Dennis Wheatley - They Found Atlantis

At last it was over. Menes made a sign and the Atlanteans suddenly changed their tone, bursting into a paean of praise and glory as though the very gates of heaven were opening before their eyes.

Nahou, Quet, Peramon, and Karnoum lifted the four corners of the bier and followed Menes through a door at the back of the temple. Semiramis led the women after them, Tzarinska, Laotzii, Rahossis, and Lulluma, each carrying one of the four canopic jars. The others came in a little bunch behind.

They all descended a broad flight of stairs to the crypt, a great apartment, far exceeding the temple above in size. In height it was at least twenty feet and in breadth fifty. Its ends could not be seen, but were hidden in a sepulchral gloom as they ran towards the extremities of the island underground. Along the walls were ranged tier upon tier of great gilded sarcophagi, containing the mummies of all the generations of Atlantis which had survived the Flood.

Sally made a rough calculation—if a child had been born every twelve years there must be over nine hundred of them buried there—then, for the first time, she saw the Doctor's face.

His head had been shaven and the injury to his temple repaired so skilfully that under a gloss of wax it no longer showed. His features held a tranquillity and dignity which they had never displayed in life. Axel knew that every scrap of brain and mucus had been removed from the dead man's skull down the nostrils with delicate hooked implements, yet no trace remained to suggest that this skilful operation had been performed.

The bier was set down in the centre of the deep crypt below the altar, then they silently filed up the stairs. One by one the Atlanteans took their places on the twelve thrones which lined the choir until only Nahou was left standing. He made a gesture towards the temple door and said: 'The service is over and we are about to take Council with the Gods.'

The five friends passed out into the Atlantean night and Nahou closed the golden door with a clang behind them.

'Phew!' exclaimed the McKay. 'Thank the Lord that's over—1 thought it would never end.'

Must on three hours,' said Axel as he walked down the temple steps beside him. 'Anyhow they seem more normal now and much more cheerful.'

Sally nodded. 'I can't think they'll do anything really serious to Nicky, and the awful thing he's done will be a most terrible lesson to him. He will probably become a model of all the virtues in consequence, then after a time things will settle down again.'

'Oh, I do hope so.' Camilla squeezed her arm. 'We've all been so wonderfully happy here.'

'We'll be happy again, m'dear, once this tragedy's blown over. It's part of God's goodness that we're so made as to forget such things in time.' The McKay spoke with a new confidence and they all felt a little cheered.

The Council of the Gods did not last long. In less than a quarter of an hour the temple doors opened again and the Atlanteans came out upon its steps.

There was a stirring in the shadows by the pool and Nicky roused at last as though he had received a summons. He saw his friends walking in a little group towards the temple and came up silently, unnoticed by them, in their rear.

Menes stood before the temple surrounded by his family. The McKay and the. others halted at the bottom of the steps facing him and waited with strained expectancy for the pronouncement which he appeared ready to make.

After a moment he spoke. 'On your arrival here from the upper world I was gravely troubled, yet I made no mention of my fears, for to cast shadows is to invite black thoughts which often breed evil actions. We accepted your coming only because in humanity we could not thrust you forth into the darkness again without a trial.

'Blood has now been spilled in anger by one of you, but he is only the instrument symbolising the impurities which have not yet been eradicated from the natures of you all. Had he not struck this blow, sooner or later another of you would have committed a lesser or greater evil; for at our first Council, although we were allowed to accept you, the auguries showed me no state of permanence in your relation with my people.

'This is the judgment of the Council of the Gods, and from it there is no appeal. You have brought lust, and anger, and death, into the Garden, so you must go hence— even as you came—before the morning light appears.'

Out of Paradise

The McKay woke in pitch black darkness. He blinked to assure himself that he really was awake and then memory flooded back to him.

He heard again Menes' terrible pronouncement: 'You have brought lust and anger and death into the Garden, so you must go hence—even as you came—before the morning light appears.'

He saw his friends distraught and pleading—the Atlantean women covering their faces in pity for them—the men firm and unbending, now that the awful judgment of the Gods had been given for the preservation of their own race from evil.

He recalled every detail of the scene when he had stilled the clamour by yelling for silence. The way he had reasoned and argued with Menes, insisting that he simply could not send them all out to die of starvation or be murdered by the fish eaters and finally—since the old man proved immovable—his ultimatum, that if one hand was laid upon himself or his friends to compel their departure he would blow the Atlantean temple down with dynamite.

After that something queer had happened. The McKay did not quite clearly remember what. Menes' eyes had seemed to grow very large and bright then his own knees had given way under him—the rest was blotted out.

He thought of Sally. A numb ache seemed to grip him in the stomach. Where was she? What in God's name had become of her? He rolled over and sat up.

'Darling!' came a swift whisper in the darkness. 'Darling —Oh, thank goodness you've come round—are you all right?'

The numb ache faded. With unutterable relief he stretched out a hand and found Sally crouching there beside him.

'I'm all right, dearest,' he muttered. 'But what happened to me?'

Axel's voice came from a few feet away. 'Menes hypnotised you and sent you to sleep. He did the same with Vladimir when he tried to fight. The rest of us went quietly because it seemed more sensible to remain conscious so that we could collect food and things, before we left, than to be carried out. We're all here together.'

'Where's here?' demanded the McKay.

'About two miles from the island. The Atlanteans escorted us this far and helped us in carting you along.'

'Two miles eh. We'll go back then and force an entry with the two bombs I've got left. Thank God I can feel them still in the pockets of my coat. I suppose some of you dressed me.' The McKay struggled to his feet. 'Come on— which way is it. To attack and take the place is our only chance of life.'

'It's no good,' muttered Nicky. 'I got the wind up after they left us here and tried to beat it back to the island. I could see the light in the entrance of this tunnel all right but I couldn't reach it. My head became swimmy and my legs gave way. Those devils are sitting there and they've put up some sort of thought-force barrier like the old man told us his people did ages ago to keep out the fish eaters.'

'They are not devils and they have every right to protect themselves from swine like you,' said Axel with unusual fierceness. If you do not speak of Lulluma's people with respect I will choke you.'

'And I with my so great hands will hold him for you, Count,' added Vladimir. 'The cad pig who runs to make comebacks while our Captain and myself are unable to make defences for our ladies, because we are sleeping as though drug drunk.'

'I didn't mean to—I was frightened,' whimpered Nicky. 'I don't want to die here in the dark—I don't want to die.'