As Branna and Amy vanished from Jupiter's throne room they reappeared in the forest outside the city in the same instant. A sudden change of scene was not new to Amy whenever she was in the company of Branna, but it still left her feeling momentarily disorientated.
"What now?" asked Amy, as she took hold of her composure.
"Now, we recue my father," Branna replied, in a matter-of-fact tone.
"And what about your sister? Your father can take care of himself, but if your sister gets away, you may never see her again."
"She will have to wait. My father only has a few hours before he dies."
"How do you know that?"
"When I left to search the palace for my father, I had a quick conversation with one of the guards in the dungeons."
"A quick word?" Amy asked, with suspicion.
"I took him for an impromptu flying lesson. When someone is falling thousands of feet, they suddenly become very talkative. He told me where my father is."
"Good. Let's go."
"It's not that easy. I need a little time to recover my magical strength. I am going to steal a horse from the royal stables. By the time I ride to where my father is being held my power will be restored."
"You mean, horses?"
"Can you ride a horse?" asked Branna, accusingly.
"No, but I know a lot of people that do," Amy replied, with a grin.
"Well then; if you know a lot of people that do ride, that practically makes you an expert horsewoman."
Amy groaned.
"I mean to say, I know a lot of people that do, and those people are quite... You know? Dumb."
"Idiots can ride horses. You aren't an idiot; therefore, you should be able to ride a horse with ease? Flawless logic."
"That isn't fair," Amy protested. "I am the wise-cracking, sarcastic one. You stick to your own bit."
Branna smiled, warmly.
"I appreciate your enthusiasm," Branna said, meekly. "This time it really would be better for me to go on my own. I will steal a horse for you as well. If you can figure out how it works, you can ride back to our city and wait for me there. I don't have time to teach you how to ride. My father doesn't have time."
"And if I can't figure out how it works?"
"An inconceivable thought," Branna mocked, with a grin. "But if you can't figure it out you should hide in the forest until I return."
"Well that all sounds like a half-assed way to a beheading."
"Your head is perfectly safe. They need you. These beings do not mess around. If they saw no value in you, then you would already be dead."
"Jupiter needed you, and now he's doing everything that he can to get rid of you," Amy reasoned. "How can you be so certain they won't turn on me?"
"He's trying to control me; there is a difference. He knows what I am and how I can be of use to him. You are something different. Until he can work out your true value, he has to keep you alive."
YOU ARE READING
The Kingdoms of Eden
FantastikBefore the Fall of Man, a group of Heavenly rebels fell. As Man was cast from the Earthly Paradise, the rebels moved in. Eden became their prison, their home, and their last chance for redemption. As the millennia passed, great civilisations rose in...
