by Kate O'Hearn
Emily yawned, stretched, and gazed around her room. Suddenly it all came back to her, crushing her like a lead weight—like it did each morning. Her mother had died of cancer just a short time ago, and she and her father were alone. Tears that were always so close to the surface came to her eyes.
How could they go on without her? Her mother’s death had left a huge hole in Emily’s heart that she didn’t think could ever be filled.
Climbing from her bed, Emily winced as she stepped on something. She looked down and saw that she’d broken the wing off her glass Pegasus. It was always on her nightstand and she had no idea how it had fallen to the floor. But seeing it broken made the tears she’d been holding inside start to fall.
Her mother had given it to her with a book of Greek myths. It had always been one of her favorites, and she could remember many nights when they would read it together, enjoying the stories of Zeus, Hera, or Heracles. But her favorite had always been the story about the winged stallion, Pegasus, with Bellerophon and the golden bridle.
Emily dressed and walked into the kitchen. Because of the blackout the refrigerator wasn’t on and the orange juice was warm. But the milk was still good, so she poured herself a bowl of cereal.
She carried her breakfast into the living room. Her mother always told her not to go near the windows during a storm, but she couldn’t help it. The window seat was her favorite spot, and she always felt closer to her mother there. Emily sat before the glass, eating her cereal and gazing up Broadway.
New York was strangely silent, though there was still traffic on the road and people walking on the sidewalks hidden beneath their umbrellas. The sky overhead was dark and rainy, but even in the worst weather, the city was always bustling.
“Emily?”
Emily jumped, and her cereal bowl went flying as she screamed at finding a tall alien standing in the middle of her living room. His head nearly touched the ceiling, and his hands hung long at his sides. His skin and eyes were like pearls, and despite her fright, he was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
“Emily, do not fear. I am not here to harm you.”
There was something very calming in his voice. It was so familiar.
“Who are you?” she asked softly.
“You know who I am.”
“You’re Yird,” Emily heard herself saying. How could she know that? Why wasn’t she frightened anymore? An alien was standing in her living room and she wasn’t panicking. Why?
“Emily, my child, the time has come for you to make your choice.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It is simple. Do you want to stay here, living the life you always expected to live—safe with your father and growing up in New York City? You will marry and have children and grandchildren, and then you will die, a content old woman.”
“Or?”
“Or you can have another life. A life far from here, filled with wonders you can never imagine. You will travel the universe at the speed of thought. Live on a world teeming with life and creatures that love you. I can give you either life, Emily. You have earned the right to choose.”
The previous night, Emily had dreamed. She’d dreamed of a winged stallion that meant more to her than life itself—her very best friend and the one that made her complete. Many others filled this strange life and gave her great joy. But there was the one, above all others, that she yearned to return to.
“Pegasus,” she whispered without understanding what she was choosing. “I need to find Pegasus.”
The strange, tall alien nodded. “If that is your choice, you shall have him. But know this, once you do, there is no returning here or to the life you would have had in this city, on this world.”
“There is no life without Pegasus,” Emily answered.
Yird came forward and placed his hand on her head. Her mind burst with memories of everything she’d gone through from the moment Pegasus arrived in New York to the destruction of Olympus.
“It was real,” Emily gasped. “It wasn’t a dream.”
Yird nodded. “Yes, my child. It was real, and everyone there is waiting for you to return. But you had to make the choice.” He waved his hands, and the walls of the artificial New York City landscape fell away. They were in the Arious control room. The supercomputer hummed softly. “Welcome home, Emily.”
Emily was suffering a profound sense of disorientation. “I—I don’t understand. That wasn’t real?”
“It was real enough for you,” Yird said.
“But what if I’d chosen to stay?”
“Then you would have stayed. Your body would have been kept here, safely protected in Arious, and your mind would have lived a normal human lifespan on Earth, never to remember the Olympians or Xan. And when you grew old within your mind, you would have died and Arious would have destroyed your body.”
