Robbi was exhilarated by the sensation of flight. She lay snugly in the saddle which Chumley had acquired in World's End. Some modifications were made in Seth-e-Raman to make it more comfortable to Gladiverserac as well and the mighty albatross barely felt its weight as she glided over the Scythian Desert on her way to Sapphire Mountain with the small wizard snugly secured to her back. Herman had provided a dozen small glass stoppered globes, now secured to the saddle, filled with water and cider, for the journey. At Gladiverserac's insistence, a substantial amount of edibles were also packed and secured. The flight would take several days and the promise of food and drink at the end of each leg of the journey was both a comfort and a motivation.

As Robbi and Gladis soared through the skies, Chumley, Herman, and Winnie bounced roughly in a speeding carriage on the way to Thoth. It was a roomy enclosed stagecoach, with two facing benches. Herman, with his impressive girth sat on one side with Chumley and Winnie, side by side, facing him. The large hedgehog was silent, but wore a sublime smile on his face.

Chumley, on the other hand, was miserable, his body throbbed from the constant and ceaseless shaking. His head ached and he found Herman's apparent calm a bit annoying and he made no bones about mentioning it.

" 'Ow in the name of Targas, can you be sittin, there smilin' while our brains are bein' scrambled? You will tell me your secret, won't ya?"

The big hedgehog leaned further back and closed his eyes as he answered.
" 'Tis a wonderment, it is. Me old back what been achin' fer years is a shakin' and a shimmyin' like nobody's business. The ache is almost all gone. If'n the world don't get et by that Ürthing, I'm a gonna take this trip twice a year, yup, I sure am. A wonderment, a blessin'."

Winnie decided to give his opinion as well.
"It's like ridin' a barrel top down a hill, mister Chumley, it's great fun!"

Chumley shook his head in disbelief.
"We've been shaking for twelve hours, bit of a long hill, ain't it?"

"It surely is mister Chumley. I ain't ever had this much fun a shakin' before," Winnie answered enthusiastically.

Chumley couldn't help himself from smiling.
"Ah give up. Not gonna win this argument, am ah? I got me a couple of travelin' mates whose brains been shook loose." He changed subjects, "Hermie, what are you gonna need to make that glass house fer old Ashy?"

Herman opened his eyes and reached into the pocket of the apron he was wearing. He pulled out a small pad and a stick of charcoal. He began to write notes, pausing occasionally to concentrate, an activity that translated into facial contortions and various exclamations to himself such as, "Is that enough?", "That's got it.", and "That might work."

Chumley waited patiently till the hedgehog seemed finished with his calculations. Finally Herman looked up and addressed the rat, "I needs ta know how big the glass sheets needs to be."

Chumley thought for a moment.
"Ashy's a big fella. 'E's about sixty or seventy feet long and eight feet wide, ain't 'e?"

Herman let out a long whistle.
"That's big fella, sure enough. I reckon the sheet o' glass needs ta be eighty feet long and twelve feet high and wide. No gaffers I ever heard of made anything near that size."

Chumley was curious.
"What's the biggest sheet of glass you've ever seen?"

"Eight feet, maybe a bit more."

Chumley shook his head.
"Is it even possible?" the rat asked.

Winnie spoke up loudly.
"Hermie's the best, he can do anything!"

Herman chuckled and patted his brother on the head.

"Bless yer heart, Winnie," he turned to Chumley, " I ain't sayin' it ain't possible, just that it ain't never been done before. If'n what you say about Arisha's web makin' the glass a hundred times stronger is true, I might be able ta do it. It's gonna take a lot of paws and a lot of heat though."

Chumley leaned forward and looked the big hedgehog in the eye.
"You'll have all the beasts ya need and more. We need ta proceed as though this is gonna work, don't we. As far as the heat's concerned, Thoth's on a big ole pocket of lava, ain't it. All ya need ta get to it is drill down a bit, that's what the smithy's do. What else will you be needin', my spiny friend?"

