"Uncle?" Lorien ignored her, concentrating on the almost complete Book beneath his hands.

"Uncle the ships have been prepared, we must go!"

"Just a little longer Serena, I'm almost done." Slowly Lorien withdrew the quill from the inkpot at his side and began to slowly make sigils upon the last page of the tome. The words disappeared as soon as they were written.

"Uncle please, the city is falling down around our ears!" Serena felt her heart break at the thought of what had been her home for the past hundred years sinking beneath the waves. But as beautiful as Atlantis was she was not ready to give up her life for it, as so many of her people were.

"Niece, you know these things can't be rushed. Just a little longer."

"Uncle the volcano-" Serena's desperate voice could hardly be heard above the roar of the ocean, a sound that had grown steadily stronger over the past few suns.

"There, I am finished. Now was it that hard to wait?" The floor beneath their feet gave a sudden lurch, as deep within the City the giant Ocean Gates burst, flooding the very depths of the island paradise. With a cry Serena rushed forward and dragged her most beloved uncle, the only family that was left to her, out of his workroom and toward the waiting ships.

…

"But won't the others be angry Uncle?"

Lorien looked up from his precious book and regarded his niece with confusion

"What others, my child?"

"The gods Uncle, the other gods, won't they be angry?" Lorien placed the Book in its chest and rose to join his niece who was staring out of his tent across the harsh desert plains.

"We can only pray they are not child. For we have no other choice. We must be rid of this thing. And knowledge such as this cannot be destroyed, it must be hidden. The Blade must never be allowed to fall into human hands again. The Cat-Queen has promised us her protection."

"Uncle are you sure that this is the only way?" The tent flaps that had guarded the inside of the tent against the burning desert sun were thrust aside.

"Of course it is,' the arrogant voice of her cousin, and Atlantis's High Priest in Training said. "You know that Serena, you heard the Regent say so yourself…" Serena tried not to sneer back at her cousin for his petty reminder to them of his power. How he hated his title of High Priest in Training, his unfortunate teacher having met with an untimely death, a death that, if one believed the gossipmongers of the Court, was not entirely of the Dark One's contriving. Josis turned a sickly sweet smile her way. Oh how she despised him! He reminded her of something unpleasant every time she saw him.

"The Regent is dead." She spat back at him.

"So true child, but he lived long enough to allow us his last words of wisdom concerning my father's map." Serena raised her eyes and caught him grinning at her wolfishly, his eyes sparkling with hidden knowledge.

"It's a book." Serena said waspishly, casting a suspicious glance at the Magi.

"Of course it is dear girl, but it is a book that will show the way to our greatest treasure" Josis smiled like a cat… or a snake.

"Don't you mean the cause of our destruction?"

"Why of course..." Josis recovered from his slip of the tongue beautifully "I simply meant…"

"Enough you two, why must you always bicker? Come here my son." Lorien drew Josis to him.

"Take the book, and guard it until we reach our destination. I'm counting on you to keep it safe."

"Why of course father, you know you can always trust me."

"I know my son; now go, with my blessing." Serena watched Josis stride out the door, and did not miss the parting triumphant smirk he shot her way.

"Uncle! How could you just give the Book to him!?"

"Peace niece, Josis is my son, and I know him better then anyone save himself." Lorien turned to look at her.

"My son is greedy, Child, so greedy that he is the perfect Guardian of the Book until we reach the Temple. So greedy is he that he would have no one else within ten feet of it, in case they take it from him. He cannot see that what he coverts is nothing but a poisoned chalice."

"It is more than a chalice Uncle."

"That is true child, it is so much more. We must pray that it is never found." Serena sighed and walked into her uncles' open arms.

"Yes," she whispered, "For if it is…"

"Hush." Lorien said, "All will be well, it will be safe. The gods of this harsh land will make it so."

Serena looked down at her bloody hands and laughed bitterly at her Uncle's words. There had been an uprising, a coup, a slight crack in the lead casing… It had gotten out, poisoned, and then controlled. And she was all that was left, only her and the Book. With a grunt Serena pushed the last block into place. It was done, the Thing was hidden. Miles and miles beneath the burning sand where no being would ever find it, or use it. Slowly she began to make her way to the surface, setting safe guards as she went and wishing she had had more time with her uncle before he had died. He had only been able to tell her that she must protect the Book with her life and more if she was called to do so. Serena thought bitterly of the Book now dragging at her arms as she stumbled up the miles and miles of widening passages towards the surface. He had told her of a Vision he had had, of a great evil, so great Serena had scarcely credited the tale, that would one day take possession of the Weapon, and of a savior born in ancient times that had not yet passed who was to be brought back as the Champion of their race to fight against the Weapon and eventually destroy it. The savior would possess the skills of both the sad, and by then forgotten races, races that had fought each other until there were none left but the aged, the very young, the infirm, and mothers with babes in arms, and of course, those who had been hidden by their relatives or friends. The two races had fought so hard against one another that there had been none left to protect their island home from the encroaching waves. Slowly Serena stumbled out under the burning sun. Regardless of the past she had been given a task by her uncle, a task she planned to carry out faithfully until she had either fulfilled its requirements or died.

