by Kate O'Hearn
“We couldn’t communicate at first,” Jake said. “It was only after she bit me.”
“Which wasss after you hit me,” Nesso added, spitting out crumbs as she hissed. “Tell them the truth.”
Jake sighed and glared at Nesso. “Okay. Nesso bit me only after I accidentally hit her while going through my pack.”
“Thank you,” Nesso hissed.
“You’re welcome.” Jake chuckled and explained their exchange. “After the bite, it kinda connected us,” he continued. “I can’t understand other snakes and they can’t understand me, but Nesso works as a translator.”
“And yes,” Tryn added. “When Nesso bites the Mimics, or even if we put her venom on a weapon and cut the Mimics, they don’t just die. They actually melt.”
Tryn’s mother gasped. “Trynulus, have you fought? Killed?”
“Fought, yes. Killed, no, not yet.” Tryn lowered his head. “Forgive me, Mother, but I will kill the Mimics. I know it will shame our family, but you would understand if you saw them and what they are doing. We have spoken to them. They see us as nothing more than obstacles to their quest. They won’t engage with us; they won’t negotiate. They just want our worlds and will kill us all to get them.”
His mother became silent. Finally she looked at her husband. “Then we fight.”
“What?” Ben cried. “But that goes against everything the Rheans stand for.”
“No, we stand for peace and have known only peace because we have avoided conflict through negotiation. But if these creatures won’t negotiate, if they have tried to kill my son and have taken our two beloved Xan, then I will fight. It will be distasteful, but we will do it.”
“You might not have to,” Jake said. “Arious said that we will need more than fighters. We need people to make weapons, treat the wounded, and milk the snakes of venom.”
“I want to fight with Tryn and Jake,” Triana said. “They wounded Pegasus.”
Jake saw the same intensity in Triana’s eyes that he often saw in Tryn’s. But Tryn never looked so pretty doing it.
“There will be no fighting for you, young lady,” Ben said. “There will be plenty of other jobs that are just as important.” He considered a moment and then nodded. “All right, here’s the plan.…”
Tryn looked at Jake. “I told you he was a CRU agent. He used to be called Agent B when he was back on Earth.”
“I’m not a CRU agent anymore,” Ben said. “But I still have all my training and experience—and I have a family and friends I care for deeply. Emily and I went through a lot in the past. I won’t let those creatures harm her now.”
Tara looked up at her husband. “So, what do we do?”
Ben started. “Tara, I want you to go to the Rhean elders and tell them what has happened.” He looked at Tryn. “You linked with Arious, right? She has seen everything?”
Tryn nodded. “She already knew about them. They are old enemies of the Xan and used to take a Xan every thousand years. So Arious knows more about them than we do.”
“Fine, I think Rhean groups should be gathered to go to Arious. They must link with her to see what we’re up against.” He looked at Tryn and Jake. “I want you two to go back to Nesso’s world. Help your team gather as many snakes as you can and bring them here. Then it’s back to Earth to collect the Olympians and Titans hiding there. Your mother and I will organize things here and start drawing the venom from these snakes.”
Tryn stood. “What about Pegasus?”
“Arious will take care of Pegasus,” Tara said. “Though I will go and check on him.”
A whinny startled them all. Jake turned and saw Pegasus entering the room. The stallion was the spitting image of Zephyr, if not a bit taller. He still looked unsteady and was smudged with dirt, but his head was high and his eyes bright.
“Pegasus!” Triana squealed. She ran over to the stallion and threw her arms around his neck. “Tryn told me what happened. Are you all right?”
All Jake and Ben heard were knickers and whinnies, but the Rheans nodded. Tryn looked at Jake. “Pegasus says he is recovered enough to come with us to help Zephyr.”
“But you’re still too weak,” Tryn said back to the stallion. “Zomos is a dangerous place filled with immense creatures.”
Pegasus’s ears went back, and he whinnied and snorted.
Tryn lowered his head. “I’m sorry. I understand.”
