by Kate O'Hearn
“What are you talking about?” Cylus challenged. “I’m just as strong as ever.”
“No, you’re not,” Tryn insisted. “Please don’t make me prove it to you.”
Cylus looked at Tryn for a moment and then shook his head. “I won’t.”
Jake stood up and looked around. “Okay, this is going to be really gross, but we have to set Astraea’s leg and then put some kind of splint or brace on it.”
Astraea didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean, ‘set’ my leg? You’re not going to touch it, are you? It really hurts!”
“We have to,” Jake insisted. “I’ve taken first aid at school and I’ve seen it on TV all the time. If you’re out in the wilderness and you break your leg, you have to set it and brace it, or there could be permanent damage.”
Tryn nodded. “It make sense. We need to find something solid to make the splint. Like a branch or something.”
The three centaurs started looking around and gathering branches. A few minutes later, there was a large stack beside Astraea.
“What are you going to do with all of those?” she asked in alarm.
“We don’t need all of them,” Jake said. “Just a couple.” He selected two strong branches and pulled all the twigs and leaves off them. Next he reached into his backpack for the fabric from Astraea’s tunic, which they had planned to use as a sack for the snakes. He handed it to Tryn. “Would you tear this into a few strips so we can use them as ties?”
When everything was prepared, Jake knelt beside Astraea again. “I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’ll just say it. We are going to have to pull your broken leg until the bones realign. Then we’re going to tie two of these sticks to it so you can’t move it. I’m sorry, but it’s really going to hurt.”
Astraea shook her head. “Oh, no you’re not. No one is touching my leg!”
“Astraea, we must,” Tryn insisted. “Look at it. It’s already starting to swell up. If we don’t do this now, who knows how badly it could damage your leg. You might even lose it.”
Zephyr leaned down again. “Please let them do it, Astraea. You can’t lose your leg.”
Astraea looked up into Zephyr’s eyes and saw a shadow lingering there. Her friend was suffering but was still more worried about her than herself. Finally Astraea nodded. “All right, but I won’t promise not to scream.”
“Scream all you want,” Tryn said. “Just try to keep it soft so we don’t attract monsters.” He looked up. “Cylus, Darek, come here. I need you to hold on to Astraea’s arms. Don’t let her move.”
The two centaurs came forward and each caught hold of Astraea’s upper arms. Jake knelt beside her broken leg while Tryn took a position at her feet.
“All right,” Tryn said. “I’m going to pull as carefully as I can. Jake, you squeeze Astraea’s leg and let me know when the bones feel aligned. Then we can bind it.”
Jake nodded. “Wait!” He reached for another branch and handed it to Astraea. “Here, bite down on this. It might help with the screaming.”
“Why should I bite a stick?” Astraea asked. “Is it part of the treatment?”
“You’ll see,” Jake said softly. He looked at Tryn. “I’m ready when you are.”
Tryn took a deep breath and smiled weakly at Astraea. “All right, everyone. We’ll do this on my count of three. One… two…”
Astraea couldn’t remember hearing three. The moment Tryn said it, he lifted her broken leg and started to pull while Jake gripped it and squeezed. Pain blazed through every part of her. She bit down on the branch until it broke in two. She never imagined anything could ever hurt so much.
With the centaurs holding her arms, Astraea tried her best not to scream—but as the pain intensified, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. Once she started, she didn’t think she would ever stop.
* * *
“Just lie back and relax,” Tryn said gently as he helped settle Astraea against a tree.
Her heart was pounding, and she felt dizzy. But she had to admit, after the terrible pain of setting her leg and putting on the splint, it was starting to feel a bit better. It still hurt to move, but at least she could move it.
“There’s no time to rest,” Astraea said. “We have to find the snakes and go.”
“Yes, we do,” Tryn said. “But it’s still bright day out there. We don’t know which direction the sun sets in. So we have to wait for it to start to go down if we hope to find out where the snakes went.”
“Besides,” Jake offered. He pointed to his bare neck. “Nesso and her two friends are out looking for others. I promised we’d stay here and wait. And there’s water right here that’s safe to drink.”
