Failure to Communicate

It turned out the lizard lady was not at all what Mairwen was expecting. Nor were the other beings that Uri sought out in the darkness. Some looked mostly human while others looked like creatures from another world. In a way, they were. 

It took the whole night, but in the end, the group formed a plan. Each would climb to the lid and, with their collective effort, they would lift it however they could. 

With that in mind, they took their spots and began to ascend.

Mairwen was somewhat glad it was dark. She had tied up her dress to be more like trousers, but the princess did not like the idea of creatures staring at her legs. 

But the darkness also meant that the princess's climb was very slow. The higher she got, the more precarious her position became.

Roots and branches stuck out at every angle, which was both good and bad. It made it easy to find purchase, but it also made navigating upwards instead of sideways very difficult. 

At last, the princess's head bumped against something she could not pass. 

It was the lid of the gargantuan basket.

'I never thought I would get here.' Mairwen felt beyond relieved.

Steadying her position, the princess pressed her hands against the roof. She gave a low whistle, receiving six others in response.

A half dozen of her allies were in place, but that would not be nearly enough to shift the lid. 

If and when they were able to get the lid open, Mairwen would try to convince the Harpies to let all of the creatures go peacefully. If that worked, great. Otherwise, the princess would give the signal for as many of them to flee as they could. 

'I only hope they will obey when the time comes.'

That time of reckoning came sooner than expected. Before the brave rebellion could enact their plan, the lid of the basket was lifted as the early light of dawn flooded into the bowl. 

Hovering overhead were close to a hundred ladies with wings like eagles. Their mouths, though pink, curved slightly to resemble the beaks of their fowl-kin

Another large creature had been captured by the Harpies. It dangled from below three of the ladies, unconcious.

'A Wyvern.' Mairwen recognized the flying menace. She had seen them from afar in the battle with Cafer. It was even larger than she expected up close. 

The Harpies immediately saw all of the beings on the brim of their prison. A few of them tried to force the lid shut right away while others wanted to deposit the wyvern first. Still others seemed to want some third option, but the princess was sure what that was. 

A frenzied argument broke out and for a time, no one was paying attention to the creatures on the basket's brim. 'Best to go while the going is good,' she decided.

The princess motioned for all of them to leave. Uri and Eira both shot her questioning glances from their places. 'Go!' She motioned a second time. 

They began to scramble over the side and look down to the ground. 

Mairwen gasped. How high they were! The outside of the gargantuan structure was as tightly woven and uneven as the inside. The wall itself was as thick as Mairwen's body. It was no wonder that Uri had not been able to breach it. 

'Did they clear a forest to build this?' 

It didn't matter. She needed to get down. That was easier said than done. The other beings, seeing a real shot at freedom, did not hesitate. The lizard woman disappeared over the branch wall without looking back.

One by one the heads of those who were trapped also fell beneath Mairwen's sightline. 

The squawking overhead suddenly stopped. Looking up, the princess saw that the Harpies had noticed the escapees. The ones not holding the lid or the wyvern dove and caught their prisoners. 

Helpless against the talons of the winged warriors, those who had intended to escape now found themselves in a hopeless situation. Only Mairwen, Eira and Uri remained uncaptured on the brim. 

"No!" Mairwen yelled before any of her new friends could be thrown back into their prison. "You don't know what you are doing!" 

Whether because of her words or the passion with which she said them, the flying females did not immediately act. They started chirping and squawking at a rapid pace. While they deliberated on what to do, Uri and Eria rushed to the princess's side. 

"What is happening? Did they understand me or are they just upset I screamed." Mairwen searched for order in the chaos.

The lid loomed overhead threatening to drop and crush the two humans and elf without a word. 

"Maybe we should move to a safer place," Uri suggested. "I might have enough magic left in me to keep us from breaking all our bones if we jump."

"Even breaking one would make it difficult to run," Eira pointed out. 

"One is better than all," Uri countered.

Ignoring them, Mairwen looked at the ground. "That's not good..." 

"What?" Eira and Uri asked together. Using her head to point, the princess indicated a spot around the bend, almost beyond view.

There, hidden among the trees were their horses. Somewhere in this mess, Renat and the others were also trying to free them. Mairwen needed to act decisively before the two groups' plans collided. 

"You two get out of here. That's an order. I will distract the Harpies." The princess tried to shoo away the other two. 

"No," Eira stood her ground. "I'm not leaving you." 

Seeing she was running out of time, Mairwen shook her head. "Stop!" She screamed at the Harpies. 

The words carried through the air and the frenzy of activity slowed. 

"Why are you hurting these creatures? What have they every done to you?" The princess held her breath. 

One of the Harpies squawked and then the others joined behind her. 

"They said they are here to protect the magic and none of these creatures has any magic in them. They must be removed." Uri translated into Mairwen's ear. 

"The magic is dead. You have none either. Will you gather every creature in the entire land?" Mairwen stretched her hands to include everything before her. 

"If we must," Uri shook his head at the answer he was forced to give. 

"Let us restore the magic to the land, please," the princess tried one last time. "Get ready..." she whispered under her breath. 

"Those who do not belong will be retained. Get back in the prison or suffer the consequences." The Harpies words caused Uri to ball his fists as he told Mairwen the news. 

It had been one thing when he was in the darkness, but now that he had seen the light and heard the ladies' threat, he wanted to fight back. He was not alone. All of the dangling figures, seeing their only chance to leave slipping away, seemed poised for action. 

The air was charged, and even a little bit of action would set off a chain reaction. 

'Just a moment longer,' Maiwen hoped her inclination was right. 

The wyvern twitched almost imperceptibly. Then, all at once, the dark, winged creature came alive in a flurry of motion. The three harpies holding it were pushed backward. The vindictive black blur lunged at the lady closest to him, catching her off guard. 

That was all it took. The other beings in the air, unwilling to be imprisoned again, fought against their captors. Unlike the elves and the humans, most of them had natural defenses that the harpies could not remove. 

The lizards woman, incensed at her treatment, ripped her talons into the Harpy which was holding her with her claws. Dropping to the basket's rim, thre reptilian woman dashed to make her escape a second time. 

The basket rumbled. Peeking over the edge, Mairwen's eyes flew wide. 

"Back up!" Eira pulled on her mistress just in time. 

Free of its bonds, the Serpopard scrambled over the ledge of the wall with its fangs bared. Even though it had no wings, it leapt at the harpies and took hold of one with its fangs and another with its cat-like paws. 

Mayhem erupted as more and more of the formerly bound creatures were released to seek revenge on the Harpies. The battle in the air became fierce. 

The princess, guard and elf felt like ants watching giants fight as the struggle went on overhead. Mairwen wanted to help, but really, there was nothing she could do. 

Except stay out of the way...

"We need to go," the princess said to the other two. The nodded. 

Just then the branches below their feet trembled. Then they shook. 

"No!" Uri's panicked face said it all. 

The earthquake was not due to another animal climbing the wall. 

The wall itself was collapsing.