The Heavenly Host

“I will agree.” Danfaêr looked down and smiled at Jenn. “Just look forward and concentrate on following those in front of us.” They stepped through and Jenn was hit with the worst case of vertigo she had ever experienced. There was nothing below her feet and a one-league drop other than sparkling, shifting rays of light.

It was very disconcerting. She had no idea what light rays were supposed to look like, but what was below her feet looked like the bright streaks of light you saw when looking at Fierd through squinted eyes. It was insanely dizzying. “Look forward. It gets worse as you walk,” Jenn heard Danfaêr say.

Holy mother goddess! Did it ever! With every step she took, the ground far below her seemed to telescope and stretch. “What the Abyss?” Jenn gasped.

“Every stride on the Fierdal Bridge covers a league. It’s a very fast way of traveling, but it’s also very disturbing.” Jenn decided to stop fighting the advice she had been given and she focused on Gastropé ahead of her, locking her gaze only on him. As she did, she realized that he was walking rather rigidly, his sight apparently locked on Elrose ahead of him.

They had been on the bridge for maybe two dozen strides when she suddenly heard Trevin caterwauling from the front: “We’re walking on fierdshine — whoa oh! Walking on fierdshine — and don’t it feel good!” No, Jenn decided, Trevin’s off-key singing did not feel good! She hoped the woman did not use that voice to try and enchant people! Fortunately, the enchantress stopped singing and laughed as she picked up her stride, swinging her arms briskly as she marched along the bridge.

“This, my friends, must be the manner in which the gods of old used to tread the lands of men!” Trevin shouted over her shoulder at the rest of the party. “Sure, teleportation is quicker if you know where you are going, but this is far more liberating and exciting!”

Jenn closed her eyes for a bit to allow Danfaêr to lead her. She was nearing her limits on keeping her breakfast from leaving. And she had thought the cart ride was stomach wrenching; she’d had no idea what was to come.

They continued to march for several minutes or more — Jenn had lost track of time — and she simply let Danfaêr lead her. After some time she finally opened her eyes to see they had left the mountains and were striding over a huge forest that stretched for leagues in each direction. She had not realized with her eyes closed, but they were actually heading downward towards the ground at this point. It probably was not three or four minutes before she saw a large glade in the middle of the forest that the bridge seemed to be leading to.

Down they marched at a dizzying pace, and suddenly they were stepping through another lens portal and into the glade itself. Jenn was not sure she had ever felt anything as wonderful as the soft dirt and grass beneath her boots as she stepped into the glade. The light from the bridge was still quite dazzling in the glade and it took her eyes a few minutes to realize that they were surrounded by naked, overly endowed women and short, brown, hairy wingless demons!

Chapter 90

Vaselle stepped back from the pentagram he had constructed in the dirt in the clearing outside the city. He was now ready to summon Estrebrius. He had to admit to being nervous. After he had sent his demon on the quest to find the super-demon, he had had second thoughts. It was really rather ridiculous to think that his little demon would be able to find and contact such a powerful force of evil. Moreover, if somehow Estrebrius ever did, the demon would surely slaughter his poor servant. It was just stupid and selfish of him. He had put at risk his good and faithful demon.

Estrebrius had served him faithfully with no tricks or games for the last few years; he had also been a great companion around the lab. He really hoped he had not sent the poor fiend to his death. That was probably the main reason for his anxiety this morning. Being honest, he had a good idea how many demons there were and what a big place the Abyss was, and there was no realistic way Estrebrius could have found the demon, nor would it have agreed to meet him. Yet he could not resist a nagging guilt that he might have seen the last of his faithful demon.

He shook his head and began the summoning. It was his standard summoning spell for Estrebrius. He probably should use something stronger in the unlikely event that Estrebrius had found the demon lord; however, Vaselle didn’t think he knew anything powerful enough to protect him from a demon capable of defeating a Knight Rampant of Tiernon and possessing hundreds of Rod members and priests. In addition, such bindings would be antithetical to his proposal in the first place.