Everything happened so fast there was no time for Olivia to react before it was too late. As the harpy ascended, the girl began to shake her legs and arms trying to break free of her claws that felt as solid as chains. As she looked to the side she suddenly bumped into the tip of the main mast, forcing her to stop as she realized that her attempt to escape could end in a certain death. Helplessly, she stared at the children hanging from the ropes who kept shouting her name. She stretched out a hand towards them as if she wanted to reach out to them, although in the end it ended up being no more than a gesture of farewell. The farther away they got, the more their screams became confused among the squawks of the seagulls until they became unrecognizable.

  The salty wind made her eyes burn, but that was not the only thing that made her start to tear up. After all they had been through together, it just couldn't be that they had to part ways like that.

  A sudden clatter caused her to turn her eyes forward as the green harpy holding her hovered in mid-air. The girl clutched at her feathered legs with both hands even though the creature already had a firm grip on her numb forearms.

  In front of her, a massive hole with jagged edges — like torn fabric — opened up, gradually revealing a long chain of cliffs topped by a thick, green landscape.

  The Fellowship of the Island.

  Olivia held her breath, and her stomach churned, as the harpy dove into the hole and continued on her way gliding between giant boulders that surrounded the cliffs, which seemed even more immense than the ones at Stormbrace.

  As if on purpose, her captor zigzagged between twisted columns passing through narrow openings that formed between them. Every time a rock passed too close, Olivia closed her eyes, raising her legs, convinced that they were going to crash, and even fearing that the harpy's real goal was to smash her against the rocks.

  But nothing of the sort happened. Suddenly, the height of the cliff began to descend little by little until it reached a small bay. The harpy's flight became slower as it approached what appeared to be a small harbor made up of stone houses.

  At first, the buildings did not appear to be so different from human homes. Those closest to the water had gabled roofs and chimneys, but in the short time they hovered she caught a glimpse of a few solitary towers rising among smaller ones, rounded in shape and with circular windows, covered in vegetation.

  The harpy began to spiral over the pier. Olivia noticed that, although the day was far from over, there was not much activity. She managed to spot buildings that must have functioned as warehouses, but all had their doors closed and there were no carts or merchants to be seen. She caught a glimpse of a sturdy fisherman standing with his back turned checking some nets next to a couple of small fishing boats moored and bobbing gently in the water. A group of dark, hairy-skinned children were playing near the water, throwing stones, and in front of a house a couple of short, pointy-eared ladies were quietly knitting, sitting in rocking chairs. They all looked up as the harpies arrived, raising their hands in greeting.

  The harpy's landing was smooth, but as soon as she hit the ground, Olivia felt her legs go soft as puddings. She fell to her knees and ended up rolling on the stone floor. She was breathing hard and wouldn't stop shaking.

  A hand rested on her shoulder.

  “Are you all right?” Silas asked, kneeling beside her.

  She shook her shoulder and pulled away from him without saying anything. Waving her hand, she refused his help and got up on her own, although she had to stop for a moment with her arms outstretched to both sides so as not to lose her balance.

  At no time did she want to look at him. The last time she had been so enraged was when her father had revealed her mother's true identity to her. Just as then she felt her heart catch fire, and all that remained was nothing more than a hard, smoldering ember.

  “Where are we?” she heard him ask.

  “Welcome to Seer's Gate,” Zaihkra, the orange-feathered harpy, said dryly. “The only place on the island where ships from the mainland can dock. Now come this way...”

  The harpy was suddenly interrupted by the same group of children that Olivia had spotted from above and who were now running to meet them, giggling and howling shrilly. She soon found herself surrounded by nearly a dozen small werewolves who, with childlike curiosity, brought their snouts close to sniff them. They had large, round eyes, constantly twitching ears, and thick fur that ranged in color from silver-gray to reddish-brown. They wore short pants and baggy shirts, but no shoes, and their fluffy tails wagged nonstop. The group fell silent as they studied the strangers, tilting their heads from time to time. Olivia guessed they couldn’t have been more than ten years old—although, having never seen werewolves before, she could easily be wrong.

