by Kate O'Hearn
No one could ever replace her. But to survive, Emily needed a body. Finally she had a thought. ‘Maybe we could ask Diana. She has become my role model and has taught me so much.’
‘Then you must ask her. This must be given, not taken.’ Riza’s father lifted his hand. A moment later, Diana and her father appeared in the jungle.
‘What’s happening . . . ?’ Her father cried in surprise. ‘Em?’
‘Dad,’ Emily said. ‘This is Riza’s father, a Xan. He is going to give me a new body. But he needs matter from you.’
‘Of course. Anything, sweetheart.’
‘That’s not all . . .’ Emily paused and looked at Diana. ‘It won’t work unless we find a female donor for matter as well. Diana, you mean so much to me. You have taught me to be strong and face my fears. Will you help me?’
Diana, the fierce warrior of Olympus faced the ancient Xan. Her expression softened a fraction as she looked back at Emily. ‘Take whatever you need from me.’
‘If you are certain,’ the Xan said. ‘All I need is a strand of hair.’
They gave what was asked to the ancient Xan. ‘Do you need anything else?’ Emily’s father asked.
‘This will suffice.’ Riza’s father reached out his hand and laid it on Emily’s head. She felt a brief instant of dizziness and then her world went dark.
38
Emily’s eyes fluttered open. She was lying on a soft bed in the Chamber of Arious. The living computer hummed softly beside her and called, ‘Riza, she is awake.’
Emily remembered the events right up to the moment she passed out. She sat up quickly and felt instantly dizzy.
‘Take it easy, Emily,’ Riza said. ‘Let yourself adjust for a moment before you try to move. You need to get used to your new body.’
The voice sounded so strange. It was soft and gentle, but filled with emotion. Most of all, it wasn’t in her head any more. Emily looked around and saw a very tall Xan standing behind her bed. She was bald, with beautiful, delicate features. Her wide almond-shaped eyes were as pale as pearls and her iridescent skin changed colour with the light. She laughed at Emily’s stunned reaction.
The Xan came forward and pirouetted, and her light, silky robes flew around her. ‘So, what do you think? Father used a piece of the black glass to give me back my body. This is exactly how I used to look.’
Emily frowned. ‘Riza, that’s really you?’
‘Of course it’s me, silly! Who else would it be?’
Emily had seen Riza when she had been linked up to Arious, but there was something different, something more defined about this Riza.
Emily rose and embraced the tall Xan. Riza had to be four metres tall and reed thin, but immensely strong. ‘I can’t believe it’s you!’
Riza laughed with the same, easy sound Emily had heard in her head a thousand times before. ‘If you think I’ve changed, you should see yourself!’
Riza led Emily over to one of the polished steel walls of the Arious computer. Looking at the reflections, Emily saw Riza towering above her, but she herself was completely unrecognizable. She was much taller than Emily had been. Her eyes were the deepest blue, but as Emily looked closer, she saw pearly white flecks in their depth. Her face was now more angular and her lips fuller. Emily’s dimples were gone, but her skin was alabaster smooth. She also marvelled at the change in her hair. Instead of brown, it was now much longer and raven black, just like Diana’s.
Emily raised her hand and the reflection did the same. ‘Is that really me?’
Riza nodded. ‘You do have your father in you, but Olympian DNA is infinitely stronger so you look a lot more like Diana . . .’ Riza paused and chuckled. ‘Oh, and you might have noticed those white flecks in your eyes. I slipped some of my own DNA in there for fun when my father wasn’t looking.’
Emily inhaled. ‘You didn’t!’
‘Of course I did,’ Riza said. ‘Now we are truly sisters and you are still part of the Xan. Besides, we are not so different, you and me. I don’t care for following the rules either. This is why I was always in trouble.’
Emily laughed and embraced her new ‘sister’ again. She turned back to her reflection. ‘So my real mother is gone from me?’ Emily asked with a trace of sadness.
