Rise of the Atlanteans: Hidden Destiny

By T.A. Forlenza

The Rise of the Atlanteans series is centered on families in a present-day setting fighting to survive and come to grips with their secret genealogy. The series introduces historical and mythological ties to reality through other literature, including Ignatius L. Donnelly's Atlantis; the Antediluvian World, Plato's

• Language: English
• Publisher: T.A. Forlenza
• Release date: Jun 9, 2024
• ISBN: 9798990929500

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Copyright © 2024 by T.A. Forlenza

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact [e-mail].

The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

Book Cover by T.A. Forlenza

Illustrations by T.A. Forlenza

1st edition 2024

Contents

Soundtrack

Prologue

1.The Devil Rises

2.Resurrection

3.Devilish Intentions

4.A Devilish Dream

5.The Spark

6.Souls Splintered

7.A Memory Lost

8.The Devil Returns

9.A New Dawning

10.Reunion

11.An Ocean of a Different Name

12.A Living Myth

13.Atlantis Mu

14.The Witch

15.Cold Awakening

16.Thieves or Saviors?

Epilogue

Soundtrack

This series of books has soundtracks that you can listen to, either while you read or in your free time. The music helped to inspire the more thematic parts of the novels, and highlights of the notes should coincide with the timing of their placement, if reading out loud at 60 words per minute. A crescendo in the music should (hopefully!) come along at the same moment something exciting happens while you’re reading. Either way, the artists are amazing, and if certain songs call to you like they did me, look them up and find out more. The soundtrack can be found on Spotify by searching Rise of the Atlanteans.

Dennis Steals the Embryo from the Jurassic Park Soundtrack by John Williams

Main Title from the Matrix Reloaded Soundtrack by Don Davis

Frank’s Death-Soldiers (Requiem in D Minor) from 28 Days Later by John Murphy

Secret Destiny from the Arrow: Season 2 Soundtrack by Blake Neely

Hell on Earth from the Dawn of the Dead Soundtrack by Tyler Bates

How will your God Judge you from the Dawn of the Dead Soundtrack by Tyler Bates

Soul Sucker from the Hellboy Soundtrack by Marco Beltrami

Jake Enters his Avatar World from the Avatar Soundtrack by James Horner

No Trust from the Avengers: Endgame Soundtrack by Alan Silvestri

Eye to Eye from the Jurassic Park Soundtrack by John Williams

Dark World from the Aliens Vs Predator Soundtrack by Harald Kloser

He Mele No Lilo from the Lilo and Stitch Soundtrack by Key Cygnetures

Tulou Tagaloa from the Moana Soundtrack by Olivia Foa’i

Wallace Courts Murron from the Braveheart Soundtrack by James Horner

Skylight from the Blade Trinity Soundtrack by Overseer

Survive from the Mad Max: Fury Road Soundtrack by Junkie XL

The End… Or Maybe Not from the Aliens vs Predator Soundtrack by Harald Kloser

Hanging by a Thread by Nickel Creek

Furnace from the Blade Runner 2049 Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer & Benjamin Wallfisch

Xerxes’ Final Offer from the 300 Soundtrack by Tyler Bates

Mimics and Alphas from the Edge of Tomorrow Soundtrack by Christophe Beck

Know who you are from the Moana Soundtrack by Auli’i Cravalho, Vai Mahina, Olivia Foa’i, Opetaia Foa’i & Matthew Ineleo

The Curse won’t Reverse from the Maleficent Soundtrack by James Newton Howard

Watch the World Burn from The Dark Knight Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard

Blue Star from the Chronicles of Narnia; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by David Arnold

Touch the Stars from A Wrinkle in Time Soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi

