Attack of the Harpies

The ship was currently heading northwest across the Tarel Ocean, not far east of the island of Caibu. The island was nominally a colony of Hespan, but even that great power had made little progress in taming its wild and mountainous eastern half.

Astra was in her cabin, playing a game of chess with the captain, when she heard the cry of the look-out in the crow's nest: "Harpies sighted on the port bow!"

Astra resisted any temptation to echo Francis Drake and say: "There's plenty of time to finish the game and beat the harpies too," since that was unlikely to be true. Instead she said to the captain: "Quick! Where's the weapons locker?"

He looked at her in surprise. "Weapons? We don't have any weapons. We're missionaries. We convert the heathen tribes to the ways of peace by our words and our example."

"I don't think that will work very well with harpies."

"Nevertheless we must try."

"I think that getting everyone below decks, with the hatches secured, or failing that locked in their cabins, would be a better strategy."

Before she could say anything further, Astra heard the soft thump, thump sound of many pairs of feet landing on the deck outside, and knew that it was too late.

The cabin door was flung open. Astra had never seen a harpy in the flesh before, though she had seen paintings of them. This one looked much like those in the paintings. Though her face was wild and fierce, she might have been beautiful in her own way, were it not that she was so filthy that it took Astra a moment or two to determine that she wore no clothing. Her great black wings were furled, she had arms that ended in hands whose fingers were tipped by sharp claws, and she had taloned bird- like feet.

"I am to bring you all unharmed to the Hall of the Mountain King," she said, in a voice that had something of the grating caw of a crow to it.

"And if we resist?" Astra asked.

"Then harming you may be unavoidable. Our claws are very sharp, should we be forced to use them."

1. Astra resists.
2. Astra decides that resistance is futile.

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