Part 22 (1/2)
”No you don't, Trojan!” Breanna said. ”I said I'd protect him, and I will. Let him be.”
The gaze swung like a cannon to bear on her. She would never admit it, but the Night Stallion was a terrifying apparition. ”By what power do you seek to oppose my will in my domain, black girl?”
”By the force of logic, and the need of Xanth,” she said more stoutly than she felt. ”And by this.” She lifted her left hand to show the Ring of Fire on her little finger.
Trojan stared at it. As if in response, the Ring sent out a coruscating little loop of fire.
”That is the Ring of Fire,” Trojan said. ”How came you by it?”
”It's a long story, Stallion. Why don't you just take my word that we also need the Ring of Void, and let it go at that?”
”Then again, perhaps it is a fake.” Trojan swung back to Putre. His eyes turned deadly.
Help, Breanna thought to the Ring.
There was a cloud of smoke. In a moment it coalesced into the Demon Professor Grossclout. ”It is the Ring,” the Professor said through his glare. ”This girl has important business. Sim Bird is part of it, by leave of his mother and nanny; indeed, he holds the Ring of Air.”
Trojan paused, then nodded. The Night Stallion, like all the major figures of Xanth, was sworn to protect and support the Simurgh's chick. ”So I see. I will postpone this matter for the duration.”
”Thank you.” Grossclout faded out.
Breanna was impressed in spite of herself. Evidently the Demon Professor had been watching, or was attuned to the Ring of Fire, or both. Certainly he had made the difference; no one had ever defied him and survived to speak of it. Except maybe D. Metria, but she didn't count.
”So what is your business?” the Night Stallion inquired, suddenly ignoring Putre.
”The Demon Earth has been abducted, we think, and we need to get the Swell Foop to rescue him.”
The dark horse gazed at her for more than an instant. ”You already have the other Rings of Xanth?”
”Yes. One person per Ring. But we need to find out who is to go after the Ring of Void, and we think you are the one who will know.”
”This may be complicated. You were supposed to have six persons in your Ring group.”
”We forgot,” Breanna said, embarra.s.sed.
”Normally you would fetch the Six Rings of Xanth, then select one of your number to fetch the Foop.”
”We'll still do that, once we have the sixth Ring.”
”No. Normally your sixth member would fetch that Ring.”
”I know that,” Breanna said, getting edgy. ”First we have to find that sixth member. That's why I'm here.”
The Stallion flashed her a glance of impatience. ”Because you did not bring a sixth member, who would have oriented on the sixth Ring, you have forfeited that choice. Now you must orient directly on the Swell Foop.”
”I don't understand.”
”Fortunately I do. Your sixth member must select himself by naming the Swell Foop. Then you must recruit him for the mission, and he must fetch the Ring of Void. Because of your prior dereliction you will not be able to discuss this in advance; you must have that particular person, or all is lost.”
Breanna gulped. ”But what if he doesn't want to do it?”
”That is why it would have been better to have had six in your group at the start; you would have known that all were committed. Now you must take the chance that your designated sixth member is not committed. The Rings respond to the sense of mission; that is why each of you had no trouble taking them, once you located them. This new person must develop that sense of mission. You must gamble on your persuasive abilities.”
Breanna thought of Justin. ”I can be persuasive when I have to be.”
The Night Stallion looked down his long nose at her. She didn't like that, because it made her feel exactly as stupid as she thought she was. ”The designated sixth may not be romantically inclined. In fact, he can be any creature. Suppose he is a dragon? An ogre? A c.o.c.katrice?”
This was looking worse. ”I'll summon a demon if I have to, to help persuade him.”
”You may have to. In fact, he may be a demon. I hope you succeed.”
”Yeah, sure,” she said wryly. Actually, she was pretty sure it wouldn't be a demon, because demons weren't mortal.
”I have no interest in seeing Xanth destroyed by lack of gravity.”
”For sure. We've got too many puns already.”
He did not smile. ”Now we must explore the dreams of the universe. The first who names the Swell Foop will be your designee.”
”Got it,” she agreed, gulping again. Why hadn't they thought to have a compatible sixth member? She had any number of friends who would surely have served. Now they had to take whatever fate offered, and it might not be fun at all. A c.o.c.katrice, whose very glance was poisonous? Anything but that!
”I am inst.i.tuting the search of dreams. I regret that I am unable to search waking thoughts; those are not my department.”
”Wait half a moment! How about day dreams?”
The Stallion paused half a moment. ”Those belong to the Day Stallion.”
”But we've got a representative here. Putre is the foal of the Day Stallion.”
Trojan glanced at the zombie colt, who had been very quiet since obtaining his reprieve. ”Very well; a broader search is best. Let him add his input, and it will include day dreams.”
Breanna patted Putre on the shoulder. ”See-you're useful already.”
”Thank you,” his speech balloon wrote.
The search started. The chamber faded out, and they seemed to be in the center of a swirling universe. Voices came from near and far, all saying the same two words, but not together. ”Swell.” There were thousands of those. ”Foop.” There were only a few of those. It had to be the combination, in the right order.
The search ranged out, extending to the very fringe of Xanth. Then it fixed on one ”Swell Foop!” A picture of the speaker formed: Cynthia Centaur, snoozing during the wait for Breanna's return, dreaming of her mission. That was no good; she was already committed to the Ring of Water.
The search resumed. Now it went beyond Xanth, into drear Mundania. Breanna's heart sank to the bottom of her chest. That was all they needed: a Mundane! Not that all of them were bad; she rather liked Edsel and Pia. But neither of them could do this; they were too busy with the environment, not to mention their new baby.
”Swell foop!” A second strike. The picture formed, establis.h.i.+ng the context.
It was a girl of about fifteen, having a daydream. ”I want it all in one swell foop, I mean fell swoop!” she exclaimed, laughing.
The swirling background faded. ”There is your designee,” the Night Stallion said.
”But she was only joking, making a play on words,” Breanna protested.
”That does not matter. She dreamed the words.”