Atlantis: Devil's Sea

Atlantis: Devil's Sea by Robert Doherty Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: Atlantis: Devil's Sea by Robert Doherty Read Free Book Online
Authors: Robert Doherty
Tags: Fiction, General, Science-Fiction, adventure, Military, War & Military
recognized it. The city was Pompeii, where he had fought on occasion. And the mountain, Vesuvius.
    It was as if he could see into the Earth itself, and he saw a darkness, like a disease, boiling up below Vesuvius, clawing its way toward the surface. An overwhelming sense of dread blanketed him.
    Then a gladiator entering the arena bumped into him, the man’s eyes glazed with fear, knocking the vision from Falco’s head.
    Falco entered the tunnel.
    *****
    Kaia had both hands on the grass that covered her mother’s grave. A small piece of marble marked the spot. She was surrounded by the trees of the sacred grove, where only the priestesses of Delphi were allowed to enter. She turned as she sensed someone behind her. The oracle stood there, wrapped in her fine robes. The old woman’s face was lined and pale.
    “Why did you never tell me who I was?” Kaia asked as she stood.
    “Your thoughts must be pure,” the oracle said. “There is so much that I do not know, that I thought it best not to influence you one way or the other. It is the way it has been for a long time.”
    That made little sense to Kaia, but she said nothing.
    The oracle held out a crystal. “This is yours. As it was your mother’s once, and mine before her.” As Kaia took the crystal, the oracle crooked a finger. “Come.”
    Kaia followed her out of the grove and into the temple. Going to the altar, the oracle pointed. “Lift the top stone.”
    Carefully, Kaia lifted the heavy marble. Underneath was a black slab with writing etched on it.
    “This is the list of oracles, dating back to the first to come from Thera, Priestess Kala.” The oracle ran her old fingers over the markings. “Here is your mother’s name, the last to be etched. I will have yours added.”
    “And if I don’t return?” Kaia asked. “Does the line end with me?”
“The things I see,” the oracle said, “are uncertain. The visions come from the gods, but who are the gods?”
    “The gods are the gods,” Kaia said simply.
    The oracle smiled. “So you have been taught. Let me tell you what I do know. I have spoken of the Shadow, but there are those on the other side, where the shadow comes from, who oppose the Shadow. They are called the Ones Before. They might be gods, I do not know, but they have helped us. Long ago they gave us the power to stop the Shadow.
    “You need to talk to the Akrotirian Oracle at Thera. She knows more of this than I do. It was where our ancestors fought the Shadow last.” The oracle placed a hand on Kaia’s shoulder. “I suggest forgetting everything you have been taught. You must trust the visions you have. They are the gods speaking to you.” Her finger slid over the long list of names to the very first. “Priestess Kala was the first. She escaped the destruction of Thera. Let us hope you are not the last. It is time for you to go.”
    *****
    Gaius Marcus slapped Falco on the back. “An excellent fight, old friend.”
    Falco barely acknowledged the praise, his eyes moving along the rows of tables in the banquet hall. He could feel her presence, a malignant tumor obvious even on the cancer that was Rome.
    “On the last day of the games, I want you to do an exhibition with Corlius,” Marcus continued. “Wooden swords in between some of the fights.”
    Falco nodded. “All right.” He had done many such exhibitions where neither man was injured. Gladiators of his skill level were rare and could not always be risked in mortal combat.
    Falco saw her. “Excuse me.”
    Marcus followed Falco’s gaze. “Careful.”
    “I am always careful,” Falco said.
    “In the arena, yes,” Marcus agreed. “You have something very special there. But this” –he waved, taking in the elite of Rome dining on their couches—“is a very different arena.”
    “What would you have me do?” Falco asked. “Ignore her? Her brother is commander of the Praetorian Guard. Her family has links everywhere.”
“With the new emperor, things are liable

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