“So my life in New York would have been a dream,” Emily said softly. She looked around. “And this, Xanadu, Olympus, and all of it would have been the reality I missed.”
Yird nodded. “I told you, Emily, the choice for your final metamorphosis had to be yours and yours alone. But there is no Olympus anymore. That is reality. It was destroyed by the Solar Stream. The survivors are now living on Titus. It was you who united them. There will be no more wars. In fact, Saturn has stepped down. Jupiter now rules Titus. But his father is to be his closest adviser. I believe this arrangement will work.”
“That was real.” Emily gasped as the final memories returned to her. “Did it work? Did the Solar Stream destroy the mutants?”
“Yes.”
“How did I survive?”
Yird smiled and it lit his whole face. “You are Xan. Anything is possible.”
The image of Yird vanished, and Emily was left alone with Arious. “What happens now?”
“Well,” Arious said. “First you go back to Titus to see your family and let everyone know that you are safe. There is much work still to be done to settle everyone. Then, when you are ready, you and Riza will return here to take up your duties as Xan. Rhean still needs help if everyone there is to survive.”
“But I can go back to Titus for visits, right?”
“Of course,” Arious said. “And there is nothing stopping them from coming here. Xanadu is sanctuary to all. I know some will choose to live here, and they will be welcomed.”
Emily could hardly wait to get back to Titus. She needed to know who had survived, but mostly, she needed to see Pegasus.
“Did we lose many?” she asked. “What about my father and Diana? Vulcan and Stella and everyone I know?”
“Many Olympians perished, but you were lucky. Those you care for most survived. Many are wounded, but Riza is healing them.”
“Is Pegasus all right? Did he arrive here safely?”
“See for yourself.”
The doors to the control room swished open, and Pegasus charged in. “Emily, my pet, are you all right?”
Emily staggered back, hardly able to believe what she’d just heard. It was a voice, deep, strong, and comforting, coming from Pegasus. “Pegs? Is that you?”
“Of course it is me,” he nickered. His eyes twinkled with laughter. “Who else would it be? Please do not say that pretender, Tornado Warning!”
Emily’s hand flew up to her mouth and her heart started to race. Was this just another dream within a dream?
“Emily?” Pegasus said. “What is wrong? The color has drained from your face.”
“I—I, Pegs, I can understand you!”
“What?” Pegasus cried. “That is impossible!”
Emily nodded. “Say something. Anything. Please, let me hear you again.”
“Can you really understand me?” he said. “For real?”
“Yes, yes, I can!” Emily looked back at Arious. “How is this possible?”
“You are Xan now, Emily. There isn’t a language spoken in the universe that you can’t understand.”
“Chrysaor, too? I can understand him?”
>
“All of them. Riza will explain how it works. But for now, go back to Titus and take a break. You’ve earned it.”
Emily threw her arms around Pegasus’s neck. “It’s true. It’s really true, Pegs. I can finally hear you, and we can always be together!”
He lowered his head against her, holding her tightly. “Yes, we will, pet, always. Come,” he said warmly. “Let us go back to Titus and show them that you are all right. I know Joel will be very happy to see you again.”
Pegasus lowered his wing and invited Emily up onto his back. “So, do you wish to take us there with your power? Or shall we take the long way and use the Solar Stream?”
Emily leaned forward on his neck, feeling joy at the powerful stallion beneath her. “Let’s take the long way. I want to savor this moment with you.”
Pegasus chuckled. “All right, just as long as you do not get all soppy on me.”
Emily gasped and then started to laugh. She looked back at the computer. “Maybe it was better when I couldn’t understand him!”
Pegasus bucked lightly and laughed along with her. They made their way through the temple and reached the outside jungle. The air was clear and humid and filled with the sounds of life. This was to be Emily’s new home once the Olympians were settled on Titus.
Emily expected to see Earl and Frankie and the Sphinxes here. “Where is everyone?”
“They have journeyed to Titus to help with the resettlement.”
Looking around at the lush jungle, knowing that this would soon be her new home, Emily couldn’t have been happier.
