The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis (5 page)

“Get what book?” Amanda muttered, looking around until she spied the book of riddles Bailey had snatched from her under a patch of blossoming tulips.

Amanda was there in seconds, as if she’d flown across the yard. Shaken, and not sure how she’d traveled there so fast, Amanda scooped up the book. The crystal trident accidently came in contact with the golden Eye of Horus on the cover, and like crossing hot wires, sparks flew out. A sudden jolt ran through her body. Her eyes widened. Her mind cleared. She knew what she had to do.

Moving as if she had wings on her feet, Amanda ran to the stone arch. She cast off her sandals, shoved the book of riddles down the bib of her overalls, and stuck her foot into one of the crevices in the arch. With one hand holding the crystal trident tight, she used her other to reach up to the next crevice and pull herself up toward the keystone. She repeated this once more, as if she was a skilled rock climber. Hugging the column tightly, Amanda leaned into the archway and stretched her arm enough to place the crystal trident inside the engraved trident in the keystone, as Melody told Drake and Treena she had done last night. It was a perfect fit. Amanda wiped her forehead and climbed down.

The trident acted like a magnet drawing the sun’s rays into it, absorbing the heat offered. Amanda’s ears started to ring at the high-pitched sound resonating from the crystal. It was an annoying tone—like the shrillness of an activated fire alarm. She winced, preferring the sullen beeps of her alarm clock, and wished she could hit the snore button. Then, a burst of light shot out of the trident and covered Amanda where she stood, baptizing her in a brilliant flash. Amanda fell to her knees and started to shake.

A light appeared from inside the stone arch. Amanda’s mouth opened. The light was dim at first, and then it became brighter and brighter. The arguing behind her stopped. Amanda attempted to stand, but stumbled. Drake caught her elbow in time. Her breathing was uneven, almost over-worked. She felt Drake gently squeeze her arm, and she jumped, as if she’d been jarred out of sleep. Amanda hugged her body and took a deep breath.

“W-What’s going on, Amanda?” Drake asked in a whisper.

Before Amanda could answer Drake, she heard a
swoosh
, like someone had just opened an elevator door. A warm gentle breeze danced across her bronze skin, and she shivered. So did Drake. A high-pitched sound pulsed through them, and they took a few steps back.

Drake’s eyes widened. “Do…Do you see that, Amanda?”

Amanda didn’t answer Drake. She couldn’t. She was too busy staring at the beautiful, radiant face within the archway. Melody’s angel was back. Only this time, she wasn’t singing.

A shimmering ball of light from inside the archway shot out at them. Amanda lunged for her sandals, while Drake hauled her out of the light’s path and dragged her back to join the others.

“W-What’s happening?” Ravi asked, releasing his hold on Melody. He winced at the brightness.

“I-I’m not sure,” Treena replied, as she let go of Melody’s arm to hood her eyes.

Amanda looked around. Everyone seemed to be operating at normal speed now. Voices were distinguishable, and she didn’t feel queasy anymore. She noticed Professor Lucas was breathing wildly, as if he had asthma, staring spellbound into the archway.

“Uncle John? Are you okay?” Jordan asked. He smacked his uncle’s back.

Professor Lucas shrugged him off, but remained silent as he continued to stare at the light. Jordan tugged on one of his uncle’s sleeves. When that didn’t work, Jordan did the next best thing. He slapped him across the face.

He flinched. “Ouch! What the hell was that for, Jordan?”

Jordan raked his tawny hair. “Sorry. My bad. I thought you were freaking out on me.”

“I-It’s so beautiful,” Melody whispered.

“Amazing,” Professor Lucas muttered, getting his breathing under control.

“Do you know what it is, Uncle John?” Jordan asked.

“Not what. Who,” Amanda replied, as she wiped her mouth.

Treena’s jaw dropped, and she stared at Amanda. So did Jordan.

“Has that light shrunk your brain cells, Sault?” he asked.

“Amanda’s right,” Drake added. “I saw her too—a woman’s face in the archway.”

Ravi snorted. “Did this floating face tell you what she wanted, Bailey? Hey, I know, maybe she’s looking for a body to snatch and brains to eat.”

Drake wrung his hands. Amanda gently nudged him. “No, Drake, remember what you felt? There was nothing hostile about her.”

“Really?” Treena blurted. She pointed to the book of riddles peeking out of Amanda’s bib. “Here’s a newsflash for you, Amanda, maybe she’s looking for that book. Maybe you should give her what she wants.”

Amanda shook her head. “She doesn’t want the book, Treena.”

Treena wrinkled her nose. “Details, please. What does she want?”

