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 commanded 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.’