Part 30 (1/2)

Now it comes! Bink wished he could blot out the sounds, as if by failing to hear the words of the sentence he could alleviate it. But that was not his type of magic talent.

”That you accept the throne of Xanth.”

Bink's beak fell open. So did Chameleon's mouth. Trent stood as if stun-frozen again.

Then Roland bent one knee and slowly dropped to the ground. The other Elders followed, silently.

”The King, you see, is dead,” Humfrey explained. ”It is essential to have a good man and strong Magician in the office, one who has the demeanor of command coupled with restraint and perspective, yet who will muster savagery when necessary in the defense of Xanth. As in the event of a wiggle invasion or similar threat. One who may also provide a potential heir, so that Xanth is not again caught in the difficult situation just past. It is not necessary to like such a monarch, but we must have him. I obviously do not qualify, for I could hardly bring myself to devote the required attention to the details of governance; the Sorceress Iris would be unsuitable even if she were not female, because of her lack of restraint; and the only other person of Magician caliber has neither personality nor talent appropriate to the needs of the crown. Therefore, Xanth needs you, Magician. You can not refuse.” And Humfrey, too, bent his knee.

The Evil Magician, evil no longer, bowed his head in mute acceptance. He had conquered Xanth after all.

The ceremony of coronation was splendid. The centaur contingent marched with dazzling precision, and from all over Xanth people and intelligent beasts came to attend. Magician Trent, henceforth the Transformer King, took both crown and bride together, and both were radiant.

There were of course some sly remarks at the fringe of the spectator crowd, but most citizens agreed that the King had chosen wisely. ”If she's too old to bear an heir, they can adopt a Magician-caliber boy.”

”After all, he's the only one who can control her, and he'll never suffer from lack of variety.”

”And it eliminates the last real threat to the kingdom.” They were not yet aware of the other formidable external and internal threats.

Bink, restored to his natural form, stood alone, contemplating the place where Justin Tree once stood. He was glad for Trent, and certain the man would make a fine King. Yet he suffered also from a certain anticlimactic disappointment. What would he, Bink, do now?

Three youths pa.s.sed, one middle-aged. Zink, Jama, and Potipher. They were chastened, their eyes downcast. They knew that the days of wild nuisance were over; with the new King in power, they would have to behave--or else be transformed.

Then two centaurs trotted up. ”So glad to see you, Bink!” Cherie exclaimed. ”Isn't it wonderful you weren't exiled after all? She nudged her companion. ”Isn't it, Chester?”

Chester forced his face into a tortured smile. ”Yeah, sure,” he mumbled.

”You must come and visit us,” Cherie continued brightly. ”Chester speaks so often of you.”

Chester made a little throttling motion with his two powerful hands. ”Yeah, sure,” he repeated, more brightly.

Bink changed the subject. ”Did you know, I met Herman the Hermit in the wilderness,” he said. ”He died a hero. He used his magic---” Bink paused, remembering that the centaurs regarded magic in a centaur as obscene. That would probably change, once Trent publicized the knowledge gained from the Castle Roogna archives. ”He organized the campaign that wiped out the wiggle swarm before it infested all of Xanth. I hope Herman's name will be honored among your kind in future.”

Surprisingly, Chester smiled. ”Herman was my uncle,” he said. ”He was a great character. The colts used to kid me about his exile. Now he's a hero, you say?”

Cherie's mouth tightened. ”We don't discuss obscenity in the presence of a filly,” she warned him. ”Come on.”

Chester had to accompany her. But he looked back briefly. ”Yeah, sure,” he said to Bink. ”You come see us real soon. Tell us all about what Uncle Herman did to save Xanth.”

They were gone. Suddenly Bink felt very good. Chester was the last creature he would have expected to have something in common with, but he was glad it had happened. Bink knew all about the frustration of getting teased about some supposed failing. And he did want to tell an appreciative audience about Herman the magic Hermit centaur.

