

  ‘Yes. Nobody apart from you has ever answered it.’

  ‘What would happen if everybody answered the riddle?’

  ‘That’s easy; we would leave them alone as it shows they are sentient creatures.’

  Danny continued.

  ‘So if every human and Minoan knows the answer to the riddle they will be safe?’

  ‘Of course,’ replied Hernet.

  ‘Excellent,’ said Danny.

  He turned to M’Varak.

  ‘The answer to the riddle is ‘Man’. As soon as we get out of this you can pass the answer on to all Minoans so they will be safe from the sphinx.’ He didn’t notice Dingo’s raised eyebrow.

  M’Varak lowered his sword.

  ‘Man? Is it that simple? All we have to know after centuries of conflict is that if we say ‘Man’ it all ends?’ The tension dropped from his muscles.

  Hernet cocked his head at the Minoan.

  ‘It is simple when you know the answer,’ the sphinx smiled.

  Saraph looked between Danny, M’Varak and Hernet.

  ‘Are you telling me you have ended centuries of conflict with one word? I hope the rest of the world does not hear about this, as they will be laughing at us.’ Saraph said.

  ‘Well, I’m glad that’s sorted,’ said Fisher, ‘what else did you find?’

  Coran started bringing everybody up to date on the scenes they had discovered in the clearing. He finished by offering his opinion.

  ‘I think Minotaur has decided that Hildar would attempt to take over and has attacked first. It looks like the sailors have been taken with Hildar as prisoners, possibly with another of Hildar’s men. They will be moving fast.’

  ‘Can we get to the temple first?’ Fisher asked.

  ‘My people can move for days with little rest. They could be at the mountains in two days.’ M’Varak offered.

  ‘We’d better get moving then. Everybody on board,’ Fisher ordered.

  As the group climbed onto the guardian Hernet moved closer to Danny who was folding Craig’s shirt into his pack.

  ‘What is happening?’

  ‘Get on board, I’ll tell you when we get underway.’

  With a sweep of his wings Hernet leapt onto the Guardian. He landed beside M’Varak. The pair of them braced their legs as the engines revved and Wallace reversed the boat off the beach.

  The unusual motion caused Hernet to partly open his wings to keep his balance.

  ‘Lie down at the front and face forwards,’ ordered M’Varak.

  Together they stumbled to the prow of the boat and dropped down, keeping as much distance between them as possible.

  Danny followed and dropped into the space between them.

  ‘OK, this is what has happened.’ He began to relate recent events to the rapt sphinx.

  *

  Northern Arcanadian Plain 25th May

  Craig collapsed to his knees in agony. His chest was burning and the pain in his legs caused by the ceaseless running had started tremors in the muscles. Even though he considered himself to be in good shape he realised he was in a much lower league to the Minoans.

  The bull headed creatures showed no signs of fatigue, and it appeared that the only reason they had stopped was because Carl had passed out. In the four hours since they had set out Craig estimated that they had covered nearly twenty miles, none of it on easy terrain. The humans had been dra
gged for the last mile or so until Carl had collapsed.

  Minotaur stood impatiently waiting for them to be able to continue. The rest of the Minoans stood in their places, waiting for orders and idly looking around.

  Craig dragged in a few breaths then looked over as Darath administered water to Carl. The Chief Petty Officer looked ghastly. All colour had drained out of his face and his eyes were slightly unfocussed.

  Darath looked up at Minotaur.

  ‘He needs to rest. There is no way he can continue like this.’

  Minotaur looked up at the sky to check the position of the sun.

  ‘You have an hour. If he is not ready to carry on by then he will stay behind.’

  Minotaur signalled for the warriors to fall out. Food was distributed between them from packs that several of their number had been carrying. Craig gingerly accepted a strange biscuit concocted of ground nuts, fruit and vegetables. He tentatively took a nibble.

  Whatever else had been added to the biscuit gave a sweet taste and a boost of energy to the sailor. He took a further bite and looked at Darath.

