"You fuss so much! Worse than a child," Stephanos chastised. He shoved Jake back down on the couch as the man tried to stand up.
"Ow," Jake grumbled as Stephanos' hand slid across the shoulder blade to the newly reset joint.
"Quit fussing and that doesn't happen."
"Then hurry up. I want to be ready to go when they get back."
"Hrmpf," the old man scoffed. He pulled the chest wrap tight and hooked Jake's right arm over the lower ribs.
"A sling would work, wouldn't it?" Jake insisted, hoping to avoid complete loss of arm use.
"Sling, bah. I was medic in two wars before you reached your daddy's elbow. Don't lecture me on bandaging techniques!" Stephanos scolded. He made his displeasure at the questioning known by giving a few extra tugs on the too tight wrap. Jake flinched at the pressure put on the collar by the yanks.
"Easy…"
"Stop arguing with me."
"Okay."
Ezekiel's eyes fluttered, trying to take in the vast world around them. Eve stayed focused ahead. They had reached the stream easily and picked up their pace looking for the fork.
"Curious, would you do it?" he blurted.
"Do what?" she replied without slowing or even turning to look at him.
"If you were Jake, would you do it? I mean- invincibility… that's a tempting offer."
"No, I wouldn't."
"Really? I can't say I wouldn't be tempted. That would be so cool. I could do anything and never have to worry about getting killed. I would be able to try anything."
"Yeah, I'm sure eternity in jail would be a pleasure," she smirked.
"That's harsh… but I never thought of that. Would certainly give new meaning to life sentence."
"Life wouldn't really have any meaning if it was forever. All of those things you imagine being able to do… if you knew there was no danger in it, would it still have the same thrill?"
He twisted his lip. "Way to suck all the fun out of that dream."
"That's what I'm here for…"
"So if the situation came up, do you think he'd do it?"
Eve stopped dead in her tracks and whirled around to come nose to nose with him before speaking firmly. "I think you know as well as I do what he would do and it is completely out of line for you to question it. Now, if you're done, we have a hind to find and the world to save."
He swallowed. "Yeah, I'm done."
"Good." She turned and continued their trail.
The two came upon the grove within twenty minutes of their discussion. Several hollows and thickets formed in the undergrowth.
"Okay, any idea where to start?" Ezekiel asked.
Eve took a breath and began speaking loudly. "Cyrene… we know you are here. We're friends. I know you don't trust us, we didn't know about Jake's lineage and we're sorry about that. You have every reason to be afraid and protect yourself. We don't blame you one bit for how you handled it."
Ezekiel looked around but didn't see any sign of the hind. He and Eve locked eyes for a moment before she continued speaking.
"Please listen to us. We have come from the Library. I'm not sure if you know what that is, but we came to help you, to warn you. A group of very dangerous people have Eurystheus' dagger. We want to help protect you from them, if you'll let us. I realize you don't trust us, especially since you know one of our group is able to use the dagger- but I can tell you he isn't a threat to you. We came to warn you, and we've done so. The rest is up to you. We won't force you to do anything but I do hope you will let us help you."
"Stephanos trusts you." The meek voice echoed in the grove.
"I think so. We only just met him, but he is tending to our friend. We assure you, he will leave if it makes you feel better."
"I know the Library. It is well known to all of the other world- myths and legends as you would say. As a fawn, I was saved by the Librarian. Stephanos speaks highly of Flynn Carson but he is not with you."
"No, he is detained by assignment elsewhere. We are here with his blessing and in his stead. I know there is no way we could prove that to you."
"You have a good aura, but your companion is a hard read."
Eve glared at Ezekiel. "Say something," she whispered.
"I've done some bad things but she's right, we're here from the Library and we just want to help you," he added.
"You readily admit to flaws. You are honest or a gifted liar," Cyrene's voice was clear behind them. They both turned to see the woman standing between two trees.
"I think the jury's still out on that one," Eve admitted.
"For Stephanos, I will give you the benefit. You do not have the dagger, this I know."
"Thank you."
"What do you ask of me?"
"Unfortunately we don't know what these people plan to do. The one in charge is not capable of using the dagger, but that doesn't mean he isn't a threat. We want to keep you safe, but I'm not sure exactly what that will entail. The Library would be a sanctuary to you if you came with us."
"What of Stephanos, the village? Can you guarantee they would be safe?"
"I don't know how far these people would go."
"I must speak with Stephanos. I will not leave the village to danger without their voice."
"Fair enough."
"How long have you known Stephanos?" Eve inquired as they followed the stream back.
Cyrene sighed. "Since he was born. His family has watched over me for twelve generations."
"Seems odd to think of you needing a guardian after several millennia, especially with an ability like shape shifting. There is no mention in mythology of you being able to do that."
"Yes, as the world has grown smaller- it is harder and harder to remain out of the sight of those who would do me harm. After the incident with Hercules, Artemis realized that speed would not suffice to keep me safe. She secretly granted me the gift of changing my shape to better help me hide from those who would seek to capture me, and allowed me to better communicate with the humans around me. One man saw the change millennia ago and he vowed to keep the secret. Stephanos and his ancestors are the only ones who knew. That secret was passed down as each generation proved worthy of its knowledge. They have given me shelter and love when I need it most."
"Does he have children? Who would you turn to when he dies?"
