by Kate O'Hearn
Astraea frowned. “I don’t understand. Why is that good news?”
“Fire!” Darek said; then he grasped the back of his head. “Ouch! Remind me not to get excited.” He looked at Cylus, then back to Astraea. “Fire is very good news. The jungle around here is too wet for us to make our own fire. I saw a couple of torches on the beach, but they were extinguished.”
“They were from the Mimics,” Zephyr said. “But the ocean monster put them out when it got them. The melting Mimic put out its torch too. But there are torches and a big fire in their camp.”
“That’s great.” Darek said. “All we have to do is sneak in there and light one of them and bring it back here. Then we can save Cylus.”
Astraea shook her head. “I don’t think I’m understanding. What does fire have to do with saving Cylus?”
“We’ll use the fire to seal Cylus’s wounds closed so he doesn’t bleed to death,” Darek said. “My father told me that’s how they used to treat wounds on the battlegrounds.”
Astraea finally understood. “So fire could save his life?”
“Yes,” Darek agreed.
Astraea looked over at Zephyr. “What are we waiting for? If Cylus needs fire, let’s go get him some.”
15
RENDER WAS TOO WEAK TO join them but offered to stay with Cylus and keep pressure on his wounds.
“Hopefully we won’t be long,” Darek said.
“Be careful,” Render called. “Those Shadow Titans are fierce warriors. I never imagined they could be so strong.”
“We will be,” Astraea said. She was back on Zephyr, and as they headed out of the cave, she looked over at Darek. “Are you all right to go? You look almost as pale as Cylus and Render.”
“Cylus, Render, and I have been friends all our lives,” Darek said. “Just like you and Zephyr. There is nothing I won’t do to save them. Even with this headache, if I must march into their camp and fight all the Shadow Titans, I will.”
Astraea looked at Zephyr and nodded. “Me too.”
“And me,” Zephyr agreed.
They crossed the beach, walking past the stationary Shadow Titans. Astraea looked at the tall, dark, terrifying fighters. They looked like black marble statues standing in the sand. “Zephyr, stop. I have an idea.” She called to the centaur, “Darek, wait…”
Darek was several paces ahead and picking up one of the Mimic’s extinguished torches. “If you don’t want to come, I understand. But I’m going to the Mimic camp to light this torch.”
“It’s not that. I have an idea.” Astraea briefly explained what she and Zephyr learned from the Mimic about the metal controller for the Shadow Titans. “I pulled the Mimic’s controller out of the goo. It should still be in the sand if we can find it.”
They made their way over to the puddle of dead Mimic. After a bit of searching, Darek found the controller and cleaned it off. He handed it to Astraea. “How does it work?”
“I’m not completely sure.” Astraea inspected the small silver cylinder. There was a button on the side. At first she did as the Mimic had done, putting it up to her mouth and saying, “Shadow Titans, turn around.” But nothing happened. Then she pressed the button and repeated the command. Four Shadow Titans on the beach turned.
Darek yelped and raised his bow at the Shadows.
“Darek, you idiot!” Zephyr said. “You heard Astraea tell them to turn around. She controls them.” She looked at Astraea. “I think that Shadow Titan hit him harder than we realized.”
Darek lowered his bow. “Uh, sorry. It was a reflex.”
“It’s a good one,” Astraea said. “But this time, I’m controlling them.” She spoke into the controller again. “Shadow Titans, stand on one foot.”
Immediately the four Shadow Titans stood on one foot.
“This is perfect!” Darek said as he trotted around the four Shadow Titans. “We control these warriors.” He pointed at an unmoving Shadow standing farther away. “What’s wrong with this one?”
“Maybe the controller only works on a few,” Zephyr suggested. “Those other Shadows must work with a different one. The trouble is, the Mimics were swallowed by that giant ocean creature.”
“Maybe it didn’t get their controllers.” Darek trotted closer to the shore and started to search. “Here!” he cried excitedly. “I found another one!”
Darek did as Astraea had done and managed to get four more Shadow Titans working. There were three left unmoving. After a full search, they couldn’t find their controller.