Now Sabrina approached him. She was as lovely as he had ever seen her. ”Bink, I'm sorry about what happened before,” she said. ”But now that everything is cleared up ...”

She was like Chameleon in her beauty stage, and she was intelligent, too. A fit bride for almost any man. But Bink knew her now, too well. His talent had stopped him from marrying her--by keeping itself secret. Smart talent.

He glanced about--and spied the new bodyguard Trent had taken, on Bink's recommendation. The man who could spot anything, including danger, before it developed. The soldier was now resplendent in his imperial uniform, and impressive of demeanor. ”Crombie!” Bink called.

Crombie strode over. ”h.e.l.lo, Bink. I'm on duty now, so I can't stay to chat. Is something the matter?”

”I just wanted to introduce you to this lovely lady, Sabrina,” Bink said. ”She does a very nice holograph in air.” He turned to Sabrina. ”Crombie is a good man and able soldier, favored by the King, but he doesn't quite trust women. I think he's just never met the right one. I believe you two should get to know each other better.”

”But I thought--” she began.

Crombie was looking at her with a certain cynical interest, and she returned the glance. He was observing her physical charms, which were excellent; she was pondering his position at the palace, which was also excellent. Bink wasn't sure whether he had just done a beautiful thing or dropped a bagful of cherry bombs into the hole of a privy. Time would tell.

”Good-bye, Sabrina,” Bink said, and turned away.

King Trent summoned Bink to a royal audience. ”Sorry about the delay in getting back to you,” he said when they were alone. ”There were some necessary preliminaries.”

”The coronation. The marriage,” Bink agreed.

”Those too. But mainly a certain emotional readjustment. The crown landed on my head rather suddenly, as you know.”

Bink knew. ”If I may ask, Your Majesty--”

”Why I did not desert Chameleon and flee into the wilderness? For you alone, Bink, I will make an answer. Setting aside the moral considerations--which I did not--I performed a calculation that in Mundania is called figuring the odds. When you took flight for the castle of the Good Magician, I judged your chances of success to be about three to one in your favor. Had you failed, I would have been safe anyway; there was no point in deserting Chameleon. I knew Xanth stood in need of a new King, for the Storm King by all accounts was failing rapidly. The chances against the Elders finding any Magician more competent for the position than I were also about three to one. And so on. Altogether, my chances of obtaining the throne by sitting tight were nine in sixteen, with only a three-in-sixteen chance of execution. These were better odds than survival alone in the wilderness, which I would rate at one chance in two. Understand?”

Bink shook his head. ”Those figures---I don't see---”

”Just take my word that it was a practical decision, a calculated risk. Humfrey was my friend; I was sure he would not betray me. He knew I had figured the odds---but it didn't make any difference, because that is the kind of schemer Xanth needs in a King, and he knew it. So he went along. Not that I didn't have some serious worries at the time of the trial; Roland certainly made me sweat.”

”Me too,” Bink agreed.

”But had the odds been otherwise, I would still have acted as I did.” Trent frowned. ”And I charge you not to embarra.s.s me by revealing that weakness to the public. They don't want a King who is unduly swayed by personal considerations.”

”I won't tell,” Bink said, though privately he thought it was not much of a failing. After all, it was Chameleon he had saved.

”And now to business,” the King said briskly. ”I shall of course grant you and Chameleon royal dispensation to remain in Xanth without penalty for your violations of exile. No, this has nothing to do with your father; I never even realized you were the son of Roland until I saw him again and recognized the family resemblance; he never said a word about you. Fine avoidance of conflict of interest there; Roland will be an important man in the new administration, I a.s.sure you. But that's beside the point. There will not be any more exiles for anyone, or restrictions on immigration from Mundania, unless there is violence connected. Of course, this means you are released from having to demonstrate your magic talent. In all Xanth, only you and I comprehend its specific nature. Chameleon was present at the discovery, but was not in condition to a.s.similate it. Humfrey knows only that you have Magician-cla.s.s magic. So it will remain our secret”