by Kate O'Hearn
On the ground beneath them, people and creatures waved greetings to the Flame. In the sky around them, other winged citizens flew in formation beside them.
After some distance, their escorts drifted away and Emily and Pegasus were flying alone. In no time her troubles were put aside and she savoured the freedom she always felt when riding the magnificent winged stallion. As they gently glided in the thermal winds over the mountain range in Olympus, Emily could feel Pegasus’s wings beating confidently.
Soon Pegasus started to descend down the side of the mountain. Emily recognized the place they had gone on the very first day after she emerged from the Temple. It was a private, secluded beach with shimmering silver sands beside a beautiful sparkling lake.
After he touched down, Pegasus moved smoothly along the diamond-dust shore, his hooves splashing lightly in the water. Birds sang in the trees just back from the beach and the air was rich with the smell of the lush green forest. Spending time with the stallion always made her feel better and cleared the cobwebs from her troubled mind.
Emily wasn’t sure how long they’d been there when the peaceful tranquility was shattered by loud urgent shouts from Paelen and Joel. She looked up in the sky and saw Joel clinging to Paelen’s back as Mercury’s winged sandals struggled to carry their combined weight.
‘Emily, are you all right?’ Joel said as he climbed off Paelen’s back. ‘Diana wouldn’t let us see you. She said you needed to rest after you went nuclear and blew up the theatre.’
‘I’m much better,’ Emily answered, grateful to see her friends. She reached forward and patted Pegasus’s neck. ‘We both are.’
‘Good,’ Paelen said, ‘because we have a big problem. Nirads are back in Olympus.’
‘What? ’ Her feelings of peace ended with one word. Nirads. The four-armed savage fighters who’d nearly killed her and Pegasus in New York and who had damaged her left leg.
‘Where are they?’ she demanded. ‘Is this another invasion?’
‘I don’t think so,’ Joel said. ‘We’ve heard there aren’t that many.’
‘One Nirad is too many,’ Paelen added.
Emily looked at Pegasus and then her two friends. They had all thought the war with the Nirads was over. After the Flame was relit and the Olympians’ powers restored, the huge warrior race had fled Olympus. No one imagined they would return. ‘So, what do we do? Get ready to fight?’
Paelen shook his head. ‘No. Jupiter is raising the army again. He, Neptune and Hercules have gone out to where they were spotted to find out how many there are and how they are getting here. While they are gone, Mars and Vulcan are arming everyone with the same gold as your brace and Pegasus’s bridle.’ Paelen held up a golden dagger and pointed to the one on Joel’s belt. ‘Apollo and Diana are organizing the remaining fighters. They’ve ordered us to find you and bring you back to the palace. They don’t want us to fight. We are to remain there with you until this is over.’
Emily felt fear constricting her throat. The Nirads were back. She knew this time that she, as the living Flame of Olympus, was their target. If she were to somehow be killed or even severely wounded, the Flame at the Temple could be extinguished and then there would be no hope for anyone’s survival. She couldn’t let that happen.
‘We’re not going back to the palace,’ she said, deciding. ‘It’s too dangerous and the Nirads are too big and strong. We’d be sitting ducks! I think we should go to New York. We were planning to anyway. When we get my dad free, I’m sure he could help.’ Emily looked at the stallion. ‘Pegs, what do you think we should do?’
Pegasus pawed the sand and whinnied loudly and nodded his head.
Emily patted the stallion’s neck. ‘It’s settled then, we go back to New York right now.’
3
As they prepared to leave, Emily’s fears and doubts rose. She didn’t want to stay at the palace and await the Nirads. But deep down she felt like she was abandoning the Olympians in their moment of need.
Joel settled on Pegasus’s back behind her. Emily looked over to Paelen. ‘You ready?’
Paelen nodded. ‘Let us go.’
Pegasus started to trot along the silver sands, moved straight into a gallop and leaped into the air. Both Emily and Joel felt the thick strong muscles in his shoulders and back flex as the stallion flapped his huge wings. As they climbed higher in the sky, Joel’s arms wrapped tighter around Emily’s waist as she wove her fingers through the stallion’s thick mane for a stronger grip.
