Cube Route (13 page)

    “How did the two of you get together?” Princess Melody asked as they relaxed on the couches and sipped boot rear diluted with tsoda popka.

    “Since you must not have known your half talents before then,” Harmony added, chewing on a mellow fragment of a sweet marsh--a marsh mellow that made the centaur wince.

    “Or discovered the other realm,” Rhythm concluded as she nibbled on assorted mints from a mint julep tree: hot pepper mints, delightful compli mints, and pointed spear mints.

    “It's a dull story,” Tessa said.

    “Very dull,” Cory agreed. “We're from Mundania.”

    “So we can skip it,” Metria said. “Xanth is dull enough without even thinking about dreary Mundania.”

    “But you two have magic,” Ryver said. “Everyone knows that Mundanes don't have magic talents.”

    “Everyone knows wrong,” Cory said.

    “We are the proof,” Tessa agreed.

    That got Metria's interest. “Are we about to puncture a common delusion? You must tell us all about it.”

    The two exchanged a glance. Then Cory spoke. “I was born in Mundania--”

    “You were what?” Cube asked.

    “The storks seldom deliver in Mundania,” Cory said. “Instead there is a somewhat messy and painful process that--” She broke off as she noted the suddenly rapt attention of the three Princesses. “That we don't need to go into. I was part of a normal Mundane family, which is to say, dull. But even as a child I was tall. I had very long bones and loose joints. It is called Marfan syndrome, and it runs in families. You might call it a curse. Soon I was taller than any girl and most boys, and the other children made fun of me unmercifully. Women are not supposed to be that tall and clumsy. It did not abate as I reached maturity; others no longer teased me openly, but neither did they care to associate with me. Seeing all chance of a normal social life gone, let alone any prospect for romance, family, or success in life, I made a fateful decision. I announced that I was departing for a far country.”

    “Xanth!” Melody exclaimed.

    Cory shook her head. “I did not know of Xanth. No, my words were a euphemism for a much darker denouement.”

    “A what for a what?” Harmony asked.

    “A mild or vague expression substituting for something harsh or ugly,” Karia clarified. “For a conclusion, outcome, or resolution.”

    “Death,” Metria said.

    “Whatever,” Rhythm said, forcing a cute frown.

    “Death,” Cory agreed. “I needed only a private place to do it, where my body would not be found. I wanted others to believe that I had found satisfaction elsewhere. I wanted no further embarrassment. And so I sought the deepest, darkest forest I could find, that was reputed to be haunted, so most folk stayed well away from it. Within it I searched for the least accessible section, girt about by rough ground, brambles, and poisonous insects. I found a rushing river, with a brief level flow between two treacherous rapids, and it split, forming a tangled island. There was my place! It was all I could do to reach it, but I didn't want to drown, because my body might be carried out to some larger lake and discovered, ruining my secret. I struggled onto the island, and to the thickest brush at its center, and there I set about digging a grave. But a violent storm came up, and its wind and rain tore at me as if about to blow me away. I cowered down in my partial grave, clinging to the anonymous rock I intended as an unmarked head-stone, and waited for the end.”

    “But that water didn't end you,” Ryver said. “I know it wouldn't do that.”

    Cory nodded. “The river overflowed its banks and covered the island. I tried to hang on, but it carried me away. I feared I was about to drown, and be discovered. But it became oddly soft and warm, and bore me along like an encompassing cloak. Finally it left me on a distant bank. I was bruised and dizzy, but not dead, so I got to my feet and tried to organize to complete my mission. I had no idea where I was, but it was soon apparent that it was no place I had known before. I found a tree bearing pies.”

    “A pie tree!” Melody said.

    “Yes. But they were not full pies. Instead they were slices. I picked and ate three slices, and when I had done that, I saw that it had grown one more slice. So I ate that, and then it produced four more. Suddenly I recognized a pattern I had learned in school: 3.14 was pi, the ratio of a circle to its diameter.”

    “A pi tree,” Harmony agreed.

    “Alerted by that, I soon saw other evidences of literalism. There was something that resembled a Mundane printer, but instead of paper, jam was oozing from it.”

    “Paper jam,” Rhythm said.

    “I saw a big dark bird, an owl, garbed with a helmet and sword.”

    “Ugh!” Karia said.

    “A knight owl,” Ryver said.

    “At that point I was overcome by curiosity, so I started exploring this strange land. Then I encountered another person, a short one. I thought she would laugh at me, but she didn't.”