Tryn’s mother explained to Jake and her husband, “Pegasus has linked with Arious and seen everything you have. He is insisting on going with you to help Zephyr, and then to Earth to gather the Olympians and Titans. He will not be stopped.”
“Just as stubborn as ever, eh, Pegasus?” Ben said. “It reminds me of old times.”
Pegasus nodded.
“All right,” Ben continued. “You guys go to Zomos.” He paused and looked at the snakes on the table. “Jake, Nesso’s venom was only poisonous to the Mimics after she bit you?”
Jake nodded. “I don’t know how it works, but it changed her somehow. She said she bit the one that took her from Zomos, but nothing happened. Now her venom is so deadly it melts them.”
Ben nodded. “Then would you ask Nesso to ask her two friends to bite me? If those Mimics come back here, we’ll need all the venom they can produce.”
Nesso rose up and hissed to Jake. “They will do it. But he mussst ssstrike them firssst or they won’t bite.”
“They’ll do it,” Jake said. “But I should warn you, it really hurts, and I passed out. You’ll also have to hit them to get them to bite you. But don’t hurt them. They’re very sweet; a tap will do.”
“I wouldn’t dream of harming them,” Ben said. “Especially when they are so precious.”
Tryn said to his mother, “Maybe you could analyze the venom and make more so we don’t have to rely on the snakes.”
“That’s a very good idea,” Tara said. “I will take some to Arious as well.”
Ben rose and embraced Tryn. “Don’t wait for me to wake up. You guys get moving. We’ll take care of things here. Go save Zephyr and collect the Olympians from Earth. We’ll meet you at the Temple of Arious. Please, be careful.”
Tryn put his arms around his father. “We will. You be careful here, too. If the Mimics come back, dip anything you can in venom and use it. It will stop them.”
“Understood,” Ben said.
Jake was stunned when Tryn’s mother and then sister hugged him as tightly as they did Tryn.
“Be careful and come back soon,” Triana said. “I want to talk to you about Earth.”
Jake blushed as Triana held him. “Um—er—sure. I’d really like that too.”
Pegasus nickered impatiently.
“Yes, we’re coming,” Tryn said.
Ben reached over to tap the first snake, but Jake stopped him.
“Wait. Trust me, you’ll want to sit down, or you’ll fall down. That venom packs a punch and works fast.”
Tryn’s father took a seat and then tapped both snakes on the snout with a finger from each hand. The two snakes launched forward and bit him on the wrists. Ben’s face contorted in pain and his breathing quickened as the venom shot up his arm. He looked up at his wife, gasped, and then passed out.
On the table, the two snakes were both unconscious. “Wow,” Jake said, looking down at Nesso, who was back around his neck. “You never said you passed out too.”
“I didn’t know,” Nesso responded.
Tryn’s mother was checking his father’s pulse.
“How is he?” Tryn asked nervously.
“His breathing and heart rate are up, but not dangerously so. He’ll be fine. Go now and come back with everyone as quickly as possible.”
“We will,” Tryn promised. He picked up his sack of ambrosia and gave Fiisha a final pat on her hippo head. He looked at Jake and Pegasus. “Grab your ambrosia and nectar. Let’s go.”
20
ASTRAEA WANTED TO HELP CLEAR up the camp, but the pain in her leg was increasing. All sh
e could do was rest on the bed of leaves that Darek set up for her and watch him and Zephyr work.
When they finished, Zephyr lay down beside Astraea and used her tail and wings to drive away the gathering of snakes that were encircling them. The largest snake, which had moved Cylus and Render into the cave, was right beside Astraea. She had named it Belis, and despite their lack of communication, the snake soon recognized and answered to the name. It continued to ask to be petted like an affectionate pet.
“I can’t believe you actually named it,” Zephyr complained.
“Why not?” Astraea said, stroking the snake. “Since I don’t know it’s real name, that seemed as good a one as any.”
“Have you considered what we’re going to do with all of them once this is over?”
Astraea shrugged. “We could bring them back here, or maybe some of them can stay with us on Titus. I think we should give them the choice. Nesso doesn’t want to live here again. She wants to stay with Jake.”
