The air was strange in the Elemental Plane of Spirits. Just as it was in the Plane of Dreams, like the layers of a cake, dense air could be found ten thousand feet above the basin, at the edge of the escarpment. The density of the air depended upon its relation to the ground. Felix and Shane must have found this intuitive, but after learning to fly in the Elemental Plane of Life, Alice found the phenomenon deeply unsettling, especially when flying near the edge.

She rode upon the upper neck of her Pegasus. This, she knew, was the proper way to fly. It gave Mercy full motion of her four wings, and it allowed Alice to use her shield to protect the head and neck of her mount from projectiles and spears. It allowed the Pegasus to use her rear hooves as weapons without hurling Alice away. But it required great strength, and even with a Life Elemental, Alice could become tired in that position.

The dark trees, now caked with snow, were uncannily white under that magenta sky. The purple crystal spire loomed just ahead, and the Pegasus relaxed and began to lean back, exposing her outstretched wings to drop airspeed. Hooves clattered perfectly on the crystal ramp to the open spire, and Alice used her momentum to vault forward off her mount. One of those animated armors was waiting for her in the foyer. It offered a towel, which Alice used to wipe the sweat from her face.

"You have finally come," Elvira said as she descended the steps.

She was wearing only a thin nightgown. Her long purple hair, which was usually immaculate, looked unkempt. Her eyes betrayed restlessness.

"Is something wrong, my Princess?" Alice asked.

"I am just frustrated. I have sent for one of my males but he has been delayed for some reason."

Oh, that kind of frustrated, Alice thought to herself. "Astrid has sent for me?"

"My beloved sister wishes for you to travel to the south to deliver a message to Retainer Shane. Come upstairs to our bedroom."

The Purple Dragon began to ascend the steps. Alice felt a sense of dread as she began to follow. All the way to the south. That could take days or weeks! Just to deliver a message?

On the top floor, the animated constructs were busying themselves tidying up Elvira's bed. Alice had always thought that the bed was too small for both Purple Dragons to share, but then she realized that the two sisters never slept in the same Elemental Plane at the same time. Princess Astrid, or at least her ghostly soul, was clearly visible in the room, near the bookshelves. At first Alice wondered if it was possible for Elvira to wake up in the night inside of her sister's soul, but a later inspection revealed that the two beds were cleverly offset from each other.

Elvira began to hum, and with a flash of cyan light, Astrid transitioned to the Plane of Spirits. She was in a much better state than her sister, wearing a fine mother-of-pearl dress, with her hair done up in elaborate braids. She offered a sealed envelope to Alice.

"Good morning Alice!" the Purple Dragon beamed. "Out practicing flying before dawn? How diligent of you. If only you possessed the same diligence when it came to practicing with your Elementals."

"As you say, my Princess."

Astrid had given her a Dream Elemental, and Elvira had given her a Spirit Elemental. The Queen of Life had given her a Life Elemental.

And then there was that other one.

"I can sense the pattern in your thoughts," Astrid said. "Do you remember the moment when, within the same body, the Elemental Queens of Darkness and Light appeared in your church?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Alice saw the Spirit Elvira unlace her nightgown. It dropped to the floor in a heap, and the Purple Dragon, now completely naked, flopped over on her bed with a disgruntled sigh.

"Yes, my Princess," Alice managed, ignoring the other Dragon.

"Don't worry about Elvira," Astrid said. "She isn't dangerous yet. I mentioned that me and my sister would have fled the continent if Ashe had come alone. I will now describe to you the method we would have used. Summon your Heaven Elemental."

"Daughter of the Queen of Heaven, show yourself!"

The Elemental appeared at her side. Like depictions of constellations, the Elemental was composed entirely of tiny white shimmering stars against a foggy indigo field. Faint lines connected some of the stars, which produced a roughly-feminine outline. Alice found the thing disturbing to look at.

"There is a sigil here on the floor by the end of our beds," Astrid began.

Alice saw the thing. Cut into the purple crystal, it looked like three orbs connected by tubes, with the likeness of stars and moons scattered about. In the very center there was a glyph in some unknown language, but which Alice immediately understood to mean "Spirits."

"This is called an anchor," the Purple Dragon continued. A second Heaven Elemental appeared in the room, floating beside Princess Astrid. "Using this anchor, take myself, Alice, and her Pegasus to the Elemental Plane of Heaven!" she commanded. Then the room seemed to darken. Indigo fog spilled out from both Elementals, filling the room with the likeness of the night sky. The purple crystal floor of Elvira's room vanished, replaced by something that collapsed underfoot, something soft and natural.

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Alice found herself standing upon a crimson blanket of some species of lichen. It spread out in all directions toward small snow-capped hills. The curve of the place was far too aggressive to be normal. A verdant green moon dominated the sky overhead, and between her world and that moon, there was a very long tube of misty white, spanning the empty void. Upon that moon Alice could see small rivers and rocky peaks set against dense jungles.

She glanced around at the horizon. More too-small planets floated in a starry indigo sky, some connected to each other with more airy tubes. Here, a planet completely frozen in ice, and there, a planet that was covered in oceans, and yet another that was completely covered in desert. Alice heard Mercy trotting forward through the lichen, completely at ease in the new Elemental Plane.

