The Prophesy: Book 2 - The Right Hand of Destiny

 

The next morning reserved a bad surprise. The fog had thickened over lake Solon and its basin to the point people kept smashing on each other in the streets. Even the high towers of the castle were wrapped in cotton so thick a person couldn't see his nose.

"That's a pain. Even dragons can't fly safely in that weather. But we need to know how thick this soup is," Harold commented.

"I could use Bata as a light house, dad. Pointing it upward and emitting a narrow beam of light while standing in the middle of an open field could do as a beacon."

"And I could do the same with Mitsuko," suggested Paschal.

"And I haven't tried everything with that Trident, Harold."

"Ok, we need a dragonling to get in flight. Which one?"

"Gold volunteers dad. And he complains he is hungry again. I fed him twenty tons of meat less than twelve hours ago," replied Ian.

"Puberty! As if we needed that! Press the panic button!" exclaimed Harold, making a dreadful face.

"Why do you say that, dad?"

"The first sign of puberty in all life forms is a sudden increase in appetite. Ian, feed your familiar as much as he asks! Be ready for temper swings, especially since he will mould at a very high rate so he can grow!"

"You are scaring me, dad!"

"Fair is fair, Harp. I have white hairs because of you already!"

"Be serious dad! Are you aware that the dragonlings will all be entering puberty at about the same time?"

"And us as well, Harp. Enron's temper tantrum of yesterday was the result of puberty. The issue is that the only ones that will not be in puberty are Timor, Ian, and you. The rest of us are beginning to show the first signs, not that I could tell what puberty entails for Timor."

"Paschal is correct, son. I would be hard put to tell when Timor becomes pubescent. He has more hair per square inch on his body than I have on my head."

"Dad, you are balding, that's not difficult to beat!"

"Harp, I am balding due to the stress of raising magical kids without a cookbook to tell me how!"

"I can solve that!" replied Harp with a flick of the wrist. Harold found himself gratified with a mop of hair that covered his body from head to foot.

"Strange, the only bald place is the crown of the head!" commented Sitar, laughing.

"Wait until I manage to see through that forest of hair, young man!"

"Why? You wanted hair you got hair! Hairy Harold!"

"I thought the song went with Hairy Harry?" piped up Ian.

"Learn to adjust, little brother!"

"And he is not even a teen yet. What have I gotten myself into?"

"You have no idea, Harold. You seem to forget he has access to millions of years of pranks to choose from."

"Couldn't you keep that for yourself, Samson? Now my two other teens know where to dig for ideas!" Then, looking with sparkling eyes at the Elf King, Harold added with a voice so sweet it would get a diabetic in a coma, "Enron is also entering puberty, you know. His boiling temper is an indication. And he ate a whole bread in a huge pile that carried a name in Ancient times: a Dagwood Sandwich."

"Food!" exclaimed Enron, Paschal, Sitar, Timor and Thorsten. They left the room racing each other for the kitchen. Harp didn't bother; he popped right at the kitchen's entrance, thus arriving three minutes before the other princes.

"They'll eat the planet!"

"I need to ask Nestor if all mages have that voracious of an appetite. I feel I am inadequately feeding myself if it so, Samson."

"I have a bigger appetite than before, and I've lost fifty pounds. You, on the other hand, do not seem to have lost any weight, Harold. In fact, you have gained muscle mass. I am sure you find lifting the forging hammer a lot easier."

"That is true, Samson. I figured I was growing stronger as I aged, but I doubt this is the only reason for the changes. And I do eat at least three times what I used to. If this is a measure of what magic does to an appetite, I dread what will happen to our boys."

***

The next few days were spent mapping the different Atlantean sites the boys had located around the lake, doing their travel by horseback given the density of the fog. The lack of wind kept the fog bank static, and a test flight by Gold and Ian revealed it cumulated to six thousand feet, blanketing the entire lake and its valley.

"The walls are organized in a series of concentric constructions, which indicate the Atlantean city they were protecting is located within the lake itself," explained Paschal as he put on the table a sketch of the walls. "The issue is the walls dip in the lake on both the north and south shores, covering the western tip of the lake. We have no idea of what happens below the waves."

"If I understand this drawing, the mystery is underwater. We cannot get around that fact. That fits what the Kantar Prophesy stated. What we are looking for is submerged."

"Yes, Ian. However we aren't fishes."

"Who cares, we do not need to keep the dam made by the Ancients. Let's get rid of it."

"That is easier said than done, little brother. Have a look at the map. Blowing that dam would rise the water on the rivers below to well beyond flooding."

"Harp, are you sick? You do not want to blow something up? I have heard everything!"

"Sitar, I would love to blow that dam up, but are you aware of the height? It is two hundred feet high! Just imagine the wave front! I don't mind drowning a few million orcs or crocodile priests, but I am not the best of fans in drowning our own people."

"Nonetheless, Ian's suggestion has merit," replied Thorsten.

"What have I done to be counselled by blow me ups?" moaned Harold.

"What can I say, dad? Up to now, blow jobs seem to have worked for us."

"Ian!" exclaimed the princes as Harold and Samson turned deep red and Iridia turned a delicate pink.

"The best is to do a close visual inspection of that dam. We'll get there tomorrow, dad. I hope the fog will lift."

