ATLANTIS RISING Exclusive First Chapter!

Prologue

All this time, the wise folk of the world were looking for Atlantis in the wrong places. The great city of old wasn’t flooded under a vast body of water, as the stories told, nor was it buried under sand in the desert. The sorcerers and the witches saw to it that the city was never in any place one would look.  Unless, of course, one looked up, and only under the right set of circumstances.  It was a shadow passing across the sky during the full moon.  It was a billowy cloud with angles that jutted out in odd directions.  It was a sharp gust of wind, meant to make you look the other way.

The King of Atlantis was many things, but a fool was not one of them. His Kingdom was under attack. The time of magic was over, at least the type of magic found in Atlantis. Magic built on love and goodness. Magic that could move mountains. Change hearts. Heal. The people of Atlantis were hunted.  Surrounded by enemies on all sides.

“Love has lost.”  Queen Aura squeezed the polished marble banister that overlooked the city.  The view was once a joy, but beyond the great walls, dark clouds gathered.  Lightning flashed.  She felt the rumble of the city, a heartbeat of unease.  They sensed what was coming.

“Perhaps for now.”  The King gently unclenched her pale fingers from the banister and lifted her hand for a brief kiss. A wolf howled in the distance. Lightning illuminated peaks of far-off mountains and highlighted concern in the Queen’s light blue eyes, but only for a moment before darkness again hid her features. “Love will not lose the final battle.”  He paused.  “But perhaps it must retreat.  The world is not ready yet.  But it will be one day.”

His breath fogged in the evening chill and he coughed.  The Queen shuddered but not from the weather.  The great sun had set in the western sky and the evening brought ill tidings.  Where the citizens of Atlantis once danced in the streets, most now holed up in their homes.  Afraid.

“How will we know when the time comes to return?” she asked.  A tear had formed in the corner of her eye.  It reflected the full moon as it slid down her cheek.  

King Corin wiped it with his thumb. “The mages have foreseen there will be one strong enough to break the spell and bring the world back together, someday… when the world is ready.” He looked up, his face pale in the low light.  The wind whipped the blue and white flag at the top of the tallest spire.

She followed his gaze, but the moon slipped behind a cloud and left the flag in shadow.  “And you trust them?” she asked, though she knew better.  Several members of her own family were his advisors.  Tasked with seeing the future, they saw only death unless Atlantis fled.  The spell was the only chance they stood, and even then – the future was hazy.  It was left to a girl with great magic and love, sometime far in the future.

His shoulders slumped.  She’d forgotten what a heavy burden it was that he carried.  “I must,” he said simply.  “Come.”  He offered his arm and she took it, sparing a last look at the city streets at night.  “Send word,” he instructed his closest guard as they walked inside the great double doors.  “Tomorrow it is to be done.”

Casius nodded, sweeping the cloak off his shoulders as he opened the door.  “Shall I alert the city?” he asked.

The King looked back.  His face paled and the lines there deepened.  “Let them rest,” he said, running a hand over his chin.  He was past his prime but not yet in old age.  Too young to make such important calls, but too old to be impetuous.  “They will need it.”

His wife squeezed his arm.  Casius was the last to follow them through the door.  He looked over the city in the moonlight.  His home.  If he doubted the King, he could never let it show.  But there was a certain tilt to his head, a certain squint of his eyes, that if you looked close enough, would betray sadness.  Casius was younger than the King, and while he loved Atlantis, he longed to explore the world beyond its walls, and without warning, there were sure to be Atlanteans left behind. Friends. Family even. And someday, a girl who could break the spell. How would she ever know? A plan formed in Casius’ mind. Was it treason to flee the city and wait to assist its return? Or could he be content to simply wait in the prison the King was planning?

In the morning, the city would be cursed to the skies, until the one came who would set them free.  Until the time where love and magic were again welcome in the world. Until the time an unknown woman rose into her power.