Flash, Barin, Aura and Thun are brought to Sky City before King Vultan of the Hawkmen. He is elated to find several pieces of royalty now under his control, Princess Aura in particular; he plans to marry her, and force Ming to share his power. The others, he has no such feelings for, and they are subsequently sent to work in the furnaces. Down here, Aurium is burnt, the first step in a process that ultimately keeps Sky City afloat - but the work, heat and radiation are such that Vultan goes through workers very quickly indeed. Flash makes a valiant escape effort, but he is caught and subdued, now with a device on his ankle which can be used to shock him when he steps out of line. Barin, however, proposes that their captors may have just given them their way out.