Atlantis in Peril (7 page)

Disaster

P
romi spun around to see what Shangri was so frantic about. The sight froze his heart—a ship, fully loaded with people, was foundering off shore!

Suddenly, the ship lurched sideways. Terrified cries erupted from its passengers. The doomed craft started to spin around and around in ever-tightening circles.
A whirlpool.

Already tilting precariously, the ship began to flood as waves crashed over it. One of its three masts buckled and broke off. The mast smashed onto the deck, ripping right through the mainsail that showed a design of a blue dolphin.

While all Promi's instincts told him he must help, he couldn't do anything but watch. What could possibly stop a whirlpool? Besides, even if the ship somehow wasn't swallowed by the sea, there wasn't any place it could land. The entire coastline of Atlantis rose straight up from the sea; not a single beach or cove broke the line of impassable cliffs.

“What can we do?” shrieked Shangri, watching in horror.

“Nothin', lass.” Her father hugged her tight to his apron. “That ship is doomed.”

“Guess I didn't need to come all this way, after all,” grumbled Kermi. He bounded over to the edge of the drop-off.
No way Promi could save those people,
he told himself,
even if he was foolish enough to try. And even he isn't that foolish!

Meanwhile, Promi shuddered as the spiraling waves surged higher and higher around the ship. Some people dived overboard to escape the whirlpool, but it caught them anyway and dragged them downward. All the while, a bottomless hole opened in the sea—steadily swallowing the boat and everyone on it.

“'Tis a curse,” the baker whispered in horror. “As if that ill-fated ship should never be allowed to land.”

Kermi glanced at the baker.
Truer than you know, mortal.

“How terrible!” wailed Shangri. She started to cry, holding tight to her father. “What I'd give fer a way to stop it.”

“There be no way, dear lass. No way at all.”

Promi continued to watch. Unlike the others, though, he hadn't yet abandoned hope. His mind raced, searching for some way—any way—the ship could be saved. But only seconds remained.

Desperately, Promi closed his eyes to avoid distractions and turned his inner ear toward the sea. Then he listened—not to the shouts of the drowning people, nor the roar and crash of the waves, nor even the groans of the ship's crumbling beams.

No, he listened for something much more distant and difficult to hear. Far below the spiraling waves, deeper than he'd ever thought possible, he listened for a voice.

The voice of the sea itself.

Speak to me,
he called with his thoughts.
Speak to me, great ocean!

No reply came. All Promi heard was the endless sweep and swoosh of currents, the constant tremble of millions of fins, and the distant echo of whale songs.

Speak to me, please! I am only one small person and you are so vast . . . but I am that person who caused this island to be born.

Still no reply.

Speak, I beg you!

At last, out of the darkest depths came a voice. Echoing from a bottomless abyss, it sounded as fluid as water yet as solid as ice, rising and retreating like the tides.

“I know who you are, Prometheus.
Swissssshhhhh.
And do you,
swissssshhhhh,
know who I am?”

The young man caught his breath, just as surprised to hear the voice as he was to hear his own name. His
full
name, no less—which no one had called him since childhood.

You are,
he answered, listening with all his senses,
O Washowoe-myra, most ancient goddess of the sea.

“True,
swissssshhhhh.
And why do you call me on this day when I have so many swells and stirrings to share with the world?”

At the edge of his awareness, Promi heard the shrieks of people drowning. He replied,
To save that ship! You must help, O Washowoe-myra.

Currents surged in the depths, bearing her answer: “I cannot.”

But if you don't, all those people will drown!

“I cannot, Prometheus.
Swissssshhhhh,
hhhissshhh.
Much as I might want to . . . I cannot.”

Please, you must!

“Even if those people are fated to die? Even if their survival might cause,
swissssshhhhh,
far greater damage than you can imagine?”

Yes,
pleaded Promi.
No one should die that way. Do save them, if you can!

A long pause ensued before the goddess of the sea spoke again. This time, her voice sounded more distant, moving away like a bird on an ocean breeze. “If I tried to save them,
swissssshhhhh,
then I could not save
you
.”

But . . . ,
protested Promi. He stopped, sensing she could no longer hear him. Thoroughly dejected, he knew that he'd failed.

He opened his eyes. To his dismay, he saw the last shreds of the ship's sail disappearing into the whirlpool. Only a few of the people could still be seen, thrashing wildly to escape. Grimly, he turned away—then noticed something else.

