The Dark Shore (Atlanteans) by Kevin Emerson Read Free Book Online Page B

isn’t it? From the team that attempted to rescue you.”
    “Yeah,” said Lilly, but she kept the knife trained on them.
    “You know about that?” I asked.
    “Of course we do, Owen.” And he knew my name. “That Nomad strike team was working in conjunction with the Benevolent Mother and Desenna. We helped to monitor the operation. Don’t let these things surprise you. You’re going to have to get used to your importance. After that operation went awry, we never dreamed we’d be so lucky as to actually get to meet you. But then we heard the news of your escape, and imagine our surprise this morning when we saw a blue light coming from the East, right at dawn, just like in the Epics!”
    “It was like a dream,” said Lucinda. She blinked, and I thought I saw tears.
    “We reported your passing,” said Harvey, “and hung a fresh totem outside, so that Chaac might bring you luck on your journey. Then, we just started packing up to go, you know? Mission accomplished. The Three on their way! But lo and behold, then there were sounds on the roof and in you came.”
    “‘And the Memory descended in ships of blue light,’” said Lucinda dreamily. “We are blessed.” She was looking at us like we were holotech stars, standing there bouncing in place, making her earrings and bracelets jangle. She fiddled nervously at a necklace: a silver chain with a small black pendant at the end.
    “What?” Leech asked.
    “Oh, sorry,” Lucinda mumbled.
    “She’s talking about the Epics of the Three,” said Harvey. “You know, ‘Three guardians of the memory of the first people,’ and so forth.”
    “I’ve heard that part,” I said, “but not that other thing you said.”
    “No, of course not,” said Lucinda. “No one’s heard all of the Epics. But there is a passage of it inscribed in the walls of the Atlantean temple near Desenna.”
    “There’s a temple at Desenna,” I said, checking this off in my head. “What’s that one like?”
    “Well, we’ve never been inside,” said Harvey. “No one has except the Benevolent Mother and her team, and of course the daughter, Heliad, she who can speak to the mind made of crystal.”
    “Wait,” I said, “there’s a girl in Desenna who can communicate with a crystal skull?”
    “Yes, Heliad. The Daughter of the Sun,” said Harvey. “She has the memory of the first people.”
    “Got it,” I said, and felt a little fall inside at hearing this. I glanced at Lilly, but she didn’t meet my gaze. The Nomads had mentioned a skull in the south and a girl, but I had still hoped that the third Atlantean might be Lilly. This pretty much made it official that she wasn’t. Lilly didn’t react. It was like she’d known all along.
    “What else does this passage from the Epics say?” Leech asked.
    “It talks first about the journey of the Atlanteans,” said Harvey, “after the flood that destroyed their civilization. The people tried to rebuild, but they had lost so much that the Atlantean society never recovered to its prior heights. Eventually, it evolved into other civilizations: Sumerian, Egyptian, Chinese, Olmec, which in turn evolved into others, and so on until now.”
    Some of this sounded familiar from what Lük had told me in the skull.
    “And that’s just the beginning,” said Harvey. “There’s—”
    “Harvey . . .” Lucinda tugged on his arm. “These kids must be starving.” She smiled kindly at us. “Aren’t you?”
    “Kinda, yeah,” I admitted.
    “Of course,” said Harvey. “Sorry. Luce is right. We have so much to tell you, but not on empty stomachs. Will you join us?”
    “We’re kind of in a hurry,” I said. “Eden is coming.”
    “Yes, I’m sure they are,” said Harvey, “but, like I said, this is a monitoring station. We have sensors in place. If anyone gets within thirty kilometers of this place, we’ll know and can get out of here. I’ll show you the readouts. This way.” Harvey took Lucinda’s hand and they