Cube Route (12 page)

    At length the passage opened into a sizable nether cavern. The ceiling was a great dome, and there was a dark lake in the center. The air over the lake glowed, almost as if there were daylight, but the glow was from itself. “Who lives here?” Cube asked in a whisper, awed by the scene.

    “It could be an old kraken retreat,” Metria said, assuming human form. “There is probably access to the sea, down where we can't see.”

    “She can't see the sea,” Melody said.

    “Neither can we,” Harmony agreed.

    “So we'll let it be,” Rhythm concluded. They giggled.

    “A kraken?” Cube asked.

    “A giant sea weed,” the demoness clarified. “Carnivorous. I see no sign of one now, but if I were mortal I would not be inclined to enter this water.” She dissolved back into her cloud, shuddering.

    The Princesses went to the edge of the lake. They put their fingers in, and tasted them. “Boot rear!” Melody exclaimed, delighted.

    “A whole lake of it,” Harmony agreed.

    “More than we can drink,” Rhythm finished.

    “Boot rear?” Cube asked.

    The girls exchanged a look. Then a cup appeared in Melody's hand. She dipped it into the lake, filling it. “For you,” she said. Harmony took it and brought it to Cube. “Try it,” she continued. “You'll get a kick out of it,” Rhythm concluded, without ever leaving the paragraph. That suggested they were up to something.

    Cube took a careful sip--and got nudged in the back. Startled, she accidentally gulped a big mouthful--and got booted much harder. The three Princesses laughed merrily.

    “You asked for it,” Metria said from her cloud. “Boot rear.”

    “Boot rear,” Cube agreed somewhat sourly. Too bad Karia had not been there to warn her with a groan for the pun.

    There was a bleat from the side, and in a moment a hoofed animal came toward them. Cube's nervousness dissipated as she got a clear view if it. “It's only a goat.”

    The goat was tangled in vines that surrounded it and dragged behind. It must have been eating, and gotten caught, and now couldn't free itself. “Let me help you,” Cube said compassionately. She reached for it.

    “Nuh-uh,” Metria's cloud murmured.

    “But this poor animal needs help,” Cube protested.

    “Poor animal, my smoky fundament!”

    “Your smoky what?”

    “Posterior, behind, bottom, rump, seat--”

    “Donkey?”

    “Whatever,” the demoness agreed crossly. “That's a scapegoat!”

    “A what?”

    “If you touch it, it will be fine and you'll be the one in trouble.”

    Oh. Cube withdrew her hand. The goat, disgusted that its ploy had not worked, walked away, dragging its vines.

    Meanwhile the Princesses had done another Find, and pointed across the lake. The person they were looking for was that way.

    “But how can we get across?” Cube asked. “If a sip of that stuff brings a kick in the, uh, donkey, how much worse would it be to try to swim in it?”

    “Fortunately we can fly,” Metria said.

    That was right; she had forgotten the winged centaur. There was now plenty of space. She put her hand in the pouch. “Centaur.”

    A hand caught hers, and Karia slid out. “What a lovely subterranean lake!”

    “It's boot rear,” Cube told her.

    “Ugh!”

    “I'll check out beyond the lake,” Metria said, vanishing.

    Soon they were on the way, with Drek and the Princesses back in the pouch. Karia flew across the lake in the direction indicated. They came to a tiny island. Two women and a dog stood on it. There was barely room for them. One woman was remarkably tall, the other quite short.

    Karia circled the island, as there was not room for her to land. “Are you the residents of the cave?” she called.

    “Yes,” the shorter woman answered. “We heard a bleat, so came back to check--”

    “The scapegoat!” Cube said. “Now you're the ones in trouble.”

    “Yes. It was caught on a sort of raft. We threw a cord and drew it in, but the moment we touched it, we were on the raft instead, and it was kicking itself out across the lake.”

    “It was a boot rear float,” the tall woman said.

    “Ugh!”

    “That was our sentiment,” the short one said. “We had no paddle and did not dare enter the, uh, water. It just kept going until it came here, where Diamond was stranded.”

    “Diamond?”

    “The dog,” the tall woman said. “She's a black Labrador from Mundania. We tried to pick her up, but instead the float tipped us off and kicked on, and we were stranded too.”