How far I’ll go from the Moana Soundtrack by Auli’i Cravalho

Solo Flight from the Edge of Tomorrow Soundtrack by Christophe Beck

Rectifier from the TRON: Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk

Legacy from Thor: The Dark World Soundtrack by Brian Tyler

We Know the way from the Moana soundtrack by Opetaia Foa’i & Lin-Manuel Miranda

Jaws – Main Theme from the Jaws Soundtrack by John Williams

Listen with your heart from the Pocahontas Soundtrack by Alan Menken

Can you Stop this Thing? from the Avengers Ultron Soundtrack by Danny Elfman

Te Ka Attacks from the Moana Soundtrack by Mark Mancina & Opetaia Foa’i

The Abyss Theme from the Abyss Soundtrack by Alan Silvestri

Land Ahoy from The Chronicles of Narnia; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by David Arnold

It’s Gonna Be a Long Night from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 1 by James Newton Howard

Cavern from the Moana Soundtrack by Mark Mancina

The Trainman Cometh from the Matrix Revolutions Soundtrack by Don Davis

The Axiom from Wall-E by Thomas Newman

Prologue from the Moana Soundtrack by Mark Mancina

Death of Cedric from the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Soundtrack by Patrick Doyle

Show you the Way from the Chronicles of Riddick Soundtrack by Graeme Revell

Winning the War from the Edge of Tomorrow Soundtrack by Christophe Beck

Vortex from the Thor: The Dark World Soundtrack by Brian Tyler

Guilty of Being Innocent of Being Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer

The Witch’s Transformation from the Into the Woods Soundtrack by Stephen Sondheim

Navigating Home from the Moana soundtrack by Mark Mancina

Rosebud from The Giver Soundtrack by Marco Beltrami

Vision from the Avengers: Age of Ultron Soundtrack by Brian Tyler

This Ends Tonight from the Arrow: Season 2 Soundtrack by Blake Neely

The Battle from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Soundtrack by Harry Gregson-Williams

The Wheat from the Gladiator Soundtrack by Hans Zimmer

Prologue

(Dennis Steals the Embryo from the Jurassic Park Soundtrack by John Williams)

Ach, let’s git this thing over with.

A small gnome of a man stood in front of a crop of bushes, hands planted on his hips. Though he was tiny in stature, he at least looked like an adult with the wide blonde mustache he wore with pride. Bronze colored steampunk spectacles rested atop his head, one lens buzzing and whirring in and out of focus like a pivot. He wore common looking clothes, nothing that would make him stand out, and suspenders that held up an array of pouches around his hips. Small tubes and rods were stuck in a bandoleer he wore across his chest, one of which he fidgeted with nervously.

In the grass just beyond a cement sidewalk on a dark street in suburbia USA, even a passerby would have had trouble seeing him. The sun had set hours prior, the moon dark, which made his presence even more suspicious.

He had to do this carefully.

A hand reached out to pull him back towards the bushes.

Not yet, fool gnome! We are not ready!

Yanking his shoulder away from the grasping hand with a scoff, he retraced his steps forward.

Aye, but ye all take too durned long! It’s dark. The humans are all asleep in their beds. Ain’t no way to know we’re out and about! His fidgeting became more restless as his excitement grew. And we’re about to miss the jump!

To accentuate his point, he looked down at the device on his wrist. Light from what seemed to be a watch lit up his diminutive frame.

Looking at the contraption, he noted it was 3:15 AM on February 1st, 1974 AY. Dials spun and clicked as he manipulated them, a small holographic projection appearing in midair.

Aye, the confluences be lined up, and we are projected to arrive somewhere in the Vale of Angels. Let’s do this!

Ssssshhhh! Someone spat behind him, the rustle of bushes indicating their arrival. Much taller and skinnier than the gnome, this man projected decadence and regality. Hair the color of night was slicked back behind long, pointed ears, cascading down to rest on his shoulders. His eyes seemed to glow as he stepped forward from the foliage to take his place just before the gnome.

Making small and delicate motions with just his fingertips, the twigs and leaves that clung to his clothing floated effortlessly off his body, held aloft by a luminous purple force. Clean from the debris, his simple pair of khaki trousers and green t-shirt melted away to be replaced by a dark purple robe with lines of golden trim. Like static electricity, a line of blue continued up and down his body, completing the transformation with a flowing cape and bestowing into his hand a short and pointed wand. The elf had several smaller pouches as well, though his were much more collected than his comrade’s.

