by Kate O'Hearn
‘Lorin, what have you told them?’ Emily mused aloud as she watched more military vehicles pouring into the area. Exhausted, feeling sick and like her head was about to explode, her hands shook as she touched the side of the volcano. ‘Pele, please hear me!’ she called to the darkness. ‘Soldiers have shot Paelen. They’ve locked the Olympians in the zoo and your sister has taken Joel. You put them under your protection. You must honour your word. Please save them!’
Emily raised her voice. ‘Please, Pele, hear me! They are hurting them! Baird won’t tell me what they’ve done to Pegasus, but it’s bad. I don’t have the power to save them but you do!’
She stopped and waited for a response. But there was nothing – only the gentle, salty breeze coming off the ocean.
Emily sat down at the base of the volcano feeling frightened and alone. With her powers exhausted, there was nothing more to do but wait. The helplessness she felt was absolute. She knew Fawn would have received the message from Chiron, which meant Olympus had too. She just hoped that Jupiter and his brothers would arrive soon or everything they’d fought for would be lost.
33
Lorin was wonderstruck as David Walker drove them to the Honolulu Zoo. He had tried to get her to sit in the back of the truck, but she insisted on staying up front with him. She did not want to miss a single thing.
‘Here we are,’ Sergeant Walker said as he pulled into the driveway of one of the delivery gates at the zoo. A gathering of soldiers was already there waiting for them. As the truck came to a stop, they formed a large circle around it.
‘Are they looking for more trespassers?’ Lorin asked, eyeing the armed soldiers moving around the truck.
‘No, they are here to protect you.’
‘From what?’
Sergeant Walker shrugged. ‘I don’t know. But they are not going to hurt you, so don’t be frightened.’ He helped her out of the truck and approached the gate.
Lorin followed him through the entrance and looked around. There was a single-storey building to her left with the lights on. Up ahead was another set of gates and beyond that, she saw her first animal pen. ‘Pegasus is here?’
‘That’s what I’ve been told.’
‘Will you take me to him?’
‘Sure, but first we have to check in. There are some people very anxious to meet you.’
Lorin hesitated. ‘If they are like those other men, I do not want to meet them. I want to see Pegasus and then find Emily.’ She veered away from the building and walked towards the second gate.
‘Lorin, wait!’ the sergeant called, running after her.
‘I have been waiting since I woke up in my prison cell. I want to see Pegasus, and I want to see him now!’ Lorin waved her hand in the air and, with no one guarding the gates, they swung open and she breezed through.
The group of soldiers raised their weapons and were about to charge forward, but Sergeant Walker warned them off. ‘It’s all right, I’ll stay with her. Tell the colonel we’re here and are going to find the stallion.’
While half of the men ran into the building, the other half trailed behind them. ‘Tell them to go,’ Lorin said.
‘I can’t,’ Sergeant Walker said. ‘They are here to protect you.’
‘I can protect myself! I do not like them or their weapons. Make them go away, or I will!’
Fear rose from the sergeant. He turned and called to the men. ‘Stand down, we’re fine. Return to your duties.’
The men paused and then drifted away.
‘They remind me of the warriors on Tartarus. All they want to do is fight, kill and destroy.’
As they moved deeper into the zoo, Lorin saw another group of soldiers leading two people down a trail. One had cuts on his face and his right eye was swollen shut. The other was in heavy chains with his head down and was being dragged by the men. There was something familiar about him.
As they came closer, Lorin inhaled. ‘Paelen, it is you!’
Paelen lifted his head slowly at the sound of his name. He frowned and asked weakly, ‘Do I know you?’
Lorin ran at him and threw her arms around him. His back felt very wet. When she released him, she saw fresh blood on her hands.
‘You are bleeding!’ she cried. ‘What have they done to you?’
‘They shot me,’ Paelen responded.
Lorin turned on the sergeant. ‘Is this how you protect? Will you shoot me now?’
‘No of course not,’ the sergeant said. ‘I am sure there is a reason for this.’ He looked at the men. ‘Report.’
