Centaur Legacy

by Nancy Straight

  I abandoned my plan to raid the deepfreeze of the farmhouse. Food was no longer important. Instead I returned to the barn where just hours before I had held Cami – maybe for the last time. I remembered my promise to call her in the morning. I had made her promises I would no longer be able to keep, but this was one of the few I could.

  I walked to the pumphouse to retrieve my cell phone, now holding a full charge. A voice mail was waiting for me. It was from Cami; my hand shook as I stared at it. I wasn’t sure I possessed the strength to listen.

  When I got inside the barn, I closed my eyes, pressed play, and braced myself for what I was about to hear. Her voice was beautiful, much as I’d imagined an angel’s might sound like, “Hey, it’s me. I know you’re freaked out. I wanted you to know, I’m not. You know when I was freaked out? When I didn’t know where you were or if you were okay. I can handle anything as long as I’m with you. Don’t disappear again. I’m pretty sure losing you one more time would kill me.” There was a long pause before she added, “I love you, Drake.”

  The voicemail ended and I pressed “play” a second time. Then a third. Finally a fourth.

  I looked down at myself. How could she love this? How could she willingly give up her future for me? The ache in my chest began to intensify. I couldn’t tell if my heart was swelling or breaking. I listened to her voicemail a fifth time.

  A single tear rolled down my cheek. She wouldn’t abandon me, but what kind of a life would it be for her? Hiding in shadows, sleeping in barns, for what? Without thinking of the repercussions, I began shouting into the night. “Dammit! Damn Zandra for making us believe we would never be safe. Damn Chiron for holding onto the arrow to begin with. And Damn Zeus for letting this whole situation happen!”

  The barn began to shake; snow fell in through a hole in the corner of the roof. I could feel the ground rumbling underneath me. I squatted down, wondering how often earthquakes happened in this part of the country. I’d been wrong: the earth wasn’t shaking, just the structure. A booming voice echoed through the barn, “Be careful, Centaur. Be mindful of the seventh tenant.”

  Without thinking about which god the voice could belong to, I shouted, “Go to Hades!”

  The same booming voice made the walls vibrate again, “Drake of the Nash herd, be mindful of the seventh tenant!”

  The seventh was one of the easiest to avoid: Never speak ill of the gods. With more rage than I could ever remember coursing through me, I shouted, “Strike me down. Take away my Centaur blood, do whatever the hell you want. My life’s over anyway!”

  The booming voice responded, “You are not worthy of my gifts. You have broken the seventh tenant.”

  The words: my gifts echoed in my head. Zeus was talking to me? I had just told the father of the gods to strike me down? I had more than broken the tenant; I had thrown it in his face and told him to strike me down. Before I could do anything else stupid, I came to my senses and forced myself to be quiet.

  “You have nothing to say in your defense?”

  Oh right, let’s see, maybe he didn’t notice I have hooves or a tail. Yeah, right. I needed to get it together. I was a mortal. I knew better than to provoke the gods. Asking him to strike me down would accomplish nothing, and if he did, what would happen to Cami?

  I swallowed what was left of my pride, “I humbly apologize for my outburst. I meant no disrespect, only that I . . . only that. . . my circumstances are dire.“

  I stood motionless, waiting for him to take his vengeance on me. Whatever he decided would be over soon. I couldn’t imagine anything he did would be worse than me telling Cami what happened with the arrow. His voice was still strong and unyielding, but his volume much lower, “Drake of the Nash herd, I am aware of your plight. It was not my curse that transformed you into the shape of your ancestors.”

  Not his curse? Was this Zeus? It couldn’t be. Zeus didn’t deliver messages to mortals. He had lesser gods and demi-gods to deal with us. If it was Zeus, he must already know as soon as I pulled the arrow from the book, I transformed into a real Centaur. Of course, it was his curse. “Will you tell me how I was transformed, if not at your hand?”

  “My dear friend Chiron was immortal, were you aware?”

  “Yes, your grace.”

