Tides of Change Read online

  It was at that precise moment of exquisite apprehension that Na-Kai beheld a brief flicker. Light that was not light flared and disappeared.

  Her heart leapt! With unerring precision, she pursued the path that had momentarily lit her way and then, she was there. It was as she had hoped. The key! She had reached the core component that was her irrefutable proof. She was vindicated. Her actions had been justified. With that blessed reassurance, Na-Kai gently disengaged her thoughts.

  She knew that it would seem to Daria that there had been no passage of time at all. So Na-Kai wasn’t surprised to see her startled look when she pulled away. Beleaguered by her own conflicting emotions, Na-Kai rose from the couch. She tried to still her mind, but her thoughts roiled. She stepped toward the waterwall. Daria’s worried questions followed, but they hardly registered in her consciousness.

  “Na-Kai, is everything all right? Were you able to read my thoughts?”

  With her back toward the topsider, Na-Kai roused herself. “All is well, child. It is as I had hoped. Give me a moment, for I am quite overwhelmed.”

  Na-Kai let her fingers trail through the crystal water. She had so much to accomplish, and time kept slipping down its infinite track. Could she raise this young woman to the level that was needed before her own time was over? Would Daria even consent to the path that would be presented to her? Doubts flowed over her like the water that flowed over her fingertips. For Na-Kai, there were no other options. Fate had decided for both of them. It was time for Daria to be told. The choice would then be her own.

  She gathered her robes and turned. In solemn silence, Na-Kai rejoined the young woman. “You are everything I hoped for, and yet, so much more. She reached to caress Daria’s hair, and sighed as she felt the soft gold strands beneath her touch. “How is it that all our hopes are to be found in so small a package? You have no idea how special you are and what we, I, will be asking of you. Believe me when I tell you, were it not so, I would never burden one so young with the weight of this terrible responsibility.”

  Na-Kai felt the recoil as Daria jerked her head away. “What are you saying? I came to Santorini to have some time away from my boyfriend. The last thing I remember, I was standing on the edge of a cliff. I’m supposed to believe I’m in Atlantis, and suddenly you’re calling me ‘your hope’? I’ve had enough. I don’t want to hear anymore. I’m tired and I want to go home, now!”

  Na-Kai placed her hand on top of Daria’s wrist. “Please, I promise it will not be much longer. You must understand the reasons you have been brought to Atlantis. Once you know my thoughts, your questions will be answered and your moment of choice will be at hand. No matter your decision, know that I will be with you and I will let nothing happen to you.”

  Na-Kai paused and gave Daria time to consider the implications of her words. She knew the young woman was confused, yet she no longer tried to sway her. From this moment, the decision would rest on Daria’s shoulders.

  Daria’s brows furrowed, and her face exhibited such a look of worry that Na-Kai wanted to take her in her arms and hold her as if she were her own child. Finally, with the utmost resignation, she blurted her last question. “How do I do this thought-touch?”

  Again, Na-Kai granted the merest smile to lift the corners of her mouth. It was the only outward acknowledgement she offered to show Daria how proud she was. “You need do nothing. I will bring my thoughts to you. Relax and let them flow, try not to close yourself off. Many of the memories will be extremely unpleasant, but just remember it all happened a very long time ago.”

  Daria leaned back into the feathery cushions. She looked at Na-Kai but simply nodded her acquiescence.

  Daria’s vision clouded and then was obscured. It was as though an opaque crystal wall had settled before her eyes. There was not a breath of movement, and there was no sound. The stillness and silence expanded, and as she waited, a feeling of unease began to creep into her consciousness. She started to object, but the first traces of color stirred at the periphery of her sight and she heard Na-Kai’s soft whisper enter her mind.

