Xone Of Contention (25 page)

“Fast-forwarding a video recording past the commercials,” Pia said.

“Exactly.” he agreed, smiling at her. “I haven't seen a video in— in thirteen years.” He shook his head. “How time flies!”

“When you're having fun?” Ivy inquired.

“Of course.” he agreed quickly.

Edsel and Pia laughed “Those two ate definitely married,” Pia said

“Indeed we are,” Ivy said. “And here come our children. They are three years old now.”

Three little energy balls burst into the room. One was in a green dress. She ran into Ivy's embrace, and Edsel saw that her greenish blond hair and blue eyes matched those of her mother. Another was in a brown dress; she ran to hug her father, and her brown hair and brown eyes matched his. The third wore a red dress: her red hair and green eyes matched neither. She paused to gaze at the visitors, then went to hug Pia, and that was where her green eyes matched.

Pia accepted the hug: she couldn't do much else. But she seemed uncertain. She had never had much to do with children: they were by her definition incompatible with sex appeal.

“This is Melody.” Ivy said, setting her child on her lap. “The three have a joint talent."

Melody began to hum. A vague disturbance appeared in the center of the room.

“This is Harmony,” Grey said, setting his child on his lap. “Whatever they sing and play together—”

Harmony produced a little harmonica and began tootling on it, in harmony with her sibling's humming. The disturbance became an opaque cloud with projections, in the shape of a model castle.

“And you have Rhythm,” Ivy said to Pia. “She resembles her cousin Dawn, physically. The three together make things real.”

Rhythm produced a little drum and beat on it with her fingers, providing a cadence. The music became better defined, though hardly expert.

The shape in the center became a castle made of candy. It was rather like a child's drawing, with the walls somewhat askew and the gates uneven, but there was no doubting the cookies and pastries and the gum-drops that formed its substance.

“Of course this is illusion,” Grey said. “They aren't up to solids yet. But in time they will be able to make a real castle of candy.”

“But there's no chocolate,” Pia said.

All three girls focused. The castle melted a bit, then firmed up as solid chocolate.

“Oh. you little darlings!” Pia exclaimed, hugging Rhythm. But that broke the child's concentration: she lost the beat, and the castle collapsed into a pile of chocolate rubble. Then it dissipated as the rest of the illusion crashed.

“Nevertheless impressive.” Edsel said. “Congratulations, girls.”

All three little princesses tried to blush. All they achieved was patches of red on their foreheads, but surely that too would improve as they matured in body and talent.

“But now we must go to see Com Pewter,” Grey said “I'm afraid we shall have to leave the children here with Wira.”

The three looked unhappy. Then they began to hum, play, and beat, and a dark thundercloud formed.

“We have transportation.” Edsel said quickly. “Para. the duck tooted boat. Plenty of room for them.”

Ivy considered. “Well, in that case—”

The cloud dissipated and sunlight replaced it. The room was closed, without a skylight, the beam appeared from nowhere. The three girls jumped down and ran for the door.

“They will be a handful as they age,” Edsel murmured to Pia as they followed.

“For sure,” she agreed faintly, looking bemused.

They went outside. There were Justin and Breanna with Para. “Boat!” “Duck!” “Foots!” cried the three children respectively, running to overwhelm the boat with attention. Para seemed to like it.

There was just room for the six adults, with the children scrambling around the edges. “To Com Pewter's cave, please.” Grey said. The boat started moving, but it was somewhat slow and clumsy. There was too much weight for the ten feet to handle comfortably

“I will Enhance you,” Ivy said. She put a hand on the side of the boat.

The craft steadied, and the motion became smooth and swift.

“That's her talent,” Breanna explained. “Enhancement. She can make anything do better.”

Edsel was interested. “If I may ask. what's your talent?” he asked Grey.

“I nullify magic. Of course I don't use it unless there is a magical threat.”

“Danger ahead.” Pia said tersely.

“Her talent is to know what's inimical,” Edsel said. “Just as mine is to modify or deflect other talents. We'd better check.”

“There appears to be a break in the path ahead,” Justin said.

They looked. It seemed that a recent storm had washed out the magic markers, and part of the enchanted path had been erased. A fire dragon was lurking there. waiting tlo pounce on whoever entered the unprotected section.