Amanda’s whole body relaxed. “She wants
us.”

As if on cue, the brilliant white light started to speed up and spread out like freshly spilled milk. Nobody moved. The light mimicked the sun by swallowing their shadows and caressing their bodies. It warmed Amanda through to her core, and from somewhere deep inside, she knew she could trust this light, this radiance. As the light continued to bathe them, an incredible pulling sensation—what Amanda would imagine a tractor beam from a sci-fi flick would feel like—fused with it. Like being on a moving walkway, there was nothing to fear as her body was gently drawn toward the glowing stone arch. Amanda noticed Treena trying to brake with both feet, but she couldn’t. She glanced down and jerked. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Treena’s feet weren’t touching the ground. She was levitating. They all were. Whoever wanted them, wanted them bad.

“Whoa, we’re floating!” Jordan blurted. “We gotta be a least two feet off the ground!”

Ravi grabbed Treena’s arm. “Are you feeling what I’m feeling?”

Treena nodded. “I think so. I feel warm, light, and tingly, like a bubble in a tub.”

They were within a few feet of the stone archway. Its mottled marble shone more brilliantly than before. Feeling calm and relaxed, Amanda gave in to a sigh. Nothing mattered. All her problems, any worries, seemed gone and solved.

“Hey, my cell phone won’t work,” Ravi said. “I’m not getting any signal.”

“You’re right, Sharma,” Treena said. “No bars on mine, either.”

“Crap, my cell’s not receiving anything,” Jordan added, holding it up.

“Maybe the white light is full of radiation particles that are interfering with the cell tower’s frequency,” Drake said.

“Great,” Treena muttered, stuffing her cell phone into her pocket. “How’s my drama coach supposed to get ahold of me?”

“I-I-I think you’re gonna have plenty of drama to deal with any second, Mui,” Ravi stammered.

They were almost inside the glowing archway. Its light felt warm and welcoming, like the rising summer sun. Treena stuck her thumbs in the straps of her khaki backpack as if it doubled as a magic parachute. Amanda mimicked Mui and grasped the straps on Jordan’s backpack that she was still wearing. Ravi was the only other person wearing one, so all the rest had nothing to break their fall if that light suddenly cut them loose.

The brilliant, fathomless glow swallowed Amanda, blinding her. Calm and silence overrode her senses. In that moment, two things happened—Amanda sensed that there was no separation between her and the others—as if they were all connected by these tiny threads of light. Second, she started to feel as though she were free falling, moving fast and out of control. She regained her vision, just as the white light exploded into a whirling rainbow.

Drake laughed. “Wicked! This feels like a ride at Disneyland!”

“It feels better than that!” Jordan replied. “I’ve been to Disneyland twice, and there’s no ride that even comes close to this!”

“It’s as if we can fly!” Treena shouted, doing a somersault in mid-air.

“It does feel wonderful, doesn’t it?” Melody said dreamily. Amanda grabbed both ankles and flipped herself over. She giggled. This freedom, this feeling, this flux was awesome. The huge, spiraling rainbow surrounding the group of seven gently juggled them in mid-air like floating balls in a never-ending lottery game. She glanced over at Jordan’s uncle. His cheeks were sucked in, and his body flopped one way then another like a fish out of water.

“Is your uncle okay, Jordan?” she asked.

Jordan maneuvered over to his uncle by spreading his arms and legs wide as if he were a free-falling parachutist. He grasped his uncle’s shoulder and shook him. “Uncle John? Uncle John! Don’t make me slap you again!”

He reached over, grabbed Jordan, and kissed him on the forehead. “It’s all true, Jordan! It’s all true!”

Jordan squirmed. “What’s true?”

“Time
flows
through us,” he answered, his voice cracking as if he were a young boy again.

The whirling rainbow burst into shards of light, and they all touched bottom.

It felt soft—like a cushy trampoline—as Amanda, her classmates, Melody, and Professor Lucas bounced easily until they all stood still. The ground became solid again. Polished marble walls and finely crafted pillars materialized through the fading light. A sudden high-pitched buzzing noise made her wince. Everyone seemed to hear it too; they cringed in unison. The sound of waves crashing against a shore replaced the buzzing, and a set of deep purple curtains miraculously appeared in front of them. Amanda rubbed her eyes. In the time it took her to take a breath, the curtains were drawn. The brilliant white light that had pulled them into the stone arch now hovered between the open curtains. It started to radiate out, then draw in, out, then in, changing its shape with each rhythmic movement, until it finally transformed into a woman.

