by Aisha Saeed
“No, wait!” he cried out as the lasso flew through the air.
But it was too late. The lasso wrapped itself around his body.
“Stop! Please!” He yanked at the material, prying the threads with his fingers, but the more he struggled, the tighter the lasso wound around him. “Let me go! What is this thing?”
“It shines a light on the truth. And you can’t break free of it,” Diana said. “May as well stop trying.”
“What are you going to d-do?” His voice quavered.
“I am going to get some answers.”
She pulled the glimmering rope firmly toward her until she and the boy stood face-to-face.
“Let’s start with an easy question first,” she said. “Who are you?”
“Augustus,” he said in a shaky voice. “I’m Augustus Dimilio. I’m not a bad person. I swear. Please let me explain—”
“Why did you pretend to be a servant?”
“I’m—I’m sorry. I needed a cover. When you mentioned the name Sakina—how this ship here belonged to the Scholars—I made something up on the spot. I needed to hide out a bit. I had to buy time.”
“How did you find our island?” Diana asked.
“He must have snuck on my ship,” Sakina said.
“I flew here. On a chariot,” he said. “I flew behind this ship. I hovered below the deck but just above the water to avoid being seen.”
“Oh, Arya.” Sakina swiveled to look at the cat. “Is this what you were trying to say? You weren’t complaining about the ships following us. You were warning us about him.”
Arya rested her head against Sakina’s leg and purred.
“What do you want? Why are you here?” Diana demanded.
The boy stopped struggling against the lasso. He hung his head.
“For you.”
Me? Diana glanced at Sakina. She looked as shocked as Diana felt.
“I came on orders.” Augustus’s eyes grew moist. “I—I was told to follow a route of ships heading past our lands to this island. To find a girl named Diana and to bring her back as soon as I could.”
“Why?”
“I can’t. I can’t tell you. I’m supposed to say as little as possible about my mission.” Augustus struggled against the lasso again. His face flushed. He strained his arms against the restraint, trying to break free.
“He’s going to kill them. My people.” The boy finally sputtered. “Said he was going to destroy us all and burn my lands to the ground if I didn’t succeed.”
Diana’s mouth went dry. A chill passed through her. Someone was threatening to kill people and destroy an entire nation just to get to her? Why was she so important? She hadn’t even trained as a warrior. What could anyone want with her?
“Who is doing this? What’s his name?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Wish I d-did.” Augustus’s voice shook. “I’d never seen him before yesterday. He’s…he’s not like you and me. He’s not human. Can’t be, not with the way he moves. The things he’s done.”
Not human? The more questions she asked this boy, the more questions they brought forward.
“If he’s not human, what is he? Are you saying he’s a god?” Diana asked.
“Not a god. No way.” The boy shook his head. “Our island nation builds chariots for the gods, and they in turn give us special protection. Whatever this thing is, it defies all scientific explanation. He looks solid enough at first glance, but it’s like he’s made of gas or vapors.”
Sakina gasped. “A demon. I read about them a few days ago. I’m blanking on the type, but it’s definitely a demon. It’s got to be.”
“What does a demon want with me?” Diana asked slowly.
“I don’t know,” Augustus said. His eyes grew wet with tears. “But he’s hypnotized everyone who lives on my land to get to you.”
“Are you hypnotized?”
“It didn’t work on me.” He shook his head. “Not sure how. He spoke, but the words did nothing.”
“Were your ears covered?” Sakina asked.
“Yes!” Augustus nodded as realization dawned. “I had Jika flower petals in my ears. They’re soft like cotton and grow along the cliffsides. I use them to reduce noise so I can focus better on my potion making.”
“I remember reading something like that in a passage about demons who use hypnosis,” Sakina said excitedly. “People stuff their ears with cotton to block the effect.”
“I guess the petals were effective enough, but when he threatened to kill everyone I know, he got me to work for him all the same.”
Diana studied Augustus’s stricken expression; the pain he felt was clear across his face. He’d been through a terrible ordeal—of that much she was certain.
“Is he the one who did this to you?” Diana pointed to the bruises and scrapes along his arms.
“His touch burns like fire,” Augustus said softly.
“And they sent you?” Diana asked. “You look like you’re the same age as me.”
“He thought it would be the best way to earn your trust, figured that would be the easiest way to bring you back.”
And it almost worked, Diana thought. Her cheeks burned.
“And the women you put to sleep,” Diana asked. “Did you poison their drinks?”
“Never! I-it’s nothing to worry about. They’re asleep is all. All the herbs I used to blend are safe. I tested each ingredient myself.”
“Why?” Diana demanded. “Why on earth would you want them asleep?”
“Wasn’t meant for them,” he said weakly. “It was for you. It’s the misting potion of eternal sleep. It’s a reputable potion. I got it from Mr. Broderick’s own book. You were there when I released it. I thought for sure it would work, but…I don’t know how to explain it….It didn’t have any effect on you at all.”
Diana froze. Eternal meant forever. Which meant—
“Hold up a second. Are you saying they’ll never wake up?” Sakina asked slowly.