Para halted, Grey got out of the boat and walked to the bad section. The dragon pounced, seeming about to devour him. Then the dragon fell over, whimpering, its tail twitching like that of a wounded snake

“These morsels are not for you,” Grey told it. “Go and hunt elsewhere, and your powers will return.”

The dragon struggled back to its feet and limped away. As it did so, it recovered, and soon was fully functional again. It turned to face Grey, inhaling. It was about to blast him from a distance.

“I wouldn't.” Grey said calmly.

The dragon reconsidered. It turned about and departed “Good decision,” Ivy said. “Dragons are magical creatures, and will soon die without their magic."

Grey found the scattered markers and replaced them along the sides of the path. “These are depicted.” he said.

Ivy went there and touched each marker. “She's Enhancing them,” Breanna said. “So they'll be as good as new.”

Edsel was impressed. Neither Grey nor Ivy had magic that showed ordinarily, but when they had reason to use it, it was powerful. That was of course why they were called Magician and Sorceress.

The journey resumed. “This robot golem I'm to identity with.” Pia said “Exactly who and what is she?”

“Robota,” Grey answered. “This requires some background. Seven years ago, there was a Game of Companions, wherein two Mundanes visited, and one won a talent.”

“I know,” Pia said. “That was Kim. We know her”

“That was when Dug helped the Black Wave find a good place to settle in Xanth,” Breanna said

“Yes. in 1092. That game required considerable cooperation from a number of entities, among which was Com-Pewter. In exchange for that assistance, he was given a number of magical parts, from which he and his mouse Tristan assembled Robota. She is endowed by her creator with a portion of his magic ability to change local reality. She can do it only in relation to herself, however, and even so her power is limited. That might be considered her talent. She also has a remarkably analytical mind, oriented on weather, as she is a weather golem. This mission will be the completion of her training and education. Thereafter she will be to weather what Grundy Golem is to languages.”

“Grundy?” Pia asked.

“He was made from wood and string,” Ivy said. “But later the Demon X(A/N)th made him real, and he married Rapunzel. Their child, Surprise, can do almost any magic once—and only once. Grundy is a translation golem, so he can speak to and understand any living creature, including insects and plants. It would put him in contention for Magician status, if he were a man.”

“But you said he was made real. So isn't he a man now?”

Ivy was surprised. “Why yes, I suppose he is.”

“And how am I to identify with a creature who isn't alive?”

Grey stepped into the dialogue. “In Xanth, the distinction between living and nonliving can be obscure.”

“For sure,” Breanna said. “Consider the zombies.”

“Robota is animate,” Grey continued. “She is not flesh, but she is conscious and motivated.”

“But if she's a machine—” Pia said.

“Machines are people too. Your connection will enable you to see through her eyes, hear through her ears, and feel through her hands and feet. You will not have to think of her as alive, if you prefer not to. but we feel its not a relevant issue.”

Pia let it go, but seemed unsatisfied.

Meanwhile they were moving rapidly thiough the forest It seemed that Com Pewter's cave was not really far from the Good Magician's Castle, and the enchanted path facilitated travel. Before long, they approached the area.

An awful noise sounded. “Ooo-gah!”

“That's the invisible giant,” Grey explained. “He guards the cave.”

Pia sniffed. “What is that bleeping stench?”

“He doesn't wash often enough,” Ivy said “But soon we'll be in the cave.”

The ground shook. “Ooo-ga!”

“He has a heavy tread.” Breanna said “But he won't step on us. He knows us.” She lifted her hand and waved upward. “Hi. Giant!”

“Hi!” returned from the sky, deafeningly.

“You look great as ever,” Breanna called.

The invisible giant laughed. The sound rolled around the landscape, clashing off mountains and flattening valleys.

They came to a hole in the wall. Para ran in, and they were surrounded by darkness. Then it opened into a chamber where a collection of junk lay. With a glassy screen sticking up in the center. The boat stopped and they got out. The children clustered around the screen. “Hello, Com Pewter.” Grey said. “We have come with observers to handle the mission.”

The screen lighted. HELLO, MAGICIAN GREY MURPHY. WHO?

“Two Mundanes who will not be affected by changes in Xanthly circumstance.”

