Chapter 50 - The Fateful Egg

The Companions arranged a ferry flight to the base of the mountain, where they set up their camp. Lydia wanted to keep the camp in the valley to avoid the worst of the cold, the wind, and the effects of the altitude on her team. The ground was too rocky for their tents to drive in their pegs, so they discussed how to keep them up. In the end, they weighed down the tent corners with rocks and trapped the ends of the guy-ropes under boulders.

Lydia went away from the camp to call to the eagles with her mind. There were a few eagles within reach. Seeing with their vision, she searched for firebirds. She realised that, while eagles looked at much of the wildlife in the mountains, they were not looking for larger birds on their nests. If she saw one through an eagle's eyes, it would be by chance. The mandala was not being very specific about locating the token. It was showing the morning side of the mountain, the east, but that was an immense area of land to search.

She considered taking over an eagle's mind and flying it where she chose. That way, she could have conducted a more thorough inspection. But, after calling on the birds for the third token, Oddy had warned her that such an action might require magic. That could expose them to the Watcher's prying eyes. She preferred not to take the risk, at least for now. She would have to keep watching and trust to luck. That would be hard for her team. They would see her sitting apart, appearing to do nothing, and would get bored.

As the sun lowered and the east side of the mountain grew darker, she decided it was time to break off the search for the day. She stood, stiff with having sat for so long, and plodded back to the camp.

"Hey, Lydz," Christie greeted her. "No luck, I guess."

The others looked up. She shook her head.

"Look," said Corben, "this might sound patronising…"

"That means talking down to you," Dean explained with a grin.

Lydia made a dismissive gesture. "Go on, Corben."

"Have you thought about using any other animals than the eagles to do your scouting?"

She sat down between Freddie and Sophie and looked around at the group gathered there. They were concerned and wanting to help, rather than being bored. She did not think that would last.

"What would you suggest?" she asked, trying to sound interested.

"Well, I've noticed there are choughs," Corben said.

"Haha! Chuffs," Freddie laughed.

"C-H-O-U-G-H," Corben scowled, annoyed by the interruptions. "Mountain crows. Red bills and red legs."

"Sorry, Corby," Freddie apologised. "My great-uncle used to say chuff a lot. He wasn't talking about crows."

Freddie looked around at his friends. "Bottoms, he was talking about."

"Yeah, we get it Freddie," Shona said.

"Mind if we continue?" Lydia asked, this time trying hard not to sound tetchy. "Do… mountain crows fly high enough? Quinn said the firebirds nest high in the peaks. Where is he, by the way? Wandering?"

"He is," said Dev. "And yes, mountain crows fly high. I have read that climbers have seen them at altitude on Sagarmatha — Mount Everest."

"Thanks," Lydia said. "That gives me something else to work with."

"The other alternative would be firebirds, I suppose," Sophie ventured.

Lydia smiled a wry smile. "That would be ideal. But I have to see one before I can focus my thoughts on what it's seeing. Unless someone has one in their luggage…"

"Well, we wouldn't, would we?" Oddy said. "We've got rucksacks, so they're full of rooks."

They all groaned at Oddy's joke.

"Hail, Companions!" came a call from behind Lydia.

She looked round. It was Quinn, striding towards the group around the campfire.

"I bring two tranches of momentous tidings for your ears," he said, folding his limbs into a seated position. "The first is that I have been shown the location of a firebird's nest, which I hope I can show you in the morning light."

"How did you find that?" Dean asked. "Have you been chatting with the local goats again?"

"In a sense," Quinn said. "I met a monk, who was collecting the healing mosses which grow in this area. He pointed out to me where he had seen firebirds returning to, day after day. He believes that is a sure sign of a nest."

"That's brilliant, Quinn!" Lydia rejoiced. "Thank you, thank you! What was the other news?"

"Less of a cause for celebration, I fear," he said heavily. "Inclement weather will test us tonight. The monk told me he has seldom felt the portents so strongly, nor over such a broad area. I suspect the Watcher is calling down a storm over the entire mountain range to inconvenience us. We should ensure that our tents are well-weighted with rocks before we retire to our beds. I will, if I may, sleep under canvas tonight, should sleeping be a realistic option."

