more as fact than inquiry.
“Why else do you think I’ve been living in Atlanta this whole time? I wouldn’t stick this close to the scene of the crime and put myself in danger just for the fun of it.”
Willa frowned. “Hold on a sec. What do you mean by the scene of the crime? I thought you said my parents were murdered on Atlantis.”
“Dear, you’re practically sitting right smack-dab in the middle of Atlantis.”
“What?” Willa looked dazed by the news. Understandable.
“Wait, this will go much smoother with props.” Aurele abandoned her seat and walked down the hall. Meanwhile Willa stared at him in bemusement.
He crossed to her and hunkered in front of her chair. Her fists were clenched in her lap, and she hadn’t lost that I’ve-just-been-hit-by-a-two-by-four expression. He picked up her hands and smoothed his thumbs over her knuckles. He knew there must be a thousand questions swirling in her mind. Hopefully whatever Aurele was up to would fill in some of the blanks. “I’m sorry I snuck out on you this morning.”
“Don’t worry about it. Right now I’m too preoccupied with wrapping my head around the fact that we’re apparently sitting in Atlantis’s kitchen.”
He chuckled. “Not quite. When Aurele returns she’ll explain it in better terms.”
The scuff of soles marked Aurele’s re-entrance into the room. A large scroll was tucked in the crook of her arm. She joined them at the table and unrolled one section of the ancient parchment.
Willa leaned over the document. Her glasses slipped down her nose, and she tucked them back in place before peering at Aurele. “What’s this?”
“A map of Atlantis.”
“But it’s enormous. Practically bigger than the—”
“Atlantic?” Aurele supplied. “Hmm, amazing coincidence.” She pulled down another section of the scroll, a tissue-thin vellum that overlaid the original map.
He watched Willa’s face, waiting for the exact moment everything registered with her. Her reaction didn’t disappoint. Eyes going comically wide, she jerked her head up. “Are you telling me the entire eastern seaboard is really the freaking lost city of Atlantis?”
Aurele smiled patiently. “Not in the way you’re thinking. Furthermore, the city of Atlantis has never been lost. It’s simply been in between.” She stirred the air with her fingers for emphasis.
Willa’s eyes became hooded like she suspected Aurele was trying to sneak a fast one past her. “In between what?”
“Dimensions. A thin veil separates Atlantis from this earth. The ocean is a gathering of the two existences, where our waters meet and unite both worlds. You’re right in the sense that other than the palace and the university, most of the city is in ruins. It’s been the case for many centuries. Hence the reason many of the non-water-locked Atlanteans have chosen to reside at least on a semipermanent basis within the earth realm.”
“Non-water-locked? What does that even mean?”
He decided to let Aurele’s voice have a rest by stepping in with the relatively simple explanation. “Basically there are two types of Atlanteans. Those who are able to acquire legs when on land, and those who can’t.”
“This is so damn weird,” Willa groused.
“Dear, you’ve been to purgatory. Atlantis is far less strange than that trip.”
“Okay, you might have a point.” Willa rubbed her temples. “So hypothetically speaking, if I wanted to visit Atlantis, I could? I mean, without actually going into the ocean? Because there’s no way in hell that’s happening.”
Gripping the edge of the table, Max straightened. “There’s a portal on the Duke of Atlanta’s property. It’s accessed in a reflecting pool. Position the sundial correctly and it triggers the doorway.” He took in the confusion stamped on Willa’s features and wished that he could show her firsthand the wonder of Atlantis and the royal palace that she’d once called home but didn’t remember. It would be impossible though without cobbling a good lie to give the duke for busting onto his property with a strange woman. Particularly after what went down this morning.
He glanced at his watch, a trickle of guilt washing over him at the necessity of dragging Willa away when she obviously had so many unanswered questions. But if they didn’t leave soon, he’d be late relieving Fritz from his shift. He returned to the counter and snagged Willa’s keys. She met his gaze and lifted from her seat. “Are we going?”
“Afraid so. I’m on duty tonight. Fortunately, I’m only playing watchdog to whatever miscreants my men brought in overnight.” Remembering Ronnie’s bailout yesterday, he grimaced. Hopefully the stupid-ass eel hadn’t gotten himself thrown back in the tank. He didn’t have