    “Diamond must have run afoul of the scapegoat here,” Cube said. “Maybe it was on the island, and she tried to help. So it took the float.”

    “And then caught us,” the short woman said. “Can you help us?”

    “We can,” Cube said. “But you may not like the method. You will have to enter this pouch.” She held it up.

    “We couldn't possibly fit in there!” the tall woman protested.

    “It's magic. I'll bring you out as soon as we reach the shore. But first I need to know your names.”

    “Cory,” the tall one said. “And this is my dear friend Tessa. And Diamond, of course.” She patted the dog. Now Cube saw the white diamond on her chest, accounting for her name.

    “I am Cube, and this is--is my centaur friend.” That was a close call; if Karia had heard her name and drifted, they could have been dunked in boot rear. “Put your foot in this.” She held forth the pouch.

    “That looks like a dirty old sock,” Tessa said as she got a closer look.

    “Yes,” Cube agreed. “But it's magic.”

    Hesitantly, tall Cory reached out with a foot and touched the pouch as Karia hovered close. “Oh!” she cried as she slid inside.

    Then Tessa lifted her leg, but she was shorter and couldn't quite get there. Karia dropped lower, tilting, and then the woman's toe touched it and she slid in.

    But the motion overbalanced them. Karia pumped her wings, jerking up, and Cube grabbed her mane with both hands, dropping the pouch.

    “Oh, no!” she cried, seeing it fall into the lake. Already it was floating away from the island. How could she get it back?

    Then the dog jumped into the water. The boot rear caught her, making her rise, and caught her again, propelling her forward. But she caught the pouch in her mouth, then turned and struggled valiantly back to the island. She dragged herself out, somewhat battered. But she had the pouch.

    “Thank you, Diamond,” Cube cried, relieved.

    “Now I believe I can land, briefly,” Karia said. “You take care of the rest.”

    “I will.”

    The centaur set her four hoofs carefully down on four sides of the dog. Then Cube reached down and took the pouch from the dog's mouth. “Now put your foot in, Diamond,” she said.

    The dog obeyed, and disappeared into the pouch. Karia took off, and winged rapidly back across the lake. She landed on the shore, and Cube slid off. She remained light from the flight, but could cope.

    She held the pouch and put in her hand. “Cory.” A hand caught hers, and she drew out the tall woman.

    “Tessa.” The short woman joined them.

    “Diamond.” The dog returned.

    “We can't thank you enough,” Cory said. “Normally we stay clear of the lake, but--”

    “But we're soft hearted,” Tessa said.

    “I understand. I came to see you because I am recruiting for a special mission, a Quest. I can't tell you more unless you agree to join it, because it's supposed to be secret. But the Good Magician said that those who join will be rewarded.”

    The two exchanged a glance. “Why did you think we would be suitable?” Cory asked.

    “We had a magic indication. It pointed to your cave-house, and then to here. One of you must have some talent or ability that we need.”

    “What we do, we do together,” Tessa said.

    “Perhaps it is both of them,” Karia said. “Completing the roster.”

    “That might be,” Cube agreed, surprised. “I can't really tell you more, unless you join, but maybe you could tell me whether you have any abilities that could help in a Quest.”

    “Does this by any chance involve travel to a strange region?” Cory asked.

    “Yes!”

    “Then we do have a talent that is relevant,” Tessa said.

    “Which of you has that talent?”

    “Both of us,” Cory said. “We share it, doing it together.”

    “Such a thing is known,” Karia said. “Goblins and harpies share talents. What is the talent?”

    “Sidestepping,” Tessa said.

    “What is that?”

    “It's hard to explain,” Cory said.

    “Easier to demonstrate,” Tessa said.

    Cube pondered briefly. “Can you show me?”

    Both women nodded. They linked hands. “Take my hand,” Cory said, extending her free hand.

    Cube took it. Then the two women stepped backward--into the wall of the cavern. Cube followed, drawn by Cory's hand.

    Cube looked around, astonished and rather nervous. “What is this?”

    “This is the other realm,” Tessa explained. “You can let go now; once we are in, physical contact is not necessary. Only for getting in and out.”

    “But we're in the rock!”

    “We're in the other realm,” Cory said.

    “I don't understand.”

