Pegasus and the Flame (23 page)

Agent J opened the door and Agent O pushed her wheelchair forward. Emily peered into the room and her heart twisted in agony.

Pegasus was lying in hay in the centre of the floor. He was covered in bandages and barely breathing.

‘Pegs!’ Emily sprang from her chair. But her wounded leg wouldn’t support her and she fell to the floor.

Agent J tried to pull her back. ‘Emily stop. There’s nothing you can do for him now.’

Tears filled her eyes as rage filled her heart. ‘Don’t touch me!’ she viciously shrieked as she swatted his hand away. She ignored the searing pain from her leg and dragged herself over to Pegasus.

‘Pegs,’ she said softly as her trembling hand reached out to touch the stallion’s dark head. ‘Pegs it’s me. Please, don’t die. I need you.’

Emily’s tears fell unchecked as she kissed his muzzle. ‘Please Pegs, you can’t die. You just can’t.’

As she lay her head down on his thick neck and wept for the beautiful stallion, Emily heard a subtle change in the stallion’s breathing. She didn’t know if the others could hear or see it, but she could. Pegasus took a deep, steadying breath. He knew she was there and was responding to her.

‘Emily,’ Agent J said as he stepped closer. ‘I’ve done as I promised. I’ve let you see him. Now it’s your turn. Come away from him and we can talk.’

In that instant, Emily somehow knew she mustn’t leave him. Pegasus desperately needed her there. She could feel it. But more than that, she needed him too.

Without looking at the agent, she said, ‘If you want answers to your questions, you’ll get them. But I’ll only answer them here. I’m not leaving Pegasus.’

‘That wasn’t part of the deal,’ Agent J said threateningly.

‘No,’ Emily answered as she glared up at him coldly. ‘It wasn’t. But now it is. What harm can there be in letting me stay here while I answer your questions? You get what you want, and I get to stay with him.’

‘It’s not good for you to stay here,’ Agent J said. ‘What if he dies while you’re with him?’

‘Then someone who loves him will be the last person with him and not you!’ Emily said fiercely. ‘But if you try to take me back to my room, I swear I’ll never speak another word, no matter what you do to me.’

Anger flashed in the agent’s eyes. ‘Fine,’ he said at last. ‘You want to stay with the dying horse while we talk, you can stay.’ He loomed over her. ‘I hope you appreciate how I am bending the rules for you, young lady. I will expect the same consideration from you. You will answer all my questions without hesitation and with the truth. Do you understand me?’

Emily lay pressed against the stallion’s neck and continued to stroke his face. ‘I understand perfectly.’

A blanket and two chairs were brought into the room. When the blanket was brought over to her, Emily felt Pegasus tense. He wasn’t so far gone that he wasn’t aware of what was happening around him. He didn’t like the man coming near.

As the CRU agents settled in their chairs, Emily made herself comfortable in the straw. She was as close to Pegasus as she could get, curling neatly in the circle of his neck and head while she stroked his face and scratched his ears. Just being close to him was enough to make her feel better.

‘All right, Emily,’ Agent J said as he switched on his recording device. ‘Let’s take it from the very beginning. How is it you came to be with Pegasus?’

Emily took a deep breath. She knew she could never tell them why Pegasus and Diana were in New York; about the Flame or the war in Olympus. But she wanted to spend as much time as she could with the stallion. Taking Paelen’s advice, Emily lied.

She began with the truth, talking about the huge storm in the city and how Pegasus was struck by lightning and crashed on her roof. But from there, the truth faded into an outrageous story that equalled the best of the Greek or Roman myths.

Agent J sat forward in his chair. ‘And why were they coming here?’

‘Well,’ she started. ‘Diana told me that back in Olympus, a thief had stolen Pegasus’s golden bridle. He escaped by using the messenger’s sandals.’

‘So it isn’t Mercury we have locked away here?’

Emily shook her head. ‘He’s just a thief. Diana said she and Pegasus had been chasing him across the cosmos, going from world to world and through city after city. They finally ended up here in New York. She said they were hit by lightning and got separated. Pegasus crashed on my roof and Diana fell in Central Park.’

‘This thief,’ Agent J asked. ‘Do you know his name?’

‘I can’t remember,’ Emily said, scratching her head. ‘But I think Diana said it began with the letter P.’

‘Paelen?’ Agent O asked. ‘Was his name Paelen?’

