Xix slammed her fist into the nearest wall. “Stupid!” Again. “Idiot!” Again. “What do you do this to yourself?” Once more, and she slid to the floor, hands over her head.
“You must really not want that power.”
Xix looked up. The pregnant Dragonoid woman was standing in front of her. “Carmin?”
“That’s right.” She lowered herself to the nearest seat. “Hope you don’t mind. The little one likes making things difficult. Isn’t that right?” Carmin ran a fond hand over her stomach. “You like making things hard for mummy.”
Xix brushed her building tears away. “Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”
“I want to be surprised.” Carmin placed a hand on the seat beside her. “Come sit with me.”
Xix did so.
“Now,” the Dragonoid said, “let’s talk about your problem.”
“Problem?”
“Why you ran off.”
“Oh.” Xix looked down and wrung her hands. “It’s just . . .” She let out a sigh. “Amneris is right. I’m the only one Naka would give his power to, but I don’t want it.” She laughed a broken laugh. “Have you seen my family’s history? I have no desire to go down that path.”
“You don’t want to end up like them.” Carmin gently took her hand. “You are nothing like it, Xix. I can see it. You are a lot stronger than you think.”
Xix managed a small smile. “If you keep up with those speeches, you will be a perfect mother.”
“No one is perfect, but I will try my best.” Carmin sat back. “You don’t want this power because you’re afraid it will overtake you and make you like your ancestors, correct?”
“In short.”
She hummed thoughtfully. “Well, if you want my advice – do you want my advice?” Xix nodded. “My advice would be to conquer your fear. You fear the power? Take it. Prove to yourself that you won’t be your ancestors.”
“Leap of faith, huh?”
“Pretty much.”
Xix looked down again. “How can you be so sure nothing will go wrong?”
“I never said that,” Carmin said with a smile. “I only said you won’t turn evil. Things always go wrong. It’s part of being alive.”
“Aren’t you dead?”
“Surprisingly, no.”
“Alright,” Xix sighed. “I’ll do it, but only because you have so much faith in me.” They laughed. “By the way, how are you so sure?”
Carmin tapped the side of her head. “Visions Dragon. The visions never lie.” She pulled a phone from her pocket. “Now, are you sure you want to do this?”
Xix took a deep breath and clapped her hands against her cheeks. “No, but I’ll do it anyway.”
Naiu must have known Amneris was coming. When she entered the golden chamber under the Palace, the Goddess was perched in her usual place: on the cream-coloured pillar over which her power hovered. She didn’t often take on physical form before someone arrived, so that left Amneris’ theory. Naiu knew she was coming.
The Goddess gave her a finger-wave. “Hello.”
“Hello,” Amneris replied. She sat at the base of the pillar. “So, do you know where Archeron hid this apparently mighty power?”
“No,” Naiu answered. “That is a question for Naka.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.” Amneris groaned and rubbed her hands over her face. “I’ll be amazed if Xix changes her mind.”
“Can you truly blame the girl for not wanting to take on her father’s power?”
“No. No, not really.”
Naiu leaned her head against the pillar. “This is not what bothers you.”
Amneris rested her arms limply on her knees. “Hathor is the Vessel of Time and I think I know who this ‘Eternal’ person might be.”
“You’re afraid.”
“What’s new?”
The pair jumped as Amneris’ phone buzzed. A message from Carmin: She’s in.
“Huh,” Amneris said. “Looks like I’m off to Terpola.” She pushed herself to her feet. “Well, as lovely as this chat was—”
“Wait.” Naiu stood. “I’m coming with you.”
Amneris braced a hand on her hip. “You can’t leave the chamber.”
“I can.” She pointed at Amneris’ pendant. “That can hold me essence. It’s used to summon me.”
Amneris took the pendant’s charm into her hand squeezing it tight. “Are you sure?”
A strange darkness overcame the Goddess’ eyes. “I have to come.”
Hathor lay on her bed in her room in the Palace, staring up at the star-covered ceiling. Her friends were with her. They didn’t talk but they were together. Sky sat at Hathor’s desk with his computer, Isaiah having found a spare chair to sit beside him. Imogene sat on the floor, leaning against Hathor’s bed, a sketchpad braced against her knees. Maddie was on one side of Hathor, reading. Troy was on her other side in his wolf form, dosing. It was near-silent—the only sounds being Sky’s typing, Imogene moving her charcoal and Maddie turning the page— but it was a comforting almost-silence.
It was broken when someone knocked at the door.
Everyone turned to the noise. Hathor sat up and crossed her room. She opened the door. Colt was outside. She slammed it in his face. A pained sound came from the other side. Hathor opened the door again. Colt stood further back, hands over his mouth and nose.
