Fire

by Helen Scott

  When I first arrived and everything had calmed down, Finn had told me a little of Atlantis' history. It truly was a world made up primarily of water. A long time ago a crew had succeeded in circumnavigating around the whole world, and it was only because of the flow of magic within the world that they survived. As space had run out on land, the Atlantean people had used magic to help them build down, slowly carving out rocks and building different areas up so that people could live under the surface. Many believed that it was because of this and the use of magic to build, that some of the people, like Finn, had developed gills. If they wanted to, they could survive underwater for as long as they had food and water. While they might be able to breathe naturally, they still needed the crops that were grown on the surface and using some of the magic lights under the surface as well. Food was rationed for everyone except the queen and her advisers. Even our little group had restrictions on what we could and couldn't eat, along with the quantity of rations, at least when we weren't dining with the queen.

  "We believe that the most important part of the mural is this section," the queen said, interrupting my thoughts as she gestured to the small figure standing on the shore of the outer ring. It was clear that he or she was holding something in his or her hand, but the figure was mostly hidden by the cloak that fell to their mid-thigh. Everything about it was a mystery. Once we had all examined it to her standards, the queen continued. "I believe that the figure depicted is you, Tessa. For a long time, we thought it was someone who would wield the Key, and that has created contention between Atlantis and some of the other worlds. Now that I have passed on the knowledge that I believe the Key is a person, the murals make more sense, and thankfully some of the contention has lessened."

  My gaze drifted away from the figure that could, in reality, be anyone and alighted on the massive beings that were floating, dead in the water. I knew that outside the water was a crystalline blue. On the painting, however, it had changed to a deep brown that with an almost purple tint to it, and I didn’t think it had anything to do with the age of the mural. The idea of these ancient beings dying made me sad but also pissed me off more than anything else. The queen raised her arm as though to touch the mural, before dropping it back to her side, which was enough to make me think that she might feel the same way.

  "The bulk of the prophecy is a list of numbered things," Mr. Grumpy-beard said, as though he wanted to move things along.

  "Right," the queen replied, pulling herself out of whatever trance she'd fallen into. "The dictated prophecy is as follows," she said, pausing and clearing her throat before beginning in a more ominous tone. "Five hearts beating as one, four worlds slowly dying, three secrets left untold, two souls in need of guidance, one Key to save them all, one Key that's marked by all, two bloodthirsty reigns ending, three strange voices drifting, four memories altered or missing, five caretakers bless their savior."

  I stared at her for a moment, expecting something more, something with some direction to it, with some clue as to what I was supposed to do. She remained silent though, and her shoulders drooped as though reciting it had taken a lot out of her. As I turned toward the guys, I found the three advisers staring at me.

  "Do you understand?" the stoic one asked.

  "Am I supposed to?" I countered.

  "We were hoping that being from the origin world, and supposedly being the Key, would give you some insight into the meaning of the prophecy," Mr. Grumpy-beard added.

  "Sorry to disappoint, gentlemen, but I'm just as in the dark as you are." I sighed.

  "Sharing the whole prophecy was not what we had agreed on, Your Majesty, and now I'm afraid what this will mean. Five civilians know the whole thing. I propose we confine them to the inner palace until we are certain they are not spies."

  "How the hell could I be a spy? I was completely oblivious to this, to the existence of these so-called four worlds, to the existence of any of this before Caspar team educated me. I gave up everything in my life to come here and help. But you three treat me as though I'm dirt, not even worthy of talking to, let alone acting as though I'm in the same room as you. I'm not a spy, neither are any of my teammates. You're such a dickhead!" I exploded. I knew it was bad form, but after everything over the last few months, I had had enough. Before any of them could do any more than gape at me I turned and said, "Please excuse me, Your Majesty. I'm not feeling well."

