Read Online Pegasus and the Flame by Kate O'Hearn - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kate O'Hearn
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Jupiter’s palace. Poked and prodded and put in a strange device they called the MRI.
When they’d tired of that torture, Paelen had been brought to this room. It had no windows and was without any obvious means of escape except through a single door.
Paelen could smell the earth pressing in behind the white walls. He knew that wherever he was, it was in some kind of strange labyrinth deep beneath the ground.
He wondered if these same people had captured Pegasus. Was the great stallion somewhere in this place with him? Part of Paelen wanted to ask. But another part of him thought better of it. These were not good people. If Pegasus hadn’t been captured, he wasn’t about to alert them to his presence. He owed the stallion that much.
Watching the men as they buzzed around him like bees, Paelen tried to figure out how best to escape. That had always been one of his talents in Olympus. No matter where Jupiter locked him up, he always managed to get away.
But with those heavy white things they called casts on his legs and his obvious broken bones and deep burns, this wasn’t the time to make his move. Instead he would tolerate his captors. Play with them, taunt them, and do his best to learn all their weaknesses.
Only when he was recovered and strong again, would he make his move. He would leave this place of pain and despair. And finally, he would capture Pegasus.
8
Emily picked at her food, unable to eat. The story her father had just told was spinning around in her head. She was convinced that Paelen had something to do with Pegasus. But with the stallion unable to speak, and Paelen now spirited away by the CRU, Emily had no idea how they were connected.
Not long after supper, Emily’s father went to bed for a few hours of rest before his next shift. The moment he shut his bedroom door, Emily dashed back into the kitchen to gather together food and drinks to take up to Joel and Pegasus.
‘You’re not going to believe this.’ Emily arrived breathlessly back on the roof. ‘There’s another Olympian in New York! His name is Paelen and—’
The moment Emily said the name, Pegasus started to shriek and tear furiously at the shed’s floorboards.
‘Pegasus, what is it?’ Emily ran over and stroked the stallion’s quivering muzzle. ‘Do you know Paelen?’
Pegasus snorted angrily, rose on his hind legs and came down brutally on the floorboards. His sharp hooves cut into the wood, tearing up huge splinters.
‘Please, stop,’ Emily cried. ‘You’ve got to calm down. My father’s asleep in the apartment below us. If he hears you, he’ll come up and find you!’
Pegasus stopped tearing at the boards, but shook his head, still snorting and whinnying. Emily looked desperately over to Joel.
‘What do you think is wrong with him?’
‘Easy boy, calm down,’ Joel soothed. He turned to Emily. ‘Seems that Pegasus doesn’t like Paelen, whoever he is.’
‘Is that it?’ she asked the stallion. ‘Don’t you like Paelen?’
Pegasus became still and strangely silent. He looked Emily straight in the eye. In that moment, Emily felt that tight connection to him. Somehow she knew that Paelen was someone who had hurt Pegasus and caused a lot of trouble for him. As she stared into his large dark eyes, strange images suddenly flooded her mind. She saw Pegasus in the dark storm-filled sky with lightning flashing all around him. She felt his determination, his fear – and his urgent need to get somewhere, knowing it was a matter of life and death. Then she saw a boy in the sky beside the stallion. The boy was older than Joel, but not nearly as big. He was flying beside Pegasus and reaching across to the stallion. Then she saw him snatching Pegasus’s golden bridle away. Suddenly there was a bright, blinding flash of lightning and terrible, searing pain—
‘Emily,’ Joel repeated. ‘Emily, what’s wrong?’
Breaking the connection, Emily blinked and staggered on her feet. ‘Joel?’ she said in a
When they’d tired of that torture, Paelen had been brought to this room. It had no windows and was without any obvious means of escape except through a single door.
Paelen could smell the earth pressing in behind the white walls. He knew that wherever he was, it was in some kind of strange labyrinth deep beneath the ground.
He wondered if these same people had captured Pegasus. Was the great stallion somewhere in this place with him? Part of Paelen wanted to ask. But another part of him thought better of it. These were not good people. If Pegasus hadn’t been captured, he wasn’t about to alert them to his presence. He owed the stallion that much.
Watching the men as they buzzed around him like bees, Paelen tried to figure out how best to escape. That had always been one of his talents in Olympus. No matter where Jupiter locked him up, he always managed to get away.
But with those heavy white things they called casts on his legs and his obvious broken bones and deep burns, this wasn’t the time to make his move. Instead he would tolerate his captors. Play with them, taunt them, and do his best to learn all their weaknesses.
Only when he was recovered and strong again, would he make his move. He would leave this place of pain and despair. And finally, he would capture Pegasus.
8
Emily picked at her food, unable to eat. The story her father had just told was spinning around in her head. She was convinced that Paelen had something to do with Pegasus. But with the stallion unable to speak, and Paelen now spirited away by the CRU, Emily had no idea how they were connected.
Not long after supper, Emily’s father went to bed for a few hours of rest before his next shift. The moment he shut his bedroom door, Emily dashed back into the kitchen to gather together food and drinks to take up to Joel and Pegasus.
‘You’re not going to believe this.’ Emily arrived breathlessly back on the roof. ‘There’s another Olympian in New York! His name is Paelen and—’
The moment Emily said the name, Pegasus started to shriek and tear furiously at the shed’s floorboards.
‘Pegasus, what is it?’ Emily ran over and stroked the stallion’s quivering muzzle. ‘Do you know Paelen?’
Pegasus snorted angrily, rose on his hind legs and came down brutally on the floorboards. His sharp hooves cut into the wood, tearing up huge splinters.
‘Please, stop,’ Emily cried. ‘You’ve got to calm down. My father’s asleep in the apartment below us. If he hears you, he’ll come up and find you!’
Pegasus stopped tearing at the boards, but shook his head, still snorting and whinnying. Emily looked desperately over to Joel.
‘What do you think is wrong with him?’
‘Easy boy, calm down,’ Joel soothed. He turned to Emily. ‘Seems that Pegasus doesn’t like Paelen, whoever he is.’
‘Is that it?’ she asked the stallion. ‘Don’t you like Paelen?’
Pegasus became still and strangely silent. He looked Emily straight in the eye. In that moment, Emily felt that tight connection to him. Somehow she knew that Paelen was someone who had hurt Pegasus and caused a lot of trouble for him. As she stared into his large dark eyes, strange images suddenly flooded her mind. She saw Pegasus in the dark storm-filled sky with lightning flashing all around him. She felt his determination, his fear – and his urgent need to get somewhere, knowing it was a matter of life and death. Then she saw a boy in the sky beside the stallion. The boy was older than Joel, but not nearly as big. He was flying beside Pegasus and reaching across to the stallion. Then she saw him snatching Pegasus’s golden bridle away. Suddenly there was a bright, blinding flash of lightning and terrible, searing pain—
‘Emily,’ Joel repeated. ‘Emily, what’s wrong?’
Breaking the connection, Emily blinked and staggered on her feet. ‘Joel?’ she said in a
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