The Drowning of Atlantis

Episode 1: Base Camp Mayari, my love, I arrived at Akris Camp last night. The steam tram struggled through the lowlands, where marshes have begun swallowing the rails and landslides block sections of the line. Up here in the mountains, the changes are less visible. After one night in a tent, I regret my choice. I can hear you laughing and scolding me. This morning, frost covered the ground and our breath smoked in the air. I miss Ayama, its little houses and orchards of bananas, mangoes and coconuts. When I woke this morning, I found myself looking for the sea. The trials begin today. I’m nervous; I’m not as fast, strong, or well trained as some of the candidates. Several are from officers’ families. They look at me as though I’m some strange visitor, a curiosity here to upset their neat little world of militiamen. Everyone is judging everyone else. But you know perfectly well I’m not after some prestigious position. A place at the Nereon School of Applied Technology would be more than enough for me. Enough about me. How are you doing? I hope medical school is going well. I dream of our future wedding. You won’t hear from me for the next two weeks, but I’ll count the days. I’m sending this letter by registered courier. I guess you’ll receive this toward the end of the week. I adore you, Your Tayac, forever.

* * * A horn sounds. I tuck my letter into my bag and step out of the tent. Outside, Akris wakes to a mixture of neighing horses, voices, and clanging metal. A valve hisses out a burst of steam. The tram is about to leave. I enter the communications barracks, hand my letter to the clerk, and pay the postage. Since the end of the war, even the shortest letter costs three times what it used to. All thanks to the Convergent cult and Di Lorenzo’s research causing chaos due to predicting Atlantis’s fall. His Convergents pushed the kings into war with Athens to reach the continent; now even speaking of them is forbidden. On my way out, I skirt around two men leading a horse. A third militiaman works a pulley system mounted on wheels to unload the tram. The crates rise and fall at crooked angles. The counterweight is in the wrong place. All it would take is— Three blasts of the horn cut through the air. I run toward the center of camp. The other candidates are already gathered when I arrive. I slip in among them and catch my breath. Ardana, our head instructor, hasn’t started yet. In front of me stands a young man, already geared up. He isn’t much taller than I am, but he’s much more squarely built: broad shoulders, a thick chest, muscular arms. His blond hair is cropped short, and he stands ramrod straight, feet slightly apart, as though waiting for inspection. Definitely a caporal’s son. They breed horses there, along with formidable warriors. Most of them end up in the royal guard or the Atlantean army. Ardana claps her hands and steps into the center of the circle. From her short, stocky legs and muscular arms, I suspect she hails from the same region as the large blond man. “Your first trial is to reach base camp at the foot of the mountain. You’ll be paired according to complementary strengths. You must arrive before nightfall. Dense forest, snow, sheer slopes, crevasses, and glaciers stand between you and your destination. Here is your equipment.” Two assistants set bundles at her feet. “Every decision you make will affect your score and your future prospects. Be strategic, resourceful, and inventive. The first three teams will receive an advantage in tomorrow’s trial.” She unfolds a document and begins matching skills: an aspiring apothecary with a militiaman, a physician with a future politician... I try to guess what she intends to do with an engineer. The square blond man in front of me still hasn’t moved. “Adur Leontis and Tayac Nahuel.” The blond man looks me over from my boots to my face. His jaw tightens. I don’t need to know him to understand that Ardana has just ruined his day. I pick up one of the bundles and walk over to him. “Tayac.” “I know,” he says, rolling his eyes. He sets off, and I follow. For nearly an hour, we barely speak. Adur keeps up a punishing pace, as though he’s trying to lose me. He won’t. I’ve been moving through forests and hunting in them since childhood. On the slopes, his strength makes up for my flexibility and lighter build. At the glacier, he takes out the rope and harnesses. I turn one over in my hands. “We’re going to have a problem. How much do you weigh?” “Eighty-two kilos, give or take.” “Seventy-five for me. We need to reinforce these harnesses, or we’re walking to our deaths.” I climb a tree and cut long strips from an epiphytic plant—another specialty of my people. Once I’m back on the ground, I double up and reinforce our harnesses. He starts tying the knots. “Not like that. If I pull here, it comes undone. We need to double the rope too.” I correct him. “You know about construction?” Adur seems surprised. “Applied mathematics and engineering, mostly.” He finishes doubling the rope while I make walking sticks from fallen branches. We’ll use them to test the ground as we climb. I have to admit Ardana knew what she was doing. # We reach base camp among the first teams. Ardana inspects our equipment, lingering over the modifications to our harnesses. “Tomorrow, you’ll leave five minutes early, and you can take new harnesses.” Adur slaps my hand in celebration. I grin from ear to ear. We settle by the fire. My throat has already begun to feel scratchy, and Adur, hunched inside his cloak, shivers beside me. A young woman approaches carrying her meal and trips over a log. I catch her before she falls into the fire. Her bread isn’t so lucky. Someone calls her a clumsy disaster. Her eyes fill with tears. I offer a sympathetic smile to reassure her. She sits beside me. “I’m Melia.” “Tayac.” Judging by her golden complexion, curly hair, and amber eyes, she’s probably travelled from somewhere far warmer. She keeps talking about her dream of becoming an apothecary. Eventually, she notices us shivering. “Oh! Oh, you two don’t look so good. Both of you, go to my tent. I have elderberry syrup. One spoonful and you’ll be good as new tomorrow. It tastes awful, though.” Adur elbows me and thanks Melia. He gets up first and heads toward the crooked tent. Inside her medical bag, we find an expensive Azaean crystal bottle labeled ELDERBERRY SYRUP. We each take a swallow. I frown. Adur takes another, as do I. Melia walks in. Her gaze falls on the bottle. She goes white. “Oh no! What have you done?”

