Here is a podcast from my book Son of Atlantis.

http://www.amazon.com/Son-Atlantis-Trilogy-Book/dp/0983678715

Jean and the Promise

Jean and the Promise

by Christopher Pelletier Copyright 2009
“Come on, Pierre,” said Jean. Her brother shuffled through the yellow wildflowers that spotted the fields just outside of Domrémy. The mid-morning sun warmed the spring air, providing them with a fresh feeling.

Pierre darted after his older sister but the long-legged Jean was not to be caught. Her straw-blonde hair hung braided down her back, and thumped her with each stride. She cast a smile to her brother who never gave up trying to tag her. With a gleeful shriek, she dropped and rolled into the long grass. Her brother copied her, and they both looked at the sky through the green spear points. They rolled on their backs, and Pierre pointed up saying,

“What’s that?” Jean gazed at the cloud he indicated and said, “It looks like a cow.”

Pierre laughed and said, “No, it’s a horse. A knight’s horse. And it’s a French one. Not some stupid Burgundian or English one.”

Jean turned to her brother and smiled. “Maybe you’re right.”

She had seen too many of those invaders. Her village was in the eastern part of France and was too close to Burgundy. But her father, who was a local official as well as a farmer, managed to hold off raiders without much loss of property or life. Several sacks of grain bought off hungry soldiers-for-hire.

Jean looked back into the sky and saw a cloud forming in the breeze far away. It was a long line with a bar. She knew that symbol well. She tried to point to the cross in the sky, but her arm would not move, like it belonged to someone else.

Panic, an inner fire, spread throughout her body. The sounds of nature around her dulled into silence, and all she heard were her shallow breaths and rapid heartbeat. Jean struggled in vain to break free of the spell that held her. But all she could do was stare up into the sky. What’s happening to me?

Then an unearthly voice said, “Jean of Domrémy, France has been suffering far too long. The war with England sickens God, and you will stop it. You will do so by going to Charles the Dauphin and see that he fights the English. Through this action and by this symbol, France shall be restored.”

The cross-shaped cloud whirled around and looked like a flaming sword. Tears rolled down Jean’s cheeks. If God owns a sword, this has to be it. “Go now to your father,” the voice said, “for he is in need. Do not hesitate.”

Unblinking, Jean gaped at the sword cloud, which dissolved into the sky. Her brother’s face appeared above her. His mouth was moving, but she could not hear anything he said. Pierre shook her a bit, and then she heard him. “Jean—Jean, are you all right?”

She sprung upright, making her brother reel back and gasp. “We have to go back to the farm.”

“What?” he said and scrunched up his face. “Why? It’s such a nice day and we’re having fun and—”

“Papa’s in trouble. Come on!”

Jean shot up and sprinted through the grass towards home, not even checking whether her brother was even following her. She just ran. The fields turned into hills. And from there she could see her village below.

Several English mounted sergeants and a score of infantrymen were pushing around a group of her neighbors. Pierre caught up with her and saw what was happening. He looked to Jean wide-eyed and said, “How— how did you know?”

“God told me.”

Being naïve, Pierre ran towards the farmhouse at the edge of the village. Jean ran after him. “Pierre stop!”

But it was too late. A small group of men-at-arms that were marching on a nearby trail towards the village spotted Pierre. “Halt!”

Jean ran after her stupid brother. The men broke formation and chased the children. The heavy plate and chain armor clanked with each step. But there was also an archer in the group, and he was quick. Jean had often heard that the English soldiers sometimes liked to make sport of children and hunt them like deer. For once, the stories seemed true.

She caught up with Pierre and pulled him along. They both screamed, “Papa!”

Their father emerged from the barn and said, “Jean, Pierre, come quickly!”

With legs burning, Jean and her brother raced to protection. The family dogs met them in the field and playfully nipped at her legs. Jean took a moment and looked back and saw the longbowman stop, knock an arrow, and take range.

The words she had heard in the flowery field echoed in her mind, so the fear from being stalked ended. She knew she would not be harmed, so she relaxed her stride and slowed down.

As her brother continued running like mad to their father, she stopped and faced the archer, looking him in the eye. The arrow sped from the bow, and time seemed to slow down. Jean could see the shaft approach, and could almost hear its feathers whistling in the wind. This was to be her first test. She put her hands at her sides, and awaited God’s verdict.

The arrow sped and landed with a thud between her feet. She knew the promise made to her was real. Jean looked down at the arrow stuck in the dirt and then up to the sky. Her teary eyes closed and her mouth opened wide into a toothy smile. She stretched her arms upward to heaven.

France will be saved, and I’m to be her savior.

THE BLUE CAVE

The Blue Cave
by
Christopher Pelletier
copywrite 2009


Billy woke up to what he had been seeing for the past four days: the wide blue ocean with clear a horizon. His former ship’s grating on which he floated kept his dirty pantaloons mostly dry; but occasionally the water popped up through the square holes keeping his seat constantly wet. He did not pay it much mind anymore. His red scarf kept his neck protected from the sun, and his white chemise had many tears in it, with several attempts at patchwork. The sudden storm which sunk the Raven did not allow him to take a change of clothes. In fact, the only possessions he managed to take were the Captain’s locked chest, a tin mug, and a seaman’s knife.

Hunger was all that he had for breakfast, and he was so thirsty that he wanted to take a drink from the salty water underneath him. The gunner’s mate had once talked about a similar situation that he had been in and said “If ye gets caught on an open boat fer a long spell, don’t ye be drinkin’ the sea water. It’ll only make ye thirstier.”

Misfortune seemed to always follow Billy ever since he was forced to sign aboard the Raven two years before. He was a fourteen-year-old cabin boy turned pirate overnight. The role never quite felt right to him.

The last ship they had taken was a merchantman, not unlike his former ship. The pirates intimidated the captain and crew of the other ship and set them adrift in a longboat. Billy had never stopped feeling bad for that crew. Although the pay and treatment was much better aboard a pirate ship, Billy found himself often battling his conscience.

Pirates had a sense of equality among their fellow shipmates, though, unlike the crew aboard merchant ships. Even though Billy was greener than the rest, he still had equal shares as the rest of the hands, except for the captain or those injured during battle.

Now I must be cursed, he thought. I be paying the price fer signin’ on with the devils. But they’ve paid their debt in full durin’ the storm.

He looked to the morning Caribbean sun and cupped his hands in prayer just like he had seen his former shipmates do after a hard night of rum drinking in Tortuga. He started his prayer as they did, “Dear God, if ye get me through this, I’ll change my wicked ways. I was ever a fool to sign on a ship on the account. I see that now. Grant me a pardon, get me out of this, and I swears to ye, dear God, that I will ne’er step one foot aboard a ship unless it be an honorable one. I swears it in blood!”

His dagger pricked his left index finger and droplets of blood spilled to the ocean. “Idiot,” he said aloud, “now the sharks will know where to look fer ye!”

He sat with his back to his former captain’s chest. The motion of the ocean rocked him gently back and forth and soon sleep overtook him.

The afternoon came and his groggy eyes opened to see a rocky island jutting up from the waters dead ahead of him. He nearly fell into the water when he leapt up. His bouncing made it an unstable platform, but he managed to keep his balance. He started to dance a jig and grabbed a plank that he had used for an oar. With eager heaves, he brought his wooden grating closer to the island.

As he got closer, his smile diminished. The island was a small-ish set of dark, barren rocks, devoid of any green, birds, and place to get ashore. He plopped down onto the grating and put his face in his hands. He shook his head back in forth and said, “Why me?”