***

The next morning, the fog had far from lifted; it had thickened to a dank, brownish soup that cut the sun out completely. A disgusting mess that made breathing hard even inside the castle had replaced the whitish creamy look.

"Enough is enough!" exclaimed a furious Harp that morning.

"Come on son, it is the consequence of the combination of the fog and the burning of coal to keep the houses in the city heated. What can we do about it?"

"Defeatist! Watch me!" as Harp looked outside, his eyes glowing with fury.

"Boys, accompany Harp wherever he goes. With his temper at that point, I worry what he will do."

"OK dad," replied the princes.

Harp moved up to the highest watchtower of the castle and looked around. The fog had not even paled. His eyebrows furrowed, he extended Bata over the side of the battlements and yelled: "Rotare!³²³² ("Rotare: Rotate in Italian.")"

Bata emitted a powerful beam of light and the still fog began rotating slowly, gradually gaining speed. At first, the narrow, spinning wind seemed to be innocuous, but it gained more and more intensity as Harp pumped energy into it. Harp's hair stood on its end and he began to rise above the floor of the tower, eyes throwing lightning flashes that seemed to defy the air to refuse service. The twisting dark mass seemed to act like a spindle for the fog: as it gained power, the fog began breaking into thick, long black strands. The long, blackening finger grew both in length and diameter, as it curved slowly upward. As it reached a length of three hundred feet, Harp let a powerful lightning bolt crack right through the centre of the vortex, charging it with electricity to attract particles.

"Go!" he ordered as Bata stopped emitting light. The miniature tornado began drifting toward the lake continuing to suck more and more of the fog as it progressed. At first, it seemed to rise above ground but then the funnel extended gradually down, touching the lake's surface. The twister began sucking in water, gaining in density as it slowed down, finally collapsing some distance from the shore. The sudden collapse produced a local thunderstorm as the cold air above the fog collided with the inflow of hot and humid air sucked up by the controlled tornado. The consequence, albeit localized, were immediate: the rain brought down the pollutants in suspension, and the fog cleared considerably around their immediate location.

Harp was not happy with the result, as there was still a substantial layer of fog blanketing the area. He repeated the process, this time doubling the radius of the tornado before releasing it. The other princes began doing what Harp had done. Paschal used Mitsuko to focus the energy required, while Sitar used Excalibur. Thorsten began sending his axe and hammer spinning at very high velocity high above them; each time the hammer and the axe collided, a powerful flash of lightning could be seen traversing the cloudbank high above the city. Ian added to the dance of the elements by spinning his stave at a dazzling speed and creating a vortex that grew to a sizable tornado. Enron looked at the festival of magical power and was surprised to see Timor begin to glow a deep bluish light. Suddenly the Troll threw his mace at the far away surface of the lake. As the mace hit the water, a tremendous explosion was heard, and lighting left the lake to create a light show not seen since the last great war of the Ancients. A strong smell of ozone drifted up to the boys from the lake, as the ionized atmosphere erupted with sparks of all colours and shapes. Barely had Enron registered the event that he saw the Troll prince repeat the action! Where did that mace come from? More interested in answering the latest question, he focussed on the Troll. As he heard the explosion again, he saw the mace reappear in the Troll's hand. Ah, that was it: Timor had entered into his magic! That was a new, unexpected development! But Enron did not want to be a simple spectator: he wanted in on the fun! He picked up his bow and quiver, and began to shoot arrow after arrow up. As he imparted movement to each arrow, he made sure it reached five times the speed of sound, creating fronts that helped condense the fog into rain.

Far below, the population wondered what the entire racket was about, as they could not even see the tower's tip. Gradually, as the fog condensed and it began to rain heavily, the activity being done from the tower was revealed. First it was a light glow, but as the fog was pushed and siphoned away, the light became brighter and brighter. They could see tornadoes leaving the tower like oxcart trains leaving the loading dock; lightning bolts whose magnitude left them speechless, and, for those having a view on the lake, a series of lightning arcs that shocked them. The black clouds above the city thickened and nature itself added its show as the overcharged clouds began discharging their static electricity in huge carpet flashes that travelled across the entire sky. Then lighting bolts began descending and answering in kind to the royals' assault. A battle of Titans was underway, and Harp and the princes were determined to win that battle! They focussed even more energy in each lightning bolt that left the tower, increasing their tempo to that of a running charge. Rain fell like the buckets of Heaven had opened; and hail the size of baseballs and softballs pummelled the area, as gale-force winds began pushing the residual fog out of the basin down further east and south. The clouds were so thick night animals began roaming the street. Cold, icy air descended from the mountains west of the city, clearing up what was left of the fog with a thunderstorm that tried but failed to rival what Harp and the other princes could throw back at it.

The kings stayed inside, watching the show from their common room. They could hear the thunder, and feel the palace vibrate like it was being bombarded by boulders the size of houses.

"I wonder how long my palace will hold to that kind of assault?" asked a worried Dianne.

"I am not worried about your palace, Dianne. It's how long the fog will resist a pissed-off Harp that has me wondering."

"Harold's right, you know. In fact, I feel sorry for the fog. It might as well sign the surrender and run away."

"How long will that last?"

"As long as Harp's mad. Which, given how he looked when he left this room, is for quite a long time."