Episode 2: The Attraction Potion She holds up the elderberry syrup bottle: opaque, with a cork stained indigo blue “What did we drink?” I ask, worried. Melia blushes and lowers her eyes. “My desire potion.” “Your what?” Adur asks. “The recipe came to me during a meditation at Aphrodite’s temple. It causes intense physical attraction, but it isn’t love.” “And it never occurred to you to change the label?” he shouts, beside himself. “I forgot.” Melia is on the verge of tears. I try to avoid Adur’s gaze. “How long will it last?” “I don’t know. A few weeks, maybe a few months since you drank half the bottle... If neither of you is attracted to men, it might not work as well.” Adur squirms. Our eyes meet, and mine drift down to his full lips. Heat settles low in my belly. I look away. “Give me the antidote!” he orders. “I can’t. There isn’t one!” “Look, I’m getting married at the beginning of autumn. I can’t stay like this,” I tell her. “Who makes a potion without thinking of an antidote? Admit you did this on purpose to get us disqualified!” Melia bursts into tears and swears she never meant to hurt us. “The others are right. You really are a walking disaster!” Adur spits. He storms out of the tent. I stare at the door as he departs. Why do I suddenly have this insane urge to follow him? # When I open my eyes, my thoughts fly straight to Adur. He pulls at me like a magnet. I hear his voice outside and rush out of the tent. “Head Instructor, I want a different partner.” he pleads with Ardana. I freeze on all fours in front of my tent. “You know what that means? Disqualification.” He shrugs. “You don’t understand... This can’t work.” “And yet you finished second yesterday. Your strengths complement each other very well.” He folds his arms and turns around. His eyes meet mine. My heart skips a beat. Uneasy, I move away. “Five-minute head start today. Get your harnesses, eat breakfast, and go.” Ardana coaches. Adur walks past me. Over breakfast, my gaze drifts to his copper skin, his curly blond hair, and his lips... which I want to nibble. Desire stirs lower down, deep in my belly. I don’t finish my food. On a large wooden table, equipment has been laid out for us: two new harnesses, ropes, narrow planks, pitons, and a few metal pieces. Ardana joins us with today’s instructions. “You must reach the far side of the Gorge with all your equipment. You’ll have to build your own crossing. Nothing can fall into the gorge.” We gather our equipment and head east. Less than a kilometer away, the gorge splits the mountain. A torrent of water and ice rushes between the rocks. Anchor points in the cliff face will allow us to build a suspended ladder. “Think we should double the ropes like yesterday?” Adur asks. I look up and lose myself in his light brown eyes. “Uh? What? Yes? No?” He grumbles, bending down. I take a deep breath and crouch beside him. “I know you don’t want to work with me anymore, but we don’t have a choice,” he says flatly. “I never said that. We made a good team yesterday. Anyway, you don’t have to worry. Even if this potion is particularly strong, I don’t go after straight men.” He sighs and runs a trembling hand over his forehead. I choke on my own saliva in realisation. “I’m not straight.” I confess. “What?! But you’re getting married.” I start lining up the slats between the two ropes to avoid his gaze. “I love Mayari, but if she were a man, I’d love her just as much. I've been with both guys and girls before I realized she was the one.” “So you’re into both?” “Not really... I’m just myself. I love Mayari for who she is.” “That makes no sense... Anyway, you could’ve kept that to yourself.” Adur mocks “Why?” “Because I know the damn potion is working on you too... and it gives a guy false hope.” “I refuse to hurt Mayari.” “We’ll control ourselves. We can do this.” Adur states,