‘We’re ready, Pegs!’ Emily called.
The last time they had flown like this, they were fleeing the Nirads at Governors Island. This time they were fleeing Olympus for the same reason.
Pegasus flew faster and faster as they climbed higher in the sky. Emily looked back and saw Paelen flying confidently behind them using Mercury’s sandals. Moments before they entered a thick white cloud, she thought she caught sight of something else following them at a distance. But before she had the chance to tell Joel, Pegasus prepared to enter the Solar Stream – the portal that Olympians used to travel from world to world. Pegasus moved impossibly fast to reach the speed that would open the door to the Solar Stream. Suddenly the stars around them turned into a brilliant blur and they were gone.
Emily was certain she’d seen . . . something. She kept looking back, but within the powerful Solar Stream, with its blinding white light and near deafening whooshing sound of crackling energy, the most she could see was Paelen flying directly behind the stallion’s tail.
‘What is it?’ Joel called.
Emily concentrated on him and had to shout to be heard over the tremendous power of the Solar Stream. ‘I thought I saw something following us.’
Joel quickly turned back. ‘I don’t see anything,’ he shouted.
‘It’s probably nothing!’
The journey through the Solar Stream seemed much longer than the last time. But then again, last time she had been travelling to her death. Eventually they burst out of the noisy brightness. The stars around them seemed to slow down to a stop and they emerged into a brilliant, clear night sky. Emily sucked in her breath as her heart thrilled at the lights of New York City rising straight ahead.
The sense of joy and relief was a surprise to her. Emily realized just how much she missed her old home and was grateful to be back.
‘I never thought I’d see the city again,’ Joel said, as awestruck as she was.
‘Joel, look,’ Emily called excitedly. She pointed to a tower rising majestically in the sky. ‘They’ve fixed the Empire after Jupiter’s lightning bolt blew the top off!’
‘And it’s got its Halloween colours on,’ Joel added as they both looked at the orange lights shining brightly at the top. The Empire State Building was unique. It always changed the colours at its top to reflect the season or special events. ‘It was May when we left. Now it’s October. We’ve been gone almost six months.’
Joel’s comment filled Emily with dread. It felt like they’d only been in Olympus for a short time. But the Empire’s Halloween colours and cold temperature of the air around them proved it true. In the past six months, what had the CRU done to her father?
Before long, they were approaching Governors Island. Emily looked down and felt sick as she remembered what had happened there. Joel’s arms squeezed her tighter and she knew he felt the same.
Pegasus began to descend and Emily’s fears increased. ‘No Pegs, not here. We can’t go back to Governors, the CRU are here!’
But her pleas were ignored. Pegasus was going to land at the far end of Governors Island, a side of the small island Emily hadn’t seen before. The Central Research Unit had their facility under the beautiful homes on the part of the island closest to Manhattan. There was no mistaking the military look to this area with its several tall barracks, presumably where the soldiers stationed here lived.
They touched down in an open space between two barracks. The cold autumn wind was blowing off the water and caused Emily to shi
ver uncontrollably in her light Olympian dress. But apart from that, Governors Island was eerily quiet.
‘Pegasus wants you to stay on his back,’ Paelen whispered, holding up his hand. ‘He has brought us back here to see if any Nirad warriors remain.’
‘How will we know?’ Joel asked in alarm. ‘Stay here and wait for them or the CRU to come after us?’ Joel leaned past Emily to speak to the stallion directly. ‘Pegasus, please, this is their base. We shouldn’t be here. We’ve got to go.’
‘Joel, calm yourself,’ Paelen said, ‘I have an idea. These sandals always know where to find things I ask them for, let me try now.’ He looked down at his winged sandals. ‘Search the island for Nirads, are there any more here?’
Emily and Joel watched in the moonlight as the sandals obeyed Paelen’s command and their tiny wings started to flutter. They lifted Paelen in the air, stopping when he was almost three metres high. They turned once and then came back down to the ground.