  “I will be showing scenes from life as it was before the sinking…but I must explain a bit about myself…Daria, I was very young when I became Most Sovereign Healer, younger than you, and I was terrified of the responsibility that I was to inherit…I was given a night in which to come to a decision to accept or reject the title…

  “I grappled between my desire to help others and my fear of the tremendous duties that would fall to me should I accept…in the midst of my despair and as dawn approached, I was visited by Kai-Dan, the greatest Healer Atlantis has ever known…” Na-Kai held tighter to Daria’s hand. “Kai-Dan told me that while I was a good Healer, and that my abilities would be sufficient for the needs of my people, it was my inner strength that would be needed…I truly believe that Kai-Dan compelled you to the cliffs of Santorini so that you could be brought here…she foresaw our time of need…”

  Hearing Na-Kai’s story, Daria was astounded. She loosened her grip and sat up. “What are you talking about? And how could Kai-Dan have any ability to bring me here?”

  “The thought-form I created to find you,” Na-Kai hesitated, then rushed on, “it is forbidden because it utilizes something similar to telekinesis. I have trespassed an ancient law laid down by Poseidon since the beginning of time. As for Kai-Dan, she had powers beyond any of us. I know in my heart that she has watched through time for this very moment to occur. When it did, she stepped in to help us find each other.”

  Signaling for Daria to lie back, Na-Kai continued her story, her thoughts winding gently through the young woman’s mind.

  “I do not know the consequences of my actions, nor do I care…it is enough to know that I have done what was needed, and that Kai-Dan was right…no other could or would make the choice I did…it was the only way to give my people a chance…

  “Please understand, being a Healer has been the most important aspect of my life…I have not found a life mate within our walls, and I have chosen not to have a child…I have dedicated my life to others until my destiny brought me to this terrible choice that now involves you…”

  Na-Kai took a deep breath and looked at Daria. “She is so young and so naïve. I could just let her go, no one would be the wiser. I ask too much.” It was a thought, however, that she did not share and did not act upon.

  Hopelessly shrugging her shoulders, Na-Kai gave up the last struggle. She sank down next to Daria. “If you have no more questions, I will show you our history…”

  Daria, eyes still closed, squeezed Na-Kai’s hand. “I’m ready.”

  Like clouds lifting after a fog, Daria saw colors start to form within the whiteness of her vision. The clouds stretched and thinned, and she caught glimpses of a far distant landscape. As the view came into sharper focus and the scene drew closer she was able to determine objects and people. The place she saw was one of unimaginable beauty. She sensed a harmony that existed between nature and people that had not been found before or since. It was Atlantis at the height of its majesty.

  Fountains cascaded into pools of sparkling blue. Architecture blended into the surroundings so that it was difficult to tell the buildings from the landscape. Archways formed walking bridges over rivers that flowed into an azure sea. Colors and textures were rich and vivid. Trees and plants abounded, and the air was scented with their essence. Above all, the people were happy and busy. She was surprised to see so much bustle. Ships were in harbor, trade was brisk and spirits were high. A general sense of well-being permeated everything.

  The scene abruptly switched to a clamorous gathering, and Daria could see that people were standing, sitting or clustered in tight groups. Serenity forgotten, everyone argued. Her focus changed and narrowed to one woman.

  Dressed in robes of glistening white, the woman generated a feeling of calm amidst the turmoil. She appeared neither young nor old. With hair as white as her robes, her age was hard to determine. She was the Most Sovereign Healer of Atlanti
s, Kai-Dan eva Evenor. She sat quietly in the melee, but after a time, she shook her head and slipped away.

  Again, a scene change. Kai-Dan talked to a group of people who appeared anxious to listen to her. When they dispersed, it was clear they were more than just upset. Daria sensed an urgency that bordered on panic. Daria shifted her legs and sank deeper into the cushions.

  The next vision brought with it a tremendous feeling of doom. People worked furiously to construct tunnels inside the heart of a huge granite mountain. Provisions were stored in the tunnels even before they were completed. Outside the edge of her vision, she knew there were people who watched and derided the small band of Atlanteans as they continued their excavations.

  Daria was afraid to see what would come next. She closed her eyes tighter, but the visions came anyway.

