Heaven Cent (13 page)

He dived to the floor, Draco hot on his tail. As he landed, he assumed the form of a basilisk, and whipped about to face his pursuer. This form was deadly to almost all other forms; the moment their gazes locked, the other would be dead. All Dolph had to do was keep watching the other, so that Draco could not orient on him without meeting gazes. He did not need any special training or skill for this; even his natural clumsiness with the form would not diminish this effect.

But Draco had been alert, and he sheered off the moment Dolph changed. He knew about basilisks. He looped around, then closed his eyes, oriented by memory, and fired a jet.

Dolph scooted for cover. The fire singed his tail again. Draco didn't have to see him to attack him!

But maybe he could change that. Dolph became the bat, and launched himself at the nest. By the time Draco caught up, he was on the nest, and back in his basilisk form. The dragon's treasure was all around him; let Draco blast that!

Draco sheered off again, and made several loops in the air, pondering. Then he closed his eyes again, and come in to the nest. But he did not breathe fire this time. He simply landed blind, as his familiarity with the region enabled him to do.

Marrow crowded out of the way on one side, and Dolph scuttled off on the other. Was the dragon trying to crush his tiny body with its much larger one? He could avoid that!

But Draco did not seem to be doing that. Instead he flexed his coils as if rearranging them for the night. His bright scales reflected the glow from the larger gems in the nest: the moonstones and sunstones.

Then Dolph realized what the nature of the trap was. If he saw his own face reflected in a scale, he would stun or kill himself! That was one of the few vulnerabilities of this form. Obviously Draco had dealt with basilisks before. He could only hurt himself, because his bite could never penetrate the dragon's scales, and his gaze could not hurt a creature who refused to look at him. Indeed, if Draco managed to chomp him, and spit him out quickly to avoid the poison, Dolph could be mortally crushed.

He scrambled out of the nest, jumped down, and became the bat in midair. He flew quickly across to the side of the cave closest to the underwater entrance. Then he became a tangle tree, rooted in the sludge of that region.

The dragon was already back in the air, orienting for another shot; he knew that he could look now, because basilisks could not fly. He intended to toast Dolph before Dolph could get established in some more formidable form.

But a tangle tree was no ordinary creature. It was a carnivorous plant, with thick foliage and tentacles. A blast of fire could make it wilt, but could not overcome it. Meanwhile, Dolph was extending his roots down through the water to close off the entrance, and extending his tentacles to grab the dragon in the air. The tree could sense things without light, so there was no problem about locating Draco. Of course the tree could not grow well in darkness, but this was only a temporary form.

Draco hovered just outside tentacle range. He jetted fire at a cluster of tentacles, but Dolph moved them out of the way and reached for the dragon with a longer tentacle he was growing. Draco turned and snapped at the new tentacle, which whipped clear of the teeth. They fenced that way for a while, without having much effect on each other.

Finally the dragon growled something in his language, but Dolph could not understand it; tree talk was too far removed from reptile talk. “Same to you, fried-brain,” he retorted in leaf language, making an insult gesture with a tentacle.

Draco flew back to the nest. Now Dolph saw the impasse: he could withstand the attacks of the dragon, and could prevent the dragon from leaving, because his tentacles would overwhelm the dragon if he got caught. But Dolph could not get the firewater opal. Marrow could do that, but now the dragon was facing the skeleton, and it was obvious that if Marrow tried anything, he would get thoroughly chomped. Dolph couldn't help his friend unless he changed form again and went over there—but Draco had already demonstrated that he was superior in the air and on the nest.

But the dragon was not attacking the skeleton, and Marrow was not trying to get away. They seemed to be conversing. What was going on? Then Marrow stood at the edge of the nest and waved to Dolph. “Truce!” he called, “Draco offers a truce.”

Dolph was able to understand Marrow's words, mainly because he knew the skeleton and could interpret the nuances. Draco was asking for a truce? Was this a trick? But in the face of this stalemate, it was worth exploring.

Dolph became the firedrake, and flew cautiously toward the nest, ready to veer clear if necessary. “What's this about a truce?” he growled in dragon talk.

“Just that,” Draco growled back. “I want to talk.”

