"One of us, or one of the Grondellites?" Pierce said.
"We need someone else who can fold," said Agrathor.
"I may have something better," said Scythia. She fished in a pouch on her belt for a few choice gems, producing a silver oval and a square of clear crystal. "Wire please, Axie."
Axebourne's eyes lit with understanding and he fetched a spool of Scythia's wire from his own pack. It had a dull metallic sheen, but brightened when Scythia touched it. Sev cocked his head in interest.
With deft fingers Scythia wound the wire into a setting for the silver gem, with another setting in a second tier for the crystal square. She noticed Sev's curiosity.
"The silver one detects threats, among other things. This one is already bound to my circlet, so the moment it is triggered, I'll know. The crystal pane captures images. It will route an image to my mind when the silver gem is set off. There is a slight chance of a false positive," she glanced around, "but it should be reliable out here, away from people."
"Brilliant," Sev said, smiling flatly. His eyes sparkled.
Axebourne gave his wife a boost, and Scythia secured the threat detector high up in a tree.
Gorgonbane all stood around looking at it for a few minutes, glancing at the occupied town of Ruska every now and then. All warriors but Sev, they were reluctant to walk away from battle.
"Bah!" Agrathor growled. "It's the right thing to do. Let's get moving before my grip on the lightning slips."
Calmly they withdrew from the high hill, returning to the Grondellite warriors below.
Back on the road, they flew by Shiv, eager to make the Chasm's verge by nightfall.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The First
The home of the First Great Master of Convergent Reality Theory really was perched on the very edge of Overland, and was appropriately called Chasmverge.
The high tower looked every bit the counterpart to Ess's Brackenverge, dark stone blocks crawling with luminescent mist, many spires reaching toward the black sky. As Gorgonbane approached from the northwest, they could see that the main tower was connected by a bridge to a smaller structure that hung out over the void. Pierce assumed it must be anchored to the Chasm wall.
Gorgonbane stopped at the tower's closed gates, and Ess stepped up to call out, "Master! Foul things are afoot! I come seeking your aid!"
Pierce didn't see how Eff would be able to hear her through the massive doors. And what if he was out in the tower's annex, or even a storey above? He'd never hear then.
Yet shortly the doors swung open of their own accord, and Gorgonbane was admitted inside. Axebourne left his new men to guard the gate, with strict orders to blow the signal horn if there were trouble.
The inside of Chasmverge was much like the foyer of Ess's tower, which made sense. Both places had presumably been built by the First. Eff had seen fit to install a railing for the spiral staircase, but otherwise, the place was just as stark as Ess's home.
Ess led the way across the bottom floor, and a double door on the far wall swung outward as she approached. It opened up on the bridge that led to the tower's annex. Ess seemed to know that her master would be out there. Pierce supposed he couldn't be bothered to meet her halfway.
Stepping out onto the narrow bridge was unnerving. Suspension cables ran up to the tower, and beams jutting out from the Chasm wall added further support, but there was no denying the dark, open space beneath them. If a strong wind blew, or a banshee swooped in to gnash its terrible teeth at them, only an endless fall awaited. You could drop things into the Chasm all day, and you'd never hear them hit the bottom.
Pierce was relieved when they had crossed the bridge, and were surrounded by the walls of the smaller tower suspended over the void. He could still sense the pull of the blackness, like a mad invitation to just jump in. The walls provided a measure of security, however false it might be. Even Agrathor made a sound of relief to be off the bridge.
Ess was unperturbed of course. Gravity wasn't a problem for her. She called up to the small tower for her master. Each story was no more than a mezzanine with a low rail. If he was up above, he should be able to hear. The response was delayed, but it did come.
"Is that my Second?" came the voice of an older man. Pierce heard his footsteps descending the stairs. "What day is it? If you're here, either time has slipped away from me, or something is very wrong."
"Both, really," said Ess.
"Well that doesn't sound promising," said the First. His feet came into view, the rest followed.
"It's not, Master," Ess affirmed.
Eff was a stick of a man, and unlike the Second he was dressed in a loose, tan shirt and trousers that revealed his lankiness. He wore no shoes. His silver hair was grown long, and it looked unwashed. His face had a look of perpetual puzzlement, and he blinked too often.
"And you've brought along a merry band," Eff said. "This must be your Gorgonbane." He stopped at the foot of the stairs, but did not approach the group to greet them. "Even out here, I've heard the tales."
He pivoted to move back up the stairs.
"Come," he said, "I think there's a sitting room with chairs up here. You can tell me what's going on."
Gorgonbane followed him up a couple of levels, past landings leading to halls full of closed doors. There was indeed a sitting room, and it was indeed furnished, though everything was dusty. Everyone took a seat, deferring to Ess to give
