“He deserved the help.”
“One who, if a really far-fetched conjecture were to be made, might make a better mother for him than the one we were considering.”
“Intriguing,” Fornax agreed, seeing where she was going. “But an unmarried foreign Demoness? That would never be accepted.”
“I am also remembering how a certain Demon got his hand caught in an interference in a Storage facility that could cost him a Demon Point, if a certain Demoness happened to make an accusation.”
“I believe I remember that incident.”
“In fact she now owns his backside, one of two she nabbed. She may be waiting for a suitable punishment for his infraction. One that would sufficiently gripe him for more than a day or a week.”
“She may.”
“It occurs to me that a Demon who bet against the survival of Xanth might be really annoyed if he were required to take some action that had the effect of saving Xanth and costing him his wager.”
“He might be,” Fornax agreed.
“Such as marrying a certain Demoness and adopting a certain child and performing thereafter as that child’s father, with all that implies. That might annoy him even more, since he had figured to get access to her on less strenuous terms, rather than getting locked into an ongoing commitment of decades.”
“Oho! You have provided me some interesting thoughts.”
“That’s what friends are for.”
“They are indeed.”
“Not that these thoughts relate to any present circumstance.”
“Not that they do,” Fornax agreed, laughing as she faded out.
Astrid continued her walk. Would the Demoness do it? The fate of Xanth might depend on it. But Demons were Demons, following their own rules, whatever they might be.
She completed her loop and returned to the camp. The others were waiting for her. “I have an idea, but I don’t know whether—”
The Demoness Fornax appeared, with Demon Nemesis beside her. He looked as if he had swallowed an overripe stink horn but was constrained to digest it.
“Santo,” Fornax called.
“Yes, Aunt Fornax?”
“Would you prefer to call me Mother hereafter?”
His jaw dropped. “You would—would—?”
“The Demon Nemesis has graciously consented to marry me and adopt you, with all that implies. Do you accept us as your family?”
“Oh, yes!” Santo said, tearfully hugging her ghost form.
“Then we shall marry and pose for our Portrait.” She turned to Nemesis. “Smile, dear; it’s for posterity.” She patted his backside, which she now owned.
Nemesis forced a reluctant smile. It was clear that Fornax had found the penalty that most dispirited him.
Art painted their Portrait, and a fine picture it was. At the end of the day the color implosion occurred, confirming the legitimacy of the Fifth Portrait.
A courtroom scene appeared, with three Demon judges, and three others in attendance. “I am Demoness Venus, presiding because I am impartial with respect to the current issue,” the lovely female said. “The others are Demon Saturn and Demon Earth, interested spectators. The issue is whether Demon Nemesis and Demoness Fornax are illicitly interfering in Xanth by filling a blank spot and thereby enabling a change in Xanth’s future history. Who speaks for Xanth?”
Kandy tried to hide, but could not. The donkey-headed dragon wiggled an ear in her direction. “I speak for Xanth, as before,” Kandy said.
“Who speaks for Nemesis and Fornax?”
Fornax caught Astrid’s eye. She was it again. But unlike Kandy, she didn’t mind doing it. “I speak for Nemesis and Fornax,” she said.
Venus glanced at Xanth. “Make your case, Nimby.”
“The Land of Xanth should be for its own characters,” Kandy said. “If a child needs adoption, there are surely native Xanth folk who can rise to the task. Demons have their own realms, and do not need to interfere in this one. The Demoness Fornax has been interfering for years, as a recent trial demonstrated, and it’s time it was stopped.”
It was Astrid’s turn. “There was no conviction, so the issue is moot. The prior trial was aborted because Demon Xanth withdrew his complaint. Why is he renewing it now?”
“He withdrew it in the hope that outside interference would cease,” Kandy said. “Since that interference has renewed, he must act, lest his land be overrun by outsiders.”
“That interference, as he puts it, was to save Xanth from eventual destruction.”
“The Land of Xanth can survive by using its own resources. If the outsiders had not stepped in, this could have been the case.”
Astrid realized that she needed a stronger case, because she couldn’t prove that some other family wasn’t nearby ready to adopt Santo. It seemed unlikely, but she needed certainty. So she shifted her ground. “What the Demoness Fornax did was not for the sake of interference, but for the sake of friendship. She is my friend, and has been helping me safeguard the welfare of the children throughout. When there was a need for a family to adopt the last child, she stepped in to do it. She needed to be married, to make a complete family, so she persuaded Demon Nemesis to join her in this worthy effort. Now that child will have a good home. This was worth doing in itself.”
She paused to martial her thoughts. “This is also important to the welfare of the Land of Xanth. We know that completing these five adoptions, and the related Five Portraits, ensures that Xanth will be saved instead of destroyed. The Demon Xanth is in no position to object to the steps necessary for the salvation of his Land.”
“The Land of Xanth might well be saved without the interference of foreign Demons,” Kandy said.
“The prophecy indicated otherwise,” Astrid retorted.
“A Prophecy you cobbled together for your convenience. Its validity is questionable.”
