Daughter Of Hecate

Chapter 12

   Jason sunk down in a bench and put his face in his hands. "How did he RUN, while CARRYING Piper?"
   "Must have been a monster. Man, those things are nasty, and true to their word," Leo said trying, but failing miserably, to lighten Jason's spirits.
   "Hey, look-," Hazel began, but Leo inturrupted.
   "Hey is for horses."
   "Exactly, look over there, horses," Hazel said as she walked over. When the shop owner turned around, Hazel gasped. I gasped, too, because this man looked exactly like the man that took Piper.
   "What have you done with Piper," Jason demanded with an imploring tone.
   "Scusami? Sei inglese? Oh, right, duh. Are you english?" The man asked in thick Italian.
   "Yes, but I can speak Italian and English. So I guess I'm the interpritator," Nico offered.
   "Thank you, but I understand, well enough," as he said this he eyed Hazel. "Ah, are you - a - horse lover-a?"
   "You could say... What kinds of horses are these?"
   "Arabian, thoroughbred, mustang, shire, gypsy, you name it. We have 'em all in the back."
   "You have more? Could I see?"
   "Um, Hazel remember what happened to Piper," Frank implored.
   But Hazel was in a daze. Mesmerized by the fact that there were many horses in the back.
   "Come now right through here," as he said this, he pulled away a curtain revealing tens and tens of horses. Hazel ran over, right through the curtain and the man fallowed, closing the curtain behind him. When Frank ran over to pull open the curtain, it seemed to have dissappeared. Frank clawed at the place where the doorway was, "come on, Hazel, come up," finally, he let Jason have a try. He pulled out his sword and cut out a doorway. When he looked through, the horses, the man, and Hazel were all gone. All that was left was a brick of gold with terrifying words engraved into it: 'help, man got Piper and me - are after everyone else'.