38. Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter 38
“W hat do you know of the O’hurani or the Anki?” Dante asked as they walked toward Aadya’s quarters.
Rieka paused. Recognition flashed across her features. She fidgeted before she started moving again. “My mom used to tell me stories about them. Stories she used to scare me.”
Dante nodded. “And if I told you they were real?” He purposely kept it vague. The Arx had many spies, and while he assumed Kai was a mere annoyance and not the mastermind, he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure. He would not risk Rieka’s safety on another hunch.
Rieka swallowed. Without missing a beat, she slid her hand into his before squeezing it. “After the last two days, I would believe you.”
Dante touched Rieka’s lower back as they walked toward Aadya’s inner garden, where they had been summoned. She relaxed against his touch as if it was the most common thing in the world. It had taken all his energy and control to leave his room. The way Rieka had looked, eyes wide with desire and the scent of lust dripping off her every pore, had almost made him forget himself. The barest touch of her mouth against his skin had been akin to torture. He had genuinely contemplated ignoring Aadya, but even he was not foolish enough to ignore a summoning from his grandmother. Not when he needed her support to understand what the bracelet was. He hadn’t lied to Rieka, but he was also not willing to risk her life on an assumption that the bracelet was likely benign. As one of the oldest living Atlanteans, there was not much his grandmother hadn’t experienced or seen in the last four thousand years. If she didn’t have the answers he was looking for, she would know where to look.
They stopped at the large metal door. He could not see any guards, but he knew better. Khalida’s personal guards were notorious for accomplishing the impossible and their ability to move within the shadows.
Rieka squirmed next to him as she stared at the door. The scent of doubt mingled in with curiosity. “Are you sure I’m invited? I would hate to interrupt a family meeting.”
Dante snorted. If it had been that easy to get out of, both of them would not be standing outside the door. He would have Rieka in his bed. “Aadya invited you. By name.”
Rieka’s shoulders slumped. “I feel like I’ve just been called into the principal’s office.”
“Happened often?” Dante chuckled. If talking about a childhood incident calmed Rieka down, he would spend hours reminiscing.
“More than necessary,” Rieka admitted with a long-suffering sigh. “You break into the science lab once, and then everything becomes your fault.”
Dante wanted to know more. The thought was surprising in its intensity. He wanted to know everything about Rieka. “Did you only break in once?”
Rieka shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips as her eyes brightened at the memory. “No. I only got caught once. A rookie error.”
The door creaked open; light filtered through. The light was unnaturally bright, as if it was concentrated to disorient visitors. He gritted his teeth as he became accustomed to it. Glancing down, Rieka appeared to have fared no better. She squinted at the door, rubbing her eyes.
“A warning next time would be nice,” Rieka muttered softly under her breath.
“I will remember that next time, child.” Aadya’s voice quietly carried through the room. “Come. Let me see you.”
Sunlight streamed through the dome ceiling, casting the entire room alight as if they were outside. Despite the direct sunlight and warmth of the Arx, there was a level of unnatural stillness within the room. As if the ghosts of the past were always present. Aadya stood alone beneath the giant dragon blood tree. Over thirty feet high, its upturned branches reminded him of a giant inverted umbrella. The green foliage reached out to touch the sky, while blood-colored resin dripped down its bark.
The door shut behind them softly.
Aadya shook her head. Her long braids jingled with the sound of beads. “Do not make me repeat myself.”
The tone Aadya used had haunted his dreams as a child. He had also taught himself not to automatically react to it, however uncomfortable it made him feel. Rieka shuddered next to him. He was unsure if it was from nerves or rage. In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of Anhur, a bored expression on his uncle’s face as he stared off into the distance. Frankie sat on the chair next to him, shielded by the tree. A large old book lay on her distended belly. It wasn’t one that he recognized; it must belong to Aadya’s personal collection. A collection that she reluctantly and rarely shared with him. Dante relaxed, breathing out some tension. They were surrounded by family, and despite their faults, they were all on the same side. For now.
Anhur nodded. “Khalida continues to search for the serpopard.”
Rieka’s gaze burned through Anhur.
As if on cue, Frankie sighed and rubbed her belly. “They haven’t found it yet. But they will.”