“There’s an antidote,” he said quickly. “Mr. Broderick’s potions always come with an antidote. It’ll work. I’m sure of it.”
“But you’ve never made this antidote before?” Diana stared at the boy incredulously.
“No, but it’s okay! Really! I never made the mist of eternal sleep, either,” the boy said. “And it worked quite remarkably, didn’t it? The antidote will work. I’m sure it will.”
“Undo the potion!” Diana shouted. “Fix it. Get whatever you need to make the antidote, mix it up, and wake them. Now!”
“I can’t. The ingredients are back on my island. I’m sorry. I should have thought this through better….I didn’t have a lot of time. He gave me until daybreak before he destroys my land and everyone who lives there.”
“All you had to do was tell me what the matter was,” Diana said. “I would have helped you. We would have helped you. This is an island of warrior women who never back away from the face of evil. And you’ve put them all to sleep!”
“I’m s-sorry. I shouldn’t have done it. But I panicked. You haven’t stared into his eyes like I have. The way he l-looks at you…” Augustus shuddered. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“And to save your people, you harmed mine,” Diana said quietly.
Dark clouds began gathering in the distance. This was supposed to be the best week of the year. Diana should have been in her room eating sliced lemon cake and laughing with her best friend. Instead all the women on her island were enchanted and a nation beyond her shores was on the brink of being burned to the ground.
Diana swallowed. She’d never left Themyscira before in her life. The thought of leaving now, under these circumstances, and heading to a nation where a demon awaited her made her feel dizzy.
“And we can get to Sáz with the chariot you mention
ed?” she finally asked.
“It’s right there. Parked by the shoreline.” He pointed to the beach. Gentle waves lapped the shore. The chariot was made of glass, open-backed with a wide platform to stand upon. It blended seamlessly into the background. It was no wonder they’d overlooked it.
“I know I don’t deserve your help,” he said. “You showed me kindness and generosity and I lied to you in return. I am so sorry.”
The clouds in the distance rumbled. A shot of lightning burst through the night sky.
Diana would have given anything in the world to wake up the sleeping women to ask them what they should do. Her mother was a strategic thinker—she’d have come up with a plan in minutes. And Aunt Antiope’s fighting skills were unrivaled. Together with the other Amazons, no person—or demon—would have stood a chance.
But none of the women on the island could help her now. If there was to be any hope of stopping this demon, saving Augustus’s lands, and rousing Diana’s own people from sleep, it was up to her. Diana swallowed. Two communities—both her own and Augustus’s—were counting on her. Needed her. And even though she wasn’t a fully trained warrior, she needed to do whatever she could to save them.
“Fine,” said Diana. She pushed down the worry churning inside of her. “I’ll go with you.”
“I’m coming, too,” said Sakina. “Two heads are always better than one.”
“It’s dangerous.” Diana hesitated. “And after what I accused you of, Sakina…I shouldn’t have doubted you or your family. Not even for a second.”
“He must have been a pretty good liar if you believed him.”
“I couldn’t believe it,” Diana said. “But he seemed so sincere, and he was covered in bruises….But I should have trusted my gut. I’m so sorry.”
“We can sort this out later,” Sakina replied. “I’m going with both of you and that’s that.”
“I d-don’t know if all of us can go,” Augustus said slowly. “The chariot’s balance is fragile, and I brought only enough potion to calibrate it for two people.”
“Mira can help pull the chariot, can’t you, girl?” Sakina asked. The bird chirped excitedly and flew to the chariot.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Diana said. “Could she help with the extra weight?”
“Might give it a little more oomph.” Augustus nodded. “We can try.”
The snow leopard mewled and tapped Sakina’s feet with her paw.
“No, Arya.” Sakina shook her head. “I know you want to protect us, but he said this thing can barely carry the three of us. Keep watch while we’re gone? Make sure our mothers and the other women are safe?”
“We’ll need the coordinates to return home,” Diana said. “They’re back at the palace.”
“I still have mine on me.” Sakina patted her belt.
“Th-there’s also one more thing,” Augustus said hesitantly, biting his lip.
“What’s that?” asked Diana.
“I—I don’t want to keep anything else from you. If you’re going to help me, you should know the full extent of what you’re getting into.”
“We’re listening,” Diana said carefully.
“Before I left, he forced me to make a potion. He peppered it through the island.”
“What kind of potion?” asked Sakina.
“It’s a protection potion. It creates invisible force fields around whatever you want to keep safe. It also keeps anyone or anything from leaving.”
“You mean to say if we go with you, we might never be able to leave? To return home?” Diana said slowly.
“I’m sorry,” the boy said. His eyes brimmed with tears. “I tried to refuse. First I pretended I’d done it and made a fake potion; but when he tested it out and saw that it didn’t work, he beat me.” The boy waved at his bruises. “When he threatened to kill my father then and there, I buckled.”
Diana studied Augustus. She still felt upset with him for deceiving her, but he’d been under enormous stress; that much was clear.
“Is there any way to undo the force field?” Diana asked. “Is there a potion to counter it?”