Shangri was staring at him. Despite the tear stains on her face, she scrutinized him with sharp clarity. “I know you was doin' somethin' there, Promi. With yer eyes closed and all. But what?”

He sighed. “Nothing that matters. Whatever I tried . . . I failed.”

Kermi, who had been listening, breathed his own sigh. But his was one of relief.

Suddenly, Morey gasped. “What in the name of everlastin' life is
that
?”

In the distance, a new wave was rising. No ordinary wave, it grew swiftly, lifting high above the surface like a hill, then a mountain, then a whole range of mountains. Powerful, gigantic, and as broad as it was tall, the wave rose skyward.

Stunned, the group on the cliff watched the mountainous wave swell. Then, all at once, they realized it was moving. Straight toward Atlantis!

With gathering speed, the great wave raced toward them. It towered above the waves, casting the whole island into shadow.

“Run!” cried Promi. He grabbed Shangri's arm and pulled.

“Wait!” she shouted, refusing to budge. “It's changin' shape!”

Promi and the others halted. Sure enough, the wave was condensing, drawing itself together into a new shape—one they immediately recognized.

A great, watery whale's tail.

While they watched in awe, the enormous whale's tail arched gracefully, shedding rivers of water onto the surface of the sea. Then, dipping downward, it swept into the very place where the ship had vanished. With an unstoppable surge of power, the whale's tail scooped out the ship and all its people and hurled them on top of the cliff.

Water cascaded down on Promi and the others, more than any rainstorm they'd ever experienced. Though it didn't last long, it drenched them all completely.

Just as the downpour abruptly ceased, something heavy fell from the sky. A body! It landed right on top of Morey and knocked him flat.

“Oof!” cried the plump baker, struggling to sit up. Beside him, a boy around twelve years old moaned and also tried to sit up. Rubbing his head, the boy blinked at Morey in disbelief.

“But . . .” said the boy, mightily confused, “I thought . . . I drowned.”

“Ye
did
drown,” said Morey, no less amazed. “Then ye rained down out o' the sky, right on top o' me.”

The boy's forehead creased in concern. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, lad.” The baker released a rumbling laugh and patted his belly. “Got me plenty o' paddin' right here. Enough fer both o' us.”

Pushing the wet blond hair off his face, the boy smiled.

“Look!” cried Promi. He pointed down the hill. Strewn across the drenched slope lay pieces of the wrecked ship, along with seventy or eighty people. Not everyone, it appeared, had survived. But most of them were starting to move, even if they were coughing up seawater or had suffered broken limbs and bruised heads. That so many of the ship's passengers remained alive was nothing short of miraculous.

Quietly, Promi whispered, “Thank you, O Washowoe-myra.”

Shangri clucked her tongue at him. She gave her soggy braids a shake, then said sternly, “Whatever ye do, don't ever tell me again yer not someone special.”

He gazed at her. “All right. But Shangri . . . let's keep this whole thing our little
secret,
all right?”

She pursed her lips, considering his request. Finally, she said, “All right, it's our secret. But only if ye'll tell me everythin'! I want the truth, now—yer whole thumpin' story.”

Knowing he was beaten, Promi gave a nod. “Fine, Shangri. I know I can trust you.”

“That ye can. I'm good with secrets.”

Promi glanced anxiously over at Morey and the boy. “Come over here, then. Where we'll be out of earshot.”

Together they walked a bit down the hill where no one—including Kermi, who was moping on the cliff's edge—could hear.

Shangri squeezed the water from her braids, all the while scrutinizing Promi. “All right, now,” she commanded. “Spill yer story. Startin' with this here island! Ye really did have somethin' to do with how it got created, didn't ye?”

Promi paused to watch a silver-winged gull soar past the cliffs. “A little something,” he confessed.

“Maybe more than jest a little?” she asked brightly.

He grinned. “You don't miss anything, do you?”

Shangri blushed, which momentarily hid her freckles. “Papa says I could find a missin' speck of flour from a whole sack.”

With that, Promi began to talk. He told Shangri the truth about the creation of Atlantis—including his rescue of the Starstone, the final battles with Narkazan and Grukarr, the surprising truth of the Prophecy, and his ultimate sacrifice. As wide as her eyes grew at that tale, they grew even wider when he described the sugary streams, honey cascades, and sweetfruit trees of the spirit realm.