    “Which is where I pick up,” Tessa said. “My journey to Xanth was far less traumatic. I had suffered some ridicule in Mundania because I was too short. I pretended I didn't mind, but I did mind, and so I tried to find new friends who would accept me as I am. I drove to Florida, and down along the keys, which don't look like door keys in Mundania, but more like a string of islands, and I stopped at one called No Name Key. I had run out of money--that's something that is used a lot there--so I inquired at the first house I found for work. A nice man said he needed someone to carry a packet to another land, and he would pay me when I accomplished this. So I took the packet and went along the route he told me. But just as I got there, there was a horrible storm that pelted me with brightly colored hailstones. I tried to hide under a tree, but the hanging branches of the tree became tentacles and grabbed for me. I barely got away, terrified--but I had lost the packet. I knew I could not return and admit my failure, so I wandered on, dejected--and encountered a very tall woman.”

    “And so we met,” Cory said. “We found this cave, and discovered that we liked each other's company, because each of us understood what it felt like to be teased for our height. We had no desire to associate with others, because the folk in Xanth consider us odd too. So when we happened to see other people, we hid.”

    “And one day after we had linked hands and fled desperately, we found ourselves in a really strange place,” Tessa said. “Trees had become insubstantial; we could walk right through them. We were afraid we had died and become ghosts, but we were solid to each other. So we retraced our steps, and managed to return to regular Xanth. We had discovered sidestepping.”

    “A magic talent,” Cory said. “Each of us had half of it; we could do it together but not alone.”

    “So it's not true that Mundanes in Xanth don't have magic,” Tessa said. “It just takes time for them to achieve magic. They would discover their talents, if they ever thought to look for them.”

    “But they are so sure they have no magic, they never look,” Cory concluded.

    Cube was amazed. She had been one of the “everyone” who knew that Mundanes had no magic talents. But if the children of Mundanes in Xanth had talents, why shouldn't the Mundanes have them too, if they remained here long enough? She remembered how the Good Magician's sock had absorbed some of his magic; proximity did have its effect. Actually she wondered about that; he was the Magician of Information, while the sock was a transport mechanism, not his type of magic. So maybe Sofia Socksorter had confused the reason for the sock's magic. Not that it really mattered.

    “So now you know our Quest, and we know your histories,” Karia said to the two women. “I have no doubt of the usefulness of your talent, but there is another problem: we don't know exactly where we are going. We have been focusing on completing our roster of nine, and now that we have done that, we must orient on the mission.”

    “But you have more than nine,” Tessa said.

    “No, just nine Companions, including the two of you,” Cube said. “Metria, Karia, Ryver, Melody, Harmony, Rhythm, Drek, Cory, Tessa. Nine.”

    “You didn't count yourself,” Cory said.

    “I'm not a Companion. I'm the one with the Quest.”

    “Is that what the Good Magician said?” Tessa asked. “Because it makes sense to me that your whole party be nine. That's the square of three, and you're looking for a new land, maybe the cube. Like your name.”

    “The twenty-seventh recorded adventure,” Metria said. “I sneaked a peek at the Muse of History's list of titles.”

    “So there is three, squared and cubed,” Karia said.

    Cube turned her thought back to the Good Magician. “He said to limit my party to nine, no more, no less. So I did. And he said each person in it would be appropriately rewarded.”

    “Your party includes you,” Karia said.

    Cube realized that it was true. She was a member of her party; that must be what the Good Magician meant. She had one too many people. “But that means someone will have to go.”

    There was a silence. Then Cory spoke. “We are the last to join. We'll have to go.”

    “But then we'll be short one,” Ryver pointed out.

    “I'm the short one,” Tessa said, smiling. “But we must be together; our talent won't work otherwise.”

    “We won't split up either,” Melody said.

    “Because we'd lose the cube of our talent,” Harmony added.

    “And we have to look out for each other,” Rhythm concluded.

    “I agree,” Karia said. “They can't be separated. But perhaps I can be spared.”

    “You're the reason Mother let us go,” Melody said.

    “You have to stay,” Harmony added.

    “So we can stay,” Rhythm concluded.

    “Well, I could go,” Metria said, looking uncharacteristically sad.

    “I'm not sure that would be wise,” Karia said. “We need the talents of a demon who can turn invisible or flit ahead. There's no telling what we will encounter along the way.”

