Later, Tao takes a wrong turn and ends up in the village of Tolphet, where the people despise free thinkers. After an altercation with a grizzled vendor (Tony Coetzee), Tao is apprehended. He and two criminals named Paj (Christopher Sadrinna) and Elza (Michelle Cummerford) are condemned to an island where the murderous Birdmen reside. Before Tao is wrangled onto the boat that will take him to the island, he is approached by Haisa (Holly Brisley), who hands him a silver comb to give to her lost love Nylas (Jeremiah Tickell), if he's still alive. Back in the Mydlands, Dar sees through Sharak’s eyes that Tao is in danger. He immediately takes off with Kodo, Podo and Ruh to help his friend.

Meanwhile on the island, Paj and Elza accidentally set off traps that imprison them in bamboo cages suspended high above the ground. Tao manages to avoid the traps with the help of Nylas, who takes him to an underground burrow. Nylas tells Tao that the Birdmen can't actually fly, but only glide a short distance. They don't kill other birds because they study them, hoping to learn how to fly. Nylas, who is innocent of any crime, tells Tao that his hope of seeing Haisa again has been keeping him alive. After a while, the floors drop out from Paj and Elza's cages and the ferocious Birdmen glide in to devour their prey. Elza is killed, but Paj manages a narrow escape.