In the year of our Lord, 1250, I was the heir to the throne of my father, King Scirellos. My brother was to be a priest to the gods of Atlantis, my sister a writer of ancient common language, and I was to be an heir to the throne of the city of Atlantis.
No one was seen by anyone born in the city of Atlantis; that was until the day I decided to visit the outer lands. Nearly all the people of the city of Atlantis had blue eyes, skin the color of gold, and hair the color of a deep blue glistening ocean. I, however, was not like others.
My eyes were green, my hair brown, and my skin as fair as the mountains of ice to the north. I was the only one to be as such. Even so, I was still a prince of the great city of Atlantis. It was why I was also the only one I knew of who was permitted to play with the other children of the city.
Though I was the only non-Atlantean to reside within the city, I was still, nonetheless, free to roam the city to my heart’s desire. The only problem with this was I would soon lose this freedom.
“Your Highness,” said the head guard. “The three legged dog has returned… but only a part of him.”
My brother, the priest of the gods, walked down from the high tower above us. He started to approach me. I knew what was coming. When I heard my name being called by a guard, I knew something was wrong.
“Your Highness,” the guard repeated. “He did not take Goldspot with him.”
The priests of the city of Atlantis had many creatures with them that came from the sky. They could be recognized by the smaller birds they were. There was the seagull, the duck, the vulture, and the three legged dog. Each was different in colors and design, and each its own master.
My brother followed with the others following him in a hurry. “He uses the dog as a tracking device,” said the priest. “When he does not return, he has perished.”
“I did not give Goldspot to him. He is mine,” I stated. “I will not follow you.”
“You will if you wish to live,” the priest replied. “Those who see what happens to those that do not follow the rules are never seen again.”
The priests of the city of Atlantis were not always respected, but they always were. It was what they did that held the people of the city together. The priests were the only ones who could make the spirits of the gods in the heavens let down their guards. God, for his part, would grant great gifts to those who did as he wished. They were the only ones allowed to do so.
In all of the cities of Atlantis were many gods arose from the sea. The city of Atlantis was not that different. The city of Atlantis below the sea was a place where creatures of all nations and people from all lands could reside. It was protected by the gods. The gods had set it aside for the people below to protect it. Once the city of Atlantis was located, it disappeared, then reappeared over the centuries.
The city of Atlantis was split into two cities, the city and the temple. The city was the place of trade and where the people enjoyed life most. In the temple was where all the priests of the gods labored. They were the ones who made sure the city was protected by the gods. They were the ones to keep the city that the people lived in safe from both the gods and the great creatures that lived from both the ocean and the sky.
The priests of the city of Atlantis were always thought of as the most violent, but they were always their own gods. They made sure the gods gave their full protection over their own city.
In my case, I did not care why I was doing what I was doing; I was only doing what had always been done.
I turned my back on my brother and stooped to pick up Goldspot.
As if on cue, the three legged dog appeared before me and began to bark in a quiet, nervous tone. Goldspot began to bark in a quick and nervous tone. For a moment we did not move. I looked up from Goldspot to the three legged dog.
“What are we doing here,” I asked, finally.
“The priests call this the Outer Lands. These are to be left untouched.”
“I thought they were going to the temple,” I said with a confused look on my face. “Why didn’t they take me?”
“We are here to find your dog,” the head guard responded.
“And you are?” I asked, in a defiant tone.
“The head guard.”
I did not like authority. I was not a follower of the rules. I was the only one who was like this and I was not going to change. Others would follow the rules if it meant their life was spared. They would not open the gates or climb down the steps of the temple. They were all going to be killed or taken in to captivity for life. I was one of the few who did not care if they lived or died.
“I see,” I replied with a stern frown on my face. “So, you were sent to retrieve my Goldspot?”
“Yes,” the head guard replied. “Only your family has a dog like this. That is why we have come.”
“So, you were sent to capture my dog?”
“Yes.”
“You were sent to capture my dog,” I repeated for the third time. “But you are the head guard. Why were you sent to do this?”
“Because you were there,” the head guard said.
