Tides of Atlantis
by Elizabeth Larson
Prologue
A small boat floated out of the shadows of the cliff under the extinguished lighthouse. The passenger, a young woman with a bundle strapped to her breast, strained to manage the oars. Her body still wracked with the agony of childbirth, and she struggled to silence her labored breathing.
Wiser women would rest after such an ordeal, but not a desperate woman. Despite the midwife’s protests, she’d insisted. She had to do this herself. For the sake of her newborn daughter, she had to.
Her heart racing, she rowed on, trying to disturb the water as little as possible. On a clear night, this would’ve been catastrophic for her. But tonight, a thin veil of fog shrouded her boat, making her near-invisible to all on the shore.
Still, she moved with the utmost caution. If the fog lifted, someone might still catch her silhouette. She had to remain unseen.
Ahead, through the hazy mist, she saw a cluster of lights. As she drew closer, the image became clearer—a small wooden cabin past a sandy dune with a smaller hut beside it. A fishing net no longer in use decorated the front of the cabin, signifying that a fishing family lived there.
Her boat scraped ashore, and she used an oar to steady herself in the sand, catching her breath and waiting for the pain to subside. Then, with all the effort she could muster, she hoisted herself out of the boat. It hurt horribly, like her legs were being stabbed with sharp knives, and she almost collapsed.
The squirm from the bundle gave her strength. She lowered her head and kissed her baby’s forehead. The pain in her heart grew, overtaking the pain in her body, and tears welled up in her eyes.
If only things were different. If only her daughter could have a normal life.
Steeling her resolve, she limped up to the hut and knocked on the roughhewn door.
It opened, and a tall man stood before her. His strong build and ragged appearance showed his skill in fishing, but his hazel eyes reflected a broken-hearted father. When he saw her, a look of surprise and concern came over him.
“Joanna?” he said. “What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be—”
“Please, Fredrick!” she pleaded in a hushed voice. “Take her! The queen’s mercenaries are closing in, and Ronan hasn’t returned!” She undid the knot at her chest and offered him her daughter. “I can’t stay here! Please, take Marina! She’ll be safe with you! Please!”
“What about the mercenaries?” Fredrick asked. “They knew you were about to give birth.”
“Tell them Marina is yours,” said Joanna. “Nerissa has told me no one else knows Sandra’s baby was stillborn. Tell everyone Marina’s yours. She can’t replace the daughter you lost, but maybe she can help you heal.”
The pain of the loss of his own daughter shone clear in Fredrick’s eyes. Nothing could replace her. Yet, a glimmer of hope shone through, and he nodded.
“Very well. Maybe she can help Sandra heal. But what about you? Where will you go?”
“Some place where they won’t find me,” replied Joanna, hugging her daughter tightly. “For Marina’s sake, it’s best if I disappear.”
“What about Marina? What should we tell her?”
“It’s best if she doesn’t know,” Joanna said, choking on her sadness. “Not until her father returns. For now, she’s your daughter.”
Before handing her over, Joanna reached into her apron and pulled out a pearly silver and teal device the size of a small clock. She placed it on her daughter’s chest and kissed her forehead one last time.
“I love you, Marina,” she whispered, her tears dripping onto the sleeping infant’s face. “Be a good girl.”
Joanna handed her daughter to Fredrick. Then, with a heavy heart, she turned away and hurried back to the boat. She couldn’t bear it. If she stayed any longer, the grief would kill her.
She’s safe, she reminded herself, keeping the grief from consuming her.
Marina is safe.
Chapter 1
“Wake up!”
Marina Havson woke with a start as something big and heavy jumped on top of her, yelling in a boyish voice. She flailed her arms and legs, tossing her covers aside and trying to push the thing off. Her eyes were wide, but the haze of sleep still fogged her vision. She saw only a blur of gray, black, and brown, with a scatter of white spots darting around.
Finally, she sat up, breathing frantically and clutching her chest to try and calm her racing heart. Blinking to bring her world into focus, she looked at the foot of her bed and scowled.
“Emrik!” she shrieked. “You trying to scare me to death?”
Her third eldest brother gave her an impish grin. “Not my fault you’re a heavy sleeper,” he said cheekily. “You make it too easy.”
Marina pounced on Emrik, knocking him off the bed, and the two fell onto the wooden floor with a hard thump. They rolled around, banging into the other beds as they struggled for dominance. Marina strained and grunted, determined to beat him, while Emrik laughed.