Stupid gnome. He whispered, looking back with a frown.

Sticks n’ stones, elfy. Git on wit’ it! came the reply from the other.

The frown lingering on his lips, the elfish man turned back towards the two-story house on the dark street. Much like the other cookie-cutter versions of its neighbors, this home did not stand out as special.

"Adhibete Caligine Nubem" whispered the robed man in Latin. The words seemed to hang in the air for several moments, beckoning something from beyond. Like a trick of the eyes, the area around the duo started to become misty as a deep fog rolled in. Within seconds, their vision reduced to only a few feet in any direction.

My turn, Mr. Janus, the almighty elf sorcerer of the Order of the blah-blah-blah. Don’t ye be forgettin’ the lights still be on. The gnome rumbled, walking forward of Janus while jumbling around in the series of pouches on his belt.

The blustering bumbler produced a blue rod, pointing it at the area before them and tapping it slightly. As he tapped the device and pointed it at each light, they slowly shifted hues, dimmed, and then went completely dark.

"Oh, I did not forget, little one. Ever present with your gadgets. The wind does seem a bit blustery though Pwyll. I fear it may blow away my fog. Too bad you do not have a contraption to fix that. Janus teased Pwyll, but when he received no response to the quip, he looked back to the bushes he had emerged from. Good thing we came prepared."

The sorcerer nudged the bushes once, a low growl erupting in response. The growl morphed into a grumble after several terse seconds and what little wind there was died down as the clouds slowed their lazy voyage across the sky. No stars were visible in the fog, the lights were extinguished, and now they had created the darkest and stillest of nights.

Wind gone. You go now. A creature rumbled from the bushes; Janus could barely make out its form as it skulked about on all fours.

A fourth figure stepped out from the greenery as well. While Pwyll and Janus seemed to banter without words back and forth, they ceased when this normal-looking human joined them. Tall like Janus but with a bald head, he strode forward and had an air of authority.

Though the fog concealed much of his body, the dark tattoos that encircled his head were still visible against the paleness of his skin. Layers of deep brown robes covered his frame, much like a monk’s would be. The man moved slowly in the mist; eyes half-closed. He stopped several strides into the fog and looked behind him to the bushes, waiting.

Come, Aza. It is safe now. You have no need to fear.

Hesitantly, the hulking mass who had been scrambling about inched forward. Its form was massive, but it kept an ape-like cadence as it came toward the human. The mystical fog that had rolled in served to cover its distinct features, so all it appeared to be was a huge, rolling boulder.

The four individuals slinked through the darkness and mist toward the home, led by Janus. His eyes seemed to grow to twice their normal size, becoming orbs that resembled the blackest of black. Supernaturally, it allowed him to see through the wispy confines of his magically summoned fog.

A short intake of breath is all that escaped Pwyll as he bumped into a parked vehicle on the street, unable to stop himself as he reached his hands out to feel along the sleek metal.

That gasp turned to excitement as the cogs in his brain started to whir, facts he had picked up from years of tinkering slipping from his tongue. Ah, the riding vehicle the human owns! A 1974 Chevy Camaro Z/28, 8-cylinder, overhead valve, naturally aspirated engine with 2 valves per cylinder and a displacement o’ 5.7 litres. This baby pumps out power and torque figures o’ 245 bhp at 5200 rpm. He took a deep breath, eyes still wide with wonder, before he looked up at Janus with a smirk. Brand new right off the assembly line. Aye, she’s a beaut, eh, elf?