  Despite the rage she felt for Silas at that moment, she had to restrain herself from reaching out and stroking the soft fur of those cute little creatures.

  “Hey, you there! Zaihkra, Irzis!" The fisherman had also approached, and this time, Olivia could recognize his leonine form. His mane was short, the color between sand and copper, blown by the sea wind. He had a strong jaw, a flat nose, yellow eyes with slit pupils and a pair of fangs that flashed when he opened his mouth. He was bare-chested, covered with short fur and dotted with old scars. He wore only baggy pants fastened with a worn belt, and walked barefoot, his tail wagging lazily behind.

  The two harpies turned around at the sound of their names. When the leonine reached them, Olivia couldn't help but focus on the sound of his slow breathing that almost sounded like a growl.

  “Has a ship arrived?” The leonine's eyes swiveled between Silas and Olivia, though his expression was more expectant than suspicious.

  “Yes,” replied Irzis, the green-feathered harpy. “But no cargo. It was just the Rambling Herald.”

  The leonine let out an annoyed grunt. “What about those two?” He raised his snout at Silas and Olivia.

  "They’re no one you need to worry about, Ralti," Zaihkra replied, extending one of her wings to signal Silas and Olivia to start walking in the opposite direction of the leonine.

  "No one I need to worry about?" Ralti’s voice sounded almost like a low roar. "It’s been over two weeks since any ships have arrived!"

  “If you have a problem, Ralti," said Irzis, stepping between him and his colleague. “Go to the office and make a formal complaint.”

  “Damn harpies!” Ralti exclaimed, kicking the floor and turned around to go back the way he had come.

  As Olivia and Silas move forward, the harpies asked the children to go and play somewhere else. They inmediately hopped away wagging their tails.

  “It won't be long before he spreads the news around town," Zaihkra said to Irzis.

  The other harpy sighed. “Of course not...”

  “Shall we tell the boss?”

  “Let her find out on her own.”

  Olivia was still too shaken, first by the flight and then by meeting the hybrids, to think of any questions at the moment. Silas wasn't saying anything either, watching the arpies' every move closely.

  The four continued in silence to a sturdy stone building with moss-covered walls. A worn sign with white lettering announced “Customs Office”. They entered through a huge doorway, quite a bit taller than the harpies themselves, which led into a spacious room with high ceilings that made Olivia feel smaller than she already did. The dim afternoon light filtered through heavy curtains that covered a pair of small windows. A heavy wooden desk sat at the far end of the room, covered with documents, stamps, a teacup and a thick open book.

  Suddenly, a paced sound of hoofbeats echoed from one of the large doorways on either side of the room. Everyone turned their eyes to the left as a faun entered with a calm step. He was perhaps a little shorter than Olivia. Peeking out from between his curly hair were two curved horns and a pair of pointed ears that spread out horizontally. Thick-rimmed glasses rested on his broad nose. He wore an impeccable white shirt under a gray vest and gray shorts that looked freshly made. His eyes were fixed on a stack of papers in his hands until he looked up from them and stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes swung between the newcomers with a mixture of curiosity and authority.

  “Zaihkra, Irzis... Who are they?” asked the faun. “Weren't you supposed to-?”

  “They are prisoners, Phyllios," interrupted Zaihkra.

  “Prisoners!” The faun dropped the papers that were scattered on the floor and his brown eyes grew bigger and bigger behind his glasses. “Human prisoners?”

  The harpy shook her head. “Only one human. This one is a chimera.”

  “A chimera,” the faun exclaimed in horror.

  “What are you screaming about, Phyllios?” A deep, masculine voice came to them through the same doorway through which the faun had appeared. “Is the boss here yet? Does the ship have permission to enter?”

  “Derion!” exclaimed Phyllios in a faint voice. “Come at once! Immediately!”

  A rough, weary sigh was heard, followed by the creak of a chair, as if someone was reluctantly getting up. “It better be something really important...”