‘Yes!’ Emily agreed. ‘That’s it. Diana said that Paelen had also stolen a sack of gold coins from her father, Jupiter. And that she and Pegasus had come here to get it back before her father found out and lost his temper. She said when Jupiter got mad, entire worlds were destroyed.’

‘If he already had the coins, why did Paelen go after Pegasus’s bridle?’ Agent J mused.

Emily shrugged. ‘I guess he’s greedy. Diana said Jupiter wouldn’t care too much about the coins, but he would be furious if he found out about the bridle. So they were hoping to get it back before he noticed.’

‘Gold is gold,’ Agent J said lightly. ‘He had enough, but wanted more.’

‘Wait,’ Agent O said. ‘There’s more to this. The myths say that whoever possesses the bridle of Pegasus can control the stallion.’ He concentrated on Emily. ‘Paelen wanted Pegasus, didn’t he?’

This was the first Emily had heard of the myth. She shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Diana never said. She just told me they needed to get everything back before her father found out. But now the bridle and coins are lost, there’s no telling what he’ll do.’

‘The bridle isn’t lost,’ Agent O said. ‘We have it here.’

‘You do?’ Emily said. ‘Really? Do you have the coins too?’

Agent O shook his head. ‘No coins, but we had the sandals.’

‘Had?’ Emily said, as she continued to stroke Pegasus.

Agent J nodded. ‘But it seems someone has taken them.’

Emily shrugged. ‘Maybe they flew away. Diana told me the sandals have a mind of their own. Maybe they flew back to Olympus.’

‘Maybe,’ Agent J said, not sounding convinced. ‘Or we could have a thief in our midst. So, tell me, where is Olympus?’

Emily shook her head and answered with the truth. ‘I swear I don’t know.’ She looked down on Pegasus’s closed eyes. ‘Diana told me that Pegasus was her only way home. If he dies, she’s going to be trapped here.’

‘No, that’s not right either,’ Agent O said. ‘The ancient myths said the Gods were always coming to Earth. There was never anything written about Diana riding Pegasus. Whenever she came here, she came of her own power. What has changed?’

‘I don’t know,’ Emily shrugged. ‘Diana doesn’t talk to me much. I don’t think she likes me. She’s really mad at what Joel and I did to Pegasus when we dyed him these colours to keep him hidden from you. She nearly killed us when she saw him.’

‘No wonder she’s mad,’ Agent O said. ‘Look at the mess you’ve made of her cousin.’

‘Pegs is her cousin?’ Emily repeated in genuine surprise.

‘Diana is the daughter of Jupiter, right?’ said Agent O. When Emily nodded, he continued. ‘Well, the myths say that Pegasus came from a union between Medusa and Neptune. As everyone knows, Jupiter and Neptune are brothers. So that would make Pegasus and Diana cousins.’

Emily looked at Pegasus. ‘Medusa and Neptune are his parents?’ she repeated. ‘How is that possible?’

‘You tell us,’ Agent J said. ‘You’re the one who’s claiming they all come from Olympus. You’re the one who’s spent time with them. Surely they must have told you this.’

‘Pegasus can’t talk,’ Emily said. ‘All I know is what Diana told me. And like I said, that hasn’t been a lot. She really hates me because of what we did to Pegs.’

‘From what we’ve seen, Diana hates everyone,’ Agent J finished bitterly. ‘But what did she tell you about the Nirads? Why are they here? And more over, why were they trying to kill you and Pegasus?’

Emily had been dreading this question. What could she tell them that would sound reasonable? Joel was the one who knew the Roman myths, not her. But she knew that if she didn’t say something, they would take her away from Pegasus and she couldn’t let that happen.

‘I was hurt by accident,’ she finally said. ‘The Nirads weren’t after me. They seemed to be after Pegasus. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and this one Nirad got hold of my leg.’

‘But what are they?’ Agent J pressed. ‘Why are they here?’

‘I don’t know,’ Emily answered honestly. ‘Even Diana doesn’t know. All she told me was that for some reason, they were after Pegasus. Probably because he can kill them when no one else can. She said the last time the Olympians had enemies was long ago. There had been a big war with this other race. But I can’t remember their names. Maybe they sent the Nirads here to get Pegasus.’

‘The Olympians were at war with the Titans,’ Agent O offered.

‘Yes, that was the name Diana said,’ Emily quickly agreed. She looked at Agent J. ‘I don’t know why you are asking me all these questions when he,’ she pointed at Agent O, ‘seems to know all the answers.’

