Moontide
Part I, Pearl of the Moon - The very beginning. Join me in our readers' lair to embark on another reading journey as we start a read-along of my first mythology romance, Moontide.
Copyright © 2018 Amanda V. Shane
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, redistributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, print, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Author except in brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is coincidental.
Editing by WV Edits
Cover Design by Ravenborn
Dedicated to Winona and Wendy. Thank you so much for all of your love and support. I could never have finished this book without your encouragement and the tireless reading and rereading of my efforts, and not to mention your listening ears for all of my ramblings.
Part I
Atlantis 10,500 b.c.
Out of time. He was out of time. The summons had been put off as long as it could. Gadeiros walked with measured strides to the temple of Poseidon. The structure stood proud and majestic at the center of five rows of stone rings. It mimicked the sacred temple that had been erected on his brother Atlas’ land. Older than he was by minutes, Atlas was responsible for all of Atlantea, but Gadeiros didn’t envy his twin the governance of their nation. Gods knew he had enough to worry about in his own region, and he’d rather leave matters of state to his advisors anyway, so that he was free to run his military campaigns.
What more could the sea god want? Gadeiros was responsible for gaining over half the territories that Atlantis ruled. He never lost a battle. If only his state’s coffers reflected his victories.
He knew that was what this meeting was about. Poseidon had probably gotten wind of his financial troubles. He couldn’t go to his brothers anymore for monies, so he’d decided to make alliances with the Greeks and the Egyptians—something that the sea god would likely not be pleased with.
He ascended the stone steps, sending his attendants away at the top. The temple guards shifted, moving their spears to open the doors for their king. He walked through, neglecting to don the blue ceremonial robe that one of the temple priests held out to him. Appearing before the dais bare chested and undecorated save his crown, a jewel at his throat and a shendyt, Gadeiros stopped in the middle of the temple.
“My son,” Poseidon’s voice reverberated off the stone columns and rang through the very fiber of Gadeiros’ body. The gods spoke in millions of different tones at once. It could cause the human skull to burst if not tempered. Even a demigod such as he was affected thus.
When the sea god spoke again, it was in a single human tone, but still his voice shook the place.
“Axo,” Gadeiros responded with the Atlantean term for lord, and bowed his head.
“I have not visited your region for a long while, but I hear all things,” Poseidon said.
Gadeiros waited.
“Your lands are troubled, my son,” the god went on, “and yet you ignore the needs of your people.”
“I have gained many territories. Gades is revered and feared throughout the known world because of my success.”
“You have warred, yes,” Poseidon acknowledged, “but your investments lack good judgment and your coffers are perpetually bare.”
Gadeiros shifted. It was true.
“I am currently in negotiations. I have allies that are willing to invest in my pursuits.”
Poseidon’s eyes widened at this news. Gadeiros straightened. He couldn’t help being pleased to have surprised the god. Then Poseidon’s demeanor turned dark.
“Greece and the Egyptians do not have Atlantis’ best interest at heart. I forbid an alliance with them. Those nation’s rulers have long envied Atlantis and are seeking to dominate the world. If you give them the Fire Stone they will use it against you.”
“There is no chance of anyone besting my army,” Gadeiros scoffed. “I am undefeated. And why shouldn’t we barter with our neighbors? Enlightening them out of their primitive ways would make things easier for all of us. Besides, they lack knowledge of the Fire Stone’s uses.”
Poseidon sighed.
“Arrogance will be all that is needed to best my sons. Do you think that you are the only ones with interactions outside of the earth realm? Those other nations have ties to the underworld. If they learn how to make a weapon of the Fire Stone it could be the end of Atlantis.”
Gadeiros almost chuckled at the absurdity.
“Atlantis cannot be vanquished, Axo. It is not possible. The only ones that have knowledge of our crystals are Atlantean or have Atlantean interests.”
Poseidon just shook his head. A look of sadness came over his divine features. Finally, he took the discussion in a different direction.
“You have been on the march for too long my son. You risk becoming a battle hardened veteran with no knowledge of domestic pursuits. It will be your undoing.”
Gadeiros said nothing.
“I would see you settled. Since you have shown yourself to be inept at making alliances outside of your war efforts, I have taken the liberty of procuring one for you.”
Gadeiros suppressed the groan he felt building in his chest. How many times had his father god suggested he marry?
“This alliance will serve not only you my son, but all of Atlantea and the sea realm as well.”
And there it was, Gadeiros thought. Poseidon thought to lecture him about thinking of the people when he sought power for himself.
Poseidon’s eyes narrowed, he let the silence hang for a moment as he dissected the atmosphere in the manner of the gods. It was said that, as each new generation of kings was born to Atlantis, their energy structures compounded on that of their forefathers and tied them more closely to the God of All Seas. The ten kings were descendants of the original five sets of twins birthed by their human mother, Kleito, to Poseidon. They always retained the name of their forebear though. Poseidon was most likely tapping into Gadeiros’ history of energies right now.
Finally, the god lifted his gaze to the back of the temple and extended his hand.
“As I said, my son, I would see you and the Tides settled. To that end, I have made a pact with the gods of Emanis to ensure a strong dominion over the waters. To seal the agreement between our realms, the Emanians have made an offering from among the moon land’s treasures. In good faith, I have given them mine from Atlantis.”