“Okay, talk,” Dolph said, hovering at a reasonable distance.

“The skeleton tells me you are a prince of your kind.”

“Yes.”

“Then you understand honor.”

“No, I'm too young for that.”

The dragon was evidently discomfited. He turned to Marrow. “How can a prince not comprehend honor?” he asked.

“When he is a child who has not yet had sufficient experience of it,” Marrow replied. “The learning of this is part of what he requires to become adult.”

“Does this have something to do with the Adult Conspiracy?” Dolph asked suspiciously.

Both Marrow and Draco laughed, to Dolph's annoyance. “Not really, though it could relate,” Marrow said. “The concept of honor is fundamental to adult dealings with others, particularly in war. Conformity to a high standard of conduct, of which integrity is integral. In this case it means that neither you nor Draco must break the truce until both of you formally agree to end it, and you will not try to harm each other in the interim. It will be as if you are friends, even though you know you are not.”

Dolph considered. “Does that mean he can't toast me if I return to boy form, and I can't take the firewater opal?”

“Exactly. Not while the truce is in force.”

“Then what's the point of it?”

“Draco has a pressing appointment. He wishes to attend a ceremony now, and return to finish this engagement after the ceremony is over.”

“Would that be the same ceremony Chex went to?” Dolph asked, interested.

“You know Chex Centaur?” Draco asked, surprised.

“She is my friend,” Marrow said. “We visited Mt. Rushmost together three years ago. She helped us out of a difficulty yesterday.”

“But it's her wedding I am going to!” Draco exclaimed.

“Her wedding!” Dolph and Marrow asked together.

“Yes. She is to marry Cheiron Centaur. I do not want to miss that ceremony.  All the winged monsters will be attending.”

“I wish I could attend!” Marrow exclaimed. “She never mentioned the nature of the ceremony.”

“Of course not. You are not a winged monster, so are not eligible to attend. She would not have wished to hurt your feelings.”

“Surely so,” Marrow agreed.

“I agree to this truce,” Dolph said, assuming boy form. “I want to go to that ceremony too.”

“You are not eligible either, Prince,” Draco reminded him laconically.

“In any event—” Marrow began.

“But I could become eligible,” Dolph pointed out. “I can assume the form of a winged monster.”

“They would know you were not. Every attendee will be known to some other, and your form would be known to none.”

“—this is not advisable procedure,” Marrow concluded.

But Dolph was determined to go. "You would not care to leave me here near your nest, Draco, when I do not understand about honor.”

Draco considered, gazing at the gems that filled the bed of the nest. “You have a point. I dislike leaving my nest unattended, in any event, and more so when there is a raider in the vicinity.”

“But if I change form and fly with you, you will have no concern about that. Marrow can remain to watch your nest; he is a creature of honor.”

“This is preposterous!” Marrow protested.

Draco turned his gaze on Marrow. “How can I be assured of that?”

“My parents assigned him as my Adult Companion for my Quest. They are very choosey about such things.”

Draco nodded. “So I understand. The Man-King is reputed to be easygoing, but his wife would be suitable for governing dragon cubs.”

“The dragon cubs wouldn't like it,” Dolph muttered.

“Exactly. Not one of them would get free of the nest unsupervised. I remember my own nestling days. But I did learn how to be a dragon! I also learned not to question the judgment of such a creature, whatever her form. Marrow, will you undertake to safeguard my nest during my absence?”

“By no means!” Marrow said. “This would be a grave distortion of—”

“He agrees,” Dolph said. “He can blow his bone whistle if there is trouble.”

“I think perhaps he does agree,” Draco agreed. “Then let us be off; there is very little time remaining. Assume the form of a dragonfly and hang on to my back; I will get there faster if I don't have to wait for you.”

“But—” Marrow cried.

Dolph became a dragonfly and buzzed over to land on Draco's back, between his wings. He took firm hold with his claws, knowing that a rough ride was coming.

“Be careful!” Marrow cried as they took off. Then Draco plunged into the water. They were on their way.

Dolph closed his eyes and held his breath while the dragon forged through the water, this wasn't hard to do in this form, because his big eyes had special membranes and his breathing wasn't like that of his human form. Then Draco burst out of the cave and forged into the night air. He climbed so high that Dolph was afraid they would get burned by the stars, but the dragon knew his way and steered safely clear of them.

