Roc and a Hard Place

by Piers Anthony

  Chena managed to make herself useful, by finding magic stones and invoking their properties. Some goblins were worried about getting injured in battle, so she gave them guardstones. Others feared they weren't ugly enough, so she gave them uglystones. Some wanted to express themselves more effectively, so she gave them cursestones. These were very popular, even if they weren't allowed to use them in the Chiefess' presence.

  Then it was time for the exercise to end. The goblins had learned to march in disciplined formations, and to sing tunes as they did. That would enable them to make a good impression when they guarded the lady Chief on an official visit to another species. Every one of them wore the same uniform and stepped to the same beat. Chena had watched their practice sessions, and had to admit that they were impressive.

  Such a formation would quickly abolish the notion that all goblins were undisciplined hordes. This was a disciplined horde.

  But something else had been happening in this period, and now that it was time for the goblins to go home and for Chena to go her way, she realized what it was. She had been falling in love with Che Centaur. He was such a decent creature, and so handsome when he flew.

  When the time came for the goblins to go home, Gwenny approached Chena. “You are welcome to join us at Goblin Mountain,” she said. “Your magic talent is useful, and I'm sure you would be well received.”

  Chena hesitated. “I—how does Che feel about it?”

  “Oh, Che likes you too. He says you are excellent company. He has missed associating with centaurs during his stay at Goblin Mountain, so you have given him something valuable.”

  This wasn't quite what Chena wanted to hear. “Is that all?”

  “All? I don't understand.”

  “I—I think I love him.”

  Gwenny sat suddenly down. “Oh, my!” She did not look pleased.

  “I know he's very busy being your Companion, and all, but if there is any chance that he might feel the same about me—“

  Gwenny looked sad, “Chena, I never suspected! It hurts me to have to be the one to say this. But you are not of his species. He must grow up and marry a winged centaur female, so as to perpetuate his species.”

  “But if there is no such female—”

  “But there is. She is Cynthia Centaur, once a human girl, who was converted to winged centaur form some time ago by Magician Trent. She is living with his sire and dam while he is with me at Goblin Mountain. It is understood that they will marry when they are of suitable age.”

  “Oh!” Chena cried, mortified. “I didn't know!”

  “There seemed to be no reason to mention it,” Gwenny said. “I'm sure he would have, if—”

  “Oh, please don't tell him what I told you!” Chena cried. “I must depart immediately, so as never-to embarrass him.”

  “No, Chena! That is not necessary. I'm sure that if you just explain—”

  But Chena, hurt and humiliated by her own misunderstanding, couldn't bear to face Che again. Desolate and despairing, she could think of only one thing to do. She gathered her meager belongings and fled.

  Now she was back in the jungle, this time north of the Gap Chasm. But she had learned much more about the nature of the backwoods, for the goblins were expert foragers. She could feed herself, and she also had some replacement arrows for her quiver, not as good as the originals, but they would do. And—she had learned of a region to the north, called the Void, where a person could enter but never leave. That was what she needed now.

  The Void proved to be farther away than she had expected, and harder to find. But she kept looking, meanwhile staying clear of both human and centaur settlements. She didn't want to associate with anyone; she just wanted to enter the Void and disappear. So she had become a hermit centaur, always hiding, always searching—until the summons party had run her down.

  “Oh, Chena,” Jenny Elf said. “Che is my friend! I know he would never have hurt you, had he realized.”

  “I know it too,” Chena said. “That's why I had to go.”

  “Now I wonder,” Arnolde said. “Are you sure you came to the correct conclusion?”

  “I did what I had to do,” Chena said. “And if I have to face Che again, I don't know what I'll do.”

  “Che is another summonsee,” Metria said.

  Chena made as if to bolt again.

  “There is no need for that,” Arnolde said. “I am a centaur with magic myself; I understand your position. I merely suspect that you have misunderstood a key aspect of it.”

  “I can't embarrass Che!” Chena said. “He was so nice to me, never suspecting.”