Zephyr snorted. “I don’t think your kitten, Hiddles, will appreciate sharing your house with this enormous snake.”
“She’ll be fine.” Astraea lay back in the leaves and shut her eyes. It had been a terrible night and she was exhausted and running out of energy. The lack of food was taking a heavy toll on all of them, leaving Cylus and Render unable to heal from their wounds.
As the long day passed slowly toward evening, Darek started to shout, “Cylus, Cylus!” He looked back to Astraea. “He’s not breathing!”
“No!” Astraea cried as she dragged herself over to the centaurs. Render was so pale, he looked almost blue. But it was Cylus who had them all terrified.
She placed her head against his chest. “His heart is still beating—but it’s so slow. Wait…” She looked up at Darek. “I think I heard him take a small breath.”
Astraea sat up. “We’re out of time. We can’t wait for Tryn and Jake anymore.” She reached for Cylus’s hand and pulled off the Solar Stream ring he’d gotten from a dead Mimic and handed it to Darek.
“We have to use this to go back to Earth.”
“But they don’t have any ambrosia there,” Zephyr said.
“No, but there was nectar. Even if we get a bit into him, it might save his life.”
Darek had tears in his eyes as he nodded. “We have to try. Maybe someone there might know how to save him.”
The centaur climbed to his feet. “What about the snakes? That was the whole point of coming here.”
Astraea looked back at the large gathering of snakes. “They followed us here to the Mimic camp. Maybe they’ll follow us into the Solar Stream.”
“You don’t want to take all of them, do you?” Zephyr cried. “Please don’t bring the big one.”
“We don’t have time to argue about this,” Darek said. “Cylus and Render need help now. Let’s just get the Shadow Titans moving and go!”
Astraea felt the pressure of time as she and Darek emptied several of the Mimics’ food containers and started to put snakes inside. When the colorful snakes understood what was happening, they came forward to be loaded. After that, Astraea ordered the Shadow Titans to pick up the containers, while Darek ordered his own Shadows to lift Cylus. The centaur was limp in their arms, but for the moment, he was still alive.
Finally Darek helped Astraea onto Zephyr’s back. She tried not to cry out when her leg was moved again, but she couldn’t keep it in.
“That needs to be set soon,” Zephyr warned. “You can’t lose that leg. You must have nectar too.”
“I’m all right,” Astraea said through gritted teeth. “Cylus and Render are in more need than me.” She held up the controller. “Shadow Titans, please follow us into the Solar Stream.”
Darek was supporting Render, helping him stay upright. He put on the ring and held it up. “Take us to Earth, Detroit, Michigan, Westward Junction, the Reynolds Steel plant at night.”
The Solar Stream burst to life before them. Just as they were about to walk forward, a second Solar Stream opened, cutting across the first one with an explosive blast that sent sparks flying everywhere. The impact of the two Solar Streams’ violent openings in the same place knocked everyone off their feet. Screams could be heard coming from within the blazing light.
Moments later, three Mimics crawled out of the sparking twin Solar Streams. Four Shadow Titans also managed to make it out, but the rest were sucked back into the swirling vortex and vanished from sight.
Astraea had been blasted off Zephyr’s back and landed on the ground far from the opening. Darek and Render were thrown across the camp, and the Shadow Titans carrying Cylus were sprawled on the ground.
Moments later, both Solar Streams closed with loud snaps, leaving a strange, hushed silence after the ear-shattering roar.
The three Mimics climbed to their feet and looked around in bewilderment. When their eyes landed on the Titans, one of them raised a controller to its blubberous mouth. “Kill them all!”
The four Shadow Titans that had made it through the Solar Streams remained still. Seeing the failure, the remaining two Mimics raised their controllers and gave the same command. It worked, and the Shadow Titans charged forward.
Astraea reacted first. She pulled two controllers up to her mouth and pressed both buttons. “Shadows, stop the new Shadow Titans! Don’t let them hurt us!”
Darek followed through with his controller. “Fight the newcomers!”
