by Kate O'Hearn
Agent T disabled the tracker device in the ambulance, ensuring that they wouldn’t be followed and drove the ambulance up into the mountains. Just as Earl had promised, they found the small hunting cabin nestled deep in the trees. It was covered in undisturbed snow and offered them seclusion and protection from the CRU down in Tuxedo.
Once they transferred Steve and Earl into the safety of the cabin, Cupid and Paelen built a roaring fire to warm the place. Earl was still on the stretcher, moaning softly.
‘How is he?’ Cupid asked.
Agent T grinned up at him before saying, ‘Not good. He needs a doctor. So does Jacobs over there on the sofa. Though the bullet went right through him, I don’t know what damage it’s done. He may be bleeding internally.’
‘If he needs a doctor, he shall have it,’ Paelen said confidently. Then he frowned. ‘What is a doctor and where do we find one?’
Earl managed to tell them he knew of a doctor they could trust. He gave Agent T the telephone number before fading back into unconsciousness.
Paelen straightened and looked around the small cabin at the two wounded men. He’d never felt so helpless in all his life. He was in a strange, unfriendly world with no idea how anything worked. One of his best friends was dead, the other missing. There were CRU agents hunting them once again and everything was going wrong.
He looked at Cupid. The winged Olympian didn’t show any of the fear or insecurities he now felt. He was calm and in control as he took notes from Agent T on how to contact the doctor. Despite everything he’d ever felt towards Cupid, Paelen had a newfound respect for him.
‘So where do we find this thing called a telephone?’ Cupid asked.
The CRU agent shrugged apologetically. ‘There aren’t as many around as there used to be. Everyone has a cell phone these days. I’m so sorry, Cupid, but my phone was left at the Red Apple.’ The agent looked as though he was about to cry. Finally he said, ‘We might find one in town though. The trouble is, by now the other agents will be on the look out for me and the ambulance.’
Cupid nodded. ‘You will not be going back into town. I will.’
‘Not alone,’ Paelen said. He looked out of the cabin’s window. ‘It will be getting dark soon. If you can carry me, we can fly back together. My winged sandals were also left behind at the Red Apple. I would like to see if we can get them back if they have not been discovered yet. Then we could use the telephone to get the doctor.’
Cupid looked as though he was about to protest but then closed his mouth. ‘I will carry you,’ he said softly. ‘Once it is dark, we will leave.’
While they waited for the sun to set, Paelen investigated the small hunting cabin. In the kitchen Paelen found tinned and dry food, but there was very little sugar or other foods for the Olympians. Neither he nor Cupid had eaten since that morning and he was feeling his strength starting to ebb.
In the bedroom there was a small closet with winter clothing that could help them blend in with the locals. Paelen carried a selection back into the main area. He started to check through the pockets of the CRU agent’s suit he was wearing as well as the other clothing’s pockets. He didn’t find anything at all. He looked at Cupid and Agent T. ‘Do you have any money?’
Cupid found nothing. But Agent T was still wearing Joel’s clothing from earlier that day and discovered almost fifty dollars left from the costume competition’s winnings. He handed it eagerly to Cupid.
Paelen said, ‘I believe we should also buy some more food. There is plenty here for the humans to eat, but nothing for us. I do not know about you, but I am starving and getting weaker.’
Cupid nodded. ‘Me also.’ He stepped over to the window. ‘It is dark out. We should change our clothes and go.’
The snow had finally tapered off and the clouds cleared as a cold, crisp starry night arrived. When they tried to leave, they discovered that asking Agent T to stay behind proved more difficult than they expected. He followed them out into the snow and begged Cupid to take him with them. Tears welled up in the agent’s eyes when they refused.
Paelen felt his sympathy for Agent T rise. He was a wreck. Paelen now understood why Cupid had been so reluctant to use his powers on the men.
‘We will not be long, I promise,’ Paelen reassured him gently. ‘And I know for certain it would please Cupid greatly if you were to stay with Steve and Earl and do your best to help them.’ Paelen looked over to Cupid. ‘It would make you happy, would it not?’