The woman was beautiful in an otherworldly way. She had long, fair, flowing hair adorned with quartz crystals. Piercing blue eyes stared back at Amanda like the woman was peering into her soul. She had a long narrow face with high cheek bones that tapered down to a firm chin. Her nose was long and slender. Amanda smiled at her. The woman smiled back. Her teeth were white, small, and even. She was perfect in every way. A rich-blue sleeveless linen robe adorned her slim body, accentuating her ivory skin.

I wonder if she’s a princess.
Amanda didn’t doubt it, especially with all the jewelry the woman wore. A golden snake bracelet wound around her left arm, a string of gleaming pearls and shells hung around her neck, and a silver belt strewn with various green, blue, and red gems hugged her waist. The only piece of clothing that didn’t seem to belong was a plain pair of woven sandals.

Melody pushed Drake behind her and took a few steps forward. “I demand that you tell us where we are!”

The beautiful woman gave Melody a gentle smile, and nodded. She opened her arms wide and said, “Welcome to the Temple of Poseidon, in the City of the Golden Gates.”

Melody jerked. “I-I beg your pardon?”

“Atlantis,” Professor Lucas answered in a whisper. “We’re in Atlantis.”

“Not quite Atlantis, Professor Lucas. Only what is left of it.”

“Hey, how did you know my uncle’s name?” Jordan asked.

The woman smiled. “I know much, Jordan Jensen. All of your names are only a sampling.”

“A-Are we dead?” Ravi asked, rubbing his prosthesis.

The woman laughed; to Amanda it sounded like she hadn’t laughed in a long time. The enchanting sound made Amanda’s skin ripple, as if a hundred feathers caressed the inside of her body.

Melody lightly squeezed Sharma’s shoulder. “I don’t see what’s so funny. Are we dead or not?” she asked directly.

“Oh, no, Melody Spencer, you are all alive and well. I was laughing at the wiggling worm on Ravi Sharma’s forehead.”

Sharma’s eyes widened. He quickly yanked the rubber worm off his head. Treena snickered, so he turned and whipped it at her. He missed. His shoulders sagged.

“Fear not, Ravi Sharma,” the mysterious woman said. “In my time, mask-makers were revered for their talents. You must realize that what has been taken from you in life has been transformed and given back to you in many different ways. Your imagination, for example, has become more expressive, more alive than before your accident, through the many masks you create. Well done.”

Ravi straightened his body, and the hard lines on his face disappeared. “How do you know this? Who are you?”

She started to walk toward him. “My name is Lilith. I am the Fiftieth Magus of the Arcane Tradition and the guardian of the seventh Arch of Atlantis.”

Silence echoed throughout the Temple of Poseidon. It didn’t last long though, as Drake snorted. “Yeah right, and I’m one of the Knights of the Round Table.”

Treena giggled. “Yeah, he’s the one called Sir Douche-a-lot!”

Drake glared at Treena and then crossed his arms over his chest. Amanda guessed that if Bailey had a tail, he’d be tucking it up his butt.

A shrill whistle sounded from behind Amanda. It was Professor Lucas. “Is that who I think it is?” he asked, pointing past the long, purple curtains.

Amanda searched for what the professor was talking about. When she saw it, her mouth fell open, and a deep breath followed. A gigantic golden statue—about half the size of the Statue of Liberty—was set in the middle of an opulent room. It was a bearded man wrapped in a bed sheet and standing in a chariot pulled by six winged horses. The twinkling chariot was circled by hundreds of small freaky-looking mermaids riding on dolphins. Ivory walls decorated with gold, silver, and another metal that sparkled like fire glittered back at Amanda. She blinked at the brilliance.

“Yes, Professor Lucas, it is Poseidon, the father of Atlantis.”

Professor Lucas strode past Ravi and Jordan, tousling the boy’s hair in excitement. “Yes! My research wasn’t bunk after all! It was fact!”

“What research, Uncle John?” Jordan asked.

“The research I’ve been working on most of my life—to prove Atlantis did exist,” Professor Lucas replied. “That this ancient civilization wasn’t a legend or myth, but an actual place.” He removed his silly-looking fishing hat, reached in, pulled out a small photograph, and passed it around. Amanda’s eyes bugged. It was a picture of the same arch in Melody’s garden.

“You see—” the professor continued, shoving his hat back on “—during a recent dig in Guatemala with some co-workers I found this arch, which looks exactly like the one we were transported through. As I started to interpret the engraved hieroglyphics and alchemical symbols on it, I
knew
it had to have come from Atlantis, but had a hard time convincing anyone. It was only when I translated the words,
Time flows through us,
engraved in the keystone, that I realized that this was the secret code of nature. So I started paying close attention to the repeating patterns inscribed on the arch. The Atlanteans knew that if they paid attention to the subtle patterns in nature they could learn to harness this energy and flow with it. And since time is a form of energy, I deduced that what we unearthed was a type of teleportation portal—a device that would allow us to flow with time.”