As if an answer to his question, he heard some singing. It was melodic, but faint. Was his mind playing tricks on him? But the more he listened, the more he assured himself that it was a girl’s voice.

Grabbing the plank, he stroked some more and moved in the direction of the singing. After rounding the island, he came to a cave entrance. It was quite different from the outer appearance of the dark island, for it glowed with a pale blue color.

He called into the cave, “Ahoy in there!”

The singing immediately stopped. He heard some splashing and then nothing.

He paddled into the cave and marveled at the aura of blue. He had never seen anything like it. His vessel eased in a ways from the entrance, and he lashed it to a nearby rock with some shredded line.

Billy heard the water move behind him and turned to see a head peeping out at him. It was a girl! She had dark hair and, whether it was due to the lighting of the cave or not, greenish colored skin. Her eyes were yellow and she looked upon Billy with curiosity.

“Umm. Hullo,” said Billy with a smile and a wave.

The girl dived down and disappeared. Billy sat back and scratched his head. But it was not too long before she returned and offered him an amulet. He bowed his head, took it and put it around his neck. The girl said to him, “Can you understand me?”

“Aye.”

“Good,” she said hopping onto a flat rock several feet away from him, revealing her fishy lower torso.

Billy had heard some tales of mermaids but never believed in them. But here was one right before him in the blue cave. “Can ye help me? I's aboard a ship, ya see, but it sunk during a storm.”

“I have seen many sunken ships.”

“Well, I's lucky and lived to tell about it. My shipmates weren't so lucky.”

“What do you want?” asked the mermaid.

“For starters, how about some victuals and drink.”

“There is plenty of water in here.”

“No, I can’t drink the sea water.”

“No, no, no. Look on that wall.”

Billy turned and saw a small stream of fresh water. Eagerly he reached his cup out and filled it up. Three times he did so. The mermaid had disappeared again but returned with some fish. It was uncooked, but he did not care at all. He devoured the lot and picked the bones from his mouth.

“Thank ye kindly, miss. ”

She just nodded.

“Can ye help me get home? Or at least to somewhere that people are?”

“My people are below the ocean.”

“I meant people people. I can’t live underwater.”

“I know. I have tried to help your kind before, but they all died when I brought them to my family. You are not like us.”

“Aye, we are very different. So, can ye help me?”

Her fin slapped at the water and she gazed at the ripples. With the light of an idea glowing on her face she said, “If you can impress me, do some wonderful things for me, I will help you back to your people.”

“Like what?”

“That is for you to figure out,” she said. She slid off the rock into the water and disappeared again.

Billy grabbed some more water and sat in thought. What am I goin' to do to impress her?

Night came and the cave had a dim glowed with a magical dim blue light from some sea lichen. Billy just sat on the grating and tapped his dagger on the grating. His thoughts went to the chest that he was leaning on. It was locked and Billy thought of trying to use his knife to pry it open, but thought better of it, as he did not wish to break the blade.

He found a loose stone nearby, and he hoped that it was hard enough. He raised the make-shift key and slammed it onto the lock once, twice and on the third strike it busted open.

He was a cabin boy for two years and had never seen the contents of his captain’s chest. Inside he found a logbook, a nautical chart, a piece of flint, a black flag, a candle, a sewing palm for the sails as well as needle and some heavy thread, some coins of various nationalities and a brush and mirror.

What am I going to do with this stuff?

Billy took the flint and ran his knife along it. Sparks shot out and he lit the candle. He dripped some melted wax onto the grating and set the candle into it so it could stand by itself.

Grabbing the logbook, Billy turned the pages, but could not read the writing. There were some illustrations of women and ships in it which he found entertaining. He wished he had a pen to draw some pictures to pass the time.

The mermaid popped her head up and said, “Oh, how wonderful!”

Billy looked up from the book and said, “What is?”

“That! That light! I have never seen anything like it! It is truly amazing.”

Billy noticed that she was looking at the candle. “Oh, this? I just lit it up so I could look at this old book.”

“I am impressed landsman. What is your name?”

“Billy Green. How about yers?”

“Salion,” she said with a smile. Her teeth were sharpened at their ends.
Avast there, she’s impressed, thought Billy. “So, ye like it?”

“Very much.”

“How about helping me to get home then?”

“I still want to see more.”

She threw some food onto the grating and dove back down to the deep.

She wasn’t too happy about getting me home. I wonder if she ever will…

He thumbed through the book some more and ate his fish until sleep caused his eyes to droop. He extinguished the candle and went to sleep.

The next morning, Billy was hard at work with some black fabric, complements of the Jolly Roger. Salion brought him some breakfast and tried to look on. Billy turned his body away to prevent her from seeing what he was doing and asked her to return before night. She shrugged with indifference and dove away. He could focus again.
He tried to estimate her size in his mind and was hard at work with his thread and needle, cutting with his knife.

Evening came and she returned with some food. She said, “Well, what were you doing?”

“Here, I made ye this.”

Billy held up a short dress and she spun in circles in the water smiling. “Oh, it is so lovely. What is it?”

“It's a dress I made fer ya. Here, let’s try it on.”

She swam up to him and quivered a bit at being so close to Billy. He slipped the long sleeveless tunic over her head and helped her arms through the holes. The white skull of the flag was on the back.

“I am so lovely. Do people on land wear things like this?”

“Women do. Men don’t. We aren’t done yet. Turn around.”

She did as she was told and Billy brushed her long blue hair. There were some snarls that he had to work out with his knife, but he got her hair proper. He held up a mirror and said, “Turn around.”

She stared into the mirror, as she probably had never seen herself so clearly before. She did not speak for many moments and Billy noticed a tear forming in her eye. “Thank you for the gifts. Can I have that?”

Billy gave her the mirror and she just kept looking into it like she was hypnotized.

“So, can ye help me get to land?”

“Hmmm. Oh, you have been very impressive but I still want to see more. I will be back in the morning.”

“Good ni—“

She was gone before he could finish his sentence. He looked at the book some more.

What am I goin’ to do now? I got nothing to work with. The map’s worthless in the water. He blew out the candle and put his face in his hands.

Morning came and Salion brought him his breakfast once again. He was sitting up looking at the book and twirling a gold coin in his fingers. She dropped the food on the grating and said, “Well, what do you have for me today.”

Billy shuffled on the grating and scooted closer to her. He said, “I am glad you like the candle and the dress and the mirror. I have been trying to think all night of what I could give you that you haven’t had before….”

“Well?”

“Come here.”

She swam up to him and he bent down close to her. He could see that she was shaking a bit and almost ready to swim off, so he approached slowly. He touched the back of her head. It was not unwelcomed. He brought his mouth close to hers and closed his eyes. Their mouths met and he kissed her as he had seen from the drawings in the book.

He awkwardly chewed her lips a little. Her breath tasted of fish. He had never thought his first kiss would be with a mermaid. But he could feel a tingling in his body. He liked it.

The kiss ended and he opened his eyes. Salion still had hers closed and she drifted a ways back from the grating.

He said, “Well?”

Still with eyes closed and mouth opened she slipped under the water.
What does that mean? Did she like it?

He sat back against the opened chest and opened the book. She returned after quite a bit of time. Three dolphins accompanied her.

“What is this? A party?” Billy said.

“No, they will help to bring you home. I have given them instructions. You have given me so much. Now I will give you your gift.”

Another two dolphins came up bearing a chest between them, lashed by some lines from some sunken vessel. Billy took it and put it on the grating.