Cupid sighed and dropped his head. ‘Yes, it would make me very happy if you would do that for me.’
That seemed to satisfy the teary agent. He sniffed and smiled sadly. ‘I will, just for you. You will be so proud of me. Just promise you’ll come back safe.’
‘We will,’ Paelen promised.
After the agent went back inside, Cupid shook his head. ‘I have destroyed him. It would have been kinder to torture the agents rather than use my powers. There is nothing left of him.
‘You did it for Emily,’ Paelen said. ‘She would not have allowed us to hurt the men. I am sure when this is over we will find a way to restore him.’
Cupid looked doubtful as he walked away from the cabin. The snow was knee-deep and heavy. They needed to find an area clear enough for Cupid to spread his wings and have a running start if he was to carry Paelen’s weight as well.
Not far from the cabin they finally found the perfect spot. Cupid lifted Paelen into his arms and launched into the chilled night sky.
16
Emily was held tight in the Nirad’s arms as they travelled through the Solar Stream. On the two other occasions when she had ventured through it, she had been riding Pegasus. Perhaps it was the steady movement of the stallion’s powerful wings, or just being with him that had distracted her. But this time, with no Pegasus to reassure her, the brilliant light surrounding her and the booming sounds assaulting her ears left Emily feeling sick and dizzy. She looked up into the Nirad’s face and could see that it was also not enjoying the experience. Its eyes were closed and its mouth was a tight thin line. If the noise of the Solar Stream hadn’t been so loud, she was certain she would have heard the creature whining.
They finally emerged in the back of another darkened cave. The Nirads filed out into the daylight, which was grey and miserable. As Emily recovered, she looked at the strange world around her and sucked in her breath. The sky was heavy with black storm clouds. Yet the air felt dry and arid. The ground beneath them was black and dusty, with every step causing a stir of dark grey dust clouds around their feet. There were no trees or any signs of plant life.
Not too far away she saw small animal-like creatures scurrying around on the dry ground. They were almost the size and shape of raccoons, but didn’t have fur. Instead they had dark grey and brown marbled skin. They showed no fear as the parade of huge Nirads, led by the angry boar, filed past them. In the sky above, large, leathery bat-like creatures circled in the dull sky. Their wingspan was almost as wide as Pegasus’s was. They were graceful and agile as their wings cut silently through the still air. Occasionally they made strange calling sounds that seemed to carry for miles.
As she looked around, Emily continued to see no plant life at all. There were no trees, no grass, no weeds and no flowers. Nothing appeared to grow in the black dusty soil. They soon approached an area with roughly built stone structures.
The primitive stone houses had four solid side walls and a single stone slab for a roof. She almost expected to see a caveman emerging. Instead Emily was stunned to see what she realized was a female Nirad. She exited the home with a child held in her arms.
The Nirad women were almost as big as the men, but with even longer claws and hair. They also had four, thick, powerful arms which they waved in the air in threat at the sight of Emily and Pegasus.
Everywhere she looked, Nirads stopped to stare at the line of escorts around her. Most growled and shook their fists angrily at her when the group walked past, but some seemed to drop their heads and look away in sadness.
‘So this is your world,’ she said to her Nirad in awe.
He looked down at her and nodded.
‘Do you have any children?’
The Nirad’s eyes seemed to mist. Emily was certain she saw heavy sadness there as once again he slowly nodded.
‘Are they in danger?’
He made several soft guttural sounds that Emily couldn’t understand. His expression was pain filled and earnest as he tried to explain.
‘I’m sorry, I can’t understand you,’ she said softly. ‘I wish I could speak your language. I don’t even know if you have names. Do you?’
Her Nirad nodded and opened his mouth. He made a deep sound which he slowly repeated several times.
‘Tange,’ Emily tried, hoping to get as close to the sound as possible. ‘Is your name Tange?’
