I tugged at his hand to continue walking, hoping he wouldn’t notice the color in my cheeks. The red stone felt spongy, and I moved closer to the edge to inspect the flowers. In the middle of a massive forest that seemed to be immaculately tended, there were flowers and foliage taller than me. I was certain they had to be fake. The blooms were as big as my head and when I leaned in to smell them, the fragrance was intoxicating. The purity and beauty of the forest brought tears to my eyes.
Something moved in my peripheral and I clenched tighter to Raif’s arm. A small herd of deer with large, moose-like antlers were starting to drive their young across our path into Raif’s yard, where there were herds more each nibbling on the grass next to his home.
He lived in the middle of a naturally forming forest field. I’d seen them before when I’d taken Ashlyn hiking in the mountains. But none were as large as the space he occupied. I was following Raif, trailing slightly behind but still holding his hand. There were rabbits and all sorts of wildlife meandering through the field, unbothered by our presence. Butterflies of all colors flitted from flower to flower. They flew off in a cloud of rainbow wings to find another place to rest, changing the color and design of the flower completely without their multicolored wings to distract the eye.
The path we were on was hidden in shade from the trees, and it was very cool. I couldn’t believe the colors and the wildlife that were milling about in this small area. Raif had to tug my hand a few times to get me moving away from my visual exploration of this small field and the forest beyond.
“You wanted our story, Natasha, but perhaps we should start with a geography lesson first?” He was smirking at me, his teal eyes dancing with barely restrained laughter.
I laughed, the sound echoing off the trees. The animals looked up, but none seemed concerned about my expression of joy. Raif laughed too, and it was like music to my soul. His bass chuckle blended perfectly with my higher pitched one.
“That’d be wonderful, Raif. This is unlike any place I’ve ever seen before. It’s unlike anything I’ve even dreamed of. You have a beautiful home.”
“Come, I will explain while we walk. You still must meet with the king and the priests. Atlantis was formed with the rest of the world, millennia ago. My descendants lived on the surface with you. Over eleven thousand years ago, there was a war, and we were thrust into the ocean. It is understandable that your people have reduced us to myth, when I am certain that many things of that time were thrust into legend. That is the story we will discuss later, now is just geography.” I listened in amazement as we walked along, hand-in-hand. His words weren’t quite able to distract me from the beauty surrounding us, rather they enhanced everything, his deep bass tones soothing and exciting me at the same.
“The world was created; each part was equally distributed to different gods. They did not quarrel amongst themselves at which section they received, instead they took their part and molded it into a land that they were pleased with. Poseidon was allotted with Atlantis. It was just a hunk of mountainous land when he started with it, the tallest of peaks being at the center of the island. It was at the base of this mountain that Poseidon created his temple and the main palace. It is the heart of Atlantis. He divided the rest of the land into rings with four floating sentries. The land of Atlantis is extremely fertile; anything that is planted and tended will grow here without difficulty thanks to Poseidon. He gathered all types of the differing animals that were ever created, and brought them to Atlantis to thrive. Poseidon loves variety, and created a land where all could live and thrive. He divided his central island, the only island actually called Atlantis, to be set apart from the rest. It is only accessible from a bridge that was created, with Poseidon’s blessing, by his people.
“The second island rings the center and is called Melic. It holds the king’s first uncle who is second in line to the throne. The island was originally divided in half for the different princes to rule, however this changed after we sank. It is only ruled by one now. There is a hearty bunch of both people and wildlife that thrive upon that island ring. It is a harsher land, though, as it is almost completely mountainous.
“Wait, how can it be both harsh and fertile? That seems impossible,” I interrupted. The ground had shifted once we left the beautiful haven of his home, the red rock giving way to a pale path interspersed with the first normal thing I’d seen since I’d arrived—dull, gray stone.
“The land was divided by the brothers, however the land itself is not equally divided. We will walk through the only inhabited portion—the plain—on our way to the heart of Atlantis. Our people used to inhabit the rough mountains, but after we sank, we as a people changed.” He paused as in reflection, or to remember where he was in his lesson, I couldn’t tell. His expressive face held a mask of indifference I wasn’t used to. Not that I’d had a particularly long time to become used to him, or that I ever would, but it struck me as a bit odd.
“The two rivers that surround Melic on either side of the ring help with the defense of the main island. There are two castles on Melic, one in the plains and one in the mountains. The mountains are a mixture
