Lost Son

by Marcus Abshire

  When she impacted the shield the whole thing lit up like it had been super charged, then it flickered on and off for a second.

  The sea witch recovered quickly and I scrambled to my feet, firing again, missing. I cursed under my breath and began to move, my leg buckled from my injury and I half stumbled half rolled as the sea witch raked the air with her deadly claws, air I had been occupying a second ago.

  I was still on my back scrambling for purchase when one of her tentacles whipped out for me, trying to get ahold of my leg. I saw that it was the same stumpy one I had hacked off earlier. The tentacle looked as though it was already beginning to heal.

  I swiped down, hitting it with my sword and opening up a deep gash on it. The witch spun towards me and leapt, leading with her poisoned claws. I blocked her sharp talons with my sword and brought me legs up only to push off and send her flying through the air, to once again connect with the shield.

  Once again the shield reacted like it had earlier, flickering off and on. She came to her tentacles and stood up straight, narrowing her eyes at me.

  I managed to get to my feet and faced her, waiting for her next move; we stood like that for a few seconds, two gunfighters in the street at high noon, waiting for the other to draw.

  The light increased all around us and I realized we had finally reached the surface and broke free from the ocean.

  The Lost City of Atlantis, a city buried in history, known only as legend and conspiracy, finally, after thousands of years of being a ghost, being a whispered fantasy, was thrust from the bowels of ancient tales and into the reality of the modern world.

  I reeled from the sudden stop, as we had reached our destination.

  “Yes! A glorious day indeed! Julake prepare for launch!” The Warlord said with pride.

  The sea witch never turned her eyes from me and I never turned mine from her. Light, pure light began to stream in from above as the dome that had protected Atlantis for untold centuries began to part, like a large football stadium, the dome opened and slowly began to separate, allowing sunlight, for the first time in millennia, to touch the city.

  The sea witch looked up at the sky and hissed, bringing her arm up to block her eyes from the light. I felt the air pressure change as the cool, crisp breeze above the Atlantic rushed into the city, trying to establish equilibrium.

  She looked at me, then at the sky and with a reluctant glare turned and started fleeing.

  “Not so fast.” I said, running after her.

  She saw me moving for her and turned to confront me, thinking I was coming in to attack, but I had something else in mind.

  As I got closer I feinted like I was going to bring my sword to bear, raising it above my head and yelling with everything I had. She brought her long claws up, just as I had hoped.

  Five feet from her I sheathed my sword and dipped my shoulder, connecting with her midsection with a satisfying thud. I hit her with everything I had, making even the most famous middle linebackers in the NFL proud. I lifted her up, hoping to keep her from using her tentacles to stop me and I angled her towards the shield, running straight for it. I felt a stinging pain as she raked my back but I ignored it, I only had a few feet left.

  I never stopped my charge, using her body as a battering ram. If my theory was right I would be able to stop the Warlord, if not I was going to have one hell of a headache.

  I pushed the sea witch into the shield and was relieved to see my theory was correct. The sea witches were like an electric eel, they had the ability to produce an electric current that they could use when needed. It was this electric current that had disrupted the shields earlier and it was this electric current that allowed both her and I to pass through and run smack into the cannon, just a few feet from the Warlord and Julake.

  Chapter twenty

  Karakatos looked up at us with stunned surprise, anger following quickly behind as the shield snapped back into place.

  “How is this possible?” He snarled, reaching for his trident.

  With the last of my stored energy I lifted the sea witch and threw her at the Warlord, while at the same time raising my pistol and aiming it at Julake.

  I heard scuffling and a squeal of pain before the Warlord’s voice rang in the air. “Enough, there is nothing you can do. It was a valiant effort, but it is too late, the cannon is ready, the sequence has already been started.”

  I swung the pistol around and aimed it at the Warlord’s head.

  “Shut it down.” I ordered.

  He smiled at me, a large and knowing smile, it was maddening.

  “I cannot, and furthermore, even if I could, I would not. It has begun; the beginning of the age of Atlantis has started. You should be at my side; we will have much work to do when the new dawn awakens.” He said, keeping still, showing he was no threat.

  I turned my pistol on the cannon and fired. The blast didn’t destroy the weapon as I had hoped; in fact it was diverted by the energy field of the shield and only seemed to give the cannon more life as it hummed a little stronger.

  “You see, it cannot be stopped, destiny is at play here. Even you can see that.” I swung my pistol back to Julake who had been inching closer to me.

  He scowled at me, his scar making his visage deadly looking.

  “Put the pistol down; let’s settle this with our swords.” He tried to tempt me.

  I had to say the offer was tempting. I looked around, trying to find some answer, some way to shut the shield off when my eyes settled on something that made me smile. I turned back to Julake and leveled that devious smile on him, slowly making my way towards him, keeping the pistol aimed for his chest.

  “You guys have it all figured out don’t you?” They looked at me skeptically as I inched closer.

  “I mean your execution of the master plan has been almost flawless really, you only overlooked two things.” Karakatos stared at me.

  “And what was that?” He asked.

