When his worst fear comes true, Asgard's Dark Prince will stop at nothing to rescue his pregnant consort. Yet, not even the threat of Asgard's forces looming in the skies over Alfheim can force the Unseelie Winter Realm Elves to produce Shannon when...
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We swam hard, cutting through the water with our powers until I saw light ahead and down. Prince Elatha angled down toward it and I followed.
As we got closer, I realized the light was a green energy field that created a bubble of air surrounding a series of buildings. The outpost was arranged in a wheel shape with smaller buildings laid out in spokes, surrounding larger central buildings.
Prince Elatha swam toward a silver circle near the base of the bubble where it met the sea floor. Waiting for me to join him, he entered a code on a virtual pad that appeared when his hand raised a spot on the side of the circle. The energy field pushed outward, over us and to the edges of the silver circle, creating a bubble of air surrounding us and open to the inside. As we stepped through, it retracted and the water was once again pressing against the original energy wall.
The level of technology or magic impressed me. I wasn't sure which was in use here, but as I'd learned on Asgard, magic was just science I couldn't yet fully explain. Still, I had a lot to learn to catch up to the level of scientific knowledge held by immortals.
The air inside the dome was clean and fresh, like after a spring rain. It reminded me of the temperate rainforests of home, a comforting and familiar scent, and I breathed deep. Given our surroundings, I'd expected the air to smell like salt. With the surrounding air, I dried myself and my clothing, removing the salt as well. As much as I loved being in the water, I hated the way the salt felt on my skin when it dried into a crust.
Prince Elatha watched me, one black eyebrow raised at the display of power. Once I finished, he nodded, seemingly in approval. Instead of drying himself, he shook his thick, shoulder-length black hair, leaving it damp to curl around his face. His body, armour, and tight-fitting skinsuit visible on the unarmoured parts of his undeniably fit athletic body shed the water almost as fast, leaving a puddle on the dry ground beneath him. Clearly, being wet didn't bother him. Although, I wished I hadn't noticed he looked even better in the air than he had in the water.
"This way, Princess," Elatha said, his voice a rich baritone as he strode toward the large central buildings. It was a graceful collection of silver towers.
"How large is the Fomorian territory?" I asked, stumbling with my first step. He looked back at me, and I forced my feet to cooperate and follow him. Despite his assistance thus far, I didn't want to give away my exhaustion.
"Atlantia has seven major cities spread across one hundred and twenty million square kilometres. Hy-Brasil is our capital city here on Tír na nÓg. We also have numerous outposts throughout the edges of our territory and a few still on Litaui."
I blinked, his answer catching me off guard. "You call your kingdom Atlantia? So, by any chance, would one of those outposts on Midgard be Atlantis?"
Elatha laughed, eying me with amusement. "Yes, yes it is. I can guess what your next question is going to be, right? Was Atlantis on the surface and sank?"