Draco, his elevation attained, headed south. The stars passed rapidly by, above and below them, and the great dark Land of Xanth moved more slowly, identified only by stray lanterns and natural glimmers. Dolph could see only at an angle to the sides, because of the body of the dragon, but it was enough.

“What is your Quest?” Draco inquired.

“I want to find the Good Magician Humfrey,” Dolph replied promptly. He was glad to have anyone know his business, because that made it seem more important. Because he was in dragon form now, it was easy to converse.

“What makes you think you can find him, when others can not?”

“I found a message in a secret chamber of his castle saying 'Skeleton Key to Heaven Cent' so I knew he had left it for me, to tell where he is. So we went to the key where it pointed, but all we found was a skeleton.”

“There is more than one key,” Draco said.

“Yes. So we sailed south to check the next, only this merwoman caught me, and she wouldn't let me go unless we got her firewater opal back, and—”

“So that's what you were after!” Draco exclaimed. “My opals!”

“Yeah. Because—opals? How many do you have?”

“Two. I'm the only one with a set of those, because they are very hard to obtain. They enhance youthfulness in the possessor, or at least the impression of it. But why should you, a prince, become a thief, when you already possess sufficient youth?”

“Well, you stole it from the merman, so—”

Draco's body shuddered and heated. “I did not steal it! I won it!”

“You mean by killing its owner?”

“I see I shall have to set you straight about that.” Draco said grimly. ”Obviously the merwoman did not tell you the whole story. What exactly did she tell you?"

“Just that they had this one special gem, and without it she can't get a new merman to marry her in place of the one you killed when you took the stone. So she wants it back, and she's holding Grace’l hostage until we bring it.”

“Grace’l?”

“She's another skeleton, like Marrow, only female. We'll trade her for the firewater opal, and then Mela can get another husband. She was going to keep me until I grew up, but I guess I should find the Good Magician first.”

“I see the way of it. So you were going to take the opal before I returned, but I came back too soon.”

“Right. So then I had to fight you for it.”

“Naturally. The only way to gain anything from a good dragon is to steal it or fight for it or outwit the dragon, and I am difficult to outwit. Very well, let me explain why it is my stone, not the merwoman's. It all started about two years back, when I made a wager with Merwin Merman. He had the other firewater opal, you see, and a pair of those is worth ten times as much as either one alone, so we agreed they should be together. We had a contest to see which of us should have the set, and I won, only he reneged. He tried to kill me and take them anyway, but I killed him and got my due. So those gems are mine, fair and square, by right of wit and of combat.”

Dolph realized that the dragon had a case, if this was true. But he wasn't sure it was true. “What contest did you have, and how did you win?”

“Fire, water, sand. Do you know that one?”

“No.”

“Well, you count to three together and throw out a paw. Two claws means fire, because they represent the flames leaping up. The whole paw flat means water, because it lies flat. The paw balled up is sand, because it is a ball of it; you can't make a ball from fire or water.”

“I guess so,” Dolph said. “But what can you do with fire, water and sand? Make a bonfire on the beach?”

“It's symbolic. You put out your paws together, and each person has his paw signifying one of the three. That's how you get your winner: fire evaporates water, water covers sand, and sand smothers fire. So there's always a winner and a loser, unless you both put out the same symbol; then you just do it over.”

“Fire beats water, and water beats sand, and sand beats fire,” Dolph said, catching on. “But how can you be sure of winning?”

“That's the point: you can't. So it's a fair contest; nobody knows who will win a throw. That's how we decided who would have the two firewater opals: one throw. I threw fire and he threw water, so I won. But then that cheater, he tried to claim he had won! He demanded that I give him my opal! The audacity of it! When I informed him that he had it backwards, he grabbed me and pulled me under the surface of the sea, trying to drown me and take the gem by force. Can you imagine? He was the worst loser I ever met!”

“But I guess you didn't drown,” Dolph said. “How did you get out of it?”

