Hidden Depths

by L. M. Brown

  Finn didn’t hesitate. He aimed his trident at the nearest of the two dragons and summoned the sea-fire with his thoughts. He was glad he had been practicing in recent months.

  Unfortunately, his bolt of sea-fire had little effect on the sea dragon it hit. The animal clearly felt the shot, but it didn’t so much as mark the creature’s thick hide. The sea dragon turned on Finn, breathing more sea-fire than a dozen tridents could conjure.

  Finn darted out of the way and tried to fire another shot from his trident. He couldn’t summon so much as a spark.

  Ducking behind a boulder, he tried to calm his nerves. Concentrating as hard as he could, he attempted to bring forth the sea-fire again. It took several minutes of concentration before the prongs of the trident glowed blue.

  Finn crept out slowly from his hiding place, intending to fire on the sea dragons again, hoping to aim for a more vulnerable part of the body this time, like the eyes or the mouth. To his dismay, the sea dragons had disappeared while he’d been trying to work his weapon.

  With a curse of frustration, Finn swam after them, hoping to catch up before they reached the gatherers. With a bit of luck, he could at least distract them long enough for the gatherers to swim to safety.

  With his trident poised and ready to fire, Finn sent a strong blast right at the head of the largest of the two sea dragons.

  It was a direct hit and the sea dragon howled in pain.

  On the far side of the creatures, Finn could see the gatherers fleeing the fields.

  The second of the sea dragons sent flames down on the harvest, callously burning them. Finn hoped the mer had gathered enough food for them to survive the coming weeks.

  For the first time, Finn wondered where exactly the boundaries of the city of Atlantis were. Would the gathering grounds rise with the city, or was there a chance some of them could stay on the bottom of the ocean, where the mer might continue to harvest them?

  Finn hoped some of the fertile lands would stay underwater, because the rest of the surrounding area was barren. If they couldn’t harvest the land here, they would have to swim for many miles before they found somewhere else.

  While the mer fled, Finn continued to send bolts of sea-fire at the dragons. None of his blasts were as effective as the first one. Now that they knew he was there, the sea dragons ducked and dodged his attempts to hit them, while at the same time sending their own fire at him as well as the gathering grounds, burning everything in sight. Pain shot through his shoulder as a burst from the nearest sea dragon winged him before he could avoid it.

  When he thought the gatherers had swum safely away, Finn sent one final blast at the sea dragons before swimming back to the city. He should probably get back to England and get his wound tended, but he couldn’t return without the next group of evacuees.

  He knew the sea dragons probably wouldn’t follow him to the city. They weren’t dumb animals, and their attacks on the gathering grounds were tactical in nature. He wished he knew what their next move would be. He hoped it would be to retreat, now their job was apparently done, but he couldn’t say for sure.

  In the meantime, the best thing he could do was return to his task of making sure the next group of evacuees was packed and ready to leave as soon as the word was given.

  * * * *

  When Jake returned from the supermarket with Summer, he found the house even more crowded than when he had left it. He had no idea where he was going to put everyone that night. Many of the rooms were still completely unfurnished and the pool could only hold so many merpeople at once.

  He opened the front door as he juggled his bags. Summer stood right behind him.

  “Er…”

  “What is it?” Summer asked.

  “I should warn you that the mer don’t seem to be too bothered about things like clothing.”

  “Yes, I know,” Summer replied. “Can we go in now? These bags are quite heavy.”

  “You should have left them in the car,” Jake said. “Alex won’t be pleased with me if you overdo things.”

  “I’m not an invalid.”

  Jake knew better than to argue with her and opened the door to let her in.

  “Ah, there you are.” Caspian stood at the foot of the staircase.

  Jake hoped the god had some good news for them. “I’ve been out to stock up on supplies for the youngsters,” he explained.

  “Good idea,” Caspian said. “I’ve furnished the rest of the rooms of the house for you. I know you and your men have enjoyed renovating this place, but time has run out.”

  “We didn’t realize we were on a timer,” Jake said.

  Caspian shrugged. “I don’t think anyone thought time would run out this quickly. Of course, it might have helped if you, Kyle and Finn hadn’t spent quite so much time in bed.”

  Summer snorted and Jake glared at her.

  “What other news have you brought us?” Jake asked, in an effort to change the subject. “Are the gods still intending to raise the island?”

  “Yes.”

  “Have you given the mer the ability to understand English and the knowledge of the modern human world?”

  “No, they won’t need it,” Caspian replied. “This is temporary. Cari has already seen where they will be relocating to. I don’t see the point of confusing them with a lot of useless information that they won’t need this time next year.”

  Jake wondered whether it was worth pointing out that they might not need the knowledge next year, but they certainly appeared to right now. He’d already had two bathtubs overflowing and several burns in the kitchen to contend with.

  Before he could say anything, Caspian vanished, leaving them to get on with distributing their shopping to those who needed the items.

  Justin and Lucas returned with another group of merpeople and Jake updated them as to what Caspian had told him.

  “It would be nice if one of my foster parents could tell us where they see us living,” Justin complained.

