at least I knew with Alek there I'd be able to put out enough energy. My thoughts were interrupted as we dived through the portal and reappeared over clouds, high in the mountains.
'The forest is below us, Cat,' Loushka explained.
'How big is it?'
'We'll swoop over it so you can see, but we can only do a fly over once, without triggering the hoard.'
'Why can you get away with once?'
'Because that's what would happen naturally. If we went over again it'd arouse suspicion, especially as they are sensitive to gifts.'
Right. I shifted in my seat and Alek spoke in my ear.
'You right?'
'The chain mail will take a bit to get used to. How am I meant to sneak in this?'
'Hadn't you noticed? It doesn't make a sound; it was made in the goblin workshops and they always charm the mail to be silent.'
Actually, I hadn't noticed.
'Couldn't they have charmed it to be lighter?' I grumbled.
Alek chuckled, 'We'll have a metal fabricer make some for you. It'll be much more comfortable. And you'll need it when we march South.'
Loushka dropped below the clouds. We fell silent as we stared at the dark stretch of forest below.
'That whole forest is infested?'
Hell, it was enormous.
'Yes. They breed quickly and the villagers have been an excellent source of food.'
Disgust and horror ran through me at Loushka's thought. I stared at the forest as we flew over. The cold, dark energy of the harpies resonated from it.
We landed in a field just beyond the entrance.
'Looks like it'll take us most the day just to get there,' Kassie commented to Rumal.
He nodded as he swung over the saddle and slipped down.
'We'll have to keep a good pace, are you ready?' he opened his hands.
'Yup.'
She shot down Kerak's leg, the chain mail weighting her down.
Rumal laughed.
'Speedy.'
They joined the others and she glanced at Cat.
'So what are you thinking?'
'A firestorm? I'll explode a massive energy ball and you fan it?'
Kassie agreed then turned to Loi.
'You'll be able to hold your energy against that?'
'Of course. How do we burn down just the forest though?'
'Create a firebreak?' suggested Sabyn. 'Turn the dirt over at the outer edge?'
Rumal shook his head, 'They're too sensitive to energy. You can't do it before we attack.'
Loi frowned as she thought it through.
'I guess I'll just have to be really quick at the end. Tomiar, will you be able to get me high enough, quickly enough?'
The griffon glanced at Loi, then at Sabyn, the green-under shade of her mane showing up brighter in the sunlight.
'Remember, as little noise as possible. If you need to talk, keep it at a whisper. If the worst happens and we catch their attention, then Griffs, you need to get us out straight away. Plan B is going to be a pain in the ass though, so I recommend we not screw this up.'
'Thanks Sab, we'll keep that in mind,' I said sarcastically.
The men worked on the griffons' saddles, tying them down and making sure nothing was loose. Then we walked into the forest, each couple behind their griffon.
Loushka tucked her wings in tight and even her claws were retracted, sitting high out of her paws. Just her tail trailed lightly on the ground. No one made a sound as we moved and Loushka kept her mind open so we 'saw' what she saw.
The forest had little undergrowth, for which I was thankful, but the trees were quite low and the griffons had to be mindful of the branches. So far, nothing stood out to show that harpies lived here. You could have easily wandered in and not known.
Then, maybe half an hour later, large gelatinous sacks began to appear, hanging from the branches. They smelled awful and quite obviously contained something as the outlines of limbs were vaguely visible. A thick viscous grey liquid oozed from them, dripping onto the dirt below. I exchanged a look of disgust with Alek and wanted to ask what they were, but didn't want to risk making a sound.
'Loushka, what are those? Egg sacks?'
She hesitated a moment. I felt her commune with Alek before she replied.
'No, those contain the victims they carried off. They will be fed to the young.'
I stopped abruptly and stared at Alek.
'What? Shouldn't we take them back to be properly buried?'
I was horrified at the thought of those creatures feasting on the remains of those poor villagers. Alek frowned at me and held a finger