EXCELLENT

“Here are Edsel and Pia Mundane,” Grey said, introducing them. “On service for the Good Magician. They have almost no prior experience of Xanth, and will return to Mundania soon.”

EXCELLENT, the screen repeated. I AM AWARE OF THEIR IDENTITIES, BECAUSE I MAINTAIN THE O-XONE. THERE IS A MESSAGE FROM CHLORINE: THEY SUFFERED AN INTERRUPTION IN CONTACT, BUT LATER IT WAS RESTORED. THEY ARE SATISFACTORY.

“That's a relief.” Edsel said.

A puzzle pattern appeared, on the screen, evidently for the amusement of the children.

Grey turned to Ivy. “Why don't you and the children return for us this time tomorrow?”

“We will,” she agreed, kissing him. She turned to the Companions. “Do you wish to remain here or return with us?”

Breanna hesitated. “I think we'd better stay here. Just in case.”

“May we use the boat, then?”

“Sure, if Para wants to go,” Breanna said. “He has more than returned the favor we did him.”

Ivy departed with the children. Now two new figures appeared. “I am Tristan Troll,” the tall ugly one said. “Pewter's mouse.”

The other was a tiny woman who resembled Ivy, as an elfin princess. “And I am Robota,” she said. “Pewter's golem.”

Pia looked down at her. “You look alive.”

The small figure fuzed. and reformed in full human size, looking more than ever like Ivy. “It is mostly illusion. I am a creature made for a purpose, given the abilities I need to fulfill that purpose. For example, I have been programmed to speak three Mundane dialects. English. French, and Italian.”

“You speak English very well,” Pia said, evidently startled

Robota laughed. “I am not speaking it here. You are not speaking it here.”

“But of course I am,” Pia said. “It's the only language I know.”

“When you enter Xanth,” Grey said, “You speak the human dialect of Xanth. All people do, whatever their original languages. It happens automatically. It is part of the magic of Xanth ”

“It's true,” Breanna said. “It happened to all the members of the Black Wave when we came to Xanth. When you try to talk across the magic boundary, it's like gibberish.”

Edsel was as surprised as Pia. “We were never aware of any change.”

“There is no need to be,” Grey said. “But when Robota and I pass through Mundania, we will not be intelligible, and will need to handle the local dialects.”

“I will translate for you,” Robota said. “And speak for you. using your voice.”

“Fortunately we won't be there long,” Grey said.

“Why go there at all?” Edsel asked “I thought you were to travel back in time.”

Grey smiled. “That is the most convenient way it is done. The interface between Xanth and Mundania is temporal as well as spacial. We shall leave in our present time, and re-enter in the time of the Storm King. Robota is attuned to the key times.”

“This is weird,” Pia said.

BUT FEASIBLE, the screen printed.

“Like the Adult Conspiracy,” Breanna muttered

“So what do we observers do?” Edsel asked

“You will be made comfortable here,” Tristan said. “Pewter will provide for any special needs you have. Simply tell me, and it will be arranged.”

“My credulity is straining,” Pia said. “I think I'd like to go home.”

Tristan didn't blink. “Describe your home.”

Justin smiled. “You will like this ”

“Well, it's a garden variety house,” Pia said. “We each have an office, so I can do the accounts and he can do the programming without getting in each other's way. We have colored carpeting on the floors, and pictures on the walls.” She continued to describe their house in greater detail, evidently feeling nostalgia.

Edsel noticed what she did not: as she spoke, the house was forming around them. She hadn't clarified that their two offices were in different rooms, so here they were side by side, alcoves in the same room, but otherwise correctly appointed. There were pictures of flowers and lakes by her desk, and pictures of his Lemon motorcycle by his desk, plus a sexy pinup calendar.

Pia finally noticed. “Yes, that's it, in a way.” she said. “But it's all illusion, of course ”

“No. this is temporary reality,” Tristan said. “This is my master's power.”

“And it's some power,” Breanna said.

“Reality? Of course not,” Pia said. She walked to her desk and slapped at the chair, probably expecting her hand to pass through without resistance. Instead it struck the chair.

She stared. Then she touched the desk, more carefully. Then she lifted a picture from the wall. “It's real!”

“For sure. I told you.”

Edsel walked to his section. His things were real too. He tried to modify it, using his magic talent, but nothing happened.