  “The gods don’t tend to work that way,” Jake replied. “I’m still rather surprised that they interfere quite as much as they do.”

  “Me too,” admitted Justin, even though he had been raised by Caspian and Cari and should have known better than anyone how the Atlantean gods operated.

  Jake left Summer with the mermaids who had the youngest children and joined Justin and King Nereus as they updated their map.

  They were still contemplating their next move when Finn returned, looking tired and disheveled. A burn on his left shoulder looked nasty and painful.

  “Finn, what happened?” Jake rushed across to his lover and guided him into a nearby chair. “Justin, pass me the first-aid kit. It’s under the sink.”

  “The sea dragons aren’t letting us leave unhindered,” Finn explained. “They’ve destroyed the gathering grounds to the north and the west of the city.”

  “Was anyone hurt by them?” King Nereus asked. “Besides yourself, of course.”

  “I don’t think so,” Finn said. “I distracted them as much as I could while the gatherers swam to safety. But we’ve lost the rest of the harvest.”

  Jake tended to Finn’s arm, causing his lover to hiss with pain. “Sorry, baby.”

  Finn ignored him and pointed at the map. “They were here last time I saw them. The gatherers have gone to the cave network now.”

  “Whereabouts is that?” Jake asked.

  Lucas pointed at the map. “Too close to the dragons, unfortunately.”

  “I only saw two of them,” Finn said. “I don’t know where the rest are.”

  King Nereus frowned as he studied the map. “I think we need to move quickly to get everyone out of the city.”

  “Not everyone wants to leave,” Finn said. “Some of the mer I’ve spoken to didn’t believe me. They want to stay in their homes.”

  “Lucas and I found the same thing,” Justin agreed. “I think it’s safe to say that no matter how hard we try to evacuate everyone, when the gods raise the city, the
re will be some mer on the island.”

  King Nereus shook his head. “We can’t waste time trying to force those from their homes who don’t wish to leave. I suggest we at least try to persuade them to take refuge in the palace. The highest floor and balconies should be the safest and easiest to swim away from when the time comes.”

  “Perhaps a small group of guards should stay behind, too?” Justin suggested.

  “No,” King Nereus said. “While it would make sense for some guards to stay there to protect those who refuse to leave, the more people who remain behind, the harder it will be to avoid the exposure of our people. Unless there are guards who are refusing to leave, as well, anyone who wants to be out of the city before it rises should be allowed to leave.”

  * * * *

  Kyle paced along the beach as he watched the moon rise above the ocean. “Any sign yet?” he asked Lynna.

  “Not yet,” Lynna replied. “I told you I’d tell you the moment they open. I don’t want to be stuck here any longer than you do. I want to find Xane.”

  Kyle was more worried about Xane than he wanted to admit. Xane seemed devoted to Lynna, and Kyle couldn’t understand why he hadn’t come here to find her. He wished he knew his sister’s mate better, so he could try to figure out where he might be.

  Despite two brief visits back to the sunken city, Kyle could find no sign of the missing merman. He had even resorted to calling for Medina and the other immortals he knew, but they weren’t answering his calls.

  “Maybe we should wait here until after the island is raised?” Lynna suggested. “The city isn’t directly below us.”

  Kyle gave the idea a few moments thought before dismissing it. “I don’t know how the gods intend to raise the island, exactly, but we suspect it’ll cause great waves. This island, and the ones used by the mer during the mating seasons, are likely to be flooded completely.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “No, I’m not sure, but we can’t risk it. I want you safe in England well before midnight.”

  “I don’t want to go to England. I want to head to the cave network with the rest of our people.”

  “The most vulnerable, which includes the new merbabies, have been evacuated to England.”

  “I don’t care. I don’t want to live with humans.”

  Kyle sighed. “Where did you get this prejudiced view about humans from? I know you’ve never met a human in your life.”

  “I don’t need to meet one,” Lynna replied. “I’ve heard more than enough about them from those who have sought shelter in the sunken city. Humans are selfish creatures, polluting our waters without a care for those of us living here. I don’t know how you can live with one of them.”

  “Jake isn’t like that,” Kyle said. “If you could meet him, you’d see how kind he is.”

  Lynna sighed. “I know you’re happy with him, and I’m glad he treats you well, but I don’t want to live with humans.”

  “It won’t be for long, just until the mer are relocated safely to a new home in the ocean. Wherever you’re all being relocated to, it’s going to be a long and dangerous journey, which won’t be good for your newborn son.”

  Lynna gave another long sigh. “I’ll come to England, but only because I don’t seem to have another choice.”

  * * * *

  Finn kept glancing at the clock, willing time to slow down long enough for Kyle to return. He had suggested to Jake that he go to fetch him, but after Finn’s encounter with the sea dragons, Jake was reluctant to let Finn out of his sight again.

  “You’re injured,” Jake said. “Your wound might get infected.”

  “Merpeople don’t get infections,” Finn argued. “The seawater will help me heal.”

  “I still don’t like you going back there. You said yourself, everyone who was willing to come here has already arrived. Those who are left are the ones who refused to leave for either here or the caves.”