  “One, that the rift’s energies would clean Neal of the virus you infected him with.” I said, getting to the back of the cannon, five feet from Julake who had drawn his own sword, hoping I would give him the chance to attack.

  “And two,” I smiled even bigger, making it almost goofy looking. “You forgot to put a shield around your shield generator, a common rookie mistake.” I finished and unsheathed my own sword, plunging it downwards.

  At the same time Julake leapt from his position, flying at me with death in his eyes and his sword in his hands.

  The Warlord yelled, something I couldn’t understand, as I stabbed the odd looking generator dead center, instantly causing the shield that surrounded the cannon to be disrupted, releasing the energy the generator was producing. There was a small concussion as the violent destruction of the generator resulted in a small explosion, one that knocked be backwards about ten feet and also disrupted Julake’s attack, sending him away from the cannon and onto the rooftop.

  “Idiot!” Screamed the Warlord, who had managed to hide behind the cannon and protect himself from the blast.

  I raised my pistol to fire at the cannon now that it was unprotected only to have it knocked out of my hands by some projectile that Julake was able to throw at me. It skidded to a halt about ten feet away.

  I sent to Neal.

  I had to refocus my thoughts as Julake tried to take my head from my shoulders. I brought up my sword and blocked his attack, kicking out and connecting with is thigh, making him stumble, allowing me to gain my own footing.

  Good, I cannot hold on much longer. Neal answered. You have twenty seconds before I shut the rift. He added.

  Twenty seconds? That sure wasn’t much time. Julake came in again, this time attacking with everything he had. I managed to block his sword, letting him drive me backwards, all the while trying to count down from twenty.

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw the cannon begin to glow a bright blue, the light streaming throughout the weapon, gathering at the base and slowly mov
ing towards the barrel, getting ready to fire.

  Julake pressed the attack as I ducked, dipped and parried his assault, it took everything I had to keep his sword from killing me, but I managed to hold on.

  Fifteen.

  The light had gathered around the cannon’s barrel.

  Ten.

  Julake knocked my blade aside as I was just too tired to keep up with his relentless offense.

  Five.

  I felt a stabbing pain as he landed a strike on my bicep, I kept moving backwards, until my feet came to the edge of the roof.

  Four.

  Julake saw I was unable to muster a defense, he knew I was tapped out. My breathing came in desperate gasps, I held my sword up in defense, by sheer willpower alone.

  Three.

  The light from the cannon reached the tip and the glowing intensified as the cannon was a split second from launching an attack on a heavily populated city that would kill millions.

  Two.

  Julake’s wolfish grin split his face as he lunged forward, his sword aimed straight for my heart.

  One.

  The blast tore through the roof top, its light blinding me. At the same time the cannon fired and a beam of pure energy blew through the roof, the shockwave from the energies released as the rift was shut hit me and I flew through the air, knocked from my feet.

  I felt the power of the rift as a small fraction of its energies leaked out. It enveloped me and I reached out with my cramped muscle and tried to gather as much of it as I could as I began to plummet to the hard Atlantean street.

  I knew I only had a few seconds before the sudden stop at the end would kill me. Channeling the small amount of energy I was able to gather I focused it into a long cylinder in front of me. I had no idea if this would work and with the fear of my own imminent death I was able to use the energy, bending it to my will from sheer desperation.

  I pushed it down until it reached the earth, feeling as I raced towards it and focused on making a sort of cushion, like a large spring that absorbed the momentum of my descent, hopefully slowing me down enough so that I didn’t make a large stain when I landed.

  The strain of keeping the energy together beat at me. My head felt like it was going to rip in half as the sheer force of my fall pressed against the energy I was controlling. It felt like fighting against a huge rubber band, one that was already stretched taut and wanted to be released. I saw the earth rushing towards me which made my panic increase ten-fold, a panic I used to continue to push against the force of gravity and inertia.

  My body screamed in pain as I used every ounce of resolve to stop myself, to slow myself down.

  I saw as the ground seemed to rush up at me a little less and less and I closed my eyes, keeping my focus on what I had to do. The pain in my head was overwhelming as I fought for control as it felt as though a sea witch was pulling my skull in two with her bare hands, I was a second from giving in, from just letting the earth do its work, the quick release from this pain seemed almost welcome when the pressure evaporated and the pain disappeared. I fell the last three feet to the earth and landed with an undignified thump.

  I was on my back, looking up, watching the effects of Neal and my handiwork. A steady stream of pure energy still raced from the roof as Neal channeled the rift’s power straight up, keeping it from killing us all. Light streamed from the windows of the floor Neal was on and it looked like spikes of pure gold, shooting out into the sky.

  Then, with one final explosion, the top third of the capital and my ancestral home exploded in an awesome display of power and destruction. I watched it in awe, before I realized all that rock had to go somewhere and I turned over scrambling to my feet in order to get away from the debris that was surely heading down.

  Instead of running away from the building I ran towards it, stumbling as my hurt leg refused to support my weight. My whole body hurt, from the myriad injuries I had sustained, but I kept moving, closing the short distance to the building.

