‘I’m not allowed to see him,’ the nurse replied. ‘They’ve had vets in, though. But from what I’ve heard, it’s not looking too good. I’m afraid the soldiers put a lot of bullets in him. It’s doubtful he’ll survive.’
‘Pegs is going to die?’ Emily cried. She tried to climb from her bed. ‘I’ve got to see him.’
‘Emily, stop,’ the nurse warned, struggling to hold her down. ‘You are not strong enough. You could do more damage to your leg.’
Emily began to panic. ‘You don’t understand. I have to see him. He saved me from the Nirads. I can’t lose him. Not now!’
As Emily fought with the nurse, she didn’t hear the code beeping at the door. Nor did she hear the two men entering her room. All she knew was she needed to get to Pegasus.
Suddenly more arms were holding her down and keeping her from leaving the bed.
‘Let me go!’ Emily howled. ‘I have to go to Pegasus!’
‘Emily, stop!’ Agent J ordered.
‘Leave me alone!’ Emily shrieked. ‘I have to go to him!’
‘All right!’ Agent J shouted as he and the other man overpowered her and pinned her down. ‘All right, if you want to see him so badly, fine. Just stop struggling.’
Emily was panting heavily. She looked up at the agents, her eyes blurred with tears. ‘Please, take me to him.’
‘We will. But with one condition,’ said Agent J. ‘After you’ve seen him, you will answer all our questions. No fighting us, no lying. If you want to see Pegasus, you promise me that you will tell us everything we want to know.’
As Emily stared into his cold eyes, she recalled her conversation with Paelen and how he told her not to hold back but to tell as many lies as she could think of. She nodded. ‘If you take me to him right now, I promise I’ll answer all your questions. But only after I’ve seen him.’
Agent J turned to the second man. ‘Arrange for a wheelchair, Agent O. If Emily wants to see Pegasus, she will.’
A short while later Emily was settled in a wheelchair and being pushed through the halls of the facility. She almost forgot the pain in her leg as fears for Pegasus overwhelmed her senses.
When they reached the elevator, she noted that Agent O had pressed the very last button. They were keeping Pegasus on the bottom floor.
Once there, they travelled down to a room at the end of a long corridor. As Agent J stepped up to the security lock and prepared to press the code, he looked back at Emily. ‘I have your word? You will see the stallion and then answer my questions?’
Saying nothing, Emily nodded.
When Agent J entered the code, he made no attempt to block the key pad. Emily could see each number he pressed and the order in which he pressed them. As the green light flashed and door clicked, she burned the code sequence into her memory.
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?’