The Missing

by Kate O'Hearn

  With nothing more to do, everyone made their way back to the control room. The remaining snakes were also brought up for their protection.

  Belis had been more wounded than they realized, and it took Pegasus, Zephyr, and several strong Titans to help get him up to Arious for treatment. The snake was now lying down beside Astraea and taking up more than half the space in the control room.

  “I don’t like seeing him like that,” Zephyr admitted. “He may irritate me at times, but I’d never want him hurt. I didn’t even think he could be hurt. But those Shadow Titans nearly killed him.”

  “I know,” Astraea agreed as she stroked Belis’s head. “The Mimics must be very scared of him.”

  “Too bad we can’t get Lergo on our side,” Zephyr said. “That would be all we’d need to defeat the Mimics.”

  Jupiter and Juno came in to check on Belis and heard the comment. “Do you know of another serpent like Belis that could help us?” Jupiter asked.

  “Not Lergo,” Zephyr said. “That’s the one that’s ten times bigger than Belis. It bit me and wanted to eat me. It’s way too dangerous.”

  “That is unfortunate,” Jupiter said. He and Juno approached Arious. “Please, Arious, what can you tell us of these Mimics? Even those Titan blobs that brought about the end of Olympus were nothing like these. The Mimics use the Solar Stream as adeptly as the Xan.”

  “That is because they are a race as old as the Xan,” Arious said. “I fear with all the powerful beings they have taken—especially Riza and Emily—when the queen spawns, a new race will rise that is more powerful and destructive than ever before. If they go unopposed, there is nothing to stop them from overrunning the universe.”

  “They have taken my children, my brother, and Vulcan, and so many others from here,” Jupiter said. “Believe me, they will not go unopposed. We will get our loved ones back.”

  “If they haven’t killed them already,” Arious said softly.

  Astraea gasped. “They took Jake and—and Angitia and—and everyone. Please tell me they aren’t going to kill them!”

  “I am sorry, child,” Arious said. “We do not know their reasons for taking prisoners. It may be for a deadly purpose.”

  Ben was shaking his head. “We’ve just engaged the Mimics again in one of the corridors. They are still trying to get in here. We had bows, swords, and daggers, but they just aren’t good enough against the Mimics’ tendrils. They managed to kill two more Titans.”

  “Those weapons are all we have,” Jupiter said. “My powers are useless against them. As are all of our powers. Are you suggesting we return to Earth to acquire guns and such human weapons?”

  Ben shook his head. “No. Guns won’t work, either. I’ve tried that already. I got some venom from my two guys and bathed bullets in it. But when they’re fired from a gun, the heat destroys the potency of the venom. Then I tried putting the venom inside the bullet, but they just passed through the Mimics and did no harm. We need something else.”

  “Like what?” Jupiter said. “If you have a suggestion, please say it now.”

  “Well, there was something I was thinking of before we were locked in here after the second wave. It’s an old Earth toy most kids played with. That is, until computers and mobile phones took over. It’s called a slingshot.”

  Astraea frowned. “A what?”

  “Slingshot,” Ben said. “They are easy to make.” He went on to describe how to create them. “As kids we used slingshots to knock cans off fence posts from quite far away. I’m hoping it will work if we coat rocks in the venom and shoot them at the Mimics. Even if the rock passes through them, the venom might do the trick.”

  “That sounds very much like a sling,” Juno said.

  “Almost,” Ben said. “If we could make some here, it would give us more weapons against the Mimics that can be fired from farther away. They’re smaller than bows and arrows and easier to carry.”

  “It sounds perfect,” Astraea said. “I would like to try it.”

  Cylus and the other centaurs all nodded.

  “And me,” Tara agreed.

  “If this works, we will all have them,” Jupiter agreed. “We just need to reach some trees to use their branches. I will organize some teams now. We will charge out of the temple and take back the area.”

  “Your plan will not work,” Arious said. “By my estimate, there are too many Mimics outside the temple. By now they know you are here and will no doubt be planning another assault against you.”

  “What else do you suggest?” Jupiter demanded.