Herman smiled.
"I got's to confess, I'm a lookin' forward to tryin' this. Ta answer your question, there's a bunch of stuff besides the heat, the help and Arisha's web I'll be requirin'. First off, the stuff ta make the glass, a whole heap o' sand and cullet, that'd be old broke glass to you non-gaffer types. I'll also be needin' limestone, dolomite, crushed sea-shells and some sulfur-salt. Winnie's a master glass cook, so he'll tell ya exactly how much o' everything once we figger how much glass we're a makin'. Then I'm gonna need a whole lot of tin. The tin's what we float the glass on to make the sheets. I'm hopin' we don't gotta polish the final sheets, do we?"

"Nah," Chumley replied, "ah'm sure old Ashy won't mind if 'e can't look out too well, 'e does live in a cloudy boilin' lake after all, don't 'e?"

Herman put his ham hock of a paw on Chumley's shoulder.
"I'll use all my skill," he smiled at his brother, "and his too. If'n it can be done...I'll do it."

"Ah 'ave faith in ye, my two prickly partners. We'll get started as soon as we arrive in Thoth. Well, we maght eat first, mah Belinda's a great cook, she is. That's assumin' ah still 'ave an appetite after spendin' two days in this rock tumbler."

Herman laughed loudly.
"Don't care what ya say, it's a wonderment."

"And fun!" Winnie added once more.

Chumley shook his head slowly in mock sorrow.
"It's always a shame when fine beasts like yourselves suffer brain damage, it surely is."

The closer Gladiverserac got to Sapphire Mountain, the more agitated she became. Robbi, who was clinging to the saddle on the mighty albatross' back, could feel her friend's heart pounding like a kettle drum. The small rat knocked three times on Gladis' side, a pre-arranged signal for the bird to land. They were within sight of the mountain and the albatross began to glide in a wide circle, searching for a pond or stream in which to land. The bird knew that landings on dry ground would most probably end in an uncontrolled tumble and put Robbi at risk.

It wasn't too long before she spotted a small pond, little more than a large puddle, on the flat plain which surrounded the mountain. She circled out once more, far enough to ensure her descent would be at as low an angle as possible. She thrust her webbed feet out as she touched down, slowing her forward motion as quickly as she could without flipping forward. Her forward progress was successfully curtailed and she came to rest a few feet in front of the limit of the small body of water. When she stepped out of the pond and onto dry land,   

Robbi unstrapped herself and slid off the albatross' back. She smiled at Gladiverserac.
"A very nice landing, Gladis."

The big bird spoke nervously, trying to sound confident.
"Lucky was I to find this water, Lady Robbia. On dry ground, not excellent are my landings. Doth thou know if water there is on the top of yon peak?" She pointed her beak toward Sapphire mountain.

Robbi shook her head.
"I'm afraid not Gladis. I know that you are worried about hurting me when you land, but don't fret, it will be fine."

Gladis remained unconvinced.
"Many times your weight am I. Crush thou, I will if roll over on thou I do," she said guiltily.
Robbi smiled sweetly.

"How about I help by using a little magic?

The albatross perked up.
"Magic? Forgotten have I that thou art a wizard. What wouldst thou do?"

Robbi thrust her arms in front of her and a small translucent globe appeared on the ground in front of Gladis. The large bird walked up to it and examined it from all angles.

"Go on Gladis, touch it," Robbi insisted.

Gladiverserac poked her bill into the mass. It was resilient and soft to the touch. She probed it with greater force and a large smile spread across her features. She turned to the small rat.
"A magic pillow hast thou conjured. A fine magician thou art."

Robbi smiled shyly.
"Thank you Gladis," she became more serious, "but the landing on the peak isn't the only thing troubling you, is it?"

The albatross averted her eyes and brushed her feet across the dirt.
"Silly am I. Frightened am I at meeting Arisha the great. Unworthy am I to be in the great mother's presence."

Robbi looked deep into the great bird's eyes and smiled gently. She walked over and draped her arms around Gladiverserac's long neck, hugging her gently. She spoke lovingly.

"You are right, Gladis, you are being silly. Arisha will love you as dearly as any of your friends do. You have left your home and family to help the creatures of Arishamal, you risk your life and happiness for our sake. There is no worthier creature on this planet than you. You have no cause for even the slightest concern."

"True this is, Lady Robbia?" Gladis asked meekly.

"True this is, Gladiverserac Presapornaweev," Robbi replied, "now let's have a bite to eat and then go meet the Golden Spider."

Gladis broke out in a broad grin.
"The golden mother, Gladiverserac shall meet."