Atlantis

As they entered the main street, Jake tried to equate what he was seeing with anything he had ever seen on Earth in the third decade of the twenty-first century…

‘A cross between an upgraded Abu Dhabi and a far more sophisticated Cairo maybe?’ he mused, but then shook his head dismissively at this grossly inadequate comparison: Amenti had the tall, mirrored skyscrapers of the Emirate capital, but the architecture of their edifices defied any human comprehension… They twisted, stretched, and arched in perfect symmetrical patterns. The sum total of which, was the epitome of precision and order. Unlike in Egypt, whose ancient megaliths, although magnificent still, were finally reduced after many millennia to crumbling ruins, these majestic Amenti pyramids and ziggurats were complete with white marble casings, and shining silver and gold capstones.

 All the towering structures were neatly fringed and interspersed with gardens, water-features, neat, cobbled avenues, and many rows of pillars and arches, displaying intricate, ornate entablatures and friezes. Carvings and decorations of gods, archons, demigods, monsters, heroes; as well as depictions of mighty battles, cataclysmic upheavals, and cosmic events; were displayed everywhere they looked.

 They stood out in stark relief and were outlined by many coloured crystals and gems. Jake longed for the opportunity to study this pictural history, but there was something holding him back, as if the sum of the whole resembled a massive circuit board, rather than a spectacle of Atlantean art, architecture and engineering… Except that is, for one thing…

“Michanius.” He had to whisper hurriedly now, as they were nearing a large, circular courtyard which had begun filling with some of the Atlantean populace in obvious anticipation of their imminent arrival. “Is that some kind of pillar or ‘gate’ in the middle of the city?” he had to force himself not to point, as he was meant to be acting the role of a submissive slave.

“Yes Jake,” Michanius nodded, “It is the Mage Hall of Amenti and the portal into your world ­– as well as others,” he murmured under his breath, “Now please keep your questions to yourself – until later… Hopefully.”