by Kate O'Hearn
‘Does that hurt?’ she asked, cringing at the sounds of his cracking bones.
‘Yes, actually it does. Rather a lot,’ Paelen answered as he finished stretching himself out. ‘But it allows me to fit through tiny spaces that no one else can get past. It infuriated Jupiter when I got away from his prison.’
‘Jupiter put you in prison?’ Emily asked.
Paelen’s snake-like head nodded. ‘He caught me in his palace stealing and had me put in prison, but I got away. Perhaps if we survive this, he will forgive me and let me remain free.’
‘If we manage to survive this and save Olympus, I’m sure he’ll do more than forgive you,’ said Emily. ‘He’ll make you a hero.’
Paelen smiled brightly. ‘Do you think he might?’
In his snake-like form, Paelen’s smile was horrible to see. Emily averted her eyes to keep from being sick. ‘I’m sure he would,’ she said.
‘Then I will do my best for all of us.’
When Paelen had squirmed through the vent, Emily settled back in her bed. Everything was happening so quickly she could hardly keep her thoughts straight. They were deep underground on Governors Island. Pegasus might have been shot and Diana was in chains. Her father and Joel were hidden somewhere she didn’t know, and Nirads were only a short boat ride away.
Emily prayed that Paelen was telling the truth in wanting to help them. Otherwise, she couldn’t see how they could get away. As she tried to figure out the best way ahead, sleep tugged at her exhausted body. Before long, she surrendered to its draw and drifted away.
25
Paelen lay in the vent wondering where he should go next. He knew it was late in the evening, as the guards had changed outside his door and activity in the building had slowed down.
He had time. No one would return to his quarters until the next morning. So, should he go to Emily’s father? Joel? Or to the one he was dreading most, Pegasus? Facing Diana had been tough, but in the end, she could be reasoned with. But Pegasus would be different. There was no escaping the fact that Paelen had stolen his bridle and had intended to enslave the stallion.
He knew it, and Pegasus knew it. Would he be able to convince Pegasus that he had changed and that he wanted to help? He had to face the stallion some time. It might as well be now.
‘Take me to Pegasus,’ Paelen ordered.
Immediately the sandals’ wings started to flap. Despite Paelen’s attempts to prepare himself to be dragged painfully through the ductwork maze within the building, it was still a rough and bruising experience.
Pegasus was being held in the very deepest part of the facility, down on the lowest level where they were holding the dead Nirad. As the sandals drew Paelen through the ventilation system, he smelled the tunnel leading to the laboratory where they were cutting up the Nirad. He was relieved that the sandals kept moving.
Finally, they started to slow down and made a turn down a duct that ended in a vent. Long before he reached the vent, Paelen smelled the sweet scent of the stallion.
‘Stop,’ he ordered.
He put the sandals aside and crawled the rest of the distance towards the vent. He peered through the louvers and sucked in his breath when he got his first glimpse of the stallion.
Pegasus was unrecognizable. The only remotely familiar thing about him was his wings. Those were still white, while the rest of him was a terrible combination of dull brown and black. But worse still than his colour was the state of the stallion himself.
Pegasus was lying unmoving in a bed of straw. His chest and side were covered in thick bandages and his wings were open and held at careless angles. For a moment, Paelen feared the great stallion was dead. But as he watched, he saw Pegasus’s sides moving with shallow, strained breaths.
Forcing open the vent, Paelen lowered himself into the room.
‘Pegasus?’ he called softly.
Nothing.
Paelen called again as he carefully approached the stallion’s head. ‘Please, it is I, Paelen. I have come to help you.’
When he knelt down beside Pegasus, the stallion woke. As with Diana, Paelen had never seen such pain and despair held within a pair of eyes. Tears sprang to Paelen’s own eyes as he lightly stroked the stallion’s face.
‘I have brought this upon you,’ he said miserably. ‘Please, please forgive me. Had I known what would happen I would gladly have faced my own destruction in Olympus rather than see you like this.’
Pegasus made a long, deep questioning sigh.
