Jul 27, 2026 · 1 hr 2 min · 7 segments
I've got two chapters from *The Alchemist and the Eagle* audiobook for you this week. In Chapter 29, "Hunting Serpents," Ashi discovers her predator power, and in Chapter 30, "Northern Forest," Orobai…
Martin BallHost
Ashi knew it was time to go upon the hillside by the familiar warmth of the Kandara against her breast.
It drew her feathers out of her skin and transformed her vision to that of the profound.
She had come to want it, to wait for it, to let it pull her away into the mystery of the unknown and the as-yet-unseen.
It was the instrument that pulled back the veil and pierced the darkness both within and without, and it was hers.
Though she wanted to see the pulsing jewel at the tip of the knife hilt, she kept it hidden by her breast, waiting until the moment before she would plunge it into the earth to let her eyes actually gaze upon its beauty and power.
It was like keeping a private revelation at her fingertips, something only she could see, and even that was only a token of the deeper secrets within.
She could not explain it, but she knew that the knife truly was just for her and none other, and this knowledge gave her power.
As the knife drove her up the hillside away from the buildings and bustle of devotees coming and going from the outpost, Ashi felt a desire like none she had ever experienced before.
Though the transformation had not yet occurred, the sensation of her bare feet against the stone and earth had been replaced by the distinct sensation of clenching talons, as though the deadly lances of her eagle feet were ready, waiting, urging her up the hill so that she could take flight.
But for what purpose? What reason drove her upwards? It was to hunt, to feel the soft give of flesh and crunch of bone in her fierce talons.
They looked warily at their mistress, keeping a respectful distance rather than pushing in close and competing for her affections as they often did.
They sniffed at the air and sniffed at each other with a sense of anticipation and nervousness, as though their very mistress might suddenly turn on them, or they on each other.
Ashi was too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice the peculiar and telling behavior of the wolves.
Rather, she pushed on up the hillside, driven by the sensation of feathers already emerging from her skin, transforming her into the lightness of a thousand shimmering quills of pure white.
She felt herself raising her arms and throwing back her head as the piercing cry of an eagle emerged from somewhere deep inside her.
Ashi knew it was time to go upon the hillside by the familiar warmth of the Kandara against her breast.
It drew her feathers out of her skin and transformed her vision to that of the profound.
She had come to want it, to wait for it, to let it pull her away into the mystery of the unknown and the as-yet-unseen.
It was the instrument that pulled back the veil and pierced the darkness both within and without, and it was hers.
Though she wanted to see the pulsing jewel at the tip of the knife hilt, she kept it hidden by her breast, waiting until the moment before she would plunge it into the earth to let her eyes actually gaze upon its beauty and power.
It was like keeping a private revelation at her fingertips, something only she could see, and even that was only a token of the deeper secrets within.
She could not explain it, but she knew that the knife truly was just for her and none other, and this knowledge gave her power.
As the knife drove her up the hillside away from the buildings and bustle of devotees coming and going from the outpost, Ashi felt a desire like none she had ever experienced before.
Though the transformation had not yet occurred, the sensation of her bare feet against the stone and earth had been replaced by the distinct sensation of clenching talons, as though the deadly lances of her eagle feet were ready, waiting, urging her up the hill so that she could take flight.
But for what purpose? What reason drove her upwards? It was to hunt, to feel the soft give of flesh and crunch of bone in her fierce talons.
They looked warily at their mistress, keeping a respectful distance rather than pushing in close and competing for her affections as they often did.
They sniffed at the air and sniffed at each other with a sense of anticipation and nervousness, as though their very mistress might suddenly turn on them, or they on each other.
Ashi was too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice the peculiar and telling behavior of the wolves.
Rather, she pushed on up the hillside, driven by the sensation of feathers already emerging from her skin, transforming her into the lightness of a thousand shimmering quills of pure white.
She felt herself raising her arms and throwing back her head as the piercing cry of an eagle emerged from somewhere deep inside her.
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