WITCH - The Queen

Chapter 69

Julia

Julia woke up early because a cheeky blade of grass tickled her nose. The rest of her group was still asleep. Tired, she got out of her bed and left the tent. She looked at the river. Julia would have liked to bathe in it, but it was too cold for her. Autumn was here. None of this had been noticeable in the desert. And... One of the many harpies had warned her about the kelpies.

Julia didn't want to wake up her friends. They had all stayed up late. Harpies knew how to celebrate properly. And they were very persistent. At some point, they had asked for a demonstration of Julia's magic. She used the flames of the fire to paint animals in the air. The harpies loved it.

How many would accompany her?

She hadn't talked to Jane about all the details yet, but one thing was certain: the harpies were ready. In a way, the harpies were just like the dragons. They seemed dangerous, and they were. But Julia didn't feel like she had to be afraid of them. Or should she? This was different from the dragons.

Dragons.

Julia smiled. As a child, she would have called anyone crazy who wanted to make friends with a dragon. And now? Now dragons were her friends. Her family. So much had changed. And the changes didn't stop there.

"Julia!" Someone shouted from high above. Julia looked up at the sky. The first things she saw were dark wings and the blinding sun. In the bright light of the sun, she could not see who was flying toward her. Then, Jane landed elegantly next to her. The harpy shook her gray wings and grinned.

"Already awake?", she asked. Deep shadows adorned her eyes. "And I was afraid I'd have to throw you out of bed."

"No, thanks. I'm awake", Julia replied. "But the others are still sleeping."

"I'm not surprised." She brushed a cheeky gray strand of hair from her face. "I thought we could go to the statue of the first together. And meditate there?"

"Meditate?"

"Yes. Talking to Iris. Ask her for advice?" Jane pointed to one of the high mountains. "Her statue stands up there. It is very quiet there. Just right to travel to her. You've been there before, so I think you should succeed. And... It is a tradition to talk to our ancestor before a big event."

"In that case, it would be an honor to come along. But how do I get there?", asked Julia. Should she wake Leopold? Josefine? Or...

"That won't be a problem", Jane replied. "If..."

"I'm carrying you..." Yawning, Leopold shuffled out of the tent. "Unless I'm not allowed to go with you?" He looked uncertainly at Jane.

"No, no. You can come along. I could carry Julia, too, but maybe it's better this way", she said quickly. "I'll show you the way."

Julia liked to be carried by Leopold. Safely in his arms, she followed Jane. The harpy flew slowly so that Leopold could follow her. Elves could fly fast, but they couldn't match the speed of dragons and harpies. Something that Leopold was quite annoyed about, but which he was reluctant to admit.

Once again, Julia enjoyed the sight of nature from the air. It was all beautiful. The treetops shone in yellow, gold, and orange in the sunlight. She saw other harpies gliding through the air and heard the laughter of their winged children.

Finally, they arrived at the top of the mountain. It was like a big platform. Here, the air was very cool. Shivering, Julia pressed herself closer to Leopold, who landed next to Jane. They stood in front of the large statue of a beautiful woman with large wings. Iris.

"That's the First?", asked Leopold curiously. "Why 'the First'?"

"She was the first harpy", Jane answered. "She created us. Through magic. Without her, we wouldn't exist."