  “I want you to picture what you most desire,” Arnolde said. “See, here is Mare Imbri with a day dream for you.”

  He was right; Metria saw the nicker of the mare.

  “But what I truly want isn't right,” Chena protested.

  “It may not be what you think it is,” Arnolde said. “Accept the dream.”

  Jenny Elf began to hum. Metria ignored her. What did Arnolde have in mind? Centaurs were never frivolous; he surely had some phenomenally sensible conclusion to make, but she couldn't guess what.

  Chena stood still, and the day mare passed and delivered the dream. And Metria found herself in Chena's dream.

  It was of a lovely valley, with flowers growing all around.

  The filly was standing there alone. But she was changing.

  From the juncture of her human and equine torsos grew nubs, and from the nubs sprouted feathers, and the feathers expanded to wings. She stood as a winged centaur.

  And that was all. The dream faded, taking the wings with it. All was as before.

  “Where was Che?” Arnolde asked.

  “Che?” Chena asked, confused.

  “He wasn't in your dream.”

  Chena was silent, evidently not knowing what to say.

  “Your dream was of becoming an alicentaur,” Arnolde said. “That is your true desire. You are in love with the idea of becoming like Che—rather than with Che himself.”

  “But I can never be like Che!” Chena wailed.

  “Are you sure of that?”

  She looked at him blankly.

  “Trent!” Metria exclaimed. “Magician Trent! He could change her. They need more flying centaurs.”

  Dawn was rising in Chena's face. “I could be changed?”

  “We may not need Magician Trent,” Arnolde said. “Take the gray stone from your pouch.”

  Blankly Chena obeyed. She reached into her pouch and brought out the stone.

  “Now dream again of your fondest desire,” Arnolde said.

  “Speak it aloud.”

  Mystified, Chena held the stone and closed her eyes. “I wish I were an alicentaur,” she breathed.

  For a moment nothing changed. Then the dream repeated, and the wings appeared.

  “And that, I think, is the end of your talent with stones,” Arnolde said. “It was the price of your conversion.”

  Chena opened her eyes. “My conversion?”

  “Make a mirror, Demoness,” Arnolde said. Metria became a wide, flat surface, reflective on the side toward the filly. Chena looked—and almost fell over. “My dream remains!”

  “Because this time it wasn't a dream,” Arnolde said. “This time you used your wishstone.”

  “My—?”

  “When you wished for a good bow and arrows, you received them,” he said. “When you wished for a friendly dialogue, you got it. When you wished to be consumed by a monster, one came. When you wished to be rescued, Che did that. And when you wished to become an alicentaur, that, too, was granted. Now you have your desire, and no longer need your power over stones. Your magic is now to make yourself light enough to fly. Try it.”

  Chena flicked herself with her tail, as she had seen Che do so many times to himself, and to her when he brought her across the Gap Chasm—that most glorious experience.

  Then she spread her wings, and pumped them—and lifted into the air.

  The
six spectators broke into applause.

  Chapter 12

  SCRAMBLE

  “Who's your next summonsee?” Kim asked.

  Metria opened the bag. There were ten tokens remaining. “I don't see how I'm going to serve all of these in time,” she said. “I've already used up several days, and the others are scattered all over Xanth.”

  “And what you have already accomplished along the way is remarkable,” Ichabod remarked, “If I understand what I have heard correctly, you have enabled Princess Nada Naga to marry a Prince, shown the way to resolve the problem of a viable alicentaur species, reconciled a four-century alienation from your daughter, abolished a longtime curse on Castle Roogna, and discovered a significant lost history of the Kings of Xanth—and you haven't yet finished your job. This reminds me of the type of chess problem I used to see in the newspaper, wherein the challenge is for White to win one pawn, but along the way occur casualties of rooks, bishops, knights, queens, and threatened checkmates. But the pawn is won.”

  “What's a pawn?” Metria asked.

  “I think it's a type of shrimp,” Jenny Elf said.

  “That's a prawn,” Arnolde replied with a face too straight. “However, it may do.”