"He needs to learn to control his temper."

"Why? It's when he is as mad as a bull in front of a red carpet that Harp does the best work. Usually, he is fun to be around, but watch out when he gets pinned."

"I remember Enron as a gentle child, Samson. What happened to him?"

"He met Harp and learned how to be proactive. He grew up, Dianne, in more ways than one. Yes, he has a temper to be reckoned with, and he has learned to kick butts, quite nicely I might add."

"I have seen that!" she replied, shivering.

"He is lucky."

"Who?"

"That guy that assaulted Enron. Had he managed to even scrape Enron, I am sure Harp would have revived him to skin him alive from head to foot with a dull wooden blade."

"But once someone's dead "

"Do not underestimate Harp, ever, Dianne. He defied death itself to get Silver Moon, and won."

She looked at Samson wide-eyed and noticed that Harold was moving his head up and down nodding, and looking very serious. What kind of power did the princes really weld, she wondered.

The battle with the elements lasted until compline. By then, the sun had been down for three hours, and nature surrendered, delivering a rear-guard show in the form of a beautiful, but receding thunderstorm that travelled east across the vast lake, in a rain of fire to which the princes answered in kind, as if to say this is our battlefield! The boys returned to the royal apartments, tired but elated.

"So, did you enjoy yourselves?" asked a grinning Harold.

"Oh yes, dad! Inaction is not for us!" replied Harp, grinning so wide Samson was sure his lower jaw would fall off.

Harp materialised a parchment and wrote a quick note to the forest warden that comprised the Trolls' domain, informing him about Timor's ascension to magic and to inform his dad about the development. He then sealed the parchment, and asked for an express dragon delivery.

"What is all the rush and mystery about, Harp?" asked a wondering Harold.

"Timor has ascended to his magic, dad. I never thought this would happen so soon, not even within this generation. We all saw him at work today."

Those present in the room that had not seen it looked at each other wide-eyed, wondering what would be the next bomb to hit them.

The night was tumultuous weather-wise. Although the thunderstorms stopped, the palace was buffeted by powerful winds that howled through the large building, slamming windows and doors. Rain continued until the first light of dawn, gradually tapering to a light drizzle. Finally, as the sun peaked over the horizon, the clouds parted slowly, revealing small streaks of deep blue, a scene not seen for the past three years.

***

The princes and kings took off for the dam immediately after breakfast. The dragon flight was impressive. The dragons landed in the lake and walked out of the water to let their passengers off.

Paschal was the first to reach the top of the dam, and he surveyed it from the promontory he was standing on.

"What do you think son?"

"To be honest, that dam worries me, dad. It has not been maintained for so long, and however good the Ancients were at building it, that dam has suffered. Just look at the concrete at the top. It's eaten up, weathered. And look on this near end."

Harold walked to the edge of the promontory and looked down. What he saw sent shivers down his back: a decent-sized crack had formed between the rock face and the Dam. Water was slowly seeping and flowing down, its volume still limited, but clearly indicating that the dam was breached.

"I think we need a closer inspection! Let's port across the dam to the other side and see the condition!"

Harold and Paschal ported across the chiasm and found themselves overlooking a situation far worse than they had expected. The water flow was at least five times what it was on the opposing side, and they could see the water eating at the seating of the dam, where the pressure was maximum.

"What do you think, Paschal?"

"That isn't good, dad. The water pressure at the bottom of the second dam is, let me see one hundred and eight pounds per square inch. That may not seem much, dad, but try to estimate the surface of the dam! It adds up to millions of tons of pressure at the bottom, and anything, a slight earthquake, a sudden flood, a sudden melt, or even a break in the ice cover over the rivers that feed that lake can tip the balance the wrong way."

After doing a rough estimate of the width of the gorge, and converting it to inches, Harold bleached.

"What do you suggest?"

"First we need to lower the lake's water. The problem I have with this is two-fold: the vanes have been in the same position ever since the Cataclysm, which means their control mechanism must be dead; and the dam's upriver side must be silted to the brim, making any sudden opening of the vanes susceptible to crate just the right condition for the collapse of the dam."

"I see another issue, Paschal," piped up Harp. "Lowering the lake will increase the flow in the draining rivers, thus increasing the possibility of their ice cover breaking free and flowing in the lake. Imagine a charging wall of ice coming down toward the dam!"

"Let's just find another traitor to piss off Enron!" commented Thorsten. Everyone laughed except Enron, which became redder than a ripe tomato.

"Do you think it is safe for us to walk the top of the dam?" asked Enron.

"Not really, but we can always levitate above it slowly do a visual inspection," replied Paschal.

"Let's do that, then. We need to get a better understanding of the situation, and looking at things from here isn't going to make it any clearer."

"We might as well examine the situation of the riverbed. When this thing collapses, I want a good idea of the result. Harp, you saw what happened when you blew up that dam on the Kwai. I think you and Thorsten are the best to evaluate how things would go. Timor, Sitar, make sure no one is foolish enough to be on the water. They would be sucked up downriver when the dam collapses. Enron, go back to the Palace, we need a royal decree and proclamation banning the use of the lake and the rivers for any reason whatsoever. Also, see to it to have a general evacuation notice dispatched downriver. If my memory is right, there are three settlements around the lake that is fed by the Solon River. I know they have already been partially evacuated, but no use losing good troops when we can get them out of the way. Paschal I'll be accompanying you on that inspection. Samson, stay up and keep watch. We may not be aware of the whole picture, while we do this, and you are our early warning system."

