Betrayed (The Secret World Of Atlantis 3)

Chapter 2 - Dicing With Death

Upon finally returning to the party, I find Elena still sitting by her table, only now she’s been joined by her parents. Demitri is nowhere in sight anymore, and I find myself hoping, that she wasn’t too harsh with him once again. But after planting that kiss on his cheek, I don’t think she’ll change her mind again.

I begin walking towards her, but I find myself stopped by a familiar face. I force a smile for my father, who doesn’t buy my façade at all. “You don’t have to pretend in front of me,” he reminds me with a serious expression and my smile quickly fades. He pats my shoulder comfortingly, making me let out a heavy sigh. “Let’s dance,” he then suggests, making me raise my eyebrows in surprise.

“I’m not sure I’m up for it,” I state softly, making him frown for a moment, before his gaze turns into a compassionate one. I then catch a few nobles staring our way, so I quickly put a smile on my face again, turning back towards my father. His eyes express how sorry he feels for me, but he doesn’t say anything. Because I beat him to it. “Alright, I changed my mind. Shall we?” I ask, looping my arm through his and pulling him towards the other dance pairs.

“Have you spoken with Zara lately?” I want to know a few times into the music. He sighs, furrowing his eyebrows. I know the answer, before he even opens his mouth. The memory of her emotionless face keeps haunting me in my mind, like I don’t have enough other things to worry about.

“I didn’t get the chance … She wouldn’t let me in and every time I saw her somewhere else, she would run away,” he explains with a heavy heart. This time I’m the one sighing, before shaking my head. “Do you think she hates me?” he adds after a moment of hesitation. My gaze shoots up at him in surprise.

“You’re her father. You’ve been locked up, starved and tortured for months. I think she needs to stop praising her mother to the skies. She’s victimizing the wrong person,” I voice my opinion in a sharp tone, taking my father aback.

“What exactly has happened between the two of you in the past few months? You seemed to be getting along so well, when you came here. Zara was overjoyed to have a sister … But now all I feel is tension, as soon as you’re both in the same room,” he states in surprise, making me stiffen. His words make me remember all the times my sister and I clashed. And it’s what helps me realize, that I don’t need to rub salt into his wound. He’s hurting enough as it is.

“It doesn’t matter. We’ve realized that we don’t think the same way. And it’s all you need to know,” I say, concluding the topic. He seems surprised at my words, but respects my decision to keep quiet.

I haven’t danced in a long time. The last time was on my betrothal, and I hate to remember those moments. I’ve been in a much different place then. Everything was wrong. I don’t know how I didn’t realize that my father wasn’t with me. I feel so guilty about it. If I hadn’t been so blind, perhaps Eros wouldn’t go to the North at all, and he’d be here with me. We would possibly be dancing right this moment and my father would be watching us from the table with a twinkle in his eye.

“Why do you keep torturing yourself?” father asks, once again surprising me by how well he is able to read my expression. “You know, you’re just like your mother. I could always read what was going on inside her head. And she sent me the same look you’re giving me now, when I confronted her about it,” he declares, before letting out a heavy sigh.

I stare up at him for a moment, realizing just how much I missed him. The real him. I still can’t comprehend, how I wasn’t able to expose Teivel before. And his obsession with my mother. I shudder at the thought. “You miss her, don’t you?” I ask, making him nod.

“I do. I miss her more than you can imagine,” he states. In the next moment regret flickers in his eyes as he sees the look on my face. “I’m sorry. This was really insensitive of me,” he apologizes, but I shake my head.

“Don’t worry about it,” I say, even if I’m hurting inside. “During our encounter with Teivel, he’s told us many things … He claimed that he was sick of standing in your shadow … And that you took the only woman he ever cared for from him … Could he be talking about Sophia, or …” I trail off, not wanting to continue the sentence. Father knows what I’m talking about immediately and I swear I can see his brain calculating behind his eyes.

“You don’t think he would … My Gods … Of course, he would. How did I never see this before?” he babbles unconnectedly, but I still understand enough to confirm my suspicions. And it makes me widen my eyes in horror. My father’s face turns as pale as the petals of a peony. “He must’ve … He killed her. He killed her!” he exclaims.

“Shh!” I warn him, hoping that no one’s heard him over the music. “What are you talking about?” I ask, my breath hitching in my throat. His eyes are wide, and his gaze broken, as he looks at me again.