‘Emily is here,’ Paelen answered as he sniffed. ‘She is alive and recovering from her wounds. But she is very worried about you. I will see her later. But what must I tell her of you?’
Pegasus made several weak sounds.
‘I will not tell her you are dead!’ Paelen cried in horror. ‘I will not tell her because you are not dead. You cannot die. You are Pegasus. You must live.’
Pegasus moaned again and tried to lift his head. He looked Paelen straight in the eye.
‘Yes, I have seen Diana,’ Paelen responded. ‘She is here also and is unharmed. But she too is very worried about you.’
Laying his head down, Pegasus made another soft sound.
‘Yes, of course we will leave here,’ Paelen assured him. ‘But all of us will go. Together. You are not remaining here, Pegasus. I will not allow it. I know you are wounded and in terrible pain. But you will recover. You just need rest and good food.’
Paelen looked around the room. Emily was right. The people here thought Pegasus was a horse. The food they had brought was not what the stallion needed. With his many wounds, without ambrosia, Pegasus was dying.
‘Listen to me, Pegasus. I caused this and now I am going to mend it. Emily needs you. We all do. You will not die. I will go and get you food that will help you heal. It worked for me, it will work for you. But you must fight to live.’
Paelen climbed to his feet and looked down at the fallen stallion. ‘Do not give up, Pegasus. Olympus needs you.’ As he started to walk away, he called back, ‘Emily cares a lot about you too. Think of her.’
Pegasus raised his head and looked at Paelen pleadingly.
‘You must take care of yourself,’ Paelen said. ‘If you die, you will fail her and leave her to the mercy of these cruel people. Agent J has already hurt her once. He will do so again. So please hold on, she needs you. I will return shortly.’
Without further pause, Paelen folded himself into the vent. He reached for the sandals. ‘I surely hope you know where to go,’ he muttered. Lifting the sandals, he ordered, ‘Take me to the kitchens where they prepare our food.’
Paelen had no idea how the sandals worked. But they did. Before long, they entered another tunnel. Paelen’s mouth started to water at the sweet smell of sugar.
‘Thank you, sandals,’ he said as he approached the grill. His keen ‘thief ’ sense listened and felt for any signs of life. There were none. He crawled through a large vent and into a spacious, kitchen. Everything seemed to be made of metal, each surface shining brightly.
The room itself was huge. It would have taken ages for him to find what he needed. But with his own deep hunger gnawing at his stomach and his nose directing him forward, it took little time for Paelen to seek out all the sweet treasures of the kitchen. He found cupboard after cupboard of sugars, sweet syrups and jellies and a huge supply of cooking chocolate. Then he nearly cried with excitement when he found a freezer filled with ice cream. It would take several trips to take it all to the stallion. But with the long night spread out before him, he had time.
Paelen found a large chef’s apron. When he laid it out, he was able to fill it with several items, including the first two tubs of ice cream and tied it up into a package. Quick as he could, he climbed on the counter and shoved everything into the air vent, checking over his shoulder to ensure that he had hidden his handiwork. Satisfied that no one would notice his being here, Paelen climbed into the vent after all the food.
‘Take me back to Pegasus,’ he comm
anded the sandals, adding quickly, ‘but take it slower – I am carrying precious items.’
The sandals obeyed. A short while later Paelen was back with Pegasus, opening the apron and pulling out the food. He pulled the lid off the first tub of ice cream.
‘Here, Pegasus, eat.’
Though weak and exhausted, Pegasus started to lick the melting ice cream from the tub. Before long, Paelen was opening a second. That too was quickly devoured.
When Pegasus had eaten all the ice cream, Paelen poured a bag of sugar mixed with treacle and a bit of water into one of the tubs and offered it to the stallion. Once again, Pegasus drank with relish.
While he held the tub for the stallion, Paelen bit into a bar of cooking chocolate. It was different from what he’d taken from the vending machine, but just as good. But before he was able to finish it, Pegasus reached up to take that as well.
‘Of course,’ Paelen said as he offered his treat to the stallion. ‘You need this more than I.’
