Part 38 (2/2)
Jaycn held up a hand in a powerful stop signal. ”Tell me nothing, Seren, before you hear this. I am under a curse that I may have no relations with any woman whose magic I know. I see you are beautiful and I know this is my only chance, so I must ask you to swear that you will never tell me the nature of your magic.”
”But--” Ida protested, nonplussed.
”My only chance was to come to the wood knot when it was invoked,” Jaycn continued. ”Because it is an unusual variant of reverse wood. When it is burned, it changes reality to what might have happened but did not. You might have married me, but did not, because we did not know of each other. I lived on the red face, and you on the blue face. But I smelled the smoke and came at once. Swear never to tell me your magic, and we can confirm this reality, which frankly promises to be better than that lonely life I have known hitherto.”
Still Ida hesitated, not wanting to deceive anyone.
”He has a point,” Cube said. ”His curse prevents him from marrying any woman whose magic talent he knows, so it would be unkind of you to spoil it by telling him.”
”I suppose it would,” Ida agreed. She looked at Jaycn. ”If you really do not want to know.”
”I really do not,” Jaycn said. ”What is that orbiting your head?”
”That's a small affliction she has,” Cube said quickly. ”She can't get rid of it, because it relates deviously to her magic. But it's harmless if ignored.”
Jaycn caught on immediately. ”I shall ignore it, of course.”
”Have something to eat,” Ida said, handing him a gla.s.s of blue drink. Evidently she was somewhat fl.u.s.tered, understandably. The appearance of the Magician had been entirely serendipitous. Because she had the pacifier, Cube realized. It had struck again, perhaps changing her life.
”I must give you something in return,” Jacyn said, and Cube understood why.
”No need,” Ida said quickly. ”You are giving me the pleasure of your company.”
But awkwardness remained. ”Tell us about yourself,” Cube said. ”You are a Magician? What is your magic?”
”I am the Magician of Matter. I can convert liquid to gas.” He demonstrated by glancing at the blue drink, which fizzled into a cloud that floated out of the gla.s.s. ”And gas to solid.” The cloud shrank into a blue block. ”And solid to liquid.” He caught the blue liquid in the gla.s.s as the block dissolved. ”And vice versa, of course.” He sipped the drink. ”Very good, I must say. Reminiscent of our red lemonade.” He looked at Ida. ”Now tell me more about you. Everything except your magic. You are of course single?”
”Oh, yes,” Ida agreed. ”Come sit down. We have much to catch up on.”
Cube saw that the thread now extended to the doughnut orbiting Ida's head. So her journey wasn't done yet. ”I think I should be on my way,” she said. ”Seren, may I speak with you privately for a moment?”
At this point Ida was surely eager to be alone with the Magician. ”Certainly.”
The two of them stepped out the door. ”I think I should take back the charm,” she said, reaching for the pacifier. ”You have no further need of it, I suspect.”
”Yes! I can tell him my real name, now that I won't tell him my magic.” She returned it.
”And I need to follow the thread on to your moon.”
”Torus. Do you have a way?”
”Yes.” Cube got into the dogsled. ”Farewell, Princess!” And to the sled: ”Go.”
The dogsled took off, zooming along the thread toward Ida's head. But it did not collide; the doughnut-shaped moon loomed larger, and soon Ida disappeared in largeness. Cube was coming down for a landing on the inner side of Torus. She was sure that Princess Ida would be able to carry on, now that her life had been serendipitously changed. That wood knot must have been there all the time, but never burned before the pacifier caused it to happen. What a devious interaction of spells!
So what would it be like on this weird-shaped world, and what kind of magic did it have? This was certainly a tour to remember.
They landed and zoomed across the rounded surface. At least this world was normally colored, so Cube was not obviously alien. But after the time magic of Ptero, and the size magic of Pyramid, she was nervous about this new world. What mischief might come of her ignorance?
Another thing that was weird was the fact that this world made an enormous curve, pa.s.sing right over her head as she crossed the inside of the doughnut. She could see its mountains, rivers, and lakes, and marveled that none of them fell across the empty center to land on her head. But with enough magic, anything was possible.
She came to another lake. No, it was larger, a sea, for there was a sign saying SARAH SEA, and again the thread went right across it. The thread must have known that she would have a way to follow it unflinchingly.
There was an island on the sea, and it bore a sign saying ISLE OF NIFFEN. It seemed nice enough, but the thread didn't pause until it came to another house and stopped. Why did she think this would belong to another Princess Ida?
She got out and knocked on the door. Sure enough, it was answered by Ida, this time with an orbiting cone. It seemed that each moon was a different shape as well as having different magic.
Cube plunged right in. ”I'm Seren, from Xanth proper. I'm following a thread that took me to your door. There must be something I'm supposed to do or learn here before I go on, and I hope you will help me do or learn it.”
”This is a problem,” Ida said. ”On this world, favors rendered incur burdens of love. If I did you a favor, you would love me, and I suspect you would prefer not to do that.”
So that was the local magic. ”Is there any favor I can do you in return, to equalize it?”
”I am aware of none.”
But Cube was already thinking of something. ”I have a charm that generates serendipity. It makes good things happen by surprise. If I lent it to you, it might do you some good.”
”I am already well enough off, thank you.”
”Such as maybe finding you a good man.”
Ida paused. ”Come in.”
”Thank you.” Cube entered the house.
”How did you know I would like to locate a good man?”
”I discussed it with the Ida on Pyramid. The charm found one for her. Of course I can't guarantee what it will do; the results are always unexpected.”
”I understand. May I see it?”
Cube presented the pacifier. ”But I must warn you, it a.s.signs you its name when you have it.”
”That is hard to believe.” Ida took the pacifier.
”What is your name?”
”Seren, of course.” She paused. ”Oh, I see.”
”You will have your own name back when it leaves you.”
”This alarms me,” Ida said. ”Please take back your charm.” She returned it to Cube.
”I'm not sure what else I have to offer.”
”We have been a.s.suming that we have to exchange favors. But it may be that you are merely traveling through, and this const.i.tutes no favor.”
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