Castle Kidnapped (27 page)

“Healthy woman,” Cleve Dalton averred.

“Snowy says he has to keep to the water,” Sheila said “because of the heat."

A page stepped out on the terrace. “Your attention, ladies and gentlemen. His Most Serene and Transcendental Majesty, Incarnadine, by the grace of the gods, King, Lord Protector—"

“And Keeper of the Keys to the Royal Crapper. Hi, gang. Sit down, for Pete's sake. This is your shindig.” Incarnadine was resplendent in Hawaiian shirt, yellow shorts, mirror shades, and thongs.

“Welcome to Hotel Sheila,” the proprietor said with a curtsey.

“Thanks, Sheila. Well, I'm ready to party.” H.M. accepted a drink from a waitress. “Thank you. What's this?"

Sheila said, “Complimentary banana daiquiri, sir, one to a guest. Then they're four-fifty a pop."

“Catering to the gentry, are we?"

Gene sneered, “The hoi polloi are strictly persona non grata."

“Never mix your Greek and Latin, son."

“I should brush up on my Greek. He was here a minute ago."

“Not only are you nonpareil as a swordsman, Gene, but your wit is as sharp as your blade."

“Hey, it's a gift."

“Hello, Trent."

“Greetings, brother. You seem chipper enough."

“Can't brood forever,” the King said. “What's done is done. By the way, folks, Trent and I want to thank you all for your many expressions of sympathy. You were also under no obligation to show up at the funeral. After all, the woman tried to murder the lot of you."

“We wanted to be there,” Sheila said. “Besides, if it hadn't been for her, we never would have discovered this place."

Incarnadine surveyed sky and sea, then raised his eyes to the magnificent Victorian hotel behind them. “Beautiful, just beautiful. You've done a marvelous job. A stunning magical construct."

“This place has endless possibilities. We're building condos next."

“What's the deal?"

“Ten percent down, plus closing costs and half the points."

“What's the current rate?"

“Nine and a half, but the prime rate is about to go up."

“You'd better show me a few lots, quick. But before that, I'd like to propose a toast. Is everybody charged?"

“Here come Vaya and Snowy,” Linda said.

They arrived, along with M. DuQuesne, Deena Williams, and some other castle Guests, and all were plied with drinks. Vaya's ultra-brief bikini drew unabashed stares.

Incarnadine raised his glass. “I would like to propose a toast to my brother Trent and his betrothed, the Lady Sheila Jankowski. May they know happiness, peace, and the blessings of the Most High for the rest of their days."

Hear-hears
all around. All drank.

“The Loyal Toast,” Trent announced.

Everyone chorused: “To the King!"

“I thank you,” Incarnadine said. “And one more. To Castle Perilous. May it stand forever, and with it the worlds it created.” He took a seat and sipped his daiquiri.

Gene asked, “Mind answering a few questions, sir?"

“Fire away, Sir Gene."

“Vaya's universe. Do you think it's one of the castle's?"

“Can't find it in any of the catalogues. Ervoldt's book doesn't mention it. I gather it was strange."

“Like something out of pulp literature. Only the wildest of sci-fi worlds could have produced something like the
Voyager
."

“I'm convinced that Jamin spelled you into a quantum universe. It's possible. With a line to the interstitial etherium, he had enough power."

“Are quantum universes different from the castle's?"

“Oh, quite. The castle worlds
exist
. Quantum universes are just sets of probabilities."

“Interesting,” Gene said. “I'd like to learn more about cosmology."

“The library has every major work on the subject. By the way, is Osmirik here?"

“He's ... uh, he's being ministered to by a team of the hotel's masseuses-in-residence, I think."

“Good. The man needs to have his horns clipped."

Sheila said, “If Jamin had the power, why didn't he win?"

“Jamin was a timid little man. A good majordomo, but I'm afraid he bit off more than he could chew. He was simply an amateur at big-time palace intrigue."

“It's sad."

“He was old enough to have known what he was getting into. One hundred and sixty, I think."

“I'm really intrigued by something you said,” Gene told the King.

“Really? What?"

“Your toast. I think it went something like ‘To Perilous and the worlds it created.' Did you mean that literally? I mean, it's rather a shocking thing to consider. A world like the one a lot of us come from, Earth, merely the creation of a magic spell cast in a world that seems more like a dream than reality."

Incarnadine replied to the question, and afterward a hush fell over the party. Gene set down his drink and pulled Vaya close, as if to reassure himself of her continuing existence.

The sound of the breakers rose to fill the silence. A soft sea breeze rustled the palms overhead, and far out to sea, a bright sun threw skeins of silver light across the water.

What Lord Incarnadine had said was this: “Well, yes, Gene, that's exactly what I meant. The castle's worlds are created and maintained by the incredibly powerful nexus of the transformation spell. Without the castle, your world, along with Sheila's. Snowclaw's ... everyone's, would be like Vaya's world, mere possibilities, a meager handful out of the endless infinity of possibilities that make up the
n
-dimensional quantum super-cosmos. As such, they wouldn't exist at all, in any meaningful sense."

He had taken a sip and glanced around, mildly surprised. “I thought you all realized that."