The Royal Pursuit (23 page)

He walked back to her and took her
arm.

“
Did you receive
displeasing news?” she snapped.

“
I won’t let you die. I
promise you that,” he replied.

They walked down the hall to a large
library with books along the walls that looked brand
new.

He closed the door behind them and
turned to her. “Nichols won’t be happy. Your child poses a threat
to the future of Atlantis. Nichols has spent the last couple of
years in search of fame and glory. I’ve seen enough of the future
to know he desires the praise that authority brings.”

“
And what about you? Why
did you join him?”

“
I used to belong here. The
Olympians aren’t the only ones with the Stone of Immortality. I got
one, too. I was born here. I was in the war that doomed this
wonderful place to the bottom of the ocean. But I saw its future
ascension from the ocean and greatly waited for the time when I
could return home.” He looked into her eyes. “Now I am complete
again. Do you know what it’s like to be without something for so
long and to finally have it again?”

She considered his question. “Yes. It
was hard being without my best friend after I moved to Florida, and
seeing her here again brought back a lot of wonderful
memories.”

“
She’s here?”

“
She’s with others who are
researching Atlantis. Certainly, you are aware of them.”

“
Yes. I just don’t have the
connections with her that Nichols does. He’s the one who funded her
expedition here.”

So that was why William contacted
Stacey. “Where are the people I was with?” Ann asked.

Pallid shrugged. “Nichols plans to
meet up with someone named Hathor. From the way he was talking, I
take it he hates Hathor.”

“
Hathor is my husband.
Hathor will have no trouble defending himself.”

“
I don’t know. Nichols had
a special room he had me put a bomb in, so whatever he has planned,
I’m sure it’s a trap.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat.
“You can’t let him kill Hathor.”

He raised his eyebrow. “I might be
able to arrange something to your liking. Hathor is not in any
immediate danger. Nichols wants to play a game of cat and mouse
with him before he does anything serious. In the meantime, however,
I have something to show you.”

She watched as he walked over to the
large desk in the room. He picked up a piece of paper that was
lying on it, read it, and unlocked one of the drawers in the desk.
She glanced at the doors that were closed. She wished Hathor were
with her. Most of all, she hoped that William wouldn’t find him.
Hathor wouldn’t let William get the best of him. Hathor was too
smart for that.

“
Have you ever wondered if
you made the right decision in choosing Hathor over William?” the
man asked her, interrupting her thoughts.

She glanced at him. “No. I already
know I made the right choice.”

“
Would you like to test
that theory?” He showed her a rectangular mirror with several blue
buttons on the side of it. “Isn’t it good to know if you really
did?”

“
I don’t need that…thing to
know I made the right decision.” She paused. “What exactly does it
do anyway?”

He grinned at her. “Curiosity is my
weakness, too. It not only tells the future, but it can also show
you what would have been if you had chosen a different route in
life. It really is a marvelous invention. In fact, it’s how I knew
Nichols would be the one to finally see to it that Atlantis was
reborn. That’s why I even talk to him.”

“
I don’t care to see what
would have been. I don’t believe in dwelling on the past. You can’t
change it, so why think about it?” Besides, she had wasted four
years of her life in the past wishing for William to return her
love. She would never let the past haunt her like that
again.

“
The past is good if you
want to learn some important lessons about what not to do in the
future,” Pallid said.

“
So you don’t repeat a
mistake.”

He nodded. “Exactly.” He set aside the
mirror and led her to the only wall without any books decorating
it. He pressed a small button on it, and the wall split in
half.

She didn’t hide her surprise as the
wall retreated into two vertical columns. A huge window showed her
the entire city of Atlantis. She gazed in amazement at the beauty
and grandeur of the city as it reflected a variety of colors off
the buildings. There was a magical quality about it that took her
breath away. She had thought Raz was gorgeous, but this city
impressed her more. At one time, this must have been the diamond of
all the cities on Earth. People must have come here just to view
its splendor.

“
Magnificent, isn’t it?” he
whispered in her ear.

She hadn’t realized he had walked next
to her. “I can understand why you missed this place so
much.”

He smiled in appreciation at her
comment. “It feels good to be back. Soon it will be flowing with
people. The technology is even more impressive than the city. The
six leaders developed incredible things. They created spacecraft
that no one on Earth has been able to duplicate. They saw the
future. They made other human beings and crossed species for exotic
creatures like the three-headed dog, a Pegasus, a sphinx. They even
created a race of superior people who could not tell a lie. Those
people were the Augurs, and they were entrusted with protecting the
technology from anyone who might abuse it.

“
The leaders learned the
hard way advanced knowledge could be a curse when placed in the
wrong hands. It was Hera who created the first person without using
a cloning technique with only an egg. I don’t know how she made
him, but his name was Hephaestus. He turned out lame and crippled,
though he was the most skilled craftsman who’d ever lived. He
created the buildings and everything in them. Even now, these
buildings attest to the fact that he was superior in
craftsmanship.

“
However,” he continued,
“his ugliness was repulsive to everyone else on Atlantis. The
leaders had created formulas to make everyone amazingly beautiful
and in perfect health. There was not a single blemish or defect on
anyone, except for Hephaestus. None of the treatments or formulas
worked on him. The only reason they kept him around was for his
skill. If it hadn’t been for that, they would have banished him to
the Underworld.”

She winced at the thought. Hephaestus
had always been a gracious god with the humility none of the other
Olympians possessed. “Did the people here regard all humans as
being expendable? Are humans only worthwhile as long as they are
wanted?” she snapped.