An hour after dark had fallen, the winds began. The camp fire disappeared in a stream of sparks which shot away on the wind into the night. The Companions sat in the doorways of their respective tents for a while, lit by torchlight. Lydia and Oddy were in the command tent, with the boys' tent to their right and the girls' to their left. The entrances were at the downwind ends, thankfully. They had moved an abundance of rocks inside and onto the guy-ropes in preparation.

Before long, the howling rush of the wind and the flapping of the canvas became too loud for them to talk. They waved to each other and disappeared inside. Unlike the boys and the girls in the other two tents, Lydia and Oddy did not even try to rest. They spoke.

"I'm worried about the Grey Watcher influencing the others," Lydia said. "Xander told me they've all said they were having dreams where the Watcher appeared to them."

"He mentioned that. I've had dreams, too. He hasn't been subtle, he's just said the team's rubbish and you're a child. He says we don't stand a chance. Everyone here's intelligent enough to see through that."

"Maybe he has different tactics with the others," Lydia said.

Oddy waited for her to continue.

"I'm worried about Sophie the most," she confided.

"Sophie says he has given up on her," Oddy said. "Freddie says the same. I think because the three of you are so solid, he knows there's no point trying."

"Sophie's always the first to use magic."

"One reason Sophie's such an asset to the team is because of her speed. It's almost a competition between her and Christie to be first to help. Look how she's whipped out her broom and saved people from falling. She's so quick it's astonishing."

"But I've said not to rush to use magic," Lydia protested.

"And you've also said to use it to save us from death and injury. That's how she has used it. You can't have it both ways, Faye. Bloody perfectionist."

Lydia sighed and smiled at him in the torchlight.

"It's still always Sophie who's first."

"Only because she beats the rest of us to the draw."

"Hmm. Why does she feel the need to make the point she isn't having dreams?"

"Oh, I don't know," said Oddy, shaking his head. "Possibly because we've been asking her and that's her answer? You know how you sound, Faye?"

"Paranoid?"

"Exactly," he said. "It's absolutely natural that a caring person would worry about her team and the influence of that hideous enemy. Don't let that anxiety take over your thoughts. You've got enough to think about, even for a big brain like yours."

"Sophie's not in league with the Grey Watcher and trying to bring us all down, then?"

"There is no reason to believe that she is. All the evidence is that she's caring for the team and trying to take as much of that burden off your shoulders as she can."

"Thanks, Odysseus."

"We should all remain vigilant, of course. The Watcher is a resourceful opponent. He will undermine us and influence us if he can. I don't believe that there are any signs of him doing that successfully, not so far."

They discussed the others. Only Quinn gave them cause for concern, with his habit of nocturnal wandering. But that had brought them benefits, they conceded. In the end, they agreed not to place unquestioning reliance on Quinn, but did not suspect him.

They tried to mull over their theories of what might happen next. Once they had the egg token, they expected to move on to the city of Shakika that Quinn had spoken about. There they would find the Knowledge token. After that, or possibly before they even reached Shakika, there would be another area where they would look for the life token. They imagined the Knowledge token would come first because Quinn had told them Shakika was not far beyond the mountains. After those tokens, Lydia supposed they would hunt for the token of the seventh essence and then… what? Oddy, from his discussions with Ambrose and with Dev, saw it differently. From what he gleaned from Ambrose, the six tokens would "enable" the seventh. Whether this meant the other six would help them locate the seventh was not clear. Yet again, Lydia bemoaned Ambrose's vagueness. Oddy agreed without reservation.

By this time, despite the clamour of the wind and flapping canvas, they felt exhausted and unable to stay awake any longer. Lydia could see that Odysseus was suffering with the chill air. She retrieved their sleeping bags from their rucksacks. She zipped them together to make one large bag. They climbed in, fully clothed. Lydia did not feel any effect from the cold, but her companion, adviser, mentor was numb and his speech was slurring. She felt remorse for having kept him from his rest for so long. They held each other with no thoughts other than of comfort, even survival. They shared their warmth until Odysseus slept. Lydia took longer to find sleep, her responsibilities pinning her to consciousness like a butterfly to a collector's display case.

