"Then we are all in danger!" Rachel panics. "We need to rescue Deirdre, and stop Cedius!"
"How do you know of Cedius' plans, Sapphire?" You frown.
The mermaid smiles. "I am the seer of the merfolk in these waters. I have the power to cast my mind into other animals, when I sleep. Thus, I have overhead the plans Cedius and his satyress witch, Bellona, have made. They never suspected a trespassing field mouse, or a bat."
Your attention is suddenly seized by Rachel, as she gasps and lays her hand on your arm. All five of you face the two tigers that are now slowly strolling across the beach, and approaching. The big cats remain silent as they sit down on their haunches. The outline of one begins to shimmer, and metamorhise into a humanoid tiger form. The absence of external genitalia tells you the weretiger is female.
Growling faintly, the tigerwoman draws closer - then stops a few meters away.
"Kris-Krista?" Rachel stammers.
The weretiger manages to nod. "Ddo not ffear mee," she growls. "Wwee overheardd whott happenedd tto Ddeirdre. Siggmundd...," she tosses her head back at the other weretiger, "...annd I need hellp."
"What for?" you ask.
"Thher same satyrs druggedd Hharry, lastt nightt. Thhey ttook hhim, too!" Krista snarls her hatred of the rogues.
Felix raises his eyes to the horizon. "We have more company!" he announces. Everyone present turns, to see Themis, Stephen, and one of the female centaur sentries slowly approach. The latter pair are armed with a crossbow and net.
"Do you need assistance, Ben, Rachel?" Themis calls out.
"We're alright!" you shout back. "But we all need to talk!"
Themis pauses, then gestures for the other centaurs to lower their weapons. She trots over to join your growing party - and you then all engage in deep discussion.
When Themis has heard the whole story, you see her tail swish in agitation. "This is serious," she declares. "Sapphire, we need to prepare for war! A team of our combined races should go to the Labyrinth, and stop Cedius from obtaining the Eyes of Zeus and Hecate!"
"Agreed," the mermaid seer replies. "One of us must unlock the outer door - so that our joint forces can enter the same way as the rogue satyrs. My sisters and I will perform a ceromony to limit the range of the power of the Eyes, should Cedius or Bellona achieve their goals"
"I'll go," Felix volunteers. "I want to find Deirdre!"
"And wwe will bboth ggo with yyou," the male weretiger, named Sigmund, declares. "Thhe rogue satyrs kkilled my wwerebear cousin, annd cut off hhis paw, some ddays ago. Hhe was thhe last of hhis kkind on thhe island! Yyestterday, my mate annd I attacked thhem - but Bellona kkilled my bbeloved Tiarmat wwith her sstaff of power." He gives you and Rachel a look. "Thhanks to us, Kkrista was abble to break free of hher captors - bbut I bit her, to ensure thhat thhe satyrs wwould nnever corrupt hher into one of thheir kind. And...I wanted hher company. I was stunned by thhe loss of mmy mate."
"I forgive you, Siggmundd," Krista growls. "Bbut my desire is tto see our bbrother free. I turned Hharry, bbecause I was fferal. Now I shhould rescue hhim. Hhe is my friend!"
"And maybe Ben and I should go, on behalf of the haras!" Rachel bravely proposes. "We've resisted Cedius' charms before." She looks to you for your opinion - and you nod.
"Those devils have taken Harry and Deirdre. They have to be dealt with, so that they can never be a danger to anyone, again," you declare.
Themis sighs as she faces you both. "You are right, my son. And you must know this too - the rogue satyrs ambushed Ixion's party last night! Marina was also kidnapped!"