The Crystal Gauntlet

“And for the final competitor… Avaloria Urcell.” High Priestess Sarina’s voice echoed out across the pantheon as the last name appeared in the rock face.

Avaloria froze in place, staring blankly at the name projected across the screen.

Oh, no, no, no. They must mean someone else. There’s another Avaloria Urcell that lives here. They can’t possibly mean me.

The High Priestess turned her owl-like eyes to her and the attention was suddenly all on her. The screen lit up with her name and a picture of her face that she recognized from a few days ago outside her shop.

Countless other hands grabbed at her clothes, forcing her to stand up. They shoved her roughly and she barely caught herself.

“That’s you, Avaloria. You’ve been chosen.” The old woman who worked at the bakery put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be afraid. You have a gift from the gods.”

As if in a fugue state, Avaloria stumbled down the steps towards the pedestal, coming to stand in front of the High Priestess.

It hadn’t hit her yet, but this may be the last time she sees that old woman. Her strange words went over her head at the time, as she focused on keeping one foot in front of the other.

“You have been chosen to compete in this year’s Crystal Gauntlet. The winner will receive 8 million sand dollars and the title of Champion of Atlantis. Do you accept this challenge?”

The crowd roared in the Atlantis Coliseum and Avaloria trembled with anxiety.

What the hell am I doing here?

The High Priestess held out her hand to Avaloria, beckoning her forward with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She was no one’s fool. Avaloria had little to no chance of winning this and both of them knew it.

Just her luck that the first time she ever came was the one time she’d be selected.

Looking around at the other competitors with their lithe bodies and high energy, Ava knew she was out of place.

Out of thousands of people, she was one of the ones chosen.

This must be some sort of sick cosmic joke.

They asked the question for the sake of propriety. Everyone knew that you weren’t allowed to say no to the Gauntlet, even if you wanted to. The last time someone had, they’d been a social pariah for the rest of their life.

Social standing would be one thing, but the one who found the activation crystal would never have to worry about money again. And now she was old enough to actually take part.

The Crystal Gauntlet was an ancient tradition here in Atlantis. Every ten years, twelve competitors raced to the finish, looking for the Activation Sphere that would protect Atlantis from the raging waters outside their borders for the next decade.

Unbeknownst to them all, Avaloria had an ace up her sleeve. But would it be enough to save Atlantis for a little while longer?

Far above them, on Mt. Olympus, the gods watched with barely veiled interest as the little human girl nervously stood upon the pedestal.

The battle for Atlantis had raged for years, unknown to the humans that lived there, each god playing a game to become the patron god or goddess that held control of the most important civilizations that existed on the planet.

Normally, she would be of next to no interest to them. She was no demigod. She wasn’t particularly strong or wise, nor was she very charismatic.

There was very little to show of herself, but despite all that, she held The Book of the Gods on her person. The little black notebook carried secrets of the universe that no one else had seen for years.

It wasn’t certain which one of the gods had given her the book but now that she had it, there was no way to stop today’s events from occurring. Atlantis was going to change today, for better or worse.

The twelve stood at the base of the cliffside, Avaloria herself doubting with every second that she stared up at it that she’d even survive the day. The others were strong, there was no mistaking that.

Looking down at herself, she knew what they must be thinking. Who could possibly see this girl becoming a champion? Who believed that she would ever win? She knew that there was nothing special about her, that there was no chance of her winning, but she had to complete the challenge. This was her only chance to prove herself and to bring her family’s name back to honor.

She’d found the book in her mother’s old belongings. None of it had made sense. The writing was barely legible and consisted of a great many symbols she couldn’t decipher. Despite that, she kept it with her. It was one of the only things she had left of her mother’s.

The weight pressed into the pocket of the uniform they’d given her and she gently touched it as they geared up to announce the start.

The Conch shell boomed out over the valley and the other warriors scattered towards the caves underneath the city where the last activation sphere had been found ten years ago. Somewhere hidden within a labyrinth of sinkholes, creatures, and tunnels laid the key to saving Atlantis for another decade.

Avaloria quickly took last place, feeling overwhelmed by the task in front of her.