I nod, not as convinced. When the horn sounds we pick up the pace. Adur is better than I am at tightening the ropes and driving in the pitons. Meanwhile, I calculate the spacing between the boards and how our weight will be distributed. Adur moves closer and crouches to secure a plank. I watch his movements, his fingers, his hands, then his forearms. My gaze drifts much too high this time. Our faces are only millimeters apart. He straightens and moves away. Other teams arrive and begin building their ladders. I check the fastenings while Adur holds the ropes. He hands me another plank. Our fingers touch. I almost drop it. “Focus, will you?” We finish the ladder and secure it to the anchors. Adur pulls on the ropes. I inspect the whole structure. Everything holds. Adur bends down at the same moment as I do to pick up his harness. His shoulder brushes mine. I bite my lip and step away to put on my gear. A team behind us throws out their crossing. I straighten. Adur’s gaze drops to my crotch. He looks away, embarrassed, and rubs a hand over his face. “Go,” he orders. I obey and cross as fast as I can without looking down. The wind swings the ladder over the void. When I reach the other side, I wait for the earth’s tremors to stop before stepping onto solid ground. I turn around and lie flat in the snow to steady the ropes. Adur is only two steps from the end when a sharp snap splits the air. He reaches out and grabs the board ahead of him. One rope gives way and slips loose. Three slats twist at once, and the ladder rolls onto its side. “Adur!” He disappears, and my harness goes taut. I feel myself sliding toward the gorge with him. Someone orders me to cut my rope. I cling to the anchors at the edge of the ravine, my head hanging over the void. Below me, Adur grips the rock face, searching for a foothold. I stretch out my free arm. “Come on. Take my hand.” He starts climbing the rock face. “No. You’ll never be able to pull me up.” “Come on, you stubborn fool!” He gives in and grabs my arm. I pull while hands clamp around my calves to keep me from falling. Adur finally reaches the rim. He swings one leg over, then rolls into the snow. My arm goes around his waist. I hold on to him for a long moment, even though he’s safe. # Alone in my tent, I keep seeing Adur hanging over the void, then our bodies tangled together in the snow. Stop! Think about Mayari! Her smile, her dark eyes, our walks along the beach. Then Adur’s brown eyes, his chest, his thighs... What a mess! I push back the blankets and slip out of the tent. The cold air lashes my face. I head toward the forest. Come to rest against a tree I place my foot on a branch silently without breaking it. Heavy footsteps approach from behind. I turn around. Adur stares at me, startled. “Gods! You scared me. I thought I was alone. I couldn’t hear you walking.” I lift my legs and show him my bare feet. “You’re crazy! You’re going to lose your toes.” I laugh and keep walking. He follows. Soft, heavy footsteps circle us. I freeze. Those aren’t human. We crouch and listen. A low growl rises from behind the brush. A mountain lion. I reach behind my back and nock an arrow. A snarl startles Adur, who rushes in front of me. “Tayac, get back!” He grabs a branch and tries to draw the animal toward him. The predator lunges at him. I scramble onto a rock and take aim. The arrow buries itself in its throat. The animal collapses. I climb down from the rock. “Were you trying to get yourself killed?” I shout in his face. Panicked, he runs his hands over me, then grabs my face. Our breaths mingle and our lips crash together. I drop my bow and return his kiss with a passion I didn’t know I had. I nibble at his lips. He licks mine between kisses. I want more. His hands roam over my chest as I grab the back of his neck, then one of his buttocks and pull him against me. He moans into my mouth and grips my hips. I feel him harden against me, and my body responds to his desire. “Mmm, Tayac, you kiss so well,” he murmurs. “So do you.” My fingers slip beneath his tunic and explore his chest. He squeezes one of my buttocks, and his fingers slide between them. I freeze, aroused and uneasy. I stop touching him, trembling. I think of Mayari. “Are you all right?” Adur asks. “Stop, please.” His eyes search mine. I turn my head away. He stops and steps back. The air between us grows too cold. I regret what I said. He turns back toward camp, leaving me alone with the mountain lion’s carcass at my feet.

