Knot Gneiss (36 page)

Wenda sighed. She was beginning to understand Princess Eve’s quiet amusement. As a neighbor, she must have experienced this. Foes could be fought, but not well-meaning friends.

Jumper tried to intervene. “As you can see, I am not human. And the Knot we are transporting is not at all nice. You would not want it in your home.”

Taiwan oriented on the Knot. “Fascinating,” she breathed. “Genuine petrified reverse wood. I must study this.”

Which was worse. They were evidently stuck for it.

Taiwan ushered them into her invisible house. As a courtesy, she waved her hand, and the walls appeared, scintillating in pastels. It was a mansion with many levels, far more elaborate than anything short of a palace. How could an incidental part-time wife manage this?

They rolled the wagon into an attached shelter and closed it in. The Knot would be secure for the duration.

“And here are my sisters, the Maidens Japan and Mexico,” Taiwan said as two more women of her seeming age appeared. “We share the residence compatibly. Now come and settle in, and we will exchange life histories.”

Life histories! That would take something short of forever. “No need!” Wenda said desperately.

“I am sure each of you has a fascinating story,” Taiwan said, settling them in couches. For Jumper there was a weblike structure he could cling to with all eight legs. She was being a good hostess.

Soon they were eating delicious snacks and telling their stories. The three Maidens were enthusiastically fascinated, even applauding at the more intriguing parts, such as when Jumper had encountered the Demoness Eris and married her, and the way Wenda had been saved by the Demoness because of friendship, and then seen Eris put on Demon trial for interference, and Meryl’s finding Merwyn. Wenda had to admit that their stories did seem more interesting when told to this rapt audience.

There was a curious turn when Hilarion recited his search for his betrothee. “I remember,” Taiwan said. “You passed by here, and kissed all three of us. We didn’t have the heart to tell you how old we were. We could not possibly be the one for whom you search. But you do kiss well, and we enjoyed it. You were a perfect guest, very courtly.”

“I do not remember this,” Hilarion said, disconcerted.

“I understand you had a later brush with a forget whorl. That would account for it.”

“It would,” Hilarion said. “When was this? Last year?”

“More like a decade ago. You have had a long search.”

Hilarion was silent, obviously perplexed. Wenda could appreciate why. He had been searching for a decade?

Then it was the Maidens’ turn. And again Wenda had to admit it was a most interesting personal history. She closed her eyes and saw the three Maidens as they had been historically.

Once upon a time in Mundania there lived three beautiful ladies who were also extremely bright and shared a love of science, specifically physics, chemistry, and computer science. But apart from their passion for technology, their lives were miserable. Because they were beautiful, boys and then men were constantly seeking their company. The boys and men hardly cared about their minds or the content of their character; they simply wanted to get their hands on those bodies. Especially their upper fronts and lower backs. This annoyed the Maidens, for no reason they could get the men to understand.

Worse, it was a time in Mundania when women were not expected to have serious occupations, let alone scientific ones. They faced constant discrimination in a male-dominated world of school and science.

Then things changed, to a degree. The three of them had lived in their respective Mundane countries, but had applied for scholarships elsewhere, hoping to discover a more enlightened society. They received scholarships to attend colleges at the same university: Squeedunk, where Magician Grey would go years later. It was largely unknown, and trying to establish its credits, so was generous with grants to students showing real promise around the world. Including women. That showed how desperate it was.

They flourished there, advancing to the top of their classes. Their prospects for finding work remained meager, because of their gender, but at least they had hope.

They met each other during Spring Break of their senior year at a popular resort in Florida, which was somewhat like Xanth, only without much magic. They compared notes, discovering a striking similarity of experience. It wasn’t that they didn’t like men, it was that they wanted men to like them for their brains instead of their torsos, and no man even inquired—other than some professors, who actually turned out to be interested in the same thing, as a side dish. And of course the professors were married.