  She nodded, that annoying little smirk on her face, and that was all I needed before I flew from the room. My name was called over and over again by my guys, but I didn't care. All I knew was I needed to be away from all of them. I needed time to process what had been said and to decide if I wanted to stay and see this through or not. As I ran to my room I didn't care that a boob might pop out of my dress, and I didn't care that the skirt was flapping around my legs, probably giving everyone a clear shot of my lady parts. All I wanted to do was get out of the outfit and into some shorts and go run, or hit something, whichever came first.

  3

  Tessa

  As soon as I had changed, I was out of the room and heading down to the training area. So far, the guys hadn't caught up with me. Each of them was no doubt upset with me because of my behavior, but I'd had enough of being treated like an inanimate object. Now, I was hitting some of the pouches they used as punching bags and sending a quiet thank you to whoever had made it so the training room was empty when I got there. I'd never been a huge believer in god or gods or any of that, but now the small amount of faith I'd had was gone, and I didn't know who to curse or praise anymore. It wasn't that I'd been raised in a religious household, more just that's what had bled into me from society over the years. I was moral, and I'd even go so far as to say spiritual, but that didn't mean I was religious.

  Each hit landed with more force than I'd ever used before, my fists and feet almost sinking into the sand in the bag. My rage and frustration were leaking out of me slowly but surely. When Griff appeared in my peripheral vision, I ignored him. If he interrupted me, then I'd be punching and kicking him instead of the bag, or at least trying to. The man was harder to land a hit on than a greased pig was to catch.

  "Stop." He spoke in the same tone he used when we were training. All the flirtatious energy was gone from his normal voice, leaving it almost monotone and hard sounding. It was only the fact that his voice had changed that made me obey his command.

  I felt his presence behind me as I held my position. Heat flowed off him in waves that almost made me feel like I was standing on the beach in summer. Not a single word passed my lips as he corrected my form. He knew I would appreciate it. The last thing I wanted was to hurt myself or pull a muscle because I was working out angry.

  "Go," he said as I felt his warmth slip away.

  I started hitting the bag again and this time I felt the extra power that the form correction gave me and used it to my advantage. Soon enough the bag was swinging back and forth and beads of sweat were rolling down my back and my neck. The feeling of empowerment was growing with each training session. I wasn't as good as the guys, never would be, but it felt good to know that I at least stood a chance at defending myself now that I'd been training so intensively the last few months.

  "Stop. Spar with me."

  It was like his voice was working some kind of magic on me since I was feeling especially defiant after that scene in the Room of Prophecy. Whether that was true or not I turned and marched onto the sparring mats, noticing, even though I didn't intend to, that he had stripped down to just his leather pants while I wasn't looking. I justified it by telling myself that if I got all the gawking out of the way now, then I'd be able to fight without him getting the upper-hand because he was so damn beautiful when he moved. My inner voice laughed at that, the bitch.

  Griffin moved like liquid fire, smooth but unpredictable. As his fist connected with my side, I barely felt it, and I knew he was holding back, not wanting to take advantage of my aggravated state or lack of padding that I usually trained in. I
threw punches and kicks right back at him, only I wasn't holding back. He danced away from them each time letting me almost get him before he moved just out of reach. I could feel my frustration mounting once more. It almost seemed as though he was in league with the queen's advisers to torment me that evening. I knew my emotions were getting the better of me when he began to just bat away my hits and kicks without even feigning that I could have reached him. It was a sure sign that he was getting bored.

  "Clear your head, Tessa. I can see all the turbulence in there from here, and it's impacting your fighting."

  The fact that he called me Tessa and not Dove, his preferred nickname for me, let me know that he was in full training mode. A plan hatched in my mind and I tried to blank any hint of it from showing on my face. The next few times Griff struck I parried, barely protecting myself, then after I had pushed myself to the limit of my patience, I let one of his hits land without flinching out of the way. Even though he was holding back, his fist still smacked into my stomach with enough force to leave me doubled over, gasping for breath.