    Drek wiggled an ear. “But we may need protection,” Karia said. “We would be vulnerable without a dragon.”

    “That leaves me,” Ryver said. “I'm sorry to go, but I guess I'd better.”

    That sent a pang through Cube. She wanted Ryver along, so he could be there when she got beautiful. “We need you too,” she said quickly. “Your talent with water--we could need that any time.”

    “It is your decision, I think,” Karia said. “It is your Quest.”

    Cube struggled with her conscience. “I don't think even the Good Magician knows exactly what's going to happen. Maybe he thinks nine is the right number, but maybe it's not. I want to keep our whole party together.”

    “I think keeping me is apt to bring more mischief than it's worth,” Ryver said. “Betting that the Good Magician is wrong is foolish. He's never wrong.”

    “But he is seldom understood, either,” Karia said. “Perhaps he did mean nine Companions, and a party of ten.”

    “I could pop back and ask him,” Metria said.

    “No,” Cube said firmly. “Let's plow on, on our own, and see what happens.”

    The others nodded. They were committed, for good or ill.

Thread

    They rested that day, working out the details of their Quest for Counter Xanth. The three little Princesses tried to do a Find on it, but Rhythm's finger waved wildly, describing the contour of spilled spaghetti rather than any particular direction.

    “This is frustrating,” Melody said.

    “Our magic is being balked,” Harmony agreed.

    “We don't like that,” Rhythm concluded.

    “This could be the work of the Demoness,” Karia said. “Subtly interfering with the Quest.”

    Drek wiggled an ear. “You have an idea?” Cube asked him. He wiggled his right ear.

    “This will be arid,” Metria said impatiently.

    “Be what?” Cube asked.

    “Dry, sterile, aseptic, dull, irksome--”

    “Tedious?”

    “Whatever,” she agreed crossly. “Why not have the Princesses make an illusion that can talk for him?”

    Cube glanced at the three. “Can you do that?”

    “Sure,” Melody said.

    “Now that someone thought of it,” Harmony agreed.

    “We'll make a talking picture tied to him,” Rhythm concluded.

    The three huddled, then sang, played, and beat, and the image of Drek appeared. It looked the real Drek in the snoot. “Hey, that's me!” the image said, surprised, while the real Drek wiggled both ears.

    “That's you. You talk through the image,” Karia told him. “To make it easier for those of us who don't speak Dragon.”

    Both the real and the image dragons looked confused, then thoughtful. Then the image spoke again. “How am I coming through?”

    “Very well,” Karia assured him. “Tell us your idea.”

    “It may not be the evil Demoness,” the image said. “It may simply be that we have too many Companions, so the magic is fouled up. There may still be a Route, just more complicated than it might be. It may wind around and about, instead of being one straight direction. We can still follow it, if we make it visible.”

    A nod passed from Karia to Ryver, and through the three Princesses, the two sidesteppers, D. Metria, and finally ended with Cube. “Can you do that?” Cube asked the three again.

    The three huddled, made music, and a silver thread appeared. It led out of the cave, wound around a nearby acorn tree, and headed away through the forest.

    “And there we have it,” the Drek image said, satisfied. “The winding route.” There was perfume in the air.

    “I'll follow it,” Cube said. “And bring one of you out only when I have to, so as to keep the mission secret.”

    “What about Diamond?” Tessa asked. “We can't just leave her here.”

    Cube had almost forgotten about the dog they had rescued. “There must be a place for her. Maybe she could be a seeing-eye dog for Wira.”

    “Who?” Cory asked.

    “The Good Magician's daughter-in-law. She's blind.”

    “Are you a guide dog?” Karia asked the dog.

    Diamond looked down. Her tail drooped. She was not a guide dog.

    Cube shrugged. “I suppose she can tag along with me, until she finds a place to stay.”

    Diamond wagged her tail.

    In the morning, well rested and fed, the nine Companions slid into the pouch, leaving only Cube and Diamond. The dog tracked the thread by smelling it. Cube found that she was satisfied to have Diamond along, because it was suddenly lonely by herself, after being with the full group. She would have preferred to travel with all of them, openly, but that was not feasible or sensible. But who would notice a dog? They weren't common in Xanth, but neither were they unknown. So she had company after all.