Everyone dispersed immediately to execute the duty assigned by Harold. Dragons began patrolling the rivers and lakes immediately, as Enron materialized the required material for the redaction of a far-reaching safe water act, which covered the entire drainage basin of Solon. Duplicates were made, and ported to either dog couriers or carried by dragons where dogs were unavailable or wolves too sparse to effect courier transport. Dragons also enforced the decree ordering the evacuation of all water surfaces. Some stubborn fishermen were unceremoniously picked off their boat and deposited without much kindness at the Archduchess' inner palace courtyard. A simple look at the head of the Constable made it very clear Enron was not to be trifled with. The Gold dragonling seemed to particularly enjoy dropping them like living bombs in the icy water basin that occupied the centre of that courtyard. After four hours of careful examination of the situation, the royals met at the promontory overlooking the dam to exchange their findings.

"I'll be honest: that dam will not last more than a month. The snow melt will increase the pressure and it will collapse catastrophically."

"I agree with Paschal's assessment," added Harold.

"The Solon River opens into a small lake. When we reached the shores, I ordered immediate evacuation. It took only a word: dam break, and believe me they were running like bats out of Hell. I so like military discipline when it gets disorganized!"

"They looked more like fleas on the back of a dog getting washed, Harp. Anyway, while Harp had his fun, I looked at the exit of the lake. First the lake is encircled by a wide wetland, which means its true basin is bigger than the open water the lake represents. Second, the lake empties south; I figure the water travels down and eventually reaches the main drainage of the Elvin kingdom?"

"Correct, Thorsten. I have looked at the Solon River's bed, and I suspect that, if the dam collapsed suddenly and completely, the two hundred and fifty foot wave would collapse on itself within fifty miles, creating a long almost flat wave of about thirty feet. As the wave would widen the riverbed it would further find other places to spread. Eventually, when the water reached the delta of the Solon, the water would spread and raise the lake by about fifteen feet. The lake is held in place by a moraine, and a thick cluster of pines occupies the moraine's top. The evacuation channel is about five hundred feet wide and is a nice rock fall that should suddenly become rather impressive but hold its own."

"Enron, what is the situation?"

"The dragons forcibly evacuated all waterways in Solon, both up and down-dam. There was a number of grumblings, given it was the first time in years the fishermen could take their boats out on the lake to fish, but I made myself very clear."

"Someone else lost his head?"

"No Harold, I had the big mouths parade in front of what was left of the Constable's head. They came back to more sensible thinking."

"Restraint is the mark of a noble house, Enron."

"Dad, another word, and I shove that crown on your head with a hammer!"

"While I was doing the tour with the dragons to make sure the decree was applied, I did a visual inspection of the ice cover over the rivers that feed the lake, dad. They all show severe strain. Some areas are severely rotten, to the point of being dangerous. When the lake drops they will go."

"Thank you, Sitar."

"What do we do?" asked Samson.

"I see only one thing to do: speed up the process. I would prefer the collapse be controlled than catastrophic."

"I agree with Paschal, dad. Waiting until nature plays out is not always the best solution. I think we need to begin lowering the water level of Solon Lake immediately."

"Are there any objections?" asked Harold. No one objected. "How do you suggest we proceed?"

"I think the safest method would be to shave off a foot from the top of the dam, at the anchors," suggested Samson.

"I don't agree. If we do that we disconnect the dam from what holds it in place; the rock face against which it is leaning. The entire wall would fall forward into the Solon River from hydrostatic pressure."

"We could do it in the middle?"

"It would be worse, Samson. The hydrostatic pressure is maximal at that point, and the dam's arch, which helps maintain its integrity in face of tremendous pressure, would be compromised."

"What then?"

"Look at the promontory we are standing on. It is raw rock. What I suggest is we drill an evacuation channel from over there below the dam, right to the lake. It would be relatively easy given the magic field is stable, abundant and powerful here. We can do it in a week. It need not be a huge evacuation tunnel as long as its flow capacity is greater than the combined drainage flow of Solon. The tricky part will be the last few feet before the lake."

"There, I have a suggestion, Paschal."

"Yes, Thorsten?"

"One of the best-kept secrets of the Dwarfs is the use of powerful means of digging tunnels. One of these methods uses chemicals that detonate with great force. I'll have to ask our chemists to make some, since we left our stock behind when we evacuated."

"How powerful, Thorsten?"

"Powerful enough to blow a mountain to rubble. They must be prepared carefully and handled even more carefully."

"OK. Harp, Thorsten, you fly to Eloise, and get those chemists to work. If you need any special material, get it. Paschal, draw up the plans for the drainage tunnel."

***

The next morning, Paschal met with Harold and Samson, while Ian was off with Silver Moon doing some exercises.

"OK, I calculated the output of the streams that feed the lake at five thousand two hundred cubic feet of water per second. Out of the fourteen gates, only three are still operational, and, however I try to do the maths, their output does not add up to that volume. There is a three thousand two hundred cubic feet that vanishes into thin air. It can only mean one thing, dad and it's not good: these three thousand or so cubic feet have found another, unknown exit."