“You are stronger than you look,” Colt said, voice muffled.
Hathor shrugged. “An ongoing problem.”
Nose healed, he pulled his hands away. “I was hoping we could talk.”
“Not in a talking mood.”
“Okay, how about I talk?”
Hathor crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. She raised her eyebrows and gave him a slight nod.
“She did not want to tell you because she does not entirely believe it,” Colt explained. “She was going to tell you when she was certain.”
“But?” Hathor asked.
“But then the Rebels made their move.” Colt pushed his hands into his pockets. “Things happened.”
“They always do.” Hathor tilted her head. “Are you really . . . You know?” He nodded. “Well, this isn’t at all weird. Considering you’re dead an’ all.”
Colt smiled. “Last I heard, you were also dead.”
“Very true.” She looked down, tapping her foot against the doorframe. “Now what?”
“Well,” he said, “the others are heading back in. Feel up to one more meeting?”
Hathor glanced over her shoulder to her friends. They all gave her supportive looks. She sighed, turning back to Colt. “Lead the way.”
The meeting room was once again full. Everyone returned to their seats, even Kek. The image of the pillar was brought back on the holoscreen. Tara and Liam’s holograms reappeared.
“Okay,” Amneris started, “what do we know about these Trials?”
“We need them to get from a certain area of Atlantis—”
“We don’t know exactly where,” Jay interrupted.
Leo glared at him and tried again. “We need them to get from a certain area of Atlantis to wherever the Weapon is kept.”
Xix hold up the scroll fragment. “According to this and the pillar’s writings, there are riddles that must be solved to pass the barriers.” She shrugged helplessly. “But we can’t find them.”
“You can’t find them,” Kek countered. “I know where they are.”
“Where?” Amneris demanded.
“Ask me nicely.”
“Where?”
He rolled his eyes. “Naka’s power mixed with the scroll. It’s an old spell. Was made for when or if the enemies of Archeron – Lyriumians – got their hands on it.”
“That is problematic,” Zoe murmured thoughtfully. She smiled at Xix. “Good thing you’re here!”
Xix and Carmin exchanged glances. Carmin gave her a small nod.
“I would have to know where the Silent Core is,” Xix said. “Then I’d have to get there, hope the Core is there, pray Naka doesn’t kill me—”
“Don’t worry,” Amneris said with a cheerful wave of the hand. “We’re coming with you.”
“We?”
“I have a friend who can put in a good word.” She tapped the side of her hand. “Probably. You’ll have to trust me.”
“Famous last words,” Jay muttered quietly. Under everyone’s glances, he said, “Did I say that out loud?”
Tara asked, “You are coming to Terpola?”
“Xix and I are,” Amneris answered.
“As am I.”
She turned to Colt. “No. You’re definitely—” His eyes narrowed. “Okay, fine. Yes. You can come, too. But no one else!” She turned ack to the others. “Once we find out what the riddles are, we’ll figure out who goes to Atlantis. There’s probably be things only some of us can do. Oh, Carmin? Dan? You’re out.”
“What?” Dan exclaimed. “Why?”
“Because your wife looks like she’ll pop any day now.”
He made to argue but stopped and sighed. “Keep in touch, yeah?”
“Of course.”
“We’ll keep looking for things until you get back,” Leo said.
Nikki said to Hathor, “Could use some more help, if you guys are up for it.”
“I’ll call my mates,” she said with a smile, then left the room.
Amneris sat up straight. “Can someone take Kek back to his cell?”
Before the guards could reach him, Kek jumped to his feet. He slammed his hands on the table. “No fucking way. You need my help for this and you know it.”
“He has a point.” Everyone turned their stares on Colt. “Yes, I know. It does not sound like something I would say, but he does know a lot more than us.”
“Damn fucking right I do!” Kek sat back down as the guards stood down.
Amneris whispered to Leo, “Keep a special eye on him.” Her General nodded.
Everyone made their way from the room until only Amneris and Lvaane were left standing by the window.
“This is the part where you scold me for being reckless,” Amneris said.
Lvaane didn’t take his eyes of the city below. “I believe you know how I feel after our earlier discussion.”
“No shit.” She crossed her arms. “I do have a job to do and—”
“I am aware,” he said. “It was mine before it became yours.”
“Balance Keeping is a hard job that requires a lot from us, I know.” Amneris tapped the glass. “Bet you haven’t had to do anything like this before.”
“No,” her father said with a slight smile. “I doubt anyone who came before us has, either.”
“Guess I’m just special.”
“That you are.” Lvaane placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Be careful.”
Amneris grinned. “Not a chance.”