“It is full of those round pieces that you were playing with earlier and some pretty colored stones. I collected them from other ships. We have no use for them down here. Maybe you could use them where you are going.”

Maybe? Oh, Salion, you have given me a king’s ransom in gold and gems!

He shouted for joy and bent down to offer one more kiss. Salion swam up to him to enjoy the experience one more time before they parted.

After their passionate embrace, Billy kissed Salion’s forehead and lashed a longer line to two holes in the grating. He made a huge bowline in the end of the line and the three dolphins took it in their mouths like a huge bridle and started to swim out of the cave. They pulled the grating and Billy was on his way. He turned and could see Salion watching him and he waved goodbye to her. She returned his wave.
The island grew small in the distance as he headed to open sea. He smiled as the spray licked his face. He was heading to land, returning to civilization and people—and not just as an empty-handed cabin boy, but as a young gentleman of fortune.

Son of Atlantis: Chapter III

Chapter 3
Journey


Copyright 2011
Courtesy of Christopher Pelletier and DLJ Publishing, LLC


Ziustros arrived at the Mount Atlas Observatory and de-energized his bronze crystal-powered motor carriage. His eyelids closed and his head bowed low. Then his throat went dry and started to constrict. He slapped the steering lever in frustration. Kylos’s plans of joining the Nereids brought back memories of the hard time, and now this fighting…

What’s becoming of that boy?

He lifted his head and saw the sun was dipping under the ocean, painting the sky a fiery red with deep purple clouds. The last mournful cries of a nearby gull sang, stabbing Ziustros in the heart.

His heavy steps carried him to the gray brick building with the large unpolished bronze dome on the roof. The spacious gas-lit chamber reflected light on the blue-tiled floor. His sandaled footsteps echoed in the silent space. The giant hunk of white crystal in the center of the chamber gave off a warm energy, and scroll-filled shelves, which were as high as two men, stretched along the length of the far wall.

Ziustros made his way to one end and took out a rolled parchment and brought it to his chestnut-stained oak desk. The soft leather cushioning on his chair creaked as he sat down. After his long drive to the observatory, the seat comforted his aching spirit.

Emotions lingered, so he took five deep breaths, like pearl diver’s breaths, to clear those feelings. Now he could relax and try to focus on tonight’s work.
A door to another chamber opened and Galen, Ziustros’s apprentice, entered the observation chamber.

“Oh! Greetings of the evening, sir. I didn’t hear you come in.”

Ziustros shook out the heaviness in his mind and looked at his pupil. “Greetings of the evening, Galen. Oh, could you get me the planetary chart? I think that I’ll take a look at what’s out there tonight.”

The assistant bowed, grabbed the scroll without a pause, and gently placed it on the desk. He took a step back and bowed once more.

“Thank you,” said Ziustros while examining his records from his last jaunt to the
planets.

Galen cleared his throat and broke the silence. “It’s a beautiful night, sir. Perfect for the telescopes.”

“You go ahead and check out the northern quadrant. I know it’s not as exciting as The Chair, but soon you’ll be ready.”

“I can’t wait.”

Why can’t Kylos be like Galen? Ziustros thought. He unrolled the scroll with the planets of the solar system. The chart had been done in color with quite a bit of detail and had many notations written on it. Galen stood by, bouncing on his toes. Ziustros smiled. “Maybe later tonight we’ll do some more cosmic astral training.”

“Really? Thank you, sir,” Galen said, his grin displaing his misaligned teeth. He trotted away to dust the shelves and organize the scrolls.

Ziustros gazed at the chart and eyed Mars, especially since it was so bright in the sky that night. The red planet with its immense canyons, deeply-cut canals, enormous volcanoes, and pristine polar ice had always intrigued Ziustros. Many times he wondered if it had life on it at one point, some time long before he had been born, perhaps when the Gods were young. Inside, he yearned to visit the planet in his physical body. But he was a realist and knew that his dream would go unfulfilled, as long as Atlantis lacked space-faring technology.

Maybe in a thousand years, he mused to himself. Astral projection will have to suffice for now.

He looked up and saw a younger version of himself in Galen. Maybe Ziustros had been a little more extroverted and social-savvy than his apprentice, but Galen’s mind swam in the same pool of star exploration. Ziustros recalled that his own love affair with astronomy had started during his teens. He had often gazed upon them over the ocean. His dream of studying them had come to pass and he could not have asked the Gods for more… except for two things.

But it was not time for relive all of his life’s tragedies. Now was time to explore. A youthful feeling energized him, the anticipation of getting out into the void and unknown. He never grew tired of it, and hoped he could do it for the rest of his life. He wished Kylos would take enough interest to join him one day.

With a push, he got up from his comfy desk chair and made his way to The Chair, which was a longer seat that had a tanned lion’s hide stretched over a frame made from elephant tusks. The tips of the tusks served as legs of the seat, and bits of crystal ran the length of each piece of ivory to enhance the power for astral travel. He had so much reverence for that particular piece of furniture. It allowed his spirit to soar through the heavens. The Chair seemed like a gift from the Gods.

Galen noticed him getting up and scrambled to fetch the astral chime and his own scrolls filled with notes from Ziustros’s previous travels. The assistant put both onto a desk near The Chair.

The milky crystal glowed with a dim light. Ziustros could feel its energy flowing into his blue crystal on his chest and into the crystals surrounding him, due to the proximity to the powerful rock. He eased himself into the lion skin, which had been set at a 45-degree inclination to promote more of a relaxed state.

Traveling through space always sapped energy from Ziustros, as it had done to his many predecessors. He had to mentally and emotionally prepare for the physical drain by clearing away the anxieties that troubled him. He had more today than usual. Galen took his post by the chime and Ziustros nodded. The apprentice then struck the instrument which produced a pure vibration. The pitch resonated in the chamber, perfectly matching Ziustros’s bio-rhythms. He closed his eyes and rolled them back.

It was not long before he felt weightlessness within his body.

Astral projection always started with the sensation of being swept away, as if caught in a fast-moving river. The soul always felt convinced that the body was dying, so once the process began, he had to loosen the reins on his will, which wanted to keep the connection between body and soul. This allowed his essence to slip out.

As soon as he became separated, he saw with his astral eyes that Galen was sitting down at his desk with a stylus and inkwell near the scroll, watching Ziustros’s unmoving body on The Chair. The boy waited with his arm resting on the desk for any words that his Master may say. The crystal glowed with a bright illumination.
After confirming that all was well, Ziustros left the observatory through the ceiling in his astral form. The power of the observatory’s crystal enhanced his vision. He paused in his flight to take in the view of the night sky. So many stars to explore, so little time in a life to do it in.

The orange glimmering of Mars was easy to spot. With a focus of his will, the power of the crystal shot him through the atmosphere and into space. He streaked through the silent void of the physical universe, but he felt the warmth of cosmic energy which filled the space. He had explained to Galen that it was like swimming without the resistance of water, and yet always surrounded by something akin to water.

Within hardly any time he arrived at Mars. He stopped a few hundred miles away to take in the sight of that red world which had sandstorms of such ferocity that the storms of the Atlantic seemed like breezes by comparison. The beautiful sphere in front of him floated like a ball on a black ocean. The scene reminded him of a fresco that someone had painted on the ceiling of one of the rooms in the observatory. But the painting did not match the beauty before his eyes.

If only Kylos could see this. Then I know he’d want to become an—

Something disturbed the cosmic harmony. A pressure was building up in the astral realm, something moving fast.

