Eramus? Wait- Father! Don't touch my father! He doesn't know anything! Aegir was just using him! Melanie mentally screamed, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. Knowing these creatures, however, they would easily hear her mental screams.

Then it struck her- Eramus would not know. How could he? He was being played with like a puppet. Atlantis was to sink soon enough... it couldn't be...
"Please, wait- if he can't tell you where... Aegir is, then what will you do to this island?"

It cries out like the insignifacant bug that it is.

Aren't you going to answer it?

I don't waste my time with non sentients.

The other sighed as it looked away from it's companion to Melanie. If you must know ... well, Aegir can't be allowed to divulge what he knows, thus the city must be silenced. There's no telling how far his lies have spread about us ...

"Puh-Please- I know this city well. Free me, and I will aid you in finding Aegir. Atlantis has many places Aegir could hide. I know of quite a few of them. If you find him, then you will not destroy Atlantis?" she begged. What was she saying? She knew the futility of her words. These beings were of Aegir's ilk- they were probably as cold, as heartless and as selfish as that monster. Silently, she cursed his very existence on this land, imagining the best places he could hide. The sewers, the bell tower, the basement of the abbey. She could picture even more places where Aegir could shield himself in plain sight. The last image she held of him, as he stared into her emerald eyes with those pupil-less orbs.

How she cursed herself for being so susceptible to his trap. If only she had known better.

No, that is unnecessary. You have offered us enough.


Mouth tendrils quivered, he had downloaded the names and images of such places from her mind, thus he had no use of her ... then he had a thought, but didn't formulate it too well since matters where still alien as to how Aegir operated and thought. He could have made use of her as bait, but he was not very creative nor were many of their kind. Aegir was more so only because he had been tainted by the minds that he consumed.

Let's go.

Gladly. This place is tainted by human stench.

The two slithered out of the room soon disappearing from sight. They had not answered her question if Atlantis would be destroyed if Aegir was found or not, though they struck her as concerned that he was spreading gossip about them and wished to take no chances, however minute, that things got out and the best way to do that ...

They ignored her pleas. Fortunately for her they had no other interest in her, not being tainted like Aegir the thought of making her one of their playthings never occurred to them.

She didn't know how long she was left tied there though from the light outside it was growing late, the sky darkened before she saw Iacarus walking to the doorway of the house. He had a different model in hand and was making propeler noises as he pretended that the model was soaring through air.

There was nothing Melanie could do. It was hopeless. The monsters would fail to find Aegir, and Atlantis would drown. Icarus, father, even that Vlar- they would all die and become a stain in history. What a terrible dream. Melanie figured that sometime around now, she would awaken during class.

Then she noise. Her entire body tensed. Who could it be? It was strange noise, almost childish... Icarus!
"Icarus! Help! I'm in here!" she shouted, pulling roughly at her bonds. It the tremors hadn't caused the drowning of Atlantis, then perhaps she could get her "family" out in time.

Icarus heard, but he dragged his feet in getting to her as children so often did. "What?" He called as he peeked his head into her room without really looking. He saw her on the bed but didn't notice her restraints and didn't see why she needed him if she were just lounging on the bed anyway.

Then he saw the ropes. He paused as things took shape in his mind. He vanished for a moment, checking on his precious model collection. Still there ... never before had he heard of a robbery save for the plays he went too and failed to full comprehend the significance of it.

In ancient times the grown ups told him of such things when people where uncivilized but they were enlightened now. He soon returned, going over to the bed and falling to his knees. He examined the ropes and how they were fastened before trying to unfasten them, it was slow going for him, he was unfamiliar with knots as were most Atlantians save for sailors, and he struggled to undo one. But with a hand free Mel was able to assist him with the other and once that was free it was easy work to get at the others.

"Was dad robbed?" Seeing nothing amiss here he made an assumption that someone or ones came here intending to take something but encountered Mel and had to deal with her. He never heard of murder save for in his plays so it seemed reasonable that no one else really thought of it, the drawbacks to a peaceful society ...

"I... dunno. I haven't seen dad anywhere," Melanie replied, paling. What was their father doing? Where was he? He-

He couldn't be...