  “Apart from Kyle, Lynna and the babe.”

  Jake sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Finn onto his lap. “Kyle will bring them back here as soon as he can. He wouldn’t want you to put yourself in danger for him, would he?”

  “No, I guess not.” Finn closed his eyes and rested his head on Jake’s shoulder.

  “Tired?” Jake asked.

  “No,” Finn replied around a wide yawn. “I won’t be able to sleep until Kyle is safely home.”

  “Hmm?”

  Finn thought he heard Jake chuckle as his lover eased him down onto the bed. Maybe he would just shut his eyes for a few minutes. It had been a long and tiring day.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Cian’s gills have opened,” Lynna called.

  “At last!” Kyle pulled his sister to her feet and they ran into the surf. “Hurry, Lynna. We don’t have much time to get to the city.”

  They swam as fast as they could. Atlantis had never seemed as empty as it did when they finally returned.

  The normally busy city appeared deserted.

  “Xane!” Lynna’s call halted Kyle immediately. “Xane, over here.”

  Kyle watched his sister change course and swim toward the marketplace. “Lynna, we have to hurry.”

  Lynna ignored him as she swam in the direction of her mate.

  “Xane, where have you been?” Lynna called.

  “I’ve been searching for you,” Xane replied.

  “I’ve been on the birthing island all day,” Lynna explained. “You have a new son.”

  “A son?” Xane peered at the new baby with a wide smile. “But you weren’t due for another month.”

  “I know, but I guess he wanted to meet us a little sooner.”

  “If I’d known, I’d have checked the birthing island, but in the panic, I didn’t think of that. I thought you’d already gone to this England place with Maurissa, but as I’m not one of the vulnerable, I’ve not been able to go there to check.”

  “Kyle took Maurissa there earlier,” Lynna explained.

  “I searched for you, too,” Kyle added. “I guess we must have kept missing each other.”

  Xane nodded. “I must have swum through the city and back and forth from the caves a hundred times today. In all the chaos, we probably passed each other more than once.”

  “Well, let’s not waste any more time,” Kyle said. “We must hurry if we’re going to get to the portal before midnight.”

  “You go ahead. I’ll be right behind you.”

  “Where are you going?” Lynna asked.

  “I have to tell my family where I’m going.”

  “You haven’t time to get to the caves and back,” Kyle said.

  “They aren’t at the caves,” Xane replied. “Father refuses to leave, and my mother won’t leave him.”

  “What of the others?” Lynna asked.

  “They’re in the caves,” Xane confirmed. “It’s Father who’s being stubborn.”

  “Hurry after us,” Lynna said.

  Xane nodded and swam for his family’s home.

  Kyle urged Lynna on to Medina’s temple on the main street. The building was nearer than the palace, and the portal there should take them to the Isle of the Gods just as efficiently as the one in the palace.

  As they reached the building, the ground began to shake.

  “It’s started,” Kyle said, even though there wasn’t any need to state the obvious.

  A crack spread along the ground and the temple collapsed into the ravine that appeared.

  “We’ll have to use the palace temple instead,” Kyle said. “Hurry, Lynna.”

  They swam for the palace and darted through the corridors, traveling down into the levels below the ground floor, where the palace temples were located.

  The whole building shook around them and the ground rose, even as they swam lower and lower.

  “We aren’t going to make it,” Lynna shouted. “The whole place is coming down.”

  “We have to reach the portal,” Kyle insisted. “Don’t stop and don’t look
back. Just swim as fast as you can.”

  As the island rose, Kyle knew they weren’t going to make it in time. Water churned around them as it poured out of the building, carrying Kyle, Lynna and Cian away from their destination.

  When the water had gone, Kyle and Lynna were left on the stone floor, waiting for their fins to dry out so they could use their legs to continue their flight to safety.

  Around them the building continued to shake and the sounds of stones falling echoed through the corridors.

  “Kyle, I’m scared,” Lynna said.

  “Me, too,” Kyle admitted. “Me, too.”

  An almighty crash brought the walls around them crashing down.

  Kyle felt crushing pain on one of his newly restored legs, then he didn’t feel anything at all as his vision darkened and he slipped into unconsciousness.

  * * * *

  The news was all over the television and Jake, like everyone else in the country, was glued to the screen.

  “We’re reporting here from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean where, overnight, an island three times the size of the State of New York has suddenly appeared. We’ll be bringing you our exclusive report at the top of the hour, but here are a few of the amazing pictures already taken of the island that some are saying could be the mythical Atlantis.”

  Jake groaned. They didn’t know how right they were.

  The gods were mysteriously absent, and Jake was sorely tempted to make an offering to Medina and travel to the Isle of the Gods to see what was happening.

  The refugees who had made it to England via Medina’s temple filled the house. Jake had a feeling Caspian had known this was coming all along, and that this was why he had provided them with such a huge mansion. Cari must have warned him of these events long before they transpired.

  Finn and King Nereus entered the room as the adverts before the news report began.

  “Has Kyle shown up yet?” Jake asked.

  Finn shook his head. “I’ve checked the entire house and neither he nor Lynna are here.”