Back to Atlantis by Bar Sagi (best book reader txt) 📗

On her way to the kitchen for breakfast, Yasmin bumped into Violet, who was humming merrily.

Her pink hair was up in a bun, and her carefree gaze was accompanied by her sharp eyes.

“Yasmin!” Violet said, excited for some reason. “Have you heard?”

“About the treaty? Yeah, I have.” Yasmin still felt a bit awkward talking so friendly with Violet, who was David’s fiancée. But she was also a nice person. And she had never truly been mean to Yasmin. She was one of the only people who had understood her decision to quit magic. But then again, Violet had been with her in the gardens, so maybe it wasn’t saying much.

“Not about the treaty! About what Amanda told me this morning?” Violet’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Um, no.”

“Well, I can’t tell you here. There’s a chance someone might overhear. Anyway, I have to go. Gotta get packed!” Violet waved goodbye and took off, walking very quickly.

In her excitement, Violet had forgotten to act like a lady.

Yasmin frowned as she wondered what Violet could be talking about. And what was she panicking for? A romantic vacation with David? Feeling slightly ashamed from thinking badly of Violet, after all, David was the one she was mad at, Yasmin kept walking to the kitchen. Her stomach was rumbling quite loudly. Yasmin was afraid everyone in the hallway could hear her.

Blushing a deep shade of red, Yasmin quickened her pace and nearly bumped into someone.

“Amanda!” she said, surprised, as she stumbled back a bit from the princess. “Hi!”

Amanda looked up from the notes she had been reading in her hand and smiled, distracted. “Rumor is they were last seen here, but twenty miles west a bit…” She trailed off, realizing Yasmin was looking incredibly awkward. “Sorry, Yasmin! I’ve just been trying to find the rebels again, nothing certain, you know, but still…” She sighed, then shook her head again. “Why aren’t you packing?”

Yasmin tilted her head, confused. “Packing? I wasn’t aware that a rebel attack had occurred. Besides, I’m useless now. That’s why nobody asked me for help on the last rebel attack.” She remembered that heartbreaking day very well, it had been the last time anyone had tried to make her use magic.

Gloriana had burst into her room while Yasmin was doing her homework, her hair halfway in a bun.

Yasmin had looked up, startled, while Gloriana had burst into an explanation of where the rebels were attacking, and why they needed to get there now!

The queen had a portal held open, and she was sending solders through, but they wouldn’t be able to help. Not against spellcasters.

Yasmin had clenched her fist hard and tried to resist temptation. “I can’t go,” she said, feeling a tear slide down her cheek. “I won’t be of any use without my magic.”

Gloriana stared at her as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “The main reason you go to all these places is to give some hope to all these people. They need to see you doing magic, doing your best. Not what you are now, a coward, hiding behind books.”

With that she had left, and refused to talk to Yasmin for a week. After that, Gloriana returned, somewhat grudgingly, to teaching Yasmin, but instead of teaching her magic, she taught her from books.

“Yasmin?” Amanda waved a hand in front of her face. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for a while now. Are you all right? You zoned out?”

“Umm,” Yasmin said, trying to get out of the memory. “Yeah. What were you saying again?” She felt like her head was full of fog.

“You need to pack for tomorrow morning,” Amanda repeated patiently. “We think the rebels are going to attack a town in the south of Atlantis, called Meldon. I know you don’t do magic anymore, but will you go?”

Yasmin couldn’t understand why anyone would want her near something like that. “But how would I help?”

“A source of mine tells me that the rebels are planning to start a fire. If so, Gloriana can borrow your power and another person’s to open a portal and immediately bring the spellcasters from the Carling school of magic to put out the fire. Jon told me you can lend magic. Will you please help?” Amanda’s brown eyes were pleading.

“But if you need magic power so bad, why don’t you send a lot of spellcasters over right away?” Yasmin wanted it know.

“We are sending a few through a portal a few hours before the attack is scheduled to happen, to evacuate as many people as possible. But we don’t want the rebels knowing that anyone is leaving, so that they stop their plan of attack. You see, we need to know where their leader is. And we can’t find them anywhere!” Amanda looked outraged. “I’ve searched everywhere, but nothing!”

“How is that possible?” Yasmin inquired. “Can’t you find them if they are on Atlantis?”

“Not necessarily,” Amanda explained. “You see, a powerful and complex spell on a piece of land can make it untraceable. You can’t put it on a map, or search for it with magic, so we would have to search by human eye. And with Atlantis being as large as India, it would take a while.”

Yasmin whistled. “As large as India? Wow.” She considered for a moment, but she really did want to help. “And as for your question, I would love to come along and be a power battery for Gloriana. By the way, who else is a power battery?” Perhaps a spellcaster student?

“You’ll see.” Amanda smiled to herself, as if it was a private joke. “But you’re going with Gloriana to this town under the alibi that you’re going to a party with your boyfriend. So bring someone along and pretend they are your boyfriend, or something. We can’t let other people know.”

“Um okay.” Yasmin glanced around at the bustling hallway. “Uh, can’t someone overhear us now?”

“No.” Amanda spoke confidently. She tapped her ruby earrings, which were in the shape of a dragon.