I wanted to say something, but didn’t know what. It was horrifying to hear how an entire civilization was almost completely wiped out. There were only enough of them left to fill one—rather large—room. They were an endangered species, and my heart broke.
“I was lucky in a sense. I didn’t have to rely on the others for survival. I was at the age where I’d have naturally started looking to be the man of my own home and leader of my clan. I became the Iochera. It was not a title I truly ever expected to attain, but I performed to the best of my abilities. Those few that would have named me friend quickly realized that I would uphold the laws of Poseidon to the letter. They, along with a handful of women that failed to prove they could be my mate, dubbed me xeada.” At my confused expression, he clarified with a grin. “Man without heart, or heart of ice.”
“Why are you laughing?” I exclaimed. “That’s a terrible name.”
“Amada, if they could only see me with you, they would certainly know I was not filled with ice.” I laughed at the passion in his voice, knowing he was right. “It was my job to train the remainder of our people in combat. I was also the administrator of punishments handed down by Nereus and Atreyu. Atreyu was kinder in his orders, he never asked me to do anything he wasn’t willing to do, and he was always present. Nereus was more than content to order people beaten to the brink of death at the slightest provocation.” He lowered his voice. “There is something not right with him.”
I wanted to comfort him, to offer some solace against the horrors I knew he had to have committed over the centuries. The pain in his voice told me more than his words ever could. He shook his head as if clearing it from not-so-distant memories.
“There are a handful of people that have come here from the surface throughout the centuries, more so in more recent years. We’re not sure how or why they are chosen to come, but each arrival brings a mixture of hope and terror. We’re divided as a people; fear of being away for so long is fueling the dissent. While we all have a certain level of hope and desire to return to our rightful place amongst the Surface Dwellers, we fear the retaliation of your people.” I bristled at his words.
“Your history has shown time and again that you are less inclined to accept that which is different. While we have grown to be a mostly peaceful society, there is no denying that we are vastly different from your people. I hope my people can return to their rightful place, that the reintroduction will go relatively smoothly, and that we will find a purpose in life again. We’ve been stagnant for so long, I don’t even know if my people know of the wonderful things we could achieve alongside yours. We need to have the opportunity to find our mates, to belong to more than just this small island.”
He was right. History had shown that we were capable of a lot of hatred and fear toward those different than us. We hadn’t grown all that much, and I couldn’t help but think that his people were right to fear rejection. For the first time since I’d met Nereus, I finally understood his reaction to me. I was a symbol of everything he could possibly lose. By fulfilling the prophecy, Raif and I were risking not only our life together, but also war between our people. It was a lot to process.
“When Michael arrived, he was the first person to see me as more than a xeada tool.” He glanced at me. “Don’t get me wrong, Atreyu never saw me as such either, he and Michael are the closest friends I have, but I still essentially worked for Atreyu. Michael was the first person who didn’t want to use me, rather he wanted to learn from me and share experiences with me. He showed me that I could be both an enforcer and a friend. That those who truly cared would understand. He was a reminder to me that we have to return to our rightful place on the surface. And then you came.” He was reaching for my hand. I hadn’t realized we’d made it all the way up the mountainside, but there he was, leaning over the edge, waiting for me to join him. I placed my hand in his and he lifted me up effortlessly. I stood in his embrace, feeling a light tug of wind in my hair as he spoke.
“Your arrival changed me forever. Seeing you, vulnerable, unbreathing, limp in my arms, broke something inside me, and healed everything else. You complete and shatter me at once. And I wouldn’t change that for the world. You are my amada.”
“And you are mine.”
Cleito’s prison was an amazing castle carved intricately into the mountainside. I glanced down, still astounded that I’d made the climb without fear. Never in all my life had I imagined I’d ever scale the side of a cliff. I was giddy with excitement and glanced over at Raif whose smile matched mine. As spectacular as Cleito’s castle was, it couldn’t compare to the view of my love standing in front of me. I was still amazed that he was mine.
As he repacked all our climbing gear into his pack, I looked out at the whole of Atlantis. From this height, the poufy cloud cover hid most of the interlocking islands. Little