  I made it just in time as a few tons of rock, marble and building fell from the heavens and crushed anything it landed on. I stood there, panting and waiting for the dust to clear. A few pebbles continued to fall and small pieces of rubble still bounced off the ground, looking for their final resting place.

  I just breathed in and out, trying to take a second to gather my wits as a strange sensation flowed over me, seeming to originate from the site of the blast. From somewhere far away I sensed something awakening, responding to the call of the rift. A vision flooded my mind, sweeping me up into it like a movie that came with feelings and smell-o-vision.

  In an ancient tomb, deep under a huge church I watched as a mummified corpse rose from its resting place. Clawed hands grasped out with purpose as it began to drag itself from its tomb. Eyes that thrummed with a silver radiance shone from a face that looked as though it had lost all its fluids during the time of the Pharaohs. The smell of a nearby human drew the thing up and out, in search of fresh blood.

  Deep in a forest, high on a mountain a large boulder, the size of a small house, was pushed aside, the earth and rock keeping it sealed fell as it was removed. Air that had been trapped in the dark underworld blew out of the black hole as the rock unsealed the ancient passageway. A “thing” stepped out, shielding its eyes from the full moon’s glare. It was almost twenty feet tall and its shoulders spanned a six foot space. Its face was hidden in shadow, but its eyes glowed a dark red as it reached out and ripped a tree from the ground by the roots and stomped off into the forest.

  In a landscape filled with ice and wind, deep in the bowels of an ancient glacier, a large figure stirred, its body having been curled in on itself for centuries. The white mound of fur moved, and a werewolf larger and stronger than any I had ever seen rose from its hibernation, shaking off the last vestiges of its slumber. It stood on two feet and rose to its full height, turning its large canine like snout towards the sky, towards a moon that shone down in full display. Its yellow eyes blazed as a loud howl split the night air, causing every dog on the face of the planet to take note, and every member of every pack to shiver in fear.

  The mud stirred, in a long forgotten swamp, filled with the nastiest animals, as a creature rose from the muck. Its body was only three feet tall, but corded with muscle and wiry hair. Orange, beady eyes cut the dark night as it moved with a single minded purpose, heading deeper into the unknown depths of the swamp.

  Far under the ocean, where the light never reaches, one more creature woke. It slithered from under the deep recess it had hid in for countless years; its six long tentacles pulled it forth into the dark abyss of the deep ocean floor. Its form looked familiar as its pitch black eyes searched the surrounding area, for what I didn’t know. It was the same creature I had fought when I entered the city, the same creature I had battled on the rooftop, only this one was different, its broad chest and powerful arms and shoulders differentiated it from its kin, all of whom were female, yet this one was male.

  They all seemed to turn and look at me, all at once, the effect was nauseating as their ancient consciousness’s made contact with mine, then as fast as it happened it ended and my mind cleared, coming back to the here and now.

  I shook my head, trying to clear it, what I saw was as real as if I had stood there and witnessed it first hand, but it already began to fade, like the whispers of a bad dream. Soon it was nothing more than an uneasy feeling in my gut.

  I came back fully to my situation, looking around. I felt a pain in my chest and looked down to see if I had been hit with something only to see it in good shape. I wasn’t sure what was wrong when my brain finally caught up to my heart and I knew why I was in pain.

  Neal was gone.

  I knew this; I couldn’t feel him, not in my thoughts, not anywhere.

  He was gone and I had no idea what I was going to do without him.

  I tried to swallow my sorrow, knowing I still had Kim and Arendiol to care for. I looked around and saw the city had stopped f
ighting. The explosion had shocked everyone and soldiers and fighters alike stood around, looking up at the blue sky and the strange fiery orb in that sky with wonder and awe.

  I got my bearings and started walking, “Don’t stare directly at it.” I said to those I passed, they looked with their mouths hanging open, a few sea gulls circled the air, looking at us with curiosity as well.

  Chapter twenty-one

  I saw my pistol, lying amidst the rubble. It smoked and looked a little dented and scratched, but other than that it seemed fine. I went over to it and picked it up, putting it in its holster.

  There were groups of people everywhere, most were average citizens, wandering around, looking at the world from eyes full of wonder. The current break from organized structure left them in a daze, most took it well.

  Others were obviously lost, some mumbling to themselves as they moved, while a few here and there were more volatile, reacting with violence and anger. I saw a man attack a small group of soldiers, who subdued him and restrained him with some wire. They all treated him with respect, knowing why he was acting that way.

  I made my way through the chaos, going towards the diner where I had met Brigand. As I walked people saw me and moved aside. I don’t know if it was because they recognized me or if it was something they saw in my face, but either way I was left alone.

  I entered the diner, and was met with a few rifle barrels.

  “Easy, easy.” I said, holding up my hands.

  “Stand down, he’s okay.” I heard a voice say.

  I rose onto my tiptoes and was able to see a head full of scraggly hair that stood up everywhere.

  “Hey, Jessif. What’s up?” I asked, nonchalantly.

  The men parted and I saw him standing behind the same table Brigand had earlier.

  “Where’s Brigand?” He asked, his eyes held a deep weariness in them, he looked like he was about to crack.