“Yes,” Lilith said. “Professor Lucas broke the code.”

Amanda noticed a change in Lilith’s voice—it had gotten lower—and her face had turned sad. Lilith bent her head like a branch about to break.

“What code, Lilith?” Melody asked as she handed the professor back his photo.

Lilith forced a half-smile. “The code of time, Melody Spencer.”

“Wait, I don’t get it, Lilith,” Amanda said. “If this
is
Atlantis—or what’s left of it—how come you’re still alive? I mean, that would make you around twelve thousand years old.”

Treena scratched her nose with her thumb. “I dunno, Amanda, Lilith doesn’t look a day over six thousand years to me.”

Lilith smiled fully. “I exist in the
element
of time, Amanda Sault. My consciousness, my memory, is locked into the Arch of Atlantis where I survive through the energy of the spirals.”

“What do spirals have to do with time?” Ravi asked.

“Plenty, Ravi,” Professor Lucas said excitedly. “Spirals are cyclic in nature. The Mayans knew this, and because they were such great astronomers, they understood that the cycles and rhythms in the sky correlated with everything here—”

Sharma’s eyes glazed over. His cheek twitched twice before he held up his hand. “What was that middle thing again?”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Allow me to translate, Sharma. My grandmother told me that spirals exist in
everything
. In nature. In the sky. In the water. Even in our bodies. So in a way, we’re all programmed by nature, and we’re all connected. Spirals help us understand movement through the cycles of nature and passage of time. You know, like day changes into night, new moon into full moon, spring into summer, stuff like that.”

“Amanda’s got a point,” Drake added. “Spirals exist in our DNA and fingerprints—our whole genetic makeup is based on spirals.”

“Okay, that sort of makes sense, Sault,” Jordan said, “but what doesn’t is how someone like
you
figured out the code of time.” He shook his head. “My uncle’s a professor, and it obviously took him years to crack it.”

Amanda balled her fists. “Well, maybe I’m some kind of genius when it comes to cracking codes,
Jockstrap.”

Ravi stifled a laugh.

“But, Amanda, Jordan has a point,” Treena said. “How’d
you
figure out the code?”

Amanda felt her cheeks burn. She unclenched her hands and shrugged. “I dunno. The crystal trident…it did something to me. I-I guess I was just acting on a
feeling.”

Amanda fell silent. Her body hardened, and her throat tightened. She became a statue, cast her eyes down, and stared at her feet.

“And it was a
good
feeling to act on, Amanda Sault,” Lilith answered, as if coming alive again. “It was your cellular frequency that caused the crystal trident to resurrect itself. You broke the code by
natural
means, by tuning in, by
knowing
that through the power of the sun, the crystal trident would draw enough energy to activate the Arch of Atlantis. Well done.”

Drake scrunched his face. “Okay, Lilith, so what you’re saying is that because the cells in Amanda’s body are vibrating at the same speed and intensity as the crystal trident, she was able to use it to hook up to the sun’s energy, and jumpstart the arch as if she were boosting a car battery?”

Lilith smiled. “Precisely, Drake Bailey.”

“I…I have a frequency?” Amanda asked, breaking her vigilant stance.

“Un-uh, you got
cellular frequency
. You go, girl!” Treena clapped.

“You all have frequencies, Treena Mui, vibrating at different speeds and different levels,” Lilith explained.

Treena beamed. “What speed am I?”

“Slow as snot,” Ravi said.

Jordan and Drake laughed and high-fived Ravi.

“That’s quite enough, boys,” Melody said. “I’m sure Treena’s frequency is adequate, as are all of ours, seeing as we’re standing in the Temple of Poseidon. What I want to know is why we’ve been summoned—if that’s the correct word—here?”

“Fair enough, Melody Spencer,” Lilith said. “I shall do my best to answer you.”

Lilith walked closer to them, as if bridging an invisible gap. Her magnificent blue robe brushed against Ravi’s left hand, and he shuddered. He reached out to touch it again, but Lilith intercepted his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. Then, she reached for Ravi’s prosthesis, pried open the stiff fingers, and kissed his palm as if he were a long lost prince who had returned home. Ravi squeaked.

The lines of sadness returned to Lilith’s face. “I miss children. There is something about them that is pure and good. They are always curious, always playful, and always forthright. Children are the keys to our future. And now, children are the only hope for our past.”

“Hope for our past? What do you mean, Lilith?” Ravi asked softly.

