32.
Castor called Emily on the morning of Guy Fawkes Day, the 5th November.
‘Fireworks Day,’ he said. ‘Petra has arrived.’
Finishing her cup of tea in one gulp, Emily teleported up to the moon. Zeus was already there. On the screen was a map of North Africa and Europe showing Petra’s track over the past fourteen months. She’d covered thousands of miles, mostly cross country and on foot, with Theo leading her on a route that criss-crossed the map ending up in Porto Fino, Italy. On screen, Petra was climbing up the steps that led from Porto Fino to Ariella’s headquarters in Brown’s Castle.
‘What a beautiful place,’ said Emily, looking at the little inlet surrounded by green, pine-clad hills. On one side, tucked in against the hill, was Porto Fino with its tall skinny buildings, plastered in weathered yellow, orange and red. Yachts and fishing boats tugged lazily at their moorings in the slight swell that swept past the lighthouse and into the bay. Castillo Brown sat on a hilltop with a commanding view over the town, down the coast to Cinqua Terra and out to sea.
‘It’s not called Porto Fino for nothing,’ said Zeus. Putting his head in his hands, he added, ‘Petra doesn’t realise what she is up against. In her innocence and naivety she thinks she can change Ariella. Theo thinks she’s ready, so let’s see what happens.’
‘But she has the power of The Book,’ said Emily.
‘She doesn’t have the power of The Book, she just has The Book. She thinks she’s invincible. The Book has simply given her passion, but she has passion of her own. She could have thrown that book away months ago for all the help it gives her.’
‘Will you step in?’
‘No, I got her started on this journey. That’s enough.’
After seeing all the police and soldiers mobilised around Europe, Emily was surprised by the lack of security here at Ariella’s headquarters.
A few elderly people looked up from their gardening to wish Petra Buonagiorna as she walked along the track. Spot chased cats, but was more bark than bite and they jumped up on walls and glared down at him.
Reaching the gate to the Castle, Petra pointed to an enamelled tile set in the ivy.
‘Attenti al cane,’ she said. ‘Look out spot!’
The heavy gate was ajar; Petra pushed it open and followed the cobbled path up a series of steps and terraces shaded by umbrella pines. Reaching the door, Petra put an arrow in her bow and drawing it halfway back, cautiously climbed the narrow stairway to the castle. It was suspiciously quiet. Petra pulled her arrow right back and glancing to the left, the right and behind she moved stealthily through a large room, grumpy old men glaring down at her angrily from the paintings on the walls. The room led to a larger one, morning sunlight glancing in through tall windows and painting golden rectangles on the floor. Traversing the room, Petra went out through a large doorway and into the garden. Gravel crunched under her bare feet as she crossed to the middle of the courtyard. Surrounded by flowerbeds, shrubs and tall umbrella pines and with the shimmering sea and blue hills in the distance it was a stunningly beautiful place. Apart from a quirky sculpture of a mermaid, there was no sign of life, just Ariella’s flag flapping lazily in the breeze and the gentle swoosh of wind in the pines.
‘Petra, my darling daughter,’ said Ariella, stepping out from behind some shrubs. ‘How good of you to come.’
Wearing a low-cut black dress revealing tanned and freckled shoulders, Ariella was a truly striking woman. Her face was strong yet beautiful; her long black hair gleamed in the sunlight.
‘Oh Cupid, put your bow and arrow down and come and give Mum a hug,’ she said, her voice all sweetness and love.
Petra eased the tension on the arrow, and folding the bow, put it away in the quiver slung across her back.
She looked at her mother, apparently mesmerised by her beauty and walked towards her, opening her arms to give her a hug.
Twack!
Ariella moved like lightning, slapping Petra across the face and sending her sprawling to the ground.
‘Ooooh!’ gasped Emily.
Reaching down and grabbing the spiral necklace that hung around Petra’s neck and giving it a quick jerk to break the string, she said menacingly, ‘You’ve bought me The Book and the key as well. Thank you my dear, you’ve served your purpose well.’
A couple of guards appeared and jerked Petra’s hands roughly around behind her back, cable tying her wrists together before sitting her up against the scaly trunk of a pine tree. Tears ran down Petra’s cheeks, mixing with the blood that flowed from her nose and lips.
Holding The Book and key triumphantly, Ariella said in a sweet voice, ‘So my dear, did you decipher the code, did you read the hieroglyphics? Do you know that the true power of The Book that can be unlocked with this key?’