‘This one here is Baird Fleming, the zoo’s assistant director. He’s supposed to be looking after the animals, but we caught him passing on secret messages to the Centaur. He won’t tell us what he told him and tried to fight back.’
‘And the other one?’ Sergeant Walker demanded.
‘He’s an Olympian. He was with Emily when they attacked us. He put several of my men in the hospital. It took all of us to finally get him down. He’s incredibly strong. The girl got away, but my men are searching for her. We’ll have her shortly.’
‘You hurt him!’ Lorin cried as she stroked Paelen’s cut cheek. At her touch, his cuts began to close and fade and he was able to stand up straight as his strength returned. She inhaled in surprise. ‘Am I doing that?’
Paelen’s eyes went wide. ‘You really are a Flame!’
Lorin blushed and nodded shyly.
‘Just like Emily, you have the power to heal as well as harm.’
‘I will never harm you,’ Lorin promised. She looked down at the chains on Paelen’s hands and used her powers to free him.
‘Thank you, Lorin.’
His voice was sweeter than she had imagined. She smiled at how he said her name. ‘I have been waiting to meet you. Have you seen Pegasus?’
Paelen shook his head. ‘I wanted to but these men stopped me.’
‘That’s enough, miss,’ one of the soldiers said, shoving Lorin back. ‘We’re taking them to the colonel.’
‘No,’ Lorin said. ‘Paelen is with me, you cannot have him. He and I are going to see Pegasus.’
‘Lorin, please . . .’ Sergeant Walker said. ‘Let them do their job, we’ll find Pegasus on our own.’
Baird frowned and turned his bruised face to her. ‘Wait – you’re the girl Emily was talking about. You’re from Tartar . . . Teetar . . . ?’
‘Tartarus,’ Lorin finished. ‘Yes I am. What did Emily say about me?’
‘She said you came here to kill her.’
‘I am not going to kill her!’ Lorin cried. ‘She stole Riza from me and I want her back, but I will not kill Emily to get her. It is she who wants to kill me.’
Paelen shook his head. ‘Emily did not take Riza from you. She was born with Riza in her. You both have the power of the Flame. It comes from the Xan. She does not want to fight, but she does need to speak with you.’
‘No,’ Lorin said. ‘She wants to hurt me and to keep you and Pegasus away from me. But I will not let her.’ She looked down at the bindings on Baird’s wrists. They clicked and sprang free. ‘Now you can take us to Pegasus.’
The soldiers escorting Baird came forward. ‘Back away, miss,’ they ordered.
‘Stop,’ Sergeant Walker warned. ‘She’s dangerous—’
Before he finished speaking, Lorin acted. She used her powers to rip the weapons from the soldiers’ hands and fired two quick Flame blasts at the ground at their feet. ‘Leave us alone! Just leave us alone!’
She caught Paelen by the hand and faced Baird. ‘Now you will take us to Pegasus.’
Lorin walked through the zoo, holding tightly to Paelen. Occasionally she would stop to stare at an animal and Baird would explain what it was. While she would allow Sergeant Walker to walk with them, if any other
soldier tried to confront them, she would send a blast of Flame in their direction.
‘If you continue to fire at them, they will get angry and hurt you,’ Paelen warned. ‘Trust me. We have fought their kind before.’
Lorin smiled sweetly at him. ‘Do not fear, Paelen. I will protect you.’
‘I do not fear for myself,’ Paelen said. ‘I do not want to see you hurt.’
Sergeant Walker was at her side. ‘Lorin, please, listen to him. You must calm down. If you keep this up, they will attack. I don’t want to see you hurt either.’
Lorin stopped and faced the sergeant. ‘You told those men I was dangerous and you were right. Everyone keeps trying to control me. You, them, Saturn – but I will not be controlled. I will serve only myself, no others.’
She turned to Baird. ‘Which way now?’
‘This way,’ he said. ‘Just over there in that building with the lights on. But you are not going to like what you see. I need you to understand this was not what I intended. It was the only way to keep him from injuring himself.’
Lorin frowned. ‘I do not understand.’