  A moment later, a towering werewolf appeared, exhaling a deep yawn. He walked hunched over, listlessly shuffling his bare feet, and his very long arms, tipped with curved claws, hung at his sides, swaying with each step. His dark, dense, matted fur gave him a wild, unkempt look, despite the fact that he was wearing long pants and a wrinkled shirt with half the buttons undone. Unlike the cubs Olivia had seen outside, there wasn’t a trace of tenderness in this one.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  With the same nonchalance with which he had entered, he stood watching Silas or Olivia. “This is going to be good,” he sighed at last. “Why did you bring them?”

  “Derion!” the faun's voice sounded reproachful. “Can’t you see?”

  “I see two young humans... No...” The werewolf narrowed his blood-red eyes. “The boy is a chimera.”

  “Exactly!”

  “Why is he here?” Derion asked, looking at the two harpies.

  “Boss's orders,” answered Zaihkra calmly. “They came undercover along with Jasper Gloom.”

  “And why they didn't go on with him?”

  “The boss... had a reason to arrest them.”

  “They don't look dangerous at all.”

  “The boss thinks otherwise.”

  The faun, regaining his composure, let out a snort. “One of these days Moryabeth will make us go to war with the humans... You'll see...”

  “Do something useful and register them," Zaikhra ordered him.

  The faun crossed his arms with a rebellious expression. “I only register the information of the captains and the ships...”

  “Well, now you'll have to register prisoners... You have enough paper to invent a form.”

  As soon as Zaihkra said that, the front door rattled and Moryabeth's pink feathers appeared. The harpy gave her subordinates a frowning look.

  “Haven't you locked them up yet?” she asked disapprovingly.

  “And where do you want us to place the prisoners?” The faun snapped. “We don't even have cells!”

  “We must have some place.”

  “We've never needed to arrest any humans, we just send them away through the portal!”

  “But I can't just send these two away, they're accused of a serious crime.”

  “By the sun's horns, what is the crime?”

  “It is confidential. Write their information and now we'll see what to do with them. Do we have at least magical containment chains?”

  “There must be some gathering dust,” said Irzis, the green-feathered harpy, heading for one of the doors. “I'll go check.”

  “Boss.” The werewolf stepped forward with his hands in his pockets. “What 's to be done about the Rambling Herald?”

  “Grant access, but only to Kraken Bay. Actually, I'd like to send Jasper Gloom to the other side of the world, but we may need him as a witness later.”

  “I'll notify headquarters to activate the portal." The werewolf shuffled out of the same side door through which he had appeared.

  “I would have arrested him along with these if I could,” Moryabeth added.

  “That would've been fun...” growled the faun. “Arresting the pirates' emissary... Really, Moryabeth... I think it would be time for you to take a few days off.”

  “I had enough rest while I was sick.”

  “I don't think that spending more than a week lying in pain can be considered rest...” The faun went to sit behind the desk and leaned back with a sigh. “While you were out, the chairman of the craft guild came by... They are asking when the next ship is coming...”

  “It seems that the pirates are going to go to war with the mainland, so not too soon...” Moryabeth informed him like someone talking about the weather.

  “The taurines are going to be furious... They have a surplus of glowing stones and don't know what to do with them.”

  By then, Irzis had returned with the chains, which were indeed rusty and dusty. Several fluffs fell to the ground as the harpy cleaned them with her feathers.

  Derion reappeared as the harpies put the chains on Silas and Olivia. “Headquarters has confirmed that the Rambling Herald has been moved to Kraken Bay.”

  Despite being handcuffed, Olivia took a deep breath, relieved. At least now they knew that all her friends were safe at the bay.

  “So, you two...” The faun gestured with his hand for Silas and Olivia to come closer. “Name?”

  “Silas,” the chimera answered immediately, and Olivia looked at him angrily.

  “Last name?” growled the faun.

  The chimera rolled its eyes. “Silas of the Wandering Star pack.”

  “And I thought it was only pirates who had long names,” the faun muttered as he wrote.

  “Species, obviously, chimera. Age?”

  “Sixteen.”

  “Address?”