“At least we have eight fighters now,” Darek said. “Wait here. I’m going to take my four back to the cave. I’ll show Render how to use this controller in case the Mimics or Shadow Titans get past us and come after them.”
Darek spoke into the controller and ordered his four Shadow Titans to follow him. While he was gone, Astraea sat on Zephyr, gazing out over the water of the alien world. “This has all gone wrong, hasn’t it? My broken leg, you nearly dying from Lergo’s bite, and now Cylus and Render. If we’re not careful, we won’t survive this world long enough to get the snakes back to Jupiter.”
Zephyr nodded. “I miss the days when all you and I had to do was think about how to have fun. Your mom and dad were home. I had my little house with my parents in the stable. We didn’t know anything about Mimics. Shadow Titans were just scary fighters from the past.” She sighed. “It feels like such a long time ago. I wonder if we’ll ever get back to that life.”
“I sure hope so,” Astraea agreed. “I never imagined that we’d ever have to fight—or think about war or even dying.” She looked back at the cave. “But now I’m terrified we won’t be able to save Cylus.”
“Me too,” Zephyr agreed.
Darek returned a few minutes later. “Render nearly passed out when I walked in there with the Shadow Titans. But he’s all right now. I showed him how to use the controller.” He looked toward the trees. “We’d better get going. Cylus isn’t good.”
Astraea ordered the Shadow Titans to lead them to the Mimic camp. Just before they entered the jungle, Zephyr looked over at the centaur. “Darek, do you think your arrows still have Nesso’s venom on them?”
Darek shrugged. “I hope so, but they got wet when I was in the water with you. It might have washed off. Why?”
“You know why,” Zephyr said.
Astraea looked down on Zephyr. “You think we’re going to have to fight the Mimics to get to their fire.”
“I don’t think—I know,” Zephyr said. “If they are linked, and we pretty much know they are, by now they’ll know the others are dead and that we did it. They might even be moving against us right now. We have to be ready to fight.”
Darek pulled two arrows out of his quiver and handed them to Astraea. “If the Mimics try to touch you or Zephyr, stab them with these. If they still have venom, they should work.”
Astraea accepted the arrows. Then, as a precaution, she held up the controller. “Shadow Titans, stop.” When they did, she continued. “When we enter the camp, if anyone tries to hurt us, you will defend us. Even if someone else gives you a command not to. You will do only as I say. Raise your right hand if you understand.”
The four Shadow Titans raised their hands. “Thank you,” Astraea said into the controller. “You may lower your hands and proceed.” Immediately the Shadow Titans started to walk again.
Zephyr looked up at Astraea. “Do you think that will work?”
“I sure hope so,” Astraea said. “We need all the help we can get. Even if it’s from Shadow Titans.”
They stopped talking and entered the trees. Without the moonlight showing overhead, the jungle was dark. Almost too dark for Astraea to see. Titans had excellent night vision, but this was testing it.
Darek took the lead and treaded carefully through the trees. He held up his hand to stop them. Astraea whispered into the controller, “Shadows, stop.” The four large Shadow Titans stopped and stood still.
They listened to the sounds of the ju
ngle. Once they got used to all the natural calls of wildlife, they realized they weren’t hearing anything else moving through the trees. Darek nodded and motioned them forward again.
It wasn’t long before they saw a glow in the distance. Walking a bit farther, Astraea was stunned to see how close the Mimic camp was to the beach. She quietly ordered the Shadow Titans to stop again.
“They were right behind us,” she whispered to Darek.
He nodded. Then he handed the unlit torch to Astraea. “Light this as soon as you can and get it back to Render. Don’t wait for me.”
Astraea shook her head. “Oh no. We stick together. We’ve got our Shadows. If there’s a fight, we fight together. No running or flying away.”
Darek looked exasperated, but finally he nodded. “Fine, but stay behind me.”
“Ahem,” Zephyr said softly. “Are you telling us to stay behind because we’re girls and you don’t think we can fight as well as you? Is that what you’re suggesting?”