Lilith’s smile returned. “There has been a terrible disruption in the timeline continuum, causing the code of time to be compromised. The seal to the door where evil dwells has been broken, releasing an unpredictable dark force—the same dark force responsible for the destruction of Atlantis—into the Earth’s energy field. That is the reason why you are all here. To restore order to what has been disturbed. Or what will be. To maintain balance, and make sure changes do not occur in the past that will disrupt the future, for there is only one
true
history.”

Melody pursed her lips. “Could you please be a little more specific, Lilith?”

Lilith let go of Ravi’s hand and grasped Melody by the shoulders. She slid her hands down the length of Melody’s arms until their hands met. Melody shivered.

“Then, allow me to clarify, Melody Spencer. Recently, Professor Lucas broke the code held within the fifth Arch of Atlantis he found buried in a hidden section of Mayan ruins.”

“Fifth? You mean there are more than two stone arches?” Professor Lucas asked in astonishment. He stared at his photograph.

Lilith nodded. “There were seven arches in total, and all are energetically connected to one another. That is why seven spirals are carved into the top of each arch. It is presumed that the first, second, third, fourth, and sixth were all destroyed with the final destruction of Atlantis, since they have never been activated. Only two arches remain: the fifth—the arch Professor Lucas discovered, and the seventh—the arch that brought you all here. The seventh was secretly moved to Egypt before Atlantis sank into the ocean, and it was eventually stored inside a secret chamber of the Great Pyramid. Originally, all the arches were created by a moral and virtuous group who called themselves the Children of the Law of One, to educate, reflect the truth, and preserve our knowledge.” Lilith closed her eyes for a meditative moment, and then opened them. “It was a way of keeping the old red land alive throughout time.”

“The old red land?” Melody asked. “Why does that sound so familiar?”

“Doncha remember, Melody?” Drake said. “I translated a line of glyphs that said the old red land, but couldn’t figure out what that meant.” His shoulders drooped.

Lilith released Melody. She reached out and smoothed her palm over Drake’s close-shaven head. “Do not be too hard on yourself, Drake Bailey. Only those who were the descendants of Atlanteans used that term.”

“If you’re the guardian of the seventh Arch of Atlantis, then who’s in charge of the fifth?” Jordan asked.

Lilith’s face pinched like she was in pain. “The fifth arch was stolen after the first major earthquake, one hundred years before water and fire consumed Atlantis. An evil and selfish magus named Belial rebelled against the Children of the Law of One, and took the arch to a place now known as Central America. There he used the magic through the arch to control and enslave the people who lived there at the time. He became a powerful and corrupt leader. Those who defied him were killed or sacrificed. Fear and pain became a part of their lives. The original crystal trident was replaced by a terrible dark one. This black trident became the key to a world where only the Sons of Belial dwell. A place I think of as the
true
hell.”

“Does Belial exist in the element of time too?” Treena asked.

“Belial exists in the blackest shadows of time, Treena Mui. A dark mind that lives in the past to feed off the evil energy continuing to stagnate there.”

“Eww, it sounds like something a vampire would do,” Amanda said.

Lilith nodded. “Yes, it does. However, the true essence of Belial—the wickedest part of him—has been dormant for centuries, imprisoned inside the fifth arch by a powerful leader named Kukulkan. Now everything has changed because this dark, evil power has been released back into the world by a corrupt man named Marcus Crowley.”

Professor Lucas went rigid. His face turned ash white. “Crowley? That…that son-of-a-snake!”

“Do you know this man, Professor?” Melody asked.

“Yeah, my uncle knows him, Melody,” Jordan said. “That loser set up Uncle John good so he could skip off with the treasure they found.”

“Treasure?” Treena said skeptically. “Come on, Jordan, it’s not like the arch is made of gold or silver. It’s just a slab of old stone.”

“Time is the ultimate treasure, Treena Mui,” Lilith replied. “Think of what you could do if you went back into the past and changed whatever you wanted to. Certain lives could be saved and many criminals caught. You would know where treasures are buried and when disaster would strike. You could observe history firsthand, find the truth, and expel the lies. Think of what could be possible.”

“Are you saying this douche-bag Crowley is gonna change the past, Lilith?” Amanda asked.

“And,” Melody added quickly, “are you telling us that both the remaining arches are some sort of time portals? Do you have any idea how impossible that sounds?”

Lilith nodded. “It does sound impossible, but I assure you it is not, Melody Spencer. Marcus Crowley will change history if given the chance, and will do whatever Belial wants.” Then as if Lilith had been magically recharged, she smiled and said, “But this will not happen because destiny has brought all seven of you here to become the
one
thing Belial fears the most.”