The Nirad nodded.
Emily silently celebrated the breakthrough. She and the huge male Nirad called Tange were actually communicating!
‘Do you know why I am here?’ she asked.
Tange shook his head. But then he motioned forward.
Emily strained to see around the line of Nirads blocking her view. Tange lifted her higher and she saw their destination. It was a tall, white marble palace that looked completely out of place in the dark, mournful landscape. As she looked at the tall pillars and white marble steps leading up to the magnificent entrance, she instantly recognized the design. It looked like a replica of Jupiter’s palace, reproduced in the Nirad world. Along the road leading to the palace, stood a long line of statues which seemed to serve as an honour guard.
‘That palace is from Olympus!’ Emily breathed. ‘What’s it doing here?’ She looked back to Tange. ‘Is Jupiter here?’
Before Tange could answer, another large orange Nirad came up beside them and growled ferociously. His eyes settled on Emily and he shook his head and barked a single harsh word to her. The message was clear. Stop talking.
Emily saw pure murderous hatred blazing in the Nirad’s face. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill her if he got the chance. She curled closer into Tange, wondering what she and Pegasus had done to cause such rage among the Nirads.
All along the journey to the white palace Emily saw evidence of the Nirad hatred as crowds gathered to stare and growl at her. When some grey Nirads tried to approach, Tange and the orange Nirads drove them away with threatening growls and raised fists. The same happened when the crowds tried to throw stones and clubs at Pegasus. Only the orange Nirads prevented the stallion from being hit.
‘Why do you all hate us?’ Emily asked Tange softly.
Tange said nothing as he carried her steadily towards the palace. The closer they got, Emily saw more and more statues lining the route. Some were back from the road and a few had been knocked over and were lying in broken rubble. Scanning the area, she realized there had to be hundreds of these Nirad statues, if not thousands.
They all had one thing in common. Whoever had carved them had put an expression of terror and pain on all their faces. Not one was smiling or standing in a normal position. They all seemed to be frozen mid-action trying to move or run – and not one of them looked happy. They all had that same horrible, pain-filled expression. Finally she had to look away. The sight of those horrible faces was making the journey worse.
Eventually they arrived at the steps of the white palace. Emily watched the winged boar go up ahead of them. Two orange Nirads were standing guard beside the doors. At the boar’s approach, they hauled open the two heavy marble doors and the group started to file in.
When Tange carried Emily up the steps, she strained to peer behind her. ‘Please let me see,’ she asked.
Tange looked down on her, and then lifted her higher until she could see over his thick shoulder. The Nirad village sprawled out around the white palace. There were thousands of dark stone structures with even more statues in all directions. It was almost like a black-and-white film. There was no colour – just varying shades of grey, black and browns. The only brightness in the whole area came from the orange Nirads themselves. Even the strange bat-like things in the sky were grey and black. Emily watched them circling around the area and wondered if that was what pterodactyl dinosaurs must have looked like.
Once again Emily noticed a lack of any plant life. She wondered what the Nirads ate. She remembered Tange’s wide mouth and his sharp teeth and felt her first twinges of genuine terror. Were Nirads meat eaters? And if so, what or who was on their menu?
Before full panic set in, Emily was carried through the doors of the white palace. The entrance hall was huge. It was made of the same white marble as all the structures in Olympus. But unlike Jupiter’s palace, no art or beauty adorned the walls, just more horrific statues frozen in movement.
As they lumbered forward, Emily heard shrill screeching coming from one of the rooms off the entrance hall. The grating sound set her already strained nerves on edge. She didn’t want to know who or what was making that awful sound.
As she was being led towards it, Emily started to struggle in Tange’s arms. ‘No, please, Tange, no! I don’t want to go in there!’
Pegasus started to whinny and scream behind her. She could hear his hooves clopping on the smooth marble floors as he strained against the orange Nirads who were directing him forward.
‘Chrysaor, bring her in!’ demanded a high shrill voice. ‘We want to see the Flame of Olympus!’