Episode 3: Surrender Adur has been avoiding me for six days. Late in the day, I go hunting to clear my head and add something to our meals. Tonight, I brought back two hares. As I stretch out the hides, I think they would make a fine collar for... Adur. Why didn’t I think of Mayari? That evening, I eat around the fire without much appetite. The competitors begin singing songs from their regions. Some are solemn, others cheerful. A voice rises behind me: Adur. He has come out of his tent, beads of sweat on his face. His baritone voice carries through the camp, sad and somber. He sings of a love affair between two enemy families that ends very badly. Ardana turns her head so no one will see her cry. “It’s a great tragedy,” she says. “It teaches us that duty must come before passion. That’s our province’s motto.” Once nearly everyone has sung, it’s my turn. I resist, my culture isn’t something we share with complete strangers, before giving in to their encouragement. I close my eyes and begin in my grandmother’s language, born on the other side of Atlantis. Most of our songs have been passed down in that language. When I reach the higher notes, I do as my father taught me: I pinch either side of my larynx. When I finish, a burst of applause startles me. A future physician asks me how to alter my throat to reach those high notes. No, I can’t teach him. It belongs to our ancestral customs. He doesn’t insist. Adur gives me a nod and returns to his tent. Not long afterward, Ardana crosses the camp with two physicians. My eyes follow them to Adur’s tent. Melia looks over as well. “He’s not doing very well. He hardly eats anymore, and he has a fever. What about you? How are you?” I shrug and avoid her gaze. Nights are the worst. I walk until exhausted, yet sleep only three or four hours. My dreams are filled with his kisses and caresses. But I have no one I can tell any of this to. She gives me a knowing look, as though she has read my thoughts. I turn my eyes back toward the tent. “You should go see him.” she urges “He doesn’t want me to.” The evening drags on. I finally return to my tent and bed. Sleep still won’t come. The camp is sound asleep, but rest remains beyond my reach. I hear his footsteps before Adur even comes in. The flap lifts. I prop myself up on my elbows. Our eyes meet, and all the tension of the past few days breaks at once. I throw myself at him and his lips meet mine. He pushes me back onto my bedroll, and I cling to him to keep him against me. His mouth travels down my neck, then my chest. I tug at his tunic. He pulls mine off. Our clothes end up on the ground in no particular order. His mouth moves down my stomach. When it closes around me, a moan escapes my lips and I bury a hand in his hair. Then his fingers slide between my buttocks. My body tenses. Adur stops at once. “What is it?” I look away. “I’ve never...” He waits. Why is this so hard to say? “Does it scare you?” I nod. “I feel foolish.” His expression softens. “I went through that too. If you’d rather take me tonight, I don’t mind.” Every part of me wants to say yes. “No... Mayari.” He draws back and folds his arms. His expression hardens. I sit up on my bedroll. “I want this. I want you... but I don’t want to betray her.” “And what we’re doing tonight isn’t betraying her?” I lower my eyes. “It is.” Adur doesn’t argue. His expression softens again. He kisses me and eases me onto my back. I surrender to his touch. Fear returns as he prepares me, mingling with the desire that has burned through me for days. I cling to him. Soon the discomfort gives way to pleasure, and I find myself wanting more. Adur pushes me back with a smile and makes me lie down. He settles behind me. My heart races. When he enters me, my hand clenches around the blankets. What felt good moments ago hurts now. For an instant, I regret it. He goes still and covers my shoulder with kisses, reassuring me with soft words. I wait and breathe. The tension finally eases, replaced by need. He begins to move. I want more. “Yes... Adur... Gently... very gently. Yes, just like that...” He obeys. I find his hand and guide it onto me. Pleasure builds until it overwhelms everything else. Afterward, I lie there, unable to move. “That was divine,” he whispers in my ear. Yes. Divine was the right word. Adur curls up behind me and slips an arm around my body. For the first time in several nights, I fall asleep almost at once. # During the last few days at camp, we stop avoiding each other. Whenever we have the chance, we slip away from the others, sometimes for a few stolen kisses, sometimes just to be together. One evening, Adur comes with me into the woods. I quickly give up on hunting: he makes too much noise. We sit beneath a tree beside a river while I build a device that will let us fish without having to cast our lines over and over. “Did your father teach you to fight?” I ask He nods. “Were you close?” He pulls up a blade of grass. “No. He was harsh. Violent, sometimes. You know he’s a war criminal. I mean... who hasn’t heard about the atrocities committed by Corporal Leontis?” His tone puts an end to my questions. “And your father?” he asks after a moment. “Is he an engineer like you?” “A mathematician. One of the few natives who studied near the capital and became a Mestre. He barely made it through this camp. My mother never tried to rise above her class. She works in the orchards, and she’s perfectly happy there.” “Do you have any brothers or sisters?” I tell him a little about my family, about my two younger brothers who died. Adur listens, then asks: “What about Mayari? What’s she like?” “Very stubborn. She studies medicine. We’ve known each other since we were children. We grew up together. For years, I only saw her as the annoying little girl next door. I went from boyfriends to girlfriends without giving it much thought. Then, four years ago, I realized I was wasting my time. The right person had been next door all along.” “Is she beautiful?” “Gorgeous.” He lowers his eyes and plucks another blade of grass. “You must be looking forward to marrying her.” “Yes. Only six short weeks to go.” My answer leaves an odd silence between us, but I stand and retrieve my bag of spare parts, then my bow. Tomorrow, the camp will have to make do with rations unless my invention works and I manage to catch a few trout. # The next morning, Ardana gathers the remaining competitors at the edge of the forest for the final trial: a battle in teams of two, using nonlethal weapons coated in red fruit paste. A single mark eliminates a competitor. Adur picks up two swords and tries to teach me his techniques. He seems to have forgotten that my people fought his twice before the arrival of Poseidon’s sons. We are peaceful warriors, but formidable ones. “Stay close to me. I’ll protect you.” Adur boasts. I roll my eyes and take the bow, arrows, and a blowgun instead. At the sound of the horn, I disappear into the forest. Behind me, Adur lets out an irritated exclamation. I hold back a laugh and climb a tree. A few seconds later, the first opponent charges him. Adur parries his sword and marks him across the stomach. The aspiring politician walks away grumbling. A crack draws my attention. Another competitor approaches from behind him. Adur turns too late. The sword