Melody frowned. “No, it’s still concealed from me. I thought that some secret pool of knowledge might open up once I actually set foot here, like a trigger, but it hasn’t.”
Nash grumbled under his breath. “Well, if the Atlanteans were able to hide themselves from the Children of Chaos, it probably wasn’t too much of a stretch for them to conceal their knowledge from other entities of Chaos, too. Like a Librarian.”
“But why?” Melody wrung her hands in frustration. “Why would they conceal themselves from the Librarian? It’s not as if I’d go chattering about them to anyone. I know I get in trouble for talking too much about people’s emotions, but I don’t say anything about my knowledge.”
“Maybe they distrust Children of Chaos, especially after whatever Erebus did,” Luke said. “Good for them.”
Nash nodded. “They’ve probably been hiding Atlantis from Chaos entities for way longer than that, but Erebus just happened to weasel his way in.”
“Seems like a bit of a leap.” I eyed him thoughtfully. “What makes you say that?”
“Well, there’s no knowledge of Atlantis anywhere in Melody’s ‘mind palace,’ as you insist on calling it. Which suggests that Atlantis has been hidden from Chaos entities from day one—from the moment they submerged, up to now. If it’s not in Melody’s head, chances are it’s not in any Chaos heads either. So not that much of a leap,” he replied.
“That makes a lot of sense, actually.” Melody gaped up at the astonishing buildings. “It would’ve been more difficult to erase all knowledge of this place after the fact than to start off keeping it secret from ‘Chaos entities,’ as you called them… from people like me.”
“Yeah, but you’re way more than a Chaos entity. Don’t forget that,” Nash said softly. It was strange how easily he’d slotted into our unit of new Muppet Babies with his paternal authority, to the point where I couldn’t imagine this group without him.
“I try not to.” She smiled at him sadly. “I guess I’m still coming to terms with the idea that I’m no longer in charge of myself and my life, if that makes sense. I’m Chaos’s property now, when I used to be… just me.”
Nash put his hand on Melody’s shoulder. “You’re nobody’s property, Melody. And you’re still you. You just have to view your Librarian knowledge like an ability, the way you would my Sanguine ability or Finch’s Mimicry. It doesn’t define you. It simply adds to what you had before.”
“No touching!” one of the guards barked, apparently remembering they were supposed to be watching us.
Melody’s expression shifted to one of gratitude as Nash removed his hand. “Thank you, Nash.”
“My pleasure.” He gave a single nod, while Huntress nuzzled Melody’s calf.
Heading away from the government-like buildings, we carried on through another labyrinth of residential streets before exiting to a long, stark road that led up a low hill. At the top stood a building forged from a darker stone, with near-black spires and a melee of dark blue glass and black pearl embellishments. It loomed like a grim sentinel, the dark windows acting as cold eyes staring out at its next victims.
“Kaya, there is no need to incarcerate me. Why go to such lengths when I can walk free whenever I please? I would prefer to have your permission, so we can speak as equals, but if I have to break loose and find you, then I will.” Erebus had started up his charm offensive again, though he’d switched tactics. His assertion that he could wander as he pleased might’ve been the biggest bluff I’d ever heard, and I’d been around a few poker tables in my time.
Kaya hit him with a look that could’ve frozen the ocean. “You will do no such thing, if you know what is good for you. I have already told you that I will speak with you in due course, but I will decide when that happens, not you.”
“I know that you still love me.” He gave her a sly smirk. “If you didn’t, you would have stuck a knife in my heart back there at the entrance.”
If only she had… Then his body might have gone poof and we could’ve begged to be kicked out, too.
“Perhaps I would have, if I believed it would do any good,” she retorted. “Even so, the thought is tempting.”
“My radiant angel, I know you must be angry, but if you would just allow me to explain myself. I didn’t have the opportunity the last time I was here, as you well know, but I have thought of all the things I should have said in the interim. Come now, don’t act like this.” He sidled up to her, prompting a guard to shove a spear in his face. Erebus just laughed at the weapon. “Skewer me if you like, Kaya. Bring all your Atlantean weaponry. Nothing can be as painful as being so close to you and having you push me away.”
I was glad I hadn’t eaten anything in what felt like a millennium, or I’d have spewed my breakfast all over Atlantis’s pristine streets. I looked to Ryann for distraction and wished I hadn’t. She stood halfway between us and Erebus. All the color had drained from her face. Lux clearly wasn’t happy about Erebus’s romantic proclamations.
Neither was Kaya, who damn near burned her own retinas. “You. Betrayed. Me! How many times must I repeat myself? You whine about the injustices you supposedly suffered, but you lied, you deceived, and you did not act with any speck of decency back then. So do not expect anything from me now.”
“Sweet, kind, beautiful Kaya,” he purred, undeterred. “You will forgive me in the end. A love like ours cannot be cast aside. I spent centuries looking for someone like you, and then I succeeded, fifty years ago, and every day since that last, unfortunate unpleasantness, I have regretted not clinging to you with everything I had. But let’s not allow that to ruin what we have. Let’s build something new, something permanent, that will make us both happy.”
I looked over at Ryann-slash-Lux. She’d turned her face away, but her hands were balled into fists so furious her knuckles had gone white. Erebus was skating on thin ice, and I just hoped that when it cracked, it wouldn’t take Ryann with it.
Kaya glowered with renewed anger. “You can’t fool me again, Erebus. You lied to my father. You lied to the people of Atlantis. You sought to trick us all. Even to contemplate the idea of taking you back would go against every moral fiber within me.” She gave a growl of exasperation. “For the love of Poseidon, I cannot believe I ever fell for this act!”
“Who needs moral fiber when you have love? That can overcome everything.” Erebus gazed at her adoringly while Ryann’s chest visibly heaved with her breaths.
Melody nudged me in the ribs. “She’s lying.”
“Who is?” I whispered back.
“Kaya.” Melody leaned in. “She still has feelings for Erebus. I can sense them; they’re sparking all over the place. But she’s hurt, too… really hurt. Whatever happened between them hit her hard, and it seemed to affect the Atlantean people, as well. Their pain is her pain, and her pain is their pain.”
I scrunched up my face in thought. “Well, we know he betrayed her somehow and got kicked out. We just don’t know what he did.”
“Try and overcome our superior cells, then. See how far love can get you against our wards and hexes,” Kaya sniped at Erebus. I didn’t know if that was a threat or a hope, after what Melody had said. “You will have all the time in the world to think about how stupid you were to come here while you rot in prison. As for the rest of you, I will decide how to proceed in due time.”