In just a few short hours, Astraea was witness to another terrifying Shadow Titan fight. This time, the Titan-controlled Shadows outnumbered the Mimic-controlled ones and were soon gaining the upper hand.
But despite their attempts to cut down the Mimics, the Shadow Titans’ weapons were useless against them and cut through the creatures like a knife through butter, doing no damage at all.
But their attempts enraged the Mimics, and one of them charged forward. “How dare you use our warriors!” He cast a tendril out to Darek.
The centaur was able to swat the first tendril away with his sword, but lack of food made his reactions slow and a second tendril made it through his defenses and caught hold of his back leg. Darek froze, and then collapsed.
“No!” Astraea cried.
Render, though badly wounded, tried to fight his way to Darek, but he was too weak to be effective and was soon downed by a Mimic’s tendril.
With her leg broken, Astraea was unable to move, run, or fight. She could only watch in horror as the Mimics advanced on her.
Zephyr stood over Astraea and reared as the third Mimic came at them. It shot out a lethal tendril, which wrapped around Zephyr’s front leg and knocked her down to the ground, unconscious.
“Zephyr!” Astraea howled. Instinctively, she caught hold of one of the snakes at her neck and threw it at the tendril holding on to Zephyr. When the snake struck, it bit into the tendril. The Mimic cried out and started to melt.
The two remaining Mimics saw their companion go down. “What have you done?” one of them howled. “You will suffer for that, Titan!”
It shot a tendril out at Astraea, but it never got close. Belis turned black and lunged forward, sinking its long fangs into the Mimic. Being a much larger snake, the venom must have been that much more potent, as the Mimic didn’t so much melt as burst into a pool of goo.
There was only one Mimic left, when movement caught Astraea’s attention. She looked up and saw Jake and Tryn flying over the trees and heading right to them. She gasped when she saw the most welcome sight in the world.
Pegasus was flying with them.
21
“JAKE, TRYN!” ASTRAEA CALLED, WAVING frantically at them.
Beside her, Belis slithered forward and attacked the remaining Mimic. With one bite, the hideous creature was defeated.
Astraea stared in stunned silence. Belis was as black as Lergo and somehow was immune to the Mimics and their residual goo. Lying in the puddle of dead Mimic, he was completely unaffected. Could it be true? Would Belis, Nesso, and all the snak
es in the camp eventually grow into massive deadly snakes like Lergo?
The sounds of swords clashing broke Astraea out of her thoughts as the Shadow Titans continued to fight. She gazed into the puddle of dead Mimic closest to her and saw the small controller. She reached for a stick to pull it free but had nothing to wipe it off.
“Jake or Tryn, get over here,” she cried.
Jake was staring openmouthed at the fighting Shadow Titans. He landed his skateboard on the ground and ran up to her. “What’s happening? Why are they fighting each other?”
“Some of them are ours; the others just came from the Solar Stream. Please, we must hurry. Do you see that small metal cylinder in the dead Mimic? I really need it.”
Jake was too stunned to move, but Tryn arrived and reached for some leaves. He picked up the controller and cleaned it off, then handed it to Astraea. “What’s it for?”
“It controls the Shadow Titans. I just hope this is the one that works on them.” Astraea pressed the button and ordered the Shadow Titans to stop. The four that came from the Solar Stream stopped, but the Titan-controlled Shadows didn’t. Astraea reached for her own controllers and was able to call her original eight off. But that still left Darek’s four Shadow Titans hacking at the stationary invaders.
“Darek has the other controller,” she said, pointing at the unconscious centaur. “Find it, press the button, and order them to stop before they destroy them!”
“What do you mean stop them?” Jake cried. “Let them destroy each other!”
“No!” Astraea cried. “With these controllers, they become ours. We need them.”
“She’s right!” Tryn said. He dashed over to Darek and dragged the centaur away from the puddle of Mimic goo, then searched the area for the controller. When he found it, he picked it up, pressed the button, and commanded the Shadow Titans to stop.
The fight ended just as quickly as it started, and the Shadow Titans became still. In the aftermath, there were pieces of Shadow Titan armor scattered all over the place.