  Silas narrowed his eyes. “South?”

  The faun raised his head. “South of what?”

  “Roaring Mountains.”

  “If so, there's no point in my asking you the name of your street,” Phyllios scoffed. “Ocupation? From your age I'm guessing you're apprenticed to some trade.”

  “I'm learning how to control my power.”

  “Wizard then...”

  “Of course not! Have you know nothing about chimeras?”

  “Unemployed then,” the fain wrote. “Reason for entering hybrid territory?”

  “I want to see the Archmage.”

  Without letting go of the quill, the faun let out a laugh. “I’d recommend you take a seat.” He cleared his throat before continuing “Are you affiliated with any organization, guild, council, or political party?”

  “I don’t think so...”

  “Write down: conspirator against the hybrid race,” Moryabeth instructed the faun.

  “We’re not conspirators!” Olivia protested, slowly recovering from the shock of being surrounded by hybrids for the first time in her life.

  “The evidence says otherwise,” Moryabeth replied, fixing her stormy eyes on her.

  “It’s all a big misunderstanding!” Olivia turned to Silas and, for the first time since their arrival, had no choice but to address him. “Silas! Explain it to them!”

  However, the chimera remained silent. Olivia looked at him in despair, unable to understand what he was trying to achieve with all of this.

  “Recent travel itinerary?” the faun continued asking.

  As Silas spoke, he counted on his fingers. “Roaring Mountains, Shadowrock Castle, Whispering Forest, Blue Dragon Lake, Gulf of the Dancing Lights, human territory, a few villages whose names I don’t remember, Stormbrace, and the Freedom Sea.”

  “Any people or creatures you’ve come into contact with in recent days?”

  “Pirates, wizards, and sirenians,” Silas replied.

  “This is ridiculous!” Olivia snapped.

  “Listen, miss,” said the faun, furrowing his thick eyebrows and lifting his gaze to her. “I understand that the paperwork may seem tedious, but you are now in hybrid territory and must follow our rules. Every human or foreign magical being who enters the island must complete these forms. Our safety depends on them too, not just on magical portals.”

  Faced with that argument, Olivia couldn’t think of anything to object and lowered her eyes, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks.

  “It’s also not polite to refer to a hybrid’s honest work as ridiculous. I demand more respect. You're not the first human who tries to outsmart me... You should take a page from your chimera friend’s book.” Shaking his head, he turned back to Silas. “Previous presence on the island? Any kind of friendly or economic ties with its inhabitants?”

  “None, it’s my first time here,” Silas replied.

  “That means you also don’t have a history of conflicts with hybrid authorities.”

  “Oh, yes, he does,” said Moryabeth. “Leave that part blank. I'll fill it in later.”

  “All right...” the faun sighed. “Any magical artifacts you need to declare?”

  “None.”

  “Anyone who can vouch for you or provide a reference?”

  Silas paused for a moment. “I suppose Jasper Gloom.”

  Olivia let out a mocking snort. “The one you just betrayed.”

  “I never promised him anything,” Silas muttered through his teeth.

  “But you weren’t clear either. You couldn’t even trust me.” Olivia crossed her arms. “You betrayed me too, Silas. I never imagined we’d be received as prisoners. What were you thinking?”

  The faun cleared his throat. “Now, miss, let’s continue with you. We’re almost done. Name?”

  Olivia sighed, trying to muster some patience. Resisting wouldn’t get her anywhere. “Olivia of Shadowrock.”

  “Olivia of...” the faun mumbled as he wrote, then suddenly dropped his quill. “Shadowrock?” He turned to Moryabeth. “Is that true?”

  The harpy nodded.

  “There’s only one person who could carry that name, and that would be...” said the faun.

  “The daughter of the Count of Shadowrock,” said the harpy, finishing the sentence.

  “Moryabeth!” The faun jumped to his feet, knocking the chair over behind him. “You’ve kidnapped the daughter of the Guardian of the Circle! Our race made a pact with the Shadowrocks!”

  “I’ve committed no crime—unlike her,” the harpy replied. “I don’t care who she is. We are all equal under the law.”