Riza shook her head and tapped Emily’s heart. ‘She still lives right here, just as she always has. Now, though, you have two mothers.’
‘Are my powers gone?’
‘Most, but not all of them,’ Riza said. ‘My father realized you’d had them too long and would not do well without them. Plus, with my DNA in you, you should have other powers. I’m just not sure what they are.’
‘You’re not sure?’ Emily asked. ‘But you’re a Xan. You’re supposed to know everything!’
Riza laughed again. ‘That’s the price I pay for living with humans too long!’
Before Riza opened the chamber door, she explained the changes that had occurred while Emily was growing in her new body. The Xan were gone, back on their infinite journey across the universe. And though she was saddened by their loss, Riza said she had a new family that she loved dearly.
She also explained that her father hadn’t completely closed the Solar Stream to the Olympians. There were arches set up that could get them to Earth, the Nirad world and Xanadu. All other travel was forbidden to everyone but Riza.
‘What happened to Lorin?’ Emily asked.
‘My father removed most of my powers from her, but he couldn’t get them all without destroying her. Lorin has been welcomed into Olympus and will be taught by you, me and Vesta.’ Riza paused and grinned. ‘Oh, and I should warn you. Paelen seems quite taken by her.’
‘What?’ Emily cried. ‘After everything she did?’
‘She did save his life,’ Riza said. ‘And she is beautiful and adores him. She may have a child’s inexperience, but she’s a teen, just like you. They actually seem quite suited to each other.’
Emily wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She hadn’t wanted the Xan to destroy Lorin, but she hadn’t expected to have to see much of the Titan.
Riza started to laugh. ‘You’re jealous! You always liked that both Paelen and Joel fell for you. Now you’ve got some competition.’
‘No way!’ Emily said. ‘I just don’t want her to hurt him.’
Riza laughed harder. It seemed so strange to see the beautiful, normally calm Xan belly-laughing.
Riza reached for the button that opened the door. Behind it stood Pegasus and her family. Pegasus whinnied and rushed forward.
‘Pegs!’ Emily cried. ‘I’m so glad to see you!’ She threw her arms around the stallion’s neck. ‘Look, I have a real body!’
Emily inhaled the sweet warm aroma of the stallion. Only now did she realize that she hadn’t been able to smell him since she entered the Temple of the Flame. It was wonderful.
‘Em?’ Joel gasped from behind Pegasus. He looked her up and down. ‘Is that really you?’
Emily released Pegasus and looked at Joel shyly. ‘Yes? I’m a little changed.’
‘You’re a lot changed!’ Joel cried. ‘You don’t look like you any more. You look just like . . . Diana.’
‘And what is wrong with that?’ Diana challenged. She was standing with Emily’s father and smiling.
‘Nothing,’ Joel said. ‘It’s just that . . .’
‘I’m still me, here inside,’ Emily said cautiously.
Joel nodded hesitantly. ‘I know, but it’s going to take some time to get used to.’ He dropped his head and stepped back.
Emily wanted to rush into his arms, but his uncertainty stopped her. ‘Joel, it is me—’
‘Forget him! I like the new you just fine. Not that I did not like you before,’ Paelen corrected. ‘It is just good to have you back in any form!’ He embraced her tightly a
nd whispered in her ear, ‘Do not worry about Joel. He still feels the same. But he is only human. It will take him time to get to know you again.’
Emily hugged him back and whispered, ‘Thank you.’
‘Hey, what about me?’ her father said. He pulled her away from Paelen and put his arms around her and kissed her cheek. ‘No matter how tall you are now, you’re still my little girl!’
The old-model Emily barely came up to his shoulder and he always kissed her on the top of her head. Now, she was as tall as him and he couldn’t reach.
‘Whoa,’ he cried. ‘Em, Em, stop – you’re squeezing too tightly – can’t breathe!’
Emily released him and saw his face was bright red.
