‘Go!’ Emily shouted.
She clutched Pegasus’s bridle and wrapped her arms tightly around Paelen as he shouted a string of strange words. Suddenly they were jerked up into the air.
‘Get me to Diana as quickly as possible!’ Paelen ordered.
When Paelen said the sandals could move faster than he could run, Emily had no idea just how fast that could be. She held on for dear life as the sandals darted them forward through the crowds of soldiers in the corridor. When they approached the stairwell, Paelen barely had time to hold out an arm to push the door open before the sandals drove them through.
They flew down the stairs at a terrifying pace, knocking soldiers out of the way as they went. When they reached Diana’s level, the terrifying grunts and roars of Nirads could be heard from above.
‘They’re in the stairwell!’ Emily called into Paelen’s ear.
Paelen cursed. ‘Hold on tighter, I am going to order the sandals to move faster.’
‘Faster?’ Emily shrieked.
In the time it would have taken for Emily to scream in terror, the sandals tore through the stairwell doors on Diana’s level and flew down the corridor, coming to an abrupt stop outside a locked door.
As the area emptied of soldiers heading towards the stairwell, Paelen lowered Emily to the floor. ‘Stay well back, I am going to break it down.’
Standing on her good leg, Emily watched Paelen approach the door. ‘Diana, it is I, Paelen!’ he shouted through the door over the alarms. ‘Get out of your chains if you can. The Nirads are here. We must go!’
He stood away from the door and looked down at the sandals. ‘Lift me up,’ he cried, ‘and break down the door!’
Obeying the order, the sandals lifted Paelen in the air. Then as their tiny wings flapped at a speed too fast to see, Paelen let out a short cry. Emily wasn’t sure whether it was a battle cry, or the sheer terror of flying feet first into a heavily secured door. Whatever it was, it rose well above the screaming alarms as he was carried forward and used as a battering ram to smash down the door like it was made of popsicle sticks.
The door exploded under the impact of Paelen’s body. Emily hopped over to the threshold and peered in. Paelen was lying in an unconscious heap in the corner.
‘Emily!’ Diana cried, tearing away the last of the chains restraining her. ‘I am so pleased to see you!’ She knelt and checked Paelen for serious wounds. ‘Foolish little thief,’ she said gently. ‘There must have been a better way for you to open the door without knocking yourself silly.’
‘There wasn’t time,’ Emily said. ‘The Nirads are in the stairwell. Soldiers are fighting them, but it won’t take them long to get to Pegasus.’
‘Then we must get there first,’ Diana said.
She pulled Paelen into a sitting position and started to lightly slap him across the face. ‘Come Paelen, wake up. Our journey is just beginning.’
Paelen let out a soft moan and slowly opened his eyes. When he saw who was supporting him, he eyes opened wider. ‘Diana!’ he cried in alarm.
‘Do not fear me, little thief,’ Diana said. ‘You have earned my respect. Are you well enough to rise?’
Paelen nodded and shakily climbed to his feet. ‘Nirads!’ he cried. ‘They are here.’
‘Emily has told me,’ Diana nodded. ‘We must get to Pegasus.’
‘And Joel,’ Emily said. ‘We can’t forget about Joel.’
‘Of course not,’ Diana agreed. ‘We will collect Joel first and then get to Pegasus.’ Diana noticed Emily carrying the golden bridle. ‘You have the bridle!’
Emily offered it to Diana, but she shook her head. ‘No, child, you keep hold of it. You may need it if the Nirads reach us.’
Finally recovered, Paelen stepped to the doorway. ‘Joel is being held on this level as well. He is not far from here.’
Diana helped Emily climb back on to Paelen’s back. ‘How is your leg?’ she asked.
‘Not great,’ Emily admitted. ‘But I won’t let it slow us down.’
In a move that surprised Emily, Diana leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek. ‘That is my brave girl. Come now, we must go.’
Breaking down Joel’s door was not quite as dramatic. With both Olympians using their superior strength, the lock could not hold, and before long it shattered and swung open.
Emily was grateful to see that Joel hadn’t been chained. He was standing in the centre of the room waiting for them.
‘You took your time getting back here,’ he complained to Paelen. Then his eyes settled on Emily and he embraced her tightly. ‘I’ve been so worried about you!’
‘Me too!’ Emily agreed, hugging him back. ‘Joel, the Nirads are here. We’ve got to get to Pegs!’
Joel looked at the small group. ‘Where’s your dad?’
Emily fought down the emotions that threatened to bring tears to her eyes. ‘He’s not here. They’ve taken him somewhere else. But I don’t know where.’