“Take us to Titus, Pegs!”
Pegasus whinnied and entered into a gallop. He leaped gracefully into the air. “Then Titus it shall be!”
Acknowledgments
I BELIEVE OF ALL THE people who have helped in the production of this book, the biggest thanks of all should go to the many nameless and faceless people who lived thousands of years ago—people who loved stories perhaps more than anyone because for them, they weren’t myths. Who am I talking about? The ancient Greeks and Romans. Those amazing, imaginative people created some of the most endearing characters in existence.
Without them, there would be no Pegasus. No Chrysaor, no Zeus/Jupiter, and no Olympus. You, my dear reader, would be sitting here holding a different book.
So as we draw this series to a close, I want to thank these cultures for their amazing imagination and continued contribution to modern literature.
For six years, Pegasus has been a huge part of my life. He’s been my constant companion, and it’s hard for me to set him free. But he must be free. His stories must go on without me. But boy oh boy, will I miss him . . . though he’ll always be in my heart.
As always, though, there are others who I want to send a big thank-you to. Veronique Baxter and Laura West, my amazing agents, have always got my back and I appreciate it. Thank you. I also want to send a special “Tom H” shout-out to Fiona Simpson and everyone at Simon & Schuster for taking such great care of me and Pegs. An even bigger thank-you coming your way!
I would also like to thank John McAllen and the staff of Charing Cross Station, London, for giving me a wonderful private tour of the secret and hidden places under the station. As you can see, John, there was a little damage done to Charing Cross, but it did survive the book!
And as always, my dear readers and friends, I would like to thank you for taking Pegs and me into your hearts. I hope that when you close this book, you smile too, thinking of Pegs soaring free—and that you might look out for the many other stories I plan to be part of.
Finally, I always say it and I always will. Be kind to Earth. It’s the only home we’ve got. Take care of it and all the animals that live here with us. They have no voice, so you must speak for them.
Now, as we must say good-bye to Pegs, I have actually written a poem for him, but I have never claimed to be a poet. So I hope you don’t hate it.
PEGASUS AND ME
Many years ago, I heard a sound in the night
A voice softly calling, though it gave me a fright
But curiosity untold, made me be bold
I climbed the stairs to a dream and a wonder to behold
With mane soft as silk and wings white as snow
Eyes warmest brown that held a magical glow
He dipped his head low and beckoned to me
To climb on his back and set myself free
From astride sweet Pegasus, all could be seen
Olympus to Xanadu and worlds in between
Laughing by day, cheering by night
No limits for us, on this magical flight
But the time has now come for our journey to end
A tearful good-bye, all my love will I send
My Pegasus soars free, while I here, remain
To the stars he’ll ascend, so wildly unrestrained
But maybe one day when many years have flown past
As thunder claps boom and my dreams run their last
To my roof he’ll return, to collect me and fly
Until then, sweet Pegs, I’ll wait, by and by
KATE O’HEARN was born in Canada and raised in New York City, and has traveled all over the United States. She currently resides in England. Kate is the author of five other novels about Pegasus and Emily. In addition, she is the author of the Shadow of the Dragon series and a trilogy about a Valkyrie. Visit her at kateohearn.com.
Aladdin
SIMON & SCHUSTER, NEW YORK
VISIT US AT SIMONANDSCHUSTER.COM/KIDS
authors.simonandschuster.com/Kate-OHearn
Also by Kate O’Hearn
THE PEGASUS SERIES:
The Flame of Olympus
Olympus at War
The New Olympians
Origins of Olympus
Rise of the Titans
THE VALKYRIE SERIES:
Valkyrie
The Runaway
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
An imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division
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First Aladdin hardcover edition December 2016
Text copyright © 2016 by Kate O’Hearn
Jacket illustration copyright © 2016 by Jason Chan
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Jacket designed by Karin Paprocki
Interior designed by Mike Rosamilia
The text of this book was set in Adobe Garamond.
This book has been cataloged with the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-4814-4717-1 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-4814-4719-5 (eBook)