is coming straight for his face. I release an arrow. It strikes the man near the heart, leaving a broad red stain. “You cannot be serious!” “Eliminated!” Ardana shouts. Adur looks up into the trees. I stay hidden. Two more opponents arrive. He charges the first. “Find Tayac. He should be around here somewhere, and he’s an easy target,” the other one orders. I raise the blowgun to my lips. A red mark appears on his throat. His companion turns around. Adur takes advantage of the distraction and marks his thigh. “Easy targets, are we?” His laughter rings through the trees. I answer with a whistle and have to keep myself from laughing too. Another candidate appears on his right. Adur parries, pivots, and marks his throat. Movement behind him catches my eye. I draw my bow. “Duck!” He bends down. My arrow flies over his head and hits Melia. “Tayac!” she squeals. The horn sounds. I put away the bow and climb down from the tree. Adur joins me. There isn’t a single red mark on our clothes. Ardana declares us the winners. # Later, I sit half-dressed on my bedroll, surrounded by scraps of paper. Adur is still lying beside me, scattering kisses across my back. His fingers trail between my shoulder blades. I sketch a small system of wheeled sledges that should let us get down the mountain tomorrow without exhausting ourselves carrying the supplies. “Tayac.” “Hmm?” “Are you listening to me?” “Yes.” “What did I say?” I look up and blink, lost. He sighs. “You could at least pretend you’re interested in me.” “I am interested in you.” “Oh, really? You never ask me anything.” “Because you’re the most secretive person I know.” He sits up and retrieves his shirt. “Do you really think we can keep doing this without one of us getting attached?” I put down my pencil and start to answer, but he cuts me off. “Because I...” He stops. “I can’t love someone who won’t let me know him. I’ll never fall in love with you. Without the potion, we’d probably just be good colleagues.” He pulls on his shirt with a sulky expression. “Adur, that wasn’t an insult. We make a very good team in the trials.” “I know.” he sulks He leaves my tent. I stare at my drawing, unable to pick up the calculation where I left off. # I get up before dawn. Using wheels salvaged from the camp carts, a few planks, and some rope, I build wheeled sledges to transport the equipment. The slope will do most of the work, while a braking system will hold the load back on the steeper stretches. When Ardana discovers my contraption, she walks around it. “Does it work?” “If my calculations are right.” “And if they’re wrong?” “We’ll reach the lodge carrying very little.” She bursts out laughing. The camp gradually wakes. Adur notices the sledges, then goes to help dismantle the camp without coming over to speak to me. I give him space. My system works: the sledges carry the equipment, and the brakes keep the load under control on the slopes. Halfway down, I catch up with Adur. “I was tactless last night.” I apologize. “I could never call you dishonest, but you’re a very poor judge of people.” He quickens his pace and leaves me behind. I don’t press him. When we reach the lodge, I’m the first to be called before the dignitaries. An old bearded man rises. “Tayac Nahuel, you received the highest score. Three offers are open to you: a position as Mestre in Atlantis, a position as ambassador and political attaché in the capital. Finally, the School of Applied Technology has accepted you into its mechanical engineering program.” I don’t hesitate. “Thank you, but I accept the offer from the School of Applied Technology.” The old man’s face falls. “You don’t wish to take some time to consider your decision?” “No. I had already made my choice.” I offer confidently. “Very well.” Ardana leads me outside while they call Adur in. I sit on the lodge steps. I should be happy, yet I can’t stop thinking about our argument. Adur comes out soon afterward. I stand. “Well?” “The technologies Elite Guard.” “You accepted?” “Yes.” he replies bluntly. My relief surprises me. We’re going to live in the same city. Once all the candidates have made their choices, Ardana claps her hands. “Tonight, we celebrate in Atlantis!” A few hours later, our steam tram crosses into the first ring of the capital. I’ve visited the capital before, but it always gives me the same impression: it wants the world to know it is invincible. The fertile lands of the outer ring gradually give way to barracks and military installations. We cross a bridge into the second ring. Here, everything changes. Schools, noble residences, and establishments for travelers line the streets beneath the lights. Farther on lies the pleasure district, where inns, theaters, and gaming houses are already drawing crowds. Beyond the final canal rises the heart of the city, reserved for magistrates, rulers, and temples. The technology that powers the entire city is housed there as well. No one is allowed inside. Perhaps one day, my work as an engineer will open that door to me. Melia drags us into an inn in the pleasure district. After weeks of rations, the lamb set down in front of me could justify every trial on its own. Adur sits across from me. We have barely spoken since we arrived. Melia sets down her mug of mead. “All right. You two are going to clear the air. Tomorrow, you each go your separate ways.” Adur looks up. “You say I’m secretive, but you don’t try to get to know me.” “I have tried. In the woods, you shut me down. I told you about my family, Mayari, my nocih. I even let you into a part of my culture I don’t share with just anyone. Were you listening? Did you care?” “Very much. The way your grandmother sees... people like us... gays and bisexuals... I think it’s good.” “Those words don’t exist among my people. We say Two-Spirit,” I correct him. “Whatever. I’m using my own vocabulary, all right? I wish I’d been born into your culture. I envy you. My first lover was an Athenian, older than me. You should have seen my father’s anger. He started hating them after that. I think that’s why he committed all those atrocities during the war.” “You see? That’s the kind of thing I want to know about you.” “You don’t ask me questions. Ask, and I’ll answer.” He reaches for my fingers across the table. I catch his hand, almost desperate to close the distance between us. I breathe out, relieved. # We spend the evening celebrating. I’m relieved that Adur will be settling in the city. Drunk and excited, we hurry upstairs. The floor trembles beneath our feet. I grab the wall as a door slams at the far end of the corridor. The earthquake lasts only a few seconds. The discharge lighting flickers before regaining its glow. I look up at the gas-filled bulbs. “That fluctuation could be fixed if—” Adur grabs me by the tunic. “No, no, Tayac. Make love to me.” He pushes me against the corridor wall and kisses me hungrily. I laugh and squirm beneath his hands. I hurry to undress him. My hand slips down and grips him between the legs. He takes out the key and tries to unlock his door. I drop to my knees and duck beneath his tunic. The moment my lips close around him, he drops the key. I laugh, pick it up, and hand it back to him. He moans, his legs trembling. Footsteps in the corridor stop me. I look up: Ardana is staring at us in shock.