When Lydia woke, the squalling winds had died down. Light was returning. Freddie sat close by her and Oddy, his sleeping bag wrapped around him like a cloak.

"Hi, Fredster," she said, yawning.

"I hope I'm not spoiling a special moment," he said with a sly look.

Lydia unzipped the sleeping bag enough to sit up. She still had her clothes on, as she pointed out to Freddie.

"I kept Oddy up too late talking," she explained. "I didn't notice the cold, but he was turning blue. So we got in together to warm up. Nothing more than that."

"Never mind," Freddie commiserated. "Anyway, I think the mandala is telling us we need to hurry and get the next token. It keeps flashing the picture of the egg at me."

"Well, today's the day," Lydia said.

She was going to say more, but Oddy stirred and sat up next to her. They smiled at each other. Then Oddy noticed Freddie.

"Good morning, you two," Oddy said, sounding puzzled.

"Hi, Oddy!" Freddie chirped.

"The mandala is getting insistent about us finding the token," Lydia told Oddy.

"That's OK," he said. "With the winds dying down, and Quinn knowing where to look, you should be able to fly up and get it."

"That was what I was just saying when you woke up," Lydia smiled.

Lydia and Sophie were ready before most of the team were out of their sleeping bags. They went with Quinn to the promontory where the monk had shown him the ledge he thought held the firebird's nest. The sun was rising. Wisps of cloud which wreathed the tips of the highest mountains seemed to burst into flame as the first red rays of sunlight hit them. The monk had told Quinn that the firebird would take to the air as the sun's warmth reached its eyrie. The two girls took out their brooms. They waited as the line of sunlight, jagged as the rocks, made its way down the face of the mountain.

"There it is!" Lydia squeaked, pointing.

"Can't see a bloody thing, Lydz," Sophie complained. "Not everyone has eyes like yours."

"Follow me," she ordered, jumping onto her broom.

"Thank you, Quinn!" Lydia called as she and Sophie rose into the thin air.

They raced up the mountain face, skimming over outcrops and glaciers. Lydia kept her gaze focused on the ledge where she had first seen the red bird. Sophie alone noticed how impossibly high they were. Even as they approached the ledge and Lydia's pace slowed, the peak of their mountain was a long way above them. Yet Sophie could see the Anteworld spread out around them like a diorama. She could see behind them the sea they had crossed, where Lydia had done battle with the leviathan. She could see the mountain range, with its dark, shaded valleys and its white and pink crags and peaks on either side. Beyond the mountain, where they could not see, lay the plains and forests and cities that Quinn had told them about. What they might have to battle there, she could not guess.

"Here we are," said Lydia, slowing even more.

They came over the lip of a ledge and looked around.

"There," Sophie said, short of breath.

To their left was a bundle of twigs, stones, and rust-red feathers. They hovered up onto the ledge proper, a stiff breeze buffeting them. Lydia dismounted. Sophie felt safer staying on her broom. Lydia crept towards the nest.

"There's one egg," she turned to say to Sophie.

"Well, grab it and let's go," Sophie urged. "It's bloody freezing up here and that firebird could be swooping in any second."

Lydia lifted the egg. She noted how warm it was. She placed it into her rucksack, slung the bag across her back, and mounted her broom.

"Excellent! Who's taking it to Ambrose? Do we know yet?" Lydia asked.

"Yeah, Corben has been volunteered," Sophie said.

"Corben?" Lydia queried. "But he'll miss Jimmy. They'll cross over."

"I didn't say he was happy about it."

Back at the camp, Lydia's companions gathered around to see the egg. Freddie made Sophie a mug of hot chocolate to warm her.

"Are you ready, Corben?" Lydia asked, holding out the egg.

"Yeah, I think so," he said. "I'll miss Jimmy, but then I'll have to go back at some point, so I'd miss him, anyway."

He cupped his hands, and Lydia lowered the egg into them. Nothing happened.