  ‘It has ambrosia in it. A cake like that will give you enough to run all day.’ Darath started breaking up a biscuit to feed it to Carl.

  Hildar sat some way from the others.

  ‘It will not be enough for him. He is as good as dead.’

  Craig turned on him.

  ‘That’s no way to talk,’ he snapped.

  ‘It is the truth. He needs days to recover fully. He may manage an hour at most before he collapses again. I have seen it happen in the past.’ Hildar turned away. ‘He will be dead by the end of the day.’

  ‘Then we have to do something to slow the pace.’ Craig pleaded.

  Hildar looked back at them.

  ‘And how do you propose that?’ he raised an eyebrow in question.

  Craig sat in silence, absently munching on the biscuit.

  ‘I’ve an idea. What if we all appear exhausted?’ he whispered quietly to the other two.

  ‘I will not lie about anything,’ said Hildar.

  Craig got to his feet and looked around.

  ‘That’s fair enough.’

  Hildar turned his attention back to Carl and Darath.

  Without another word Craig drew back his foot and kicked Hildar in the thigh. The toe of his service boot dug deep into the muscle. Craig jumped back as the warrior surged to his feet with a howl of pain.

  Hildar leapt at Craig, and collapsed as the muscle in his leg failed. The sailor leant over the stricken warrior.

  ‘It looks like you need to rest as well doesn’t it?’

  Darath turned away to prevent Hildar seeing the grin spreading across his face.

  Craig returned to Carl’s side and knelt. He looked around as Minotaur approached.

  ‘What is going on?’ the Minoan asked.

  ‘I have an injury to my thigh,’ said Hildar, ‘I am unable to put weight on it.’

  He glared at Craig.

  ‘We are all exhausted and can’t run anymore,’ Craig added.

  Minotaur stared at them. Snorting in anger he turned to M’Sorta.

  ‘Bind them and select warriors to carry them. I want us moving immediately.’

  M’Sorta pointed at four warriors who handed their weapons to colleagues and approached the captives. In turn each of them was tied securely at their ankles and wrists.

  The Minoans roughly hauled them up onto their shoulders and joined the ranks again. Minotaur called out an order and the column set off at their lumbering, ground-eating lope.

  From his position on top of one of the Minoans shoulders Craig twisted his head around to check on Carl. He was relieved to see that Carl was now conscious and even managed a small smile.

  Craig smiled in return. It was quickly wiped from his face as the Minoan carrying him crested a small rise and dropped several feet over the other side. The creature’s shoulder drove into his stomach, knocking the air and part of his lunch out of him.

  The Minoan felt the residue trickle inside its armour and cuffed Craig with his free hand. Craig swore and then tried to relax to prevent further jolts from sickening him.

  In two ranks the Minoans ran through the green lands. They followed a faint trail between the low scrub. Occasionally they leapt or splashed through small streams that would eventually lead to the river that fed the canals of Atlantis.

  Minotaur ran at the front, his great axe held easily in his right arm. The seething pain he had been experiencing from the wound had disappeared. Without breaking stride he lifted his left hand and in a single motion pulled off the bandages and let them drop.

  The herbs that had packed the wound were dislodged by the pounding stride and the breeze caused by the motion. They were no longer bright green, but a dull brown like tobacco leaves, dried and ready for rolling.

  Minotaur raised his head and exulted in the feel of fresh air on his fur. A fine scar cut through his fur, indicated by the loss of pigment in his dark brown colouring. His empty eye socket had sealed over, completing the disguise of the wound.

  With a roar of pleasure he picked up the pace. The rest of the Minoans responded and added to the noise. Birds resting on the ground took to the air as the stampeding Minoans passed by.

  *

  Northern River 25th May

  The Guardian was making steady progress up the river. Wallace was skilfully piloting the boat in the centre of the meandering waterway. To both side stretches of gravel and rocks extended to the edge of the woods, signifying the extent of the rivers course over hundreds of years.