Episode 4: Betrayal One week after we both moved, Adur enters the students refectory with another guard while I eat, huddled over a grooved wax cylinder. They need an engineer to work on the hydraulic network. Adur stops beside my table. “What’s that?” “A recording machine.” “Does it work?” I turn the cylinder. The needle produces a long, miserable screech. Adur grins. “I’ll be careful what I say around you.” I look at the cylinder, rather pleased with myself. “You should.” He winks at me and leaves the refectory. I feel heat coming up my cheeks. # Tayac, my life, I’ve been waiting for you since I was fifteen. You’ve been studying at Nereon for a month now, and this is the third time you’ve postponed our wedding. Today, I received a letter from Ardana, your former camp leader. What she told me has left me so troubled I can’t sleep. I would never stoop so low as to betray you with one of my classmates. So I’m giving you an ultimatum. I believe I have that right, don’t I? Come marry me in Evaimon within a week, or we’re finished. If you love that guard, I’m sure you won’t mind if your relationship becomes public knowledge. Yours forever, Mayari #

My stomach knots. Almost two months later, the potion is still as powerful as ever. I crumple the letter and cross to the guards’ quarters. In the distance, the tower of the hydraulic network that supplies the entire island with drinking water roars and trembles. It is struggling more and more to meet the Atlanteans’ needs. Our region has fewer earthquakes than the capital or the west, but overpopulation and excessive energy use are beginning to strain our systems. When I enter the mess hall, Adur smiles and comes over to me. I don’t give him time to speak before pulling him toward his room. I hand him the letter. He reads it and paces. “Ardana! I should have gotten rid of her.” My heart races. “You can’t mean that, Adur!” “Spare me the lecture. Some people are no better than vermin.” “You can’t do that. You’d be executed.” “Only if I got caught...” This isn’t the man who caresses me, kisses me, and whispers tender words to me every night. “I’m leaving tomorrow. I’m going to marry Mayari.” He recoils, nearly falling. “You can’t do that.” “You knew this was coming. I wanted to wait until the effects of the potion wore off, but...” “What if they never do?” “I’ve thought about that. I’ll live with the consequences. I can’t keep tormenting her.” “What about us?” I shrug. I don’t understand what he means. “You’re my best friend, my confidant... but I want to build my life with Mayari.” He looks away, his jaw clenched. “In that case, I suppose I’ll marry the wealthy noblewoman my father chose for me.” “That’s an excellent idea. You won’t have to spend three quarters of your pay settling your father’s debt anymore.” “Thank you, Tayac, for that wonderful display of honesty!” He glares at me. With that, he pushes me out of his room and slams the door in my face. I knock but Adur ignores me. # Before the priests, I wear my only ceremonial tunic, while Mayari wears the dress made for the occasion. A few fellow medical students attend. Mayari would have liked a grand celebration. “Your ultimatum made that impossible.” I should be kinder to her, but Adur’s absence weighs on me, and his words still leave a bitter taste in my mouth. We retire to our room. When Mayari tries to seduce me, nothing happens. I claim I’m tired and fall asleep beside her. His hard, warm body, his arousal against my mouth, mine in his hand... I wake. Mayari’s hand moves over my hardened flesh. This time, I turn toward her and try a different approach. By focusing on what Adur does to me, I manage to make love to her. We enjoy our honeymoon: shows and the nobles’ market. At a street corner, I recognize Adur on the arm of a beautiful noblewoman with venitian-blond hair. He smiles at her and kisses her cheek. He spots us across the street and gives us a brief, haughty nod. Mayari stares at him. “Who is he?” “Uh... one of the other competitors from the camp.” She turns pale, knowingly. “I love you,” I say and kiss her. When I look up again, they’re gone. That evening, Mayari is talking about her studies when a server calls me to the front desk and hands me a note: Wait until she’s asleep. Meet me at the old Grotto of Priapus. I hide it. “I’ve been thinking about specializing in children,” Mayari tells me when I return. “Then I could take care of ours.” I choke on my wine. “What?” She laughs. “You don’t want any?” “Uh... Yes, but not right away. I still have three years of school left.” She rolls her eyes and laughs as though I’ve said something absurd. “As brilliant as you are, they’ll have you skipping years. I want them as soon as possible.” The floor trembles, along with the discharge lighting. I grab the table. Mayari bursts out laughing. “Has that been happening often?” “Here? All the time. We’re on the east coast. We don’t have the mountains to shield us from the tremors.” By the time we pay for dinner, she can barely keep her eyes open, exhausted from our day out. I help her to bed. Then I leave for the old Grotto of Priapus, where the Convergents—the followers of the mathematician Di Lorenzo—destroyed the sanctuary. Abandoned ever since, it makes a perfect hiding place. I enter quietly. “Is she asleep?” Adur’s voice startles me. He comes closer. I grab him by the tunic and press my lips to his. # I wake at dawn beneath the only blanket. Something is keeping me from moving. I turn. “Ow!” The blade of Adur’s sword cuts into my side. I pull away. His weapon has been driven into the ground between us. He wakes at the same moment and jerks away from the steel. “What in the world...?!” He pulls it from the ground. “Tayac, you’re bleeding!” “I’m fine. Did you do this?” “No!” Adur looks at the pommel of his sword and pulls out a small folded piece of paper. He reads it, then hands it to me. “Mayari!” I cry, panicked. “She followed me!” He runs, leaving me alone with my wound. I return to the inn and tend to it myself. # The guards drag me into the Evaimon courthouse with my wrists bound. I would have been better off not fighting back when they came for me at the inn. Adur and Mayari are already standing before the magistrates. “Tayac Nahuel, Mayari Nahuel claims that you are having a romantic relationship with this guard. She is requesting an annulment of your marriage.” I stare at them, speechless. “Romantic? No! Adur is my friend.” “Liar!” Mayari steps toward me and strikes me in the side. Pain steals my breath. I double over and press a hand to my wound. When I pull it away, my fingers are covered in blood. “I drove the sword into the ground between them while they were sleeping naked. He cut himself on it when he woke up.” She cries. I avert my eyes. “We slept together.” She covers her mouth with one hand, tears filling her eyes. “What possessed you to do something like this to me?” Mayari continues. “Tayac, you study engineering. His father is a war criminal who slaughtered entire Athenian villages! He believes what the Convergents say - that Atlantis will sink soon. Don’t you see? He’s sleeping with you to get information out of you!” “You don’t understand!” I protest. “Adur isn’t like his father. He doesn’t believe that nonsense.” She slaps me so hard I stagger, one hand flying to my cheek. The guards separate us. Adur swears to the magistrates that he is loyal to Atlantis and is not a Convergent. Mayari grabs him by the collar. The guards restrain her. I seize the opportunity to whisper: “Go. Get out of here.” He hesitates. He shouldn’t have to pay for my betrayal. He bolts and knocks down a guard. Shouts and pounding boots echo through the corridors and out into the street. The magistrates confer among themselves. Adur’s escape doesn’t help my case, but I don’t care. I’ve lost everything. “Tayac Nahuel, you will remain in custody until the High Council reviews this matter.”