    The faint silver thread wound around the acorn tree, as they had seen before; Cube paused, considering, then decided that it was best to follow the trail exactly, so as to be sure not to lose it. So she didn't skip the loop, though she had to climb through brush, then returned to clear ground. She looked back, and the thread behind her was gone. It was like a one-way path, disappearing when used. What would have happened, had she skipped that loop? Would the whole thing have vanished? Of course she could bring out the Princesses and have them do it again, but that would be an admission of failure on her part and she didn't want to do it. She already felt guilty enough about getting the wrong number of Companions and complicating her route. She might have been there by now if she had been able to go straight. All because she wouldn't let handsome Ryver go. She knew appearance should not be that important--if she were judged by appearance, she'd be worthless--yet she was affected by it herself. She liked Ryver for his handsomeness, and wanted to win him, and to do that she had to have him there to see her get beautiful. So she had sacrificed her Quest for a selfish reason, which did not speak well for her quality of personality.

    “Woof.”

    She came to with a start. She had been drifting, in much the way Karia did, except that her feet had not left the ground. Diamond had brought her out of it. Just as well, for someone was coming toward her, going the opposite way on the trail. It was a young woman, two and a half orders of magnitude more attractive than Cube, or par for the course.

    “Hello,” Cube said.

    “Hi. I'm Heather. Would you like a flower?”

    “A flower? All right.”

    The girl raised her hand, and there appeared in it a pretty little flower. Cube took it and put it to her nose. It smelled sweet. “Thank you.”

    “It's my talent,” Heather said. “I conjure sweet-smelling flowers.”

    Belatedly, Cube introduced herself. “I'm Cube. I summon nickelpedes, but only when I have to.”

    “That must be awful.”

    “Oh, they don't gouge me, just whoever attacks me.”

    “May I pet your dog?”

    “Oh, Diamond's not my--” Cube reconsidered. “Yes.”

    Heather petted Diamond, who wagged her tail. Then Heather conjured a sweet smelling dog-fennel bloom, gave it to Diamond, and walked on.

    It had been a purely routine encounter, but Cube found it significant, because it was her first while she was officially on the route to Counter Xanth. If the rest of her journey went as well, she'd have no trouble.

    She came to a furry creature that sat by the side of the path. It looked like an ape, but she wasn't sure.

    “Have you been Saved?” the creature asked. “The key to salvation is to join my church.”

    Startled, Cube paused. “What are you?”

    “I am a monk-key,” it said proudly. “If you want to avoid damnation, you will heed my words.”

    A monk who preached a key. “I'll risk it,” she said and moved on.

    Now the thread cut to the side, skirting uncomfortably close to a tangle tree, and stopped at a set of parallel metal tracks running north and south. That was it: it went up to the first track and ended. So much for having no trouble.

    Cube was wondering what to do, when she heard a tootle. It came from along the tracks to the south. Then something came rolling along them. It had metal wheels and looked like a carriage without a centaur to pull it. It made merry music as it moved, so it didn't seem dangerous. Diamond was not at all concerned about it, which was reassuring. As it came closer she saw words printed on its front: TUNEFUL TROLLEY.

    The trolley drew to a stop right in front of her. Now the silver thread reappeared, going up the steps and into the vehicle. Did that mean she was supposed to enter this odd mechanical thing?

    “All aboard!” a voice said loudly, startling her. It was an ugly troll (but that was redundant) sitting in the front. Suddenly it made sense; she could almost hear Karia exclaiming “Ugh!” Naturally the trolley was run by a troll.

    Still, she hesitated to board it. The last time she had encountered a troll, it had carried her away, wanting to marry her. She didn't trust the species.

    Then Diamond scrambled up the steps, following the thread into the trolley. Cube had to follow, not wanting to trust the dog to the troll.

    There were halfway comfortable seats inside. Cube sat on one, because the thread led to it, and Diamond sat on the floor beside her. The troll turned a handle; the door closed, and the trolley resumed trundling along the tracks.

    “Arf!”

    Cube jumped and looked toward the sound. It was an animal with flippers, on the seat across from her. It wore a cap on which were the words STATE SEAL. Oh--one of the Mundane water creatures, perhaps traveling from one pool to another.

    “Hello, maiden.”

    Cube jumped again, and turned to look. In the seat behind her was a cadaverous man with a small dark cloud hovering over his head. “Were you addressing me?” she asked.

    “Of course. I don't often see such refreshing young flesh in my profession.”

    That sounded like a compliment, but for some reason Cube wasn't easy with it. “Uh, thank you. What is your profession?”

