The Dark Ones
Chapter 11

"This way, Täneb-toat. Quickly," Orion whispered as he led Milo and Kida through the dim secret passage. "Your ketak is just at the end of this corridor." Sure enough, when they reached the end of the hallway, he pushed a panel aside and they once again found themselves standing in the cave adjacent to Trokia.

"Hurry back to Atlantis and help save your people. Help save Meera," Orion added quietly, but the Queen heard, and it piqued her curiosity. Orion knew Meera? But there was no time for that now. The important thing was saving Atlantis.

"But what about you?" Milo was asking.

"I must stay and keep Throck occupied. Perhaps he will not discover that you are missing until you are safe at home again," Orion said. "I wish you well."

Kida pressed his hand into hers. "Atlantis will honor your name forever," she said. "May the Spirits of Atlantis watch over you in all your days."

"As short as they may be," Orion grinned wryly. "Now go! Kiiyish!" So with a final backwards glance, Milo and Kida climbed into the tiny ketak and sped away.

Back in Atlantis, the Atlantean Armada was readying itself for battle. Warriors sharpened their spears and powered up their fish-like vehicles. News of the upcoming attack had spread through the city like wildfire, and every Atlantean citizen was doing his or her part to help defend their home against this unknown enemy.

"Just what sort of weapons do you suppose these Trokians have?" the captain of Atlantean defense asked of Meera.

"I don't know, but the images I saw and the urgency of Kida's message lead me to believe that we should most definitely be prepared for the most difficult battle we have fought since the defeat of Commander Rourke and his troopers," Meera said. In the back of her mind, she thought to herself how ironic it seemed– the Atlantean warriors were, in a way, fighting Rourke all over again; only now, he was many times as dangerous and deadly.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. The Atlantean Armada will be ready. Victory shall be ours again," the captain reassured.

"I hope so. May the Kings of Our Past watch over and protect you," Queen Meera said, and with that the captain rushed off to prep his warriors.

"How goes the defense, Meera?' Nakia asked, approaching her friend.
"I think we'll be fine. I only wish that we knew what we were dealing with here. And I wish that Kida would return soon," Meera sighed. Nakia put her hand on Meera's shoulder.

Just then, a loud horn sounded, echoing all over the city. The people fell silent. Then, a voice came over the public loudspeaker. "Attention! Ketak vehicle approaching the city!" Meera and Nakia raced to the lookout tower. Meera peered through a large telescope.

"What do you see?" Nakia asked anxiously.

"It's hard to tell. Looks like two people," Meera said. The vehicle came closer and closer. "I think...I think it's Kida and Milo!"

"What?" Nakia gasped.

"It is! Quick, let's greet them!" Meera exclaimed. They raced down to the landing dock, where the ketak was just settling to the ground. When the Queen and her husband emerged from the ketak, the city began to cheer. Meera and Nakia embraced Kida. Oton, Lina, and little Alêa came rushing up. Alêa leapt into Kida's arms.

"Oh, my little darling, I am glad to see you too," Kida said to the tiny girl.

"Kida, how on earth did you escape?" Nakia asked.

"It's a long story," Kida said. "Can I speak to you all in the throne room?"

After Kida had briefed her good friends and the leaders of the Armada on what exactly was going on in Trokia, they sat in a stunned silence.

"I cannot believe that this all got past my scouts," the captain of defense groaned.

"It is not your fault. It is no one's fault, save Throck's," Kida said sadly. She could have never believed all this would happen. She had always known that Throck was trouble, but never in her wildest dreams had she thought him this sinister, this evil. She had thought he had been motivated by jealousy towards Milo, but now she could see that all along, all Throck had ever wanted was power.

"That still doesn't explain how you managed to escape," Oton said.

"It was Orion. He betrayed Throck and set us free," Milo said.

Meera let out a small gasp. "Orion?" she whispered in disbelief. "He is...still alive? And well?" she asked timidly.
"Well, he was when we left, but when Throck finds out we're gone, it probably won't be long before..." Milo cut off; Meera had sunk to her knees and was beginning to sob.

"Meera!" Kida gasped. "What is wrong?"

