Part 6 (2/2)
Chapter 3: Recruiting.
Before she knew it, Cube was out of the Good Magician's Castle, thoroughly confused. What was she supposed to do?
Well, what did she know? That there was a new territory to be explored, and n.o.body knew the way there. She had to find it. She could choose others to help her do that. And if she succeeded, she would be beautiful.
This was not at all the kind of a.s.signment she had expected, but she had to do it. Because she truly wanted to be beautiful.
Maybe if she got the right people, they would have good ideas on how to locate the territory. So her first job was to find those people. Who might they be? It was hard to think of one, let alone nine.
She would simply have to ask people, and accept any who agreed to help. Maybe this mission was fated to succeed, and the right people would appear along her route.
And maybe she was dreaming. She would have to help herself. She would have to seek people.
What about those she had already met on the way to the Good Magician's Castle? Ryver and Karia? She liked the winged centaur, and Karia could really help get across rough terrain. And Ryver--she would just like to be close to him, even if she wasn't beautiful, and he paid no attention to her. She knew she was foolish, but that was the way it was.
But both those folk had gone the other way, and were nowhere close now. She didn't know exactly where they had gone. How could she find them, without taking endless time?
A bulb flashed over her head. ”Demoness Metria!” she whispered.
”Yes?” a puff of smoke answered.
Cube jumped. ”I didn't know you were so close!”
The smoke expanded into the lovely semi-clad form of the demoness. ”I wasn't. But you spoke my name. That alerted me. What is on your homely mortal mind?”
Cube realized that the demoness would not help her out of the goodness of her heart. She didn't have either goodness or a heart. What would persuade her? The question brought the answer: ”I have something interesting for you.”
”You have gotten your Answer!”
”Yes. But it is secret.”
”I love secrets! What is it?”
”If I told you, it wouldn't be secret.”
”Oh, come on, you're going to have to share it with your Companions anyway.”
”How do you know that?”
”Because you are obviously on a Quest, and all Quests have Companions. It's in the Big Book of Rules.”
So it seemed. ”But you're not a Companion.”
The demoness put on a canny look: she became a huge floating can. ”Suppose I were, what would you tell me?”
Cube realized that she would have to feed Metria's interest to some degree in order to win her cooperation. ”Suppose I had to go to a new territory and mark a safe route there. But first I needed nine Companions. Suppose you helped me find them, you could be the first demon to see this territory.”
”Suppose I went to see it on my own?”
”Suppose you didn't know the way?”
That stymied the demoness. ”So where is it?”
”I don't know. I have to find it--with the help of others. I could tell you about it if you became a Companion. The Good Magician said those who partic.i.p.ated would be appropriately rewarded. Do you want to be part of this effort?”
Metria considered. ”What is the nature of this dependency?”
”This what?”
”Province, colony, demesne, possession--”
”Territory?”
”Whatever,” she agreed crossly.
Cube was pretty sure now that Metria was going to sign up, so she answered. ”The Good Magician described it as 'contra-terrene.'”
”Oh,that territory! Our side won it from the Demoness Fornax one year ago. Counter Xanth.”
”You know of it?” But obviously she did.
”Sure. But not where it is. It's the opposite of Xanth, inverted, or something. If someone touched it and Xanth at the same time, he'd detonate.”
”He'd what?”
”Fire, burst, blow up, blast, explode--”
”I think you had it right the first time, after all.”
”Whatever,” the demoness agreed crossly. ”So there has to be a way to get there without touching any part of Xanth. You don't want to grab both ends of the charge together.”
Cube was coming to appreciate the problem. There would have to be a very special route there. ”So do you want to help?”
”Of course not. Demons don't help mortals, they torment them.”
”Even if they lose the reward?”
”What is the reward?”
”He didn't say. Just that there would be one. Is there anything you are in need of?”
”No.” But Metria hovered thoughtfully. ”I wonder what it could be?”
”You can find out by earning and receiving it.”
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