They decided to form a sisterhood, where they would pool their expertise and form their own company upon graduation, to create truly extraordinary inventions. They would enlist a few men to serve as figureheads for the company, so it would be accepted by other companies. There would be no problem enlisting the men; all they had to do was grant some limited access to their torsos, and the men would cooperate completely. If the men got inconvenient ideas, a little more access would freak them out, bringing them back under control. They were converting the disadvantage of male tunnel vision to an advantage.

Alas, fate intervened. The airplane they took to return to college encountered severe wind shear from a mundane cousin of Cumulo Fracto Nimbus, and exploded in a spectacular fireball when it smashed into the runway.

At the last possible second, a minor Demoness from Xanth assumed the form of a female leprechaun, stopped time on board the airplane, and talked to the terrified Maidens.

The Demoness, Nan O’Tek, was more than capable of building things from atoms by mere thought. But she had no creativity whatsoever, so could not usefully participate in the games that Demons played against one another for power and status. Nan saw the impending crash of these three talented and creative girls to be a meaningless waste, and offered them a deal: an oath of lifetime loyalty to her, in exchange for a rescue and an excellent life to come. The girls made the oath and were spirited off the plane the instant before impact. No one in Mundania knew.

Nan helped the girls set up shop in the Gap Wilderness, unknown to others. The four of them pooled their knowledge and power to selectively breed the small indus-trees they collected across the Gap. They developed a giant and robust breed of trees called Heavy Industrees, which were capable of producing massive amounts of refined materials such as steel or plastic, in a completely nonpolluting manner.

The girls designed their first atomic assembler, which they named after their patron, called a Nan O’Assembler. An array of assemblers took the refined materials from the heavy industrees to create all manner of useful nonmagical products and toys to be marketed across Xanth and Mundania.

Thus was devised the first, if secret, Xanth company, the Mai-Den Corporation Industrial Park. It was chartered by King Ebnez, and proved to be a source of untold wealth for the Maidens, and a source of ideas for Nan O’Tek. It later became the primary armorer for the King of Xanth and his Army. Others in Xanth never knew or questioned the source.

Given time and virtually unlimited resources to explore the limits of science in the magic realm of Xanth, the Maiden Japan designed and created the ornery self-willed contraption known as Com Pewter.

“Com Pewter!” Ida exclaimed. “He is notorious!”

“Imperfect, I know,” the Maiden Japan said modestly. “It was a learning process. I could do better today, but my interests are elsewhere.”

Wenda was amazed. These largely unknown Maidens had become virtual Sorceresses.

“Taiwan, didn’t you marry the Good Magician at some point?” Ida asked.

“Why, yes. It seemed like a good career move at the time, especially considering our work for prior kings,” Taiwan agreed. “But then he abdicated the throne, ruining the connection, and I had to abdicate the marriage. Then later I was visiting my sisters in Hell, when Humfrey rescued us all. So I had to accept remarriage, fortunately on a part-time basis. It really isn’t bad. We do a good deal of work for Humfrey now too. He’s one man who can keep a secret.”

“So you work for the king and the Good Magician,” Ida said. “That must keep you busy.”

“Not really. We tackle other projects that interest us. For example a knowledgeable engineer in Mundania wanted to design a ship of space that would travel to Alpha Centuri. He had made a deal with the centaurs, but had a problem delivering because they wanted it to travel faster than light. Science forbids that, for some reason, so he had to go to magic. That was where we came in.”

“A ship—to another star—faster than light?” Jumper asked, intrigued. “How could that be done?”

“It requires use of the Magic Law of Similarity,” Taiwan said. “Suppose you have a sheet of space-time fabric, actually called the ether, upon which you impose a map of the universe. Since the centaur’s ship is part of the universe, it will be shown on that fabric. Then—”

But Wenda was unable to follow it any further. It was vastly too technical for her. And, she suspected, for the others. So she just smiled and nodded as if she understood, and let it go at that.

Time passed. At one point they gathered around the Knot, the three Maidens approaching it as closely as they could, intrigued by the fear and disgust it inspired. “There is a lot of power there,” the Maiden Mexico said.

“We could take it off your hands,” the Maiden Japan said. “We would like to study it at length.”