“
I didn’t make the rules. I
agree it was harsh. He wasn’t treated well at all. Most of the
time, people laughed at him. The Augurs were the exception. Their
honor held them to value everyone, regardless of ability or
stature.”

“
What about you? Did you
join in that laughter since you were not an Augur?”

He turned to her. “I admit I also
laughed with the others regarding Hephaestus’ condition. It’s not
my proudest moment. I’ve had centuries to reflect on his fate.” He
cleared his throat. “Anyway, when the leaders discovered that
Hephaestus’ condition could not be cured, they made the Augurs
protectors of the technology. The Augurs’ sense of justice and
trustworthiness would not allow anyone to create another blunder
like Hera did. If I remember right, Athena was the one who
established the Augurs’ prominent role in Atlantis.”

She knew Athena well, so she could
imagine Athena would be wise enough to ensure certain safeguards
were put into place to protect the city this way.

“
We were not perfect back
then, just as we are not perfect now,” he said. “I can’t think of
one person who hasn’t regretted something they’ve done in the
past.”

She couldn’t argue with that
statement.

“
I have a proposition for
you, which I hope you will find to your liking,” he
said.

She looked at him. “What is
it?”

“
I offer you the technology
in this wonderful city. You may take it back to Raz to help you
rule. Your magic, the one Raz granted you when you became queen, is
the source of energy behind this city right now. That is how
Atlantis rose again.”

“
But I need that
magic.”

“
You can still be Queen of
Raz. You can also be queen of Atlantis.”

A sense of dread filled her. “I cannot
be a queen here.”

“
No. I’m talking about
taking this technology and the magnificence back with you to Raz.
Raz can look like this.”

She examined the city again. It was
incredibly seductive. She would love to wake up every morning to
such beauty.

“
What do you think? Your
capital city can be called Atlantis. The rest of Raz will be as it
is now. You make such a lovely queen. Why not have the land reflect
that beauty as well?”

As gorgeous as Atlantis was, if she
turned Raz into this place, then Raz would lose its identity. She
couldn’t do that. She turned back to him, ready to decline his
offer when he leaned in to kiss her.

She turned her head to the side.
“There’s only one man I love.”

He didn’t move. His breath brushed her
cheek as he said, “Hearts can change over time. Your past has
taught me that.”

She shook her head. “I will never
leave Hathor for anyone.” She turned away from him and looked out
the window.

“
I see you made it to
Atlantis safely,” a familiar voice said.

Turning to the person, she cringed.
She should have expected William to show up at some point. Pallid
mentioned him enough, but she still couldn’t believe he kept
interfering in her life.

“
It’s been awhile since we
last saw each other,” William said. “That was on planet
Pale.”

Her eyebrows narrowed.

“
Yes, I remember
everything,” William said. “I didn’t at first. I even remember how
Earth was nearly destroyed by Omin-2 and his mission to chip
everyone.”

She didn’t know what to say, so she
kept quiet.

He stopped in front of her and gently
stroked her cheek. “I also remember it was you who spared my
life.”

“
I won’t leave my
husband.”

He chuckled and removed his hand. “Oh,
don’t flatter yourself. I’m not interested in you. I was merely
saying thank you.” He looked at Pallid. “So, what are the results?
Is she pregnant?”

The man seemed hesitant to
speak.

Her stomach knotted up. She knew the
complications of William finding out the truth, and she didn’t
trust William to be merciful. If her child was going to pose a
threat, he’d do whatever it took to get rid of her.

“
I will take that as a
yes,” William said.

“
I don’t think killing Ann
is a wise idea,” Pallid interjected.

“
Hey, I don’t like the idea
any more than you do,” William replied, “but we must not allow her
child to be born.”

“
I have come up with an
alternative plan which might be more beneficial to
everyone.”

William grinned. “Amazing. You fell in
love with her.” He turned to her. “At least you can attract some
men.”

She didn’t appreciate the way he said
that, as if he was putting her down.

“
I wish you no ill will,
Queen Ann. I’m sure I will agree to whatever this man has planned,”
William said.

“
I have to go to Raz. I-”
she began.

“
Don’t have a choice,”
William finished. “We are the ones who decide your fate. And as for
that husband of yours, he won’t be a problem much longer. I have
special plans for him.”

Her face flushed as anger swept over
her. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“
Let’s just say this man
won’t have any competition.”

She clenched her jaw. “Hathor knows
how to fight. He’s been training since he was five. You won’t beat
him.”

“
I recall what happened on
Pale,” he snapped. “I already thanked you for saving my life. That
is the only reason I’m being gracious to you now. I don’t wish for
you to die, but I will see to it that he does. And he will have the
displeasure of knowing you will be with this man before I deal the
fatal blow. It will give me great pleasure to know his last moments
alive will be filled with such sorrow.”

It was a mistake for her to let
William live when Hathor had the chance to kill him. Hathor was
right. William was more of a threat than she’d ever dreamed. She
pushed aside her anger. She had to be careful. If she said or did
the wrong thing, it could jeopardize Hathor’s life.

“
William,” she softly
began, “please don’t do it. I won’t let Hathor near you. I am the
queen, and he has to do what I say.”

“
I’m sure you would keep
your word. You were always good about that kind of
thing.”

Her spirit lifted at his
acknowledgment. “We can work something out about the future of
Atlantis, too.”