The invisible staircase was not straight. It rose while twisting unpredictably. Although every section connected to the next, the degree of distortion far exceeded Shade's imagination. They moved quite slowly, with the Witches behind him all clutching the hem of his shirt and watching where his feet stepped.
When Shade tried to reconstruct the staircase's full appearance in his mind, its spirals and inversions—utterly defying normal human thought—made him groan and nearly stumble. The construction of this staircase had employed terrifying knowledge; its very shape was itself a part of that knowledge.
The tower's first floor was far taller than it appeared from outside. The three had climbed at least twice the height that the first floor seemed to have from the exterior, yet they still had not seen the Second Floor.
And as they climbed higher, the mere presence of the god was already becoming too much for Miss Teresa to endure. The young witch did not want to become a burden to her companions, but in the end, she still had to be supported by Miss Violet.
They continued upward like that. It was not until the fourteenth minute of Shade's adventure through this lost time that they finally saw a floating Bronze Door appear at the Higher Place.
Carefully making their way up the invisible stairs, they finally reached the door. Both Shade and Miss Violet let out sighs of relief.
"The god is on the Second Floor beyond this door. I'm opening it now."
Shade gave them a reminder over his shoulder. With a gentle push, the door opened. The god had not set a trial upon the opening of the door. Shade stepped through without hesitation and found himself standing on solid ground. The sensation put him in a very good mood, though the thought