That was true. Astrid knew she was on weak ground again. So she attacked. “Then prove it.”
Kandy turned to the Demon panel. “We request the viewing of parallel frames relating to the relevant portion of Xanth history: one without interference, the other with. For the coming fifty years. That should establish the case.”
They could do that?
Demoness Venus made a gesture with her hand. Two windows appeared, side by side. One showed the new family of Nemesis, Fornax, and Santo. The other showed Santo alone. They were not still pictures; they were animations.
The Family picture showed a normal family life, with Fornax feeding the boy and teaching him things like reading and manners, while Nemesis showed him how to play sports and deal with bullies who took exception to his nature. He had no trouble with the children he knew, or their families, but in the larger community there could be ridicule and roughness. That abated when the glowing shadow of the Demon Nemesis appeared, radiating invisible menace. Others might not see him directly, but they knew he was there. It was clear that it would be dangerous to cross him. So without actually doing anything, Nemesis was protecting his son.
In the other frame, Santo was on his own. No family adopted him. No Demon protected him. He had to forage largely for himself and sleep in the forest, having no home to retire to. He managed, but it was clearly less comfortable. When he encountered outsiders, at times he had to use his magic to fend them off, making holes they could fall into. That annoyed the neighbors who later had to fill in those holes. Mostly he avoided them.
Watching, Astrid was uneasy. Something was missing here, but what?
Years passed in both frames. Santo grew to manhood. In the home frame he made his living making holes where others needed them, such as in foundation stones and planks so that the walls of houses could be secured. He became successful and respected, and his talent increased in power and versatility. But in the homeless frame others did not want his services. In fact they did not want hi
s presence, and he was tacitly frozen out. In this reduced manner he lived out his obscure life until he was in his fifties.
Again, Astrid was disturbed. Something was not being shown, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Surely the time-line was accurate, because it was Demon-inspired. This really was the future, unsatisfying as it might be.
Then came the invasion. Ogres, trolls, goblins and human people made a tear in the wall of reality that separated one Xanth timeline from another, and poured in to ravage Xanth. Santo went to stop them, wielding holes like lasers, felling a number of invaders. But there were too many. They overwhelmed him and chopped him to pieces. Astrid winced outwardly, but inside she was screaming. How could this horror be happening? Then they went on to ravage the rest of Xanth. The defenders, unable to stop the invaders, resorted to desperate measures: they devised a virus that did not wipe out puns, but living things. That meant that all creatures in Xanth, residents and invaders, perished. Xanth was dead. Only a few children survived, by escaping to different time-lines as orphans.
But in the home frame it was a different story. Santo was a solid member of the community. When the invaders came he helped organize resistance. Men counterattacked, driving the invaders into a channel. Then a huge hole opened up, and the invaders charged into it and disappeared. It was a Hole to Hell that Santo had made, a phenomenal gap that wiped out the invaders. After that, no more came; they had gotten the message that this was no safe place to be. Xanth was saved.
“So the prophecy is valid,” Kandy said. “The intercession of the Demons changes the fate of Xanth by facilitating the ability of one person, Santo, to effectively defend it. Not only this Xanth, but all the similar Xanths in the adjacent frames that follow it, one second at a time, because they are similarly defended by the children from the future. This is the reality that changes the future for everything.”
Was she conceding the case? Astrid glanced at Santo, who had seen his two future fates and had to be shaken. But if this secured the right one, he would be a hero.
“Therefore the intercession is confirmed, and the charge against the defendant Demons must be upheld,” Kandy concluded. “Their marriage, adoption, and Portrait must be nulled.”
Astrid felt as if the ground had dropped out from beneath her. In winning her point she had lost her case!
Demoness Venus nodded. “Before the sentence is voted and implemented, does the defendant have any mitigating circumstance to proffer?”
Mitigating circumstance? Whatever could that be? But Astrid knew she had to try.
She thought of her unease when watching the time-lines, her concern that something was missing. Was there more to the situation than showed? Something that might change the larger perspective? She had to produce it now, or lose everything.
Desperation gave her an idea. “The children!” she said. “All of them needed to be adopted and painted, to save Xanth. But all we saw was Santo. We need to know what the others will be doing as the future unfolds.” It was no more than a straw, but it was all she had.
“Does the Defendant Petition for such a review?” Venus inquired.
“I do,” Fornax said immediately. Astrid was gratified by her trust in Astrid’s effort, but feared it was undeserved.
“The Defendant’s one petition is invoked,” Venus said.
The parallel time-lines played again, this time showing the activities of all five children. They were there, supporting Santo in each frame. He had not been adopted in one, but the children had never cut him out of their lives. That was heartening for Astrid to see. When the invaders came they were blown about by hurricane force winds, befuddled by thick fog, led astray by dangerous-looking creatures that morphed into other creatures, and repelled by ferocious fireworks. But in the end it made no difference; Xanth was saved in one frame, lost in the other. There was no Hole to Hell in the losing frame. Only with a fully functional Santo was the defense sufficient. Her idea had proven to be worthless.
Yet there was still something. What could it be?
“We shall now vote the verdict,” Venus said.