Anhur glanced affectionately at his consort, a tender look passing over his features. Dante stared; it was still a surprise to see evidence of the change within Anhur, even after five years.
“If you were not aware, Frankie is an optimist,” Anhur clarified as he whispered something to Frankie.
“Someone has to be.” Frankie swatted him away as she snorted, breaking the tension in the room. She turned to look at Dante. “You will be interested in this volume. Dead languages aren’t my thing—but you may be able to translate it.”
Rieka turned to face him. “How many languages do you read?”
Dante thought about it. His father had insisted he be fluent in as many languages as he could. It had been one of the few gifts his mother had appreciated. “Fourteen fluently.”
“What do you know of the tomb of Vandana?” Aadya asked, her question cutting through the deliberately inane conversation. Aadya moved closer to them; the swish of her skirt broke the silence.
Rieka took a breath. She straightened her shoulders as she looked over at Aadya. “It isn’t in Turkey.”
“How sure of it are you?” Anhur asked. “Talal was certain that beneath Gobekli Tepe was the tomb. It was supposed to have been her birthplace. The first temple where humans and Atlanteans could worship as equals.”
Rieka chewed her lower lip as she cast Dante a furtive glance before looking down at the bracelet. “It was empty.”
“The cavern?” Anhur asked.
“No.” Rieka looked up. “The temple had been destroyed. There was only a mosaic left. And an empty sarcophagus. If it had been Vandana’s burial place, it had been looted thousands of years earlier.”
“The mosaic,” Aadya interrupted. She moved two steps closer to them. Her almost translucent green eyes gave nothing away. “What was it?”
“It was like the statue in the vault. Vandana, in her golden armor surrounded by violet flames,” Rieka answered quietly but firmly. “It was the same as the image Talal had drawn.”
“What color eyes did she have?” Aadya asked.
Rieka glared back at Aadya. The slightest hint of hesitation crossed her features before a mask of stoicism appeared.
Dante didn’t like the mask.
“You already know the answer.”
“Yes,” Aadya whispered. “Eyes the color of flames. Just like yours.”
Frankie gasped, her eyes widening as Anhur moved to stand next to her. Both were transfixed by the woman in front of them as comprehension dawned on them. Dante didn’t move. He wanted to pull Rieka toward him, but he didn’t. Rieka was more than capable of handling Aadya.
“Descendant of Vandana. You may have damned us all.” Aadya snatched Rieka’s arm, her pale green eyes transfixed on the bracelet. “Only the bloodline of Vandana could activate the bracelet for its true purpose.” The words were blunt but held no malice. She looked at Dante before glancing at Rieka. “It cannot be removed. Not without killing Rieka.”
“Excuse me?” Rieka half-squeaked, her eyes widening as they burned red. “Purpose? What is the bracelet?”
Aadya dropped Rieka’s arm and glided back to the tree. She moved with the intention and grace of an Atlantean a quarter of her age. She spoke to Rieka, but her gaze didn’t leave Dante. “Claiming House Atlas may not be feasible, and I would not recommend it.” She turned to Rieka. “You may carry the bloodline of Vandana, but the Houses will not return to the past,” Aadya continued, ignoring Rieka’s reaction. The elderly Atlantean may no longer lead House Azaes, but there was no mistaking the power she still welded. Or her ability to command an audience. “What do you see, child? The bracelet linked the wearer to the O’hurani himself.”
Rieka took another step toward him, her back brushing against Dante. She absently touched her pendant. But she didn’t deny the accusation that she was a descendant, or that the bracelet had triggered a vision. “I don’t know.”
He clasped her shoulders, steadying Rieka as she trembled under his touch. The tension left her body as she relaxed into him. The level of trust she placed in him almost brought him to his knees.
Aadya turned her attention back to Dante. The elder’s gaze was hard as she looked over at Rieka. “You are not the only ones looking for the tomb.”
Rieka didn’t move. “Who are the O’hurani?”