“He didn't know I could swim,” Draco said. “It seems some folk are ignorant about that; they think firedrakes are afraid of water, just as others think merfolk can't walk on land. We stay clear of sea water because we don't like to get our wings soiled with salt; it takes forever to clean that out. But we can do it if we have to. Sometimes we're hungry, and the only thing available is saltwater fish; sometimes there's something under the water we just have to have. Sometimes we just spin out of control in a storm; then it is best to be over water, so we can make a splash landing and not get hurt. So when Merwin grabbed me like that, at first I was so amazed at his effrontery that I didn't even struggle. But when he grabbed for my opal—I had it in a pouch on a chain around my neck, ready to give it up if I lost the throw—I put my snoot in his face and toasted him at point-blank range. Then I grabbed his opal, which I had won, and swam to the surface, and took off for home. It took me days to get the salt out, and my eyes were bleary from it, but at least I had what belonged to me. To this day I still can't figure why he was such a bad loser; he had seemed to be a decent fellow, for a merman, before that moment. Had he just played by the rules, he would have lost his opal, but not his life.”

“Mela thinks you just attacked him and stole the opal,” Dolph said. “She thinks you're a rogue dragon.”

“There were no witnesses to the event, so I suppose she can think what she pleases. But I have told it as it happened. I threw fire, he threw water, plain as two days. I am absolutely sure of that, as I am of his bad attitude. That gem is mine!”

But something was nibbling at Dolph's memory. “Mela— she said something—I think it was just a saying she used— about fire and water. 'Sure as water douses fire'—something like that. I wonder—”

“That's backwards!” Draco growled. “I told you, fire evaporates water. Every time. You breathe fire on it and it heats and turns into steam and it's gone. When I come home and drip on the nest, I dry it out by heating it a little.”

“But maybe to a merperson, who lives in water, it would seem the other way,” Dolph said. “I remember something else she said, about sand displacing water—”

“That's backwards, too! Water covers sand! I'd heard that merfolk were addle-brained, and this proves it!”

“Maybe so,” Dolph said uncertainly. “And there was something else she said, but mostly I remember her legs. When she turned her tail into legs, they were really quite nice.”

“I dare say they would be delicious,” Draco agreed, licking his chops. “Plenty of meat on them?”

“Just the right amount, I think.”

“I'm hungry already!”

“Back at Castle Roogna my mother said boys weren't supposed to see girls' panties. But this was all right, because she wasn't wearing any panties.”

“Right. The cloth catches on the teeth. That can be messy. Girls are best without panties.”

“But what I was trying to remember—Ah, now I have it! Fire melts sand, she said. So you know, they—”

“All backwards!” Draco exclaimed. “What idiots! They think fire melts sand, sand displaces water, and water douses—” He broke off. “Uh-oh.”

“I wonder whether they play that game the same way?” Dolph asked innocently. “Backwards?”

“Suddenly I very much fear they do! So that when I threw fire and Merwin threw water—”

“You mean he really did think he won?”

Draco snorted out a fierce jet of fire. “Oh, my,” he hissed. “I wish I'd understood! We could have discussed the rules, gotten them straight . . .” He trailed off, his words fading into thoughts.

“When I get back, I'll tell her about the misunderstanding. Maybe that will make her feel better.”

Draco choked on smoke. “Uh, maybe I have a better idea,” he gasped. “I will give you the firewater opal to return to her. You need say nothing about the misunderstanding.”

“Oh, sure! That's nice of you! But won't that ruin your set?”

“Some prices need to be paid,” the dragon said. “Perhaps she needs to find another husband more than I need a set.”

The rest of the flight was uneventful. Dolph snoozed, because he was young and got sleepy at night, and when he woke the sun was just peeking over the horizon, checking to make sure the darkness was gone. Ahead lay the broad flat peak of Mt. Rushmost, covered with bushes.

But as they came closer, and the light improved, Dolph saw that those weren't bushes, but creatures. The mesa was dotted with winged monsters! He had never imagined, let alone seen, such a variety of horrendousness! These were dragons of every size from dragonfly to appalling, and griffins, and basilisks, and sphinxes, and winged serpents, and rocs and harpies and—his mind boggled. They were all bustling about and making a commotion, but not, oddly, fighting.

