Part 25 (1/2)
Now they were here. Their quarry was inside the house. What were they to do next?
CHAPTER 9: RING OF VOID.
Jaylin was home alone for the moment; the folks were out on business. She was fifteen, and of course bored with the routine; it came with the territory. Naturally she had more homework than she cared to do.
She looked in the mirror, and saw an image that others said was just like that of her mother at that age, with nice black hair. In fact, some said she looked more like her mother than her mother did. Jaylin knew why: Her mother was old, dangerously close to thirty-five, so was losing it.
”Isn't that right, Nikko?” she inquired. Nikko wagged his tail in agreement. He was very agreeable.
There was a knock on the door. Nikko barked. Probably a salesman; she would get rid of him soon enough.
But when she went there, she saw an odd couple indeed: a young white man and a young black woman garbed completely in black. He looked like a typical mainland American teen; she looked like a foreign princess. Whatever they were selling must be pretty exotic. ”Yes?” she said politely. It was always best to be polite to strangers, lest they suffer an extemporaneous fit of road rage or something and blow up the town.
”h.e.l.lo, Jaylin,” the princess said.
That was another surprise. ”Do I know you?”
”Not yet. But we must talk to you about something that is very important. May we come in?”
”No!” Jaylin said more sharply than she meant to. Letting strangers in was a good way to get robbed or worse.
”Well, will you come out and talk, then?”
”No.” This was becoming nervous business.
”Then I guess we'll just have to talk right here. I am Breanna of the Black Wave, from the Land of Xanth, and this is David Baldwin of-”
”You're joking!”
”No, I'm serious. We-”
”Did my cla.s.smates put you up to this? Pretending to be one of the fantasy people I read about?”
”I'm not pretending. I really am-”
”Your talent is seeing in blackness. You want to marry Justin Tree.”
”For sure!”
”So what are you doing here? That doesn't look like Justin Tree to me. Not enough foliage.”
”I'm not Justin,” the man reminded her. ”I'm David.”
”So now she's two-timing Justin?”
”Justin and I were supposed to be married yesterday,” the black woman said hotly. ”But something came up, and now we need to recruit you.”
”A likely story. The joke's wearing thin, and I have homework to do. So if you don't mind-”
”We do mind,” the woman said. She lifted her left hand. ”Metria.”
Smoke rose off the Ring. It formed into the head and upper torso of an inordinately shapely woman. ”It's true,” the bust said. ”We need you for the sortie.”
”The what?” Jaylin asked.
”Raid, charge, foray, attack, sally-”
Jaylin burst out laughing.
”Mission,” Breanna said quickly. ”It's not at all funny.”
”Whatever,” the little demoness agreed crossly, dissipating into mist and drifting away.
”Oh, I wasn't laughing at you,” Jaylin said. ”It's just that-never mind. How do you do that trick?”
”It's no trick,” Breanna said. ”This is the Ring of Fire, and it controls all demons. Metria is a demoness, so it can summon her, even here. We need you to fetch the Ring of Void.”
”The what?”
”It's complicated to explain. First we have to get you to listen.”
Jaylin considered. It could be a joke, but that trick with the Ring was impressive. She would like to have a Ring like that, and be able to conjure up a little holographic image of a bare-breasted demoness. There were any number of people that sight would freak out. So she compromised. ”Give me that Ring, and show me how it works, and I'll listen.”
”I can't give you this Ring; I'm its designated holder. But you can have a Ring of your own, at least for a while, that's just as powerful.”
”Oh? How?”
”You'll have to come to Xanth with us, and-”
”I'm not going anywhere with you! In fact, you'd better get out of here before my folks return.” Oops-she had just inadvertently blabbed that she was alone in the house, except for Nikko, who really wasn't much of a guard dog.
”Maybe you can borrow this Ring for a moment,” Breanna said. ”I'll see if it will let me lend it.” She put her fingers to it. To her evident surprise, it came loose. ”I guess it will. This must be mission-related.” She handed it to Jaylin.
Jaylin took it. It seemed quite ordinary. She put it on her little left finger, and it fit comfortably. ”So how do I do the trick?”
”Just say her name.”
”Demoness Metria,” Jaylin said.
The Ring warmed on her finger. Smoke formed. The little head and torso reappeared. ”I'm just doing this as a demon-stration,” she said. ”I really don't have to answer to you, Mundane.”
Fascinated, Jaylin poked a finger at the figure. It pa.s.sed through the belly without resistance. ”If you were a man, I'd make you marry me before I let you do that,” Metria said severely. Then she returned to smoke and swirled away.
Taken aback by the implication, Jaylin didn't know whether to laugh or blush. This was beyond any trick she knew of. But could it really be magic? ”Okay, come on in and I'll listen. But that's all.” She removed the Ring and returned it to Breanna.
”Thank you.” Breanna and David entered the house and took seats in the living room. Then she started explaining, and Jaylin was amazed despite her reservations.