‘What have you done to him?’ Paelen demanded. ‘I warn you, if you have hurt him, you will have more than Lorin to answer to. Pegasus is my friend. I will not see him harmed.’
‘We’re just restraining him,’ Baird said quickly as they neared the building. ‘He’s in an elephant squeeze. We use it when we have to do any kind of surgery or procedures on elephants. It’s a special holding device so we can work on them without them moving. It simply immobilizes the patient so we don’t have to use sedatives, which can be dangerous for larger animals.’
There was something about the way he was speaking that caused alarm in Lorin. She looked at Paelen, and then back to the vet. ‘What have you done to him?’
‘Nothing,’ Baird insisted. ‘I told you, we’re using this medical device to hold him. It’s not torture.’
They rounded the corner. Up ahead was an extra-large metal gate leading into the area with the elephant squeeze. Lorin had her first glimpse of Pegasus and gasped.
The white, winged stallion was trapped inside the squeeze. Two large pieces of metal formed a huge vice-like clamp that squeezed tightly on either side of him. The contraption was lifted off the ground and tilted so that Pegasus was suspended on his side with his hooves dangling out of the base. His wings were forced open and being held above his head. No matter how he struggled, he could not break free.
‘Pegasus!’ Paelen pulled away from Lorin and ran to the stallion. Pegasus whinnied at his approach.
‘She is safe,’ Paelen explained. ‘But we have a problem . . . This is Lorin of Tartarus.’
Pegasus screamed and struggled in his restraints.
‘Get back,’ Baird cried. ‘His kicks can kill!’
Lorin ignored the warning and approached the stallion’s head. She gently brushed his mane from his eyes. ‘Do not be frightened, Pegasus. I want us to be friends.’
Pegasus thrashed harder in the machine as he struggled to free himself. The metal groaned under his immense strength.
Lorin caught Paelen’s hand and stepped back. ‘Release him!’ she said to Baird.
‘No!’ called a man dressed in black. He looked as old as Saturn, but had an angrier face. ‘Step away from the stallion.’
‘Who are you?’ Lorin demanded. She noticed that both Sergeant Walker and Baird were frightened of him.
Paelen didn’t need to be told, he already knew. ‘He is with the CRU.’
‘Very good, Paelen,’ the agent said. ‘If you know who I am, you know what I can do. Now, I want both of you to step away from the stallion and tell me where Emily is.’
‘But you are hurting him,’ Lorin said.
‘The animal is fine. Don’t make me tell you again. Step away from the stallion!’
Lorin didn’t like this man one bit. She especially didn’t like the way he frightened Paelen. He tried not to show it, but his hand was quivering in hers. ‘No he is not fine and you are not going to tell me what to do!’
Agent R raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A large number of soldiers poured in from every direction and encircled them with their weapons raised. Among the soldiers were CRU agents dressed in black suits. ‘You make one move, and I’ll have my people open fire.’
‘Stop!’ Paelen cried. ‘Agent R, if you know what Emily can do, I warn you, Lorin can do the same, perhaps even more. But she does not have Emily’s restraint. You must stay back and let me speak with her before something terrible happens.’
Lorin’s heart fluttered with excitement. Paelen was defending her and wanted to speak with her!
‘Yes,’ she warned the agent. ‘Stay back. I want to speak with Paelen. Then we are going to free Pegasus, find Emily and take the shard.’
‘That shard is not yours!’
A woman’s voice rose loud and clear. Everyone turned and there stood an old woman with so many wrinkles her eyes could not be seen. Her long hair was white and she was hunched over, walking slowly with the aid of a large staff. Her red floral dress hung from her wizened frame several sizes too large. Standing directly behind her was a tall Centaur carrying a night dweller on his back. Beside them was a winged creature Lorin had never seen before.
The soldiers turned and aimed their weapons at the Olympians.
‘Stand still!’ Agent R ordered as he drew his weapon.
‘Robert, put that silly thing down before you hurt yourself,’ the old woman commanded as she walked closer.
Agent R was taken aback. ‘Who are you? How do you know my name? How did you free those prisoners?’
