Turbulent Waves, page 17
“So you’re justified in your actions. How many more did you use your little trick on, besides Oba?” Vivien was doing a great job, so she and Frankie stood back and let her go.
“You were easy, which makes what you’re trying to do now laughable.”
“Really? Go ahead and read my mind. Tell me what we’re going to do next and how we’re going to gather all the people working with you up and lock them away until every one of you is forgotten.” Vivien got close enough for Susan to feel her body heat. “Go on, tell me.”
“Are you sure you want me to know?” Susan laughed but lunged forward, falling on her face when Vivien put her fist around her shell and ripped it from her throat. “Give it back. It belonged to my mother, and you have no right.”
“Stop talking, or you’ll lose more than the shell.” Kai motioned for Vivien to put it down before whatever power the shell had could infect her. “Tell me what you reported and to who, and I promise I’ll eventually let you go free.”
“You Merlins know how to lie, so I won’t tell you anything.”
“Are you sure? Or is it that you haven’t done anything with the information now that Bella has run?” She got as close as Vivien had and tapped her finger against Susan’s forehead. “Tell me, or this will be your reality for the rest of your days.”
“I’ll never betray my people like you have.”
“So be it. I’m not lying when I tell you I’ll win with the goddess’s blessing, and my love for Vivien will be written about as much as the love Nessa and Jyri shared.”
“You speak blasphemy.”
“I speak the words of the goddess, and you will choke on the truth of it when all this is done. Take her away.”
Kai couldn’t sense anything from Susan, and it was often like that with women of true faith. When they devoted themselves to the goddess so completely, even when it was misguided, it was hard to break them. As with Tanice, that would take time and finesse.
The guards dragged Susan away as she screamed for her shell back. “Now what?” Vivien asked.
“Now we try to finish by finding what was left for us, and we need to do that quickly.”
Vivien nodded. “Something and someone are coming. I can feel it, and I sensed that in her when I ripped the shell from her neck. We need to be prepared.”
Chapter Fourteen
Daria waited four days, and finally a response came through from Bella. The shuttles were ready, and she’d sent out the second wave of them in a random pattern throughout the night. She’d looked at the coordinates Bella sent, and they would land them in North America downriver of a place called New Orleans.
“Is there something on your mind?” she asked Frem.
“I’m not sure I understand how you know all you do about Pontos and some of the other information you have. From the beginning, Bella made wise moves that kept Pontos ahead of the game until he cut off contact.” Frem sat across from her and stared out into space. “That was his first mistake, but if what you say is true, her mistake was not telling Pontos that Kai Merlin is Galen’s heir. Why do you think that is?”
“Because I asked her not to.” She admitted one of the things she’d held back. Bella was sending her messages even after Pontos had arrived. “Before you think to condemn me for his death, think about where we’d be if Pontos had succeeded.”
“You set him up for failure?” Frem appeared more amused than upset.
“He told me had he won, he would’ve never allowed us to come here. This would’ve been his realm, and the women of Galen’s kingdom would’ve been his slaves as well as his harem.”
“You know I had no love for Pontos, but some might hold that—as well as what will happen to your parents—against you.”
“My brother was a bastard, and my parents helped perfect those traits in him. Now they can face their loving subjects with someone else in charge of their fates. My only wish is to talk to them before the crowd tears them apart, so they’ll know it was me. I’m the architect of their downfall, and it started with the failures I assured for Pontos.”
“Was Kai in this New Orleans?” Frem asked.
“It’s where she met Vivien Palmer. To me it shows how weak Galen’s line has become. That her heir has chosen a human is shameful. Pontos went on and on about what feeble stupid creatures humans are. Why would you pollute your bloodline by mating with one?”
“Surely it was simply for the sex.” Frem had to laugh.
This new world was full of people that looked like them, yet were inferior. Pontos had spent a few years on the planet and had sent back regular reports of the surface dwellers as well as the world they’d created, which had hardly moved beyond their Neanderthal forebears. If Galen’s subjects had mixed themselves with theses mongrels, they’d be even easier to defeat. “It’s even better than that. Kai got this human pregnant.”
“How is that possible?”
“I need to talk to Bella about that, but that information might be useful.” She understood the power that came from the body-stone connection, but procreation still took a man and woman. That she’d need help on that front when she did join was something that infuriated her. “Our first priority is to find Bella and her mother. Once we have them, Francesca Yelter will have plenty to answer for.”
“The troops who’ve already gone down are in position, so we’ll be ready within the hour. The best place to land will be at the mouth of the great river. Send Bella a message, and have her wait with transportation. The humans use crafts that float on the surface, so we’ll need some if you want to go undetected for now.” Frem gave her a picture of the vessel.
“We’ll need more than boats, and your landing area won’t work. There’s too much traffic there. We need to move somewhere with more open water.” She pointed to an area to the west of where Frem had picked.
“I’ll make it so.” Frem left her, and the silence was overwhelming.
