The Heavenly Host (Demons of Astlan Book 2) Page 17

  “I’m concerned this Ruiden—golem—whatever it is could be a problem.” Iskerus said.

  “Do you have any idea how to stop him—it?” Barabus asked. “Its arms and legs are razor-edged blades, as are its fingers! Hell, almost every part of him is sharp. And he’s an animated inanimate object! How do you kill a sword?”

  “By melting it?” Iskerus shrugged, depressed.

  “Yeah, and who exactly is going to catch it to toss it in a volcano?” Barabus asked through his hands.

  “Swords aren’t supposed to move on their own,” Iskerus moaned. “Sure, we all know about swords that can fly to their owner’s hand and such, but walk around and talk? Take notes?”

  “Where is a heavenly host of avatars when you need one?” Barabus looked up from his hands. “I am reasonably certain an avatar could force him to change back into a sword.”

  “Really?” Iskerus asked skeptically. “How many demons has Talarius slain? That we know of? Consider what Talarius did with Ruiden to that super-demon right here in this camp. You think the sword couldn’t at least slow an avatar down to get away?”

  Barabus stood up to go to his cot. “Then we shall just have to try and reason with it, I suppose.”

  “Yes, because words so often win out over swords,” Iskerus said sarcastically.

  ~

  Jenn clutched her cloak tightly about her shoulders; the wind was wicked. Given their current location, she was extremely glad for the predawn darkness on the western side of this very large mountain. Their party was a tight fit in the lift and she had gotten pushed up against the side. Fortunately, the lift had cross-hatched metal wire walls; more like a cage or fence, actually. The walls were completely open to the wind, but they ran from floor to ceiling to keep people in with small enough openings between the metal wires that nothing very large could fall out. It was a tight fit with all of them and their backpacks; thankfully, Trevin had sent both her and Elrose’s extra trunks up earlier.

  The darkness hid their true height as the lift barreled along up the cliff face. She had made the mistake of looking down as they’d left the keep, which was fairly well lit for their departure. The dizzying speed at which the lights of the keep had shrunk made it very clear how high they were rising.

  The lift was basically two platforms, a roof and floor, with support posts between in each corner, wrapped in the linked fencing. It was attached—or guided by, she guessed was the word—twin metal rails that scaled the mountain cliff. The vertical rails were at each corner and on each of the longer sides of the lift cage. The rails were I-shaped and the cage sides each had a double set of wheels that ran along the inside and outside of the rails. Sort of like mechanical sliding drawers, except with wheels on both side of the guide rail.

  According to Trevin, the roof and floor were inscribed with runes and gems that controlled high and low pressure zones below and above the lift. The floor generated a region of high pressure below it and the roof generated a low pressure region above the cage; the combination when activated caused the lift to rise quickly, or conversely to descend at a controlled pace by balancing the pull of gravity. The metal rails kept the lift cage on a direct path up the mountainside. At first the rails provided a gentle rocking, but by the time the cage reached its full climbing speed, Jenn felt like she was inside a dice cup.

  Trevin had explained that the mountain’s abrupt height created extremely high winds which made it unsafe for winged creatures and flying carpets to ascend the mountainside; hence, the lift. Jenn could attest firsthand to the winds. She was feeling battered herself, between the wind and the shaking on the rails, but she was reaching her limits. If it had been light out, she was pretty sure vertigo would have conspired with the wind and rails to relieve her of her breakfast and the previous night’s dinner.

  They were going a league straight up into the air. Jenn had never been that high before. Very few carpets flew at that height, unless they were crossing mountain peaks, but even then, most people would just fly through valleys to avoid going so high. Trevin had warned them that as they got higher in altitude, the air would become thinner and thus they should pace themselves once they got to the top, since they would not be used to the altitude and thin air. Jenn could attest to the enchantress’s accuracy. Her ears kept plugging up and then she would have to move her jaw to get them to “pop,” as Trevin had called it.

  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 i
f 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.

  The man’s large golden eyes suddenly caught her. So entranced was she that she barely noticed the mischievous grin on his face. She only noticed the extremely chiseled jaw with perhaps a day’s worth of stubble. The stubble extended to most of his head, and Jenn blinked to realize that the man’s head had been shaven on both sides, leaving a single stripe of long hair running down the center, almost like a horse’s mane. The hair was black at the base, tapering up to a brilliant gold at the tips. It was breathtaking, Jenn realized.