“How do you know it’s safe?” Astraea said.
Jake grinned. “Because you swallowed loads when you fell in. If it wasn’t safe, you’d be sick by now. I’ve had some too and I’m okay and look over there.…” He pointed to the centaurs as they splashed in the water. Their equine bodies were completely submerged and all she could see was from their chests up. If she didn’t know better, she’d swear they were human boys playing. “They’re all fine.”
Zephyr was also in the water, standing shoulder deep. She was fluttering her wings and looked like a bird in a bird bath. The dirt and dried blood washed off her side, revealing the cuts from the fall in the cave.
“I think Zephyr needs to rest too,” Tryn said. “She’s had a rough day and could use the break.”
Astraea watched Zephyr in the water. To the others, everything looked fine. But Astraea knew her better than anyone. Her best friend wasn’t moving normally, and she’d lost some of her glow. There was something in her posture that showed she wasn’t feeling well.
“Carrying the centaurs really took it out of her,” Astraea said. “She’s exhausted.”
“That’s why we’re staying put for a while,” Jake said. He sat down beside her and leaned against the thick tree trunk. “This place is unreal. I can’t believe what we’ve seen.”
There was rustling in the leaves beside Jake. Moments later, Nesso reappeared with the two snakes from earlier and three more.
“We found a few more,” Nesso said as she rose. “But that isss all. The othersss have left the area. Thessse two are very young and too weak to make the journey. Can they come with usss?”
“Of course,” Jake said as he held out his hand to Nesso. “Do you think they’d mind traveling in my backpack?”
“Not if it meansss ssstaying sssafe,” Nesso said.
Jake opened his pack and arranged his skateboard helmet at the bottom to make a small nest for the snakes. “That should keep you safe,” he said as he laid down his pack for the snakes to crawl in. “Nesso, please tell them not to bite me or anyone here if we reach in for something.”
“They know not to bite anyone in our group,” Nesso hissed. “Even if you hit them like you did me.”
“I didn’t hit you on purpose!” Jake protested. He looked at Astraea. “I hit her once by accident and she’ll never let me forget it.”
Astraea looked at Nesso and smiled. She never thought she could ever care about a snake, but after knowing Nesso, she realized just how much she liked them. “I won’t let him hit you again, Nesso. I promise.”
Astraea laid her head back, shut her eyes, and listened to the sounds of the jungle and the centaurs splashing in the water. She couldn’t remember ever being more tired in her life. Before long, she drifted off to sleep.
6
ASTRAEA WOKE WITH HER CHEEK being lightly tickled. She opened her eyes and saw Zephyr’s white muzzle right beside her.
“The sun’s going down,” Zephyr said softly. “It’s time to get moving.”
Astraea reached up and stroked her friend. Zephyr’s soft muzzle was warmer than usual. “Are you feeling all right?”
Zephyr snorted and shook her head. “Are you kidding? My head hurts, my side hurts, my back flanks hurt, my wings hurt, my legs feel like they’ve been pulled off, and I’m burnin
g up in this heat. Beyond that, I’m doing just great.”
“Well, at least you didn’t break your leg,” Astraea said. “I don’t know how I’m going to walk.”
“You’re not going to.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, my wings are too small for me to fly.”
“You’re not going to fly either,” Zephyr said. “I’m going to carry you.”
“What?” Astraea cried. “Zephyr, no. I could never ride you. You’re not a horse. Besides, I know how you feel about Emily Jacobs riding Pegasus. You said it’s demeaning. You’re my best friend. I would never do that to you.”
Zephyr pawed the ground with a golden hoof. “Yeah, well, about that. I might have been a bit wrong. I think I understand why Pegasus carries Emily. You’ve been on my back twice now, and if I’m honest, I like carrying you. It brings us even closer.”
“But…”
“Astraea, don’t you realize you’re more than a friend to me? You’re my two-legged sister. My family. I love you and I want to do it. Not because you can’t walk, but because I just really want to.”
Astraea sat back stunned. She and Zephyr had been together all their lives, and it was true Astraea considered Zephyr more than a friend. She was her sister. But Zephyr had always been so tough and hated to show emotions. When she did, it was usually anger at Pegasus for letting Emily ride him.
