Reversal of Fortune [malexmale]

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

"Well, aside from the whole universe could be ending thing, how are you enjoying Atlantis?"

I liked Akin. There was something positively magnetic about him. He was authoritative, but kind and gentle, sweet and understanding. He always seemed to have a smile on his face, and his fashion sense was always on top. He definitely looked the part of a king, or as many media outlets enjoyed calling him, the queen of Atlantis.

Tall, slender, lean muscles, eyes the color of sapphires, natural platinum blonde hair that fell to his waist in perfectly straight locks, eyes outlined in brown eyeliner with a smokey blue/brown scheme of eyeshadow with pink tinted lip balm. A pair of black ankle boot heels added a couple inches to his height, so he was now actually the same height as his husband, who stood at his side, looking the exact opposite.

Where Akin was soft and sweet, Hannibal was a warrior and a king. He bulged with raw muscular power, and every inch of him was covered in scars, though most seemed more faded now, including the one that cut through his left eye and forked at the corner of his lips that seemed to naturally pout somehow. His long thick black hair had been trimmed and now settled on his shoulders neatly, looking well-brushed and pampered like the rest of him. His sense of fashion was dictated by Akin, who was not only his queen, his best friend, and his lover, but his master. Hence, the black diamond studded collar around his throat.

"It's been lovely," Yiuwa said with a warm smile, "It is truly a land of exotic beauties. It is my hope to come visit again more for leisure time." Akin beamed at that.

"Well, thank you! We glad you love it. It'd be wonderful to have you back," he said, then put his hands together, "Alright, let's go see what Zetnos has on the tablet you came to look at." He and Hannibal led the way through the main hall and into a back area that was less lighted and a bit more traditional in style. It started out as an open corridor that was basically just a bridge between the main hall and the mountain next door. The roar of the waterfall was crystal clear, the sight of it breathtaking as it spilled down the side of the mountain and into the basin below. More waterfalls seemed to stream out of the mountain alongside it or even just below it. Birds of all kinds chirped and sang as they flew by or into the rafters of the corridor, peering down at us with twitching heads.

The door at the end of the corridor was massive with thick detailed carvings of dragons and phoenixes twirling together in some kind of dance. Hannibal put his hand on the door and there was a soft bell ringing before the doors opened inward to reveal a chamber inside made entirely of sleek marbled stone. On the other side was a large wooden door with iron wrought caging down in front of it. On either side of the door were some sort of gargoyles, massive with huge wings and lizard-like tails. They were a combination of horrifying and beautiful.

"Kilius, Resivus," Hannibal said to the gargoyles, "We require entry to Xandria. Open the gates." The gargoyles seemed to growl without moving and a second later, the gate in front of the door shuttered and creaked as it rose up into the ceiling. The wooden door groaned before it parted and revealed a large spiral staircase.

Hannibal inclined his head to the gargoyles before we went down the stairs. Despite the stairwell being open and comfortable, something about it began to feel suffocating the further we went down. My vision tilted as I looked down the stairs and the steps that seemed to just keep coming. Worst part was knowing there wasn't a railing to grab onto, so I forced one foot in front of the other, until my vision tilted abruptly to the left and I reached out to catch myself, only to remember the lack of railing.

In a split second, Yiuwa was there to grab my arm to steady me, his expression one of abrupt concern.

"Rowan, are you alright?" He asked, pausing to hold onto me. Akin and Hannibal stopped to look back up at us.