  If she thought his face took her breath, that was before her eyes drifted beyond his face. What she had thought was a dark cloak was not a cloak at all, but large, black, feathered wings rising up from his back. They were slightly unfurled to assist in his balance. The wings were lined with a gorgeous shiny black down on top, along with deep black coverts, while the lower primary and secondary pinions changed to the same gold as his hair.

  The guard was an aetós or aetón or… she really did not know the word. “Aetós…” Jenn managed to whisper in surprise. She had heard of the legendary beings, but had never seen one, nor expected to.

  The guard smiled broadly and then chuckled, apparently familiar with the reaction he was having on her. “Aetóên,” he corrected gently. “I am an aetóên in the common tongue. Aetós is equivalent to humans; aetóên corresponds to the singular human. But in particular, I am named Danfaêr.” He effortlessly lifted her and her heavy pack and spun them around from the ledge and onto the large landing pad at the top of the mountain. He released her gently, ensuring she was stable, and then turned back to where Trevin had apparently fainted into Hethfar’s arms, as planned.

  “Whoo.” Gastropé let his breath out, shaking his head. “I guess that bridge really is treacherous if three of us tripped and fell.”

  “You tripped, I was shoved, and she planned her faint so she could cuddle,” Jenn said while internally scolding herself over her reaction to Danfaêr.

  “What are you talking about?” Gastropé asked, looking at her as if she were crazy.

  “Never mind; it’s just ridiculous.” Jenn shook her head.

  Gastropé frowned for a minute and then his eyes widened. “Oh, I see why she would do that.” He stopped and thought for a moment. “I have to admit, Treyfoêr smelled really good. If I was into guys…”

  “Please!” Jenn said, wanting him to shut up.

  “We’re ready to load up!” Maelen called over to them. He gestured for them to join him, so Jenn and Gastropé headed over to where the seer was standing near a wagon. Actually, Jenn realized, it was a rather odd wagon; it had large iron wheels that were sitting on parallel iron rails. The wagon had sides about four feet high.

  Maelen pointed at his own pack in the wagon. “We put our gear here and then ride in the next cart.” He gestured to a platform on wheels closer to the mountain. The platform had several wooden bench seats with backs and end panels, sort of like Jenn had seen in churches. There were metal bars running along the backs of the benches so that people in the following bench could hold on.

  In all, there were four carts. The wagon cart and bench carts were in the middle. On the ends were more bench carts, but those bench seats had no backs, and it appeared, in the dark, that they had leather handholds for each position on the benches.

  “Elrose,” Trevin said, walking up with the sorcerer, “we sent your large gear through on a previous trip, so it’s already on the other side near the bridge gateway. Everyone load your stuff in this cart; we will then tie it down with a tarp. Maelen”—she turned toward the seer—“I’d suggest you and Gastropé put your staves in the cart as well. The ride through the mountain is a bit bumpy and you’ll probably want to hang on in the cart.”

  “Do we go all the way through the mountain?” Jenn asked.

  Trevin smiled and nodded. “Almost straight through at this altitude. It’s about two leagues.”

  “I thought we had to be at the bridge at fierdrise? I don’t think we can make that,” Gastropé said.

  Trevin just chuckled. “Oh, we’ll make it; it’s only about a ten-minute journey.”

  Gastropé looked at the wooden carts on metal rails. “We’re going to be traveling at twelve leagues an hour on this contraption?”

  Trevin chuckled and nodded. “Up and down numerous inclines and through several large caverns and over a couple of large chasm bridges. So, as I said, you may want to hang on tight.”

  Maelen and Gastropé secured their staves quickly in the cart. It was hard to say, but Jenn thought Maelen may have turned a shade of Gastropé gray. Elrose shrugged and put his pack in, his dark skin color hiding any signs of nervousness. Jenn and Gastropé placed their packs in the cart and one of the aetóên she did not know began covering the loaded cart with a tarp.

  “We recommend those new to this trip sit in the seats with backs and sides.” Trevin gestured to the second cart with the pews. “The aetós, of course, use the backless benches for their wings. I sit up front next to Gnorman, our engineer.” She gestured to rather short, rotund fellow who suddenly appeared beside her.

