The night was hard for Kelly. Cold and hungry, she slunk through backstreets as Citizens’ negative thoughts came at her from every direction, constantly driving her away. She gravitated towards a clear emptiness ahead, where she could sense a reprieve from the discontent.
The Footsteps of Peace Memorial Garden covered several hectares, and was dedicated to displays of plants from all over the world. As an area of light, colour and most importantly space, it was a rarity in the city.
In the darkness, Kelly scaled a wall and dropped down onto soft grass.
She made her way into a grove of trees, found a comfortable patch of earth hidden under some feathery bushes, and was finally able to lie down and sleep.
When Kelly woke the next morning to sunlight and nature, for a moment she felt happy. There was warmth on her cheek and birdsong in her ears. Then she remembered everything that had happened and her eyes moistened. Where’s my mum? she wondered, with an aching heart.
She got up and brushed herself off. It annoyed her to pull up her hood when the light was so comforting, but it covered her horn. She was sure there wouldn’t be many cameras in the garden, but she still had to be careful.
She left the bushes and joined the path, where a group of people looking at a display of exotic trees paid her no attention. Ahead she noticed a building like a giant glass pyramid glinting in the sunshine, with greenery pressed up against the inside of its walls.
It was the Greenhouse – Kelly had been there before with her mother when she was little. The smell of bread wafted through the air, and her stomach rumbled.
She headed to the glass pyramid and found a small snack cart parked outside. Thankfully, there was enough on her cashcard for a couple of bread rolls with butter and jam.
The entrance to the Greenhouse called to her somehow – maybe because memories were as close as Kelly could get to her mother right now. She went through a revolving door designed to keep the birdlife in, and moved onto a wooden walkway above banks of rainforest ferns and trees covered with twisting vines. Orchids and other amazing flowers poked out from everywhere, dappled with moisture sprayed into the air by hidden misters.
An artificial stream burbled its way alongside the path and led to a clearing in the centre of the building, where it fed a large pond populated by waterbirds. Everything smelled green and fresh.
Kelly found a bench in the shade and sat down to eat.
She could almost see herself as a small child running to the water’s edge, and her mother calling to her to be careful. Was Hannah okay? How was Kelly going to save her?
She didn’t know how long she sat, her thoughts swirling around in her head. As other visitors came and went, some smiled at her, and she smiled back at them. There was something about this place. So little of nature remained in the city, yet here it was abundant.
Kelly suddenly felt an approaching presence, crackling with nervousness. It was a man in his sixties, sandy blond hair in curls where his cap pushed it forward over his sweaty brow. Why was he so fraught?
He was coming right towards her.
She tensed, ready to spring, to run, but he just sat down next to her.
‘Hello, Kelly,’ he said. ‘I can’t believe I actually found you.’
I guess I really am mixed up with this prophecy too? he thought. Phew, my poor old knees are tired.
‘What prophecy?’ demanded Kelly, and he glanced at her with mild amusement.
‘Ah,’ he said. ‘So you can hear my thoughts. I wasn’t sure. That’s good. It might help you believe what I’m about to tell you.’
The man spoke for quite a while, telling Kelly things that made her afraid. His name was Stanley Solomon, and he had returned to the Capital with the Collector, who was now looking for her. Then he told her things that sounded ridiculous. The spirits of unicorns, minotaurs and griffins reborn into the world? And she was one of them? Not that she could deny her horn, but did he really believe she was destined to fight the Soul Collector? That she was the Kingdom’s only hope?
Part of her wanted to believe him. She had been sitting here unsure of what to do next. She could tell that he believed what he was saying, and she could not sense any madness about him.
When he finished, he looked into her eyes imploringly. She was dimly aware of a whirring noise in the background, but didn’t pay much attention to it.
‘Suppose I actually believe you,’ she said. ‘I mean … what are we even supposed to do?’
Stanley glanced around. ‘In the short term, get you as far away from the city as possible.’
The whirring grew louder.
‘What about my mother?’ said Kelly.
Stanley frowned. ‘Well …’
A shadow fell over the clearing, and they both looked up. Above the glass roof was the outline of a helicopter.
‘Oh no,’ said Stanley.
Several shapes smashed through the glass, snapping vines and showering greenery around the pond. They descended rapidly, shards of glass tinkling off them. Kelly realised they were KG.
They landed around the clearing, unhooked their ropes, and fanned out.
Kelly leapt to her feet as the waterbirds took off, squawking.
‘Did you betray me?’ she growled at Stanley. ‘Did you lead them here?’
Before he could answer, someone else appeared through the hole in the roof. His leather cloak flapped around him as he floated steadily downwards without a rope, long-fingered hands held out as if to steady him, a grin widening on his face. Even though Kelly had only seen him in pictures and posters, there was no mistaking who he was.
‘Well, well,’ said the Collector, touching down gently in the midst of his guards. ‘Isn’t this a lovely setting for a chat?’
