“We should try and get back to them,” Connor said, interrupting my breakdown. Because as much as I was hoping and praying and begging for Asher to still be alive, it didn’t answer where he’d been all this time. Was he lost in the endless ocean like we might be? Or … was my hope in vain?
I jerked when Connor took my hand, glaring at him. “Listen up, you don’t get to touch me,” I said without inflection. “Not now. Not ever. I don’t give a flying fuck in the ocean if we’re related or not.”
Connor did his infamous shrug again and then started to swim. I followed, because he was heading straight up and I wanted to know if we could see anything above the surface too.
“Why did our parents kill our mortal bodies?” I asked, no longer trailing him but right at his side. I was definitely faster in the water, and that made me somewhat happy.
“They needed the energy to keep the land rising. Asher’s energy started it, and ours finished.”
“You’re guessing,” I said drily, because he couldn’t know for sure. He couldn’t know any of this for sure. All we did know was that we’d died and woken up here in the middle of the ocean.
“It’s not the middle of the ocean,” Connor said, and I realized I’d said it out loud. “We’re still in the original location of the main island of Atlantis. Our bodies will return to their place of birth when we ‘die.’” He made finger quotes to emphasize his belief that we couldn’t really die. “It’s where we’re the strongest and can regenerate.”
I snorted but didn’t say anything more, because the shadow above had finally made itself known. We hadn’t actually been as deep as I’d thought; nope, the darkness was from the giant floating island blocking the sunlight.
“It’s like an iceberg,” I said softly.
“Yep,” Connor confirmed. “Apparently this land is anchored by magic and is as stable as any large island would be, but technically it is floating.”
Well, who the fuck would have thought it?
Because of the sheer size of the land mass, the water didn’t really get lighter as we rose, and eventually we had to swim to one side to get to the surface. “There is no way they can hide this from humans. What if they’re going scuba diving or something?”
Connor laughed. “They will never even make it to this part of the ocean. The magic is designed to confuse and redirect, and therefore no one gets a taste of magic they can’t handle.”
From what I could see, this land was miles long, like hundreds of miles. It was lucky that we appeared to be close to one end. Impatience got me, and I grabbed for that energy again and burst into a super speed swim, my body tense as the water finally started to lighten. We were almost at the end. Connor tried to keep up with me, but I was just way too fast, and therefore I was the first to basically shoot out of the water and get a view of …Atlantis.
Or more like a view of blinding sunlight while my eyes adjusted and I landed back in the water. Then, from where I was at the edge of the floating island, all I could see was a set of massive gates. They were not the same as the ones that my “mother” killed me in front of, but it was a similar look. The main difference was the size—these were a touch smaller and were completely bronze, with shimmering gold Atlantean symbols etched into the front.
Connor popped his head up beside me. “There are four sets of gates that lead into the city, which is surrounded by an impenetrable gate. Magically reinforced, the invisible barrier extends high into the sky.”
We both stared. “It almost sounds like a prison,” I finally said with a sigh, resigning myself to talking to him because there was no one else and because he had information I wanted. “Are the barriers to keep the Atlanteans in? Or to keep other people out?”
“No idea,” he said, voice filled with awe. “I’d say to protect their people. Atlanteans were fiercely protective of their own. We’re one of them now...”
“What if they’re all dead?” I asked, before wincing at how blunt that sounded. How uncaring. I’d lost my ability to be tactful in the last week. Something to work on … another time.
Connor wore a look of determination, his eyes darker than ever. “Nope. They’re not. If we were in a stasis, then so were they. Otherwise our mortal bodies would have died a long time ago. We got freed from the stasis, you and me and Ash. The others … they’re still under the spell.”
Uh-huh. Sure.So most of Atlantis was in stasis, outside of those few who escaped originally and had children. Like the rest of the Atlantean-five’s ancestors.
My head hurt.
“Guess there is only one way to find out,” I said, hauling myself up on the sand that led to the gates. There was about half a mile between the edge of the island and the gates; the sand felt warm and real as it squished beneath my feet. I’d lost my shoes somewhere, but at least I was still in my normal clothes. The ones I’d started this day in and then died in.
Probably going to burn them later.
Connor reached my side in an instant, and I only felt sixty-percent like punching him, so we were making some real progress in our relationship.
“This is so cool,” he whispered.
I felt the same sense of reverence that was filling the air around us. It was quiet, with just the faint swish of water in the background. I could sense no sign of life, although there was definitely power in this island, the energy vibrating silently.
When we reached the gates, we both stopped and stared. “Can you read this?” I murmured.
Connor nodded. “Rough translation …The wanderer will no longer be lost in Atlantis. Heed this. All who enter are bound by the seven laws of conduct. Break these laws and suffer the consequences.”
I side-eyed him. “That’s what it says? Written in ancient Atlantean?”