Then he told her about the Bridge to Nowhere, revealing how blessings and prayers are transported to the spirit realm. When he described Theosor the wind lion, she begged him to tell her that part again. And when he did, she closed her eyes and tried her hardest to imagine sinking her fingers into the lion's fur, feeling his warm breath on her hand, and riding on the back of such a majestic creature.

He explained how he discovered his real identity, and that he was in fact immortal—though he didn't mention his lingering anger and troubles with his parents. He shared the origin of his magical dagger. The story of Kermi. The secret of Ekh Raku dungeon. The truth of the great whale's tail of water that had rescued the doomed ship.

Finally, he told her about Atlanta. Calling her “a true nature spirit” and “the most deep, most honest, and also most frustrating person I've ever known,” he described her life in the Great Forest. Her beauty, both inner and outer. Her playful love of adventure. Her gift of magic.

Shangri listened carefully, then said, “Ye really do love her, don't ye?”

“I do,” he answered, his voice just a whisper. “She's the only person who has ever—could ever—make me feel this way.” He blew a long breath. “But I don't know if we can ever be together. Or if she even wants to, now that . . .”

“Now that what?” she pressed.

“Now that I've ruined everything.” He told Shangri about the different ways time works in the spirit and mortal realms. About his last visit with Atlanta, a visit that started so promisingly and ended in disaster. Last of all . . . he told Shangri about his deepest fear, revealed at the Lakes of Dreams, that he could never really love anyone.

Shangri's forehead wrinkled with concern. “But ye really want to, I can tell!”

“Maybe. I don't know.” Promi shrugged his shoulders. “Like I said to you before, I really only know how little I know.”

She frowned and started to say something—when her father and the boy approached.

“Well, well,” boomed Morey. “Looks like yer discussin' the fate o' the world over here!”

“No,” said Promi, trying to sound lighthearted. “We're just talking about our favorite pastries. Right, Shangri?”

“Right,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. “An' a few other little somethin's.”

“Good,” replied the baker. “Well, I've been havin' a nice chat meself with this young lad who fell out o' the sky.”

At that, the boy stepped forward. With an awkward bow, he said, “I am Lorno.” Though he spoke with a strange accent, it was clear that his language was quite similar to that used by Atlanteans. “I came,” he added, “from the port city of Athens in Greece.”

“Good to meet you, Lorno. I'm Promi.”

“And I'm Shangri.” She nodded at Morey. “His daughter.”

Lorno glanced at the baker. “Ummm . . . I've already, er, met your father.”

The burly fellow grinned. “And he made, ye could say, a strong impression! Right on me head.”

“Are ye hurt, Papa?”

“No, my sugarcake. I'm jest fine.”

Shangri gestured at the many survivors from the ship. “So are they! Can ye believe it?”

“No,” said the baker. “'Tis a miracle.”

“Yes,” agreed Lorno. “A miracle.”

“I agree,” said Shangri with a sly wink at Promi. “A miracle.”

Kermi, who had padded over from the cliff just in time to hear this exchange, shook himself, spraying water everywhere.
It's no miracle,
he told himself grumpily.
It's a whopping disaster.

Etheria

D
arkness settled on the Great Forest, dimming the bright colors of day and painting everything with the palette of night. Shadows deepened, between roots and along branches, within canopies and under leafy boughs. Many creatures, active all day until dusk, withdrew to the safety of their dens and nests—while just as many, invisible after sunrise, began to roam and fly on silent wings.

This darkness surrounded Atlanta as she walked home on pathways so familiar she didn't need to see them. Even in the thickening night, her bare feet knew exactly where to go. She turned corners without any visible signs, stepped over a cluster of orange-speckled mushrooms now hidden in shadow, and heard the quiet breathing of baby falcons in their nest above her head.

Dark as the forest was, though, it wasn't nearly as dark as her thoughts. In the day since she and Promi had parted so bitterly, those thoughts had multiplied, growing into a shadowy forest that filled her mind. And in those woods so thick and impenetrable, she felt completely lost.

What an idiot he is!
she railed.
And what an idiot I was to let him into my life.

She turned into a dark corridor lined with spruce boughs. But she hardly noticed the sweet scent of those needles as they brushed against her face.
He's acting so selfish, so ignorant. Imagine disregarding his father's command to protect the veil! He's endangering us all—and he just doesn't care.