“No—well—yes,” Darek finally admitted. “But I’ve been trained to fight since I was little. All centaurs—boys and girls—are. How much training have you had?”
“All right, not a lot,” Zephyr admitted. “But I have a temper and I like to stomp things. I did bring down a Shadow Titan in the cave, and I knocked Cylus down at Arcadia.”
Darek nodded. “Great, if I need someone stomped, I’ll send them to you. But for now, do as I say and stay behind me.”
Astraea remained silent. She also resented being told to stay behind the centaur, but at the same time, Darek was right. He had training, and they didn’t. But she resolved to change that. When this was over, she was going to learn to fight like a centaur.
Darek crept closer to the clearing that had been made for the Mimic camp. Astraea lay down along Zephyr’s back and peered through the trees.
Up ahead she saw what Zephyr had seen from the air—seven Mimics were standing around a campfire. They each had a container of the flattened animals beside them and were steadily cramming whole animals into their horrifying mouths.
Astraea remembered Jake telling her that Tryn had turned a different shade of silver when he’d seen them eat. Astraea now understood.
“That is disgusting,” Zephyr said softly.
“Yes, but it’s also great,” Darek said. “If this is all of them, they’re in the one area.” He pulled several arrows out of his quiver and stuck them in the ground beside him for easy reach. Then he loaded an arrow into his bow. “If the venom is still good, I should be able to get most of them before they find us.” He looked back at Astraea. “This is going to be fast and ugly. The moment I fire the arrow, they might figure out which direction it came from, so get ready to move and keep moving. We’ll try to confuse them. When I call ‘now,’ I want you to order the Shadows to attack.”
Astraea listened to his instructions and nodded.
This was real.
This was war.
16
DAREK RAISED HIS BOW, STOLE one more look back at Astraea and Zephyr, and nodded. He released the first arrow. It shot into the camp and then vanished.
“You missed,” Zephyr said softly.
“No, I didn’t,” Darek said. “It passed right through the leg of the one closest to us. But I don’t think it felt it.”
“Then the venom’s not working,” Astraea said. The words were just out of her mouth when the Mimic started to gurgle and melt. “Forget what I said. It’s working.”
As the Mimic melted, the others in the group turned and tried to look around. Their squinting eyes and uncertain body movements confirmed what Astraea suspected. The Mimics couldn’t see well in the dark. Two of them put controllers to their huge mouths and gave a command. Instantly the Shadow Titans moved, forming a protective wall around them.
“Now!” Darek whispered. “Send in our Shadows to get theirs away from the Mimics!”
Astraea commanded her Shadow Titans to charge in and fight the Shadows protecting the Mimics. Instantly her four drew their swords and charged into the camp, taking on the Shadow Titans protecting the Mimics.
The sound of clanging swords filled the air as Shadow Titan fought Shadow Titan. The Mimics huddled together, blindly sending out tendrils in all directions, hoping to touch their attackers.
Astraea clutched the torch, ready to move when the way was clear, while Darek picked up another arrow and loaded his bow. When there was a free shot, he took it, and another Mimic went down.
The fight around the campfire was a terrifying sight as the Shadow Titans fought and the Mimics continued to cast their tendrils in all directions to try to hit them. All directions but one.
“Zeph, I’ve got another idea,” Astraea said. “We can get them from the air. Look, they’re not shooting their tendrils up. Just around.”
“That’s until we attack from above,” Zephyr said. “Then they will.”
“Maybe, but we can get one or two before they do. All we have to do is graze them with the arrow.”
Darek was still waiting for his next clear shot. But with the Shadow Titans fighting all around the Mimics, it was difficult. “That’s a good idea,” he said. He handed several more arrows to Astraea. “You’ve got the two I gave you. Take these as well. Head back to the beach and then launch from there. We don’t want to give this location away.”
“You’re actually considering this?” Zephyr whispered.
Astraea nodded. “We don’t stand a chance in there. Not with those Shadows going at it and the Mimics shooting their tendrils. We need fire to save Cylus. There’s no other way.”