  The view shifted yet again, and the assault on Daria’s senses escalated. She had never witnessed such destruction. The immensity of the monstrous cataclysm shook her to her very soul. Everywhere people were either dead or dying, fires were rampant and flooding ravaged the land. Another shift and she was quite removed from the scene, and her view was once again from a great height.

  With a suddenness that took her breath away, an explosion of immeasurable proportions occurred. A wall of fire engulfed the entire land, and in the blink of an eye, Atlantis sank beneath a raging sea.

  Daria threw her hands over her eyes and wrenched herself from Na-Kai’s thought-touch. She sat up. “How can you stand it? I can’t watch anymore! Please, don’t make me do this.”

  Na-Kai pried Daria’s hands from her eyes and stroked her face. Daria’s lips quivered, but when she tried to lower her gaze, Na-Kai crooked a finger underneath her chin so that Daria was forced to look at her. Na-Kai offered the only explanation she had. “Forgive me Daria, I know this is new to you. But I could see no easy way to prepare you. You have not lived with these memories as have we. It was long ago, and as you know, when enough time passes, even the most hurtful memories tend to soften. We owe our lives to Kai-Dan. She sacrificed herself to give us a remote chance of surviving the cataclysm.”

  “But, how do you know this? Can this even be possible? You weren’t alive then. Where do these memories come from?” Daria could not seem to focus her scattered thoughts, so Na-Kai continued to stroke her face and hair. At last, Daria felt her mind begin to relax and she waited for Na-Kai to address her questions.

  The Healer ran a hand over her own eyes, then settled back into the cushions. “The ability to read thoughts is an acquired trait that each of us masters over time. As we grow, our aptitude increases. As we gain strength, a time comes when our history awakens within our consciousness. For this to occur, we must be able to exhibit total control of both thoughts and emotions. By keeping our emotions at bay, we can view our history without reliving it.”

  Daria scowled. “So, why do you need me? What possible reason could you have for bringing me to Atlantis?”

  “We have not yet reached the conclusion. There is much more for you to see. But once my thoughts have been shared, you will understand. Please, our time grows short.”

  Daria wasn’t ready to continue, and she voiced the question to another puzzle that had bothered her. “In these visions, the original Atlanteans had normal skin tones. But your skin is not the same. Yours is almost translucent, and Kyla’s changes colors. How did that happen?”

  Na-Kai rose and faced Daria. “Evolution has a wondrous way of adapting. With the second generation inhabiting this sunken colony, variations of skin tone and coloring began to appear in the children. Successive generations came and went, and the coloring grew more vivid and more iridescent. We were granted a miraculous gift. Not only does our coloration serve as an indication of health, there is another facet of this most singular and unique gift. As children of Poseidon, we once again live and swim in his vast underwater realm. Swimming through the deep just as the fish we emulate do, we are undetectable by any but each other. Our coloring also serves as a most glorious form of camouflage.”

  Na-Kai lifted her arms and felt for the clasp at her neck. She unhooked the robe and pulled the sides apart. It slipped down her arms and pooled around her feet in a blue-green shimmer.

  Daria blinked hard. Na-Kai wore a form-fitting suit that covered her entire body. Only her head, neck, hands and feet were exposed. The Healer pivoted and as she turned, lights flashed over her body like lightning. The material was semi-transparent, yet her more intimate areas remained concealed by glowing white dots that swirled over and around the material. “I am wearing a bioskin. As our history unfolds, you will see how this unique garment came into being. The bioskin generates energy to sustain us as we swim, and this pliable material can withstand the crushing weight of the ocean when we swim at depth. No Atlantean is ever without a ‘skin for an extended period of time.”

  “Then why don’t I need one of those, bioskins?”

  Na-Kai bent to retrieve her robes, and after she had slipped back into the warm folds, she once again joined Daria. “Our technology is more advanced than Terros. We have a system of air flow that maintains negative pressure. We can go without bioskins in our home, but they keep us warmer than if we just wore the robes.

