Part 17 (1/2)

Chapter 6: Sidestepping.

The journey back to their starting point in Phaze did not seem as long or arduous as the one down. The three natives accompanied them, and so did Drek Dragon. No trolls attacked them as they followed the mountain trail; apparently they were wary of the dragon. Then Cube got an idea, and the others agreed, surprised. She put them all into the purse, including wolf, bat, unicorn, and dragon, then rode Karia, who flew there much faster than they could otherwise have traveled. She brought them all out at what she called the Cover Site, and they were surprised, having thought they had gone in and out immediately. But they soon verified that they were two days' travel away from the Purple Mountain Retreat.

Only then did Cube realize that she didn't know how to return to Xanth. They tried walking back and forth across the area, thinking there might be an invisible curtain leading back, but there was not. Even the Princesses had no idea; they could perform mighty magic when they tried, but they had no information on how to cross between worlds.

Karia put her fine centaur mind to it. ”We entered via a picture of Phaze. Perhaps if we reproduced that picture, there would be effect.” But though wolf, bat, and unicorn obligingly posed as they had been, there was no effect.

Drek Dragon wiggled his right ear. Did he have an idea? Then Cube suffered another bulbless realization: ”You came here before us, Drek! You know the way!”

He did, but it took a while to convey, because they had to speak it while the dragon agreed or disagreed. So they played the game of Nineteen Questions, all of them making suggestions, and the dragon wiggling ears.

”Try some other site?” Karia asked. Drek's left ear wiggled: No.

”Try it at the same hour of the day we arrived?” Cube asked. No.

”The two of you came through a picture,” Stu said.

The dragon's right ear wiggled, pointing at the werewolf.

”So a picture is needed,” Stu continued.

”A picture of Xanth!” Cube exclaimed.

The right ear wiggled. Now they had it.

The Princesses conjured an easel with a painting of Castle Roogna. They set it up where Karia and Cube had come through before. Then Karia put out one hand to touch it--and suddenly slid through the painting.

Surprised by this success, Cube peered at the painting. There was Karia, standing before the castle, waving. She was indeed in Xanth.

”Then we must go,” Cube said, finding herself suddenly regretful. ”I am glad to have made your acquaintance, and hope to see you again someday, if that is possible.”

”Welcome,” Stu said, embracing her. Cube tried to conceal her pleasure at being hugged by a handsome male, but didn't quite succeed.

”Hey, if you hug strange men, I can hug strange women,” Ryver said, and proceeded to embrace Viola and Forili in their human forms, while the Princesses t.i.ttered. Now Cube had to conceal her jealousy, for both Phaze females were quite attractive in their human forms. That was not surprising, since they had crafted those forms themselves. If Cube had been able to craft her own form, she'd be lovely too.

Then everyone except the dragon got into the pouch. Drek obviously knew how to cross between worlds himself.

”Is thy quest public in thy land?” Stu asked.

”No, it is private,” Cube replied. ”Secret, in fact.” Then she got the gist of his point. ”And if Drek shows up beside Castle Roogna, many people will know that something unusual is up.”

The dragon agreed. He poked the tip of his hind foot into the pouch, and slid into it. That was an interesting maneuver, as he had a good length of tail beyond the foot, yet somehow did not straddle the mouth of the pouch.

Then Cube faced the painting. ”You can keep the picture,” she said with a smile, and put her hand into it.

”We dare not use it,” Stu said, ”lest--” But his remaining words were lost as she pa.s.sed out of Phaze.

In half a moment she was standing beside Karia, outside Castle Roogna. Cube turned to look behind her, but there was only the orchard. Still, she waved, just in case the folk of Phaze could see her in their picture, just as she had seen Karia.

Then she turned to the centaur. ”Let's not go into the castle,” she said.

”Agreed. Let me take you away from here.”

”Agreed.” She mounted, and the centaur flicked them both, trotted, spread her wings, and took off.

Once they were away from the castle, Karia addressed the next question: ”We have seven Companions. Who is next?”

”I have no idea.”

”Perhaps it is time to get, if you will excuse the expression, scientific.”

That was an unfamiliar word. ”Beg pardon?”

”It is a Mundane method for finding things out. I am thinking of asking the Princesses to do a Find on the next Companion, just as they did on the last one.”

”Would that work? Without a specific name?”

”I don't know. But it seems worth the effort.”

Cube had to agree. So they landed in a private glade and brought out the Princesses. ”Can you do a Find on our next Companion?”

”Sure,” Melody said brightly.

”That's great!”

”Who is he?” Harmony asked curiously.

”We don't know.”

”Oh,” Rhythm said dully.

But they tried it, and got a direction. It seemed there was a potential Companion not far distant. The Princesses returned to the pouch.

They resumed flight, and soon came to a likely site: a cave set into a hillside. ”Another dragon?” Karia asked.

”I hope not. It is nothing against dragons, but we already have one.”

”Agreed.” The centaur glided down for a landing.

The cave turned out to be a human dwelling with a door. There were curtains and flowers, and things were neat. A woman, by the look of it.

”I think this is your job, again,” Karia said.

”Yes.” Cube braced herself and knocked on the door.

There was no answer. She knocked again, with no better response. Then she tried the latch.

The door opened, revealing a nicely furnished interior. It was a cave, but also a tasteful residence. ”h.e.l.lo?”