‘The sandals have never failed me before,’ Paelen explained. ‘I do not believe they have done so now. There are no Nirads here.’
‘Then what happened to them?’ Emily asked. ‘There were lots here right before we left. Bullets couldn’t stop them, so what did?’
Pegasus started to neigh.
‘I do not know,’ Paelen said. ‘Neither does Pegasus. He cannot smell any soldiers on this island. He believes it has been abandoned.’
‘This was a huge facility. Why would they do that?’ Joel asked.
Emily shrugged. ‘Maybe it was too difficult to explain the Nirads’ presence in New York? When our picture was in the newspaper they said we were a hoax. But maybe enough people saw Nirads and the damage they did and started to ask a lot of questions. So the CRU had to move.’
‘Could be,’ Joel agreed. ‘But where did they move to?’
‘Perhaps to where they are holding Emily’s father,’ Paelen suggested. ‘The sandals were taking me there before. I am certain they will do so again.’
‘Then let’s go,’ Emily said as another shiver coursed down her spine. ‘There is nothing here but bad memories for all of us.’
Once again, Emily couldn’t shake the strong feeling that they were being watched. She searched the darkened area but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. She leaned forward and whispered in Pegasus’s ear, ‘Pegs, I have a strange feeling. Is there someone else here?’
Pegasus lifted his head and started to sniff the air.
‘What is it?’ Joel softly asked.
‘We are not alone,’ Paelen whispered as he too started to look around.
Pegasus pounded the ground angrily and snorted. Without warning, he bolted forward. He galloped across the open area towards one of the dark barracks. Shrieking in fury, the stallion rounded the building and charged a figure lurking in the shadows.
Emily and Joel were nearly thrown off his back as Pegasus reared and kicked out at the mysterious figure.
‘Pegasus no!’ a frightened voice cried. ‘Please, it is I, Cupid. Please stop!’
‘Cupid!’ Emily gasped.
Pegasus went back down to all-fours and snorted furiously. He shoved Cupid brutally in the back of his folded wings to drive him out of the shadows.
‘What are you doing here?’ Joel demanded as he slid off Pegasus and charged forward.
Paelen poked an accusing finger at Cupid. ‘You have been following us! Why?’
Cupid stood before the group. ‘The Nirads are in Olympus.’
‘So you decided to follow us?’ Joel challenged.
‘Emily is the Flame, perhaps the most powerful of all Olympians. I thought the Nirads might come after her. So I came to help protect her.’
‘Liar!’ Paelen accused as he shoved Cupid. ‘You are a coward. You came because you thought Emily would use her powers to protect you from the Nirads. But you were wrong. Go back to Olympus, Cupid. We do not want you here.’
‘I will not go!’ Cupid shouted back. ‘And you can not force me, thief!’
‘Just watch me!’ Paelen cried as he lunged at Cupid.
Soon the two Olympians were rolling around on the ground and throwing powerful punches at each other.
‘Stop it!’ Emily shouted. ‘We don’t have time for this!’
Joel moved to break up the fight, but Pegasus stepped forward and blocked him.
‘No Joel, don’t,’ Emily warned. ‘They’re much stronger than you. You’ll get hurt. Pegs, do something. Please, stop them!’
Pegasus lunged forward and caught Cupid’s wing in his sharp teeth. The Olympian howled in pain as Pegasus dragged him away. Joel caught Paelen, holding him back.
‘Ouch! Let go,’ Cupid cried. ‘Pegasus, let me go!’
‘Stop it, both of you!’ Emily ordered as she slid off the stallion’s back. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself to keep warm. She stepped between the two fighters. ‘Just stop it.’
Paelen tried to push past Joel to challenge Cupid again. ‘Go back to Olympus!’
‘No!’ Cupid shouted. ‘I will not!’
Joel caught hold of Paelen’s shoulders and blocked his view of Cupid. ‘Calm down, Paelen,’ he said as his own teeth started to chatter. ‘This isn’t getting us anywhere. We’re wasting precious time.’
‘But he should not be here,’ Paelen cried. ‘He will get us all killed.’