Ziustros looked around and saw a wake in the astral sea. The trail was easy to follow, and Ziustros soon discovered the cause: an enormous chunk of ice was racing through the void of space. He tried to recollect what it could be. For a few moments he was puzzled. Then realization hit him.

Ah, so you’re Typhon’s Comet. You’ve been away for awhile, haven’t you? You’re a beauty, though, that’s for sure.

All thoughts of Mars disappeared. Ziustros looked at the comet with wonder. Typhon was the first comet he had ever seen. He raced ahead of the Gods’ work of art, appreciating its crystalline structure. The purity of its formation inspired awe. A tail had started to form, which served like a weather vane indicating the direction it headed in as it neared the sun. It was a silent snake sneaking its way through the garden of worlds.

Wait a moment. Where exactly are you going?

He aligned his essence with the direction of the comet’s tail and shot ahead of the cruising ice. He stopped within the area of Earth’s orbital path. He spotted and smiled at his lovely blue planet crawling along on its steady trek. In the quiet of space, it seemed so serene, compared to the bustle on life in Atlantis and—realization struck him like a lightning bolt.

By the Gods…

Ziustros took mental notes on the comet’s path relative to Earth’s position, turned towards his home world, and raced back to the observatory.

This could be serious. I’ve got to check this out. I must get back now!

His astral body streaked towards Earth, and he started to panic with the possibilities. His observations could be spelling out the end of everything on the planet. No time for protocol now. He shot down through the sky and slammed into his body, throwing it out of The Chair.

Galen jumped up from his own seat and shrieked. After a moment’s recovery, he scurried to Ziustros’s side. “What is it, sir? Are you all right?”

Ziustros had a throbbing headache and could taste blood in his mouth. A slow, wet trickle came from his nostrils, too. He clutched his weary head and thought he was saying things. But he couldn’t hear any words.

He staggered about in confusion and disorientation, but by sheer will managed to get to his desk. His leg strength was depleted from the astral travel and from the abrupt return to his body. Despite the drain, he had to press on. This was far too important to stop.

Typhon.

He needed to write the calculations down. He had to figure it out. But his head hurt so much.

Need to find out if Earth will be hit—

Ziustros collapsed on the floor with a stylus in one hand and a scroll in the other. His eyes closed one last time before he was released from the pain.


. . . . .


Sleep was the last thing that Kylos could do. His ribs hurt with every breath. The bleeding had stopped, but the memory of the afternoon’s ordeal with Ballero kept on acting itself out in his mind without stop. His vivid dream of a week ago had come true on two accounts now, thanks to that beating from that damned Ballero.

In the darkness of his room he stared at the ceiling. Flickering orichalcum stars and constellations, which his father had put up when Kylos was an infant, glowed from the dim light of the gas streetlamps that crept in through a gap in the curtain. He tried to take his mind off the events of the day and lose himself in the thoughts of the Gods.

As he suppressed his tears, he half-uttered a prayer to Kronos asking for revenge against his enemy. He wished Ballero’s death.

Warmth flowed from his crystal and spread through his chest, so he opened his mind. The familiar feel of Peleus’s thoughts came through. “Hey, Ky. Are you awake?”

“Yeah, it’s kind of tough to go to sleep after what happened today.”

After a long pause Peleus asked, “Do you want to meet tonight and go on a prowl?”

Kylos gave it half a moment of thought. “Yeah, I’ll meet you in thirty minutes.”

The merge ended and with a sigh from pain mixed with exasperation, Kylos sat up and went to his boudoir. He rummaged through his tunics, and pulled out his dark one that was to be used during somber holidays and events, such as funerals. The window was his only way out, so he opened the curtains and unlatched the lock, like he had done many prowls before in the dark of night. He pushed the panes open, and the cool night air swirled around him. He jumped up from his bed, pulled himself to the window sill, and dangled his feet outside. The full-moon showed the sleeping city and the gas lamps lit the streets.

Kylos could not hear any sentry patrols nor any midnight rovers, so he dropped to the flagstones like a cat, scurried away from his house, and made his way to the rendezvous point.

Kylos thought about his other nocturnal excursions in the past and the near run-ins with sentries. He and Peleus always managed to hide in the shadows like thieves. If they had been caught, the sentries would have turned in the pair to their parents, creating more of an awkward situation for Peleus. Kylos doubted his father would even have noticed if his only son had been locked away in prison.

Prowling heightened all of Kylos’s senses, especially since sight could not always be relied on in the dark. He liked to imagine he was on a special Myrmillo mission, maybe as a spy. He focused on the sounds and smells that he would ordinarily not pay attention to. Every noise indicated possible capture, and a good Myrmillo does not get captured.

The journey was quiet, and soon he arrived at the meeting point, but Peleus was nowhere to be seen. A large shadowed recess of a building provided protection, and from there he looked and listened. As he focused his mind on Peleus's psychic frequency and started to transmit his thoughts, a hand grabbed Kylos's shoulder. His heart nearly stopped! Kylos spun around and saw the smiling face of Peleus.

"Gods, don't do that! You scared me half to death."

"You should have seen your face,” Peleus said with a chuckle. “I'll make a good Myrmillo, yet. You didn't even know I was here."

"Well, if you keep eating those pastries, you won’t fit into the armor," said Kylos with a jab to his friend’s belly.

"True enough," Peleus said smiling. "Where to?"

Kylos thought about it for a moment. "Let's see the main crystal."

"That'll be a challenge, but sounds fun."

The hurt in Kylos's body melted away with the thrill of adventure. The sharp aches turned into a dull throb as he and Peleus scurried through the streets.

The pair came to the first bridge, and Peleus said, "That's a bit of luck. No guards."

"We're not at war, remember. But I’m sure that some patrols will make their rounds. Let’s get across as quickly as possible.”

They scurried with heads low over the first bridge. Kylos half-expected to be stopped on the other side by a couple of guards with a group of cold-faced Automatons, but their luck held. A nearby building gave them some cover as they stopped to catch their breaths.

“One crossed, two more to go,” Kylos said.

Their journey through the gas-lit city was a bit time consuming, but they proceeded unchecked. In time, the Fourth Tier was theirs.

Kylos tried to remember where the Great Crystal Omphalos, navel to the world, was housed. Of course, the palace grounds needed to be avoided, as its guards could easily be seen from the pair’s position. Kylos scanned the taller buildings and found the smaller step pyramid with no top. That was it.

His index finger pointed to the stone structure, which sat between Oceanus’s temple and the Royal Palace, and he merged with Peleus saying, “There’s the crystal. Let’s go around behind it and climb. That way, we'll be out of sight of the Royal Guards.”

Peleus nodded and the friends ran through the streets using the cover of shadows and royal buildings until they reached the foot of the pyramid. Smoothed blocks made a staircase rising to the night sky. The steps were about three feet high, so it was more of a climb then a walk for them. But they went up the cool stone slope like mountaineers. The thrill of what waited for them at the end of their ascent spurred them on.

Passing clouds cast a veil over the moon, which helped their stealthy approach. Kylos uttered a short prayer of thanks to Ouranos for his assistance. No guards would spot him and Peleus now, unless those guards were looking for them.

Winded from the climb, they took a rest before the last five steps. Peleus gasped for air and said, “I didn’t know it would be this much work. I’ll choose the spot next time.”

“Oh, it’s good for you,” Kylos said slapping his friend’s shoulder.

“Well, let’s sit here until I catch my breath.”

“Sure.”

They sat looking out at the three tiers below. The orange-ish yellow dots of gas lamps were regularly laid out, glimmering like fireflies and following the curve of each tier. Kylos tried to find his house, but it was too dark, and most roof tops of the residential dwellings looked alike anyway. Kylos smiled at the night view and inhaled the cool, fresh air.

