The Atlantean Chronicles: Call of the Sea

Chapter Seventeen

"Waky, waky princess..."

Diana's head snapped up and she coughed profusely as water was dumped over her head. She blinked, trying to adjust to the bright light shining in her eyes. Her vision was blurry and her head was pounding.

It took her a minute to recall what had happened. She had been on the beach with Jacin...

Her eyes snapped open with a gasp. She ignored the ache that flashed in the back of her eyes as she forced her vision to focus; her heart hammered in her chest as panic set in.

Slowly she came to her senses enough to determine her current situation. She was seated on her knees, her arms bound behind her back in the middle of a massive room. It seemed to be carved out of coral. Peach colored columns rose the whole length of each side of the extensive room. The ceiling was domed, made of a sea green coral formation, with scalloped detailing carved into it, and gold painted trim.

The floor was made of a coral colored marble with grey and blue veining throughout it. In the center was a long, slender green carpet that ran the length of the room, leading up to a set of four massive steps.

Her gaze slowly followed the steps up to two beautifully designed thrones ensconced in a half dome structure, designed similarly to the roof of the room. Beautiful designs were carved and painted on the wall behind the thrones and two statues were posted on either side of the first step. They were carved of the same material as the floor, two perfectly sculpted men in full ancient Atlantean armor. Their heads were raised slightly and they each proudly lifted a trident in their outside hand. If only they knew who they honored now, she thought to herself, recalling from her studies that those statues had been built in honor of the royal family, made by their people as a symbol of loyalty and friendship.

Someone kicked Diana in the back and she struggled to keep herself from keeling forward and face planting. She looked over her shoulder and glowered at the man who had kicked her. He must have been a guard, judging from his heavy golden armor and long spear.

He peered down at her from behind his helmet and frowned. Diana spat on his boot in disgust and he kicked her in the jaw in reply. Diana's hung swung back around and her shoulders slumped. Blood pooled in her mouth and she quickly spat it out, staining the floor in front of her.

"Please, there's no need for that Hroth," a cool, venomous and familiar voice cooed from somewhere behind her.

Diana stiffened, allowing the anger boiling inside her to overcome the fear and panic threatening to take over. She didn't dare look up as he walked around to the front of her, his boots slowly clipping on the stone floor. Instead, she glared at his bare feet. He wore golden greaves over his shins, made of intricately designed golden metal, layered like giant fish scales.

He knelt down in front of her, trying to make her meet his gaze. She turned her face away, defiantly. "You should be thanking me," he said simply.

Diana's eyes widened and she whipped her head around, finally meeting Meison's gaze. "Thanking you?" she exclaimed, filling with satisfaction when blood spattered on his porcelain face.

Meison hardly flinched. His dark eyes filled with disdain as he slowly straightened and dabbed at the blood with the end of his crimson cloak. He walked up to the throne and sat down, so that he looked down on her. He truly looked like royalty in his gold plated armor. His cloak wrapped around his neck, clasped together by a large golden amulet over the left side of his chest. He wore a three pronged crown that perfectly framed his pale face. His dark hair was long and cascaded just over his shoulders, the crown keeping it out of his face. Though with his hair pushed back, there was no hiding his gruesome scar. Indeed, the crown seemed to highlight it, making it visible to all. She wondered who had dealt him that blow.