The orchard rose ahead—gnarled trees bent under time and weather, bordered by a cracked stone wall. Samantha climbed over without slowing down. Alex followed her, flashlights cutting through the twisted rows. Her heart pounded, louder than the crunch of grass beneath her boots. Something was pulling her forward.
Near the second tree row, she spotted something pale. Her stomach flipped. Rushing forward, she dropped to her knees. Her fingers touched the edge of a huge feather—broad, beautiful, and unmistakably an eagle feather. She stared at it, barely breathing. Then she waved Alex over, a spark reigniting in her chest.
The moment snapped her fully awake. She turned in place, flashlight jerking through branches and bramble, searching high and low. There had to be more—more feathers, a trail, maybe even Pablo himself. Her gaze darted across the trees, hungry for any sign, any shape that didn’t belong.
Alex and Samantha moved quickly through the orchard, weaving between the twisted trees, flashlights sweeping across the ground and branches above. Samantha’s breath came in short bursts, her chest tight with exhaustion and something sharper—hope. Deep down, she felt it. Pablo was close. She couldn’t explain how—she just knew.