“That is not fair,” I said. “I am not the one who is a criminal; the dog is. It is the one that you need to capture. It will not be hard to find it. My dog is a jewel next to the others.”
“You don’t understand,” the head guard said. “They said you would do this.”
“So, you fear me?” I asked with a frown. “Which is why you have come to my home to capture my dog?”
“No,” the head guard replied. “I fear nothing. I am simply doing my duty as a head guard.”
What did a head guard do? I knew they were different to other guards in the cities. While we had many of them in Atlantis, there were very few. They had to be the best of the best of the bests. I had lost a long time ago what it meant to be a head guard. They were more than guards. They were leaders, but would kill those who did not follow them.
The head guard walked to me with the others following him. He reached toward Goldspot and took him from my arms. Goldspot began to bark loudly as he began to bite the hand the head guard was using to hold him in a tight grip.
“Hush,” the head guard said.
Goldspot stopped barking and then began to growl. I reached toward the head guard.
“No,” the head guard said as he raised his hand and drew his sword from his waist. It gleamed in the moonlight like an eel.
I took one step forward. The head guard raised the sword toward me. I took one step forward.
I heard a shriek come from the temple as the shadows bent forward. I raced back to my home as the moon and stars began to vanish. I pushed past the limp bodies of the three legged dog and the head guard. I did not go inside. I sat upon my bed with a stunned look on my face.
I heard the scrambling of feet, but I did not understand what was happening.
My eyes were wide open as the door to my bedroom finally came to a close.
“See, my dear brother, you should have obeyed me and returned home,” the priest stated in a calm tone. “I would have saved your life.”
“But you cannot save mine,” I said. “I did not do anything.”
“No, you did not,” the priest stated. “You could have saved your dog. We would all be dead now if it was not for you. What were you thinking? You could have killed all of us with one arrow. You could have done this here.”
The priest looked upon the city of Atlantis with disgust. It was as if these people were animals that were let loose in a field. They had nothing to do, no place to go, and they spent their lives wandering about in circles in a few kilometers of land.
“What is this place,” I asked. “Who protects it?”
“The warriors of our faithful guardian protect it,” the priest stated. “We have a large section of the temple with some spiked wheels of metal. We have the cannons of our god up in the sky. We have much weaponry, but they are not enough.”
“So, the gods below are protecting it?”
“No,” the priest said with a smile. “They protect us, but there is no protection if they die.”
“I do not understand. Who protects this place?”
“No one. That is why we have come here. They do not need the gods or any magic. They have one powerful protector, a creature that can defeat thousands and millions of our people.”
“What creature could do something like that?” I asked. “My brother could do that.”
“No,” the priest replied. “Your brother could not. He could defeat anyone in the world if he had a thousand soldiers backing him. He could do it if he had an army, but he cannot do it alone.”
“What creature is more powerful?”
“Some say a demon. Some say it is an elder god. Some say it is a god from another world,” the priest said. “We do not know, but we know it will save this place.”
“If it cannot be protected from it, then it must be a powerful creature.”
“Yes,” the priest replied. “Exactly.”
“So, it is a powerful creature who can protect this place from destruction?”
“Yes.”
“If it is a strong creature who can protect this place, then why is it hidden in this place?” I asked.
“Because the other creatures would kill her,” the priest stated. “It has been seen to kill entire armies. She appears as nothing but a shadow. Just as it is impossible for the priests to find it, it is impossible for other creatures to find it. It is hidden in place, but it runs free in the skies above.”
“Why is it running free in the skies above?”
“It is a beautiful creature,” the priest said. “It will be the death of all those it protects.”
How many times had I heard this story already. I remembered my brother Isaac and me hiding Goldspot in the small crevice on the face of the rock face. We said that it would be safe there. We were wrong.
“Why is it so beautiful,” I asked. “Did it come from another planet?”
“No,” the priest replied. “We believe it is an evil creature. However, what is good is not superior to what is evil. We do not know and do not care. It is beautiful and that is all that matters to us.”
“I know that,” I said. “But, I still do not understand.”
“They show her off to us sometimes. When chosen, she will saved this place from its enemies.”
“So, it is chosen,” I said with a confused look on my face.