  “The Solar Stream,” Arious said. “There is a continent here on Xanadu called Willow’s Lay. There you will find trees that I believe will suit your needs perfectly. Also, there are vines there that grow with great elasticity. But you must not harm the trees. Riza would be devastated if you did, especially if it was to save her.”

  “Of course not,” Ben said. “This is Xanadu. Nothing living here must ever be killed—except for Mimics. All we need are some branches and pieces of the vines.”

  “Perfect,” Jupiter said. He looked around the room, and his eyes landed on Astraea and Zephyr. “Your team worked well going to Zomos. I am asking you now to go for the branches we need. As Arious suggests, I have no doubt the Mimics will be launching an attack on us soon. We will stay to fight them. Please hurry. We need those weapons if we are to succeed.”

  “Of course,” Astraea said. She looked up at Zephyr. “Right?”

  “Um… yeah, sure,” Zephyr said unenthusiastically. “I’m not worried that there are more Mimics out there than in here. Not the least bit worried. Another trip. Great… it’ll be wonderful.”

  “We’ll come too,” Cylus offered, looking at Darek and Render.

  “Count me in,” Tryn said.

  “And me,” Ben said. “I know what we’re looking for.”

  “Perfect,” Jupiter said. “We will start to gather more venom from the snakes and be prepared for your return.”

  Astraea looked back at her team. “Tryn, let’s go out in the corridor and use your ring. We can’t waste a moment.”

  38

  THE TRIP THROUGH THE SOLAR Stream was instantaneous. In less than the blink of the eye, they were emerging in a forest that was just waking with the first rays of dawn. As Astraea looked around in the increasing light, she thought it was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It didn’t even look like Xanadu anymore. The trees were unbelievably tall, and their blue-leafed branches were swirling, waving, and bending toward the rising sun.

  As the group walked around, the trees responded to their presence, trembling and lowering their branches and making a pleasant hushing sound.

  “Wow,” Zephyr said. “These trees are amazing. There’s no wind, but they’re waving as though there is.”

  “They remind me of weeping willows from Earth,” Ben said. “But they’re so much prettier.” He approached a tree and patted the trunk. The tree actually sighed.

  “They’re alive?” Cylus said.

  “Of course they are. They’re trees,” Astraea said.

  “No, I mean alive, alive, like us. You know, conscious. You touch them and they respond.” He drew his sword and approached a tree. “I’m sorry, tree, but we need to do this.” When he raised the sword, the tree branches shied back.

  “Cylus, stop!” Ben ordered. “Don’t touch that tree!”

  “But you said we need branches.”

  “We do,” Ben agreed. “But it’s obvious these trees are sentient and aware of us. We promised we wouldn’t harm them, and we won’t. Look around you. There are plenty of fallen branches. There’s no need to cut new ones.”

  Tryn’s father was right. As Astraea and Zephyr walked closer to the tree trunks, they saw many fallen branches. While they were looking down, one of the branches bent down and stroked Zephyr’s neck.

  “Whoa!” Zephyr cried as she jumped clear of the tree. “It just touched me!”

  “This is Xanadu,” Ben said. “Wh
y wouldn’t the trees be curious?”

  “But… I mean… it touched me!” Zephyr cried. “It reached out and petted my mane!”

  “That’s because you’re so pretty,” Astraea said. She looked over at Ben. “So, what kind of branch are we looking for?”

  “Come here and I’ll show you.” Ben walked to the nearest tree and searched beneath it. As he did, more branches reached down from above and one touched the top of his head. He reached out and grasped it gently. “Nice to meet you too. We need to borrow some of your fallen branches. Xanadu is under attack, and invaders have taken Riza and Emily away. Your branches can help us save them.”

  The trees all around them visibly shook in reaction. They lifted their branches to allow everyone to walk closer.

  Cylus looked up and frowned. “This is wrong. Trees shouldn’t move like this.”

  “This is their home,” Tryn finally said. “They can do as they wish.”

  “When we get Jake and Angitia back, I really want to see more of Xanadu,” Astraea said.

