The Imprisoned City: Chapter 1

Past the cities of Cascaron and Loma, over the territory of Fyreland, and at the edge of the scattered islands which stretched out into the Pharus Sea, two birds were flying side by side. One, a horned hawk with eerie green eyes, looked out over the water. The wind was causing endless white-capped waves to lap at the beach they stood on. Pondering this, she then turned to the frilled tyto beside her. “Are you ready for this flight?” she asked him, her eyes glimmering mysteriously. “The farthest island is quite the flight, especially after our already long journey. There’s no harm in needing to rest.” She fluffed up her feathers in order to try and stay warm, her crest flaring up off her head as she did so.

“Yes, of course,” the other Stryx replied. His burning eyes were transfixed on the very thin strip of land which could be seen from the shore. 

Hulda, the sooty snowcap bird, nodded. “Good. And the monsters?”

“You have your potions ready, don’t you? As long as we have those to protect us, I’m not concerned.” The tyto shook his head, then crouched down in order to get himself into a stance adequate for takeoff. “I have my battle claws and beak if these beasts are brutes. You have your magic if they are not.”

Hulda dipped her head before launching herself into the air. Her dizzyingly patterned wings caught the air beneath them, and she was soon climbing higher into the frigid air. “Yes, I have my magic. I’ve concocted some extremely powerful potions… but we have to use them sparingly, and only if we absolutely have to. They’re expensive to produce… but if this helps Wyvera, then so be it. Corruption is becoming more common. I’m afraid to see the extent of the damage… if what we’re dealing with is corruption.”

Velveteen and Hulda raced over the water. They could not stay too close to the sea, as their wings would begin to ice up from the moisture, but they could not fly too high or risk becoming lost in the clouds. The land up ahead, covered in snow and ice, only appeared clearer and clearer as they came near, until they could make out what appeared to be the ruins of a city. “Odd,” the tyto commented slowly. “I know we were told that there might be a city… but a ruined city?”

They passed over the shoreline as it turned from sea to rock to ice, but as they drew nearer, Hulda stopped abruptly. “Wait!”

“What? What is it?” Velveteen asked frantically. He noted the concerned tone in the other bird’s voice, which was incredibly unusual for her. Under ordinary circumstances, she would be afraid of nothing… and yet now here they were,hovering beside one another.

“Fish out the green speckled dark potion, please,” Hulda said quickly. She partially detached the bag she was carrying on her back so that Velveteen had better access. “I would ask that we land, but I have a hunch that something is horribly wrong here.”

The brown tyto nodded. “Uh… okay.” He flew up above her, unlatching the bag’s flap in order to access the potions inside. He was delighted to see an incredible and organized array of close to a dozen potions. Some were duplicates, some were not, but all were shockingly tiny. “Okay. I got it. Are you sure this is gonna be enough if we run into trouble?”

“It’s not an if. It’s a when… and that should at the very least temporarily release the stronghold the curse appears to have on this town.” She took the beaker in her claws, flipped off the cap, and seemingly carelessly threw the liquid from the vial. It splattered down on something invisible, which soon melted. A strange viel appeared to dissolve, revealing previously hidden residents in a surprisingly busy town.

Velveteen gazed down in complete shock. What had once appeared to be a dilapidated ghost town was now thriving. There were precious few Stryx, but here and there they could be seen, acting as mounts or work animals for the people below. “Wh- What was that?” he asked in shock.

“It’s a shield… but also a prison. Unless it’s broken, nobody gets in… and nobody gets out,” Hulda explained. “But we need to investigate quickly. The shield will go back up… and unless we figure out what - or who - is causing the spell, we won’t be able to break it.” She then angled her wings downward, swooping into the town and landing on one of the roofs. Velveteen nodded, then went after her. The moment his talons set down upon the perch, a Stryx’s scream echoed out through the town.

“STRANGERS! NEWCOMERS!” the Stryx cried out in a high pitched call. “DANGER!” Without a second to process what was going on, a pale pink harpia came at them with talons outstretched. Before he had the time to react, Velveteen felt the bird’s talons sink into his feathers. Had he not been so fluffy, the wounds would have been devastating. Regardless, the pair was tossed backwards and the tyto landed with a hard thud, wings sprawled. The wind was knocked out of his chest, but he at least knew he hadn’t broken any bones. The snow had softened the blow, though the harpia’s weight felt like a heavy stone upon his chest.

Hulda was unscathed, at least for the time being, and slammed her whole body straight into the pinkish Stryx. Although he was twice her size, he was caught by complete surprise and wound up on the ground. “Stay down,” the hawk hissed, keeping her talons firmly planted on the harpia’s head. “We mean no harm to you.”

Velveteen gathered himself up, his curly mop of feathers now filled with snow. He was instantly cold and shivering. The harpia glanced up at Hulda before looking back at the tyto. “You look relatively harmless,” the harpia mumbled under his breath. “But how did you get here? We haven’t had visitors in years.” His voice was deep and gruff for a harpia, lacking the usual whistle in the back of the throat that his breed usually had.

“Magic. I’m sure you’re aware that this place is protected or perhaps caged by a spell,” Hulda explained. She glared down at him. “If I let you up, I assume we can talk instead of fight.” By now several of the town’s inhabitants had gathered around, gazing with both fear and curiosity at the two newcomers.

“Promise.”

The hawk released her claws from his head, and the harpia stood up to his full height. He positively dwarfed Hulda’s spindly form. Velveteen only rivaled him in fluffiness. “Name’s Salmon,” he said. There was a fierce and wary look in his eye which told the two birds not to cross him.

“I am Hulda. This is my assistant, Velveteen. We were assigned to explore this region. We were told that near the ruins of this town there were beasts which were potentially corrupted. I don’t believe it’s the beasts that have been corrupted, though.” She looked about. “This town… why is it enclosed in this spell?”

“Don’t know. Never have. It’s been years since anyone’s come or gone. If you’re born here, you die here. If you’re born outside the town’s borders, you’re not supposed to get in.” Salmon gestured for the pair to follow him.

Velveteen trailed behind Hulda, but stepped forwards a tail’s length to speak to the harpia. “So you guys are trapped here. She was thinking that might be the case. Is that why you attacked us?”

“Aye. The last time anyone entered, they came to wreak havoc. Killed half our city. Burned half of it too. Spread Corruption to Stryx. Many of us were killed.” He spoke in a clipped tone as he lead them through the town. He finally arrived at a loft, stepping inside it. “I’m security. A descendant of one of the few Stryx left in this place.”

“Curious. And you don’t know who locked you into this town in the first place?” Hulda asked. “That’s quite powerful magic for being so long ago. Someone must have studied specifically to capture this place… but why?”

“No one knows.” Salmon situated himself into some straw, fluffing up his feathers. “Go ahead and make yourselves at home. Many people here want to leave… but are unable to. Some would prefer to stay isolated, but I think it might be time to open this city up. At least… if we are able.”

“I think we can help with that,” Velveteen said, beaming brightly.

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Word Count - 1441 Words [651 Words for Salmon]

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