Fall of Atlantis (Celestia Chronicles Book 3/Seasons Arc: Book 3)

Chapter 5: Playing the Long Game

Jade, Hendok, Serenity, Kendra, and Wemsly sat at a table in an underground cavern. As Jade snacked on some berries that sat in a dish before her Serenity and Wemsly hugged each other like there was no tomorrow.

"I'm sure you have a few questions" Kendra began.

"What is this place, How is he alive, why was he in your police force, why did you start the police force, why did you turn on my mom and dad, why are you working with Vex, and why a secret resistance?" Jade said. "Let's start with those..." She added, surveying her aunt closely.

"Well I guess the best question to start with is why I am working with Vex" Kendra contemplated. "The short answer is I'm not really."

"The long answer" Jade pressed.

"Is the answer to the other questions. I wanted Vex to believe I wanted order in Atlantis but after how close I was to Arda getting him to trust me would be no easy task. I had to think outside the box- a trait our family is quite good at. I proposed banishing Arda, Saje, and your father so Vex wouldn't publicly execute Arda. I wanted to push the narrative of maintaining order through a system of secret punishment because it served my plan: The Secret Resistance. My duty has always been to protect the people of this city and I knew that they would rebel against the new leadership. I had to protect the people from themselves and Vex at the same time.

"The Secret Police force was to serve a single purpose: create an army in plain sight to take back the city when the chosen one arrives. Anyone who spoke out against the police force were ideal candidates to serve in the army. They were willing to risk their lives for what was right. I said that they were executed when in reality I've been filling the ranks of the police force with the very people who they were supposedly killing. I trained them, I protected them, and I gave them a goal to fight for."

"That's why I'm alive" Wemsly said. "I was recruited into this just like all the others. I couldn't leave the city to be with Serenity because all the work Kendra has been doing for the past twenty years would have been for naught."

"I had to play the long game" Kendra insisted. "Once Xavier left I knew it was only a matter of time before the prophecy was started and I needed to bide my time. I became a target for everyone's hate because I believed in what I was doing. I had to keep the truth from my own family because I was afraid of the secret getting out. Vex may be here but Lucifer still has other people working for him all over the country."

"So what now" Hendok asked.

"Now we have the Queen piece" Kendra said. "Our ace in the hole- The Chosen One. It is time to take our city back!"

"Alright then" Jade declared. "Let's do this!"

"Not so fast" Kendra said, "We still need the others- especially Arda. She needs to be present for the coup."

"Why" Asked Serenity.

"Arda means something to the people of Atlantis" Kendra explained, "She's a symbol of hope for those who have lost theirs during this tyrannical rule. Having her here during the coup will inspire the citizens and send a message."

"What about Vex" Serenity asked. "The fact that you just disappeared for an hour or so with me and Jade the second we walked into the city will make him suspicious."

"Unless" Jade said slowly thinking aloud, "We make it look like something else- a sort of warning." Jade looked up a her aunt. "Punch me in the face- and make it leave some damage" a sly smile spreading across her face.