“Knock it off, you two!” shouted a commanding voice.
Both Marina and Emrik stopped. Their older brother Aron stood in the doorway. He glowered down at them, clearly disapproving of their scuffle.
“Emrik started it!” Marina stated sharply.
“I don’t care who started it,” Aron replied sternly. “Breakfast is ready, and we have to leave for the docks soon. Now get up. And Emrik, apologize.”
“Whatever you say, Aron,” Emrik shrugged. “Sorry, Marina.”
Marina frowned and mumbled, “I guess I can forgive you.”
Emrik took Marina’s hand and pulled her to her feet. Rubbing her sore shoulder, she followed her brothers out to the main room of the cottage. As Marina crossed the threshold, the sweet aroma of hot porridge and honey wafted into her nose, making her mouth water and her stomach growl. The smell came from a cauldron that rested on a large wooden table in the center of the room. Seated around the table were her father, Fredrick, and second eldest brother, Jesper. Her mother, Sandra, stood at the hearth cooking several slices of herring in a frying pan.
“Morning, Marina,” her father greeted. “Sleep well?”
“I was until Emrik body-slammed me,” Marina replied as she scooped a helping of porridge into a bowl.
“Only because you wouldn’t wake up even after Dad called for you at least five times,” Emrik said.
Marina glared. “Next time, just throw off the covers.”
Marina sat between Aron and Jesper as their mother removed the herring from the pan. She placed the fillets on a long wooden board and set it in the middle of the table before serving herself some porridge and sitting next to her husband.
“Thanks, Mom,” Jesper said, reaching for a slice.
“Well, you need your strength today,” Sandra replied. “Only two days until the merchant ships come.”
“At least the sea is calm,” Fredrick said. “Let's hope it stays that way. Hate to get caught in a squall.”
“We’ll also need to watch out for the orcas,” Aron said. “They haven’t been causing trouble lately, but they could still come back.”
“Wish I could see them, too,” Marina grumbled.
“Marina, not this again,” her mother replied. “You know you can’t go on the ocean.”
“Because it’s too dangerous, I know,” Marina said, clenching. “But Aron, Jesper and Emrik can.”
“Because we need to fish,” Aron reminded. “Besides, it’s dangerous work, and you can’t swim.”
“Only because you never taught me!” Marina complained. “I just want to see the orcas. Is one boat ride too much to ask? It’s not fair!”
“Marina, that’s enough!” Her father raised his voice, making her tense.
He then took a deep breath and calmed himself.
“I know it seems unfair, but the ocean is dangerous. It can turn foul at any moment. And even the best swimmer can be swallowed up in its waves. You know that. Besides, the orcas may not even come today. We’re just going to catch the herring and come home.”
“Yes, Dad,” Marina sighed. “Have a safe fishing trip.”
After that, the family ate in silence. Outside, though dampened by the walls of their hut, Marina could hear the ocean’s waves steadily rush to and from the shore. With each rhythmic swell, the quicker she ate. Within minutes, she finished her porridge and herring and got up.
“I’m gonna change,” she said. “Thanks for breakfast.”
Marina set her bowl on the countertop, hurried back into the bedroom, and closed the door. She quickly changed out of her night dress and into a blue dress with a brown apron. She put on her boots, grabbed her herb bag, and rushed out of the room toward the hut’s entrance.
“Going to collect some herbs,” she said quickly, heading for the door as she threw her bag over her shoulder. “See you at the shop, Mom!”
“Be careful!” her mother called after her.
Marina ran out of the hut and hurried across a plain of rough grass.
****
After gathering some rosemary, nettles, willow bark, and foxglove, Marina made her way to a secluded area. She glanced over her shoulder one last time to make sure no one followed her, then stooped into a dark, narrow cleft in the rocks. She pulled up her dress to avoid tripping on the hem and carefully walked down a passageway covered with round, ash-colored stones, ducking under roots that jutted out from the earthy ceiling.
She came out on the other side into a wide, beautiful cove nestled between two cliffs.
Instead of sand like most beaches on Crescent Island, the shore had round stones as smooth as eggshells. Around the edge were fallen logs and branches from trees that had been broken during storms over the years. Beyond all that, the Sulis Sea stretched out of the cove to the horizon, glittering under the light of the rising sun, washing over the stony beach.