Losing her concentration, Atlanta stubbed her toe on a sharp rock. She yelped, frightening away an owl in the tree beside her and a family of river otters on a nearby stream bank. The throbbing of her toe only worsened her mood.

So he'd like to be free, would he?
she grumbled.
Well, I've set him free! No more time wasted with him. Now he's free to steal pies—or other people's time—as much as he likes!

A faint whirring of wings told her that Quiggley had returned from his early evening travels in the forest. The faery circled her once, releasing a wave of compassion, then settled lightly on her shoulder.

Even in the darkness, she knew just where to stretch out her finger to touch his antennae. They tapped her finger gently, and that subtle drumming deepened her feeling that the faery truly cared.

You're someone I can trust, little friend.
She chuckled sadly.
Guess you're going to be the only man in my life.

As she entered a different grove of trees—mostly acacias, with a few monkey puzzles and cedars—her thoughts, too, changed terrain. They entered a darker and fiercer part of her mind.

Promi is a selfish dolt. Losing him won't be nearly as bad as the other losses I've had.

A new wave of compassion flowed into her, and she knew Quiggley understood. Yet even his constant, loyal presence wasn't enough to heal the open wound in her heart.

Fortunately,
she told herself,
I still have Etheria in my life. Whatever happens, I can always depend on her!

She crossed a meadow of sweetstalk fern, the soft fronds brushing against her feet. The ferns' aroma wafted up to her nose, mixing with the scent of the lilac vines she'd woven into her gown. Then, in the trees ahead, she saw the golden glow she'd been expecting.

Following a well-worn path into the trees, Atlanta watched the glow steadily brighten. At last, she ducked under a mesh of branches and stood before her forest home—the comfy little place where she was always welcome, regardless of her mood.

As always, when she returned after dark, the home radiated light. Atlanta knew that the same golden glow shining through those small square windows also filled each room inside. And that a warm pot of mint tea, with plenty of wildflower honey on the side, would be waiting to greet her—timed to the exact moment she arrived.

All thanks to Etheria,
she thought gratefully. Already the welcoming light and the smell of her favorite tea were helping to brighten her mood. Quiggley, noticing the difference, nodded his tiny head vigorously, making his cotton hat slip to the side.

Approaching her home, Atlanta marveled at its simple, symmetrical shape. That hadn't been difficult to accomplish, mind you. For the whole structure was really a hollowed-out acorn that had grown to enormous size—at least three times the height of a fully grown person. The acorn, from one of the magical oaks near Highmage Hill, just happened to have been dropped by an unsuspecting squirrel very near to the Starstone, whose power greatly magnified the acorn's size, as well as its own magic. As a result, the acorn was already almost a house when Atlanta had found it. All it took was the help of a few friends to do the rest—beavers to hollow it out, woodpeckers and termites to carve the windows and door, and a sturdy team of centaurs to haul it to this spot.

Even as Atlanta reached for the latch, it lifted and the door swung open. Grinning at Etheria's affection for a dramatic entrance, Atlanta stood in the doorway and bowed deeply. The faery on her shoulder fluttered over to the teapot that sat waiting on the small pinewood table in the kitchen.

“Etheria,” called Atlanta, “I'm home.” Then, with genuine appreciation, she added, “And I'm so very glad you are in my life.”

Without waiting for any response, she strolled over to the table. Eagerly, she poured herself some tea into her favorite mug, carved from the burl of a fallen oak by Honya, the most skilled woodcarver among the chimpanzees who lived in the Spirit Hills at the southern end of the forest. After stirring in some honey, she leaned back in her chair and took the first sip.

Fresh mint and honey truly tasted like relaxation in liquid form. And this particular tea always soothed her mind. So did the sight of all the beeswax candles in the house, which Etheria had lit only moments before. All in all, Atlanta felt better than she had all day.

She winked at Quiggley, who had stretched out on the tea cozy she'd made from strips of moss. “Well, little friend . . . it's good to be home.”

Raising her voice, she called, “Did you hear that, Etheria? I hope so!” Taking another sip, she added, “I never should have let that pie thief into my life—but now that's over and done. And I'm back here with you.”

At that instant, all the candles glowed brighter. In the cupboard, plates and bowls clinked against each other merrily. And in the bedroom, the downy cover fluffed up with satisfaction. It was almost as if the house itself was celebrating Atlanta's return.

Which, in fact, it was. Because the house
itself
was Etheria.