For as touched as Astraea was, Zephyr’s comment caused more concern. She gazed into Zephyr’s dark eyes and saw something there. She just wasn’t sure what. Could it be the lack of ambrosia?
Jake and Tryn approached the tree. “Hey, look, Sleeping Beauty wakes,” Jake teased.
“Who?” Astraea asked.
Jake grinned. “Never mind. Are you ready to get moving?”
“I guess so. I was just wondering how.”
“I told you,” Zephyr whinnied. “You’re going to ride on my back, and that’s the end of the discussion.”
“Whoa,” Jake said. “Don’t know what Zephyr just said to you, but she sounds really angry.”
Zephyr turned on Jake. “And you shut up, human,” she said irritably.
“Hey, Zeph, calm down.” Astraea reached up and stroked Zephyr’s muzzle again. “Thank you. I’m grateful to you for giving me a ride.”
Zephyr harrumphed. “Good. It’s settled.” She looked at Tryn. “Help Astraea get up onto my back. Just watch out for her leg. We’re losing daylight, so let’s get moving.”
Tryn stole a glance at Astraea, and she shrugged. Zephyr wasn’t behaving like herself at all. She used to make a show of not liking Jake, but that’s all it was. A show. Deep down she did like him. Why, then, had she snapped at him?
Tryn moved closer to pick her up. “I’m sorry, but this might hurt a bit.”
“It can’t hurt any more than setting it did.” Astraea wrapped her arms around Tryn’s neck while he put his arms around her and lifted her gently off the ground.
“Jake, grab her bad leg and move it slowly with me.”
Astraea had never been this close to Tryn before. But with his face right next to hers, she looked deeper into his blue eyes with the silver specks and was surprised to see even more colors hidden inside. There were flecks of red, green, and a trace of purple. They were the most beautiful things she’d ever seen. Like some kind of precious and rare jewels.
“Are you all right?” Tryn asked softly.
Astraea nodded. “Uh-huh.”
Under her stare, Tryn started to blush. But his silver skin didn’t blush red; it became an even deeper, sparkling silver.
“Tryn, you okay?” Jake asked. “You face has gone all shiny and a funny color.”
“I—I’m fine,” Tryn said quickly as he easily lifted Astraea higher and over Zephyr’s back.
Astraea tried not to wince when Jake settled her broken leg beneath Zephyr’s folded wing. “All set.”
“Finally,” Cylus said. “Can we go now? The sooner we get the snakes, the sooner we can leave this awful place. I’m tired, I’m hungry, and I just want to be where things aren’t trying to kill us all the time.”
“I agree,” Zephyr said as she started walking. “The sun is setting in this direction. Let’s go.”
7
MAKING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE jungle was long and hard as the denseness of the trees made walking difficult.
Astraea was seated on Zephyr’s back and she felt her friend straining. As the sun moved farther across the jungle, Zephyr’s movement became more stilted and she started to shiver.
“Zeph, what’s wrong?” Astraea leaned forward and stroked Zephyr’s neck. Her skin was hot to the touch and wet with sweat. “And don’t tell me it’s nothing.”
Tryn and Jake came forward. “What’s wrong?” Jake asked.
Astraea was studying the back of Zephyr’s head. Her friend was looking straight ahead, not glancing left or right, and didn’t seem to react when branches hit her in the face.
“Something’s wrong with Zephyr, but she won’t tell me what,” Astraea said.
Standing right next to her, Tryn started to sniff the air. Then he leaned closer to Zephyr’s side and sniffed again.
“What are you doing?” Cylus demanded. “Are you actually sniffing her?”
Tryn looked at Jake. “Help me get Astraea off her back.”
“What’s happening?” Astraea asked. “What’s wrong?”
Tryn called forward, “Zephyr, stop so Astraea can get down.” But she kept walking. “Zephyr, stop!” he yelled.
“Zeph…?” Astraea called. Fear crept into her voice as her friend kept moving. “Zephyr, talk to me!”