"Have you looked at the Solon River's output?"

"Yes dad, and there, somehow, the missing water is back in the riverbed."

"Do you have a suggestion?"

"I had a telepathic chat with Harp and Thorsten this morning. Harp suggests that the dam is undermined and that even the moraine itself is leaking under the river. If he is right, we may not have the time to do anything to prevent the collapse. The dam may shift any time."

"How long would it take to do the drain?"

"At best, to do it safely, a week, dad. I think we do not have a week."

"I see Could we use magic to hold the dam in place?"

"No, we need it to do the drain, and it will take all of it and maybe more than what the region can sustain."

"So, whatever we do, we are in trouble?"

"Yes."

"Then we blow it up. We will at least have the resource of intact magic to control some of the excesses this will do. Call back Harp and Thorsten. We will need their control over magic to succeed."

"I had come to the same conclusion, dad, so I called both of them back as soon as we finished assessing the situation. The evacuation has been completed down-dam since yesterday as you already know, so all is ready for it."

"Will the moraine hold?"

"Initially, probably, but not for long. The sudden decompression will definitively change the hydrostatic balance and whatever undermining the moraine will have undergone will complete the collapse of its top section. As to how tall that falling section will be it's a mystery."

"What is the history of that moraine?"

"As far as I know, it dates from the last ice age; Atlantean engineers consolidated it using the earth dam technique, to close the lake, allowing it to rise a certain amount before draining in a controlled fashion. I have no idea who designed lower dam, and I have not looked for plans in our archives, if we have any. Then the Ancients added their own work over ours, probably ignoring the fact that they were building over something already modified. What would they care anyway? Their dam has outlasted them."

"OK, son, when do you expect them to be back?"

"Before sext. I suggest we have a good lunch and then proceed."

"You are in a rush, young man; I thought you would have asked we wait until tomorrow at dawn, to have a full day of light."

"I have a feeling of dread, dad. So much so it obnubilated any other consideration."

***

Sext arrived and the royals expedited lunch, to return immediately to the dam site. The first over-flight immediately revealed that the gap on the far side of the dam had widened, and ominous cracks were now spreading from it toward the middle of arch. Cement and rusted steel rods seemed to be crying out in pain as they twisted under the tremendous pressure. Right below the promontory they were standing on, the near side of the dam was also beginning to open up, letting ever more water leak. The royals had decided to stay on the back of the dragons rather than risk being taken by surprise should things degenerate catastrophically. Nonetheless, they could feel the ground shake ever more violently.

«Fly! We cannot stay on the ground! Paschal, it's your command!» ordered Harold.

«All right, dad! Let's see, Samson, you are to handle the water flow down the left side of the river; Harp, Thorsten, and I will destroy the dam in a controlled manner. Harold, Enron, you take the right side of the river; Ian, on Gold, I want you to make sure no one is caught in the upcoming flood downriver, so stay ahead of the wave and port any life form to the Ark. Timor, Sitar, keep watch over the lake. Some might not have taken the warning seriously.»

«Who would dare?» asked a sceptic Enron.

«It would be an idiot, Enron. And there are many of those to go around. Harp, Thorsten, slice off a foot from the top at my signal.»

Harp flew to the left side of the dam, while Thorsten did the same toward the right. As the dragonlings flapped their wings violently to hover, they took aim, one with Bata, and the other with his axe.

«Fire away!» ordered Paschal as he monitored the results.

Bata emitted a powerful bluish light and began cutting though the concrete and steel that held the top of the dam in place. Harp had to adjust his firing constantly, as the dragonling's altitude changed while it hovered. Meanwhile Thorsten kept sending his axe along an imaginary line in a thunderous gold blur; the axe had to hit the same point repeatedly to get through the thick concrete and steel rod frame. Slowly, the two princes converged toward the centre of the dam. As they reached the middle of the arch, the residual middle segment suddenly uprooted itself and fell into the deep gorge. The concrete had suddenly lost its grip on the vertical rods, leaving them protruding from the top.

«Good, Harp cut the rods sticking out, I want the water flow to be unhindered. Dad, Samson, report!»

«The water is rising in the Solon riverbed,» replied Harold. «It's up five feet already!»

«Ian?»

«I am following the river's rise and I am porting animals to the Ark as we progress. The progress of the water's front is about fifty miles per hour.»

«Timor, Sitar?»

«The current in the lake has increased somewhat, Paschal. However the water level has not dropped significantly, not even an inch. It will take time to see the impact of the dam's beheading on the lake level, Paschal. That lake is seven hundred or so square miles, it won't drop in an instant!»

«I am aware of that, Sitar. My estimate is that, given the speed reported by Ian, the water will reach the mouth of the Solon in about an hour. I estimate the water flow to have increased by two thousand five hundred feet per second, given the river is five hundred feet wide and it rose by five feet; for the equilibrium to be reached would take ninety days, way too long given the condition of the dam.»

«What do you suggest?» asked Samson.

«Monitor the river's behaviour until the front reaches the river mouth; once this is done, in forty-five minutes or so now, Harp and Thorsten will slice off another foot. Things should start to become interesting then. I noticed the Solon has multiple layers of flood plains. Its riverbed should widen progressively as the water rises. Meanwhile, port as many animals out of harm's way as possible.»