‘That is my fault,’ Diana said. ‘I forgot to warn him that you now have an Olympian body. You are as strong as me.’ She gave Emily a light peck on the cheek, but her eyes shone with pride and warmth. ‘I will have to change your training to address this. You now have to learn to control your strength.’
Emily looked back at Riza and smiled. ‘I’ve got to learn to do a lot of things again – like living without you in my head or the fact that I have a body that can get hurt.’
Pegasus nickered.
‘And getting used to your reduced powers,’ Paelen translated for him. ‘Pegasus says he will help you with everything. Plus, you now need to eat ambrosia to stay healthy and strong.’
Emily gazed at the stunning stallion and smiled. ‘Thanks, Pegs, I need you now more than ever.’ Her eyes trailed to everyone around her and she felt – complete.
The Xan may have removed most of her powers, but as Emily stood among those she cared for best, she felt the familiar stirrings of power rising from her core. Riza was truly the last Xan. But deep inside, Emily knew she would always be the Flame of Olympus.
Acknowledgements
You, the reader will never know just how many people have touched the book that is now resting in your gentle hands. From my agents, Veronique Baxter and Laura West, to my wonderful editors, Naomi Greenwood and Fiona Simpson, right down to the proof readers, designers and everyone else that works their magic to bring you this book.
So, I think it’s only fair that I should also thank some very special people who helped me make this the best book it could be.
First, I would like to give a very special thanks to Baird Fleming of the Honolulu Zoo. This wonderful man, filled with passion for the conservation of the environment and all the species that live in it, took time from his busy schedule to give me a private tour of the zoo so that when I wrote about it in the book, you would see what I saw there – including the elephant squeeze! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Baird, and all the staff of the Honolulu Zoo.
I would like to also thank Stanley and the staff of the Outrigger Reef on the Beach Hotel, for letting me explore the super private rooftop suites – so that our beloved Pegs would have somewhere to land and a safe place for the gang to stay.
In fact, during my visit to Hawaii (for research purposes only, I promise I didn’t have any fun while I was there or visit the beaches . . . OK, I did have fun!) I met so many wonderful people who helped bring this book to life. Including Yara Lamadrid-Rose, who gave me loads of information on Diamond Head – the amazing, ancient volcano. And Dave, you know who you are, who introduced me to Pele!
And then, my dear reader, I thank YOU. Thank you for reading this, and going on another wild adventure with me, Pegasus, Emily and all the Olympians.
Finally, you know it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t make a special plea to you, the future caretakers of this wonderful world we call Earth . . .
Please, do a better job protecting the environment and the different species of this world than we, the current generation have done – though some are trying very hard to make a difference.
While I have been trying to write this book, I have been suffering with grief over what is happening right now in the ‘Cove’ Japan and in the Faroe Islands – where people are senselessly slaughtering intelligent and sensitive whales and dolphins. It really hurts me to read about this each day. It would be easier if I didn’t read about it, but I can’t turn away. None of us should.
We’ve got to stop it so that you, my beloved readers, will have the opportunity to enjoy these amazing animals in the wild where they belong, and not on dinner plates or in a museum once they are extinct.
I will leave you with some lines from ‘Whales Weep Not!’ by D. H. Lawrence, which is one of my favourite poems about whales . . .
They say the sea is cold, but the sea contains
the hottest blood of all, and the wildest, the most urgent.
All the whales in the wider deeps, hot are they, as they urge
on and on, and dive beneath the icebergs.
There they blow, there they blow, hot wild white breath out of the sea!
And they rock, and they rock, through the sensual ageless ages
on the depths of the seven seas,
and through the salt they reel with drunk delight
and in the tropics tremble they with love
and roll with massive, strong desire, like gods.
If you enjoyed PEGASUS, you'll love Kate O’Hearn’s VALKYRIE books. Read on for an extract . . .
