Moving on to Camp 3-1B (Alt Route-Mirrored)

Chapter 3 Alternate Route 1 – Song in the Night

“Does it sound large or dangerous?” Kaylen asked, and their marksman in the lead shook her head. He gave it a moment’s consideration but ultimately shook his head as well, “Keep an eye out, but we might as well keep going. We’re already short on time, and if it doesn’t bother us, it’s probably not hostile. If we find a good camp site we can stop, otherwise we should probably try to reach the village if we can.”

They pushed on, and before long the sun had set, and with the sky shrouded by the tree canopy, the light was fading quickly. But the girls at the front still spotted a clearing next to a leaning boulder about thirty yards off the road before full dark. They quickly moved into that partial shelter and set up some canvas tents as makeshift awnings in case of rain.

After some brief discussion regarding sleeping arrangements, Kaylen spoke with each of his companions in turn before stepping outside their camp area to seek out Ursa. It was then he heard a faint whisper on the nighttime breeze. At first, he thought it was just the wind whistling softly through the trees. Then it sounded more like a low wailing or moaning, but soon he realized it was something else, something less natural.

It was singing.

The next thing he knew, he was in a clearing somewhere deeper in the forest, blinking his eyes as if just waking from a trance. The singing had softened to a low hum, but was much closer now. He turned to look around him, trying to see if he could detect any signs of which way he’d come, and that was when he heard a sound like the flapping of large feathered wings. By the time he’d turned back to face forward the creature was on him, knocking him back and to the ground.

It… no she, was the source of the singing.

A harpy. He recognized, trying to draw his dagger, but his hands wouldn’t respond to his command, though fortunately the creature simply held him down, making no move to attack him just yet.

He observed that the harpy’s face was mostly humanoid, with tiny scales along the sides of her cheek and jaw. Her mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth, and her large yellow eyes had very little visible sclera. Her hair was black with hints of blue and green shine in the moonlight, nearly identical in texture and color to the feathers that adorned her winged arms and body. She wore a light harness that covered her breasts and a simple pair of shorts, leaving a lot of her body exposed, likely to make full use of her feathers when flying.

“Stop this, what do you want?” Kaylen asked, his voice slurred and sluggish.

“Can you heal wounds?” She asked in a sing-song tone, maintaining her musical spell that he recognized was the reason he was having trouble moving or fighting back.

He didn’t answer right away, and the harpy tightened her grip on his side, her talons digging into his arm and flank. “Why, are you injured?” He asked, gasping. But the pain brought clarity to his mind, and he was able to shift his weight, bringing his hands up to roll the harpy to one side, surprising her and pinning her on her back, a hand closing on her throat.

Her singing was cut off, but she was still able to bring her legs up, despite his best efforts to keep them pinned, her talons gripping the back of his robes. He was still wearing his chainmail underneath, but the tips of her talons could slip right through the links.

“I’m not going to help you if you keep fighting me.” He growled, “Promise to stop singing, and I’ll release your throat.”

She scowled, but then nodded, and Kaylen released some of the pressure, but kept hold of her as he laid atop her. “Where is the rest of your wake?” He asked after a moment.

“We got separated.” She said simply.

“Why did you lure me out here and attack me?”

She growled, “I was injured, and needed healing. I hoped there would be someone in your camp I could get to heal me, and I got you.”

“How did your song target me and not the others?”

“How the fuck should I know that? You’re the only one who came.”

“What were you planning to do if you lured someone without healing magic?” He asked.

She continued to scowl at him, “I have magic of my own.”

“Then why not just heal yourself?”

“My magic is tricky, and can’t be used without certain ‘ingredients’.”

“You need my blood?”

“Err, no. Not that…”

Kaylen raised an eyebrow at her. “Then what?”

The harpy didn’t answer right away, and in the moonlight, he thought she was somehow blushing. When she did respond, he couldn’t make out her mumbled reply.

“What was that?”

“Sex!” She blurted. “My healing magic draws on the energy of sex…”

“Why not lead with that?” He asked with a chuckle.

“I didn’t know you would be so handsome.” She admitted. “If you are willing, it would help both of us.”

“That’s true, but I’m not sure how much I trust you. What guarantee do I have that you would let me go, or that you wouldn’t return with your wake?”

“If you healed me, I would be in your debt, and I would tell the others to leave you alone as well.” She shifted her legs to subtly stroke along his back and down to his hips. “So how ‘bout it, handsome?”

He rose up on his elbows to look over her body, showing his appreciation for her feminine figure, even if she was a bit less human than he was used to. “What’s your name?”

“Gryla.” She said. She shifted to try and rise up towards him, clearly wincing as she put weight onto her wings.

“Where are you hurt?”

She blinked, then shifted her shoulder, raising one wing that seemed to be bent at an uncomfortable angle, some of the feathers caked with dried blood.

Kaylen examined her wing, then looked back at her face, considering her proposition.