Janus rolled his eyes at Pwyll, exasperated. Yes, Pwyll, from what I remember, the vehicle was impressive. Too bad you can’t bring that home, no? He sighed into the night before continuing his voyage, muttering under his breath: These humans and their machines…

The darkness and depth in Janus’ eyes seemed to intensify and glow as he raised his hands to shoulder level. Focusing with his fingers outstretched toward the home, the sorcerer closed his eyes and reached into the pouch at his belt. Coming to a stop and taking a sharp inhalation, Janus blew out the oxygen from his lungs as if blowing up a balloon directed straight at the entry door.

At the same moment, he sprinkled sand from his hand, chanting the words "Profundus Somnus." As the rest of the group passed by him, he whispered to their backs and pulled Pwyll along by his ear away from the vehicle he was so entranced with.

It is done. I have ensured they are all asleep. Come, Pwyll, time again for your science.

Pwyll shook off his reverie, once again taking up the lead as they continued toward the door. Placing the whirring eyepiece down upon his face, he skipped more than walked, almost childlike in nature. Like a hound dog, the gnome stopped to face the mahogany door and leaned forward at the waist.

Lifting his tiny fingers to his eye, he tapped the monocle and breathed out, "Taispeáin dom" in Old Celtic. The command words powered through the gears and the device whirred to life, spinning comically back and forth along his eye orbital.

Looking across the front of the home as if he were inspecting it, Pwyll stood upright with a flourish. Lifting the monocle to the top of his head, he turned to face the rest of his entourage.

The door be locked, and I am no registerin’ any beasties, Malakai. The small man mocked a salute to the human who, in turn, dipped his bald, tattooed head back at Pwyll before shifting his gaze to Janus.

Without words, Janus nodded and turned back toward the door, pointing his fingers at it with another whispered word in Latin. It was smooth coming off his tongue, a practiced language as it floated through thin lips. "Aperta."

A slight click came from the handle, the door opening just slightly to the group.

But enough.

Janus bowed toward Malakai, giving the due respect and signal that it was safe to continue. Malakai nodded his appreciation, face stoic, before looking up into the sky.

Good. Xin?

As soon as the name left his lips, a hulking beast landed down in front of him, wings unfurled. The fog blasted away from the briefest of moments, as the other four could make out the details of the monster.

A massive thing, the creature looked reptilian. Copper-colored scales and a long waving tail whipped about as the draconic woman tasted the air through a forked tongue. She wore minimal clothing, cords wrapped around wrists and ankles leading down to bare feet. What she did wear to maintain her modesty was meager, consisting of only what looked to be a long, brown martial-arts type uniform that acted as both shirt and skirt.

As she stood back upright, she surpassed the height of the other four figures in front of her by at least a foot. She flexed her claws. Open, closed. Open, closed. The joints in her fingers cracked under the stress, her shoulders rolling back as she hissed on a sigh. Looking back toward Malakai and the other three members, she inclined her head in acknowledgement, tongue still tasting the air.

Malakai looked at the creature. Xin, are you prepared to return home? It’s the first sign of emotion seen by the man tonight, a tilt at the corners of his mouth as he expected her response.

Xin looked down at him, lips parting to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth, her reply more rumble than words.

More than you know. I tire of this place and all its disgusting smells already.

Nodding his understanding, Malakai turned back to the home. As the fog closed back in from Xin’s descent, she moved her massive bulk out of the way before Malakai could walk into her. She looked around one last time as Malakai pressed the front door open with his hand, stepping inside enough to let the others enter behind him.

Silent as death, they closed the front door.

The quintet stood there in the main entryway, waiting anxiously. The fifth unknown of the group, who had before been on all fours, finally uncurled to stand tall beside the others.

She was large and fearsome looking, intimidation oozing from every pore. Her green skin was barely covered; some form of animal flesh fashioned into a bandeau, belt, and shorts, while her feet were covered in strappy gladiator sandals. The small, boney tusks jutting from her chin shifted as she sniffed the air, her eyes squinting in the darkness. She pulled her khopesh, a small curved and heavy blade, from the back of her belt and held it at the ready.

The woman scanned the living room, ready for any threat.