Marina smiled at the sight. She took off her boots and socks and put them and her bag beside a large boulder next to the entrance to the passage. She then tied her dress up above her knees and walked to the edge of the shore. She flinched as the chilly water touched her feet, but she waded in deeper. When the water reached her knees, she stopped and stood still, turning her head up to the sky and closing her eyes.
Feeling the cool water against her legs, the stones under her feet, the fresh salt air wisp across her face and through her hair, and hearing the sea’s rolling waves, Marina let out a deep, peaceful breath. Her mind drifted back to her dream, one she often had. Swimming under the ocean waves, not needing to surface for air, surrounded by colorful fish. She glided through the water with ease, leapt out like a dolphin, then dove back under only to leap out again even higher than before.
Then, Emrik woke her up and shattered the dream. She gritted her teeth at the memory before loosening the tension in her shoulders. Standing in the water, she found her anger towards him dissipating.
She opened her eyes and stared out over the vast ocean as the rising sun’s light glistened off the shifting surface.
Marina loved the sight of the open sea. She’d heard tales from sailors and merchants about the wonders beyond Crescent Island. Lands with lush forests full of animals like wolves, elk, and bears, mountains that reached the sky itself, and valleys and plains so flat one could see for miles. While those stories intrigued her, her fascination always returned to the sea. Whether under the sun and clear sky, dreary and overcast by clouds, or swirling in a raging storm, something about the rippling waves stretching so far they met the sky stirred her heart with a glorious, almost haunting magnificence.
She wanted to dive into the sea and discover what other splendors existed beneath the waves, but she didn’t dare do so. Not only because she didn’t know how to swim, or because her parents would be fit to be tied if she came back soaking wet, but because she knew how dangerous the ocean could be. Storms could strike without warning, whipping up waves powerful enough to tear boats apart and drag even the strongest sailor to a watery grave.
Even more terrifying were the sharks that prowled in the darkness, waiting to strike their helpless prey. She knew firsthand how gruesome shark bites were. She still shuddered at the memory of stitching up the leg of a sailor who’d fallen overboard and was bitten by a striped shark. Marina had mended many grievous wounds, but shark bites always made her feel ill.
Still, despite all the dangers and risks, she wanted to be close to the sea. No, she needed to be close to it. More than just watching it from the shore, she needed to be in it. Just being here made her feel whole.
“Do they think I can’t take care of myself?” Marina grumbled. “All I want is to see the orcas. If they’re so worried about me falling in, why not just tie me to the mast? It’s not fair. Thank Onnera this cove exists, or I’d go mad.”
Marina frowned, and the bright colors around her seemed to fade. As much as she loved this cove and the haven it gave her, she had a constant gnaw in her stomach whenever she thought about her family. She hated lying to them, but if they found out she came here every morning to stand in the water, they’d never let her out of their sight again.
A huge spray of water erupted at the end of the cove. Then another.
Marina gasped and stepped back, almost falling. She saw two dark shapes rolling up out of the sea and disappearing below the surface again. They appeared again, closer than before, spraying water into the air with short, deep puffs of breath. When they rose again, they were close enough for Marina to see white patches on the sides of their heads. Her face lit up with joy.
Orcas! In the cove!
The sea animals surfaced again, leaping halfway out of the water and falling back in like children enjoying a swim. Marina stared in wonder, smiling as the colors in her world brightened again.
The orcas were even more beautiful than the fishermen described. Their jet-black and pearl-white skin glistened in the water and light. They swam with power and grace, streaking across the surface like seagulls in the sky and leaping out as if they were putting on a show just for her.
Marina wanted to dive into the water and swim with them. It took all her self-control to stay at the edge.
She wanted the orcas to continue to frolic in the cove. After some time, they turned around and swam towards the open ocean.
“Bye!” Marina waved to them.
As if responding to her farewell, the orcas dove under the water, briefly waving their tails before disappearing below the waves. Once again, the cove became quiet.
Marina let out a deep breath and whispered, “Onnera’s grace.”
She rubbed her eyes and realized the light had become brighter, meaning a good deal of time had passed since she came to the cove. She looked to sky and saw the sun starting to peek over the east cliff.
“Ultas’s rage!” She gritted. “I’m late!”
Marina hurried out of the water and to the large boulder. She quickly used her apron to dry off her feet, slipped her socks and shoes on, grabbed her pack, and ran through the hidden passage and to the nearest dirt road.
She kept running, partly out of urgency, the rest out of excitement and joy.
“Wait until Adela hears about this,” she panted, smiling. “We can see the orcas after all!”
