The Perilous Sea (The Elemental Trilogy #2)

“It is quite possible that I am prejudiced against the old Wintervale and not the new one. But remember, no one is looking for Wintervale, but every agent of Atlantis is still seeking you.”


He had said that to her several times, and she had always accepted it without questions. But now she wasn’t so certain. “Are you sure that no one is looking for Wintervale? He sank an Atlantean vessel. Even if no one on board managed to send a distress signal, or survived to tell the tale, would Atlantis not investigate a whoesale disappearance of a ship?”

“Dalbert has an eye on the situation. He has heard nothing about the Sea Wolf.”

Her conversation with Cooper earlier in the evening came to mind. Cooper had miscopied a word; what if Iolanthe had misread the name of the ship? After all, Greek had always given her fits.

“Maybe I was wrong about the name of the ship. Can you ask Dalbert if there is any news for a ship named Ferocious?”

Written in capital letters, ΛΑΒΡΑΞ—sea wolf—and ΛΑΒΡΟΣ—ferocious—would have been similar enough to cause confusion.

“I will do that tonight itself,” he said.

“Have some tea before you go.”

She added more fire to the grate, so the water would boil faster. Titus wrapped his arms around her from behind. She leaned back against him.

“Why do I have the sensation that the situation is about to spin out of control?”

“Probably because it is.” He kissed her at the temple. “Part of me would like for you to be far away, beyond the danger and the madness. But the rest of me could not be more grateful that you will still be here, with me, when all hell breaks loose.”





CHAPTER 31


The Sahara Desert

AN ESCARPMENT ROSE SHARPLY FROM the desert floor. It looked as if Titus and Iolanthe were headed directly at the cliff, when the carpet before them disappeared. Iolanthe clutched tight at the front of the carpet as it hurtled into a narrow fissure. The fissure twisted and turned—or at least she guessed that to be the case, for it was pitch dark, yet the carpet zigzagged at a breakneck pace.

“How are you steering? Can you see anything?”

“I am not steering,” answered Titus. “The carpet knows the lay of the land.”

All at once the fissure widened into a cavernous space, lit with a warm, bright light. Along the interior walls of this chamber, hundreds of smaller caves and niches had been carved into the rock, but Iolanthe could see no ladders or stairs to access them—until she remembered that, of course, everyone who lived in the rebel base probably had a carpet.

Half of the floor of the cavern was taken up with horticulture: leafy, green towers, placed so that they received maximum light and did not cast shadows on one another, rose to nearly the height of the ceiling. The other half was given over to the making and maintenance of flying carpets. And despite the lateness of the hour, at least a hundred mages were at work, harvesting fruits and vegetables, operating the looms that made new carpets, or repairing frayed-looking older carpets.

They landed on a large ledge twenty feet above the floor of the cavern. A breathtakingly beautiful young woman awaited them on the platform, clad in a simple, fawn-colored tunic with a pair of matching trousers.

She hugged the boy who had brought Titus and Iolanthe. “Good to see you safe. I’m afraid your brother isn’t here. But don’t worry, he is well—he was a member of the party that raided the Atlantean base and they cannot return for at least another five days, in case Atlantis is on their tails.”

The boy turned to Titus and Iolanthe. “May I present Amara, commander of the base and my future sister-in-law.”

Iolanthe caught something strangely bleak in the tone of his voice. She looked from him to Amara.

“Around here she is also known as Durga Devi—it’s our tradition to take on a nom de guerre for times of war,” continued the boy. “You might hear people refer to me as Vrischika, but feel free to go on calling me Kashkari.”

So that was his name.

Titus nodded gravely at the young woman. “Pleased to meet you.”

“We are honored by your presence, Your Highness. And yours, Miss Seabourne.” Amara smiled, and Iolanthe was nearly blinded by her beauty. “Have you, Your Highness, at last brought Miss Seabourne into our safekeeping?”

“No,” said Titus decisively. “We will intrude on your hospitality only briefly—Atlantis is too close for comfort. If you have a translocator on the premise, we would like to have use of it, especially if it would take us near or into a major nonmage city.”

Iolanthe agreed completely. A crowded city made a much better hiding place for them. Cairo was her first choice. But even Khartoum, with its political instability, would do in a pinch.

“We have two translocators, but unfortunately neither has been functioning for the past three days.”

Kashkari grew alarmed. “Are you sure Atlantis hasn’t found you?”