Things went on schedule, the elves at the Ark being kept busy taking into custody all sorts of animals that popped into the containment pens, while the Eden project was enriched by a collection of trees and bushes uprooted to ease the water flow once the river would widen. All sorts of mushrooms and other plants also enriched the collection of Eden's greenhouses, while the insectarium of the Ark project received additional pensioners. The aquarium also received additional fresh-water fish, taken from the lake and the river.

«Ready for stage two: Paschal, the water has reached the mouth and the lake level barely bulged,» reported Ian.

«We have finished removing the animals,» added Samson.

«We are almost done removing the vegetation cover, Paschal,» completed Harp. «Two minutes to completion.»

«Good. Regroup to the head of the dam for phase two in four minutes. Sitar, Timor, continue monitoring the lake.»

The royals watched the waterfall cascading over the dam, wondering what would be Paschal's next move.

«Now, if the Ancients' book on hydraulic flow I read is correct, water volume will be exponential as the dam is cut down; we know one foot gives two thousand five hundred cubic feet. If we cut out another foot, it should reach twelve or so feet in depth, for a total throughput of six thousand cubic feet per second. Let's see, that would drop the lake by two feet in seventy-six days, still too long. But I dare not remove more than a foot at a time, due to stability issues. Let's proceed with the next foot, and we will assess how things develop.»

The process of cutting the dam another foot took sensibly the same time as before, since they had not yet begun touching the thickest part. By nones, the next slice fell off, and Ian again took off to keep ahead of the surge.

«Paschal, your estimate is about right: the flux is about seven feet above current river level. I expect it to lower and widen as we get nearer the river's mouth, as it did earlier.»

«Ian, thank you for the report; keep an eye on the lower lake's level. Sitar, what are the conditions?»

«The flow in the lake has increased, and we are seeing a slight drop, maybe a bit less than hair-thick. It's more the ice that is cracking that tells us something is up.»

«Ok. As soon as Ian reports on the state of the lake downriver after the surplus inflow hits it, I want everyone back. I plan on us removing another foot off the dam's top. Samson, Dad, how is the flood plain holding?»

«The water has yet to breach the riverbanks. It is still six inches below flooding. We have finished removing all vegetation and we even recovered the topsoil. It will be useful for the Eden project. It's dirty work, boy!»

«Come on, dad, you never had to wash Ian's butt if you think this is dirty work!»

«Paschal, wait until I get my hands on you! I did not have a dirty butt!»

«It's not for lack of trying!»

After a good deal more ribbing at Ian's expense, the report came in, and the lower lake's level was reported as one foot above normal level, still considerably below flooding.

«Ok, let's began phase three. Harp and Thorsten, are you up to it? I could use Mitsuko and Samson could use his Trident if you feel you need to replenish your magic.»

«I am fine,» answered Harp.

«So am I,» completed Thorsten.

«OK, please back off from the dam's wall by twenty feet. It may be more difficult, but if the dam collapses catastrophically, I want you out of reach of a sudden surge. That goes for everyone!»

The royals did as requested. Harp and Thorsten began sawing another foot off the dam. The construction moaned under pressure, as more and more water fell over its top. Ian was looking at the dam from a distance when he saw a widening crack below where Harp was working.

«Everyone out! Now!» he barked. No one doubted the seriousness of the order and climbed out of the gorge at full speed. As the royals vacated the gorge, a thunderous rumble was heard, and the cry of tortured steel buried the noise of the fall that had become the top of the dam. A huge slice of concrete majestically slid down in the river, creating an artificial tsunami several hundred feet high. The breach was immediately assaulted by the lake's water, and widened by the brutal force of the onslaught. Huge swaths of the dam came down in the riverbed, tearing the rock to its bare essentials, as huge boulders collapsed from the upper reaches of the gorge's sides. The lake assailed the obstacles created by the collapsing parts of the dam, throwing huge segments against the shores, and gauging the flood plains to an ever-wider expanse. The river's water rose by two hundred feet and the wave collapsed on itself as it raged down river. It tore off the bridge that it met as it raged down toward the lake, digging, gouging, and eating away at the river's bed until it hit granitic bedrock. Huge rollers swamped the banks at every turn, widening the meanders when they did not simply wipe them off by jumping over them. As it reached the lake, the water spread in a huge arc, pushing back the streams that fed the small lake, before crashing on the opposite shore. The wave climbed high, passing right over the lowest mountains, before cascading back down toward the now frothing water of the lake. Yet, as the receding water collided with the still raging Solon River, it turned violently to the south taking the easiest route down, the Attica's riverbed.

«We did what we could boys. Let's monitor the wave front and save as many lives as we can,» ordered Harold. «Sitar, Timor, continue monitoring the lake. Paschal, Harp, Thorsten, move ahead along the Attica, and port anything in sight on the left; Samson, Ian, Enron, join me to the right, and do the same!"

