Achil & The Rise Of The Mandrake

by David Papa-Adams

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  That night as the stars shone out, with a crescent moon hanging over the city, a shadow stood upon the highest turret of Findolin, a man strapped a small message to the leg of a proud looking bird.

  The great Krakon, that mighty majestic eagle stretched out first one wing and then the other as if checking to make sure that everything was in order for the long journey ahead. Once the message was fixed, and gracefully for a bird of such an immense size, it stretched out its massive wings and let itself fall into the cool night air. Its huge wings moved to a soundless beat carefully lifting itself to a great height. It started to circle higher and higher caught up in unseen eddies and air currents. It soared high above any prying eyes, until finally the Great Eagle disappeared beyond the vision of its keeper.

  A solitary figure silhouetted in the night, stood staring until he could see the Krakon no more, and with a deep sigh turned and disappeared down the long stare and out into the city.

  The Krakon, the swiftest of all the eagles of Suberia, it gracefully flew over the encampment of the Mandrake. Below it could see a thousand lights, as though the very stars of heaven had fallen to earth, there were great siege towers being constructed. From such a height the people seemed like nothing more than ants milling around the plateau as though it were some mighty ant hill, but they were all moving with a single purpose in mind, to conquer and destroy their enemy.