  “When he took his place in the stars to watch over his children, all the remaining magic he had was put into the arrow. The arrow has protected his family ever since. I can transform you into what you were before you touched the arrow, but that transformation carries a price.”

  “Anything, your grace. I’ll do anything.”

  “Let me finish before you agree. I am not unfeeling and believe you should know the repercussions before I set things as they were. You have been chosen by Chiron’s last Centauride heir, Camille.”

  I nodded my answer and he continued. “You are aware that not only does she belong to Chiron, she is also part of the Tak family. The Tak bloodline was cast out by me with a death warrant placed on their heads. Until recently, I believed they had been expunged from existence. Once again, I had been deceived when I learned the Tak bloodline still roamed the earth. Their powers are too dangerous. They are deceitful and my order stands. A Centaur Council meeting will be held soon: a messenger of mine will attend and will reiterate my decree.”

  Forgetting who I was addressing I blurted out, “But Cami isn’t dangerous! She would never hurt anyone, she . . . she. . . she didn’t even know she was a Centauride. She grew up as a human. You have to spare her life!”

  “I will not make the distinction.” A long pause echoed loudly in the silence of the night. “But out of respect for Chiron and his attempt to save his last remaining female heir, I share with you what will happen soon, so you may make an informed choice now. I can transform you into your human form, just as you were before you touched Chiron’s arrow. Or I can leave you as you are now, the fierce warrior who is capable of defending Camille should she be attacked.”

  “I was a warrior in my human form. I would lay down my life protecting her.”

  “Ahhh, that is exactly the choice. You were recently in a situation where you were attacked by four Centaurs and your strength and determination were not enough to save her. Do you remember? What happens when you are attacked by eight, or ten, or twenty? You do not stand a chance to protect your beloved if you are human. Chiron still watches his children, and your transformation is his way of protecting his daughter.”

  “You are offering me my old body back? No strings?”

  “Yes. I have watched your every move since your transformation. You have proven your worthiness. Should you wish your previous form, I will make it so.”

  “But if you change me back, you don’t believe I’ll be strong enough to protect Cami?”

  “I know you won’t, son. When I reiterate my decree with the Centaur Council, Camille’s life will be in danger. She will require a true warrior at her side. Out of respect for my friend, Chiron, I leave the choice up to you.”

  I thought back to the morning in the hotel room and the helplessness that I felt when Phineas and his goons took her away. After Cami had been kidnapped, not knowing where she was or what they were doing to her, I thought I would go insane. My gaze fell onto this body, this form Zeus had called it. He was right. I was strong, powerful, and the diluted warrior I had been as a human had been reconstituted when my body morphed.

  If I told Zeus to change me back, I wondered if Cami and I could hide. If we could find an obscure home away from all Centaurs and humans, we might spend the rest of our days wrapped up with just the two of us both in human form. As much as I savored that thought, I knew it to be unlikely under normal circumstances; if every Centaur on the planet were after her, it would be impossible. We would never be able to start a family as our children would also carry the Tak blood and would be targets, as well.

  “I need your decision, Drake of the Nash Herd.”

  “Thank you for the choice, your grace. I choose this form. I must remain a war
rior.”

  “Very well. You are a noble warrior and when the time comes, I promise you a warrior’s death.” I don’t know why, but talking to thin air felt odd, and I kept expecting a body to materialize in front of me. Instead I heard his voice growing distant, “May the Fates be your friends, and may death always be a stranger to you.”

  A ferocious BOOM let loose. If there had been an aircraft overhead, I would have sworn the sound barrier had just been broken. Instead the walls gave one final quiver, then folded in and the structure came down on top of me.

  I lay buried in the rubble. I felt around in the dark, my fingers grasping at the dirt floor while hundreds of pounds of weathered wood lay on me. When I didn’t find my backpack, I scooted another few feet to the left. The lantern I had used was still lit; I turned it off before it could catch the old wood lying atop it on fire.