Cylus charged forward and blocked Zephyr’s path. But she kept moving until she walked straight into him. Cylus had to push against her chest to get her to stop.
“Hey, she doesn’t look good.” Cylus waved his hand in front of her face. “Her eyes are glazed and it’s like she doesn’t even see me.”
Tryn caught Astraea around the waist and helped to lift her down. When she was standing on her good leg, Render came forward to support her while Jake and Tryn went back to Zephyr. Tryn lifted her left wing.
“Whoa!” Jake cried as he plugged his nose. “What’s that terrible smell?”
Tryn looked at him with a grim expression. “It’s Zephyr. Look…”
“What is it?” Astraea asked. “Let me see.”
Tryn looked at Render. “Don’t let her come any closer.”
“What are you talking about?” Astraea demanded as Render held on to her. “Let me go. I need to see what’s wrong with Zephyr.”
Tryn put Zephyr’s wing back down and shook his head. “Those cuts on her side aren’t from sliding on the floor,” he said grimly. “They’re bites.”
“Bites?” Jake cried.
Tryn looked at everyone in the group. “Back in the cave, that serpent didn’t just knock Zephyr down. It bit her. Now her wounds are badly infected. There may have been venom as well.”
“Zephyr!” Astraea shouted. “Zephyr, please, talk to me.”
When Astraea called again, Zephyr turned her head slowly toward her. “Astraea…?” she said softly just before she collapsed to the ground.
8
“ZEPHYR!” ASTRAEA SCREAMED. SHE PULLED away from Render and fell to the ground beside her best friend. Beneath her hand, she felt Zephyr struggling to breathe. “She’s so hot!”
Tryn nodded. “It’s a fever. Her body is trying to fight the infection, but she hasn’t had ambrosia and is too weak. If there’s also venom, then that’s a whole different problem.”
“What are you saying?” Astraea cried. “That Zephyr is going to die?”
“Could be,” Tryn said darkly.
“Hey,” Cylus said angrily. “Don’t you go around saying things like that. You don’t know anything, freak!”
Nesso was around Jake’s neck and started to hiss. “Jake, Zephyr isss in big trouble. That isss how Lergo huntsss. It bitesss and then waitsss for itsss prey to die. It will follow u
sss to get to her.”
When Jake gasped, Astraea looked at him. “What? What did Nesso say? Tell me the truth!”
Jake repeated Nesso’s message. “It’s just like Komodo dragons back home. They bite something, and the bacteria in their mouth kills their prey with infection. Then they follow it and eat it.”
“No!” Astraea shouted. “Zephyr isn’t going to die, and that serpent isn’t going to eat her!”
“We won’t let it happen,” Cylus said. He pulled his bow off his shoulder and loaded an arrow. “If that thing comes after us, we’ll kill it!”
Render and Darek also loaded their bows.
Tryn knelt beside Zephyr and felt her neck. “Her pulse is racing, and her breathing is getting ragged. At the very least, she needs ambrosia.”
“Uh, Tryn,” Jake said. “We’re in a jungle. There’s no ambrosia here.”
“I know,” Tryn said. “The only place that has it is Titus.”
“Then go!” Astraea cried. “Or give me the ring and I’ll go. We can’t let Zephyr die!”
Tryn got up and started to pace the area. “None of us can go back to Titus. Not now. With the Mimics there, it’s just too dangerous. I wish there were some on Earth.”
“Where else is there ambrosia?” Jake asked.
Tryn sighed. “There’s lots on Xanadu. But the ring won’t take us there.”
“What are you talking about?” Darek said. “You don’t need that ring anymore. You’ve got your skateboards from Vulcan. They should take you anywhere you want to go. They found Nesso here in the jungle, didn’t they?”
Tryn’s mouth fell open and he slapped his head. “How could I be so stupid! He’s right. We have our boards. We can go to Xanadu and get all the ambrosia we need!”
“And tell Emily Jacobs, Pegasus, and Riza what’s happened,” Astraea added. “They can heal Zephyr and stop the Mimics!”
“You can tell them yourself,” Tryn said to Astraea. “You’re coming with us.”