“No,” Wenda said firmly. “It must go to the Good Magician’s Castle. Only then will our mission bee done.”

The Maiden Taiwan nodded. “I will see it there, in due course. That will do.”

Then Eris was there, bringing the nuptial visitors, so Wenda knew it was evening.

“Those Maidens are intriguing,” Eris remarked. “I understand their sister, the Maiden China, survived in Mundania, and now is showing her power there.”

“Things are more complicated than I ever suspected,” Wenda said.

“Well, yes, of course. Few folk even suspect the real sources of power or information, in Xanth or Mundania. That is perhaps just as well.”

“Just as well,” Wenda agreed, realizing that they were talking while their males were busy with their bodies. Wenda was really coming to appreciate her incidental discussions with the Demoness.

“Thank you,” Eris said, leaving Jumper asleep. Then she collected the other sleeping males and disappeared. “You have, I think, just one more day before your mission is complete.”

What a relief that would be! “Thank yew,” Wenda said as the Demoness faded.

15

F
ULFILLMENT

In the morning they were on their way, the Knot freshly clothed in the last of the reverse-wood chips. The Maidens had promised that there would be no more delays; the way to the Good Magician’s Castle was clear. They were in a position to know, as they used it often.

Wenda had to admit that the Maidens had not been bad. Their history was interesting, teaching Wenda much about Xanth that she had neither known nor suspected. They had been good hosts, and Wenda and the party were refreshed. Even the Knot had benefited, as a Maiden had managed to approach close enough to apply some grease to the wagon’s axles, and it was rolling more smoothly.

About the only unpleased member of their party was the Knot itself. It knew that delivery was incipient, and it hated that. Wenda had no sympathy.

“We are at last nearing the conclusion of our mission,” Hilarion said as he helped Ida pull the wagon. They were taking turns, as the chore became tiring after a while. Wenda was walking beside the Knot, being the one best able to tolerate its malevolence.

“We are,” Ida agreed.

“I wanted to say that I almost hope that Princess Dawn, however beautiful and talented she may be, is not my betrothee.”

“But Hilarion, I know her,” Ida protested. “She is a fine young woman, and an outstanding Sorceress. You could hardly find a better match.”

“There is the key: she is young.”

“She and her sister have been known to be mischievous, even naughty on occasion,” Ida said. “But in a manner you would surely appreciate. I understand they teased Jumper, when he was in manform, something awful, flashing their panties when he was bare.”

“They did,” Wenda agreed. She had been there. Those panties had just about set fire to the landscape.

“But that relates to the impetuosity of youth,” Ida continued. “As they age, their mature potentials will emerge. Eve is already showing hers. And Dawn—she was the one who realized how to save the Demoness Eris by making Jumper the Prince of Spiders. Eris had to marry a prince, you see. Dawn would make any man a very fine wife.”

“I have no doubt of it,” Hilarion said. “But the problem is with me. In the course of this mission I have come to know you, Princess Ida. I realize that you, too, are a full Sorceress, with powers unimaginable to ordinary folk. But setting that aside, and with no affront intended to the women of this party, you are still more woman than any I have known. You have shown me what a woman can be, and that is like a Sorceress compared to the incidental magic of an ordinary girl. When I finally discover my betrothee, I fear I will see a girl, when what I now desire is a woman. You may have spoiled me for her.”

“Oh, Hilarion, I’m sorry! I never thought … I never meant to—”

“Of course you are innocent of any evil intent,” he said quickly. “That is part of your mature nature. It is your very presence, your essential nature, that has educated me and made me see beyond the mere appearance of a girl. It is definitely not your fault. It merely explains my attitude.”

“I am not sure I understand.” But Wenda could see that Ida was at least on the verge of understanding. She just did not want to acknowledge it.

“If Dawn is not the one, I will then have a pretext to continue looking. To travel with you, Princess Ida, as we have agreed. To keep further company with you.”

“This is foolish,” Ida said. “You must find your betrothee.”

“Yes. But I try to be honest with all people, myself included. I would be satisfied to look for some time yet, in your company.”