“About this afternoon,” Peleus said with a nervous cough, “I—I want to say thanks again.”

Kylos’s smile turned to a somber scowl.

“Ballero is such an elephant turd,” Peleus continued.

“Yeah,” Kylos said, remembering the beating he got. “I wish I had Myrmillo training. Then I could have held my own much better.”

“Have you thought about joining the Myrmillos, then?”

Kylos scratched his chin. “Yeah. I think my father wants me to join him in the observatory on Atlas. But that’s not for me. No. I have to see the world. Maybe get on a marine detachment or something. How about you?”

“My dad wants me to take over the business someday. I guess that’s why he’s got me going to Chiron’s school. When I come of age next year, he wants me to start trading.”

“Well, you could get on a ship and trade.”

“I think he wants me safe at home and do accounting or something like that. But won’t he be surprised when he finds out I’m a Nereid,” Peleus said with a gleeful chuckle.

Kylos felt he had the closest, truest friend that anyone could ever have. Kylos looked to the block at his feet and said, “My father already found out about the tryouts. I can’t understand why he was so against the idea. But I’m going to get in anyway, despite his disapproval.”

“We’ll get in,” Peleus said, nudging Kylos.

“Of course. We’ll get in and be Lords of the Sea!”

Laughter and camaraderie kept the conversation going. Great deeds were planned and exciting scenarios were created. Their crystals linked their thoughts and imaginations. Together they rode their dolphins on the ocean waves in search of distressed mariners.

Their dreams and ambitions simmered into smiles. The moment allowed Peleus to change the subject. “What about her?”

“Her? Her who?”

“That girl. What’s her name?”

Peleus’s smile was contagious, and soon Kylos could not suppress his smile or his feigned ignorance. “Her name is Ellena.”

“She’s pretty.”

“Yeah. She’s all right.”

“Come on. I know you. You like her, don’t you?”

“Kind of.”

“Kind of? You were looking at her so much during the game that I was surprised you could get the ball at all.”

Kylos laughed. “No, no. She just showed up, and I was surprised. That’s all.”

“So, no feelings?”

“Maybe.”

“In that case, maybe she could fall for a merchant’s son like me,” Peleus said with a broad grin.

“I think she came to see me.”

“It could have been me.”

A hint of doubt stabbed at Kylos’s heart. He fumbled for words.

“Ah,” Peleus said. “Got you! I could smell that jealousy inside you.”

Kylos smacked Peleus in the arm. “Yeah, I like her.”

“She’s nice, even though she’s just a baker’s daughter.”

Kylos thought of Ellena. He had just seen her earlier that day, yet he had a hard time picturing her face exactly as it is. Maybe he never looked at her. Maybe he looked into her soul. There was a glow and warmth within her that enticed Kylos, drawing him in.

“Let’s check out Omphalos now,” Peleus said.

Jarred back to the moment, Kylos nodded, and they climbed some more. When they reached the top, there was an opening shaped like a square about ten feet by ten feet. They edged towards the opening and peered down. Their eyes scarcely blinked.

The inner walls of the pyramid sloped at an inward angle, following the exterior of the pyramid. The smooth, sheer walls had images: Atlas supporting the heavens, dolphins frolicking in the ocean, elephants roaming grassy plains, bulls standing proud in lush fields, along with great Atlantean heroes bearing swords, spears, and shields. Orichalcum highlights on the pictures reflected the gas lighting, creating a magical effect.

On the tiled mosaic floor directly below the opening rose Omphalos, the Great Mother of power to all Atlantean crystals. The translucent rock glowed, according to Chiron, with power pulled from the earth, sea, sky and even Atlanteans.

“It’s amazing,” Peleus said. “Have you ever seen it before?”

“No, never. I’ve seen a hunk of crystal at my father’s observatory many times, but this is a giant compared to that puny bit of rock.”

The crystal was formed as only the Gods could make it, with a slight conical shape. No Atlantean dared defy its purity of form by applying chisel and hammer to it.

Kylos could feel the power in his own crystal grow in intensity just by being within close proximity to Omphalos. But something was not quite right about the Great Crystal.

“Hey, the crystal is not as bright as I imagined it would be,” Peleus said.

“What do you mean?”

“It looks like it’s a bit dark inside.”

Kylos squinted at the crystal and confirmed his friend’s observation—it did have a haze within it, lurking like a gray cloud in the sunlight. Had that always been there? Were they the first to notice it?

Despite the late hour, four bearded men came into the crystal chamber, their red robes denoting their office as the mystical Royal Crystal Attendants. They stood around Omphalos and bowed to it with deep reverence.

One man—presumably the leader—raised his arms and held a golden scepter in his right hand. The group hymned a prayer to Kronos, Oceanus, and Atlas and then continued with a hypnotic, droning chant in meditation.

The group’s deep tone shrouded the space in an ominous atmosphere and sent chills rippling across Kylos’s skin. Something was not right. His mind was starting to feel dizzy, and a headache was setting in.

“Hey, are you OK?” Peleus said.

“I don’t feel so good. We should go.”

Peleus nodded and they took one last look down at the crystal. Just as they did so, the chanting stopped and all four men thrust their arms upward. Both Kylos and Peleus felt a burning in their chest around the crystal area.

The robed men dropped their arms slowly and looked each other. One of them pointed at Kylos. They were spotted. Chaotic dashing about and shouts for guards erupted from the Crystal Attendants.

“Time to go!” Kylos said.

They flew down the steps as quickly as they could, sacrificing safety for speed. If they were caught now, it would mean big trouble. They probably saw something that no non-religious official had ever seen, perhaps was never ever supposed to witness. Who knows what the punishment would be?

Instead of going straight down, Kylos lead them at an angle which would take them closer to the protection of buildings to make an escape. He could hear the clatter of armor and the heavy clunking steps of the fearless Automatons. It seemed everyone had been alerted, and things got more complicated.

From the last drop, then they hit the ground and ran for all they were worth, seeking the safety of shadows. A dark alleyway gave them an escape route that would take them close to the bridge, so they followed it. At the end they stopped and could see the bridge. But a pair of guards denied them an easy escape.

“What do we do?” Peleus said starting to panic. “We can’t wait here until dawn. Our parents will kill us if they find us missing, if those guards don’t find and kill us first.”

Kylos’s mind raced through possibilities. They could try to jump over the bridge and plunge into the dark water below, but that would be a long swim to the Main Canal in hopes of finding some ladder to let them out, all the while praying that guards would not be waiting to question them, or worse. No, there had to be another way.

The crystal resting on Kylos’s chest still surged with power and felt warm. He felt connected with a strong force, one that he could nearly make out with his eyes, as if he were looking through thinly woven gauze. The two sentries’ psychic-frequencies became known to him just by looking at them. Kylos visualized himself and Peleus darting in front of the guards and running towards the pyramid.

The two guards watched two phantoms running by and gave chase. Peleus looked at Kylos and said, “Wow! They’re gone. Let’s go.”

Kylos barely heard Peleus’s words and just followed out of instinct. The boys barreled towards the bridge and did not stop to look back until they were nestled safely in the shadowed recess of a nearby nobleman’s manor.

“Gods, that was lucky,” Peleus said between breaths. “They must have seen someone else and thought they were us.”

“Yeah, maybe they did,” Kylos said. The haze of the astral realm was fading away, and his crystal no longer stirred with energy. A buzzing headache continued to build, though. He could not understand what had just happened with the sentries, but he knew that somehow he was the cause. The thought scared him.