"No, sadly, Stephanos had a wife and a young son but they were killed in an accident long ago. It was far from here, and he could not get to them in time. In this, we both understood each other's pain and became closer. When he dies, I will once again be alone."
"That's unfortunate." Eve's eyes lowered in sadness.
"It is not the first time, nor will it be the last. It is a curse of my existence."
Eve turned and gave a 'told you so' look to Ezekiel who looked sad himself.
"I'm sure…" Ezekiel began but Cyrene froze in her tracks, sniffing the air. Her breath stopped and her eyes widened.
"What is it?" Eve tensed up.
"Stephanos… smoke." Cyrene blurted and took off through the trees.
"What?" Ezekiel furrowed his brow.
Eve looked up through the treetops. A smoke screen was beginning to waft overhead. She pointed up at it. "Smoke."
"Great," he sighed. They both ran after her.
Despite her speed, Ezekiel and Eve caught up to Cyrene at the edge of the trees. The house was engulfed in flames, causing Cyrene to keep back.
"Oh no," Eve breathed.
"Look," Ezekiel pointed toward some movement about twenty feet from the flower boxes. They ran to find Stephanos coughing and dragging himself from the fire. Each woman grabbed an arm and finished pulling the man to a safe distance.
"Stephanos!" Cyrene cried as she knelt down and cradled his head.
"Cyrene… you…safe," he coughed out each word.
"Where's Jake? We have to get him," Eve insisted. She began to head toward the fire, but Stephanos grabbed her ankle.
"No, they take him," the old man huffed. "Must keep her safe."
"Stephanos, your home. This is all my fault," Cyrene cried.
The old man placed his hand on her cheek. "It is a house, nothing more. I would give everything to keep you safe. You are not to blame for the actions of those who do not understand."
"Well, now what do we do?" Ezekiel frowned.
"I think we can all guess why they wanted Jake. Without knowing where they are, I'm not sure we…" Eve stopped speaking and craned her neck to see around the others.
"What is it?" Ezekiel turned to see what she was locked on.
Eve stood and walked over to a spot along the trail. Several deep impressions shown in the soft ground. "Tire tracks. ATVs, that's how they got here and out so fast."
"Well, we'll never catch up to them on foot."
"No, we can't."
"You can't," Cyrene breathed. She stood and walked to the edge of the trees near the tracks. Her head bowed and eyes closed.
Eve and Ezekiel's jaws slowly dropped as they watched the woman disappear and an eight foot tall deer take her place. Her golden antlers glistened, her bronze hooves shined. Even her coat seemed to lean toward a golden hue.
Cyrene gave a cry into the air. Within moments, a sparrowhawk landed on a branch near her. A silent exchange seemed to take place, ending with Cyrene nodding towards the tracks. The bird bobbed its head and took off into the air. The deer shook her head and the woman returned.
"Wow," Ezekiel stammered.
"He will follow the trail and let us know where your friend has been taken," Cyrene explained.
"Thank you," Eve replied. "Until then, we need to figure out a game plan."
"Time to call Flynn?" Ezekiel scrunched his face.
"No, we don't have that kind of time. We need to figure this out. They have the dagger, Jake can use the dagger. But, that doesn't make any sense because they wouldn't gain anything from him using it so there has to be something else."
"He does not need to use it," Cyrene corrected.
"What?" Eve locked eyes with her. Ezekiel also found himself staring.
"The story was translated poorly. It is a common misconception that only the descendants of Eurystheus can use the dagger. If you understood the original language of the curse, you would understand it more as one with the blood of Eurystheus."
"So anyone can use the dagger as long as they have the blood of Eurystheus in them?"
"Yes."
"Wait, wouldn't that be the same thing?" Ezekiel asked.
"No," Eve rolled her tongue across the roof of her mouth before continuing. "Not if you take it more literal. Not all of the blood has to be Eurystheus…"
Cyrene gave a small nod to indicate she was on the right track.
"I'm still confused," Ezekiel replied.
"All they have to do is take some of Jake's blood and inject it into themselves."
"So why didn't they just kill him here and take some with them?"
"Because they need the blood fresh to inject, and they can't use it until they are ready to strike. Once they inject the blood, they would only have a small window that it would be viable before the body rejects and attempts to flush it out."
"How do you know this?" Ezekiel shook his head.
"You pick up a lot on the front lines."
"So they won't kill him until they are ready to kill her."
"Exactly."
"Well, that's good to know."
"Yeah, so we need to figure out how they plan to do that. They obviously knew more about this than we did. So they have to have a plan to catch her. Any ideas how they could do that?" Eve looked to Cyrene.
"Short of Hercules, no one ever has. I can outrun any creature or vehicle short of a jet," Cyrene answered.
"One of them had, what's the word," Stephanos sighed as he stood up and used his hands to speak. "You know- a gun, but not one that shoots bullets."
"A tranquilizer gun?" Ezekiel suggested.
"YES, that's it. One of them had a tranquilizer gun."
"That explains how they plan to handle that. But we still don't know how they plan to catch up to her in order to use it," Eve insisted.
"We may not know that, but if they plan to knock her out first, it's clear they plan to take her back with them before killing her," Ezekiel offered.
"How does that help?" Stephanos asked.
"Well, we know what they plan to do now, and soon where they'll be."
"And?" Eve beckoned.
"I think I have an idea." Ezekiel turned to Cyrene. "How good is your shape shifting ability?"
Cyrene's head cocked awkwardly.