It made her heart race, and she clenched her fists. She was ready to begin what she needed to do, and she sighed at the truth she didn’t like to face. The fact was, she was alone. Once her parents had Pontos, they should’ve stopped, but she’d been born two years later. Her mother had given her away to be raised by staff, but that had made her strong. Once she started this, she wouldn’t be tethered to Pontos’s incessant need to please their father.
“I hope you live long enough to see what you threw away,” she said out loud. The message was especially for her father. She’d never made it a secret how deep her hatred ran for her father, and this would be her sweetest revenge. “I could’ve given you everything, but you threw me away for Pontos.”
She stood and straightened her uniform before heading down to the shuttles. There would be a skeleton crew left aboard, an escape route for anyone who wanted to return to what they knew, assuming they could find another black hole that would allow them to return. For her, it’d either be success or death. There’d be no going back.
Chapter Fifteen
Honey, you need to relax, or you’re never going to figure it out,” Vivien said. They were back at the capital, and their talk with the priestess working with Bella Riverstone had been useless. Plus being in her presence felt like someone was clawing the inside of her brain to get information. Frankie, God bless him, had put “99 Bottles of Beer” in the woman’s head, derailing her attempts to gain more information from them. Now he’d gone back topside with guards to protect their parents and Marsha.
Not finding the answers they needed from their second vision was making Kai crazy. Jyri had been cryptic to protect the answers, but maybe she’d been too cryptic. That made no sense to either of them, but there was no way to know what was going through the mind of Atlantis’s first rulers when they hid the full prophecy. If finding the answers drove them to madness, maybe it wasn’t the best team building exercise. Kai’s moms had been none the wiser about the symbol they’d been given, nor had Oba. It was painful to watch Kai try to squeeze it from her memories, and so far nothing had worked.
“Sorry, my love.” Kai sat next to her. “It’s like I can feel someone right behind us, and I can’t slow them down.”
Once they’d returned to the capital, she’d spent time with Galen and with Kai’s grandmother Sibyl, learning about her new responsibilities as Kai’s wife. Loving her was easy, but it seemed their future would also revolve around running a nation with way more people than she would’ve guessed. It was bizarre to think this much was happening under the water, but Kai told her it’d be no different than running a company.
“The thing we need to do is what Oba said.” The priestess had tried her best to make her feel at ease and had apologized numerous times for Susan’s betrayal. She laughed at Kai’s expression throughout the process of her trying to navigate a friendship with Oba. “Relax and let me join your thoughts.”
“The answer’s in that tattoo. Body art is not something we do often, but some of the warriors have inked some of the old runes on their body.” Kai drew random patterns on her shoulder as she talked, and despite their unsolved mysteries, she was enjoying these quiet moments.
“I’ve always thought of getting one but it’s hard to choose something I’ll have forever.” She turned her head and shifted to kiss Kai’s neck but missed when she stood abruptly.
“You’re a genius, sweetheart.” Kai stripped off the linen pants and shirt she had on and reached for her wet suit. “You want to come with me?” Kai held up Vivien’s suit and smiled.
It was a cloudy day, but there was enough light outside to see the ruins west of the palace. They reminded her of something she’d seen in Greece, only these appeared more desolate and paradoxically more well-maintained. Kai led her to one of the airlocks that led outside, seeming to be in a hurry. Edil led the guards outside first and moved into position so they’d be surrounded no matter where they swam.
The water was cold momentarily, but she gladly followed Kai to the area that the guards patrolled. The spot reminded her of a gazebo, only the columns were carved out of marble, and the spotlights that shone day and night set it apart from everything else. The open dome had stars carved into the arched ribs that made up the roof, and she swam up and ran her fingers along them. It was the medallion at its center that caught her attention.
“It’s been years since I’ve been here.” Kai traced the design Jyri had on her bicep. “This was their original resting place. It was constructed in the shallows off the Greek Isles, and when we moved, it was brought here intact.”
“Why not move this to be with them if it was already moved once?” She moved down to where the two tombs had sat. There were two indentions in the stone. At the center of one was the same design of Jyri’s tattoo, and the other had what looked like one of the constellations.
“It’s a sacred site, but so is this one, which is why it’s still guarded. Why they did that I don’t know, but I’ve always found this spot special.” Kai swam closer and looked at what she’d pointed out. “That’s Pisces.”
It made sense that it’d be a sign of water. “Why is it here?”
“It’s not often seen by the naked eye in the sky, but the constellation has a galaxy at its center. It’s the gateway that leads to Atlantis. It’s the only bit of home Nessa kept. It’s part of our royal crest.”
“It has to be here then.” She glanced at the medallion then the stone.
“Look to the past is what Jyri said.” Kai pointed to the carved constellation. This was their past—the place they’d left behind but that still mattered to them even though it was millions of light years away.
“What does the symbol Jyri had tattooed on her arm mean?”
“I remember asking the same thing one time when I swam here with Laud. She told me it was the DNA strand of Nessa and Jyri’s baby. In a way, this is their past and their future.”
“Then this is definitely the place. The royal crest they developed and the sign of their child—the past and future that hold the answers. We’ll go through all the combinations.”