Emily was carried forward. As Tange entered the large hall, the Nirads parted in front of them and moved to either side of the room, giving her a clear view of the winged boar stepping up to the owners of the shrill voices.
Emily started to scream.
17
It was a short flight from the cabin to the town. Street lights were on and the aroma of wood smoke from countless fireplaces filled the air. When they soared silently over the wreckage of the Red Apple, Paelen was distressed to see the entire area was covered in a large secure tent with several heavily armed soldiers patrolling around it. No light was showing through the tent, so at least there was no one inside.
Cupid glided closer and flew silently over the trees to the back of the wrecked rest stop. He found a clearing and lightly touched down. Paelen handed him his clothing and he started to dress.
‘I really hate this,’ Cupid complained as he pulled up his trousers after tucking his wings inside. He reached for the red plaid flannel shirt. ‘You have no idea just how uncomfortable this is.’
Paelen braced himself for another long series of complaints from the winged Olympian. ‘Well, it is better than letting them see you and raising the alarm. We must get in there without drawing their attention.’
‘I hardly believe whether they see my wings or not will make much difference. We are going to have to fight our way in regardless.’
‘You could always use—’
Cupid held up a warning finger. ‘Do not even suggest it. It is bad enough with Agent T. I will not use my powers on these men. It would be kinder if we simply killed them right now.’
‘We can not do that!’ Paelen said in hushed shock. ‘They have done nothing to us. We will do what we did at the carnival and knock them out. Emily would never forgive us if she knew we had killed innocent people.’
‘Who would tell her?’ Cupid asked.
‘I would.’
‘Then you are a fool,’ Cupid said. ‘For now, we will try it your way. But if they cause me any trouble, I will not hesitate to kill them.’
Paelen was shocked at Cupid’s ruthless streak. ‘I have an idea,’ he finally said. ‘I used to get into Jupiter’s palace undetected all the time. I am certain I can do this. Then once I am inside the tent, all I need to do is find the sandals.’
Cupid looked doubtful, but he seemed satisfied to be told to wait behind. ‘All right, I will give you a short time. But if there is trouble, I will fight.’
This was the best he could hope for from Cupid. Using all the stealth of his thief ’s experience, Paelen crossed t
hrough the parking area and crept past two patrolling guards without being seen. He could feel, more than see, that two other guards would soon be approaching from the other side as they constantly patrolled around the large enclosure.
After a short, silent sprint, Paelen reached the side of the tent. The main opening was around the other side. But that was unavailable to him as a guard’s station had been set up there with two large, burly soldiers sitting at a table. Their weapons were drawn and they looked ready for anything.
Paelen crouched down to the ground and tried to lift the edge of the tent. But he discovered it had been tacked down to the ground every few centimetres. Tearing it up would cause too much noise. He groaned inwardly, knowing what he had to do.
Checking to see the position of the patrolling soldiers, Paelen used his power to manipulate his body. With each crack and pop of his bones, he feared discovery. Soon he was too thin to fit in his clothing. With a bit more stretching, he turned into the snake-like body he used to get into tight areas.
Paelen lifted up the edge of the tent as far as it would go and slid easily inside. He returned to his normal body shape and stood amongst the debris that had once been the Red Apple.
Despite the complete lack of light, he was able to see clearly. He was in what had once been the kitchen area. He made his way back to where he, Joel and Cupid had changed their clothes in preparation for their assault on the CRU facility. Paelen forced himself not to dwell on the memories of that disastrous rescue. He was here for his sandals, nothing more.
The acrid smell of recently extinguished fire stung his nostrils as he quietly climbed over the charred debris. He cursed every time the destroyed timbers cracked under his weight, but was grateful to discover that the area where they changed looked undisturbed. It had yet to be searched.
‘Sandals, where are you?’ he muttered softly, looking around.
There was a slight stirring in the burned debris. Paelen’s sharp senses caught movement to his left. ‘Sandals?’