‘It’s called an elevator,’ Emily said. ‘There’s one at the other end of the corridor.’ She caught hold of the stallion’s mane. ‘We’re almost there, Pegs,’ she said softly.
Pegasus stole a quick glance back to her and nickered softly.
Diana led the group forward. As they ran past the stairwell entrance, Emily noticed that Agents J and O had disappeared. The loud guttural sounds of the Nirads were getting closer. It wouldn’t be long before they reached this level.
‘Run!’ Diana shouted. ‘Get to the elevator before they reach us!’
Everyone charged forward. As they reached the freight elevator, Joel pushed the button. He bounced on his feet impatiently. ‘I hope this thing is still working!’
‘If it is not, we are all in trouble,’ Paelen finished.
Moments before they heard the ping of the elevator’s arrival, the first of the Nirads reached the bottom level. They charged into the corridor and faced the group. With recognition burning in their black eyes, they charged forward furiously.
‘Hurry!’ Joel cried. ‘Please hurry!’
When the freight elevator doors opened, Emily ducked down and Pegasus entered. Joel was right behind them. But when they turned, Diana and Paelen did not follow.
‘Diana, Paelen, come on!’ Emily cried. ‘Hurry before they get here!’
Diana shook her head. ‘No child, I must stay to keep the Nirads from you.’ She looked at Pegasus. ‘You know what is at stake. Do not worry about me. Get the Flame to Olympus!’
Pegasus quivered. He whinnied loudly and pounded the floor with a golden hoof.
‘No, I must stay,’ Diana repeated. ‘Tell my father what has happened. Free Olympus, Pegasus. It is up to you now.’
‘Paelen, Diana, please,’ Emily begged.
Just as the door started to close, Emily saw Paelen give Diana a brutal shove. She lost her balance and fell into the elevator at Pegasus’s feet. As the doors closed, Emily heard Paelen cry: ‘Forgive me!’
31
‘Paelen!’ Emily shouted. Quickly, she turned to Joel. ‘Open the doors! We can’t let the Nirads get him!’
‘No!’ Diana rose to her feet and blocked Joel’s path. ‘Paelen sacrificed himself for us. We must not dishonour him by failing.’
‘But they’ll kill him!’ Emily cried.
‘Yes, they will,’ Diana said grimly. ‘But while they do, he has given us time to escape.’
Emily felt her heart breaking at the thought of those terrible creatures tearing gentle Paelen to pieces. ‘Paelen …’ she whimpered softly as the elevator rose slowly.
When the doors opened, they were met by a terrible sight. Dead and wounded soldiers littered the floor. The sounds of moaning and crying from the injured men added to the horrible sense of loss. Emily couldn’t work out where they were.
It looked like a house; a beautiful, Southern-style house. They emerged in a large lounge. Antique furniture lined the walls and rich, deep carpet covered the floor. Surely this couldn’t still be in the facility?
‘Where are we?’ Joel asked in equal confusion as his eyes scanned the room.
‘Governors Island,’ Emily said. ‘But I didn’t know they had houses like this here.’
‘Come, we must move,’ Diana warned.
They entered a grand entranceway. To the right, an elegant stairway let upwards, while around them, other halls fed into the main area. Everywhere they looked, dead soldiers lay on the fine wooden floors. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the tall ceiling. As Emily looked up at it, she shivered. There was blood splattered on the crystal teardrops.
‘How many Nirads are there?’ Joel asked.
‘Too many,’ Diana said.
Suddenly Agents J and O staggered into the entrance hall.
‘I told you, you aren’t going anywhere,’ Agent J yelled as he raised his weapon. He glared at Diana furiously. ‘Bullets may not stop you, but Emily and the boy are human. Unless you surrender right now, I swear I will kill one of them.’
Emily felt Pegasus tense beneath her. His ears sprang forward as he threw back his head and let out a loud, ferocious shriek. The stallion rose on his hind legs and lunged forward. One golden hoof struck Agent O, leaving a deep horseshoe impression on his chest. The other hoof hit Agent J in the head with a lethal impact.
As both men fell to the ground, Pegasus turned and moved towards the front doors of the house. He reared up and kicked out at the beautiful inlaid wood of the antique doors. They both shattered under the impact of the angry stallion.
Emily was stunned to see they were now on the front porch of a large pillared house. Across the tree-lined street, by the light of the gaslights, she saw other large yellow houses. Their lights on and looking very welcoming.
‘My family went to Atlanta years ago,’ Joel said in hushed surprise. ‘Some of the homes looked just like this. Are you sure we’re on Governors?’