“Wait!” Astrid cried. “There’s something else!”
“Your Petition has been expended,” Venus said.
“But there are two Defendants,” Astrid said, feeling as if she were clawing at a mountain of slippery ice with greased hands. “The other has not used his Petition.”
Venus looked impatient, but accepted it. “Does Demon Nemesis invoke his Petition?”
“I do,” Nemesis said without hesitation.
Astrid was amazed. He could get out of the marriage and adoption simply by accepting the ruling; Fornax couldn’t stop that. Yet he was supporting her.
“What is the Petition?” Venus asked Astrid.
“Another expansion,” Astrid said. “To include the adoptive parents.”
The time-lines played a third time, now showing the five sets of parents, Merge counting as a set. The home frame showed no change. But there was a deviation in the negative frame, and it was a shocker. It showed Astrid herself, following the decision, disconsolately walking alone. She had lost her case, and with it the salvation of both the children and Xanth itself. She had not measured up to the need, and had failed them all. She walked some distance, and came to the Gap Chasm. She stood at the brink, then abruptly hurled herself into it. In her grief she was committing suicide. There was a moan from the other watchers, both children and adults; none of them wanted this. But it was her decision.
No one rescued her this time; Fornax was surely barred from any such further interference. Astrid fell to the bottom and died. Her poisonous body killed the surrounding vegetation and dissolved into the dirt, leaving a barren section that even the Gap Dragon would not touch. But her soul separated from the heap, formed into her human likeness, and made its way to the River Styx circling Hades. Charon the Ferryman poled his raft to the shore, and Astrid duly boarded. What choice did she have?
“Now you are mine, you luscious creature,” he said, and swept her into his embrace. She was unable to resist, being no longer alive, and without her deadly Stare. She was in his power, destined to be his mistress as long as he chose. It didn’t matter that she had no interest in him; her body, animated by her remaining soul, was all he wanted.
“I worked for this ever since you and the brat crossed out of Hades,” Charon said between Kisses and Feels as he worked up to the Main Event. Astrid, dispirited, offered no resistance. “I finally got my chance when I volunteered to do the dull time-lines for the Trial. I fixed it so one failed, knowing that would bring you to me. And it did! Victory is mine.”
The pictures faded. “I believe we have enough evidence,” Demoness Venus said. “The crucial interference was not where we thought. Do we need to vote?”
The Demons Earth and Saturn shook their heads.
“The Defendants are exonerated,” Venus said. “Their marriage, adoption, and Portrait stand. We shall now adjourn to the separate trial of the Dwarf Demon Charon.” The three members of the Panel disappeared. So did the Demon Xanth, leaving behind only half a heehaw.
The children and adults sat silent, still absorbing this amazing trial and decision. Then Kandy went to Astrid. “Oh, I’m so glad I lost. Again. That was awful.”
“Awful,” Firenze agreed. “And you killed yourself. Promise us you’ll never do that again, Mother Astrid.”
“Never again,” Astrid agreed, horrified and bemused as her husband and son hugged her.
Fornax faced Nemesis. “Why did you Petition?” she asked him. “You could have been free simply by doing nothing.”
“Santo is my son,” the Demon said. “I’m obliged to secure his welfare.”
That surprised Astrid. Nemesis might have been brought into this reluctantly, but he did take it seriously once he had made the agreement, not taking an easy way out. That was an excellent sign.
But Fornax wasn’t satisfied. “Is that all?”
“And I wanted to please you. A Demoness taken against her will is not the best romantic prospect, and you are special.”
Fornax nodded, satisfied. “You have succeeded. I am pleased.” Then, to the others: “Carry on. We will be busy for some time.”
Then she went to embrace Nemesis, her clothing dissipating. The two faded out. Astrid knew that Nemesis was in for a far better experience than he had hoped for. He had gambled and won.
“Let’s go to the Playground,” Firenze said to the other children. “We need to leave the parents alone for a while. They have some serious kissing to do.” The others giggled knowingly and joined him there.
Astrid realized that she was worn out, emotionally. She had seen herself die, and though that was in the timeline that would not exist, it remained a nasty shock to her world view. “I think I need to rest,” she said.
“With or without me?” Art asked.
“Definitely with you. You’re the kind of rest I need.”
They retired to their tent, where they made passionate love, then slept. Whenever the horror of her death returned to haunt her, she clung to Art, and it faded.
In the morning the children announced a play they were ready to put on. It seemed they had been busy, while leaving the parents alone.
“A play?” Astrid asked. “Why? Is there something you need to figure out?”
“Not exactly,” Firenze said.
“It’s more like an Unveiling,” Santo said.
“Of a statue,” Squid said.
“A statue!” Astrid said, surprised. “Of what?”
“Of what we like best,” Win said.
“In all Xanth,” Myst concluded.
They had made a statue to Eye Scream and Chocolate Cake? Astrid decided not to comment. Children would be children.
Fornax and Nemesis appeared, looking slightly mussed. “We’re here to see the Play,” Fornax said. “Before we return to savage lovemaking.”