    “Yes, this is why it is easier to demonstrate than to explain,” Tessa said. “But you need to understand it, to determine whether it would be useful for your Quest.”

    Cube was pretty sure it was useful, because the Princesses had pointed the way here, and the two of them would complete the roster of nine Companions. But caution was best. “Yes, I want to understand.”

    “It is, as far as we can tell, an alternate realm with nothing in it,” Cory said. “So what we see is regular Xanth, showing through. But it isn't real, in this realm. That's why we can walk through rock, or trees, or whatever.”

    “So I see,” Cube agreed, peering through the rock surrounding her.

    “Once we conducted a young man through a rainstorm,” Tessa said. “He was amazed that we didn't get wet. That was fun.”

    “A young man?”

    “His name was Umlaut, and he was handsome,” Cory said.

    “He kissed us,” Tessa said, smiling reminiscently. “We didn't know that he didn't exist, then.”

    “He what?”

    “He kissed us,” Cory repeated. “He had to stand Tessa on a rock to do it with her, and had to stand on the rock himself to do it with me.”

    “Uh, that's nice,” Cube said, wishing a handsome man would kiss her. “But what I meant was, he didn't exist?”

    “Well, hethought he existed,” Tessa said. “And now he does. He's dating Surprise, who is Grundy Golem and Rapunzel Elf's daughter. But back then he didn't.”

    “It's complicated,” Cory said. “And incidental. We had better focus on clarifying sidestepping.”

    “Yes.” Cube realized that it was best not to get sidetracked. “Your joint talent is to step to the, uh, side, and enter this empty realm. Can folk in regular Xanth see you when you do?”

    “Oh, yes,” Tessa agreed. “And hear us, a little. But they can't touch us. We seem like ghosts.”

    “Like ghosts?”

    “We shall demonstrate,” Cory said. “Step this way.” She walked out of the rock.

    Cube followed. Now she seemed to stand beside the dark lake. Karia and Diamond stood there. The centaur's mouth worked, but there was only the faintest of sounds. Cube nevertheless made it out, since there was no other noise. “Ah, there you are! Was it nice in the wall?”

    “Observe,” Cory said. She stepped right into the centaur--and through her, emerging on the other side.

    Cube was almost as startled as Karia was. “Ghost,” she said loudly. “We are like ghosts.”

    “Ghost!” Karia repeated loudly/faintly.

    “Sidestepping,” Cube shouted. “We're in a different realm.”

    “We'll bring them in now,” Tessa said.

    The two women linked hands and stepped forward together. Then Cory took Karia's hand, and Tessa rested her hand on the dog's back. They stepped back, drawing centaur and dog with them.

    “Well hello again!” Karia shouted.

    “Now sound's normal,” Cube said. “We're both in the same realm again.”

    “Oh.” Karia looked at the cave wall. “We can step into rock?”

    “Follow me,” Cube said, and walked back into the stone.

    Centaur and dog followed, both looking bemused. “This is interesting,” Karia said, evidently not one for overstatement.

    “It's an--an alternate world, or something,” Cube explained. “With nothing in it, so we see Xanth shining through.”

    “Without interacting physically with it,” Karia agreed. “As if it is illusion. This could certainly simplify trekking through some of the natural hazards. I believe the Princesses are correct: we can use these people on the Quest.”

    “I agree. But maybe we should check with the others.”

    “Princesses?” Cory asked.

    “Let's return to real Xanth, and I'll introduce you to the other members of our party.”

    They went back to the lake, and sidestepped out of the other realm. Then Cube brought the others out of the pouch, introducing each as she did. Cory and Tessa were duly awed by the presence of the Princesses and the dragon.

    Demoness Metria popped into view. “Nothing much beyond the lake. Have I missed anything?”

    “Very little,” Karia said with half a smile.

    “That's good. I would have hated to miss their smooching with Umlaut, because I knew him and smooched him some myself.” She formed into a large floating candy kiss.

    The centaur's half smile faded, becoming half a frown. Apparently she hadn't known that the demoness was not always as absent as she seemed.

    Then they went through the sidestepping demonstration with the others. “Do these two women seem to be a worthy addition to the Quest?” Cube asked the group.

    The others agreed that they were. So they explained the nature of the Quest and returned to the cave apartment, where Cory and Tessa made them all comfortable.