‘These prisoners, as you call them, are under my protection. I am not pleased by their treatment!’
‘Pele, is that you?’ Paelen called in surprise.
There was a sharp intake of breath from the Hawaiian soldiers around them as they recognized the name. They bowed their heads and knelt to the ground.
‘Who is Pele?’ Lorin asked Paelen.
‘These are her Islands,’ Paelen said. ‘You would do well to show her some respect.’
Agent R stormed forward to the face his men. ‘Stand up and hold your positions!’ he ordered.
The Hawaiian soldiers refused to move.
‘Robert, don’t be an idiot,’ Pele said. ‘I have watched you brutalizing my Islands long enough. You and your CRU people are no longer welcome here. You will leave immediately!’
The sound of her walking stick clicked on the ground as Pele breezed through the men with no fear. She approached Baird and with a wizened hand, stroked his bruised cheek.
‘Baird, my handsome young man. It was brave of you to take them on but very foolish. You could have been seriously hurt.’
Baird stood wide-eyed in awe. ‘I – I had to try to help them.’
Pele smiled warmly. ‘I know you did, my sweet boy, and that is why I admire you so much and the work you do with the endangered animals of this world. But I can’t let you endanger yourself.’ She pulled a red floral lei from her neck and reached up to place it over his head. She kissed his cheek. ‘You are now under my protection.’
Pele looked at the Hawaiian soldiers. ‘Those who know me will understand what that means. No one here will harm him. In fact, I command you to protect him!’
‘Look, lady, I don’t know who you are . . .’ Agent R said.
‘Yes you do, Robert,’ Pele said casually. ‘You and your men have been hunting me for years. But I am too clever for you. You will never take me from my Islands.’
Realization dawned on his face. ‘You’re the Hawaiian Fire Goddess! What are you doing here? This matter has nothing to do with you.’
‘It has everything to do with me,’ Pele said. ‘I gave these Olympians my protection. I don’t appreciat
e what you have done here. Now, you will set Pegasus free and give him to me.’
‘No.’ Lorin released Paelen and stepped up to the old woman. ‘I came here for Pegasus. He is mine.’
Pegasus struggled and whinnied in the elephant squeeze.
Lorin looked back at him and waved her hand. The machine groaned in response as the two metal plates shifted and Pegasus was placed back on his feet. Then the sound of tearing started as the vice-like clamp was forced open. Pegasus sprang free and moved towards Paelen. He flexed his wings and flapped them several times. Shaking his head, he nickered.
‘See, he belongs to me!’ Lorin cried.
Pele shook her head. ‘You are wrong, child. He belongs to no one. Pegasus is free to make his own choice and he has chosen Emily.’
‘No!’ Lorin cried. ‘Pegasus, you are mine and when I find Emily, I will tell her so! I will take back what she has stolen from me and get the shard. Then I will finally be complete!’
‘Lorin, stop!’ Paelen cried. He ran up to her and took her hand gently. His voice softened. ‘You do not need Pegasus when you have me. Just let him go – let them all go. We can leave here and be free. Just the two of us. We can go anywhere you want.’
Lorin’s heart fluttered. ‘Do you mean that?’
Paelen nodded. ‘We can leave right now. Forget the others – it is just us.’
Lorin looked at everyone around her and hesitated. Her eyes settled on Pegasus. ‘But I want him too . . .’
‘Lorin.’ Chiron carefully approached. ‘We mean you no harm. But you cannot claim someone who is free. I beg you to leave us to do what we must. Emily needs that shard to survive. Without it, she will cease to exist. Riza, the last Xan, will be lost to all of us forever. Please, you cannot want that. Emily is just like you, you share the same powers. She is like a sister to you.’
Lorin shook her head. Why couldn’t they understand? Without that shard and the power within Emily, she would never be whole. ‘Emily is not my sister! She is my enemy! I will have her power and I will have Paelen and Pegasus.’
She lifted her hands and fired Flames at Chiron. Pele raised her staff and blocked the attack. The Flames were deflected into a tree that exploded with the impact.