Petra looked blankly at her mother.
‘No you don’t! Well, let me tell you. If the holder of The Book commits a truly good or bad deed, then a secret compartment in The Book can be opened and the key inserted. With the key in place, its full power is unlocked; power enough to rule the world, power to defeat all challengers and crush all enemies.
‘So my goody two shoes daughter,’ she continued with a snarl. ‘All I have to do is kill you, insert the key and the power is mine. Look out world, here I come!’
Rat, tat, tat, tat.
A burst of gunfire made Ariella start. With a flurry of wings, a flock of pigeons took off from the umbrella pine over head, sending needles raining down on her and Petra.
‘Oh! What was that, gunfire?" said Ariella, breaking in to a smile. ‘Mario and Jasmina are coming to your rescue.’
Explosions rattled the windows of the castle.
‘Let me see how far they get. If they are quick enough, they can watch helplessly as you die,’ said Ariella, sounding positively gleeful as she pulled a jewelled dagger from her dress.
Woof, woof!
Spot ran at Ariella, getting a grip on her dress and pulling. With a quick thrust of the dagger, she stabbed him and kicked him away.
Swoosh!
Theo dived, claws outstretched. Ariella casually waved a hand at him, knocking him flying in a cloud of feathers. Brian, who has been silently stalking up behind her, pounced. Spinning to her left, Ariella twisted around and ducked low. A bolt of lightning shot from her hand and hit Brian in mid-pounce, sending his broken body tumbling over the wall.
Zeus gasped.
‘Ha, ha, ha,’ chortled Ariella, as Petra’s look turned to horror. ‘I’m Ariella, daughter of Hades and Zsussana.’
Rat, tat-tat!
‘Here comes our heroes,’ said Ariella, putting her dagger away. ‘I picked them because they’re the best. What I misjudged about them is their human weakness. They’ve come to rescue you because they love you. Isn’t it pathetic?’
In a blur of combat clothing and weaponry, Mario and Jasmina dove through the doors and rolled into the courtyard, firing as they went. Ariella’s guards crumpled to the ground and Mario and Jasmina stopped a few metres from Ariella, guns at the ready.
Ka-boom! Rat, tat-tat, ka-boom!
Mario’s men came up over the walls and surrounded Ariella.
‘Mario, Jasmina, so good to see you! Welcome to my party!’ said Ariella. ‘Come to see your darling daughter die?’
With a sweep of her hand she flung them back across the courtyard. As they struggled to their feet, another wave of her hand froze them in mid stride and a wall of fire sprung up, surrounding her and Petra.
‘Zeus, you must do something!’ yelled Emily.
‘No, we must give her a chance,’ he replied.
‘Now you die!’ snarled Ariella, unsheathing her dagger.
Molly chewed on the ties around Petra’s wrists while melting them with her fiery breath. Petra flinched and bit her lip as Ariella stepped towards her, dagger raised, ready to strike.
With a final flick of a razor sharp claw the ties were cut. Molly sprung at Ariella’s face, a little black ball of claw
s and fire, clawing at her eyes.
In a flash, Petra’s bow was out and as Ariella shook Molly free, she glanced up to see the arrow coming straight towards her.
Her expression turned to horror as the arrow struck home, right between her eyes. She staggered and dissolved into dust, her black dress falling limply to the ground.
Molly jumped on Spot, breathing fire on his wound and licking it with her sandpaper tongue.
The ring of fire flickered and burned out. Mario, Jasmina and the men were freed.
Petra rose to her feet, picked the arrow off the ground, and put it back in her quiver.
She flicked Ariella’s black dress out of the way and picked up The Book and its spiral bone key.
Looking at Molly, she said, ‘Well Molly, do you think we did a good deed?’
Molly snarled and breathed fire at her.
Opening The Book, Petra carefully placed the key into the spiral cut-out, and shut it firmly.
Castor’s screen went blank.
‘We can’t watch when the key’s in,’ said Castor.
‘Well, I never,’ said Zeus. ‘She was Hades daughter...and Petra defeated her!’
Although she couldn’t see Petra anymore, Emily kept a close eye on Europe. A new president was elected, the citizens’ freedoms were quickly restored and in no time Europe returned to its usual state of disharmony.
European troops were quietly withdrawn from the Balkans and the grateful Croatian people gifted the little island of Mulo to Mario and Jasmina, and assisted in rebuilding the lighthouse and walls. Petra disappeared, becoming nothing but an unlikely heroine in urban legend.