  “I know you are overwhelmed, and if we had the luxury of time, I would introduce you to our ways in a much slower manner. However, I must have you prepared before the Council convenes. It will not take much longer.”

  Marik wound through the Council Hall. He was well aware that his stature as Council Leader would be more than enough to cause people to listen. “Remember the time Na-Kai urged me to stand with her against the others of the Council? She and I voted against Canon Law and the Edicts, and we have lived with the result of that strategy. I vowed that I would never let that happen again. We must not let her sway us now!”

  He slipped these observations into casual conversations and made suspicion seem wise. Tremors of doubt raced through even the most objective citizens. “Our laws have protected us through the centuries. Should we cease to apply them now? Na-Kai is trying to reinterpret what our ancestors instituted long ago. She is bending the laws to fit her needs. Until now, our civilization’s debates have never been questioned. We cannot condone Na-Kai rewriting our past.”

  Marik continued to introduce his will throughout the Council Hall. Some members were persuaded to change their minds. They decided to challenge their Most Sovereign Healer’s impeccable authority, and Marik did what he could to buoy their arguments. “It is unimaginable that Ni-Cio has brought a topsider into our midst. However, it is inconceivable that Na-Kai has immediately placed the intruder under her protection.”

  Even so, Marik knew there were quite a few Atlanteans who felt that their Healer must have had a significant purpose to allow such an extreme breach of Canon Law and a primary Edict. So, he continued to apply subtle pressure between opposing mindsets. Tempers flared and discussions became heated.

  Marik looked up from his current conversation in time to see Ni-Cio and Aris walk into a very unsettled group of their peers. By his count, he had already garnered quite a few votes and he hadn’t noticed too much opposition.

  He saw Ni-Cio exchange a nervous glance with Aris, and though Ni-Cio kept his voice low, Marik could just make out the strategy he was sharing with his friend.

  “Find Rogert and his group. I will appeal to Mer-An and her assembly. If we can persuade them to stand with us, our task will be less daunting. They must be made to see that the third Canon Law should be upheld, because it takes precedence over the historically younger Edict.”

  Marik shook his head and left them to their task while he continued to garner more support. By the time he and the Council were ready to convene, uncertainty surged aggressively through the crowd. Opinions changed as quickly as an ocean breeze. He watched Ni-Cio and Aris cut a diligent path through the scattered groups, and even though he could tell that they were able to convince a solid number of Atlanteans to relax their adherence to Canon Law, he
knew the majority still stood ready to condemn the topsider. He found confidence in that.

  He had talked to too many council members who felt that Ni-Co had violated the Edict of Non-Intervention without regard to consequences, and by doing so, had introduced a severe threat to their social fiber. That Na-Kai upheld Ni-Cio’s actions did nothing to sway their opinion.

  The hall fell silent as a bell sounded ten sonorous chimes. Thus the High Council of Ten were summoned to their place upon the dais.

  Marik knew that it was an imposing group of five men and five women who assumed their positions. In order to reach such elevated status, a person had to be a direct descendant of Poseidon.

  He watched everyone settle. Their lineage was apparent, and Marik knew that each of them could trace their heritage through Atlas, or Eumelus his twin brother, or one of their brothers from the other four sets of twin boys that resulted when Cleito, an all-too-human woman, was taken to wife by a god.

  When Marik took the center chair, the restless throng of two hundred quieted in silent anticipation. As Council Leader, he would open the conference, and those who were not physically in attendance would be conjoined by virtue of thought-touch so that they would miss nothing.

  Any stir of movement ceased throughout Atlantis. Marik rose from his chair, cleared his throat and began to speak. His voice reverberated through the hall and sounded loud even to him. “Na-Kai has yet to make her appearance. She will join us presently, and the topsider will accompany her. In the interim, she has asked that I proceed.

  “Within our immediate history, we have never convened a Council meeting on anything that posed such a threat to the structure of our lives. Therefore, I will dispense with the usual preamble. We know why we are here. Let us begin. As the rules of conduct have been established long ago, compliance to their defined order is still expected.”