  On the relatively flat gravel there was abundant life. They saw signs of birds of many species, including a pair of elegant herons

  M’Varak and Hernet had listened spellbound as Danny and Dingo related some of the events that had transpired in the world since Arcanadia had disappeared beneath the waves.

  Sophia, Eraz and Coran also listened to the history, adding to the facts they already knew. The Arcanadians were surprised that so many empires had risen and fallen in the time their own had been away.

  ‘Are you telling us that the Pharaohs have stopped making their monumental tombs, the Greeks are no longer at the forefront of world powers and Troy has disappeared?’ M’Varak could barely believe it.

  ‘Yes. They have been followed by the Persians, Romans, Austro-Hungarian and British Empires to name but a few.’ said Danny.

  ‘Amazing,’ said Eraz, ‘yet everybody thinks we are a myth?’

  Danny nodded.

  ‘But Atlantis and Arcanadia is… was the greatest civilisation in the known world.’ Eraz paused. ‘Maybe Zeus affected the minds of everybody and thing that was left in the world when he took us away.’ He speculated.

  He was about to say something else when he noticed something upstream.

  ‘Does anybody fancy fresh meat tonight?’ He pointed upstream.

  A small herd of deer were drinking at the rivers edge. Their heads bobbed up and down nervously, watching the nearby trees. The deer were small, no more than two and a half feet at the shoulder, but would provide enough for the boats crew.

  Dingo passed his carbine to Danny and turned to Wallace.

  ‘Cut the engines.’

  Danny tried to get comfortable enough to aim steadily at the herd. However, the hard deck and the curious sphinx distracted him.

  ‘Lie still Hernet.’ He whispered.

  The sphinx took the order to heart and slumped in the well of the boat. Danny looked at him then smiled. He shifted his body and lay across the Sphinx’ back. Carefully he aimed and prepared to fire.

  As if they had been warned the deer’s heads snapped up and they sprang into action. As they scattered a huge bird flashed out of the trees opposite them and attacked one of the deer with its powerful talons. The speed of th
e strike killed the deer instantly.

  As the rest of the herd vanished back into the trees the giant eagle flared its wings and landed beside its prey.

  Coran saw Danny aiming again.

  ‘Let the Harpagornis have her meal. She earned it.’

  ‘I was just using the scope to study her. She’s beautiful.’ Danny replied.

  The Harpagornis Eagle was bigger than any bird of prey he had ever seen. Although its wingspan was only just over ten feet its body suggested it should have a greater span. Danny guessed that the shorter wingspan would make it easier to fly between the trees.

  After watching for a few minutes Fisher nudged Wallace. The pilot pushed the throttle forward and steered the boat past the gorging bird which looked up briefly before ducking its head to tear at the flesh of the dead deer.

  Danny and Dingo turned to watch the bird as the boat passed it. They looked at each other after it disappeared from view.

  ‘I’ve never seen anything like that before,’ said Danny.

  ‘I imagine there are a few things that the rest of the world hasn’t seen for thousands of years. It wouldn’t surprise me if there were a whole bunch of extinct birds and animals on this island.’ Dingo replied.

  ‘What does extinct mean?’ asked M’Varak.

  Dingo thought for a moment.

  ‘Extinct is when a species dies out and no longer exists.’

  ‘Why would that happen?’

  ‘In the past it has been down to over hunting, but more recently it is down to loss of habitat as man uses up more and more natural resources.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘Well, for example, if a forest is cut down the animals that used to live in it would have nowhere to go and would die out. Or if something competed for the same food source it would be competition that you would want to get rid of.’

  ‘That’s stupid. Why would you cut down a forest, you couldn’t use all the wood,’ said Coran.

  ‘It is stupid,’ said Danny, ‘It causes all other kinds of problems like global warming. Maybe it would be better if Hildar and Atlas had their way.’