The acorn's magic, magnified enormously by the Starstone, had given Atlanta a home with plenty of intelligence. As well as plenty of personality. And a highly independent streak.

Now, sometimes that worked well—as it did this very evening. When Atlanta had returned home and needed a warm, comfortable welcome, she got it. However, sometimes Etheria's independent ways made life truly
un
comfortable.

Atlanta was still, months after the incident, trying to apologize to the family of centaurs (including a pregnant mother) who had stopped by for a friendly visit. Before they even knocked on the door, Etheria sprouted thorns all over her outside walls and produced an odor of horse manure so strong it was practically suffocating. Not only that, when the centaurs didn't take the hint and go away, Etheria suddenly shrank herself down to the size of a boulder—which nearly crushed Atlanta, who was baking bread in the kitchen.

Though the centaurs did finally gallop off, the poor mother was so upset that she gave birth several weeks early. And while the young centaur was basically healthy, he developed a terrible allergy to manure. (This is rather inconvenient for someone who is half horse.) To this day, the sight of manure makes him sneeze violently. And the smell of the stuff causes him to break out in hives—and, even worse, to feel an overwhelming urge to defecate.

While Atlanta had tried to talk with Etheria about this kind of thing, she hadn't made much progress. After all, if a house doesn't want to talk with you, it will simply shut all its windows and doors tight and lock every cupboard drawer. Even though Atlanta guessed that Etheria really hadn't wanted to feel like a barn, with all the cleaning that would have been necessary after the centaurs' visit, that didn't justify such behavior. Yet so far, Etheria hadn't allowed any discussion of the incident. If Atlanta even so much as mentioned the word
centaur,
the whole house started shaking as if there had been a sudden earthquake.

On this evening, though, such troubles—
house problems,
as Atlanta called them—seemed very far away. She relaxed into her chair (which was padded with soft bubblereeds she'd gathered from the ponds near the Waterfall of the Giants), sipped her mint tea, and enjoyed the quiet of home.

Just then, the top drawer of the cupboard popped open. A furry brown head emerged, followed by a plump body and a truly massive tail. The squirrel, Atlanta's longtime housemate, peered at her with beady black eyes.

“I don't suppose you brought any food for
me,
” he grumbled. “I'm nothing but a lowly squirrel, after all.”

From his resting place on the tea cozy, Quiggley shook his antennae scoldingly.

“What's up with you, Babywings?” snorted the squirrel. “
You
don't have to eat anything but dewdrops.”

Quiggley scowled and jumped to his feet. His antennae waved vigorously, and he seemed ready to fly right into the squirrel's face if Atlanta hadn't intervened.

“Now, now, Grumps.” Atlanta set her mug down on the table and glared at the squirrel. “If you're going to share this house with us, you've got to be nice to everybody.”

Looking like he'd just swallowed a rotten acorn, Grumps frowned. “Even Babywings?”

“Even him. And his name is Quiggley.”

“Oh, all right then.” The squirrel waved his bushy tail like a flag of surrender. “I will call him by his proper name.”

The faery relaxed and started to sit down again.

Then the squirrel added, “Is that all right with you, Babywings?”

Quiggley jumped up again, his wings whirring angrily.

“Fine, fine,” grumbled the squirrel. “If you don't have any sense of humor, Quiggley, then I can't help you.”

Atlanta traded glances with the faery, who shrugged his little shoulders. Both of them knew that they weren't going to get any better manners out of the cantankerous squirrel. Maybe his sour disposition had something to do with having to live inside an acorn that he could never eat. Or maybe he'd fallen out of a tree as a youngster and struck his head. In any case, Grumps had always lived up to his name.

Turning back to the squirrel, Atlanta said, “That's an improvement. As a reward, I just happen to have something for you.”

“Better be good,” he muttered.

She reached into her robe's hip pocket—the very same pocket where she'd carried Quiggley during those days when he'd been so badly injured that he nearly died. And she smiled to know that the faery had so fully recovered that he was completely ready to fly into battle to defend his honor from such rudeness. Then, from the pocket, she pulled three fresh acorns and tossed them into Grumps's drawer.

Without a word of thanks, he dived down after them. But the satisfied wave of his tail, protruding above the lip of the drawer, told Atlanta that her gift had been gladly accepted.

Suddenly—a harsh knock struck the door. The whole house started to shake. Atlanta jumped off her chair, but the quaking grew so strong she could barely stand.