  "Shit, Dove, are you okay?" Griff gasped as soon as I went down. He knelt beside me and before he could see my plan I lunged at him, tackling him to the mat. We both landed with an oomph as I tried to pin him. Before I could claim my victory though, he had me flipped over and on my back as though I was nothing more than a feather.

  Hunger blazed in his eyes before he blinked it away, and I realized that my legs had parted of their own free will and I was now cradling him between them. A blush flew up my cheeks. I could sense his hesitation. He wanted me, but he also wanted to win the sparring match but didn't want to hurt me or take advantage of the situation. Just as he was about to pull away, I looped my arms around his neck and drew him down into a kiss that I'd been craving ever since he first started teasing me.

  He froze for a moment while I ghosted my lips over his, as though he'd never expected me to make the first move. The delicious scent of him filled my nose and warmed me to my toes. It reminded me of a warm night in a cabin with a mix of citrus, wood, and wine. I could smell only him for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy. When I nipped at his bottom lip it seemed to break him out of whatever had frozen him and then the kiss became something so much more. It was a devouring of each other.

  Griff rolled so that I was on top of him, straddling him and pressing my core against his quickly growing length, while his tongue twined around my own and his hands held me in place. His grip was firm but careful, as though he didn't trust what was happening and was already preparing for me to pull away. Part of me felt horrible, I'd had sex with his teammate, but I couldn't deny the attraction I had to Griff.

  Spending the last few months slowly getting closer to him and spending more time with him had done nothing but increase my appreciation for the man, er, demon. His eyes captivated me every time he looked at me. Those pale orbs with the dark pupil and an iris that was the palest cream color were going to be the death of me, I just knew it. As though his eyes weren't enough, the man had beautifully pouty lips and a body that just wouldn't quit. Whenever I thought I'd seen it all, or enough to finally get my head on straight, he'd move a different way or do something that would send me spinning all over again.

  Something sounded in the hallway outside the training room and the two of us sprang apart like teenagers being caught by their parents. We both sat there panting and staring at each other. Anyone could have walked in and assumed that we had been sparring if it wasn't for the tent in Griff's pants or my swollen lips and the hard peaks of my nipples poking through my tank top. When the sound didn't happen again, I felt a nervous energy descend in my stomach. There was nothing more I wanted than to pursue Griff and Finn at the same time. It was greedy of me, I know, but I couldn't help it. And don't even get me started on the idea of the two of them taking me to bed, that image was guaranteed to make me wet.

  "What was that?" Griff asked quietly.

  "A kiss," I said, not wanting to risk giving the situation meaning if he was uncomfortable with that.

  "Just couldn't resist me anymore, huh?"

  I grinned and swatted him on the arm, but my mind was racing down the corridor wondering who had been spying on us.

  4

  Griffin

  “Please! I don’t want to be trapped with all those fuddy-duddies!” Tessa was pouting at me as she begged me to go with her to the old temple early. My heart squeezed in my chest. The thought of being alone with her for hours was oh, so tempting. I knew I shouldn’t, but really, what would be the harm? Everyone else had gone out to take care of something or another that they considered urgent enough to leave me alone with the woman we all had our eyes on, even our Earther, Kai, not that he’d ever admit to it. The queen had no need of us until we were scheduled to depart, and the only other thing we could do was train, which I didn’t think was a good idea considering what had happened last night.

  The two of us had been so awkward after the kiss. It had taken every ounce of self-control not to take Tessa back to my room and show her what it meant to be a warrior from El Dorado.

  “Fine,” I said with a sigh. “We can go, but only if you let me leave a note for the others.”

  Tessa’s face broke into a wide grin as she nodded, and I felt my blood heat. She was stunning. Her mismatched eyes, her perfect lips, her soft skin, and a body with just enough curves that I couldn’t help but want to unwrap them like a birthday present. I had yet to find anything about her that turned me off. In fact, the more I discovered, the more she turned me on.

