Worse, Jfraya slipped and injured one foot. Now she had to hop, following the path at the rear, and leaning on Imbri for support.
“So do we plow on through the night, hoping the Wizard has not gotten the word about the other Wizards?” Forrest asked. “Or do we take our time, recover our strength, and hope we can handle him anyway?”
The others exchanged a circular glance. “We plow on,” Jfraya said.
Since she was the injured one, that was enough.
They plowed on, and in the night they finally spied the gray light of the Wizard's castle. It was surrounded by snow-covered trees and looked peaceful. “Maybe he doesn't know,” Eve breathed.
But as they made their way to the castle's outer wall, passing the ring of trees, Eve stiffened. She signaled Dawn, who brushed by the tree Eve had just touched. Then came a joint dreamlet: “Those are ore trees.”
Forrest felt a chill not of the landscape. Ore trees were actually huge vicious animals that resembled trees only when in repose. They were the most dangerous of guardians. They might be snoozing now, but if they came alert, they might pounce too suddenly for Ghina to put to sleep. It would be impossible for them to flee these monsters at any speed, because of their sidewise orientation. The party had to hope that the ores were not alert. So far that seemed to be the case.
They fetched up against the castle wall, at last able to stand almost normally. What a relief that was!
Eve touched the stone with a finger. “There is no disturbance within,” she announced via dreamlet. “A number of living creatures are on the other side.”
Forrest nodded. Jfraya drew a door on the base of the castle wall, and opened it. They entered the dark chamber. It looked as if they were going to win after all. They found an inner wall to stand on, Jfraya still leaning on Imbri.
Suddenly lights came on. They were surrounded by creatures, and none of them looked friendly. It was a trap.
“So you come at last, my pets,” a huge dark woman said. “But where is your last member?”
This must be the Wizard-or Wizardess. It hadn't occurred to Forrest that the Wizard could be female, but of course it was possible. More than possible. It hardly mattered; they had walked into a trap, with the ores outside and the Wizard's guards inside. All the Wizard had had to do was wait.
“Last member?” Forrest asked blankly.
“It was reported that there were six in your party. Where is the last one hiding?”
“No one is hiding,” Forrest said. “We are all here.” For Ghina was visible, in her heavy winter clothing.
The huge woman frowned. “So you think to deceive me. We shall see about that. Cerci!”
Two servants pushed forward a large tank of water. In it was a mermaid, her tail in the water, her head above the surface. “Yes, mistress,” the mermaid said.
“Change-” The Wizard looked around. “That one.” She pointed to Ghina.
The mermaid reached her arm toward Ghina. “Oink!” she said.
And Ghina became a visible pig.
Forrest was appalled. So was Ghina. She squealed as her clothing dropped off. She ran around the floor. She was clearly horrified.
Guards circled the pig and prodded it into a cage. It looked out, tears welling from its eyes, understanding its plight.
The Wizard turned back to Forrest. “Now I ask you again, faun: where is your sixth member? Where is she hiding?”
“But no one is hiding,” Forrest said.
The Wizard pointed to Jfraya. “That one.”
The mermaid gestured again. “Oink.”
And Jfraya became another pig. She was just as chagrined as Ghina.
“It will be kinder if you tell me,” the Wizard said. “Otherwise, after all of you are swine, we shall just have to hunt her down and kill her. Now where is she?”
Suddenly Dawn caught on. “She thinks Imbri's an animal!” she said in a dreamlet.
“So one person is missing,” Eve added.
And the Wizard was going to turn them all into pigs, trying to find that missing member of their party. She was really taking this matter seriously.
But that gave him the key to victory. “Imbri!” he said in the dreamlet.
“Locate the margins, with your dreamlets. Tell them. Now.”
Then he spoke aloud to the Wizard. “She is hidden where you will never think to look. She will destroy your power. You can turn us all into pigs, but she will get you.”