For half the night, Paelen worked to get as much as he could from the kitchen to Pegasus. The stallion was completely starved and Paelen worried that it still wouldn’t be enough. But finally with less than a quarter of the supplies left, Pegasus let out a sigh and settled down in the straw.
As Paelen sat with the stallion, he apologized, once again, for being the cause of all their problems. Just before Pegasus drifted off into a deep healing sleep, he fixed Paelen with a look that let him know that they would discuss this when he recovered.
When Pegasus finally slept, Paelen rose to his feet. He looked down on the wounded stallion and felt deep regret for trying to enslave him. He realized he had been just as guilty as the humans in the facility. He’d seen Pegasus as just a winged horse and a fast way to his own riches. He’d never really seen him for the magnificent Olympian he truly was.
‘Sleep well, Pegasus,’ Paelen said as he quietly walked away. ‘Sleep and heal.’
26
Back in the vent, Paelen hid the remaining sugary items deep within the system of tunnels. Pegasus would need more later, and soon, unless the people here understood about their dietary requirements, Diana would be needing these supplies too.
As it was still night and Paelen knew he had time, he picked up the sandals again. ‘Take me to Emily’s father.’
When the sandals drew him forward, Paelen quickly discovered this was to be his worst journey yet.
It started out much the same as usual. But soon they approached the long, vertical tunnel that connected all the levels of the huge facility. Since they were at the bottom, Paelen looked up and could see countless levels rising above them.
The sandals entered the main tunnel and started to climb. Higher and higher. Paelen recognized the off-shoot that would lead to his and Emily’s rooms. The sandals quickly shot past it and kept climbing. Faster and faster they moved as they flew higher up the facility.
Paelen became aware of the curious sounds of heavy machinery. Then he heard a particularly distinctive whooping sound. Whatever it was, the sandals were drawing him straight towards it.
Paelen also noticed that the closer they came to the sound, the faster the sandals moved. Within the long, dark ventilation tunnel, Paelen couldn’t clearly see where he was heading. But as he looked up, his eyes caught sight of starlight shining brightly above him.
The only trouble was the starlight seemed to flicker as though something blocked it and then moved away again. Concentrating on it, Paelen’s eyes slowly adjusted to the weak light. He sucked in his breath in terror. The sandals were drawing him towards a large, spinning fan.
This was the heart of the ventilation system. This fan drew the fresh air in from the outside world and forced it down into the deep lower levels of the facility. It was about to slice Paelen to bits.
The huge cutting fan blades were getting closer. Paelen tried to order the sandals to stop, but didn’t have time. They were picking up speed. All he had time to do was look up and await his death.
Closer.
Closer.
He shut his eyes and prepared for the worst. An instant later, he felt the air around him swoosh and then change abruptly. Opening his eyes, he was startled to discover that he was now outside the facility and flying higher into the night air.
‘Sandals, stop!’ he ordered.
Suspended in the air high above Governors Island, Paelen looked down into the wide chimney they had just flown out of. He could still see the deadly blades of the large fan turning. Somehow, the sandals had carried him between them without being hit.
With a deep shiver, Paelen looked away. The lights of Manhattan were shining brightly across the water. A little further away, he saw the same green lady holding her torch, standing in the harbour. Lady Liberty, Emily had called her. While beneath him, Paelen received the largest shock of all.
Houses! Very pretty and very non-threatening houses.
As Paelen looked again at the wide chimney, he saw that it was part of a large brick house. Out front, it had beautiful tall, white pillars, much like some of the homes in Olympus. Further down the well manicured, tree-lined street, Paelen saw a lovely yellow house, sitting amongst a group of pretty homes.
Scanning the area, Paelen couldn’t take it all in. He simply couldn’t understand how these lovely homes could hide such a dark and dangerous secret. There was no way anyone who looked at this pretty little island would suspect that it held such horrors as the CRU.
Now outside the facility, he wondered where Emily’s father was. Just a short way away from where he was suspended, Paelen saw an ancient, squat brick building with bars on the windows. It looked just like a prison. Paelen guessed it would be as good a place as any to lock up Emily’s father.