Pwyll, to his credit, lasted through several terse seconds before he spoke up. Well, orc, what do ya smell? Your lil’ wind spirits tell ye anythin’? The orc was silent, still scanning the home, and Pwyll was close to losing his patience. Blasted, you’re takin’ your sweet arse time!

Taking one last deep inhale, the orc nodded to someone unseen by the rest of her companions.

Aza not see or smell anything. Aza-aeri say all quiet.

Malakai, face turned upwards along a set of stairs with his eyes closed, seemed to sense the nod as well. With caution, he turned and began to ascend the staircase to the second floor.

Pwyll’s light cough interrupted the trek.

Aye, Malakai, I dinnae think all five o’ us are gonna fit up there. It’ll be like puttin’ two worgs in a bathtub!

As colorful as his… language is, I am inclined to agree. The words seemed torn from Janus as they both looked up at their leader.

Malakai stopped and turned, opening his eyes at last. Confirming the assumption, he pointed at the orc, elf, and dragon-woman and whispered: Aza, take the hallway. Xin and Janus, stay down here and prepare our way home. We will all return and take the gateway from downstairs.

Now knowing their part, Aza and Pwyll nodded as they followed Janus quietly up the stairs, turning at the top to a door at the end of the hall. Aza and her reversed sword brought up the rear, her entire frame twitching in paranoia. She twisted this way and that, scanning in front of and behind the group. Occasionally, her black hair would blow as if by some unseen breeze and she would nod again to no one.

Well, no one anyone else could see.

From her position in the back, she looked down the stairs to see Xin. Aza gave her a grim smile, eyes flicking over to Janus as he began a strange ritual near the living room.

Moving some furniture, he removed a slightly glowing, white phantom quartz from around his neck. He held it reverently… delicately in his hands, lips turned down as it if were sinful to use it to mar the bare wall before him. He began drawing an outline of a large circle, nonetheless.

Turning away from the visibly torn sorcerer, Aza looked back at Pwyll and Malakai as they continued towards a bedroom door.

Malakai almost hesitated as he turned the handle, treating it so carefully like it was a bomb about to go off. The door opened without a creak to reveal a child’s bunkbed off to the side with a large blue circular rug in the center. A slight snore came from the top bunk as the duo slid into the room, closing the door until only a centimeter of space was present.

Malakai stretched a long finger toward the sleeping boy.

That’s him. On the top bunk. He whispered, gesturing clearly for Pwyll to see.

The gnome began to rummage through the many bags attached to every part of his belt, even going so far as to push a button to make the bags spin on some kind of motorized track in a vain attempt to assist him. Malakai rolled his eyes as the pouches jingled and jumbled about the short man’s body. Finally, finding what he was looking for, he looked up at Malakai with a smile.

Aye, found it! I’m ready now; waiting on ye baldy!

Malakai shook his head from side to side, but stretched his hand out to the top bunk again with little preamble. The sheets on the bed fluttered as he made a cupping motion, as if lifting a bug out of a tub. Like a floating ghost, the child rose slowly into the air and down to the floor.

Pwyll crept towards the sleeping child as it fluttered to the ground before him. He sat down next to him, opening a device in the shape of a book complete with an attached pen-like object, and extended the pen towards the child until the tip of it brushed the boy’s arm. Holding it there for several seconds, the top of it turned red and then green.

Opening the book, Pwyll placed it on the ground beside the child, near his feet. Pressing one of the few buttons inside of it, he whispered the words: "Cruthaigh é seo." He then took a golden yellow sphene crystal from around his neck and kissed it, spinning it around and placing it in the hole in the center of the book.

A crane-like extension flicked out from the book’s insides as the device began humming. Pressing another button, the book began to hover off the ground, sputtering as some sort of goo extruded from the extension. As the device began to float the length of the floor, the flow of goo quickened and at once, the fake form of a body began to print before them.

Hey ho, two minutes to go! Pwyll muttered to himself, excited.

I will prepare the child, whispered Malakai, leaning down to cradle the boy gently.