‘I will not,’ Cupid said. ‘I can help.’ He turned to Pegasus. ‘I want to help the Flame.’
Emily split her attention between Paelen and Cupid. The last thing she needed was another Olympian here to worry about – especially another one with wings.
‘Cupid, please,’ she finally said through chattering teeth, ‘go back to Olympus. We’re only going to be here for a short time, then we’re coming right back.’
Cupid turned his full attention on Emily. ‘You are here to free your father. I want to help.’
Emily shook her head. ‘It’s too dangerous. Hiding Pegasus’s wings and keeping him from being seen is going to be tough enough. I can’t see how we’ll manage with you as well.’
‘I have done it before, I can do it again,’ Cupid challenged defiantly. ‘I used to come to this world regularly before Jupiter put a stop to all visits. I will not leave you here, Flame. If you refuse to allow me to travel with you, I will follow you anyway. You have many powers, but you do not have the power to send me home.’
‘Maybe she can not,’ Paelen agreed. ‘But she can burn you to a cinder. That will stop you from following us.’
‘Paelen, enough,’ Emily warned. ‘I told you, I’m not using my powers again. They’re too dangerous.’
Pegasus started to whinny. Whatever the stallion was saying, Emily could see it was putting fear in both Paelen and Cupid’s eyes.
Paelen lowered his head guiltily. ‘I am sorry, Emily,’ he said softly as he hoisted her up on to the stallion’s back. ‘I have been a fool. I should have seen that you and Joel are shivering and in need of protection from this cold night air. Perhaps we should go into one of the abandoned homes and take shelter there for the night.’
‘No way!’ both Emily and Joel said in unison.
‘I don’t care how cold I am,’ Emily continued. ‘I won’t stay here. Maybe we can get closer to where they are holding my dad and find somewhere there.’
Joel nodded quickly in agreement. ‘If it’s not too far, let’s do it.’
4
Back in the sky, Emily was numb from the cold. She could feel Joel shivering behind her. Paelen’s sandals led the group north over the Manhattan skyline. Emily looked to her left and saw Cupid flying closely beside them. His wings were smaller than Pegasus’s, but not by much. She shook her head in frustration. How were they supposed to keep those wings hidden?
As it was, she feared they weren’t flying high enough. What if someone saw them? Would they call the CRU? Would the hunt start all over again? Her simple plan of rescuing her father was suddenly becoming very complicated. She realized she hadn’
t considered how she was actually going to free her father once they discovered where he was being held. That had been a mistake.
It wasn’t long before they were moving away from the bright lights of the city. The sandals kept them in a steady northern direction. Emily looked down and recognized they were passing over Yonkers and finally into the less populated route on the way up to the Catskill Mountains.
‘I know this area,’ Joel said from behind her. ‘My parents used to take me and my brother here when we were kids.’
‘Really? Me too!’ Emily looked back at him in surprise. ‘There was a great rest stop we always went to—’
‘The Red Apple?’ Joel asked.
‘Yes!’ Emily said excitedly. ‘It’s where my mom and dad met.’
‘We always went there too,’ Joel said. ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if we’d been there at the same time?’
‘It sure would,’ Emily agreed through chattering teeth. The only part of her that wasn’t freezing was her back, because Joel was pressed up against it. But the rest of her was chilled to the bone. If they didn’t get out of the night air soon, she was certain she and Joel would catch pneumonia. Paelen, Cupid and Pegasus didn’t seem to notice the cold at all.
‘There it is!’ cried Joel pointed down to his right. ‘Look, it’s the Red Apple.’
Emily leaned over and saw that the restaurant where her parents had met was boarded up and abandoned. ‘It’s closed,’ she said sadly. ‘I wonder what happened.’
Both Emily and Joel were too absorbed by the closed restaurant to notice that Paelen’s sandals were directing them downwards. But when Pegasus started to neigh, they looked forward.
‘We are going down,’ Paelen called.
‘We must be near your father!’ Joel suggested.
‘Here?’ Emily said. ‘But there’s nothing around here but mountains, forest and the Red Apple?’
‘And a great place to hide the CRU,’ Joel said.