“So now you are ready to deal,” the Wizard said, satisfied. “Turn her over to me, and I will let all of you live.”
“As prisoners?” he asked. Actually he knew she would kill them, thus effectively banning them from this region. But he was stalling for time.
“Perhaps,” the Wizard said. “Unless you agree to use your talents on my behalf, so I can take over the provinces of the three lost Wizards.”
So that was why she even bothered to negotiate! She wanted to increase her power yet more.
“We won't do anything as pigs,” he said. He glanced at Jfraya's cage-and saw that she had opened a door in it and was escaping. Neither the Wizard nor the guard monsters had noticed.
That gave him another notion. “Ghina,” he said in a dreamlet. “Put the mermaid to sleep.”
The Wizard considered. “It will be double or nothing. If you serve me, you can have your natural forms back. If you don't, you can be fed to my hungry ores.”
“How do I know you won't feed us to the ores anyway?”
“You're stalling. Cerci! That one.” The Wizard pointed to Dawn. There was no response. The mermaid had fallen asleep. The Wizard glanced at her. “Cerci!” she snapped. The mermaid was jolted awake. She looked surprised. The Wizard squinted. “So one of you has the ability to induce sleep. Then we shall delay no more. Polly!”
Another young woman approached, coming from the far chamber.
“Polly Graph, tell me the truth,” the Wizard said. She faced Forrest again. “Where is your sixth member?”
Polly's talent had to be to know when a person lied. So Forrest was careful. “She is here.”
The Wizard looked at Polly. “It's true,” Polly said.
But Polly couldn't read the whole truth in the subject's mind. So as long as he told part of the truth, while evading what the Wizard wanted to know, he could get away with it. Still stalling for time.
“Where is she here?”
Ooops. The Wizard was too sharp. What could he say? He said nothing.
“Cerci. That one.”
This time the mermaid did it, and Dawn became a very pretty light colored pig.
“ The answer,” the Wizard said. “Now.”
Could Imbri still communicate with the margins, if she were changed into a pig? Probably so. The Wizard didn't realize that animals had intelligence. But if he identified Imbri, the Wizard might have her immediately killed. He couldn't risk it. “I won't tell you,” he said.
“That one.” And Eve was a lovely dark pig.
Now there was only Forrest and Imbri. And only very limited time before they were finished. If the Wizard had them all killed now, she would win. Maybe it was time to tell the truth. He hoped that would give Imbri the time she needed.
“She is here,” he said. “She is this one.” He indicated the mare.
“Impossible! That's just a beast of burden.”
“It's true, mistress,” Polly said.
The Wizard stared at her. “This beast?”
“Yes, mistress. He is speaking the truth.”
“So I have them all. None are still out there.”
“You have us all,” Forrest said.
“Good. Now I need to know how you destroyed the other Wizirds.
So she knew only the fact, not the detail. “We stopped the margins.”
“True,” Polly said.
“Idiot! Of course they stopped the margins! But how?”
“We talked to them,” Forrest said. “We told them the truth.” The Wizard nodded. “So I think I
know enough. Guards, take all these creatures out to the ores.”
The guards closed in. But then a strange look crossed the Wizard's face. Something was happening to her. “Oh, I'm shrinking! I'm shrinking!” she wailed. “You horrible faun! Look what you've done!
In half a moment the Wizard was the size of an elf. Imbri had gotten through, and the margins had cut off their lines. All the Wizard's stolen favors had been canceled, and she had reverted to her original size.
“You've destroyed the Wizard's power!” Polly said, amazed.
“True,” Forrest said. “She will never again be able to exert such magic.”
“Hey, that's great!” Cerci said. “But who will rule in her place?”
“All of you who served her are now free.” He hoped they wanted to be free.
“Gee. Do you want your friends depigmented?”
“Yes, if you please. Then we shall have to go home-as I hope the rest of you will do.” Actually, once they left this world, they would be able to form their natural shapes. But Ghina and Jfraya wouldn't. So it was better to get them changed back now.