  Derion, the werewolf, kept rubbing his huge feet against the tiles. “I’m confused too, boss... What could these two have done for you to bring them here? We could’ve just sent them back where they came from. It wouldn’t have cost us a thing.”

  The harpy’s eyes darkened, her voice grew deeper, and her pink feathers stood on end. “You don’t understand because you haven’t seen what I have. These two must not be allowed to leave the island—if they do... they might try to destroy us again!”

  “It was never our intention to hurt anyone!” Olivia exclaimed. “We just wanted to save a friend! We had no idea what would happen afterward!”

  “So you do admit you did something?” asked the faun, raising his eyebrows. But before Olivia could respond, the front door thundered, followed by the sound of hooves briefly slipping on the tiles.

  “Good afternoon, my fellow officers and neighbors!” someone exclaimed in a sing-song voice. When Olivia turned around, she found herself facing an imposing female centaur with bright, dark skin and a broad smile. Her dark curls elegantly fell from a loose bun held by a silver comb, revealing her graceful pointed ears. She wore a black robe with long, wide sleeves, adorned with silver details; it fitted snugly at the waist and then extended backward, covering the rest of her equine body. At her side, strapped with leather bands, was a dark wooden tube sealed with a metal clasp.

  “We should have locked the door,” sighed the pink harpy, signaling the other two to head to the entrance.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you too, Moryabeth,” replied the centaur without losing her smile as she stepped forward toward them.

  “Why are you here?”

  “There’s a rumor spreading like wildfire through the town... Something about your subordinates flying in two humans, but that can’t be since no ship has arrived at the port...” The centaur tilted her head. “And that would be a clear violation of protocol... Care to explain what’s going on?”

  “I have nothing to explain to you, Dianemurya. If anything, I should be speaking with the judge, not you.”

  “Ah! In that case, I'm happy to help you speed up the process.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Moryabeth’s voice turned threatening, but the centaur, nearly as tall as she was, remained unfazed.

  “I’ve sent a message to the judge,” the ceuntar replied. “He should be here any minute now, along with the mayor and the sheriff—who I’m sure will also be interested in learning more about this unprecedented situation.” Her smile widened. “I figured it would be easier for them to come here, especially since a crowd is already gathering outside. We wouldn’t want to stir our neighbors up any further before this matter is clarified.”

  “It’s true, boss!” Irzis called, poking her head through the main door, from where the growing murmur of excited conversations could be clearly heard, along with the rhythmic clatter of hooves on the tiles, grunts, and restless wingbeats. “Seems like half the town is already here!”

  “Then guard the door!” Moryabeth ordered, moving toward the windows to make sure the curtains didn’t allow a view inside. With a stiff motion, she turned and shot the centaur a stern glar. “You did all this without consulting me.”

  “You’re not the owner of this town, Moryabeth. Just like you, I like to do things properly, and my clients are entitled to a fair trial.”

  “Who said they could be your clients?”

  The centaur narrowed her eyes at Olivia. “Do you have a lawyer, dear?”

  Too stunned to speak, Olivia shook her head.

  “Perfect. Now you do,” said the centaur, stepping forward with determined hoofbeats as she made her way through between Derion and Phyllios, who stepped aside. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to move to an empty room to speak privately with my clients before the judge arrives.”

  Moryabeth stepped in front of her, blocking the way. “But they attacked our island! How can you defend them?”

  The centaur shook her head and raised a hand to fix a few curls that had slipped out of place. “If that’s the case, then present your evidence to the judge. I’m only here to ensure their rights are upheld. We’re not lawless savages here. I thought you, of all people, would understand. We both have our roles: to uphold the law.”

  The centaur continued toward to one of the side doors, motioning for Silas and Olivia to follow her. Moryabeth had no choice but to step aside—the centaur was about to barrel right through her.

  They heard Moryabeth shout just as the door shut behind them.

  “You and all those reckless Openers, so in love with humans... you’re going to get us all killed one of these days!”

  Thank you for reading!

  I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

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