“Remember,” Draco hissed as they came in for a landing. “Do not revert to your human form. Conceal your identity, or your posterior and mine will be slung over the moon!”

Dolph, gazing out at the assemblage of monsters, took the warning to heart. Any of these would gladly consume him in a trice, if given a pretext, and the fact that he was a prince would make scant difference.

They landed on the strip of clear land designated for this. Fireflies marked the sides and corners, so that night flights could be accommodated almost as readily as the daytime ones. A phoenix squawked instructions for orientation and schedule, so that those coming in did not collide with those taking off. Indeed, this was a necessary precaution, for every few seconds some monster was doing one or the other. Some had evidently been designated group hunters, for they were coming in with assorted prey in their clutches, which carrion was duly torn to pieces and distributed to the hungry. Again, Dolph appreciated that this was necessary, because it would have been impossible to have every monster hunt this region simultaneously; every living thing would have been wiped out. But with rocs bringing in mundane cows, elephants, and whales, there seemed to be almost enough to go around.

There was a flurry of introductions as Draco trundled off the runway. “Draco, you laggard! We thought you'd forgotten to come!” another firedrake growled.

“No such luck, flame-brain,” Draco responded. "I had trouble finding a nest sitter.”

“If you just bothered to take a mate, you'd have a nest sitter!” a blue dragoness puffed.

“Stop matchmaking, Hotbox,” Draco said. “When I want a wyvern, I'll choose her myself.”

“Well, this is the place for it,” she protested, and mere was a fiery roar of laughter from the others now.

“Who's your midget friend?” a cockatrice inquired, staring through his dark goggles at Dolph.

“Keep your specs on!” Draco cautioned, not wholly humorously. A cockatrice, like a basilisk, had a gaze that was poisonous. “This is—” He paused.

Dolph realized what his problem was. They had not decided on a name for him, and could not risk his real one. “Phlod Firefly,” Dolph said, drawing on a game name he had used in the past. It was his name spelled backwards. His sister, by the same token, was Yvi. They called their father Rod, which didn't bother him, and their mother Eneri, but never to her face. Grandpa Knib was a good sport, though. Now he was very glad they had played that game, because it gave him a name he was used to answering to.

“Phlod,” Draco agreed with relief. “He is a prince of his kind, so was required to attend, but the distance was too far, so I brought him.”

“Still looks like a wasp waist to me,” the cockatrice said. “I think I'll step on him and see if he squishes.”

“I wouldn't,” Draco said.

But the cocky winged lizard was already moving toward Dolph, determined to throw his small weight around. Dolph thought quickly. He did not want to give away his identity, but neither did he want to get stepped on. He had noted that the dragons here were not using their fire; evidently the truce forbade it, for obvious reasons, just as it required the cockatrice to cover his eyes. There was to be no fighting here, but apparently a little pushing around for status was all right.

Well, he could do that. Dolph simply assumed the form of a larger firefly. When the cockatrice still advanced, he became bigger yet, so that he was larger than the other. He lifted a foot.

Now the cockatrice paused, surprised. “He's bigger than he looks!”

“He grows on you,” Draco said, with a discreet flicker of humor, and the surrounding monsters chuckled smokily.

The cockatrice concluded that he had business elsewhere, which was the way of bullies when they found themselves overmatched.

Now trumpeter swans sounded a fanfare. There was an immediate hush. The ceremony was beginning!

“We shall now introduce the attending dignitaries,” a manticore bellowed. This monster was as big as a mundane horse, with the segmented tail of a scorpion, the body of a lion, wings of a dragon, and the head of a man with triple rows of teeth in each jaw. Its voice was oddly musical, vaguely resembling a trumpet or flute, with considerable volume. It occurred to Dolph mat those triple teeth might have something to do with it. Certainly this was a loud and fearsome monster!

There was a period of ordered confusion as the dignitaries were lined up. Then the fanfare sounded again. “Komodo li Zard, Prince of the Isles of Indon Esia,” the manticore fluted. Prince Komodo walked out, a dragon of moderate size with wings that were almost invisible; Dolph had to look two and a half times to see them at all. But of course they existed, because only winged monsters were here for the ceremony.