They had won. And it was time to return to Ptero.
“Just a moment.” It was the former Gray Wizard, who was now a gray elf.
Polly had grabbed her before she could escape.
Forrest looked at her. “You are hoping for better treatment than you accorded us?”
“Yes. Because you are kinder people than I was.”
“True,” Polly said.
“Why shouldn't we just have you changed into a piglet and put outside with the ores?”
“Because you are too soft hearted, and I can be useful to you.”
Forrest looked around. Cerci had changed all his companions back to their original forms. So no permanent damage had been done. “How can you be useful?”
“I can tell the ores to obey the new mistress of the castle, so you won't have any trouble.”
“Mistress?”
“Your green door opener. She would like the cushy lifestyle available as mistress of the Gray Castle.”
“True,” Polly said.
“But I never-” Jfraya protested.
“The folk here are a unit,” the Gray Elf said. “They like working here.
They just don't like me. If you treat them well, they will serve you well.”
“True,” Polly said.
“But I assumed they were all captives,” Forrest said.
“True,” Polly said. “You did so assume, but it is false. We were better off serving the Gray Wizard than we would have been out in the snow.”
Jfraya remained bemused. “You, Cerci-you don't want to go home to the sea?”
“Well, maybe for visits,” the mermaid said. “To see my parents, Cyrus and Merci. But the truth is that the water out there is cold, and I am more comfortable here in the heated pool.”
Forrest realized that the elf was performing a useful service. She had gotten huge by doing services for many people, so was good at it, even if she had stolen what she gave away. “How about Ghina?” he asked.
“I know where there is a winged male goblin of relatively sweet disposition, on the blue face, where she never would have found him.”
Ghina's outfit stood up straight. “How does he feel about appearance?”
“It is a matter of indifference to him. He is blind. This has severely restricted his flight and his social life. However, if he had a companion willing to guide him, he would be most grateful.”
The elf was scoring. “What do you want in return?” Forrest asked.
“Because we are not going to let you do too many favors and regain your size.”
“Only to be returned to my home elf village, where they have no idea of my career after departing.”
Forrest looked at the two women. “Are you amenable?”
“Yes,” they agreed, almost together.
“Then I leave the premises in your charge, Jfraya, provided you will see to Ghina's trip to the blue face, the Gray Elf's safe return to her village, and any visits elsewhere that other members of this household desire.”
“Gladly,” Jfraya said.
“True,” Polly said.
He looked at the twins and Imbri, who were standing on the wall.
“Then let's return to Pyramid.”
“But will you visit?” Jfraya asked. “I haven't known you long, but it has been thrilling.”
The twins exchanged a glance. “We'll try,” Dawn said.
“Now that we know how to do it.”
“But that requires the Good Magician's bottle of soul dissolving elixir,” Forrest said.
“We didn't need it to return from Torus,” Imbri reminded him.
She was right; he had never thought of using the bottle. They had just expanded. So it seemed it was needed only for the “up” loading, not the “down” loading.
“I'll leave the bottle with you,” Forrest said. “Since it seems that Imbri and I don't need it to return to Xanth.”
Then they held hands and touched Imbri, and expanded their substance, diffusing into vapor and thence into spirituality. The castle shrank around them, and they drifted out through its substance.
The world of Ptero was below them, or rather, around them, shrouded in night. They headed for it, expanding as they went. Pyramid became a triangle-faceted world behind them, and the monstrous outline of Ida's bead became apparent before them. They were more experienced at this than they had been, and quickly zeroed in on the star-like candle that Princess Ida had set out to guide them. There were their bodies, in repose. He was surprised to see that Imbri's was in girl form, until he remembered that this was all that she had mass for, here.
They went through the somewhat unpleasant business of reentering their bodies. Forrest wondered briefly what would happen if anyone tried to enter the wrong body by mistake. Would he find himself in Dawn's body, or would Eve be in Imbri's? He hoped not. Surely there was some magical safeguard against it.