Episode 5: The Oath at the Temple I’ve been imprisoned for a month. Today, I’m being transferred to the capital, where I will stand trial in the Temple of Poseidon. If I lie, I will supposedly be put to death by the god’s own wrath. I suspect some lethal technology is responsible instead. I’ve never believed that a god from Olympus would come down and strike a liar dead. Perhaps the punishment would put an end to my suffering. At first, I thought the potion would drive me mad. I missed Adur so much it hurt. I paced my cell like a caged animal, sleepless, obsessed with finding him again. Two escape attempts earned me solitary confinement and beatings. When I went on a hunger strike, a physician advised them to force-feed me. Then, one morning, everything went quiet. I lay on my bedroll, listening to the strange silence inside me. No more heat. No more desire consuming me. I almost cried with relief. The peace didn’t last. I still missed Adur: his laugh, his voice, our arguments. The way he looked at me when I talked about my inventions. Then came regret, loneliness, and a sadness I can no longer escape. I sleep too much or not enough. The guards have to force me to eat. My clothes hang loosely from my body. Sometimes, I spend hours against the wall without finding the strength to move. The prison itself seems ill. The guards no longer laugh at the increasingly frequent tremors. Cracks spread across the walls, and the electrical system can no longer keep up with demand. Things are said to be worse in the east: tunnels have collapsed in the silver mines, and some forges have stopped production. The metal industries are slowing down. Before we leave, a guard stops outside my cell. He glances down the corridor, then slips a small vial and a piece of paper through the bars. “For you.” I recognize Adur’s handwriting. My heart tightens. Drink this before your trial. In the heart of the temple, ask a beggar for help. I hesitate. Do I really want to die? Part of me wants to let go. The other part is still fighting against the darkness taking up more and more space inside me. At last I decide and drink. # When the temple doors open, two guards lead me onto a long passageway. I can barely walk. After a month confined, my legs can hardly support me. One of the guards shoves me from behind, and I stumble. I think of Adur’s note. “I need help. I can not walk.” A guard approaches. “Not you. I want a beggar.” A few of them laugh. “Zeus sometimes takes their form to test men. I’ll need all my strength before Poseidon. I’d rather not offend his brother.” The guards exchange glances, but one finally calls for a beggar. The man who limps toward us is covered in sores. Everyone backs away. “Look at that,” one of the guards sneers. “All a sodomite could hope for: a leper.” The beggar lowers his head. I climb onto his back. He slips his arms beneath my legs and stands. I recognize his scent. “Adur?” I whisper. “Not a word.” My heart tightens. He came for me. I close my eyes and cling to his shoulders, fighting back tears. The potion no longer has any effect. I don’t feel the hunger that once consumed me whenever his body touched mine. And yet, for a few seconds, I feel almost whole. Adur carries me into the heart of the sanctuary and helps me down. A priestess of Poseidon is waiting with an enchantress. They search my hair, my mouth, and my clothes. The enchantress holds out a cup. “Drink.” Now I understand what the vial was for. I swallow the truth serum. “Do you know whether Mayari Nahuel inflicted your wound with Adur Leontis’s sword?” “No. I was asleep. I don’t believe she meant to hurt me.” “Have you ever slept beside Adur Leontis?” “Yes.” The magistrates stir. “At Camp Akris. We shared a tent to survive the cold, and it became a habit afterward.” Witnesses confirm it. The enchantress nods. Her serum appears to be working. “Are you in love with him?” My heart skips a beat. Despite my discomfort, I look at Adur. “No. I love my wife.” The priestess leads me before the statue of Poseidon. “You will now swear your oath. A lie spoken under his authority could cost you your life.” I place one hand on the sacred stone. “I swear before Poseidon that no one, except my wife and the beggar who just carried me, has ever been between my legs.” I wait. Nothing happens. The priestess bows her head. “Poseidon accepts your oath.” A laugh threatens to escape me. I swallow it. The magistrates order my release. I take a step toward Adur, but a guard grabs him by his rags. “Come on, leper! Out!” I stand there, free for the first time in a month, watching the doors close behind him. I no longer know what to do with this freedom, or with my life. I feel as though I’m falling, but my feet are still touching the ground. # I try to resume my studies, but nothing interests me anymore. I hardly sleep and dream about the past few months. Whenever I encounter other people, anxiety sends me fleeing to the latrines to cry. One morning, while I’m assigned to the hydraulic tower, I can’t make myself get up. They send for the physicians. The diagnosis comes: chronic mood disorder. I’m sent back to my home village. A few days after stepping off the steam tram, I receive two letters by registered courier. I turn over the first letter, breaking the seal of the court beneath my fingers. Mayari has been granted a dissolution of our marriage. The judgment adds: she is pregnant and is requesting full custody of the unborn child, along with the termination of my parental rights. I sign, numb, unable to tell whether her decision brings me relief or is slowly killing me.