  “But you said you wanted to see more of Earth,” Zephyr said.

  “I want that too. Jake promised he’d show me…” Astraea’s voice trailed off as she thought of Jake as a prisoner of the Mimics.

  “We’ll get him back,” Cylus promised.

  “Yes, we will,” Ben agreed. He reached for a fallen branch. “Now, the slingshots need to be like a big Y. So, look for that.”

  “What’s a why?” Cylus said.

  Darek and Render shrugged.

  “This is a Y,” Ben explained as he tried to break the dried limbs off the branch, but they wouldn’t give. He handed the piece to Tryn. “You’re much stronger than me and know what a Y is. Would you break this for me?”

  Tryn received the branch and soon broke away the needless pieces until it was shaped like a large Y. He handed it back to his father.

  “Thanks,” Ben said. He held up the Y. “You see, we attach a piece of elastic or vine, as Arious suggested, between the two top branches. Then you hold on to the lower one like a handle. You would load your rock and pull back on the vine and then fire.”

  “Oh,” Cylus said, nodding. “I understand. It’s like a small bow.”

  “Exactly,” Ben said. “But with a bow, the rod bends. With a slingshot, the elastic is pulled.”

  Now that they knew what they were looking for, the search went quickly. Much to Astraea’s surprise, the trees started to shake, causing larger and more useful branches to fall to the ground. “Thank you!” she called up as she gathered them.

  Before long, they had a large pile. As Astraea and the centaurs gathered more, Tryn used his Rhean strength to break them into shape.

  Next they went searching for the vines. Just as Arious suggested, they were very elastic. Pieces were cut from the ends of the vines and put with the other supplies.

  “Now let’s see if this works,” Ben said. He tied a length of vine to the slingshot and then reached for a pebble. When he loaded it and fired, the rock shot across the area and landed a good forty feet away.

  “I don’t believe it!” Cylus said. “Let me try!”

  Ben handed over the slingshot and showed Cylus how to use it. When the centaur fired it, the rock traveled even farther. “This is perfect!” Cylus cried. “The Mimics won’t be expecting this!”

  “Now all we need are some stones and we can head back to Arious,” Tryn said.

  They worked quickly to gather as many small stones as they could carry. When they had all the supplies they needed, Ben pulled off his shirt and laid it down on the ground. He made a sack of it and put all the stones inside. “This will get us started so we can clear the area around the temple. Then we can gather more there.”

  “I’ll carry the sack,” Zephyr offered. Ben handed it to Zephyr, and she bit down on it. “I’m ready,” she muttered.

  Everyone else gathered up the shaped branches and pieces of vines. With his arms full, Tryn struggled to hold up the ring, but he managed it and gave the command to take them back to the corridor outside Arious. The Solar Stream opened, and everyone walked through.

  39

  THE CORRIDORS OUTSIDE THE CHAMBER of Arious were filled with Titans and Olympians working to create a large supply of slingshots to Ben’s specifications. They then learned to fire the new weapons and were gaining in accuracy with each attempt.

  While everyone practiced, Astraea, Tara, Triana, and several others started to coat the rocks in venom. When they dried, they were handed to the advance team, which prepared to go outside the temple to test the new weapons.

  Ben was leading the assault. “Remember, keep low and hidden. Don’t let them see you. These Mimics learn fast! Let’s not show them what we’re using. I’d rather keep them guessing.”

  Astraea had her own slingshot ready and was prepared to go, but Jupiter stopped her. “But we can shoot,” Astraea insisted.

  “Yes,” Cylus added. “You know how accurate we are. You can’t ignore us because we’re young.”

  “I am not ignoring you,” Jupiter insisted. “You have earned my respect. But while they are outside, who is going to protect those inside the temple? What if the Mimics use the Solar Stream again? We must keep this stronghold if we are to have a hope of freeing Titus.”

  Astraea wasn’t happy, but she had no choice but to obey. She, Zephyr, and Tryn remained with Arious while Cylus and his herd joined the patrols throughout the temple.