"Not another fake token," Dean moaned.

"Maybe Corben's not allowed to take it," Christie suggested. "Shona, you try."

Shona stepped up. She hesitated, then held out her cupped hands and took the egg. Again, nothing happened.

"Can I see?" Freddie asked.

Shona passed the egg to him. He looked it over, turning it around in gentle fingers.

"That doesn't look the same as the token the mandala was showing," he noted. "It's pointy, and all mottled. The token egg is rounder and even-coloured."

"I'd better put it back," Lydia said with concern. "And I'll take the mandala to guide me. Unless you want to come with me, Fredster."

"Er, how about a big helping of 'nope'?" he protested. "I saw that frozen thingy you brought back: the Iced Sophie; the Sophcicle."

"I'll come with you, if you like," Dean offered.

"It's all right, Dean," Sophie said. "I'm warm again, and I've put on as many clothes as will fit."

They took off from the camp, going up and around the mountain. Lydia knew where to find the ledge and the nest, even if she had little idea where the token was. All she knew was that the token would be high on the mountain.

The wind was sweeping up the mountain now, rather than across it. The air was milder, though still cold. As they reached the eyrie, Sophie confessed she was feeling much better than she had the previous time. Lydia dismounted and replaced the egg. The firebird was away, hunting for food, they supposed. Lydia sat down on the ledge. She took out the mandala to consult it.

"Anything?" Sophie asked.

"I can feel that tugging sensation," she mused. "I think we need to go higher."

Sophie swore under the cover of the wind noise. Now they had a whole mountain peak to search. It was all right for Lydia, who never got cold or hot.

Lydia mounted, and they set off, climbing ever higher.

"Maybe we should go to the top and work down," Sophie called over the wind.

"You're right!" Lydia replied. "The peak is the only obvious defined point. It might even be there."

"I bloody hope so," Sophie muttered.

It did not take them too long to reach the summit. They found a ridge of snow which rose at each end.

"You check that end," Lydia called, then set off for the other.

There was nothing at Lydia's end of the ridge. Then she heard Sophie whistle. She looked around. Sophie was pointing frantically down at the snow. Lydia joined her.

"Look! Here!" said Sophie. "That must be it."

Nestling in the snow was a nest of twigs and down, cradling a pearlescent egg. It was as Lydia and Freddie had seen it in the mandala.

"The shape and colour look right," said Lydia. "And I can feel the pull of a token."

"Can I get it?" Sophie offered. "I'd be interested to find out if I stay like Freddie or go like the others. You could manage without me, couldn't you?"

"Yes, of course," Lydia said more readily than she had intended.

Sophie dismounted and, still holding on to her broom, stooped to lift the egg with her other hand. The egg slipped and Sophie let go of her broom to use both hands. She juggled it for a second, slipping down the icy snow ridge, fell to her knees and dropped the egg. It skittered away on the ice and over the edge, out of sight.

"What the heck, Sophie? It's gone!"

"Sorry, Lydz," Sophie said, horrified. "We can go and look…"

"It's an egg!" Lydia protested. "There won't be anything left of it to look for. What do we do now? We're supposed to get all the tokens."

"I didn't mean to drop it. It just wriggled…"

"What am I supposed to think, Sophie? You've been the first to use magic every time. Now you drop the token…"

"I was cold! My hands are frozen and I've got gloves on. Like I said, the bloody thing wriggled. It didn't want me to…"

"Oh, so it's the eggs fault now, is it?" Lydia snapped.

"Look, calm down. I know you're stressed. I know it's difficult. But you're not being fair."

"I'm not being fair?" Lydia repeated. "You wanted to pick the egg up. You dropped it. When you say you know how difficult this is, did you consider how much more difficult you've made it?"

"It was an accident!" Sophie protested. "I didn't drop it on purpose."

"Didn't you?"

Sophie stared at Lydia for a moment, then turned her back on her. She scrambled to the top of the icy ridge, grabbed her broom, mounted and flew away.

"Sophie!" Lydia called after her into the wind. She had gone. Lydia fell to her knees in the ice-crusted snow.