Page 12 of The Void

“Hi,” she said with a smile. The room remained silent. “Thank you, everyone, for the warm welcome I’ve been given. It looks like I’ll be your genie for the time being.” She waited a heartbeat. “I… didn’t even know this place existed. I mean, I’d heard rumors, legends really.” She shook her head and cleared her thoughts. “I mean, everyone has heard of Atlantis. It’s… everything I thought it would be.” She bit her lip to force herself to stop talking. “Except the flying cars.” She winced and held in a groan. She really should shut up. Turning to the nearest person, she asked, “I don’t suppose anyone could fill me in on how things work around here?”

Suddenly, a middle-aged woman appeared by her side. The woman was practically frowning at her.

“I have been chosen to be your advisor,” the woman said with a slight curtsy. “I am Beth,” the woman added. There was a thick accent but Mia couldn’t place its origins. Probably because she was on a different freaking planet. She mentally kicked herself for being stupid.

It was then that it hit Mia. Everyone in the room—no, scratch that, everyone in the realm—expected her to rule, to lead them through a war. What had Elpis called it? The war of light against dark.

Suddenly, she felt light-headed. If they hadn’t been standing outside in the cool night breeze, she would have excused herself to grab some air. Instead, she sat down on the throne behind her and took several long, deep breaths until she felt under control again.

“What exactly do you know about Atlantis?” Beth asked moving closer to her.

Mia gripped the arms of the chair until her knuckles turned white. “Nothing,” she admitted. “Nothing that is true, at any rate.”

“Well, there’s only one place to start, I suppose. At the beginning…” Beth started, but Mia was too focused on the crowd of people still watching her.

What did they want? Why were they still standing there? What were they waiting for?

During this time, Beth hovered beside her, chatting non-stop about… well, Mia didn’t know. She wasn’t paying attention.

“Which you will meet after your companion gets here. He will call for you when he is ready,” Beth finished.

“I…” She frowned. “Did they”—she motioned to the air where the two women had just vanished—“say something about Lucas being brought here?”

“As we speak, your companion is crossing the mountains. He should be here by tomorrow’s supper,” Beth answered.

At that moment, Mia’s stomach let out a loud growling noise.

Beth’s eyebrows shot up at the noise.

“I don’t suppose tonight’s supper is soon?” Mia asked.

“It is already waiting for you in the grand hall,” Beth answered, then she stood back, waiting for Mia.

“Why are they all still here?” she whispered.

Beth leaned a little closer and lowered her voice. “They are waiting for you to dismiss them.”

Mia puffed out a breath of air. “Right.” She stood up and with a big smile on her face, loudly said, “Thank you all for coming today. You are dismissed.”

No one moved.

Mia leaned towards Beth and asked. “Why didn’t that work?”

Beth shook her head. “We are all hoping to see a bit of your magic. The guardians have told us great details about you. We are excited to see what you can do, how you will save us from the darkness.”

Guardians? She must mean Elpis and Pandora.

Mia swallowed the lump in her throat. She wanted to tell the woman and the room that she didn’t do magic tricks, but she tried to think of something she could do to appease the crowd.

Then she smiled. Since meeting Selene and seeing her neat trick of creating flames with a snap of her fingers, she’d practiced her own trick much like it.

Lifting her hands and pulling the sleeves of her long dress back, she held her hands high up and willed what was deep inside her to build.

At first, it was just a few sparks that leapt from her palms. Then, a large ball of fire as hot as the sun floated slowly into the sky. It rose almost a hundred feet up before bursting into tiny pieces that gently rained down over the crowd, who immediately burst into cheers. Then, as if on cue, each of them bowed as low as they could and started to chant her name.

This time, when she raised her hands, the entire room quieted.

“Thank you, now please, return to your homes, enjoy your dinners.” To her delight, the space emptied quickly.