The thunder of the wave front descending the Attica was deafening, and alerted the animals to its approach; their reaction, to peek out of their holes, helped the royals in locating their dens and nests and porting them to the Ark project. Everything from squirrels and birds to bears and cougars were moved. Fortunately the water was colliding with sharp and high turns every mile or so and was slowed down to a manageable sixty miles per hour. Entire villages suddenly were moved to Eloise, right in the zoo, much to the amusement of the zookeepers and the displeasure of the inhabitants. The Attica basin was widened by the gouging, and the wave gradually spread, dropping in height from its original one hundred and fifty to one hundred, then fifty, then twenty-five, and finally, to ten feet, at which point the Attica's waters joined the Nile's already mile-wide bed. The lower Nile rose five feet, still below flood mark, but gained considerable power nonetheless. The Roars Falls, that marked the southern edge of the Elvin kingdom, were never so spectacular as when the Nile's water increased suddenly by the sudden addition of Solon Lake's water. Below, the Glowing Forest was severely washed out, its radioactive topsoil scraped right to the bedrock. It reduced the radiation level somewhat in the vicinity of the area, as billions of tons of dirt and rocks washed over the dead forest. As the royals followed the progress of the flow and the cleansing, a double white line appeared below, just before the river's rage washed it away.

«See that white line, down at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, sons? According to Dunbar, had we been able to continue southward and not entered the Elvin Kingdom, we would have passed on it; it is the road to the lower plains that led to Lois.»

«There is not a single traveller, dad. And it seemed to be severely overgrown.»

«We all know Lois has stopped existing, so it is not surprising the traffic has stopped. Given the presence of orcs in the lower regions, farming is also very unlikely. No one in his right mind would stay in the same place long enough to grow anything with them roaming around. Therefore there are no goods to exchange, and no need for a road. If there are humans, they must be hunter-gatherers and be constantly on the move. I doubt they even light fire, for fear of being smelled from afar by a horde.»

«How sad that civilization had to regress to the point of losing the mastery of fire. The Ancients must be proud of themselves!»

«Harp, we lost much, but not everything. Look at us, now. Yes, we do not have the huge flying machines of the ancients, or their huge ships, but we have our lovely dragons, the magnificent Pegasuses, the Unicorns; we have magic. It may be we lost advanced technology, but we replaced it with something else. And we have not lost all of our technological advances. Look at what Paschal is doing under Thebes. We are slowly, painstakingly, recovering our true heritage, the heritage of Atlantis.»

«You are right, dad. I was getting depressed. Let's fly back to Eloise and take a few days of rest. Sitar will monitor the lake's level for us from Solon's walls. When things have stabilized, we will fly back there.»

***

It took a week for Solon Lake to drain, and by then, the moraine on which the Ancients had built their dam had been severely eroded, removing another fifty feet to the lake's depth. The Solon River had been so changed and gouged by the flow that it was barely recognizable; the small lake at its mouth had its shape changed from an almost circular one to an elongated form, yet it was much shallower, as the mountains had fallen back in it, creating a basin more proper for marshes than open waters.

The royals returned to Solon to examine the situation and noticed that the lake's shores had recessed by several miles, revealing the lake's deep, muddy bottom. At the western tip of the lake, the Atlantean walls were revealed, and the old, abandoned city, that had been under water for the last seven thousand years, appeared. Huge megalithic walls encircled the core of the city. The streets cobblestones, covered with thick layers of mud, and rotting fish, could be seen where the retreating water had washed the deposits away while it retreated. In the middle of the old city was a fortification built in pure Atlantean style, with huge one hundred and sixty tons monoliths so finely adjusted the cracks were all but invisible.

"Ok, boys, clean up detail! We need to explore this place carefully. Paschal? Do you have any suggestions?"

"Yes dad, we must imperatively find the throne room. Remember, this is built on the same model as previous Atlantean fortifications. This should ease our search."

"We'll do that Paschal," offered Harp, grabbing Thorsten's hand. "Why don't you look at what's below? We may find some more of the puzzle pieces here."

"I am sure we will. Ian, can you come with me please? Dad, how about starting the cleanup from top to bottom? Use magic to remove the mud and port it into the lake. Remove the first layer as quickly as possible before it hardens."

As each team proceeded to its task, the old Atlantean city emerged from its shroud of mud and detritus that had deposited on it over the millennia. Within a week, the first significant discoveries were made. The first discovery was the necropolis, which had not been broken in by any grave robber, since a powerful magical ward protected the walls. Once Paschal and Sitar had assessed the signature, it took them little effort to open the gate and enter the old necropolis.

A surprise awaited them: the necropolis was as dry as a bone lost in the desert; not a drop of water had leaked into it, and the sarcophagi were perfectly intact, with steles naming each occupant and describing its status in life written in Atlantean. Meanwhile, Harp and Thorsten found the throne room, whose throne, a huge basaltic rock cut in the shape of a seat, was still present. Harp and Thorsten slowly cleansed the mud and other garbage that marred its surface. This revealed finely chiselled figures, reproducing, on the back seat, the Atlantean flag, and, on the seat itself, Harold's Seal of Companionship. On the left armrest was a miniature of Thor's shield, and on the right armrest was a replica of his hammer. The left side of the headrest had the outlines of a wolf's head and the right side that of a horse's head. At the foot of the throne, portrayed in a glossy, if dirty mosaic, was a dance, showing Dragons, Elves, Dwarves, Unicorns, Pegasuses, Fairies, Humans, Wolves and Horses in their infinite variety of forms.