How did I do that?

If you have enjoyed the story so far, you can enjoy Chapter 4 Hope at:

http://sonofatlantis.wordpress.com/

Son of Atlantis: Chapter II

GAMES
copyright 2011
courtesy of Christopher Pelletier
and DLJ Publishing, LLC

The day of the Pelota game came quicker than Kylos had imagined. He had been busy working on his big geography project and had not given much thought to the weekend. But the day had arrived and Kylos woke up early to make the most of it. Amblix did not even have to wake him.

In the dining room, Kylos found out that his father had come home earlier than usual and gone to bed straight away. A small bit of luck. Breakfast could be enjoyed in solitude without any stress before he had to play. He felt a call coming in from Peleus, so he placed his bread on the plate and focused on his crystal.

“Hey, when are we going to meet?” Peleus said. Kylos could sense the anticipation and excitement in his friend’s thoughts. It brought a smile to his face.

“The game is at the tenth hour at the Second Tier wall, so I’ll meet you at the bakery in forty minutes.”

“Great. See you then.”

Kylos relaxed his mind and picked up the pace of his eating. The soup went down in several gulps, and he ran to his room. From a drawer he took out his wicker scoop and put it on his right hand, examining it for any holes that might have worn through. The scoop looked fine, so he shoved it in a cloth bag that was specially designed to hold his Pelota equipment. With his bag slung around his shoulder, he was out the door.

The weekend traffic on the street was lighter than on the weekdays. More people must have been enjoying their time off and sleeping in, he figured. But Kylos had a big day ahead, so he needed to hustle.

When he got to the bakery, he found Peleus eyeing a fruit muffin. “Don’t you ever eat breakfast?”

“Yeah, but it never fills me up,” Peleus said. He shook his bag containing his Pelota scoop. “Besides, I need the extra food to give me strength for today.”

Kylos laughed at his friend’s logic. Then she came out, the girl from his dream. She smiled and said to Kylos, “Greetings of the day. May I help you?”

Peleus cleared his throat and held up a shiny silver coin saying, “Yes, I’ll take one of those.”

She smiled at Peleus, and then turned her attention to Kylos. “Anything for you?”

“No, I’m fine thanks,” Kylos said. Now that he was up close, he got a good look at her, and his desire grew. He wanted to say more to this amazing girl, but his courage was lacking.

She gave a shrug and said, “Very well. I’ll be right back.”

She went back into the bakery and brought out a sheet of translucent papyrus and placed Peleus’s syrup-covered bun on it. Peleus said, “You don’t have to wrap it up. We’re kind of in a hurry.”

“Really? Where are you going?”

Peleus said, “Today’s a big Pelota game. We’re playing the Second Tiers at the tenth hour. The game will probably go on for awhile.”

Kylos got up his nerve. “You should try and make it. It’ll be exciting.”

His heart was hanging by a hair and the girl held a pair of sharp shears. He could not wait to hear her answer and prayed to the Gods it would be favorable.

“Well… it sounds exciting. I’ve never seen Pelota played before, but, of course, I’ve heard about it. Unfortunately, I’ve got to work and help my dad and mom…”

The blades were closing in on the hair.

“But maybe I can stop by later,” she said with a smile.

His heart was safe, and he felt a rush inside. A ‘maybe’ was not a ‘no’.

“Great. So, maybe I’ll see you there then,” Kylos said. He turned to Peleus who could not wait to start in on his second breakfast. “Come on. Let’s get going. The guys are waiting for us.”

Without any regard for decorum or manners, Peleus shoved his food into his mouth, and his cheeks bulged out like he was trying to swallow a Pelota ball. The girl smiled and the boys headed off. Kylos stopped and called to her, “What’s your name?”

“Ellena.”

“See you at the game, Ellena.”

The pair ran off, but after a couple of minutes Kylos stopped mid-stride. “Gods, I forgot to tell her my name. I’ve got to go back.”

“No time,” said Peleus. “We’re almost late now.”

Racked with indecision, he followed Peleus who trundled down the street. The two boys crossed the bridge leading to the Second Tier. Some old men were fishing from the stone expanse while some barges passed underneath. Kylos and Peleus got through the gate and took a left.

After passing many modest manors, several multi-storied apartments, and a variety of shops, they arrived at a tower section of the orichalcum-covered wall where the L-shaped Pelota play area had already been set up by eager players like Demnos. The Second Tier wall stood thirty feet high, and the tower climbed to over fifty feet. At its base, the tower stuck out twenty feet deep from the wall, which was perfect for serving the ball. Chalk lines had already been drawn on the flagstone street, and the boys' classmates had already gathered there.

Demnos bounced towards Kylos and Peleus, full of energy. Pelota was his passion, it was what he lived for, and was pretty much all he ever talked about in class. “Hey, what took you two so long? We’re about ready to pair off. Lymines couldn’t make it, so we’ll have an even fourteen. They’ve decided on their fourteen. It’ll be seven games. Then we’ll total the points to see who won.”

“Sounds good,” said Kylos. “So what’s the time limit?”

“Thirty minutes per game. You two will go last.”

Kylos smiled, but Peleus grimaced. There was a lot of pressure finishing up. Ballero and his partner, Hator, glared at Kylos and Peleus, making their expectations of the pair’s final performance known. Kylos said to Peleus, “Don’t worry about them. Let’s just have fun.”

One of the extra Second Tier boys became the referee. He called the teams to gather around him. In a screechy voice, he explained how the games would be played. To avoid any possibilities of cheating, he announced that players could not wear their crystals during games. Then he proceeded to tell the order of the Second Tier team partners.

The First Tiers made it known to the Seconds who their opponents would be. Several minutes passed as each team sized up their opponents and tried to guess each other’s skills. Kylos and Peleus were to play against a pair of boys about their age whose confident looks turned haughty when they saw Peleus.

The first game got underway with Demnos hurling the ball from his scoop to the tower wall. Both sides played aggressively for thirty minutes resulting in a Second Tier lead against the First Tiers 20-18.

Demnos and his partner came back to their group. Even though they had lost the first round, he was still very happy. “They were tough, but maybe we can get them later. What do you say, guys?”

His enthusiasm was contagious, and the First Tiers rallied and grew rowdy. They slapped each other on the back. The Seconds tried to outdo the Firsts in volume and energy.

The next four clashes were a mix. In a couple of the games the Firsts pulled ahead, but by the time of the sixth game they were behind by six points.

A considerable gathering of spectators amassed to watch them play. As Pelota was the sport played by most every youth on Atlantis, many of the spectators were men talking to their male friends, probably reminiscing about the glory days when they used to play.

Kylos scanned the crowd but could not see Ellena. The games were mostly finished, so he would be playing soon. He had hoped with all his heart she would have come.

Ballero and Hator put on their wicker scoops and entered the playing area, hungry for victory and bearing faces of grim determination, like Kylos had seen on Myrmillos during public parade exercises. The Seconds won the right to serve, so Ballero stood by ready to receive the ball. In a flash the game commenced.

Kylos stood cross-armed and watched the play. He was impressed with Ballero’s quickness and Hator’s control. If only they played last instead of us, Kylos wished. There would certainly be less pressure and, perhaps, a better chance of winning the day.

A prodding elbow took Kylos’s attention from the game, and he saw Peleus looking into the crowd. The freckled boy said, “Hey, isn’t that the girl from the bakery?”