………………

Central London, 1899.

Whispering the ancient words she sealed it tight, binding it for all time. Soon, it would be sent away. She had made arrangements. It was getting stronger; she could here its voice in her dreams, begging, cajoling, very convincing. In the long years since that day Serena had discovered what her uncle had not had the chance too, but should have. The Book, if you could call it that, was flawed. Like all else the Weapon touched it too was corrupted, poisoned. It had been created as a place in which their folly could be recorded, learned from, and never repeated. Instead it had become what Josis had always seen it as. A Map. A book whose only purpose was to be opened, used, it was no longer an object, now it was a thing controlled by the Weapon, a lure whose goal was to show the way to destruction. The worshipers of the Sacrificed God would say that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions; almost lovingly Serena closed the Book for the last time, thinking how true that sentiment was.

Serena looked out upon the sprawling metropolis of crooked tiled roofs, shuttered windows, garbage strewn ally ways, and cobblestone streets. It had been long, so long since she had seen any of her people; sometimes she wondered if there were any left at all. How she longed to hear a voice in her native tongue. She was getting old now, an ancient Ancient. She tried to see the wit in that thought, but her sense of humor had deserted her long ago. A vibration in the floor alerted her to the presence behind her. She turned and in shock regarded her cousin, who she had not seen in hundreds of years. His face was that of an angel, but his eyes had the devil in them.

"Thought you could get rid of me that easy did you cousin?" The chillingly familiar voice snarled in the language of her homeland. Damn Josis!

"But I knew your tricks, all of you! The Book is mine… father gave it to me, I was its Guardian."

"You are a fool." Serena managed to get out, despite her shock "Uncle gave it to you because of your greed; he knew you'd be a fitting substitute until we could find someone worthy among our party to guard the Book."

"Foolish am I?" Josis snarled "Foolish!? It is you who are foolish, thinking you could win against me!" he took a step forward.

"Give me the book!"

"Never."

"Give it to me or I will take it from you when you're dead."

"I promised Uncle." Serena clasped the ancient tome tightly to her chest she could hear its laughter in her ears. With a snarl Josis grabbed the Book off her and threw her to the floor. He tried to open the cover, his efforts becoming more frantic the longer the Book stood against him. With a growl Josis threw the book to her, then stalked over. Grabbing Serena by the hair Josis drew her up from the floor.

"Open the Book!"

"I..." Serena gasped in pain "…I cannot!" And would not even if I could Serena thought to herself.

"Will not, you mean!"

"No! I cannot, only one can open the Book, she must, be, a Seer, with the blood of the Magi in her veins." Josis twisted her hair, trying to catch Serena in a lie.

"That's all I know I swear! There I told you! Now please Josis, let me go. I won't tell anyone what you've done. Please?"

"You know what little cousin? I almost believe you. I almost think you're sincere! But just in case…" Josis reached down and plunged his knife deep within Serena's stomach. "No hard feelings right?"

Serena felt nothing but the pain as the knife entered her body, slicing it's way through stomach and entrails, reaching all the way back to her spine. With a gasp she slid off the knife and onto the floor.

"Josis."

"What is it cousin dear?" Looking down at the blood running from her lips he laughed. "Well come on, spit it out!"

"Beware the object of your quest, It is not what It has made you believe…"

"Fool! It is everything It has made me believe. When I control the Blade, I will be invincible. No one will dare stand against me!"

Serena's thoughts returned to her uncle, she had though about him every day since his death. He has asked her to protect the Book, begged her, and she had failed, and now, she was dying. But not yet dead, with a silent scream Serena reached out and placed her palm on the Book. She was bartering with her soul for a chance that the Book would be lost, not only in space, but in time as well. It was a worthy trade. The air around the Book began to shimmer and twist. She could her Josis screaming as he lost his prize. Serena was about to reply when her body arched, slowly her eyes closed and her limbs settled. With one last sigh, breath left her body. And the Ancients received another child back into their arms.