"I think that nails it. I suspect that, during the days following the move of the Atlanteans to this place, the area served as a temporary capital. Dad will like this."

"I agree. Should we go to the upper levels?"

"Let's finish the cleanup of the Throne Room. There might be more surprises."

A few surprises awaited Harp and Thorsten as they progressed during their cleanup. As they cleansed the mosaic, they discovered what looked like footprints, fit for each variety of life form represented in the mosaic. Along the front, on each side of the throne, were other sets of footprints.

"This is odd. We need to get everyone here, for a reason I cannot fathom. I made a quick count, and that includes every one of the royals, including Silver Moon, princess Iridia, and Timor. It matches our numbers exactly."

"Indeed, Thorsten, this is odd. We'll tell dad tonight, and collect everyone."

The cleanup also revealed a fine set of engravings in the walls of the Throne Room, which seemed to tell the story of the city and its origins. Behind the throne, Harp felt some magic and, pushing his own into a brick that seemed to stand oddly out of place, triggered a mechanism that unveiled a hallway.

"Eww, Harp, this smells like it's been the holding cell to the anteroom of Hell!"

"Yes, I guess that water did seep into it and stagnated. Just look at the deposit of calcium carbonate on the walls and floors! We have our work tailored for us."

Harp and Thorsten quickly began removing the deposits, until they reached the construction material underneath. A long, spiralling, and very slippery staircase brought them to another even wetter hallway, where they met a dead end.

"That doesn't make sense. I think Paschal had planned something, here. It looks much like what we found in Thebes. Let me check. Lux Maximus!"

Bata's tip brightened to the brilliance of the sun at sext, bringing into contrast the smallest irregularity.

"Harp, look up there, out of our reach, there is a hole or something!"

Harp rose slowly and looked in the cavity.

"You are right, Thorsten. There is a hole; it must have held a wooden lever to activate something, the wood has rotten away."

"Use Bata, if it fits?"

"Good idea. Let's see. Yes! And it's just the perfect circumference and length. Let me see how this works No, not back and forth maybe it's left to right? No "

"Push down?"

"Ok. Hey, it works! Oh shit, Bata is stuck!"

"Don't worry, love. The moment you pushed down, that big block stuck out. Come back down and let's see what's behind the segment of the wall I heard moving!"

"We won't have any light!"

"Who says? I have been carrying these light stones ever since we evacuated our mines. Now is the time to use them!" replied, smugly, Thorsten, as he took out two pieces of rock of differing composition, crushed them to a fine powder in separate mortars, before mixing the dust in a third container. The moment the powders entered in contact, they began emitting a soft greenish glow.

"That's nice! How long before we run out of light?"

"Six hours per mix. I have enough of these rocks to last us several days."

"Ok, let's not lose time, Thorsten."

The two quickly moved to the now slightly gaping wall, and pushed it open to look beyond.

"Well, if I had expected this! Here is the sixth room we were looking for in Thebes. Look at the alveoli, the tubing sockets and the rest. Everything is ready to receive the components we removed from under the Sphinx. And look at that huge nesting place for the sixth Crystal. It must be huge!"

Thorsten looked around, wide-eyed.

"That means this moves to Thebes, right?"

"Yes, the entire Atlantean city is part of the puzzle we are assembling."

"I wonder what the others will have found. I hope the city is not too damaged."

Meanwhile, Enron had gone back out to survey the lake and its retreating water. As he looked around he saw, emerging from the water, a strange, perfectly symmetric, object. As he checked the recessing water reveal greater parts of the object, he became ever more convinced this was very important. He immediately began digging the mud and cleaning up the object, which seemed to be huge. The mud arch he created as he cleansed up around his object of interest was impressive.

Paschal and Sitar made the next significant discovery. Just at the end, or was it the beginning, of the necropolis, was a miniature reproduction of the Cave found under Kantar. It was much like the architects had drawn to scale the entire décor, before putting it at full scale in Kantar.

"Well, it's getting late, Sitar. Let's go back up and report to the others. I wonder what they have discovered."

***

As the royals were eating their evening meal, each reported their discoveries. First, Thorsten and Harp started, describing the royal throne room and the basaltic throne itself and their discovery of the last Crystal room, which was met with an explosion of enthusiasm and much backslapping. Then Paschal and Sitar described the state of the necropolis and the miniature reproduction of the Kantar caves. Enron took the centre stage next and described his discovery of what seemed to be the pyramidion of a huge pyramid buried below the lake's bed. The others reported on their progress at cleaning up the fortifications and the streets of what everyone now thought was the second capital of Atlantis.

"How much cleanup is there left to do?"

"I think another two weeks dad. Do you think we need to repair any roof or whatever?"

"Actually, no. The buildings are intact, even the roofs, which is rather surprising. Harp, have you done a magical survey?"

"Not yet, dad. I will wait until we are finished cleaning up the city."

"I wonder why the pyramid is below the lake's bottom?"

"I suspect to protect it from the elements and intruders, Harp."

"We'll figure it out before we move the city," decided Paschal, as he yawned to the point a doctor would have seen his stomachal contents. "I'm tired. Let's retire."

"Agreed, son, we have been working our asses off. As for the footprints in the Throne Room, we will get everyone here as soon as the cleanup is complete."