they’ll be after, not me,’ she said. ‘We can’t let them get you. You’ve got to go with Joel.’
‘He can understand us?’ Eric asked, looking even more astonished.
Emily nodded. ‘Please Pegasus,’ she begged, ‘go with Joel.’
Once again, the stallion snorted and stubbornly shook his head.
‘Then we all go,’ Joel said, making a decision. ‘But we’ve got to get out of the open and under cover, right now.’
As everyone stood, Pegasus climbed to his feet. When Joel lifted Emily in his arms, the stallion nudged him.
‘It’s all right, Pegasus,’ Joel assured him. ‘She’s coming with us.’
Pegasus nudged him again.
‘I’ve got her,’ Joel insisted.
But Pegasus nudged him a third time. ‘What do you want?’ Joel turned to the stallion.
‘He wants to carry me,’ Emily said as she looked at the way Pegasus was staring at her.
‘How can he?’ Joel said. ‘His wing is broken again and his back end is a mess because of that monster and the glass. He might buck and throw you off.’
Emily saw the promise of protection in Pegasus’s eyes. ‘No he won’t. Please put me on his back.’
Joel grunted and carried Emily over to Pegasus, muttering to himself, ‘I can’t believe I’m being ordered around by a horse!’
This time, Pegasus let the insult slide. He stood quietly while Joel settled Emily on the blanket on his back. Joel then led the group under the cover of the park’s dense trees.
‘Eric?’ Emily asked. ‘If you are a medic, do you think you could set a broken wing?’
‘You mean his?’ Eric indicated Pegasus. ‘Maybe. But would he let me?’
Emily patted the stallion’s strong neck. ‘Would you, Pegasus? That wing needs to be set again. Eric’s better at it than Joel and me.’
When Pegasus didn’t snort or protest, they took that as permission. Emily was taken off his back and stood unsteadily at the stallion’s head while Eric and Joel got to work setting the wing. Tree branches were used as splints and Carol tore up the remaining piece of tablecloth to secure everything in place.
When they finished, Eric put his hands on his hips. ‘I have been trained to do a lot of strange things. But I don’t think the army could ever prepare anyone for that!’
‘Thank you,’ Emily said. ‘I know Pegs appreciates it.’
‘We all do,’ Joel added. ‘Now all we need is a lot of sugar.’
Emily saw Eric’s confusion and explained, ‘Sugar and sweet foods seems to help him heal really quickly. Joel thinks it’s because sugar is close to ambrosia which they eat on Olympus.’
‘We’ve got some chocolate cake with us,’ Carol offered as she held up the picnic hamper. ‘Do you think he’d like that?’
Emily nodded. ‘He liked chocolate ice cream. I bet he’d like the cake as well.’
When Carol pulled the large cake from the hamper, Pegasus immediately smelled the sugar and stepped forward. She barely had time to peel back the cover before the stallion was hungrily munching the cake.
‘That’s a start,’ Joel said. ‘But he’s going to need a lot more than that. This stallion can eat!’
‘Well,’ Eric said. ‘My mother has friends that live around here. There are no shops near the park, everyone orders their food delivered. But we did see a few shops open on 3rd Avenue. I’ll see what I can find.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Carol offered quickly. She turned back to Joel and Emily. ‘You stay here, we’ll be right back.’
As they started to walk away, Joel stepped closer to Emily. ‘Should we trust them? Eric is in the army. What if he calls someone the moment they leave the park?’
‘I don’t know,’ Emily said. ‘But what choice do we have?’
‘I have an idea,’ said Joel.
He ran over to Eric and Carol. Emily heard him offering to go with Eric to help carry back heavy items and ask Carol to stay to keep Emily and Pegasus company. Even from a distance, Emily could see that Carol’s eyes were wide and
‘He can understand us?’ Eric asked, looking even more astonished.
Emily nodded. ‘Please Pegasus,’ she begged, ‘go with Joel.’
Once again, the stallion snorted and stubbornly shook his head.
‘Then we all go,’ Joel said, making a decision. ‘But we’ve got to get out of the open and under cover, right now.’
As everyone stood, Pegasus climbed to his feet. When Joel lifted Emily in his arms, the stallion nudged him.
‘It’s all right, Pegasus,’ Joel assured him. ‘She’s coming with us.’
Pegasus nudged him again.
‘I’ve got her,’ Joel insisted.
But Pegasus nudged him a third time. ‘What do you want?’ Joel turned to the stallion.
‘He wants to carry me,’ Emily said as she looked at the way Pegasus was staring at her.
‘How can he?’ Joel said. ‘His wing is broken again and his back end is a mess because of that monster and the glass. He might buck and throw you off.’
Emily saw the promise of protection in Pegasus’s eyes. ‘No he won’t. Please put me on his back.’
Joel grunted and carried Emily over to Pegasus, muttering to himself, ‘I can’t believe I’m being ordered around by a horse!’
This time, Pegasus let the insult slide. He stood quietly while Joel settled Emily on the blanket on his back. Joel then led the group under the cover of the park’s dense trees.
‘Eric?’ Emily asked. ‘If you are a medic, do you think you could set a broken wing?’
‘You mean his?’ Eric indicated Pegasus. ‘Maybe. But would he let me?’
Emily patted the stallion’s strong neck. ‘Would you, Pegasus? That wing needs to be set again. Eric’s better at it than Joel and me.’
When Pegasus didn’t snort or protest, they took that as permission. Emily was taken off his back and stood unsteadily at the stallion’s head while Eric and Joel got to work setting the wing. Tree branches were used as splints and Carol tore up the remaining piece of tablecloth to secure everything in place.
When they finished, Eric put his hands on his hips. ‘I have been trained to do a lot of strange things. But I don’t think the army could ever prepare anyone for that!’
‘Thank you,’ Emily said. ‘I know Pegs appreciates it.’
‘We all do,’ Joel added. ‘Now all we need is a lot of sugar.’
Emily saw Eric’s confusion and explained, ‘Sugar and sweet foods seems to help him heal really quickly. Joel thinks it’s because sugar is close to ambrosia which they eat on Olympus.’
‘We’ve got some chocolate cake with us,’ Carol offered as she held up the picnic hamper. ‘Do you think he’d like that?’
Emily nodded. ‘He liked chocolate ice cream. I bet he’d like the cake as well.’
When Carol pulled the large cake from the hamper, Pegasus immediately smelled the sugar and stepped forward. She barely had time to peel back the cover before the stallion was hungrily munching the cake.
‘That’s a start,’ Joel said. ‘But he’s going to need a lot more than that. This stallion can eat!’
‘Well,’ Eric said. ‘My mother has friends that live around here. There are no shops near the park, everyone orders their food delivered. But we did see a few shops open on 3rd Avenue. I’ll see what I can find.’
‘I’ll come with you,’ Carol offered quickly. She turned back to Joel and Emily. ‘You stay here, we’ll be right back.’
As they started to walk away, Joel stepped closer to Emily. ‘Should we trust them? Eric is in the army. What if he calls someone the moment they leave the park?’
‘I don’t know,’ Emily said. ‘But what choice do we have?’
‘I have an idea,’ said Joel.
He ran over to Eric and Carol. Emily heard him offering to go with Eric to help carry back heavy items and ask Carol to stay to keep Emily and Pegasus company. Even from a distance, Emily could see that Carol’s eyes were wide and
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