    “Summoning zombies. It's my talent, so I travel from place to place to offer my services. I am surprised by how many otherwise adequate villages not only lack zombies, but claim not to need any. Would you like to have a zombie?”

    “No thanks!” No wonder he considered her young flesh to be refreshing; most of the flesh he saw was rotten. The compliment was weaker than it had seemed. The man himself seemed not far removed from that state.

    “They really make excellent servants,” he said persuasively. “They are indefatigable, don't need to eat, and can be parked in any shallow trench when not in use.”

    “No, I'm traveling light.”

    Fortunately the trolley was creaking to another stop, and the thread led out of it. Cube lurched to her feet and stumbled for the opening door. She was relieved when the troll driver did not try to grab her and marry her.

    Back on the ground with Diamond, she watched the tootling trolley roll on along its tracks. The thread was before her again.

    “Hello.”

    Cube jumped again. She had been distracted by the trolley. There was another young woman, naturally far more attractive than Cube herself. “Hello.”

    “I'm Becca.”

    “I'm Cube.”

    “Nice dog.”

    “Thank you.” Diamond wagged her tail.

    “I could make her a mean guard dog, if you like. That's my talent: changing folks' personalities.”

    “No thank you. I like her the way she is.” Then Cube thought of something else. “I met a young dragongirl named Becka. She caretakes a nice castle.”

    “Oh, I envy her!”

    Cube realized that she had said too much. There was no point in making the girl unsatisfied with her lot. “But it has a dangerous chamber.”

    “Oh, I don't envy her.”

    Cube decided to move on before she said something clumsy again. “Well, I must be--”

    “Have you seen my boyfriend?”

    “Not unless he is a troll.”

    “No, he's half demon. His name is D. Cease. He can temporarily kill things.”

    “Temporarily?”

    “They come back to life after a while. I'm just as glad. He killed me once. After that I changed his personality so he'd treat me better.”

    Cube was taken aback. “I should think you would leave him!”

    “No, boyfriends aren't all that easy to get. But his sister D. Sist was jealous, so she stopped our relationship. That's her talent: stopping things.”

    Cube could almost hear Karia's groans. Decease and Desist--what a pair. “I'm sorry.”

    “But I'm hoping I can change him back to liking me, if I can just find him. Of course D. Sist may stop him again.”

    “Why don't you change her personality, so she likes you? Then you won't have to be concerned about her stopping your relationship with him.”

    “Oh, I never thought of that! Thank you.” Becca ran off, looking for Sist.

    Cube walked on with Diamond. Suddenly she came to the brink of a monstrous chasm. It seemed to drop down forever--and the thread led down into it. This must be the dread Gap Chasm, again. She hadn't known that it was this close; the trolley must have taken her farther north than she realized.

    What was she to do now? She couldn't just step over the brink; she would fall to her death. But she had to follow the thread.

    Maybe it was time to bring Karia out, so they could fly across the chasm. But there were two problems with that: she wasn't sure the thread went all the way across, so they might lose it, and she didn't want to have to call on the flying centaur. She had already met several people along the way; there might be others, and if anyone saw her bring out Karia, they would either know or strongly suspect that something special was up. That could ruin the secret of the Quest. So she preferred to make it on her own, if she possibly could.

    She got down on her knees and examined the edge of the cliff. Now she saw that the thread did not go straight down, but zigged and zagged. In fact it was following a precarious trail down the steep slope. There were little ledges and indents for handholds and footholds. She could climb down on her own, if she had the gumption.

    But what about Diamond? The dog wouldn't be able to cling to those tiny crevices. “I don't know,” she said.

    Diamond sniffed the brink. Then she put her head over. “Look out!” Cube cried, grabbing for her. But she was too late; the dog had already gone over the edge.

    Horrified, Cube peered down--and saw Diamond standing there, looking back at her. Standing on the face of the cliff, at right angles to the ground. Not falling.

    What kind of magic was this? Cube felt the cliff by the thread, and felt her hand drawn against it, as if by gravity. She felt the cliff away from the thread, and got no such effect. So it was localized, and the thread knew where.

    Well, maybe it would work for her too. If not, she could draw Karia out of the pouch and hang on while she flew. She clutched the pouch in one hand, and kept her other hand ready. Then she stepped over the brink, following the thread.

    Her body swung around the corner and halted parallel to the ground. Her feet were set on the face of the cliff. She was standing normally, except for her orientation. “You're right, Diamond. This is the way down.”