Gingerly, Malakai made a motion of tugging at the child’s clothing. As he pulled his fingers away from each part of the child’s wardrobe, an ectoplasmic slime went with it. The first step done, Malakai was then able to use the slime to create a perfect copy of the baby blue pajamas the boy was wearing. Throwing the new clothing to the ground beside the open device, he returned to his task of safeguarding the child as Pwyll took the duplicated clothes in hand.

The gnome leaned over, placing them on what the device had printed, an exact duplicate of the child in Malakai’s arms. He stepped carefully around the book, avoiding mucking up the process lest they have to start all over.

Time was not a luxury they had.

The decoy be almost done gettin’ dressed. Pwyll spoke with glee, working quickly to finish his part of the job. The book still floated near the head of the child it had created, putting final changes on his hair.

As he waited for it to finish the process, Pwyll looked over at a small desk that sat in the corner. Adjusting his monocle, he once again flipped it down onto his eye and glowered.

"Aye, what be this now? Stephen King’s ‘Carrie’… is got a wee las wi’ blood on ‘er face! His bewildered eyes shift back to the boy being carried by Malakai. Youngin’s like this, no need to be readin’ such horror stories! I’ll just take that…"

Like a death knell, a little voice shattered the presumed silence of the room, Pwyll’s musings just slightly too loud.

Daddy?

The child on the bottom bunk sat up with sleep still in his eyes, grasping a Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal. He looked at Malakai holding his little brother in his arms, then at Pwyll holding his newest book. Finally, he tilted his head to the sight of what looked like a copy of his beloved little brother, a red light on top of his resting head.

His eyes had already grown wide at the sight before him, but grew impossibly larger when Aza pushed the door in. Her sharp, tusk-like teeth and giant blade were more than enough to push the child into hysterics, tears streaming down his cheeks as he started to hyperventilate.

Oooooh, boy! The cat be outta the bag now! Pwyll scowled as he scooped up the crystal shard from inside the printing book, slamming it shut and shoving it into the bag at his side.

Turning on the boy, who was as large as he was, Pwyll took out another small green rod. Tapping the Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal on the head as it lay cradled in his arms, Pwyll smiled.

"Tar ar an saol!" Pwyll garbled as the boy tried to move away from him.

But the child stopped mid scoot as his stuffed animal suddenly came to life and turned to hug him. Cautiously, disbelief apparent on his face, he placed the stuffed animal down on the bed beside him.

Aye laddie, yet jus’ dreamin’! Look at yer wee Pooh bear then! Ever seen ‘im dance?

As Pwyll focused on the word dance, the stuffed animal took the cue and began to dance in front of the child’s eyes, conveniently shifting to the right to drag the boy’s gaze away from Malakai in the center of the room.

As inconceivable as it seemed to be, the boy in Malakai’s arms remained still and asleep. The group inched away to the door as the older brother stared entranced at his dancing bear. The perfect distraction.

Aza took the cue and began making her way back down the stairs as quickly and quietly as she could. Her considerable bulk made her thud more than anything, and the group downstairs looked up in alarm at the sound. Malakai trailed along behind her, the younger brother still blissfully asleep in his arms. At the same time, he used telepathy to instruct Janus to enact their way home and to put the young boy upstairs to sleep.

Still in the room, try as he might, Pwyll could not deter the boy for long- the image of a dancing bear only coming second to the carbon copy of his brother in the center of the room. He realized the other two were gone, eyes tracking from the clone to the door left ajar, mouth dropping open when he realized he had been tricked.

What did you do to my little brother?!

The boy yelled at the gnome before he pushed past him out the door to chase after the others. Pwyll took his cue and shuffled as fast as he could to make his way downstairs, thanking his lucky stars when he saw the older brother had taken a detour towards his parents’ room.

What happened next had the five child-thieves rocking back on their heels.

DAD! MOM! HELP!