  “A pawn is a chess piece, generally regarded as insignificant,” Ichabod said, with a reproving glance at his friend.

  “Though at times it becomes a key element in the game. My point is that sometimes amazing things occur as the result of what seems like a rather simple task. It may be that the Simurgh is using you as a vehicle to accomplish a variety of significant things that are in need of accomplishment.”

  “In short, the demoness may indeed be a pawn,” Arnolde said. “In the human sense.”

  “I'm not human!” Metria said indignantly.

  “To be sure,” Ichabod agreed. “Though you certainly appear so when you choose to.” He glanced at her legs. “At any rate, I believe it would be in order for us to facilitate your project with a bit of advice.”

  “I could use advice how to fetch in all the remaining summonsees in one day,” Metria said. “So I could relax with my job done, and get my Answer from the Good Magician.”

  “Not to mention getting the summonsees in this party to the Nameless Castle,” Arnolde said.

  “And the two of you back to the Region of Madness,” Jenny Elf said.

  “Precisely,” Ichabod agreed. “Would you like that admonition, Metria?”

  “That what?”

  “Counsel, guidance, recommendation, suggestion, advisement—”

  “Advice?” she asked.

  “Whatever,” he said crossly.

  “Yes.”

  “Pop over to Castle Roogna and ask Princess Electra if she would like to have her husband Prince Dolph out of her hair for a day or two. She will surely agree. Then ask Dolph to assume the form of a roc bird, so he can carry the summonsees directly to the Nameless Castle as you serve them.

  The process can be accomplished in a day, if you are able to locate them that rapidly, and if they are ready to go then.”

  “Now, why didn't I think of that?” Metria exclaimed, striking her head with the heel of her hand, which assumed the form of a heel of a shoe for the occasion.

  “Because you're not a scholar,” he replied.

  “I'll be back,” she said, and popped across to Castle Roogna.

  Electra was out in the orchard, trim in blue jeans and freckles, as usual. She didn't look very princessly, but the folk of the castle had gotten used to that. She was watering some of the smaller plants, using a hose connected to a tap root. Her four-year-old twins. Dawn and Eve, were playing in a small house plant. When it was fully grown, it would be big enough for full grown-ups to use, but right now it was just child-sized. Lady bugs and gentlemen bugs were sitting around it, because the children evidently wanted their playhouse to be in a city. There was a fast food chain draped around it, in case they got suddenly hungry. Metria realized that the children were using their talents to find the best things for their play, because Dawn could tell anything about any living thing, and Eve could tell anything about any inanimate thing.

  But it was Electra she had come to see. “Would you like to have Dolph out of your hair for a day or two?” she asked the Princess.

  Electra's normally sunny visage dimmed. “Don't you have something better to entertain you, now that you're married?” she asked.

  Metria realized that there was a slight misunderstanding.

  The girl evidently recalled when Metria had teased Prince Dolph, threatening to show him her panties. Odd that such a minor thing could be remembered so long. “I'm not trying to vamp him,” she said quickly. “I'm on a mission for the Simurgh, and I need to transport a number of people to the Nameless Castle, from all parts of Xanth. I thought he might become a roc bird and carry them for me.”

  “Oh, yes, of course. Che and Cynthia are here, and Grey and Ida and Threnody will be going too. Everyone is curious what Roxanne Roc could have done to warrant being tried.

  If it will help resolve that mystery, by all means borrow my husband.” There was a slight stress on the last two words, indicating that Electra would not look kindly on any display, or threatened display, of panties.

  “Got it,” Metria agreed. “Thanks, Princess.”

  She popped into the castle, where Prince Dolph was doing housework. That made her pause. “What's this with woman's work?” she demanded.

  He looked abashed. “Electra wanted to clean things up, but she had to go water some plants in the orchard, so she asked me to do it.”

  “And she's got you wrapped around her little finger.”

  “Yes.”

  Metria nodded. “That's exactly as it should be. But how would you like a one- or two-day break from such chores?”