  He was about half her height, had a huge head in proportion to his body and an even larger nose. He was dressed in a weird single-piece outfit that appeared to be pants with a large bib covering his chest, with suspenders over his shoulders holding them up. The outfit was vertically striped with grey and white bars. He had a nicely fit bright red shirt on under the bib, tucked into the pants. On his head, he wore a cap with a large front brim made of the same grey and white striped material as the pants.

  Jenn suddenly realized that this Gnorman must be a gnome. She had heard of the legendary engineers and craftsmen, but had never actually seen one in person. Gnorman the gnome? That seemed just a bit trite, but she knew it was not polite to question other cultures and their traditions.

  “If any of you, say Gastropé, want a more exciting ride, you can sit up next to me in the front,” Trevin continued. “You are more than welcome to grab and hold on tight to me.” She grinned mischievously, “And I, of course, will hold on to you in return!”

  “Uhh…” Gastropé was not sure how to respond and it took him a few seconds. “Thanks, but maybe on the return trip or something. I’m thinking I’d better follow your advice for newcomers.”

  Trevin smiled and shrugged. “Have it your way, then. It would have been a lot of fun—for me, at least.” She turned and headed toward the front cart. “Everyone aboard! Anyone with motion sickness issues should take the sides and aim outward with your breakfast!”

  They climbed aboard the cart. There was plenty of room; the benches could easily sit three to four people across. Jenn and Gastropé took the second-row pews and Maelen and Elrose took the one behind them. Hethfar and Danfaêr took the benches behind Trevin and Gnorman; only two aetós could fit on a bench given their large, gorgeous wings. Treyfoêr and four other aetós, including the two that had assisted Elrose and Maelen, filled the back cart.

  “Everyone seated and ready?” Trevin called back to the party. Jenn and Gastropé nodded towards Maelen, who called out, “Middle car ready!” From the rear car there was a loud hooting noise and what sounded like a cheer.
Jenn took that to mean they were ready.

  Trevin looked back and smiled before shouting, “Gnorman, power up! Ahoy, gates! By the order of Niall, open the mountain to our train!” Suddenly the sides of the train lit up as previously dark crystals lining the edges of the carts began to glow with yellow and white lights. Ahead of them in the new light, Jenn saw a large portcullis in the side of the mountain start to rise with a loud rumbling noise. Not squeaky, though; the portcullis was surprisingly well oiled.

  Suddenly the carts rocked slightly as the magic powering it hit the wheels—or something like that, Jenn decided. Gnorman pushed forward on a lever between him and Trevin and the cart slowly started lurching forward. Clack, clack, clack went the iron wheels on the iron tracks. Rather amazing, Jenn reflected, how they were using magic to propel iron wheels on iron tracks. Iron was notoriously resistant to magic.

  As the portcullis locked into place above them, the carts lumbered through into the side of the mountain. A few feet into the tunnel, they saw a side room off the tunnel with a group of gnomes in armor waving at them. Trevin waved back, and feeling the mood, Jenn and the rest in the middle cart did as well. The aetós in the rear car made hooting noises as they passed the gnome guardroom. As they moved into the tunnel it got darker, the guard room having apparently lit up the opening quite a bit. Within a minute, the only light came from the carts themselves. The dark stone walls with timber shoring were rather eerie, Jenn thought.

  “All systems ready, mistress!” Gnorman stated loudly over the clacking of the wheels.

  “Then give our metal mount her head, Master Engineer!” Trevin yelled back. Gnorman grinned at her and shoved the lever further forward. Suddenly the carts lurched forward, accelerating to what could only be called a breakneck speed, slamming Jenn back into her seat and forcing her to quickly grab for the metal bars in front of her.

  “Shit!” Gastropé shouted beside her as the carts began careening madly down the tunnel. Jenn was just starting to get her breath back when suddenly she was thrown forward as the carts dipped and headed down a very sharp incline. It had to be at least sixty degrees. Jenn and Gastropé both yelled in fright as the carts plunged down the dark tunnel. Wham! They were thrown to the left, Gastropé slamming into her, and then they tilted the other way as the cart started turning in the other direction. The hooting from the aetós behind her and ahead of her rose to a higher level, echoing eerily in the tunnels. She was going to lose her lunch, she knew it.