Gaping holes dotted the landscape, some of them leading to the caves, others to dark waters that were home to massive monsters. There was no certain way forward. Whichever path was chosen had a potential to lead to death for each and every warrior. They’d been armed with a weapon of their choosing and left to find their own way to the crystal.

Avaloria had chosen a net and a spear, as if she were going to the shore to hunt for fish with the others. It was the only weapon she knew well and she had a feeling that the net could come in handy.

Heading into the first hole she came across, she steeled her resolve and plunged herself into the dark, thinking of her family and saying a quick prayer to her patron god, Hades.

The shock of icy waters submerged her senses, overwhelming her even more. Her prayer had barely been spoken and she was already in the thick of it.

She sucked in a mouthful of salty water and tried desperately to get back to the surface, quickly realizing that this pit was deep. She somehow maneuvered her way to the surface, poking her head back up for air and hoped her notebook wasn’t ruined.

Quickly fishing it out of her pocket, she opened it to the first page and noticed an eye peering back at her and a transcription in Ancient Atlantean. This was the first time she could actually read what it said and so she sounded it out, speaking clearly out into the void.

Within a few heartbeats, she felt a nudge on the bottom of her foot and looked down as her eyes began to adjust to the gloom. There she looked into the magnificent eyes of an ancient whale.

Avaloria felt a rush of emotion come over her, as if the animal was beckoning her to follow it.

She cast her net out over its dorsal fin and held on as it turned and pulled her through the icy waters across the boundless chasm of water.

She hadn’t seen another soul since they first started and she had no idea where she was. All she could do was hold her breath and brace herself as the whale dove down into the depths. She heard its call in the deep and held on for dear life, hoping that it wasn’t leading her to a premature death.

Just when her breath had almost run out, the whale shook its tail and the net fell off just as they came to the surface of a sprawling cavern.

She waved goodbye to the whale as she rushed out of the cold water, shivering in the dimly lit cavern. She couldn’t tell where the light came from, but it illuminated a small alcove across the room and she started towards it, making sure that she had everything she needed, including her now soaked net and her weapon.

Carved into the rock faces, she saw the symbols she recognized from her notebook and when she opened it, she found that another clue had revealed itself in the white pages.

Ahead of her, she saw three doors inscribed with different insignia. One of a raven, the second of a trident, and the third with the serpent of Hades. She spoke a prayer to him and took a deep breath, opening the door to find a giant chimera on the other side, letting out a roar of surprise as it saw her coming through.

Avaloria took out her spear and hefted it towards the mighty beast. Unlike with a fish, this wasn’t going to be a quick fight and she knew she wasn’t prepared.

She saw her opening as it came rushing towards her and winced as its massive paws caught her cheek. Blood rushed out of the wound, but she held her resolve as she took up her spear and pushed it upwards towards the creature, hoping only to scare it off.

The spear plunged into the soft underbelly of the beast and it screamed a nearly human scream. She didn’t waste any time as she launched herself through the door and slammed it shut behind her.

Crystals of every color protruded from every inch of this room, some small and some the size of her entire house. She knew that this was the place to find the crystal that she needed, but now that she was here, she had no idea which to choose.

Open the book. Set the activation crystals free, Avaloria. It is your turn now.

A soft yet powerful voice whispered from beside her ear and though she saw no one, she knew a strong spirit inhabited this room. Where she should have felt anxiety, she instead felt a great and overwhelming urge to do as it commanded.

The spirit enveloped her as the book fluttered open to a random page and as if it possessed her, she spoke the words into the crystalline studded void.

A great roar echoed out as the white noise pulsed from each crystals, coming to a cacophonous pitch that nearly deafened her.

Water welled throughout the caverns and as it rose above her head, it paused as if sentient, watching her for a moment as she stared up in fright.

Frozen in place, the wave paused as if sentient before pummeling her into the cave wall, her final gift from the gods. She only had time for one last breath before she was swallowed whole by the ocean.

Poseidon’s waves overtook Atlantis, swallowing it in one mighty gulp and welcoming an entire civilization of people to their new home below the sea where they would exist forever.

High above, the gods roared in outrage as Atlantis became the domain of Poseidon forever, all knowledge of its people lost to the ages and the actions of one human girl and a little black notebook.