There was only so long they would hold off their attack for. I looked up to see two harpies locked in combat and slightly separated from the group. We had no way of telling exactly was going on up there. Perhaps the one in charge of the group had given the order to begin the attack while they kept Enna at bay.

Whatever was going on, two of the group swooped down at us. This was exactly what I had been waiting for. I had no idea what the range of the skill was, I waited as they dived at us. I really wished I had tested it out beforehand. I held my hand out and pointed it directly up in the air trying to hold my nerve. Then as they were close enough for me to make them out, I fired off “Interrogate” and the two harpies that were almost on us pulled up.

As I watched them climb back into the air, I had no idea if it had worked. Before long I lost sight of them in the night sky. I couldn’t tell which blur flying about was them or one of the others. I didn’t have long to guess, because the next thing I saw was two more shapes diving at us. I repeated the same procedure from the last time. I waited until the last moment and released the skill. These two flew straight back into the sky.

“Has it worked?” Altria asked from my side.

“I’m not sure. I can’t tell if they were the same ones as last time.”

“They weren’t.”

“Well, no one seems to be attacking now… Can you tell how many were in their group?”

“I could make out five…”  

“So, if it did work only the one that’s tackling Enna is left to go.”

“Maybe I could hit her if I got a clean shot.”

“Just give me a minute…” I paused then seeing nothing for it I shouted “Enna!” At the top of my lungs.

One of the dark shapes in the sky, dove towards us, a moment later it was followed by another. I wasn’t sure if Enna had heard my cry and was heading for us, or not. I braced ready to use the skill one more time. I still couldn’t tell if it was Enna as the shape drew closer. It was only as she slowed to land that I could make out her features. The second harpy was right behind her. I barely had enough time to aim and fire “interrogate” before she swooped on Enna. As the skill activated, she opened her wings and gained altitude, joining the rest of her group in the sky above us.

I turned to where Enna had landed and shouted. “Enna! Are you hurt?”  

It was hard to tell in this light.

She closed her wings and walked to join us. “I’m okay, just a couple of scratches.”

As she reached us, Liz stepped out and begun to heal her injuries. While she worked five shapes from above us slowly circled above, steadily making their way down to earth.

Altria drew her bow. “Now’s our chance!”

I grabbed her arm. “No, not now. Let’s wait and see what they’re doing. I don’t think we have to fight them anymore.” I turned to Serin. “What do you think?”

She looked up and then back to us. “I think you’re right. Let’s at least see what they’re going to do next. There’s no need for us to fight them if they’re no longer our enemies.”

Altria lowered her bow.

The five harpies slowly descended, eventually landing on the plain a short distance from where our group was waiting.

One of their group stepped forward and called out. “We’d like to talk to Theo.”

I couldn’t recognise her in the dark, but he had heard that voice before. “Ceraphine?”

She looked across to where I was standing. “Yes. So, it was you!”

Having been healed by Liz, Enna got back to her feet and walked in between our two groups. “What are you planning to do now Ceraphine?”

Ceraphine walked closer, she didn’t look to be harbouring any hostility. She looked over her captain, former captain and then turned back to face me. “You did do something to her, not just her. All of us!”

“I didn’t have a choice. I needed to escape and I’m not going to let my friends be caught here!”

Ceraphine shrugged. “For some reason, I’m not mad. It seems none of us have the will to fight you or your friends… I think we’d hate it if you got hurt in the middle.” She walked up right next to Enna. “I don’t know, what do we do now captain?”

Enna glanced back to us, then back to Ceraphine. “You need to let these people flee.”

“We will, but isn’t there anything we could do to help? You must know it isn’t just the harpies that are on the lookout for this group. Whatever happened on the mountain caused quite a stir!”

Enna’s voice caught in her throat for a second. That had taken her by surprise. “You want to help us?”

Ceraphine looked back to her group. They were nodding in agreement. “We do!”

Enna cracked a smile. She turned to me. “Can they?”

I was already nodding, but it wasn’t my decision to make. “It’s fine with me, but the others will have to agree with it first.”

The rest of our party gathered around, there were going to be reservations about suddenly taking the help of the harpies that had been after us only a moment before. But the group had become a little used to the skill I had used.

Serin put her hand on my shoulder. “I was already worried we wouldn’t make it across the plain in time, this could be just what we needed.”

Beth sheathed her sword. “Are you suggesting that we let them carry us?

“Yes.” Serin turned to Ceraphine. “Would that be possible?”

Ceraphine relaxed a little, she looked relieved. “I was going to suggest as much myself, but I feared that you wouldn’t trust us. Not after everything that’s happened.”

“You’d be right, normally. To be honest the idea is a little worrying, but after everything that has happened, I trust Theo’s abilities. You won’t harm us.”

“We won’t! We should hurry. The plain won’t be safe for much longer. There will be groups here on foot soon… You’re lucky, the chances of you crossing the plain like that were next to zero.”

It was a strange situation. To be honest, I was even a little worried myself. It would be easy for them to drop us from a great height and that would be the end of us.

Serin turned to me. “I think it’s best if one of the new girls carry you though.”

She was probably right.

I could tell just by looking at our group, that no one had complete faith in this idea. Still, no one spoke up against it and we were soon gathering up for the airlift. We each paired up with one of the harpies. Ceraphine had insisted that she be the one that carried me.

As we had all paired off, she asked. “Where are we taking you?”

I remembered what Serin had told me. “To the edge of the plain. The foot of the mountains. Can you carry us that far?”

Ceraphine smiled. “We can. Don’t worry we’ll get you there before the night is over!”

“Great.”

Ceraphine turned to Enna. “You should give the order, Captain!”

She looked surprised. “But I’m not anymore!”

“After this we’re all defectors. That makes you, our captain.”

“Fine. Everyone, follow me!”

Enna spread her wings wide open and flapped. She lifted into the air carrying Serin below her in her talons. A moment later Ceraphine did the same and I was pulled into the air after them. I looked behind to see the others following one after another.

After we had reached some height, I was glad of the darkness the night provided. I could no longer see the ground. Somehow this made the experience less frightening.

Ceraphine looked down at me. “You seem calmer than before.”

This wasn’t the first time I had been her passenger.

“Well, this time I’m coming with you of my own free will!”

I tried looking around as we flew, but in the poor light it was hard for me to make out how the others were doing. There were no cries for help, so I at least knew that nothing had gone wrong. I started to feel settled, safer knowing that we were likely outrunning our potential pursuers.

About an hour after we had first taken flight, I noticed a large shape looming in front of us. It had almost a ghostly glow in the darkness. I wondered if we were already approaching the mountain range on the edge of the plain. It just seemed too soon. Then we seemed to lose altitude and circle around.

As we grew closer to the ground Ceraphine spoke from above me. “We’re nearly there. You can relax, we’ll be back on the ground soon.”

I breathed a little easier. “What, already?”

She laughed. “Yes, it’s a lot quicker than you’re used to, isn’t it?”

“It is!”

With the backdrop of the faintly glowing mountain, I could now make out the small black shapes of the others in flight. They were all circling around as they slowly descended to the ground. We would soon all be reunited on the foothills just past the plain.