The boy’s cries from upstairs resounded across the whole of the home like a bullhorn. The house shuddered and shook, as even the boy in Malakai’s arms began to wake. He struggled with the thrashing child, strength not one of his finer attributes. Though the child was only about five years old, he put up the fight of his life.

Movement sounded from upstairs.

What!? Malakai hissed in anger. Janus, put them back to sleep, NOW!

Janus stood and flared his hands out, much as he did before entering the house earlier, though this time with an added tremble. He chanted the same words from before, but this time his power was enhanced as his eyes blazed an otherworldly hue.

Profundus Somnus Maximus!

The energy that coursed through him this time had everyone else in the room rearing back; Pwyll even letting out a snore as he came down the stairs before he snapped back to attention. All as one looked at the child being carried by Malakai to see the results, but he continued to cry and scream. Whatever Janus had done had not registered at all.

If the wideness of the child’s eyes were a sight to see before, the look on Janus’ was even more awe-struck. Exasperation creased his brow and the lines around his mouth, aging him, and he looked to Malakai as realization dawned on them both.

It’s not working!

He’s un-affected! How is this possible?

The two men shouted at the same time; all pretense of stealth quickly abandoned.

Pwyll could sense a different energy then, coalescing from the upstairs bedroom. Craning his neck, he saw the older brother barreling toward the group, rage plain on his face. Behind him were the parents, whom he had somehow woken from their magical slumber. Pwyll had a sinking feeling in his gut that the interference with their magic wasn’t due to lack of skill, but to someone in this house disrupting it somehow.

Uhm, ahem, ladies and gents, I think it’s wee past time for us to be leavin’!

Pwyll’s nervous cadence broke the questioning remarks of those at the base of the stairs, and he slipped into the shadows, hoping the family hadn’t noticed him doing so. He took advantage of his smaller physique as he fished through his bags, looking for something to aid their escape.

Finish the gate! Malakai roared. Let us go!

Janus jumped into motion, turning back to the vacant wall, and waved his hand. As he slammed it against the wall, he yelled out: "Aperi viam ad Atlantis!"

With a whoosh, streams of glowing tendrils snapped to the outer edges of the circle he had drawn on the wall. In their place was an image of dark countryside, tall grass blowing in the wind. The hole was five feet in diameter and appeared right where the chalk outline had been, swirling with blue energy.

Almost immediately, before it had even solidified, Janus jumped through, tucking, and rolling to the other side. Aza slapped a hand on Xin’s arm, looking at the creature with concern, as she knew the reptile was always the last to go through their magic gateways. Xin nodded her head toward the portal before turning back towards the humans rushing their way downstairs. Aza growled under her breath, bolting for the gate and jumping through headfirst.

Holding tight to the squirming child, Malakai gave a respectful incline of his head to Xin. He had orchestrated this, after all, and knew she was best suited to hold off the approaching family before making her escape when necessary.

Then he saw Pwyll at the base of the stairs, a mischievous glint in his eyes, and realized the gnome had a plan. With no time to clue Xin in, he threw the child haphazardly over his shoulder and reached out for the scalehide’s hand. She was much too far to make contact, but then the clear adularia gemstone embedded in a ring on his finger flared to life, glowing blue in the darkness. Malakai made a fist in the hand that stretched to her and as his fingers tightened and lifted, so too did Xin.

Not wasting any more time, Malakai used his telekinetic power to yank Xin away from the stairs, throwing her through the portal where her body landed roughly on the grass on the other side. He heard her spitting and hissing at his rough handling, but knew her vitriol would need to wait a little longer.

The older boy had made it past Pwyll at this point and was now pounding his small fists into Malakai’s sides as he fought him to release his brother. The parents, though, were not quite as lucky as they ran afoul of Pwyll’s trap.

Grease had spread out all along the bottom of the staircase, spouting from a small nozzle. Pwyll had turned the entire area into a slippery obstacle right after the brother had run past, having faith Malakai could handle him. As soon as the parents hit the bottom step, their feet escaped them, they both falling onto their backs with the air knocked from their lungs. The gnome