  I fanned my hand out again, and found the canvas of the backpack – it was all I had in the world. Clutching the backpack in one hand and my lifeline to Cami in the other, I used the massive strength in my legs to kick the fallen wall away.

  Splinters of wood flew in all directions as what was left of the wall holding me gave way. I righted myself and stepped over the pile of rubble. I walked a few feet into the tree line; the wind blew hard and the snow nearly blinded me. The blizzard had arrived. I had no arrow, no shelter, and would now never have Cami the way I longed for her.

  I stood there in shock, hearing the words from Zeus echo over and over in my mind. I would live in this form for the rest of my life. I wanted the words to stop playing in my head, but I couldn’t drown them out with thoughts of anything else. I tried to concentrate on the memory of Cami, not anything specific, just the warm memory of her love engulfing me. Even the memories I carried with me would not drown out the knowledge that I’d just chosen this form for the rest of my life. I would remain this half a person until I died.

  I pressed “play” on my voicemail and tried to listen to Cami’s message again. My eyes began to burn, and my body felt numb. I couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or if it was adjusting to the knowledge that Cami’s life would never be the same again. Over the howling wind I could barely make out Cami’s words from the voicemail. I pressed play again. And again. The burning in my eyes refused to leave, no matter how many times I listened to Cami’s words of love.

  I couldn’t make a call from outside. She’d never hear me over the wind. I staggered through the gusts, back to the pumphouse. After I wedged myself inside the little structure, the air was still frigid, but it felt warm without the blowing snow pelting me. I pulled a string hanging from a light fixture; a little twenty-five watt light bulb glowed to life. I went to press play one more time but dialed her number instead.

  Cami’s voice answered right away, “Drake? Are you okay?”

  No, I wasn’t okay. I’d never be okay again. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

  “I was worried. You didn’t answer when I called last night. I thought. . . I mean. . . never mind. I’m glad you called me.”

  “Lacey didn’t tell the others about me?”

  “No. Not a word. They all think we’re leaving after the storm blows over. I’ve been trying to figure out how to break it to them that I’m staying here. I’m going to call Cameron and see if I can stay at his house until we can figure out how to get you and the arrow to Zethus.”

  Her voice was so full of hope, how could I tell her?

  Cami couldn’t read my thoughts, and I didn’t interrupt her. “I saw Zandra. She told me that Cameron’s guardian left him when he turned eighteen. But she’s lied about so much – I want to talk to him to find out if his house is really vacant.”

  How do you break it to someone that there’s no future, at least not the future you’ve dreamed of your whole life? I needed to come up with a plan, find a place where I could keep Cami safe. I filled my lungs with air, released it slowly and said, “It might be better for you to spend a little time with William and Gretchen. Recover. You’ve been through a lot.”

  “I’m not leaving you, Drake.” Her voice was quiet and slow when she continued. “We’re going to be fine. Just think, we’ll be telling our kids this story some day.”

  I could feel the muscles around my heart constrict. No future. No happily-ever-after. No kids. No Cami. The thoughts came to me as if shot from an automatic weapon. “I’m not saying to leave forever. But you may need to rest somewhere, you know, to be safe.”

  “I’m safe with you, Drake. Besides, we’ve got to figure out how we can fly you out of South Dakota and into Ireland. Have you ever been to a country where you didn’t have to pass through customs? I found a charter that will transport horses internationally, but I’m not sure how to get you through the customs inspection.”

  The muscles holding my heart constricted harder – livestock. That’s what I was now. I knew she didn’t mean anything by it. Cami was being practical, trying to think through the situation. But that was me: I had hooves and a tail to prove it. Maybe I could buy half a Halloween costume to put over my torso to hide me from prying eyes.

  “Drake, are you there? Did I lose you?”

  She could never lose me. I could never have her the way I wanted her, but as her sworn guardian, I would never be away from her. Her voice was more urgent, “Drake, can you hear me?”

  “I’m here, Love. No. I don’t know how to fly into another country and avoid customs.”

