Atlantis Rising

Chapter 26

Riley sat on the couch in the games room, emptiness washing through her, an island of quiet in the midst of the rushing preparations for battle. She and Alaric had spent the entire day working together to try to locate Reisen and the Trident. She'd intermittently received frustratingly brief connections to their emotions, even as the Trident played a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the priest.

Finally, with the sunset, the flashes of power had become more powerful. Alaric had been able to track them, and the stronger emotional broadcasting she was feeling from Reisen and his warriors had helped triangulate a location.

Now, it was all about waiting. She was unable to process so many frantic emotional ups and downs, so she'd decided to quit trying.

After she'd steadfastly ignored Conlan all afternoon, he'd finally gone away to help prepare to hunt down Reisen and the Trident.

She'd help them find their Trident they needed so badly, and then she'd never have to deal with any of these bastards again.

She nearly reached out to touch Conlan's mind before she caught herself and slammed her mental shields shut.

The Trident. Yeah, the thing that he needed so badly, so he could go become the king and marry his precious queen. Well, bully for him. The look of doubt on his face when Ven had accused her of harming Alaric was something she'd never forget.

Could never forgive. He'd been inside her—mind and body—inside her heart. But he'd still doubted her.

Thank God she'd never told him that she loved him.

"Not that I do," she muttered bitterly. "Fleeting moment of lust-induced insanity, right?"

A shard of pain lodged somewhere deep in her chest twinged a protest at the thought, but she crushed it.

Ruthlessly.

Just like he'd been. Ruthless. Crushing her stupid fantasies of finally finding someone who would understand who she really was—and love her. Not abandon her.

"Riley?"

Great. Now she was even imagining his voice. She squeezed her eyes closed more tightly and ignored the wetness that pooled on her lashes.

A finger stroked her cheek, and her eyes flew open. She hadn't conjured him. He was here.

He knelt in front of her, took her hands in spite of her attempt to avoid his grasp. The room was suddenly empty, too. No warriors, no weapons. Just the two of them.

And the pain.

"Riley, you can't let a second of doubt destroy what we found between us," he said. "Alaric and his doomsaying can rot in the nine hells, for all I care. I need you."

Even with her shields clamped shut on her emotions and blocking his, she could see the anguish in his face. The lines bracketing his mouth seemed to have deepened a decade's worth in the space of the past half hour.

She probably didn't look so hot herself.

Not that she cared. She closed her eyes again, determined to shut him out.

Weakening when she felt his breath on her face—felt his kiss on her forehead.

"I've only survived for five hundred years by never trusting anyone, Riley. Never believing in anyone. Never loving anyone."

She opened her eyes, needing to see his face.

Then she opened her shields, needing to feel his heart.

Both told her the same thing. Conlan—this proud warrior—was humbling himself before her. Desperate for her forgiveness.

The pain in his eyes rivaled anything she'd felt in his memories from the time of Anubisa's torture. And suddenly she couldn't bear it.

Couldn't bear to be the one who caused him pain.

"Conlan, I—"

The sound of boots striding down the hallway interrupted her. It was Ven, and he had his battle face on.

"Alaric says we go now. The Trident is screaming inside his head, and there's a new level of power to it." He stared down at Conlan and Riley, clearly not happy with what he saw, but didn't say another word. Just turned on his heel and stalked off.

"I have to go now, mi amara aknasha."

"I know. Be safe."

"You will be here when I return?" Conlan's voice was fierce, desperation making it hoarse. "We can work this out then. Promise me."

"Yes. I promise. Now go. The quicker you go, the quicker you'll come back."

He crushed her to him in a fierce hug, then claimed her lips with a searing kiss. "I'll leave Denal and Brennan to stand guard with you. Stay safe for me, Riley. I need you to be safe."

Moments later, he was gone, the front door slamming behind him. She sank down on the couch, wondering if he would survive the confrontation with his enemy.

Wondering how she could survive if he did not.

Reisen stared with no little satisfaction at the blue-robed, kneeling forms of the twenty members of the Platoist Society who had come to offer their service and their worship to a prince of Atlantis.

Not yet high prince, but that would come.

The main floor of the warehouse made a perfect impromptu meeting place. He stood on a wooden pallet, the table before him bare but for one cloth-wrapped bundle. Candles lit the table, though floodlights were on in the building.

Soon the Trident would light up the night.

He put one hand in his jacket pocket, fondled the gem contained there. Now was the time for a little display of power.

"Rise and watch the fulfillment of the prophecy," he shouted. "Watch the first step in the Warriors of Poseidon taking their rightful place among the society of earth again."

He gently pushed the folds of fabric away from the object they'd all come to see, and lifted the gleaming golden Trident high above his head. "The Trident of Poseidon! Instrument of power for the ruler of Atlantis for untold millennia!"

Roaring cheers shook the walls and stamping feet thundered through the echoing cavern of the room. "Atlantis! Atlantis! Atlantis!"

Reisen pulled the emerald from his pocket and lowered the Trident to eye level. Closing his eyes briefly, he uttered a brief prayer.

"Poseidon, Father of Water,

"Lord of elements, avatar of justice for all Atlanteans,

"Hear our plea, feel our need.

"Restore Atlantis to its former glory.

"Hear our plea, feel our need."

He opened his eyes and, before he could .think about the horrible death that awaited him if he'd guessed wrong, plunged the emerald into the uppermost of the seven empty openings on the staff of the Trident.

Power surged as soon as the emerald snapped into place, sizzling through the Trident and nearly burning his hand. He clenched his fist even more tightly around the staff, thundering out his joy and triumph with everyone else.

Blinding green and silver light shot out from the Trident and lit the darkened room with the intensity of the desert sun at noon. The elements themselves answered the siren call of the Trident and wind whipped into a frenzy around him, raising the cloaks and hair of the humans.

Ribbons of water surged into the room from the walls, from the ceiling, from rusty pipes that hadn't carried water for many years. They twirled and twisted around the room, dancing with the light, waltzing in a sparkling display of power.

The power, oh, the power. Reisen's voice was nearly gone, his throat raw, but he continued to shout out his victory.

Atlantis will be mine, and these weak humans will fall soon after. Once again, the world will tremble at our footsteps.

At my footsteps.

"I am Reisen of Atlantis, and I decree that it will be so."

The Trident spiked a surge of blistering heat through his hand at the words, and he laughed even as it burned his flesh.

Laughed at the pain.

Began to plan for the battle.