‘Take me to Emily’s father,’ he ordered, expecting the sandals to move him towards the brick building. Instead, they drew him higher into the star-studded sky. They carried him over a large body of water and away from the island. When they finally past over land again, Paelen ordered the sandals to stop.
Wherever he was being held, Emily’s father was not on Governors Island.
‘Take me to Joel instead.’
They headed back towards Governors Island. Paelen could see boats in the water, and a few lights on in the houses on the island itself. But as he looked, he didn’t see anyone moving around beneath him.
‘Wait,’ he called. ‘Take me down to the ground.’
The sandals settled Paelen gently down in the grass. As he ducked down, he listened for the sound of soldiers or anyone else moving around. All he heard were night insects on the island and the sounds rising from the huge city just across the water. He was alone.
Paelen scanned the area. He suddenly realized that if he wanted, he could simply put on the sandals and tell them to take him anywhere. He could remain in this world, or go back to what was left of Olympus. For the first time in his long life, Paelen was well and truly free.
But even as he considered leaving, he recalled the horrible sight of Pegasus lying on his side. Broken, wounded and defeated. Then there was proud Diana, chained to a wall, starved and unable to move. Finally Paelen’s thoughts were drawn back to the girl, Emily, and the sounds of her agonized cries as Agent J pressed down on her wounded leg.
If he left now, he might be physically free. But he could never escape those nightmarish images. And though he may only ever be a thief, Paelen knew he couldn’t live with himself if he abandoned the others to the fate of the CRU.
Standing again, Paelen lifted the sandals in the air. ‘Take me high enough over the island to look for Nirads.’
Obeying his commands, the sandals lifted him in the air. Paelen used all his senses to look for signs of Nirads attacking the small island. After a thorough search, he was content that there were none. Perhaps they couldn’t find a way over here. As he looked out over the short stretch of water that separated them from Manhattan, he wondered if it was enough to keep the Nirads away.
‘That’s enough,’
Paelen finally said to the sandals. ‘Take me to Joel.’
27
Paelen arrived at the vent outside Joel’s room, still shaking from the harrowing journey back into the facility. Getting out through the fan had been terrifying. Going back in was even worse.
Joel was being held on the same level as Diana. Paelen crawled forward and peered through the louvred grill. The boy was asleep.
‘Joel,’ Paelen called.
The boy in the bed stirred and moaned.
‘Joel, wake up.’
More moans rose from the bed.
Paelen knew full well how brutal Agent J was. If he was capable of hurting Emily while she was wounded, he feared what he might have done to Joel.
He forced the vent open and entered Joel’s room. Paelen stood beside the bed and touched the sleeping boy’s shoulder. ‘Joel, wake up.’
Joel opened his eyes and looked hazily at him.
‘Leave me alone,’ he moaned.
‘Please, Joel,’ Paelen whispered, ‘Emily has asked me to find you.’
‘Em-Emily?’ Joel repeated.
‘Yes, she is hurt, but recovering. I have seen Diana and Pegasus too. Please, you must wake up.’
Joel’s face was bruised and swollen, his eyes bloodshot and heavy. As he pushed the covers back and struggled to sit up, Paelen saw more black bruises on the boy’s neck, chest and arms. There were also marks from where the people here had injected Joel with their drugs.
‘Who are you?’ Joel asked as he tried to focus.
‘I am Paelen.’
‘Paelen!’ Joel repeated. He lunged forward and caught Paelen around the neck. ‘You caused this,’ he roared as rage cleared his head. Springing from the bed, he slammed Paelen against the far wall.
‘None of this would have happened if you hadn’t taken the bridle. Pegasus wouldn’t have been hit by lightning! Emily wouldn’t have been hurt by the Nirads! I should kill you for what you’ve done!’
Paelen felt Joel’s fingers around his neck, but there was no real pressure there. Joel was furious, but he was no murderer. Paelen also knew that Joel had every right to be angry. It was true. He had caused all this. So he did not fight the boy, even though he knew he was much stronger. Instead he let him rant and rage to get it out of his system.