  “I'd love it! But Electra—”

  “Has given permission. I need you to become a roc bird and haul scattered folk to the Nameless Castle for me. Will you do that?”

  Dolph became a baby roc, because a grown one wouldn't fit in the castle. “Squawk!” he said emphatically.

  Good enough. “First we have to go to north Xanth, to move some folk. Make yourself into something very small, and I'll take you there.”

  He became a hummingbird. “Humm-humm-hummhumm,” he hummed in four notes.

  She put one hand carefully around him, then popped back to the party in the Northwest. She opened her hand, and Dolph resumed his natural form.

  “This is Prince Dolph,” she said. “He will transport you to the places you need to go.

  “Hello, Prince Dolph,” Kim said. “I'm so glad to meet you at last. I'm Kim Mundane.”

  Dolph looked puzzled. “Mundane?”

  “Dug and I were in Xanth three years ago, playing the 'Companions' game, but we didn't get to meet you then.”

  “Oh, the game Nada was in,” he said, remembering.

  “And Jenny Elf,” Kim said. “As our Companions. I suppose it wasn't important to the regular folk of Xanth, but it made a big difference to us.” She took Dug's hand possessively.

  “Well, let's take Arnolde and Ichabod back to the madness,” Metria said briskly. “Thanks for your help, folks.”

  “You're welcome,” Ichabod said wryly. “It has been an interesting experience.”

  “Quite interesting,” Arnolde agreed. “It will be good to get back to the madness, where things seem more settled.”

  There was a perplexed look on Dolph's beak as he assumed roc form. His giant bird body now took up most of the glade they were in. He picked the two up carefully with his talons, spread his monstrous wings, and took off. One wing clipped a tree, ripping off a branch; then he was in the open and gaining altitude. He spiraled up high in the sky, turned south, and accelerated. There was a thundery sound.

  “What was that?” Jenny Elf asked.

  “Sonic boom,” Dug replied. “Those big birds fly pretty fast.”

  Kim squatted and stroked her hand across the ground. A swath of smear fo
llowed.

  “What are you doing?” Dug asked.

  “I'm making a cabin,” she said. “A thing for us to ride in, so we won't have to risk falling between the big bird's talons when it picks us up.”

  He nodded. “Good point.”

  “I could fly there myself,” Chena said hesitantly.

  “If you know the way,” Kim said. “If you could keep up with the roc. Better to ride with us.”

  “Yes,” the centaur agreed, relieved.

  By the time the roc returned, Kim had shaped a basketlike structure large enough for herself. Dug, Jenny, and Chena.

  “A gondola,” she said with satisfaction. “That will give us a more comfortable ride.”

  “Do you want to go directly to the Nameless Castle,” Metria asked, “or to Castle Roogna, where you can stay in comfort with illustrious figures of Xanth until it is time for the trial?”

  “Well, since you put it that way, I'd love to see Castle Roogna,” Kim said. She looked around. “Anybody object?”

  “I've been there,” Dug said. “It's a great place, and that orchard is something else.”

  “It's fine with me,” Jenny said. “Especially since Che and Cynthia are already there.”

  “Che—?” Chena asked, stricken.

  “You're winged now,” Kim reminded her. “You don't need him to fulfill your dream.”

  “But I still do like him, even if—”

  “So?”

  “The other female—Cynthia—”

  “Had a crush on Magician Trent,” Metria said, catching on to the filly's concern. “As did Gloha Goblin-Harpy. These things don't always work out, but friendships do. Gloha was my first friend, and she's Cynthia's friend too. They'll all be at the trial. Don't worry about it.” Actually she wasn't at all sure how Chena and Cynthia would get along, but the last thing she wanted was to have Chena fly away now.

  “And maybe you can use the time to visit the centaur villages and ask if any other centaurs would like to turn winged, as you do,” Kim continued. “You're experienced in that respect. For you, the perfect companion would be a male who just turned winged.” She smiled. “A handsome one.”

  Chena nodded thoughtfully. “And there will be time to get to know some, because I'm young yet.”