Page 34 of Obsidian Dream
Chapter Fourteen
TALIK
“Iwant to help.”Riekalowered herself to the double sofa opposite Talik and Khalida.The white leather almost engulfed her.Placing her hands in her lap, Rieka appeared meek.He was not falling for it.
The blood of Atlantean royalty and the Anki ran through her.And as the lost heir of the royal House of Atlas, she was key to finding Atlantis and stopping the O’hurani. If only Rieka could learn to wield the deadly violet flame that she had inherited from Vandana, they would actually stand a chance of succeeding.More than eleven thousand years ago, Vandana had used the fire to decimate the Anki and force the O’hurani into hibernation.If they couldn’t kill the gods, they could send them back to where they belonged, somewhere buried deep within the earth.Or outer space.He didn’t care, as long as they weren’t near Atlanteans or humans.
“I am not sure Dante would appreciate the sentiment,” said Talik.
Nope.He was not getting involved.His boss had the power to banish him to Antarctica, and he was not designed for the frigid cold or the lack of access to good coffee on a daily basis.
Rieka narrowed her eyes as annoyance rolled off her.“I am not an object.Humans have free will and agency.”
Talik laughed.“Tell that to Dante.”
Rieka turned her attention to Khalida, who appeared engrossed in a book and happy to ignore the rest of the world.She had been in the same position, legs tucked under her, head leaning against the wall, for most of the flight.Every so often he had caught her looking over her book, but she always averted her gaze before he could say something.If she wanted to play coy, he was willing to let it go, for now.
“Life choices have consequences.”Khalida flipped the page, never taking her eyes away from the book.“And yours is a six-foot-four Atlantean who had never heard the word no before you came along.”
Talik choked on his water at the comment, coughing uncontrollably.In his periphery, Dante walked along the aisle toward them.The virtual meeting with Kade must have ended.It took a few more seconds to regain his composure.“It is true.”
Not that either he or Khalida should lecture anyone on life choices.Look at theirs.
Rieka glanced at Dante.Her eyes flickered from gold to red—the color bled into the whites.The only hint of her Atlantean heritage, until recently.“I was offering to help.”
Dante paused.He was smart enough to realize his usual stoic answer would not work with Rieka.Not unless he wanted to be yelled at.
Talik almost felt sorry for him, but it was far too amusing to watch Dante navigate the new situation.
“We don’t know how the gauntlet will react in Rome.The link to the Anki may be silent for now, but it may not last.”Dante stood behind Rieka, absently playing with a long, dark curl.
Talik stared at Rieka.The loose black sweater she wore hid the thin orichalcum gauntlet that had embedded itself into her arm, covering her from her wrist to elbow.The accessory allowed Rieka to be mentally linked to the Anki and the O’hurani.
“You will be a target, and it may take away from what we need to do,” Khalida said.She closed the book, tucking a silver strand of hair behind her ear as she surveyed them with the grace of a goddess before pinning her gaze on Dante.“But you can give us more information about what you experienced in the catacombs.”
“There is not much to tell.”
“But it could be enough to help them,” Rieka coaxed.She tugged at Dante’s hand, dragging him down next to her, until he sat flush by her side.
To Talik’s surprise, Dante didn’t hesitate.
“What was it like?”Khalida asked.
“Cold.An absence of sound and light.”
Rieka entwined her fingers with Dante’s.
Talik wanted to look away, the moment too intimate, reminding him of what he had voluntarily lost.He glanced up at Khalida to see if she’d noticed.
“An echo of something ancient existed on the edge of our senses.A darkness that was always beyond our reach.I had almost forgotten it until we faced Idris in Egypt.”
Khalida adjusted herself, kicking out her long legs.“Was there anything else?”
“Time had no meaning down there.What we assumed was mere hours turned out to be three days.”
