Warriors of Poseidon 06 - Atlantis Betrayed

among the lucky ones, in their minds. They were societal anthropologists, content to study farming villages in rural Ireland. Of course I didn’t know that then, I learned about their study later. We lived on the outskirts of a tiny place, I don’t even remember the name, if I ever knew it. We had a view of the sea. I spent most of the first four years of my life there.”
    Memories he’d buried for far too long surfaced: of playing in a field with his father, a man who always made time for a boisterous son. His mother telling him stories by the fire. He couldn’t remember their faces. It had been too long. It was more of an impression of warmth and safety.
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    A feeling of home.
    His eyes burned, and he turned away from Fiona, ashamed to let her see his weakness. “They only returned to Atlantis maybe once every few weeks or couple of months. I don’t know. Time moves differently to a child, of course. We’d wait until the village was asleep and then my father or mother would call to the portal.”
    He laughed bitterly and ran a hand through his hair. “It always came for them. Maybe even the portal finds me tainted.”
    She put her arms around him and rested her cheek on his back. “No. Never. Not the man I’ve grown to know so well in such a short time. You’re amazing. I can’t believe you’ve done your job, protecting us for so long, even with so much anguish in your heart.”
    He caressed the back of her hand, but only for an instant; he still couldn’t take her touch. Not now. Not during this story. He walked away from her.
    “It was bound to happen. One morning one of the village women stopped by to talk to my mother about something. Some sewing circle, probably. I remember that she always loved the sewing circles.” He smiled a little at the faded and out-of-focus memory of falling asleep at his mother’s feet, tugging on her skirt, as she worked on some garment for him or for his father. She’d liked to sing as she sewed. He remembered that.
    Perhaps it was why he never, ever sang.
    “This stupid woman walked in as we were coming back to the cottage through the portal. She ran, screaming as if the devil himself were after her. My parents knew it was over, so they hurriedly gathered their few possessions, but—” He doubled over, the pain of it fresh after so very many years.
    “Christophe? What is it?”
    “It was my fault. I killed them.”
    Fiona put her arms around him, tightening them when he tried to get away. “No. Shh. It’s my turn. Let me comfort you.”
    He shook his head violently, his big body shaking in her embrace. “I can’t—”
    “Let me be the strong one this time? Yes. You can. I owe you.” She stroked his back and murmured soothing words of comfort, much as he’d done for her in the shower. When his breathing slowed to normal, she let him escape her hug, but she kissed his cheek before he managed to pace away from her again.
    “I ran away. Off to the fields to play or something. They called me and I thought it was a game, so I stayed hidden around the side of the barn. I remember the warmth of the sun on my head, and then nothing until a great shouting woke me up.”
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    “Your parents?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer anymore; in fact, she was desperately sure she did not. But she knew he needed to tell his story, so the least she could do was muster the courage to hear it.
    “They brought the sheriff. Or magistrate. Or what the hells ever he was called back then. But he was none of those things. He was Fae. Unseelie Court Fae. The murdering bastard killed my parents.” He smashed his fist into his palm and the dark drive to seek vengeance was in every line of his face and clenched muscle in his body. He suddenly seemed taller and wider, and he was glowing again. Not the gentle blue-green of the energy spheres but the scarlet of fire and retribution.
    She knew a little bit about retribution herself.
    “He and his deputies dragged my parents out of the house. Then they sent the villagers away. I remember watching them go. It was so strange, how they’d come shouting and yelling down the lane to our house, but they ran away in total silence. They knew, you see. I figured that out later. They knew.”
    She didn’t want to ask; more than she wanted to draw her next breath she so didn’t want to ask, but she knew