The Book of Time: A Guardians of Time Novel

Chapter Six: Atlantis

Derricc. Derricc can you hear me?

Ayden?!

Yes. Are you two all right?

Ayden had been running for nearly an hour when he thought to stop and contact Derricc and Melina. He felt bad for not thinking of it sooner and was thankful that they were able to communicate, even with him inside the core. He slipped inside what looked like an abandoned home and leaned against the doorway, peering into the empty streets watching for unseen enemies.

Yes. Derricc's voice replied. We have been searching for a way into the core but it is impenetrable. The crack you fell through sealed up.

I saw. It was the Celestial Stone that opened the core. Ayden replied.

Do you still have it? Derricc asked.

No. It fell out of my hand and swam away.

Swam?

Yes, swam. Search the Rogue Currents. There is a small white fish and you will find it's the stone, its how it has been hidden. Catch it and touch it to the surface of the core and it should open. Ayden explained.

The Currents will kill us. Derricc responded morbidly.

Get inside the Current and find the fish. If you wish to join me, its the only way in. Otherwise, you will have to wait for word from me. Ayden replied.

Then I guess we're going fishing. Derricc replied.

The connection severed and Ayden continued to watch from the doorway.

Although the city was deserted, it gave the aura of a once prosperous and beautiful place. The large castle was still miles away but the light coming from it lit the entire core, and Ayden could see the exquisite craftsmanship of the buildings.

The homes still standing were made of hand crafted sun-dried bricks that, even when laid together, left gaps in the walls. Heavy clay interlocking shingles made up the roofs and almost every home had a courtyard where young Grecian children had once played.

Most of the cobblestones around the homes were broken and uneven as weeds and other forms of vegetation pushed their way through. He carved his eyes along the main roadway that looked to lead right up to the castle and he could see that the structure and quality of the buildings increase as they got closer to the palace. It was an obvious symbol of the richer socialites that used to dwell near the castle.

He could see the mall area where shops and vendors had once peddled their wares. The street itself was completely barren and made of dirt. In the light that emanated from the castle, it reminded Ayden of a horror movie he had seen once on earth where thousands of zombies suddenly appeared, hungry for human brains.

The home he stood in was on the brink of destruction. The wooden door had been torn from its hinges. Where the furniture would have been in the common area was a pile of cloth scraps and chunks of old wood. Dark red streaks stained the furthest wall and he didn't have to guess at what they were.

Blood. He thought to himself as his heightened senses sniffed the air.

He took one last look around the eerie home before he walked out into the street. The dirt crunched underneath his ankle-high boots as he walked out into the road slowly, taking care to be aware of his surroundings. A feeling draped over him like a heavy cloth. There was someone, or something, there with him.

Reaching up to his necklace, he pulled off the staff and allowed it to grow. He held it in front of him with both hands as he crept low and quiet through the streets.