Sacred Mountain

Chapter 8: The Eagles Fly

'Look up, Poppy! I'm up here!' Daisy willed her sister to turn her face skywards.

It had been months since they'd last seen each other. If she'd been in her human body a tear would have fallen from the sky and dropped on the road by Poppy's feet. But in her eagle form there were no tears, just a painful swelling in the chest.

She was flying in between Karin and Jemima but had dropped back with the effort of trying to attract Poppy's attention.

'Poppy! See me!' Suddenly, as if responding to her sister's silent pleas, Poppy looked up. Daisy's heart jumped for joy as she took in that familiar face, eyes scrunched against the sun, mouth open in puzzlement. She saw Poppy's lips move and her hand raise to point in their direction. Annifer and Petros' faces lifted as well.

And then they were gone.

Left behind as the three eagles continued their journey along the North Road. Daisy blinked her yellow eyes. She knew they were on a mission with no time for sentimental stop-offs. They had to locate the crystal thief and get back to the Wise Women's village before night fell and they'd have to shift back to human. She willed herself to focus on the task ahead, flapped her enormous wings and flew back into line with the other two eagles. Together they rose and fell with the air currents, the road below disappearing behind them until all at once, the clouds cleared up ahead and the sight beyond made Daisy's breath catch in her throat.

Rising up from the darkness of the forest, a lone pinnacle dominated the horizon and Daisy realized that for the first time in her life she was setting eyes on the snow covered peaks of Sacred Mountain. The only mountains she'd seen before had been the tumbling, rocky hills around Skaliff. This was altogether different. It stood alone, magnificent and imposing, drawing the eye towards it. High in the sky, the sun gleamed off its snowy summit like a crown, proclaiming it the king of mountains.

The mountain had long been sacred to the Wise Women because the caves and tunnels beneath it were home to the last of the immortals to live on the continent of Tarth: the dragon. Daisy fixed her eyes on its peak, mesmerised.

Abruptly Jemima broke formation, breaking Daisy's trance. She wheeled in front of them and dived downwards. Daisy banked and set off after her, her eagle vision spotting a dark shape, lying by the side of the road. A shiver ruffled her golden feathers – her healer's instincts telling her that whatever it was, it needed their help. As they drew closer, the shape resolved the body of a giant wolf, lying bleeding and exhausted on the ground below them. The three eagles flew in a circle, each of them knowing that they couldn't spare the time, that they mustn't divert from their mission. But a Wise Woman's training goes deep. It goes against the Code to pass a suffering creature by.

Jemima was the first to crack. She flew down and landed, wings outstretched, on the creature's chest. Karin perched next to her and together they tore at the harness's leather straps with their beaks until it came loose and fell to the ground. As Daisy took up position on the wolf's neck, she registered the same acrid smell she'd picked up in the forest around the wagon tracks. This wolf had been controlled by dark magic.

The three Eagle Wise Women raised their beaks heavenwards and silently intoned the prayer of healing. Daisy had healed from an animal body before. The technique was the same: ignite your heart flame and send the healing energy to the patient through whichever part of your body touches theirs.

They stood perched on the wolf's massive flank and sent white energy coursing through their talons into it. They were more experienced healers than Annifer so the effect was far stronger and within seconds the wolf was glowing with a pulsing white energy, its wounds burning bright white as if lit from within. Suddenly it twitched and rolled onto his front, forcing the birds to take to the wing. The animal stumbled to its feet, gave its coat a good shake and trotted off into the woods.

*****

The eagles continued on their way, following the North Road until they came to the Crossroads where the road split in two. The branch which veered to the right would take you to Loska, the capital of Crosstain and the branch which carried on in the same direction would lead you to Sacred Mountain.

Which fork had the thief taken? The three eagles wheeled around, scouring the ground for anything that might give them a clue. On the third loop, Jemima swooped downwards towards the road that led to Sacred Mountain. There on the roadside was yet another dying giant wolf. The sun was high in the sky now and they were certain they couldn't afford the time or energy it would take to heal this one. A pang shot through Daisy's heart. She said a silent prayer of protection to the Goddess for it and they flew on along the road to Sacred Mountain.

It came on gradually at first. If she hadn't recognized the symptoms, Daisy would have thought she was just tired from all the flying. It felt as if all the strength was being sapped out of her. Her sharp eagle vision started to blur, her breathing became labored and her strong wings started to droop and sag. She had felt this kind of energy-drain once before during her first encounter with a dark wizard.

But knowing the cause did nothing to mitigate the effects.

Eagle Daisy was falling behind the other two now. Panic rose in her gut. Her heart thumped in her chest as she started losing altitude rapidly. Jemima banked in front of her, guiding her friend to a tall oak tree which stood by the side of the road. The tree swam before Daisy's vision. She didn't have the strength to stay airborne any longer. She felt herself falling, losing control, spinning as she dropped earthwards.

Goddess, help me!

Jemima swooped down and rammed her head into Daisy's side, knocking the wind out of her, forcing her in amongst the tree's bare branches. Daisy flailed out with her talons and caught on to a branch. She gripped it tightly with her claws and with a desperate effort of will, pulled herself up into an upright position.

She hunkered down on the branch, gasping for breath. Fluffing her plumage around her, she steadied herself. Her Wise Woman training kicked in. She focused her attention on her heart fire, willing it to burn brighter, coaxing the energy outwards beyond her body. Filaments of white light radiated out from her heart, coalescing around her eagle body to form a protective layer. Centred in her heart, surrounded by a cocoon of light - now she was safe. Now she could breathe again.

Karin was perched beside her on the branch, sharing what little energy she had left with her younger companion. But Daisy sensed the old bird's strength was nearly spent. And they still hadn't found the thief. Jemima wheeled in a circle above their heads, the breeze from her slipstream ruffling their feathers. Daisy understood her unspoken message, Stay here. I'll go on alone.

Daisy's heart twisted painfully in her chest. She didn't want to let her friend go.

But she knew she had no choice.

Thanks for reading 😊

I really appreciate every read, vote and comment ⭐️ 💬

This chapter is dedicated to linahanson Her Cursed Times adventure series and her new In My Attic thriller are well worth a read.

✨🌿⭐️🌺💛🌺⭐️🌿✨