Mel jumped straight from the bed and ran straight into the study, her mind filled with the morbid imaginings of what those things had done to him. After all, he was the primary source for all things Aegir.
"FATHER! ARE YOU HERE?" she shouted out as she passed through the home.

The study was empty, ink and quill placed away, the notes he had been working on were not to be seen though. Icarus appeared behind her as she ran about the house. A brief look crossed his features, confusion at first it seemed. Then he looked at her as he spoke.

"He said he was going to Vlar's house this evening to go over some notes and research ... at least I remember him saying such to Aegir ..." Then he went silent as if he realized that he had slipped up with a secret that he should have said nothing about.

Melanie nodded as she listened to Icarus. "Ok then, lead the way. I'm still a bit sore from the whole bed-tying thing," she quickly reasoned, still shaking her hand. Then, it suddenly struck her.

"Wait. You knew about Aegir?" What kind of dream was this? Did everybody know about the monster here except her? What kind of sick dream made one doubt their own little brother, their kin?

He flushed and looked away at the toppled statue in the foyer, it had not been right yet and what he would do for an earthquake right about now. Falling down a fissure would be preferable at that instant. "Yeah .... no ... I mean, dad doesn't know ... he found me at the beach one day or rather I found him in a cove. It was strange, he knew all about me and who I was before I said anything.

"He's been giving me models and today mentioned that father had work to do at Vlar's and I could get away today to see him. Don't tell dad ..."

Melanie nearly sighed. Was her mind playing tricks, or was she truly becoming paranoid?
"Never mind. I'll forget you told me this, if you do, deal? I'll stay here in case dad comes back, while you go to Vlar's house. Just stay there-I don't think our home is safe anymore." Melanie did not give them boy any time to argue and hurriedly pushed him out of the home.

Once he was gone, Melanie ran straight to the beach, seeking out any crevices or coves.

"Right."

Her brother readily agreed though enroute to the beach there was a third quake and another after shock a few minutes later, worse than the other two though still not strong enough to knock her off her feet though she could see cracks on the stone here and there.

There was a crack in the side of a building to show some of mother nature's destructive force.

The beach, save for a few ships in the far distance, was deserted unlike most of the streets she pased through though with the waning light they were beginning to thin out. She looked and at one end of the beach she could see a ton of rocks in the water forming a cove with only an opening to the sea. About the only way inside would be to swim, perhaps why the cove was chosen in the first place, given the rocks that jutted out of the water swimming could be hazardous unless she took it slow so approach to the place was cordoned off fairly well.

Was he here? That was unknown but she did not see any other coves, maybe there was another at the other end of the beach.

Melanie knew that she was going to regret this later on, but time was of the essence. Familiar with the blue cloth she was robed in, they would only absorb the water. Better to leave them, the purse and the rest of her effects somewhere nearby. She never considered her body sexy, and rarely felt the thrill some people felt when disrobing in public. Melanie just felt shame. But shame did not matter when there was an entire continent to save. It seemed quite likely that this was Aegir's hiding place though, so perhaps she could end this all soon.

Somehow, she felt like she was walking straight into a trap. But she couldn't send her brother, and her father was too deeply connected to the monster to even consider turning him in. Therefore, this was Melanie's job-

Her resolve checked, her effects hidden, the nude Melanie waded into the water, riding the gentle current into the cove.

Cautiously she swam avoiding the rocks for the most part, bumping into one or two unseen ones beneath the water that she was unable to see but she entered into the cove with minimal effort, her nude body emitting from the water.

There was a gloomy cave beyond and a sea gull perched on a rock in the water on the interior of the cave near the shore. It paid her no attention as it moved about the rocks briefly flying from one to the other or hoping when close by. It was picking starfish off of the rocks and feasting on them.

There seemed to be nothing here ... wait a second, bare foot prints on the sandy shore of something that had been rather small and marks here either coming or going to the water, deep depressions as if something was dragged to or from it.

The path was set, her will strong. Now if only she had her clothes...

Melanie recognized Icarus' footsteps, so she knew she was in the right place. She followed the path of the dragged item. But she first needed to deal with a major problem- the water and wind combined were messing with her most sensitive areas. She shook slightly to get some of the water off, but the cutting wind only hardened her nipples further.

Deciding it would be better to enter the cave than be subjected to the harsh torment of nature, Melanie ran inside.