Kylos turned around and saw Ellena. She gave a small wave, and Kylos could not suppress his smile. The impulse to run over to her was strong, but he controlled himself and left his friend, walking with a calm, casual stride to the wonderful girl.

“Hi,” Kylos said.

“Hi,” she said, her eyes glowing like orichalcum.

“I’m glad you could make it.”

“Yeah, it looks really exciting.”

They both watched the game in progress. Ballero just got a point and the Firsts roared in cheer.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you back at the bakery, my name is Kylos.”

Ellena laughed a prettiest laugh he had heard. “Well, you were kind of in a hurry.”
Kylos smiled. “Yeah. Well, it’s quite a big crowd today. Peleus and I are playing last.”

“Then I came just at the right time,” she said looking into his eyes. She watched

Hator and Ballero, lifted her shoulders and shook her head, tossing her long hair from side to side, and said, “I don’t quite understand the game. Can you explain it to me?”

“Sure, I’d be happy to. Let’s get a little closer so I can show you what goes on.”
The pair walked over to the Pelota area, but safely out of the way of any stray balls that might fly towards them. Kylos wanted to put his hand on her back, in a friendly, escorting way, but he resisted the urge.

Kylos said, “Those guys are wearing scoops. They have to catch a ball before it bounces twice on the ground. Just like that.”

Hator made a diving catch, scrambled to one knee and flung the ball back, speeding to the tower wall.

“Once caught, you have to get rid of it quickly. The ball has to hit the tower wall, but you can use that wall,” Kylos said, indicating the Second Tier wall, “to make a play. But the ball has to make it past that first line on the ground. If it doesn’t, it’s a point for the other team. Do you get it?”

“Maybe,” she said with her lips in a grimace. The look was so cute; Kylos really liked this girl.

“Well, the more you watch, the more you’ll understand it.”

She shrugged in an “I guess so” kind of way, but she gave him a look that said, “I’m happy to be here.”

He wanted to take her hand, but he did not dare. He had to be content that she came to see him. Her presence would inspire him to play even harder today. He would be her champion and wanted to impress her as much as he could. But now the game really did not matter to him. She was there. That was all that he cared about.

Ellena watched the action and Kylos watched her, trying not to get caught staring. He wanted to take in every detail of her face, the smooth skin, the long eyelashes, the curve of her brow—a sudden roar of disappointment from the First Tiers startled him and dragged his attention back to the game.

He saw Ballero helping his partner up from the ground. Kylos guessed that Hator had just missed a difficult return and all that he had to show for his troubles was some blood dripping from a scrape on his right arm.

Ellena looked at Kylos with her face scrunched up at the sight of the wound. Kylos tried to reassure her by saying, “It happens. This can be a fast and dangerous game.”

“I hope you don’t get hurt,” she replied. The look of concern remained on her face.

“I’ve been lucky so far. Only a nasty bruise on my arm when a ball hit me there.”

She looked at his arm trying to find the bruise. He chuckled and said, “That was a long time ago.”

“Oh,” she said as she shifted her look from his arm to his eyes. “I’ll be tapping my finger tips for good luck.”

Kylos looked at the clock on the tower. Three minutes left. It was time for Ballero to serve. The referee shrieked. “First Tiers: 21, Second Tiers: 12.”

With a quick bit of arithmetic, Kylos calculated that overall they were ahead. If Ballero could get one more point before the round finished, that would give a bit more room to get a First Tier victory—the first time in five years!

The ball flew from Ballero’s scoop with a wicked spin on it. He aimed high and the ball appeared as if it was going deep, but suddenly dropped just passed the front line. The nearby Second Tier player raced forward to get the ball. Ballero eased back, screening the direct line to make the play. The Second Tier player swiped for the ball but missed. The wicker scoop connected with Ballero’s face, though, creating a slim cut.

Ballero shook off the sting. He got the point and obviously saw the disappointment on the Seconds’ faces. His lips curled into a satisfied smile and held a fist into the air to his adulating team mates.

“Time!” hollered the referee.

The Firsts went to their two saviors. Thanks to Ballero and Hator, they had a three point lead. But there were thirty minutes remaining and it fell upon Kylos and Peleus to keep the lead or add on to it, if possible.

Peleus, wide-eyed with doubt, looked to Kylos, who smiled and turned to Ellena. “Well, it’s time for my friend and me to see if we can win.”

She bounced in excitement, showing her beautiful smile, and said, “Good luck, Kylos.”

“Thanks. I’ll need it,” he said with a wink and nodded towards his terrified partner. She laughed and started tapping her thumbs sequentially with each finger, down and up and back again, over and over, all the while mouthing a silent prayer to the Gods.

Kylos smiled and ran to his friend. He swatted Peleus’s shoulder and said, “Come on. Let’s get our scoops and kill these guys!”

The tension on Peleus’s face eased, allowing his chubby cheeks to smile. “Yeah, let’s kill them.”

They took their scoops from their bags and fitted them over their right hands and forearms. Kylos looked at his friend, tapped his crystal and removed it. Peleus nodded and did the same.

The playing area cleared, except for the Seconds who were going to play in the final round. Kylos and Peleus walked with shoulders back and did the traditional crossing of scoops with their opponents. The referee approached the group while tossing the leather ball up and down in his hand. It seemed the referee really wanted to play that day, especially as his team was losing but could not do anything about it.

The referee’s subdued look from to his team mates turned into a blatant scowl when he looked at Kylos and Peleus. He hissed out, “So, you guys are ahead by three. But judging by Pudgy, here, you two don’t have a prayer.”

Peleus welled up in a huff and raised his scoop to bash the referee across the face. The referee flinched, but Kylos held his friend’s scoop at bay. The referee held out the ball out in his fingers and just dropped it to the ground. He turned and walked away saying, “It’s your serve, Firsties.”

Disgust is all that Kylos could feel for that sour boy. Peleus's eyes had started to water up and turn red, his scoop quivering in a mix of shame and anger. Peleus’s mouth formed words, but no sound was coming out. Kylos knew his friend was deeply hurt by the name calling.

Kylos grabbed his friend and walked with him towards the tower. The Seconds were mocking Peleus with exaggerated sobs. Peleus whipped his head around, but Kylos said, “Hey, don’t worry about those guys. They’re just a bunch of jerks, full of elephant crap. Never mind them. If we can win this one, we’ll be the ones laughing. You and I will be the ones everyone loves. They’ll talk about us at school long after we finish. We’ll be heroes!”

His freckled friend choked down the sobs and regained composure. The lingering sniffles were the only evidence of the humiliation that Peleus had endured. He said, “Let’s kill these turds.”

A slap on the back was all the encouragement it took to have Peleus stomp into position. The Firsts hooted and hollered for their boys, and the Seconds did the same with equal gusto for their own.

While stooping down, Kylos picked up the ball from the flagstone street with his left hand and popped it into his scoop. He stole a look at Ellena, who raised her arms and showed him that she was still doing the lucky gestures.

He put his left toe on the serving line and turned to Peleus, who looked determined. A nod from his friend signaled that all was ready. The battle could start.

The ball slammed into the wall, and one of the Seconds received it and whipped it back without hesitation. The action was intense with both sides exchanging points for points in small bursts.

A steady exercise routine had helped Kylos to endure the rigors of the game. Sweat streamed down his face and occasionally stung his eyes, but he did not let it interfere with his playing. Peleus had surprised their opponents with great speed and agility for a heavier kid. But endurance was something he never had much of, and Kylos saw his red-faced friend dragging after twenty minutes.