"Welcome to the Elemental Plane of Heaven!" Astrid announced. "These are the Little Planets, connected by conduits of breathable air. They are the primary means of transportation in our universe. The Little Planet in the sky overhead contains an anchor to our spire in Riln."

"And you want me to fly up there to deliver your message to Shane?" Alice asked.

"Indeed. It looks far away, but your Heaven Elemental will allow you to travel more quickly than you would imagine. She will also be able to guide you to the correct anchor to return to the Plane of Spirits. Now, I see that you understand your task."

The Purple Dragon waved her hand dismissively.

"You are welcome to spend the night at the spire in the south if you need rest," she said. "Daughter of Heaven, before Brigid realizes I'm gone, take me back to the Plane of Spirits!"

Astrid began to fade. After a few moments she was completely gone.

Alice climbed up onto Mercy's back. From the higher vantage, she could see no less than eleven stone anchors arranged in a huge circle. Physical, Fire, Water, Wind, Stone, Metal, Lightning, Light, Dark, Spirits, Dreams. Strangely, there was no anchor for the Elemental Plane of Life.

"Will I be able to use the other anchors?" Alice asked.

You can only use the anchors if you are bonded to the correct Elemental, the Daughter of Heaven replied in her mind. The voice was feminine, soft and ghostly. Alice had very rarely heard the Elemental speak in her mind, and it gave her the chills.

"Can you help me travel up there?" she asked, pointing to the jungle planet that dominated the sky.

Fly into the conduit. Once you are inside, I will help you travel through it.

Alice flew. Up and up she soared, so far above the ground that she realized just how small her tundra planet had been. It would take less than a day to circle the entire planet, if Mercy was strong enough to fly for so long. As she ascended into the sky, the air did not grow thinner. Breathing was easy, and even gravity itself began to weaken. Soon, Mercy was beating her wings against the air without much resistance, picking up speed as they entered the huge cone of air that marked the entrance to the conduit.

A monstrous being approached from beyond the nearby tundra planet. Like her Heaven Elemental except three miles tall, the thing rocketed through the void with a long spear in one hand. Soon it was upon her, looming nearby in the space beyond the conduit.

Mortal, I am a Guardian of Heaven. You are bonded to a daughter of my mother, and she has summoned me to aid you. Do not be alarmed.

A foggy indigo hand wrapped around her, closing into a fist with a vast empty space within. Alice could see clearly between the constellation-like fingers ahead. The whole hand began to move rapidly through the conduit, dragging the air within. Alice and her Pegasus mostly remained stationary in the center of that closed palm, racing along the conduit. Suddenly the fingers released. The jungle planet was much closer, dominating the horizon all around, while the tundra planet was far behind, at the other end of the conduit.

"Thank you!" Alice cried. "Mercy, you can relax."

The Pegasus did relax, pulling in her wings against her flanks. Sitting high on the neck, Alice provided a forward weight, and the Pegasus began to fall forward into a nose-dive. The wind rushed by as they rapidly gained speed.

"Where is the anchor to the spire?" Alice asked.

To your left by ten degrees, nose up about twenty degrees, the Heaven Elemental replied.

Alice drove her mount roughly in the correct direction. The ground was still too far away to see clearly. It only took a few minutes before they were close to the jungle floor. Mercy extended her wings and pulled up along a gentle arc. Alice felt the heavy G-forces on her body during the transition, but her bond with the Life Elemental strengthened her and prevented her from fainting.

When she was flying horizontally again, Alice raised her spear high into the air. "That was fun!"

Mercy snorted in agreement.

The Heaven Elemental led her to a small clearing in the jungle with eleven more stone anchors. Alice quickly identified the one that led to the Elemental Plane of Spirits. "Using this anchor, take me to the purple crystal spire!" she commanded. Dark fog surrounded her, but the world beyond began to fade. After a few seconds the interior of the bedroom at the top of the spire began to materialize around Alice. The single bed was empty, but well maintained. An animated armor was the only other occupant in the room.

Alice found her Pegasus outside the spire. She never specified what the Heaven Elemental should do with the beast, but she seemed to have figured it out herself. To the south east she flew once more, through under a sunless magenta sky, toward the coast where she knew Shane could be found. Before, the horizon had been mostly ocean, but now the skyline was broken with a huge blue crystal tree.

When she reached the river delta, the many islands and sand banks were empty, devoid of buildings but teeming with souls. The branches of the trees themselves were swarming with fantastical living creatures. Huge insects, birds, ghostly women, long flying snakes, natural trees with two legs that marched around upon blue crystal branches.

"Daughter of Spirits!" Alice said. "What are these things?"

Spirits, the Elemental replied. This land was once dead to Spirits. The creation of this tree has invited them to come live here. Soon there will be many stories that inspire love of the Nation of Riln. The Spirit of the Nation of Riln is growing stronger.

"They must be here because of Shane!"

Yes. Shane inspires the stories. Shane strengthens his people.

Alice drove Mercy to land on the flat top of a massive branch.

"I'll need to bring him to this side and show him what he has done. Daughter of the Queen of Dreams! Open a portal to the other side!"