“Because I made the potion for the demon, the only one who can undo it is the demon.” The boy trembled. “Unless he’s destroyed….If we can end him, the force field ends as well.”
“So if we don’t defeat the demon…” Sakina’s voice trailed off.
“We won’t ever return,” Diana said. Her head spun with this new information. It was scary enough to leave Themyscira for the first time in her life and head for dangerous unknown terrain, but if they didn’t defeat the demon, they would never be able to come back home? Diana turned toward the woods behind her. The windowed pillars of her palace home towered over the trees. Her head hurt. She wished there was another way. But they had to go, not only to destroy this demon but to get the antidote to wake up the enchanted women on Themyscira. Two nations depended on her. She had no idea if they could do it, but they had to try.
Tentatively, the three of them made their way to the shore. The wind blew furiously against Diana’s body, as though trying to convince her to stay back. Close up, the chariot was larger than it had first seemed. Vines were etched into the edges of the glass. Augustus stepped on it and pulled a vial from his leather pouch. Upturning it over the chariot, the powder sprinkled out and was absorbed by the glass—and then the entire chariot began to shimmer and buzz. He dipped his fingers into the vial and drew out another pinch of powder, sprinkling it on Mira.
“Ready?” Diana asked Sakina.
“Not really,” Sakina responded, eyeing the glass chariot. “But here we go.”
Both girls stepped onto the chariot. And then, slowly, it began to rise.
“This is happening,” said Sakina under her breath. “It’s really happening.”
Diana looked over the edge of the chariot as it rose into the sky. Her favorite olive tree shrank in the distance. The looming statue of Zeus atop a pillar on the south shore dwindled to the size of a matchstick. From this angle, the entire nation of Themyscira—her entire world until this moment—looked so small, she could encircle her fingers around all of it. She watched the island through the foggy mist of clouds until her homeland completely disappeared from view.
The moon shone to her left. Diana’s heart fluttered. She had told Augustus she would help him, but now that they were leaving her home—flying thousands of feet above the ground—the full reality of the responsibility settled heavy inside her. The fate of two nations rested upon three kids.
We can do it, she told herself. We can save his people. We can bring back the antidote to wake up the women.
But could they really? Or was this a mission they couldn’t possibly complete—or survive?
The night air brushed crisp and cool against Diana’s skin as the chariot raced miles above the open sea toward Augustus’s land.
“How far away are we?” Diana asked.
“Should be there soon,” he said. “Hopefully.”
“You doing okay, Mira?” Sakina asked the bird.
The bird chirped in reply, tugging the chariot’s rope tighter with her beak. They’d been flying for ten minutes or so, and Sakina still gripped the edge of the chariot tightly. Her knuckles were white.
“Are you okay?” Diana asked her.
“I guess,” Sakina said tersely. “Hoping I don’t suddenly fall out of whatever this thing is.”
“You won’t,” the boy replied. “Our chariots are very secure. I helped design this one myself.”
“As if I’d believe anything you say,” Sakina said.
His shoulders slumped. He didn’t reply.
Diana glanced at Sakina.
“I wanted to say I’m sorry again,” Diana said softly. “I should never have doubted you, even for a second.”
“Yeah
. You shouldn’t have. But if you thought I really was doing something wrong, I guess I’m glad you called me out,” Sakina said. “My mother always says we are supposed to enjoin the right and forbid the wrong. It’s what you were trying to do. And anyway…”
Sakina’s voice trailed off as the chariot suddenly lowered below a cluster of thick clouds—and there it was. A mass of land with lights glowing in the distance.
“That’s my nation, Sáz,” Augustus said. “We’re almost there.”
Diana looked at the island in wonder. It was smaller than she’d imagined, maybe half the size of Themyscira. With the moon shining through a patch of dark clouds, she could see how lush and green the island’s center was, with forests of tropical palm trees reaching toward the sky. It was shaped like an enormous cylinder shooting straight out of the ocean.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Diana said.
“It’s a unique piece of land.” Augustus nodded. “The gods fashioned it from an ancient volcano. The parts along the shoreline are flat and sandy with rocks and boulders along the edges and there’s lots of trees leading uphill to the second plane, ringing the center there. The second plane is full of meadows and grassland. It’s where I collect most of my plants for potion making.”
“And the orange stream?” Sakina squinted at the island’s center.
“It’s a lava river,” he said. “The lava is why no one lives on the second plane, even though it’s really pretty. Our homes are atop the cliffs on the third plane, where you can see lights glimmering. The gods flattened it out to make it livable.”
Diana looked at the river of lava, fiery and orange, spilling into the ocean from either side of the island and creating new earth. Had it been under better circumstances, Diana would have loved to wander and explore this strange and mystical land.
“Wait,” Diana said. “Who are they?” As they flew closer, she could make out people standing motionless like statues on the top plane.
“My people,” Augustus said quietly. “He’s hypnotized every last one of them—they don’t even sneeze unless he tells them to.”
Diana looked at the stock-still people lining the land. A chill passed through her. Whatever he was, human or demon, he was a monster. They’d definitely need to muffle their ears once they landed so they, too, didn’t get hypnotized.