I turn my attention to the second envelope, inside a small note:

Tayac, I heard that you left the city. No one will tell me why or where you went. I only want to know if you’re all right. Write to me, even if you never want to see me again. Adur

I read the letter several times. My parents are already talking about having me confined. Some days, I wonder whether I would have been better off dying in the Temple of Poseidon. It takes two days to find the strength to answer. Adur, Mayari is pregnant. I don’t know if she’ll ever forgive me. It doesn’t matter. I’m not ready to be a father. I’ve returned to my home town. A physician says I have a chronic mood disorder. I don’t know how long it will last. Forget me and move on with your life, Tayac # I haven’t heard from Adur in several weeks when Melia writes to me. Even opening the letter and reading it takes effort. Life drains a little more out of me every day. Tayac, Adur has been arrested. They sent him to Mestor to stand trial. They’ve also issued another warrant for your arrest. This time, they’re no longer talking about prison. Leave Atlantis, I beg you. Melia My hands trembling, I tell my parents everything, knowing they might reject me. My father listens while my mother comforts me. She can’t understand how I could have signed away my parental rights without a fight. Father understands. I don’t feel capable of enduring another trial. Still, I want to go and bring Mayari back. “You would cross half the island with a warrant out for your arrest?! I’ll bring Mayari back, I promise, and I’ll find out what I can about Adur.” my Father promises. With the help of smugglers, I cross the Western Sea by canoe. I must disappear and trust my father. His letter reaches me two weeks later.

My son, I found Mayari. She is well. I’m having trouble convincing her to come back with me. She is still very angry with you and sees no reason to leave everything behind for a man who doesn’t love her. I won’t force her, but I won’t leave without her. Wait for us. Take care of my mother. Your loving father P.S. I’m sending this letter through a clandestine network. It will reach you very late, and I may already be back with Mayari by then. I met one of your friends, Melia. She seems trustworthy. I introduced her to the network. If she hears anything about Adur, she’ll write to you.

Another letter eventually arrives. I recognize the handwriting before I open it.

Tayac, I don’t know whether my last letter ever reached you. They intercepted it before it could be delivered and used it against me. I escaped. By the time you read this, I should be beyond the Pillars of Heracles. There is something I should have told you long ago. I love you. The potion made me desire your body. It did not make you my best friend. It did not make me miss your voice, your arguments, your impossible inventions, or the way the world seemed easier when you were beside me. You are my best friend, my lover, and the other half of me I never meant to find. I know you do not feel the same." Live, Tayac, and be happy. Adur

I stare at those words for a long time. Adur loves me. He loves me without the potion. I think about the silence inside my body when the potion stopped working, and the pain of his absence. The need to know where he was, whether he was safe, whether he still thought about me. I stood before an entire assembly and claimed I didn’t love him. I was wrong. That evening, the sky bursts into flames. The earth splits open. The sea draws back, then returns as a wall of water. I am pulled toward higher ground as streaks of fire rain down on my island. By morning, Atlantis is gone. My father will never return. Neither will Mayari. I weep for everyone I left behind. I regret what I did to Mayari and everything I will never be able to make right. I read Adur’s letter again. He is alive, somewhere beyond the Pillars of Heracles. He believes I don’t love him, and I will never be able to tell him that he is wrong.