Movement from behind Poseidon caught Gadeiros’ attention. Then there entered a shining entourage of fair haired gods and goddesses from the back of the temple. At the head of the procession were three leading figures: a tall male and female, both flaxen haired and of regal bearing. The third figure was smaller and stood betwixt the two.
It was this young maiden that Gadeiros’ eyes settled on. Her hair was more golden than that of her escorts, reflecting the light that streamed in from the temple’s ceiling above. Her skin was paler than his own. It seemed to drink in the sun and radiate it outward, instantly brightening the whole of the temple dais. Gadeiros was mesmerized by it. The girl’s eyes were two clear gray-blue pools. They lacked the heavy kohl lining that the Atlantean and Egyptian women wore, and he found the absence of artifice refreshing.
“My son, King Gadeiros of Gades,” Poseidon’s voice rose to fill the temple though he still spoke in a mono-tone, “I present to you King Borean and Queen Llysswen of the Moon Realm and their daughter, the princess Aureliaura, grand-daughter of Arianrhod.”
Gadeiros sliced his gaze to the girl again, looking for any signs of malice or greed. He found nothing of the sort. She was all openness; taking everything in and sending it back out. Nothing to fight against there, he decided.
“I welcome you all to Atlantis,” he said, because it was expected of him, “I hope that you will find Gades most hospitable for however long you wish to stay.”
The moon king nodded.
“We thank you, Anax Gadeiros. With appreciation, the people of Emania present you with our offering of good faith as well.”
Here the man stepped forward with the girl. They walked to the edge of the dais. There he stopped and released his daughter, sending her down the steps. She halted in front of Gadeiros and dipped her chin, closing her eyes in the barest flutter of deference. Gadeiros wanted to reach for her but stilled the impulse. She was the moon people’s princess, here by Poseidon’s invitation so he had no doubt as to the Emanian king’s meaning. He was caught in a trap with no way out.
Poseidon smiled down at him, arms crossed, his trident clenched in his fist. He lifted his brow in challenge. Gadieros’ jaw tightened but he didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, he focused on the princess.
“Welcome, ankassa,” he said, using the Atlantean word for princess but said no more before Poseidon started speaking.
“Six moons from this day we’ll see the realms of Emanis and Atlantea joined. The treasures of each land will be bound to each other and will strengthen one another. To the goddess Arianrhod, Gades gives the power of the Fire Stone crystal as is apportioned to that region.”
Gadeiros jerked at that, his hand making a fist at his side. The sea god had just given away his bargaining power with the alliance.
“Five suns from this day,” the moon king, Borean, pronounced and Gadeiros could feel the walls of the temple reverberate from his voice, “our goddess will bless the ritual of binding over both our worlds with the Pearl of the Moon. Two souls will be given one to the other and two powers to govern the moon and tides.”
At that, the crowd inside the temple erupted into cheers from the Emanians. Gadeiros wondered that there were no representatives of Atlantis other than himself and Poseidon, but felt sure that that was his father god’s intent. He looked at the inside of the temple, at all the shining faces staring at him, waiting for what he would do next. His eyes flashed up at the trio of greater gods then settled on Poseidon.
The sea god’s voice came into his head so that the others could not hear.
“Do not defy me in this my son. It will do you no good, the matter is settled. You will take the princess as your queen.”
Gadeiros glared at him. His mind swirled with rage trying to find a way out of this situation, but the sea god’s eyes were unyielding.
It was obvious he had no more patience. But Gadeiros felt the same and wasn’t he king of his own land? Shouldn’t he decide who he allied with? These Emanians didn’t seem like they would be useful in battle. He looked at the blonde haired girl before him with disdain even though she’d done nothing to earn it. He wasn’t able to think rationally at that point.
He reached out, grabbing the princess’s hand and dragged her to him roughly as he fingered the crystal ankh at his neck. She gasped, but the sound was swallowed up as they both disappeared from the temple into thin air.
*Author’s Note: This excerpt most likely looks very familiar to you, if you’ve downloaded and read my free ebook that comes with free subscriptions to my newsletter, Monsters & Mystics. To create that ebook, I took all the ancient Atlantis scenes from Moontide and added chapters to them to put together a cohesive story, in the form of a standalone novelette. We’ll come across these scenes throughout this read-along, but to experience the whole telling of Gadeiros and Aureliaura’s early days, with the additional chapters, you must read Pearl of the Moon. That ebook can be found in the welcome email of my free subscription. (If you stumbled into the lair by accident or found me while on a casual Substack scroll… join us! There’s no better place to read, get book news, and chat about fantasy / paranormal romance things than our humble book monster hideout. ;))
**Second thought: I did a lot of research on the story of the lost continent of Atlantis to write Moontide, reading Plato’s Timaeus, scouring Greek myth, learning about Solon’s telling of the country after visiting Egypt, and so much more. When I envisioned the ancient Atlantis scenes that pop up throughout the Tides series, I pictured a very lush and elegant world. A world chosen by a god, and one that grew so powerful and rich that it challenged a heavenly pantheon. Its wealth and control of the ancient world, gave way to ultimate vice and corruption, which, if we take Plato’s word for it, was its final undoing.
What about you, what do you think an ancient Atlantis would have looked like? Are you familiar with the Timaeus or the account of Solon?