  “Okay. We’ll figure something out. The storm’s supposed to blow through by late afternoon today. Do you remember how to get to Cameron’s house?”

  “Cami. . .” I needed to see her again, but the more time I spent with her, the harder she would be to give up. I needed to find a place where she’d be safe, and it would be better for her to go back to San Diego with Beau for a few days.

  “Listen, Drake. I can hear it in your voice. Don’t. Whatever you’re thinking – you’re wrong. We’re going to get through this. We’re going to work it out. Everything’s going to be fine. The only way it won’t be fine is if you disappear again. Promise me you won’t take off!”

  I didn’t answer right away. Her voice was angry when she said, “You promised me, Drake! You said if I left with them for the storm you wouldn’t go anywhere!” She was crying. I didn’t need to see the tears, her voice gave her away.

  “I’m here, Love. I promise, I’m here.”

  “You’ll meet me at Cameron’s later today?”

  I needed to tell her what was about to happen. For the first time I realized my sole focus had been on Cami, but her entire family was in as much danger as she was. I’d meet with her at Cameron’s, tell her what needed to be done, and get her on the first flight out with Beau to warn the others. “As soon as the weather clears.”

  *****

  I traveled to Cameron’s place right after I hung up with Camille. I couldn’t tell her what had happened over the phone, but I vowed that I’d tell her the truth as soon as she arrived. I was sure she’d be furious with my decision, but if it came down to my happiness or Cami’s life, I wouldn’t gamble with her life.

  Luckily, Cameron didn’t keep his house locked. I had been at his house for hours when the storm finally let up. I tried not to pace, but I wanted to keep an eye out near the highway. The little road that Cameron’s house set on had been drifted over by snow. Cami wouldn’t be able to drive much past the highway.

  Just after three p.m. I saw the little car’s headlights turn down onto the road. The car made it onto the road, but the blowing snow created a drift that a monster truck wouldn’t have been able to plow through. When I saw the car stuck, I ran to her. I didn’t worry about anyone seeing me from the highway. Anyone passing by would be focused on the road in front of them and not the little side road. I loped up to her before she could even turn the engine off. The car would look abandoned if anyone saw it from the road, but it was far enough in, passing snow plows wouldn’t bother it.

  She fought with the drift to get the
door to open until I gave it a quick tug from the outside. She hadn’t seen me in the daylight, and I caught her staring.

  When she was free of the car, she climbed over the snow drift and leaped into my awaiting arms. She felt so tiny as I held her off the ground. She was bundled up in a ski jacket, gloves, a hat, and tall leather boots. I set her down so we could get her out of the cold and into Cameron’s house. As we walked, her strides were so much shorter than mine; it was clumsy to walk beside her. I had considered throwing her up over my back and giving her “a ride” to the house, but the thought repulsed me. Instead I reached down and picked her up with both arms and carried her to the little house.

  We arrived at the front door that led to an enclosed porch, then into the kitchen. I had gone over how to break it to her hundreds of times in my mind. When we were inside the warmth of the house, she took her jacket off. I was absolutely speechless. I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t breathe.

  Cami stood before me wearing a simple pair of blue jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt and tall leather boots – a practical outfit considering our environment, but absolutely gorgeous. Last night I had been so shocked by her words that I hadn’t given myself a chance to appreciate her beauty. Before I could say a word, she held up a finger as I stood in the kitchen and said, “Wait right here.”

  She emerged from the living room with a small step stool, positioned it directly in front of me, and climbed it so we were eye-to-eye. Her brown eyes looked directly into mine. Cami’s voice was determined when she said, “I made a pledge of my own.”

  “What?”

  “When I told you that I chose you, you made me a promise saying I’d never go to bed angry or wake up alone. With everything going on, I want you to hear my pledge to you.”

  “Cami, it’s the betrothal pledge. It’s made by the Centaur to the Centauride. There’ve been a few developments since last night that we need to talk about.”