Chapter 9: The Eagle Has Landed
Ashley panics at the impending magical war and collaborates with the animals. But did she betray Selene? You've got one week to vote on what comes next!
Plot Twist: A Collaborative Novel is an interactive book project where you get to help decide what the characters say and do next. Check out the introduction to Plot Twist: A Collaborative Novel for all the juicy details on how this works.* And be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a step on this fun adventure.
Welcome back to Plot Twist!
We got the most votes ever this week, so we’re sticking to the every other week model for now to allow people time to read, vote, and comment. I hope this helps you engage more with the process and come up with fun ideas for our characters.
Speaking of votes, you all decided that we’re going to work more with animals! I think we’ll also try to get the gathering of weapons and coven council involved too, just to satisfy those of you that voted for that.
A reminder that anyone can vote, so please join in the fun and help us decide what happens next in Plot Twist! The poll is at the end of the chapter.
Ready to read then vote?
Let’s dive in!
Chapter 9: The Eagle Has Landed
War.
Ashley sat with that word, the bitterness of it harsh on her tongue.
War.
Selene and Willem did not seem as petrified as she was at the prospect. Maybe because they could feel it coming, had felt it coming for awhile, in a way she couldn’t. Maybe it was because they’d been preparing their whole lives for this, the Coven Council always warning that war was on their doorsteps, invading at any minute. Or maybe because their power and privilege would spare them in a way it wouldn’t others less powerful; others like her.
Whatever it was, the two royals sat there talking about the best dinner options in town while Ashley stood in the corner staring into the eyes of a taxidermy wildcat, wondering what her end would look like.
It’s not like she hadn’t known the wards were falling, she’d been the briefings for the past five years, she just didn’t think she’d be on the frontlines when it happened. She’d worked hard for over a decade to get close enough to the inner circle that she’d be safe behind the Palace walls when it happened.
But instead, she was holed up in a hellish cabin in a humdrum mountain town where her boss, best friend, and secret love of her life happened to have lived with her ex-fiancé.
Ashley needed to flee.
“I’m going outside for air,” she said, waving off Selene’s offer to join her for companionship and protection.
Once outside, Ashley took deep gulps of the fresh air, the altitude making her breath take too long to catch. In and out. In and out. In and out.
She walked to the edge of the estate and looked out over the valley below, the sacred Tahquitz mountain pulsing with an energy even a level one like her could feel. Ashley was surprised there weren’t more wizards in these mountains, with that much power so easy to tap into. No wonder the wards were falling faster here, the magic must be melding with the mountains.
Ashley heard a noise in the bushes and startled when she saw a deer, a squirrel, and a rabbit, all staring back at her, an eagle perched on the branch above them. The eagle cawed, and Ashley grabbed the crystal around her neck, tapping into the magic reserve to translate what it was saying.
“Does the Queen really plan to feed the crows crystals?” the majestic bird asked.
“War is coming,” Ashley replied in her best eagle tones.
“War is here,” the eagle replied. “But that does not mean you need to resort to the crows.”
Ashley had read that eagles liked being talked to with reverence and she tried her best to show it as she spoke. “What else would you suggest, oh wise one?”
The eagle cocked its head at her and Ashley wondered if she had overdone it, until it started clicking its beak and the other animals respond in time, the group speaking to each other in sounds Ashley could not comprehend.
“It is agreed,” the eagle declared, “I will go and warn Her Majesty.”
“She knows,” Ashley said.
“About the wards, yes. But she doesn’t know about the child.”
“What does that kid have to do with it?” Ashley wondered.
“Everything,” the eagle replied.
Ashley had so many questions, but her crystal was fading fast and she only had time for one more. “How long have you known?”
The eagle looked around at his companions, clicking his beak again, as if confirming.
“Since her birth,” the eagle said, before flying off into the Valley and west towards the setting sun.
The child. Since birth. Known what?
Ashley tried to reach out to the other animals, to call the doves, or quail, or even the crows, but her magic was drained and time up.
That child was a key component to this, just how?
Nervous that she’d attract attention for being gone so long, Ashley hurried back into the house, where Selene and Willem were gathered by the door, putting on their jackets.
“We thought we could head out to grab a bite,” Selene said, like the whole world wasn’t falling down around them.
“Sure,” Ashley replied, nerves making her voice crack.
“You okay?” Selene asked.
“Of course,” Ashley said.
Selene studied her for a bit, and then grabbed the car keys from the table and handed them to Willem. “Oh and one last thing,” she said, handing the keys to Willem, “Not a word to my mother.”
“Absolutely not,” Willem said. “That would be disastrous.”
Ashley was silent for a beat too long, causing Selene and Willem to turn their gazes to her. “Oh yes, of course. I promise I will say nothing to Her Majesty.”
Selene nodded and the three of them headed out into the cold dusk night.
Now it’s your turn!
For the next week, voting is open in the poll and comments are ready for your input! This is a collaborative effort, so the more you participate, the better the experience for everyone – and the more fun you have. Your voting and comments directly change the story!
Here are some other questions to get you started talking in the comments:
What did you love? Where were you excited? What do you want to see more of?
What didn’t resonate? What do you want to see less of? Where were you confused?
What predictions do you have for the characters? Where do you want to see the story going? What ideas did this spark in you?
Vote in the poll and comment below to help direct where the story goes next!
*PLEASE READ THE FINE PRINT BEFORE YOU COMMENT OR VOTE:
By participating in Plot Twist, you’re agreeing to give your input on a book that will be written by and credited to Lauren Marie Fleming. The final book will be available in ebook, print, audiobook, and other mediums with Lauren Marie Fleming listed as the sole author, copyright owner, and beneficiary. This project will be mentioned in the acknowledgments and anyone who comments on at least three posts will be listed as a collaborator. No compensation or copyright is granted for collaborators from any book sales or derivatives.