  She turned and hurried to her room where I presumed she was putting on more appropriate footwear than what the queen had been keeping her in for dinners and whatnot. Not that I was complaining about what the queen was dressing her in because by the gods she looked more beautiful every night.

  It was a few hours later when I finally got up the courage to ask her about the kiss. I didn’t necessarily want to, but I felt like the need to clear the air was an important one to address.

  “Why did you kiss me when we were sparring?” I asked after we’d crossed the bridge to the last ring of land.

  Tessa stumbled on her next step as I spoke and stopped moving, which made me turn around if I wanted to face her, and I definitely did for this conversation. Without missing a beat, I shifted so I was standing in front of her. As she watched me, her eyes seemed to hold all the mysteries of the universe at that moment.

  “Because I wanted to.” The honesty was shining out of her eyes like a beacon in the night, and I knew she was being as truthful with me as she could.

  “What about Finn?” I asked, unsure whether it was just a passing thing or something more. A warrior was my profession, but I had never been one to hide my emotions or deny them as I used them to fuel my training. I channeled everything I had into my practice, into paying attention to my body and what it was telling me. Right now it was screaming at me to claim the woman in front of me as my own. I would never force a woman though, and I’d never want to get stuck pining after a woman that didn’t want me.

  “Finn… is Finn,” Tessa said with a shrug.

  I frowned in response, which earned me a sigh from her.

  “Finn and I were, are, a mess. I care about you both and I don’t want to choose. In fact, I won’t choose. I’m not ready to tie myself to one person. I don’t know that I ever will be, especially not with everything that’s going on.”

  “That’s understandable,” I said, before turning and moving forward.

  We were quiet again until the mountain that housed the old temple came into view. It was the only mountain in Atlantis, so it was fairly obvious how to get to it, especially since there was a path going up the side.

  I paused and turned to Tessa once more, trying not to let her blue and brown eyes take me off track. “Why don’t you wait here while I check it out?”

  “No, you need back up.” She planted her hands on her hips and gave me a steely-eyed glare, silently daring me
to disagree with her.

  Frustration burned within me at her lack of care for herself. “I’ll call you if I need backup. You’re too important to risk.”

  “No, I’m coming with you.”

  “I don’t want to argue about this, Dove, I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

  “I can keep myself safe.”

  “Please, just do this for me. Consider it a favor and I’ll owe you one,” I added as I saw her softening.

  “Fine, but you owe me,” she said as she stuck her hand out toward me.

  “Agreed,” I replied, and we shook on it.

  “I’ll be right back.” Before she could respond, I turned and booked it up the mountain. As I followed the path, I felt the air shift around me, moving like it was a living thing as I disturbed it. The sensation was uncomfortable, but it passed just as quickly as I had noticed it.

  Rounding the corner of the path, I found the opening of the temple in front of me. My senses went on high alert as I edged into the chamber. It was open to the elements, and from the plants and lichen growing just inside the door, it had been for a while. Large blue crystals hung from the ceiling, no, not the ceiling, from archways that sat just below. There were rows of stone benches under them that all seemed to be leading to the central area that Tessa had perfectly described.

  A large statue took up the central spot, a woman reaching out to, or for, something, while four knights guarded her back. One thing was different though, there was no water flowing. The swords they were supposed to be looking down at weren't there, just the stone hilts that were grasped tightly in their hands. It made me wonder what exactly Tessa had seen. I moved forward, wanting to make sure what I was seeing was correct, and when no water started flowing, I couldn't deny that I was a little disappointed.

  When I turned around, I saw the entrance that Tessa must have come through to enter the chamber and moved toward it, hoping that maybe there was a secondary chamber with water running inside. The closer I got though, the more my steps felt like they were in quicksand. Each movement became harder and harder until I was leaning into it like I was leaning into hurricane force winds. I knew magic was at play, that much was clear. What I didn't understand was why it was affecting me and not Tessa. Was it because she was the Key? Or did she have some Atlantean blood running through her veins? Either way, I knew I'd have to get her up here to be able to tell.