“Ready,” Kai said, placing her hand on the medallion, while Viv placed her hand on the tomb base. “Press.”
She felt the click in her fingers, and she opened her mouth and tasted the salt from the water. The square of the constellation rose, and there was something underneath it. Kai swam down and took the package. Seeing it gave Vivien a sense of calm, and she smiled at Kai.
“You’re the love of my life.” She wanted to say that before they read whatever this was. The world of prophecies and visions was new to her. It made her think she was being set up for failure no matter how devoted she was to Kai. It was hard to accept being different and being the first of her kind, and that’s who she was in this new world.
“You worry too much. Simply believe your place is with me,” Kai said, taking her hand.
It sounded like something that was written as law, but Vivien knew her acceptance by the nation would take more than a prophecy from thousands of years ago. She was sure that more than one person believed the same thing Susan did—that she’d be Kai’s downfall.
“I love you, and that won’t change.”
It was weird to cry while swimming, but Kai’s kindness had a way of undoing her. “You’re sweet.”
“You bring it out in me, so let’s go see what we found.” Kai took her hand and swam back to the palace.
One of the guards followed them to the airlock, and Edil ordered her back to her post. The woman hesitated, and Vivien wondered if the opposition group was larger than they imagined. She glanced back once before they went through the lock. The woman smiled, and she didn’t sense any aggression from her, so maybe she was letting her imagination run away with her.
She slicked her hair back as she swam up to the edge and grabbed Kai’s hand for a boost up. It didn’t surprise her to find Oba waiting. The great priestess seemed connected to Kai and came running when she felt she needed her. She repeated the mantra that she wasn’t jealous a few times before putting a smile on her face. It made her laugh when Kai smiled at her and touched over her heart before kissing her.
“Do me a favor,” Kai said with her lips pressed to her ear. It made her shiver but in a good way.
“Anything.”
“Remind me later to get you naked and touch you until you scream.” Kai had her back to their escorts, and she put her hands on Vivien’s ass and squeezed hard. “Think you can remember that?”
“I won’t forget.”
They followed Oba and their guards to the queen’s office at the center of the palace and sat to wait. Kai’s mom Galen was busy in meetings but told them to call if anything came up. Hadley was already on her way back from the training grounds, where they were preparing their troops for battle no matter where they had to fight it.
“Do you want to be alone when you open it?” Oba asked, breaking the silence.
Kai shook her head. “Are you ready?”
“We need to know.” There was no sense in waiting.
Kai opened the packet and took out a stone tablet about nine inches high by four inches wide. It wasn’t large, but there was a lot on it. The tablet was the same shape as the Ten Commandments were represented in popular culture, only smaller. The markings on it seemed to be laser-etched in the old language, and if they were as old as Nessa and Jyri, they were in remarkable shape.
“She will turn from the path set by the first, and that will bring about the end of our world as we know it,” Kai read.
The first line sounded familiar since it was what Kai had told her when she’d first started the story of who she was. This was the line that was supposed to signal their doom.
“That’s the prophecy we have,” Oba said.
“It is, and we need to get your parents here to hear the rest.” Vivien placed a sheet of paper over the tablet and accepted a towel from Kai for her wet hair.
“What are you thinking?” Kai asked, helping her dry off.
“It’s probably stupid, but I have a gut feeling your moms should hear this too when we read it. Once the words are spoken out loud, we should find a way to lock this away somewhere it’ll be safe until our battle is fought.” She reached up and pressed her hand to Kai’s neck. “Nessa and Jyri kept them hidden all this time, so let’s not give it all away now.”
“I’ll call to see if they’ll be much longer,” Oba said, leaving them alone.
“Can you believe no one has found these before us?” She entwined her fingers behind Kai’s head and pulled her down for a kiss.
“It is pretty shocking, but maybe this means we’ll be prepared to beat whoever lines up against us.” Kai kissed her, and she closed her eyes, trying to enjoy their time before everyone was in puzzle-solving mode. It was easy to lose herself when Kai kissed her like this.
“I’m glad you married for love and not for anything else,” Galen said when she came in and caught them.
“After seeing you all my life, did you think I’d marry for any other reason?” Kai pressed another quick kiss to Vivien’s lips before waving to the desk. “Look what we found.”
Kai’s mothers came closer and studied the tablets before waving Kai to read on. “Her path will now have one foot on the land and one in the water. The love she’ll find will give our people a way forward as they embrace fully our new home. They will find that love can bridge worlds, and their heir will be the first of her kind. A new Atlantean.”
“It’s amazing they saw the baby that long ago,” Galen said. “She’ll bring about change, and that’ll only lead to better things.” She looked thoughtful. “But we already knew we were bridging the worlds with this child. What else does it say?”
Kai continued to read. “Someone will come to take what we have built. It begins with a quest for power but will end by a love born of misguidance. Search where the love story began, and lure the darkness out. Destroy it, and clear the realm of the danger that waits to tear it down. Where our own love story started, or someone else’s?”