‘I studied the myths,’ Agent O responded. ‘That’s very different from knowing the answers to these questions. If Pegasus and the others really are from Olympus, then the old tales may be true. But if that’s the case, where have they been all this time?’

‘Finally a question I can answer,’ Emily said as she offered up another plausible lie. ‘I asked Diana the very same thing. She said that we didn’t need the Olympians any more. So they stayed in Olympus and stopped coming to our world. She said her father says it’s too dangerous with all our new weapons and technology. He’s actually forbidden anyone from coming here, which is why Diana and Pegasus were chasing the thief. They didn’t want him captured and the secret of their existence getting out.’

‘Then it seems they haven’t done a very good job of it, have they?’ Agent J said sarcastically. ‘But that still doesn’t answer the question of the Nirads. If Diana needs the stallion to fly, what means of transportation are the Nirads using?’

Emily paused. That was a good question. How were the Nirads getting to New York?

‘I honestly don’t know,’ she said truthfully. ‘Diana never told me. She said she used Pegasus and the thief used the messenger’s sandals to get here. But she never did say how the Nirads were getting to New York. My dad told me that at the beginning, there were reports of four-armed demons coming out of the sewers. But that still doesn’t explain how they got here or if there are more on the way. I’m really sorry, but I just don’t know.’

Agent O looked at his companion, ‘I think she’s telling the truth,’ he said. ‘She really doesn’t know. We have to get these answers from Diana herself.’

‘That woman is impossible,’ Agent J said, looking furious. ‘We stand a better chance of getting blood from a stone! Nothing works on her. Paelen’s just as bad. Drugs? Torture? Threats? Nothing loosens their tongues. Emily here is our only hope of getting at the truth.’

He concentrated on Emily again. ‘OK, let’s try this again from the top. Tell us once more what happened on the night of the blackout?’

Emily finally settled back in her bed, wrung out and exhausted. She had no idea how long the agents had questioned her, but it had to be for most of the day. They kept repeating the same things over and over again, trying to get her to make a mistake and tell them something more.

With Pegasus lying beside her and Paelen’s warning ringing in her ears, Emily had been careful not to deviate from her story. She was just grateful they’d stopped when they had. She was growing increasingly fatigued and had to concentrate harder to keep all the lies straight in her head.

When the interrogation finished, Emily begged to be allowed to stay with Pegasus. But Agent J denied her request. She could see how much pleasure it gave him to say no.

As they tried to draw her away, Emily felt Pegasus stirring. Lying against his neck throughout the long day, she’d grown aware of his pulse getting steadily stronger beneath her. He was quickly coming back to himself. But as he did, she became frightened that he might try to move against the men. If he did anything, she felt certain Agent J would have him killed so they could dissect him to see how his wings worked.

To warn the stallion, Emily threw herself across his neck and started to wail hysterically that she didn’t want to go. When two orderlies came forward to drag her away, she was able quickly to whisper in the stallion’s ear: ‘Please don’t move, Pegs. I’ll be back.’

Continuing with her hysterics, Emily felt him calming. He wouldn’t move. She was finally pulled away from him, settled in her wheelchair and taken back to her room.

Paelen spent as much of the day as he could in the ductwork outside the room where they held Pegasus. He had marvelled at the stories Emily told the men. The lies equalled anything he could have made up. For a human, she would have made a great thief.

When everyone had left, Paelen quietly entered the room and delivered more sweet food to the stallion. He was amazed at how much better Pegasus was. He knew it had something to do with Emily. Pegasus tried to hide it, but Paelen clearly saw the connection between the stallion and the girl.

After making sure Pegasus had everything he needed, Paelen headed back towards Emily’s room. He arrived moments before everyone else and waited silently in the air vent. Soon he heard the lock code chiming for her door. It was the same as his.

Crouching back further in the duct, he saw the door open.

‘It’s been a long day,’ Agent J said. ‘I want you to rest. Then tomorrow we can take up where we left off.’

As the nurse and orderly lifted her into bed, Emily looked up at Agent J. ‘I don’t understand. I told you everything you asked me. I don’t know anything more.’

‘Now, that’s not entirely true is it, Emily?’ Agent J said suspiciously. ‘I’m sure there are a few bits and pieces you’ve been holding back.’

‘No there’s not,’ Emily insisted. ‘You said I could see Pegasus if I told you the truth. I did. There’s nothing more to tell.’