“The night you were born … I’ve just sent Teivel on another journey … But I don’t think he went where I told him to go … Those men, that attacked the Palace that night must have been serving him … And he used them to create a distraction, so he could get to you. But he didn’t expect Delfina to fight back … He must have tried breaching her mind, so he could erase her memory of him … I can’t believe this,” he keeps speaking in the same way, making my heart thump against my chest.

I don’t know what to say to this. I know he’s only guessing, but something inside me is telling me, that he is hitting the nail. Considering what I know about Teivel and what he was ready to do to have his way, I wouldn’t be surprised if my father was right. But why get rid of me? I was just a baby, why did he feel so threatened by me? I refuse to believe, that he sent me to Earth only out of jealousy. And I doubt he would kill my mother because of the same reason.

After that, my father doesn’t even force himself to smile anymore. His eyes are holding a haunted gaze, one that can’t be erased so easily. No matter how hard I try to explain, that we might aren’t right about this, he doesn’t listen. If anything, he is even more sure in this theory.

I can’t talk to him that evening anymore. I have to repeat everything twice and even then, he stares at me, like I’m speaking an entirely different language. After a while I give up and decide to spend the rest of the evening with my best friend. No matter how much it hurts to stare into her icy blue eyes. The colour, that is going to be haunting me forever, if I don’t find Eros soon enough.

Elena has been staying in Dairelis with me since the day I came back. We’ve been combing through the entire library every day, looking for some way to locate a person, who is very far away, but nothing useful. It is possible to locate someone by something, that belongs to them. The only problem is that there’s only so much magic you can use at once. And if the person is on the other side of the land, like Eros is, there’s a bigger chance, that you’re going to fall into hibernation sooner than find them.

Not to mention, that using Light magic in the North is suicide. I’m still surprised, that no one came the top of the volcano, when we were both using our magic and flying around. The aura of our wings and our powers should attract the whole island of Dark ones, but it didn’t. And this is one of the many things that keep me awake at night.

I haven’t slept through the whole night since I came back. There’s too much pressure on my shoulders. Too many worries inside my head. Not knowing where Eros is and how he’s doing is driving me insane. And Elena’s eyes are making it even worse. They’re boring into me the same way as his, making it seem like they’re able to read my soul.

She sleeps in a guest room near my tower, even if I would rather have her beside me. Maybe I would be able to get some sleep then. At least that’s what I’m trying to convince myself. Because I know that I’m not going to be able to sleep, until I see Eros with my own eyes.

That’s what I find myself thinking about once again, as I’m lying in bed after retiring from the party. It wasn’t much fun anyway, at least not for me. There wasn’t the one person, that I wanted to celebrate with. My bonded.

In that moment, such a simple idea passes through my mind, that it makes me feel stupid. How did I not think of this before? The answer to finding Eros was right in front of my nose the whole time and I didn’t manage to see it this whole time!

I close my eyes, forcing myself to brush every unnecessary thought away and reach into the depths of my mind. I am soon met with the essences of my bonds, almost breathing out in relief, as I realize the lotus flower is still burning in flames. But something feels different about it, as I approach it.

I imagine myself reaching into it, and I hold my breath in expectation as I wait to be pulled into Eros’s mind. But you can imagine my surprise when this doesn’t happen. I keep pushing forward, refusing to give up. I don’t want to think about why I can’t enter his mind. Not yet. Or better said, not at all.

It takes me a few moments to realize, that there is a high defence wall built up around his mind. What is happening? Why is he trying to keep me out? I need to find him and make sure he’s alright! I have to help him get back from the North!

I push even harder, knowing that I’m strong enough to break through. I know I’m talented with my mind skills, he’s said it himself. But that still doesn’t explain, why he’s barricaded himself from me. Unless … What if Teivel was trying to break into his mind?

The thought horrifies me, and I find myself continuing to bore through his defence. I need to save him somehow. If there’s any possibility, that he’s being held captive by Teivel, I am not going to stop, until I save him.

I just manage to c***k his wall, already beginning to open his head up, when I get a strange feeling that I’m being watched. In the next moment, my mind receives such a powerful hit, that I am thrown out of the depths of my conscience, just to find myself opening my eyes in horror. What in the three regions of the Underworld was that?