Zephyr snorted. “You two are going to be the death of me.” She turned quietly and headed back through the jungle toward the beach.
When they were free of the trees, Zephyr stopped. “I can’t believe we’re doing this. We’re actually attacking Mimics!”
“There’s no other way. Darek is great with his bow, but it’s difficult for him to get a clear shot. It will be sunrise soon. It’s better if we do this in the dark.”
Zephyr snorted and started to run. “Well, if we’re going to do it, let’s do it. But for the record, I think it’s a bad idea!”
She launched into the air, then turned back toward the Mimic camp. They flew over it and saw that Darek had managed to bring down another Mimic. There were only four left.
“Get ready,” Zephyr called. “I’m going to fly in close. Throw your arrows at them and see if you can hit them.”
Astraea felt the nerves bunch in her stomach. She clutched three arrows tightly in her hand. Just as Zephyr swooped down on the camp again, she threw them as hard as she could at the group of Mimics.
Before Astraea could see if she hit her targets, Zephyr was veering away. When they turned in the sky and passed over the camp again, Astraea saw that two of her three arrows had struck Mimics.
“Zeph, it worked!” Astraea cheered. “We got two of them!”
“How many arrows do you have left?” Zephyr called.
“Four.”
“Four arrows and two Mimics, that should work.” Zephyr said. “Get ready. I’m going back in.”
Astraea prepared to throw the arrows the way she had last time. But when Zephyr started her dive toward the remaining two Mimics, a tendril shot out from one of them and wrapped around Zephyr’s front hoof. She gasped and then collapsed, falling uncontrolled to the ground.
Astraea was thrown free of Zephyr and landed hard on her broken leg. She cried in agony as the bones in her leg snapped apart again.
With the wind knocked out of her, Astraea was barely aware of the two Mimics moving around the fighting Shadow Titans and coming toward her.
“So, Titan spawn,” one of them called. “You believed you could defeat us! So many have tried, but none succeeded.”
Astraea was in too much pain to speak as she tried to drag herself away from the advancing Mimics. Her arrows and the Shadow controller were scattered on the ground several feet away. But they may as well have
been a world away.
The two Mimics looked at each other. “I am going to enjoy this,” one said as it reached out to touch Astraea. “But you, spawn, you definitely will not.”
Just as the Mimic’s hand reached for Astraea, one of the snakes at her neck sprang forward and bit the Mimic’s wrist. The creature stumbled back with the snake still dangling from it.
“Noooo…,” it slurred as it started to melt.
The final Mimic watched its companion melt. Then it turned its bulbous head back to Astraea. “That will be the last of my kind that you kill.”
“No, it won’t,” Darek called as he charged forward with his bow raised. He released his poison arrow and shot it through the Mimic. “This is just the start!”
17
TRYN THREW HIMSELF TO THE ground and started to uncover Pegasus. “Jake, help me!”
Jake worked at the stallion’s head and pushed away all the vines, while Tryn uncovered his torso and wings. Before long, all of Pegasus was exposed. His once-white coat was filthy and covered in dead leaves and mud. His eyes were shut, and he wasn’t breathing.
Tryn’s voice caught in his throat. “Pegasus is dead. Those monsters killed him.” Tears rimmed his eyes as he fell across Pegasus’s body.
“Jake, put me down on the big white thing,” Nesso hissed softly.
“He’s dead, Nesso,” Jake said softly.
“I don’t think ssso. I ssstill sssee heat from hisss life forccce. It isss fading, but it isss there.”
“Tryn,” Jake said excitedly. “Nesso thinks he may not be dead!”
Tryn rose and pressed his head tightly against the stallion’s chest. After a moment, he gasped. “There is a heartbeat! It’s faint and it’s slow, but it’s there! We’ve got to get him to Arious. She’ll know how to save him.”
“How are we supposed to move him?” Jake cried. “Tryn, you’re really strong. But look at the size of him. There’s no way you could lift him, and I’d be lucky to be able to lift a leg.”
Tryn stood up and started to run. “Stay with him,” he called. “I’ll be right back.”