Page 9 of The Void

Lucas nodded. “I’ve heard of you. Never met one before yesterday.”

Jain’s body shifted slightly, and Lucas got the idea that she was smiling.

“We are pleased,” she said, and then she continued walking.

“What happens when we reach the sea?” he asked.

“Proteus will carry you across the sea to the great city. We are not permitted to go beyond the walls. Only the Athaki can cross through the gates. Come, we have much land to travel.”

They stopped by another brook when both suns were high above their heads. Jain produced a rather odd-looking gray fruit this time, which was somehow sour and salty at the same time. Still, he ate every bit of it as well as drank from the large river they had stopped to rest by.

It took them another two or three hours to reach the edge of the large body of water. He looked across the calm blue water and could see the tips of very tall shiny buildings on the other side. The light from the suns bounced off the glass of the skyscrapers. If he didn’t know better, he’d believe it was any city in the States.

“That is the great city?” he asked Jain.

The creature glanced off across the sea then down at him and smiled. “Yes, that is Atlantis.”

Chapter Three

Holy hell. What the actual…

Mia paced in an extremely plush room that reminded her of the fanciest hotel room that she’d ever seen in movies.

The walls were all covered with a marble-like material in soft white with gray streaks through it. There were hints of gold and silver, which lit up the entire room.

The ceilings were high and had multiple glass chandeliers hanging in various places.

In all, there were four rooms she had been locked in. There was a bedroom, which had a small sitting area next to a huge bed covered in soft teal comforters, and a beautiful bathroom, the walls of which were covered in some sort of granite in a busy pattern. There was a large circular shower in the middle of the room with glass walls. It was big enough for a dozen people to shower in. Off this room was a small closet filled with many different dresses, all of which fit her.

There was another bedroom across a large two-story living room space, which had three dark leather sofas all facing one another. The marble material covering those walls matched the ones in both bedrooms.

Wealth. The entire place screamed of money. At least it would if she was on Earth.

She was wringing her hands with worry, wishing more than anything for some way to communicate with the outside world.

She almost tripped on the thick rug that covered the light-colored wood on the floor, about the hundredth time doing so by her calculations. The loud voices were still echoing outside the building, many, many floors beneath her. Whether they were for or against her being there, she had no clue at this point.

Why in the hell hadn’t her ancestors shown her this place? What was hidden in the Void?

Even Feng had gone MIA and had remained silent since her arrival in the city. Ever since her arrival, Mia had been stuck in this chamber, pacing. Worrying. Wondering. Her mind raced with so many questions.

Since her unceremonious arrival to the city, to a building somewhere among hundreds of other tall buildings in a city she had only seen for a few seconds from above, she’d been left alone.

The two women who had greeted her outside the door of the monolith hadn’t said much to her. Instead, they had swooped her up and flown—yes, flown—her to the city. They had each held onto one of her arms without saying much. They hadn’t even introduced themselves. They’d just swooped in, grabbed her, and hauled her away.

When they had landed on the roof where a dozen or more women stood, they had disappeared. The women had ushered her down a massive circular staircase.

She’d been stripped of all her possessions, which had really only been her cell phone, and that didn’t work anyway. Then she’d been shown into a large bathroom where a handful of women had removed her clothes and pulled her into a circular shower. She had stood under a powerful waterfall of water while they scrubbed her clean with long brushes.

From there, they had dried her off, tied her hair back in an intricate braid, and helped her into a light flowing gown in gold and teal colors in a material she’d never felt or seen before. It was so soft, it truly felt as if she was naked.

After she was dressed, strange-looking food had been delivered and she’d been left alone. At first, she’d avoided eating it. She’d even conjured up some food herself. But then she’d grown curious and had sampled several different items. It was all delicious. Extremely so.

The soft comfortable bed had called to her, and she’d removed the dress and pulled on the soft teal bed gown that had been left for her.

The following morning, she changed into another teal dress that had been left for her. She’d tried the door, but it had been locked, so she’d started pacing. Food was delivered. Empty trays were removed. New clothes were brought in.

No one talked to her. When she asked questions, they just bowed their heads and nodded like they didn’t understand her.