“Yes, I do not know how you found out, but it is your brother,” the priest replied.
My eyes shifted as I heard the unmistakable sound of my brother barking wild and fierce.
“Is that my brother?” I asked.
“Yes,” the priest replied.
I looked back to the door and I could see the shadow of my brother on the other side. His body was turned away from the door and he was barking at me.
“My brother,” I said with a wide smile on my face. I reached over to the door and opened it. I could see my brother sitting on the other side with a wild look on his face.
“Goldencoil!” I shouted. “We found you!”
“Well, well, well,” the priest said with a smile. “If it is not the brother. You have been sent to find your dog. We were wondering if you were done.”
“It was you,” I said as I looked back to the priest. “You sent me after Alliadan?”
“We did,” the priest replied. “I sent them after you and you were foolish enough to return home. You could have been dead very soon.”
“Why did you return home?” the priest asked.
“I was tired,” I replied. “I wanted to rest.”
My brother and I looked long at each other while smiling.
“I cannot believe I am not dead,” I said. “I must have hit my head against the rock. I was running very fast in that place and I must not have hit my head.”
“It was a place we found for you,” the priest said. “We had watched you explore the temple for days. When you finally decided that this place was taboo, you stopped exploring.”
“I did?” I asked. “Where is the place I found?”
“We will show it to you,” the priest replied. “It is the same place we found Goldspot.”
The priest turned his head to the side and we finally set foot deep within the temple grounds.
“It is beautiful here,” I said.
“It is,” the priest said. “Do not touch anything. We will be watching you closely.”
I heard the chuckling sound again and I followed the buzzing voice to the temple tower. I saw the priest standing on the top of the temple tower where I looked down upon the hooded sun worshippers.
“Father, how can I touch the temple of the gods when my oath has been broken?”
I could see the gold wheel of the temple sparkling in the moonlight. It looked to be made of a reflective metal.
“We do not know who you spoke to,” the priest said. “You must speak to another – for you certainly did not speak to me. You could have given away our entire plan. You could have told your mother of it or your father or even the king.”
“I did not speak to a trickster,” I said. “I spoke to my brother and he is dead.”
“He is a trickster and you must speak of him as such,” the priest responded. “He is like an animal and must be treated as such.”
“Yes, father,” I said as I bowed.
The priest walked toward me and I saw the golden light reflecting off the shiny metal of my father’s armor. It was the most beautiful gold I had ever seen.
“You will be remembered here in this place as one of the ancestral chiefs,” the priest stated. “You will be remembered as a hero to this race. Now, you shall tell your secret and you must not speak anything but the truth.”
My father raised my head so that it was now at his eyes.
“Was it my brother that brought you this far?” my father asked.
“Yes,” I replied. “He saved me from the warrior.”
“Why did you have to say savior?” my father asked.
“Because the warrior was saving me from the wheel,” I replied.
“You say that almost as if it was not a secret,” my father stated.
“My brother gave me this night because of the warrior,” I replied. “It was not the warrior saving me, but my brother.’
“What were you thinking before the warrior saved you,” my father asked with a confusing look on his face.
“I was thinking of my father’s sacrifice,” I replied. “I was thinking that it was because of him that I was running.”
“You love your father?” my father asked. “Or was it that you had to save your brother?”
“I love my father, my brother and my mother,” I replied. “I love all of them and my friends.”
“What was the suffering you felt,” the priest asked.
“The pain I felt,” I replied. “When I ran through the undergrowth.”
“It was a feeling of the wheel,” the priest said. “You said that you felt pain. It was this pain that caused you to stop and it was this pain that caused you to return. You feel the wheel.”
“I do,” I said. “I cannot stop it.”
“Who removed the wheel from your face?” the priest asked.
“My brother,” I replied.
“Was it your brother the one you spoke to,” the priest asked.
“Yes,” I answered.
“You are a trickster,” the priest said. “You have called us here to bring us information that will cause us to consider you gods. You told us that your brother saved you. You have been deceiving us. You gave us a bad lie and you asked of us to return home so that you could survive and you would be able to give the trickster power.”
“I am sorry,” I replied with a sincere look on my face.