“Is. The O’hurani translates loosely to glorious king, father of all. It was what we called the ancient god before the fall of Atlantis. King of the Anki. They were primordial beings. The first,” Aadya slowly answered. She held out her hands, and an image appeared. At first it looked like small fireworks but swiftly the silver-gold specks flickered until they formed a background. A humanoid shape slowly took form out of the specks. “Vandana waged a war against them. It lasted for centuries, but in the end, even she could not destroy the king—only send him into an endless sleep. That you have awakened him from.”
Rieka flinched before she moved closer to Dante. “What stopped Vandana from killing the Anki?”
Aadya sighed as she moved next the ancient tree. “Anyone who carried the blood of the Anki would perish with them. No matter how diluted their bloodline was.”
Vandana would not have risked the death of her child, but by protecting one life, she had almost destroyed their entire civilization. Dante had never understood that type of sacrifice until now.
“From what we have translated, they ruled for millions of years,” Frankie interjected as she flicked through the pages. “They have slept since the fall of House Atlas. Vandana triggered a group hibernation.”
“Hibernation means that they will eventually wake up,” Rieka said. She tugged a wayward curl behind her ear as she stared back at Aadya. “How did Vandana do it?”
“The queen took the secret to her grave. Talal had been right all those years ago.” Aadya closed her eyes as she placed her hands on her golden skirt. Weariness edged her voice. “The wayfarers of the O’hurani may prove to be more of an issue.”
Frankie looked up at Anhur before she turned to face them, her hand held protectively against her belly. “We had an encounter with them. They have a blood connection to the Anki. They are stronger than most Atlanteans.”
Anhur grasped Frankie’s shoulder. “They seem to share a mind bond with each other, almost parasitic from what we could see.” Anhur shrugged. “There isn’t much we know. We captured one, but he bit his tongue and drowned in his own blood before we could interrogate him.”
Rieka moved forward. “Why do they want to find the tomb?”
“They believe it has the location of where Vandana buried the king,” Anhur added.
Rieka turned to look at Aadya expectantly. As if Dante’s grandmother had all the answers, and perhaps she did, but was she willing to share them?
“Vandana’s flame still burns to this day.” Aadya’s proud shoulders were slightly hunched. “The Anki require a blood heir for the resurrection. A descendant of Vandana and the O’hurani himself. I made a promise a long time ago that I would protect the tomb and ensure the Anki were never given the opportunity to rise again. Atlanteans would never again be slaves to their ancient gods.”
“Who else knows about their existence?” Rieka asked.
A faint smile spread across Aadya’s face, her gaze glacial. “I am the only survivor of the original council, and I was a child when I was inducted. A handful of Atlanteans, trusted scholars, including Idris, are aware of certain elements but not the entire history. There is enough information to know that there has been a renewal of interest in our ancient and forgotten history.”
That piqued Dante’s attention. He glanced over to Anhur, who subtly nodded in agreement.
“And the wayfarers?” Rieka asked, breaking the silence of the room. “What exactly are they?”
Rieka was taking the information far better than he had expected. But then, he was not sure how much Lilian had told her. The tension was thick enough to slice with a knife. Anhur and Frankie had not taken their gazes off Rieka. Dante could almost see the mechanics behind Anhur’s mind. It did not matter. Rieka was his responsibility, his to protect.
A faint line of concern creased Aadya’s forehead. The only hint of emotion she dared show, even among her closest family. “The wayfarers are soldiers. It was said that the O’hurani commanded an army of three thousand elite soldiers, handpicked from both Atlantean and human families. The Anki commanded a further ten thousand soldiers and mercenaries, but these were merely foot soldiers. The armies did not perish, instead they hibernate just like their masters. Ready to be awakened when the O’hurani rises and calls them forth.”
Dante stilled. None of the Houses had close to that number of soldiers, even in the unlikely scenario that they could combine their forces.
Rieka lifted her gaze, the reds of her eyes blazing with emotion as she held onto his hand. “I don’t think they are sleeping anymore.”
“No,” Aadya agreed. “I think they have grown in numbers.”
Frankie swore softly.
Rieka squeezed his hand, entangling her fingers with his. “But we may have found a clue.”
We. A small part of Dante flared with emotion. Simple, but it gave him more hope than he had felt in centuries. All because of the woman beside him.
Aadya tilted her head, her gaze taking in him and Rieka, missing nothing. “Show me.”