CHAPTER ONE
The first rays of dawn swept over the distant horizon and drove away the long night. But Freya did not welcome the rising sun. It was her mortal enemy, that would bring only sorrow. She tilted her wings and flew headlong into the fading darkness, hoping to follow the night, praying day would not find her.
But darkness betrayed her and allowed in the light. She had been flying all night, soaring high above Asgard, dreading her upcoming First Day Ceremony.
Orus, her raven companion, flew at her side and tried his best to keep up. But his wings were much smaller than hers, and despite his best efforts he lagged behind. After the long flight, he was too tired to beg her to go back. All he could do was try to stay with her and help guide her through First Day.
‘Freya!’ a voice called from behind her.
Freya looked back and saw her older sister Maya soaring confidently behind them. Her own raven was flying closely at her side.
‘Freya, stop!’ Maya called. ‘Please land; we must speak.’
Orus forced more speed and caught up with Freya. ‘Stop!’ he gasped. ‘I can’t fly much longer, and your sister is calling.’
Freya looked over to her raven and saw how exhausted he was. She hadn’t been fair, forcing him to fly all night. Pulling in her wings, she descended and gracefully touched down in a field of golden grain. As she folded and settled her midnight-black wings on her back, Orus landed on her shoulder. ‘Don’t lose your temper with your sister,’ he panted softly.
‘Thank Odin I found you!’ Maya cried as she also landed and charged towards Freya. ‘Mother’s in a state. Everyone is searching for you. Where have you been all night?’
Freya used her sleeve to wipe away the beads of sweat from her brow. Now that she had stopped, she felt exhausted from the long flight. The muscles in her wings warned of the stiffness to come. ‘I needed a bit of fresh air.’
‘I can see that,’ Maya cried. ‘But why didn’t you tell anyone you were going? You could have at least told me!’
‘I saw you dancing at Valhalla with some of the warriors. I didn’t want to disturb you.’
‘You know I would much rather spend time with you than dance.’ Maya softened her tone. ‘Especially on the eve of your First Day.’
‘I don’t want to do this.’
Her sister’s pale brows knitted together in a frown. ‘Do what?’
‘This! Today!’ Freya shot back. ‘My First Day Ceremony and then going to the battlefield.’
‘What do you mean? You’ve been to the battlefields
thousands of times. You have spent all of your life there. Only today you will reap your first dying warrior.’
Freya sighed heavily. ‘But I hate it. I hate the warriors and I hate all the killing and wounding. Humans are bloodthirsty monsters. I don’t want to touch them or be part of bringing more of them here. Asgard would be much better off without Valhalla and its dead warriors.’
Maya looked shocked. ‘How can you say that? Valhalla is a wondrous place and a home to all the valiant warriors who have fallen in battle since the dawn of time! Those men have earned the right to be here. It is a great honour that we are the ones chosen to escort them. You should celebrate them and what they have achieved.’
‘All they have achieved is being good killers!’ Freya challenged. ‘And what does that make us when we reap them? We’re even better killers!’
‘We do not kill!’ her sister said indignantly. ‘We are Valkyries. We bring an end to their suffering and escort them home.’
‘It’s still killing,’ Freya insisted, and her wings fluttered in annoyance. ‘If we didn’t touch them, they would live.’
‘No they wouldn’t. It is their time to die, whether we touch them or not,’ Maya insisted.
‘But I don’t want to do it,’ Freya responded as she turned and walked away from her sister. ‘I don’t want to touch a human or even talk to them. I have seen the warriors at Valhalla. All they want to do is kill and destroy.’
Her sister started to preen the black feathers on Freya’s folded wings. ‘Freya, how can I make you see that you’re wrong? The soldiers of today are nothing like the warriors of the past. Most do not remain in Asgard and choose to ascend to be with their families. You’ll see today when you reap your first. Talk to them. You will soon find they are nothing like the others you have seen.’
‘But what if I don’t want to?’
‘You are a Valkyrie. Reaping is what we are born to do. You have no choice – it is your destiny.’
