Atlantian

becoming atlantian [18]

Chapter18

It had been nothing but mayhem since that word had been uttered. And yet, all the red headed Atlantian could do was gape. How does this man know who I am? She thought to herself with her pulse thudding loudly within her ears. She knew that the island of Atlantis had been missing from this world for at least fifty years and yet they still knew of the legend – still knew who their protectors were.

She had balked for too long. All too soon Aubrey found herself ushered to a dining table – no the dining table. A platter of fresh food was placed before her and a large goblet of rich red wine was offered to her by a toga wearing servant. She would have admired the good view if she wasn’t too busy blushing at how much that outfit did not cover.  She’s never seen the male body in person and she was not about to take advantage of the peep show going on around her.

“So Atlantian, what is your business here in Troy?” The elderly man beside her questioned in a voice that was full of gentle authority. “Do you have word from the gods about the outcome of this war?”

Spluttering her mouthful of wine at the unexpected question, she took her moment of choking to regain her composure and think up an answer that would pacify the Trojan leader. She noted that the man sitting steadfastly at the table adjacent to theirs was shifting uncomfortably as he caressed his large round stomach that resembled that of a woman in her last month of pregnancy.

No doubt, Aubrey thought, he will try and argue against anything I say - first because I am a woman, and second because I am not a member of the temples and do not bow to the whims of his gods and their ‘signs’.

“I am here to learn of the world.  I am a recent rebirth and must partake in training?” the girl meant it to be a statement but it was more of a question as she struggled to try and speak without giving away the knowledge she had of troy – or more importantly, its downfall.

“Then, it is a logical conclusion that there are others of your kind in our ranks.”

The old man leant back in his seat and took a hearty swig of his wine before waving his hand at the collection of musicians in the corner. Thus the red head was prevented from protesting his claims and was forced to sit back and enjoy the trivialities of the day. But she found that her appetite was non-existent as nerves tumbled through her stomach like they had been put on the spin cycle.

I am going to be in so much trouble, she thought while muttering curses under her breath.  

As she absently took a sip of her wine and felt the alcohol buzzing through her body, Aubrey couldn’t help but wonder what Tiberius would say to all of this when he found out. She only hoped that she hadn’t messed up the grand plan as far as Troy was concerned – though it was quite likely considering the words that she had given to Achilles.

Shaking her head back and forth to rid herself of such thoughts, she does her best to join in the festivities while cursing her rotten luck and the other Atlantians for leaving her behind. She was in a particular funk of self-pity when a guard stepped in the room, his face animated as he conversed rapidly with his companion. It would have gone unnoticed except the man let loose a full bodied laugh drawing the attention of the room.

Immediately the young red head was sitting up as her eyes became focused solely on the man – her mentor, Tiberius. It was like he felt her gaze burning into the side of his face and his laugh faltered in mid chuckle.  Turning his head, his eyes searched for the source and then they stilled. He just blinked as the two Atlantians’ gazes met over the top of the other diners’ heads.

His mouth dropped open slightly his eyes widened as he took in the vision before him. Meanwhile Aubrey could not resist allowing a brilliant smile to form on her lips nor could she stop her hand from waving at him.

He took an involuntary step towards her before stopping himself and gesturing his head to the side or more importantly to the corridor outside. Aubrey glanced around and made sure no one else was paying attention to the pair of them before she nodded back her response.

Simultaneously the pair returned to their previous occupation which to the undead woman, it was nothing more than staring absently at her plate. A glance at the people on either side of her revealed that all of them were fully drawn into their conversations and were not even looking at her.

Slowly rising to her feet, the librarian in Aubrey revelled in her light footsteps which she had obtained through years of tiptoeing through the bookshelves to maintain the peaceful atmosphere of a bibliophile’s sanctuary. It was a painful three minutes squeezing her body past the Trojan royal family to reach the hallway.

Only moments later, her breath was stolen from her lungs as arms wrapped around her body and Aubrey found herself pulled into a bone crushing hug. She smiled and leant back into the embrace. It took several minutes before Tiberius, who had buried his face into his charges curly red locks, managed to gain his composure enough that he could separate his body from his.

Holding her at arm’s length, the scarred warrior could only open and close his mouth as he tried to find the right words to say. Finally he was able to articulate himself enough to spit out a spluttered “how?”

“I have no idea,” Aubrey replied allowing her gaze to meet his. “I woke up as they were trying to burn my body and send me off into the underworld.” Her entire frame shudders at the memory of the pain which had licked up her limbs only a day or so ago.

“You really are going to be a special one.” He murmured before bring the woman into another hug. She relented for a moment knowing that he needed the contact – more in reassurance to himself that she was truly there and that she was not a figment of his imagination.

After a few long minutes of it though, she forced her arms between them to create some space. Then allowing her gaze to meet his, Aubrey tried to convey the seriousness of what she had yet to say.

“That may be, but that’s not what is important.” Her brows drew together as she tried to show how earnest her words were. “I can get over being special, but the thing that is going to throw a spanner in the works is that someone is trying to kill me. I didn’t kill myself. Well, technically I did but it was not of my own free will that I threw myself onto that blade. And if I am right, the person who wants me dead has plans that are a hundred times bigger than just me.”

The warrior’s face hardened before her very eyes and she let out a wince when his hands clasped around the tops of her arms and squeezed tightly. Desperation coated his tone as he begged for her to answer and yet there was an underlying note which let the ex-librarian know that he didn’t truly want to know.

“Who?” He questioned, his voice barely more than a strained whisper.

Blinking back at him she gave him a grim smile.

“The Matriarch.”