Anaya dropped lightly to the wood floor, wrinkling her nose at the little puff of dust that curled up around her. The room she was in was quite crowded with crates, all of them covered with a thick film of dust. Cobwebs hung in every corner, making her cringe with disgust.

“And here I thought the mages were supposed to be the more refined among us,” she muttered, lifting the hem of her dress and shaking it lightly to free the leaves and twigs that had clung to her as she ran through the forest.

Anaya crept forward and pressed her ear to the door, listening for any sound of movement on the other side. Judging by the look of this room, she was beginning to suspect that this tower might have been abandoned after the War of the Seven Citadels. But then, that didn't explain where that young mage had disappeared to when he stepped through his portal.

If anything, it might simply be a decoy, meant to keep people like her from finding their way to the true mage tower. However, Anaya had waited far too long for this opportunity to turn around and head back through that haunted forest again. Now that she was inside, she meant to do a little investigating whether they liked it or not.

Hearing no sound or signs of movement on the other side, she pulled the door open carefully, inch by inch, afraid that even the lightest creak might bring down the wrath of a mage upon her.

When she had it open just far enough for her to slip through, she stepped through the doorway and looked around at the interior of the tower. To her right, steps ascended, spiraling along the stone wall, up and up through a long series of twists that seemed to grow tighter as they reached the top of the tower.

Feeling emboldened, she took the first steps quickly, skipping lightly along them and wondering what might be waiting for her at the very top. In all the legends, the best treasures were always held in the highest towers, so it stood to reason that if the ancient artifacts were here, they would be in the uppermost room.

But as she rounded the second spiral, she noticed a strange shimmering door set into the wall.

She paused, inspecting it from a distance. It certainly did not look like the door of the storage room downstairs, nor did it look like it belonged anywhere in this particular tower with its dust and grime caked heavily on every surface. In fact, this door was pristinely polished. It also happened that the door had been left open.

From where she stood on the steps, she could just see the glow of white beaming through the narrow crack. Inside, she could hear a fluttering sound, like the pages of a wizard’s tome being turned, or perhaps like the wings of many small birds rushing about.

Curiosity got the better of her and she made her way up the stairs one by one, pressing her body against the stone wall so as not to be seen by anyone who might be inside.

As she drew close to the door, she felt a swirl of power rush into her, like all of her magic had come back to her at once and then some. She had never felt more powerful in all her life. Now, she was sure she was getting close to her target. The ancient divining rods of Eliera were practically begging her to come inside.

Holding her breath, she lowered herself until she moved snake-like up the final step so that she could just peer through the little gap in the door. To her surprise, she did not see anyone at all in the room. Or, more precisely, she did not see any mages in the room.

What she saw was the glowing form of a woman with broad wings and deep, dark eyes. It turned toward her, its eyes staring straight at her.

A harpy. Anaya had heard of the harpies before. They were in the legends her grandmother had told her.

Letting out a tiny gasp, Anaya slapped her hand over her mouth, pulling back from the door in a hurry.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

What did she know about harpies? They were terrible beings. They were known for luring men into their caves, and then destroying them or devouring them. And how did they do that? With their songs, she remembered suddenly.

But this particular harpy was not singing any song, and so far Anaya did not feel like she was under any kind of a spell. At least, not by the harpy. The divining rod, however, was another matter.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of her, and she leaned back over to take another peek. The harpy fluttered across the room, bouncing off of walls and blustering about.

Anaya scanned the many racks and tables that filled the space. From her perch on the step, she could not see all that the room contained, but she could see enough to be assured that the magical artifact she sought was inside.

There were swords, and a whip, and all manner of other magical artifacts glowing with the same golden light she had seen on the door.

When she looked up next, she was shocked to find that the harpy had fluttered over to the door and was now pressing its eye to the crack just a few inches above her head, watching her with a devious smile on its face.

"Come in, little girl," it crooned. "We have what you've been searching for."

Anaya hesitated, barely managing to hold back a scream at seeing the harpy’s face up close. It was just as devilish and frightening as the stories had said. And yet, the harpy was not trying to put her under a spell. In fact, the harpy seemed to know exactly what she was there for.

There was a sound from upstairs, a shuffling of feet, and Anaya realized that if anyone started to come down, they would likely be able to spot her long before she could get away. In her mind, there was only one choice and she meant to make it count.

She pushed the door open and scrambled inside, drawing it almost closed behind her. Now, having gotten its way, the harpy fluttered about again excitedly.

"Here, little girl. Come see what we have."

It fluttered around behind Anaya and pushed at her back, urging her forward toward the table lined with golden weapons.

Anaya scanned them one by one, recognizing them for what they were. The stories had all been true. Each of these weapons belonged to one of the sentinels who lived before the war. And there, sitting on a plush red pillow with gold fringe, was the missing divining rod.

Elated, Anaya went to it instantly, scooping it up and holding it close to her heart. The harpy cackled maniacally behind her, a sound that should have sent a shiver down Anaya’s spine. Instead, it didn't even begin to reach her as all of her attention focused in on the raw power coursing into her veins.

After a few moments of celebratory exultation, Anaya knew she had to get back out of the tower. If someone was coming from upstairs, she would have to wait until they passed before she could go.

She looked around the room for a hiding place, just in case she needed to wait them out. Her eyes landed on a shimmering suit of armor that stood in one corner on a rack. She recognized the symbol stamped across the breast plate, although she could not place it exactly.

There had been so many stories of the time before the war, and given the amount of destruction that took place, it was not entirely clear who actually won in the end. In fact it was possible that everyone had lost in the War of the Seven Citadels.

Making her way over to the armor rack, Anaya tried to squeeze behind it into the tight corner of the room. The harpy swooped annoyingly overhead now, watching her with interest, and that same devious grin.

"Shoo. Go away, " Anaya tried, afraid that the hideous thing would give away her hiding spot.

The harpies eyes gleamed and it smiled wider, showing the sharpness of its uneven teeth, but it did as she bid and moved away, coming to land atop the red pillow where the divining rod had been. Anaya groaned, knowing that it was still trying to give her away, if indirectly now. It waited, crouching, watching the door of the room intently.

Anaya was sure she could hear the sound of someone moving down the stairwell, but she could not be sure and she did not dare leave her hiding place to go see for herself. Whoever it was, they were probably a powerful mage, or at least a mage in training.

Now, Anaya was feeling emboldened by the power of the divining rod in her hand, but she did not know how to contain or use that power. She had only ever been able to play minor tricks with magic, bending trees or moving stones, but she had never ever had to defend herself.

Well, at least until she had gotten stuck in the forest, but she was not even sure that the spell she had used was correct. It had worked, and she had freed herself, but she did not want to depend on that kind magic to save her if she was in a real showdown with someone who knew what they were doing. Slumping down against the wall, and trying to make herself smaller,she stared at the divining rod in her hands, marveling at the way the light seemed to play across its polished length, shimmering in endless waves. It was as if it had been waiting for her all along.

Just when she was about to believe that no one was coming for her after all, the harpy lifted off from the pillow, flew into a dive, and sent the armor crashing to the ground, cackling wildly.