In between points, Kylos looked to Ellena to see if she was still watching. After seeing her attention focused on him, his motivation for victory soared like a seagull in the wind. It came down to the last few minutes. The score for that round was 19 to 22 favoring the Seconds.

Kylos and Peleus won the serve, so Kylos got to the line and let the ball fly. It whizzed from the tower to the wall and landed deep. One of the Seconds got the ball and returned it in such a way that Kylos had to dive for it. The hard flagstones were not forgiving. The pain of the scrapes and impact on his knees and elbows throbbed, but he was not going to let that hold him back from winning the game and the admiration of beautiful Ellena.

He got up to one knee and sent the ball to the wall. It soared high and deep, but the Second in the rear caught it with ease. He shot the ball back and it bounced off of the wall, hit the tower, and flew over Kylos’s head.

Kylos turned around and saw Peleus preparing to get it. The ball hit the flagstone and rose only slightly off the ground. It was obvious that Peleus had not anticipated the low bounce, and he heaved his jiggling form to get at the ball. The front of his scoop nearly touched it, but not before it fell to the ground a second time. He stumbled and rolled on the flagstones.

“Time!” called out the referee. “The Seconds win!”

All of the Second Tiers burst into jubilation and ran to their match saviors. The Firsts shouted in dismay, some throwing their scoops to the ground. Kylos saw Ballero and Hator glaring at him and Peleus. Kylos turned his attention to his friend, who was still on the ground, and rushed to help him up. Peleus was a pile of sobbing dead weight, as he knew he cost the team the match. Kylos patted Peleus’s back and said, “Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s just a game.”

Kylos’s reassuring words had little effect, and Peleus turned his face away. Ballero said, “Hey, Kylos! Tell Pudgy he ruined the game for us!”

Kylos, with his teeth clenched at the slanderer, stayed by his friend. The Seconds cleared out in a merry procession, screaming with shouts of victory. The Firsts ambled off in a sullen mood.

Kylos saw that Ellena had remained as the crowd of onlookers was dispersing. She walked over to Kylos and said, “That was an interesting game. You two did very well. Sorry that you didn’t win, though.”

He smiled and said, “Well, there’s always next time. Right, Pelly?”

Sniffles with a long, slow nod were the only responses. Kylos worried that his friend was taking this too hard. Ellena broke the silence by saying, “Kylos, I have to go back home now. Thanks for inviting me.”

“Yeah, thanks for coming. I’ll see you around.”

She smiled, turned, and headed back towards the bridge leading to the First Tier. Kylos watched her every step as she went away.

“Sorry,” Peleus said.

Kylos looked back to his friend and, feigning ignorance, said, “About what?”

“For losing the game. I should have had that ball! I was so close.”

“You tried to get it, and it was a tough shot. Even Ballero would’ve missed it.”

Peleus smiled at the thought. He said, “Thanks.”

“Let’s get our stuff and get out of here. I’m starving, and I bet you are, too.”
Peleus looked at Kylos’s playful grin and laughed. “Yeah, let’s get some food. Come on over to my place. I’ll have my slave cook us up some steaks or something.”

“Sounds good.”

The pair collected their crystals and put away their scoops in their bags. They joked and laughed and got their minds off the earlier defeat. The sun was warm, but the incoming sea breeze was refreshing.

After crossing the bridge, they headed towards Peleus’s place and on the way, they came across Ballero, Hator, and two others loitering by some columns in front of an apartment building. It was all too clear that they had been waiting and their mood seemed hostile. Ballero strode forward and said, “Hey, Pudgy, why couldn’t you get that last shot? My slave could have gotten it, and she’s fifty years old!”

Kylos and Peleus stopped as trouble was imminent. Kylos said, “Let’s go this way.”

Ballero stormed after Peleus and shoved him to the ground. “Hey, Fatty, I asked you a question. Hator, here, and I got us ahead and you blew it!”

Kylos had never been in a fight, and he felt a queasy feeling in his stomach, and his mouth went dry. Anger raged in his mind, and he felt like someone else was controlling his body and voice. “Let him be. We both tried hard, but were unlucky.”

“You did all right, Kylos. But tub o’ guts over here needs to be reminded of how close we came to actually winning.”

Ballero kicked Peleus, who lay helplessly on the ground, covering his head with his arms. Kylos lunged towards his taller classmate. The group gathered around to watch the fight that started.

Kylos, filled with wild anger, punched at Ballero’s chest, but landed only glancing blows. Ballero went for Kylos’s face and connected three times. Kylos used his hands and arms to protect his face, but that left his body open to attack. Kylos went down to one knee in submission but Ballero did not stop. Hator grabbed hold of his Pelota partner and yanked him off Kylos. “Hey, come on, Bal. He’s had it. You’ve taught him good. Let’s get out of here.”

The group scampered off through the streets, shouting and hollering. Peleus crawled over to Kylos. “Are you all right?”

“I don’t feel all right. Ow! My face...”

Peleus helped Kylos up. He could feel the cuts and figured that there would be a lot of bruising. The warm taste of blood was in his mouth as he ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth to make sure no teeth were loose. He spat a red glob onto the gray flagstones.

Bystanders who had watched the brawl went about their business.

“We’ll go to my house,” Peleus said. “We’ll get you fixed up.”

“No, that’s OK. I think I’ll just go home now.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I just want to crawl into my bed and die.”

“Well, I’ll call out to you later.”

With a nod and a wave, Kylos sent Peleus off and started to hobble back home. Every step towards home was to the repeated cadence in his mind of I hate Ballero.

After he arrived at his home, Kylos strained to push the door open without wincing. Inside, the sounds of activity and conversation could be heard coming from the dining area.

Oh, great, he thought. Father’s up early.

He went to his room and tossed his Pelota scoop bag on his bed and went to the bathroom to assess the damage in the orichalcum mirror. He shook his head and ran some warm water into the bronze basin sink. As he splashed water on his face, it stung as if a demon had applied it and he could not help cringing. The cuts had stopped bleeding, but there was no way to cover the bruising or the congealing scabs.
His head dropped and an involuntary sigh came out. His father would be expecting to see him. The temptation to hide in his room was strong, but his father would hunt him down eventually. Also, he was hungry from the big game, and his condition would be discovered sooner or later.

He dumped the basin of reddened water into a drain on the tiled floor and wiped his face with a soft towel. A fresh tunic hung on a peg on the wall, so he slipped the white garment on and walked to the dining area. The smell of chicken had filled the hallway and was exactly what he needed.

When he arrived, his father was seated and Amblix was bringing in more food from the kitchen. Ziustros dropped his fork down and just stared at Kylos. “What happened to you?”

Kylos made his way to his chair and sat down. He said, “Today was the big First Tier versus Second Tier Pelota game.”

Ziustros scrutinized Kylos’s face and said, “Did you play Pelota or try Myrmillo boxing?”

“No, I just accidentally got hit from a scoop a couple of times during a game. That’s all.

Ziustros closed his eyes and shook his head. “This is just excellent, Amblix! First, this boy wants to join the Nereids. Now he wants to prove himself and get into fights. What a man!”

“It wasn’t like that!” Kylos protested.

“Enough! Get out of my sight! Your mother would be disgusted to know what a brute her son has become.”

Tears uncontrollably welled up in Kylos’s eyes. His father would not listen to his side of the story, no matter what he said. He looked to Amblix for help, but the household slave lowered his eyes.

So that was it. No support or understanding from anyone.

Kylos turned and stormed out of the dining room, leaving his livid father and petrified slave behind. Kylos slammed his bedroom door and fell onto his silk sheets. His pain was complete, as he languished in bed.

“I hate my life!”