The Heavenly Host

It was also getting quite a bit colder as they rose. She was sure Gastropé was glad to be wearing his jacket, but his silk pants could not have provided much warmth for his legs. She shook her head at the young man; he put his fashion sense ahead of common sense clothing. Worrying about clothes and one’s appearance was not something she normally associated with men, but doing stupid, impractical things was, so she figured it balanced out.

The lift suddenly lurched to a stop, sending Jenn slamming into the metal caging. “Ouch!” Jenn muttered to herself as her nose got squashed on the metal wiring exactly at the wrong spot. There were a bunch of shuffling noises, and Trevin was talking to someone outside the lift.

“We are here!” Trevin called out more loudly, apparently having turned to face into the lift. “Hethfar will place a ramp with railings between the lift and the deck for us to safely get out; however, I suggest you take his or one of his men’s hands to help you out rather than using the railing. “They are very strong,” she added, suddenly much closer to Jenn. She then bent her head to Jenn’s ear, eyes closed, and advised her softly, “And really gorgeous, my dear. I recommend fainting and letting one of them catch you in his brawny arms so you can get up close to his chiseled bare chest. Their scent is intoxicating.” Trevin opened her eyes again. “They use scent to attract their partners, but it works on other races as well.”

Jenn simply nodded in agreement; she really had no desire to engage in girl talk with someone old enough to be her grandmother’s grandmother. However, she felt she should be polite. Trevin turned and began ushering the others out. Elrose went first, followed by Maelen, who was peering over the edge of the small bridge and clutching his staff a bit tighter than usual.

Gastropé went next, looking especially pale, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his neck. As he reached the midpoint he somehow managed to trip — on what, Jenn couldn’t imagine — but he managed to fall into one of the guard’s arms. Jenn could not see the guards that well in the dark. The torches were all behind them. About all she could see was that they were indeed bare chested, but wearing what appeared to be very large capes.

Trevin turned to Jenn with an arched eyebrow. “Interesting! I did not even suggest that to him, I thought it would make him too uncomfortable. However, it turns out I was wrong. Your young friend is far more adventurous than I thought. This is quite the pleasant surprise.”

Jenn blinked, trying to understand what Trevin meant. Was that a purring noise that the enchantress was making? She shook her head, suddenly realizing what Trevin meant. “No, no, it’s nothing like that, he’s just being Gastropé. I’m sure that was an honest trip, not a ruse to get closer.”

Trevin smiled and patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, dear. If he does prefer the same, or even both sexes, no one in the Grove will care. Quite the opposite, in fact! If he does like both men and women, he can have twice or even thrice the fun!”

Jenn had no idea what she meant by thrice the fun, and she was also certain she did not want to know.

Trevin continued, “A very large percentage of our patron deities are extremely interested in fertility, virility, lust, free love, you name it. Every form of mating, productive or not, is celebrated in the Grove!” She raised both eyebrows at Jenn, as if letting her in on a delightful secret.

Jenn grinned a bit stiffly, trying to be polite and mask her own reaction. Trevin had said there were a lot of satyrs and nymphs in the Grove, and Trevin’s words just now brought back childhood warnings about satyrs and nymphs.

“Your turn, dear!” Trevin told her, waking her from her thoughts. Trevin grinned as if they shared a secret and leaned in conspiratorially. “I can see I’ve caught your imagination. You are going to really love the Grove!” She patted Jenn on her shoulder and practically shoved her towards the bridge. Jenn was so caught off guard that she stumbled onto the bridge a bit off balance, and before she knew it, she was tripping on whatever had tripped Gastropé, landing in the arms of the guard at the other end of the bridge.

The guard’s strong arms caught her and pulled her up close, and immediately Jenn noticed the scent. Trevin had not been lying; the man’s scent was intoxicating. She could not describe it. She was lost for a few seconds and suddenly realized that her right hand was resting on — no, cupping the man’s extremely large, bare pectoral muscle. Jenn pulled back slightly in shock, still held tightly by the guard’s right arm. She stared up into the guard’s face.