Lina looked at her sister, then back at Kida. "Oh, she's had a crush on Orion for, like, three thousand years! I thought she'd forgotten that long ago, though," she said.

"I knew it!" Meera sobbed. "I knew that he never truly wanted to betray Atlantis. He was just led astray. Deep in his heart, he is a good man. He's kind and gentle."

Kida knelt beside her friend. "Meera...I never knew," she said softly.

"She was embarrassed," Lina interjected. "He wouldn't give her the time of day. Every time she'd talk to him, he'd just stare at her and walk away. I told her all along she was too good for him."

"No, Lina, you're wrong!" Meera cried. "He was just shy. There was a different side to him! I saw it. It was there, in his eyes, if you'd only look. He sacrificed himself for Kida and Milo, for Atlantis," she sobbed.

"Maybe you were wrong about him, Lina," Kida said. "He said something... odd, right before we left Trokia. He said, 'Save Meera.' Remember, Milo?" Milo nodded.

Meera wiped her eyes and stared at Kida. It couldn't be...could it?

"YOU FOOLS!!!" Throck roared. "You let them escape? I can't believe you let them escape!" The guards before him trembled in fear. One spoke up in a shaky voice.

"But, Your Excellency, I assure you, we never left our post! No one came in the vicinity. That door never opened, and no one went in or out," he said imploringly.

Throck's eyebrow rose slightly. "Orion, do you know anything about this?" he demanded.

"No, Your Excellency. I know nothing," Orion said evenly.

"Hmm... no, I suppose not. You are far too stupid to ever even consider treason of this kind, anyway," Throck said, turning away. Orion let out a silent sigh of relief.

"No matter. What possible threat could they pose to me, anyway?" Throck continued. "The attack will go on as scheduled. Prepare the warriors!" he bellowed. "Orion, prepare my vehicle. It will not be long before my revenge will be complete. I will have Atlantis. And then, the world will be mine!" he cackled sinisterly.

"Oh, come now, Meera," Nakia said comfortingly. "Orion will be all right, I'm sure of it!"

"Oh, I hope so, I hope so," Meera cried. In the distance, there was a rumble like thunder, causing them all to fall silent. Over their heads, the calm Mother Crystal turned crimson once again.

Kida's eyes widened. She sensed something, very strong. "He's coming," she whispered.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the city. The shock wave tumbled them all to the floor. Sirens began sounding all over the city. The voice over the loudspeaker shouted, "Warriors, to your positions! Outsiders are approaching the city fast!!!"

"He's here!" Kida shouted. "Battle stations!!!"

The Atlantean fleet hurried into their vehicles and prepared themselves for battle. Inserting their glowing crystal pendants into the slots in their vehicles, pressing their hands on the inscription pad, and turning the crystals a quarter turn back, the Armada rose swiftly into the air.

The captain of defense took his place at the head of the fleet. "Atlanteans, prepare for battle!" he shouted. He watched as the approaching army came closer and closer, traveling at lightening speed. He said a silent prayer, then shouted, "NOW!" Then, the mighty Atlantean vehicles raced into the fray.

"ATTACK!" Throck shouted. Red lasers spewed from the Trokian fighter vehicles, exploding on contact with massive fury.

"What sort of weapon is this?" an Atlantean warrior shouted, activating his own lightning weapons. Compared to the Trokian devices, the Atlantean rays were a pebble in someone's sandal.

As yet another martak exploded, the Atlantean leader changed tactics. "Quickly, get them into those caves!" he called. The Trokian vehicles were fast and powerful, but they were much larger and more difficult to maneuver than the Atlanteans'. Perhaps if they fought in a smaller, more confined space, the Atlanteans would have a fighting chance.

"Perfect," Throck said to himself. "They'll leave the city unprotected. That's where the secret weapon comes in." The aerial attack was merely a decoy. Throck intended to take the city on the ground!

"Bring the cannon forward!" Throck ordered. A group of slaves emerged from the darkness, pulling behind them a huge, strange-looking weapon. It was an energy cannon, built with such force that it could level Atlantis with one blow. Such a weapon required a great power source– but Throck had that. The crystallized Rourke had proved to be quite useful in more ways than one. In a matter of minutes, Atlantis would be Throck's to command.