  While she awaited word on the success of the new slingshots, Astraea stood beside the door to her mother’s healing chamber. Belis was finally awake and was pressing against her. She was absently stroking his head and wishing she were outside with the others.

  After what seemed an eternity there were excited shouts outside the chamber of Arious and the silver door slid open. Ben ran in and embraced his wife. “It worked! We got them! They didn’t even have time to turn their Shadow Titans against us. We’ve got a small army of them now.”

  “Really?” Tara cried. “The Mimics are gone?”

  He nodded. “The entire area around the temple is clear.”

  “What if they return through the Solar Stream?” Tryn asked.

  “We’re ready for them,” Ben said excitedly. “The night dwellers are patrolling inside the temple, and we’ve set up perimeter guards outside it. The Shadow Titans have been ordered to attack any that come through. Come outside. Jupiter is calling everyone together to discuss our next move.”

  While Ben, Tara, and Triana left, Tryn, Astraea, and Zephyr lingered behind. Astraea looked at the drawer containing her mother.

  “Go now, you three,” Arious said softly. “I am taking good care of Aurora and all the wounded. If anything changes, I will send word. Go out and see what Jupiter has to say.”

  “We have to stay with the snakes,” Astraea said.

  “I’ll take care of them too,” Arious said. “Including Belis, who is recovering nicely but needs a bit more time. I shall tell him to stay.”

  Cylus and Render trotted past the control room and called in, “Come on, you guys, they’re waiting for us.”

  Astraea, Zephyr, and Tryn reluctantly left Arious and followed behind the centaurs.

  “Hurry up!” Cylus called. “We don’t want to miss this.”

  Making their way to the surface, they shielded their eyes against the bright morning sunshine as they left the dark entrance of the temple. Everyone was there except for the night dwellers, who remained in the covered safety of the temple.

  Outside, the strongest among them formed a large circle around the encampment with their new slingshots held high.

  As they approached, Astraea was stunned to see Pegasus rearing and then slamming back down to the ground before Jupiter. “No, Jupiter, you are wrong!” the stallion insisted. He shook his head and snorted furiously. “We must rescue Emily, Riza, and Jake first. We do not know what the Mimics are doing to them. I must save my Emily!”

  “I am sorry, Pegasus,” Jupiter said. “I, abo
ve all others, know how important Emily is to you—to all of us. But going to the Mimic world right now is impossible. Titus is in great danger, as the number of Mimics there has increased. Now that we have a way of effectively fighting them, we must free our world first. Only then will we have the strength and resources to go after Emily, Riza, and the others. Remember, my own children, Diana and Apollo, and my brother are there too, but they would understand this decision. Titus must come first.”

  “Please, Jupiter,” Pegasus begged. “Let me go after them alone.”

  “No, Pegasus, not until Titus is free. Then we shall all go after them.”

  “That could be too late!” Pegasus shrieked. “I cannot imagine what they are doing to Emily right now. It is tearing me apart. We must go now!”

  “I am sorry, my nephew, but we cannot.”

  “That is not good enough.” Pegasus snorted. “All my life, I have done everything you have asked of me. Never once questioning your decisions, never once saying no. This is the one time I am begging you for something. Please, Uncle, please help me save my Emily!”

  Jupiter shook his head. “I am truly sorry, Pegasus. No. Titus must come first.”

  Pegasus reared and shrieked again. He flapped his wings furiously and took off into the sky.

  Astraea stood in silence, watching the stallion fly away.

  “Wow, he’s really angry,” Zephyr said. “I didn’t think Pegasus could get angry. Especially at Jupiter.”

  “I’ve never heard him raise his voice before,” Tryn said. “But he’s right. Jupiter is a fool for not going after Jake and the others first. Riza and Emily are powerful. They could help us clear Titus. If we don’t go after them now, the queen may spawn, and then we’re all doomed.”

  “What are you saying?” Astraea said. “You want us to go rescue them?”

  “I’d go,” Cylus offered. “I kinda like that stupid human Jake, and I miss him.”

  “Me too,” Render and Darek said together.

  Astraea looked at everyone and nodded. “Actually, I would go too.”