He opened his eyes and sat up. The others were doing the same. He glanced at the Tapestry, and saw that no lines were marked on it. “Well, we're back,” Dawn said.
“Which means the faun will soon be moving on,” Eve agreed.
“Now that our mission with him is complete.”
“So we had better get to our other business before he escapes.”
The two of them stood, somewhat unsteadily, and converged on Forrest.
“But we don't yet know the outcome,” he protested. It wasn't that he objected to the sort of dalliance the girls had in mind, but that this did not seem like the proper place for it. Fauns normally chased nymphs in pleasant glades, not castles.
“There is an outcome,” Ida said. “Follow me.” She stood and walked to the door.
They did so. They went down the stairs and through the hall to the main ballroom. Ida opened the door.
The room was packed with people. “Thank you!” they cried in one mighty voice.
Forrest, Imbri, and the twins stood amazed. Then the twins made twin shrieks of delight. “Everyone's back,” Dawn said.
“Daddy!” Eve cried.
They ran to embrace their father, Prince Dolph.
“You see, your Service was for the Good Magician,” Ida said. “So none of the incidental beneficiaries owe you exchange services. But they are nevertheless most grateful.”
King Ivy approached. “The rescued folk wish to meet you and thank you.
Perhaps we should form a receiving line. This way.”
They followed her through the crowd to the stage section of the room.
Forrest and Imbri stood there while the line formed. He still was having trouble getting used to her as a small dark woman, rather than a dark horse.
King Ivy snapped her fingers. There was immediate silence. “Forrest Faun and Mare Imbrium will meet each of you in turn. Please introduce yourselves as you approach, and do not dally unduly. They are surely tired from their unusual journey. There will be a banqu
et at-” She paused to look at her left wrist, where a collection of eyes resided.
Then she looked at her right wrist, where a pack of tiny dogs were sitting. “At dawn, according to my watch band, and my watch dogs,” she concluded.
The first in the line was a young woman. “I am Wigo, daughter of Hugo and Wira. My talent is draining magic, but I could not prevail against the margins. I am so grateful to you for doing it and rescuing us all!”
“Uh, sure, thank you,” Forrest said, taken aback by such gratitude.
“We were glad to do it,” Imbri said in a dreamlet.
The next one approached, a very small woman. “I am Glitter Golem, daughter of Grundy and Rapunzel. My talent is the sparkle.”
She illustrated by issuing a shower of sparkles. “Thank you so much for saving us!”
“Uh-” Forrest began.
“It was so nice meeting you,” Imbri's dreamlet said.
Next were two young folk. One was a handsome young man in a gray suit.
“I am Prince Grant, with the talent of reading minds,” he said.
The other was a young woman with green eyes and brown hair, in a green dress. “I am Princess Isabella Emily Carolyn, with the talent of borrowing talents, for an hour,” she said.
“We are children of Grey and Ivy,” Grant added.
“But aren't there already-?” Forrest began.
“There are many of us, in this realm of might-be,” Isabella explained.
“And my friend Arien has a similar talent. Might-be covers a lot.”
Oh. Of course Forrest knew that. How stupid he had been to forget.
“No, we understand about the difference in your world,” Grant said.
“We would be similarly confused, there,” Isabella agreed.
“Uh, you two remind me of-”
“Our cousins Dawn & Eve.”
“So nice to meet both of you,” Imbri's dreamlet cut in.
The two laughed and moved on. Forrest realized that Imbri had a much better notion of how to meet people than he did. She was preventing him from hopelessly embarrassing himself worse than he already was.
A child approached. “I am Nora Naga, daughter of Nina Naga and Briskil, son of Esk Ogre and Bria Brassier” she said. “I am twelve years old and my talent is to teleport folk or things anywhere. I wish I had someone to play with. Maybe now that everyone is back, I'll find someone.”