Cube Route

by Piers Anthony

  "Woof."

  She came to with a start. She had been drifting, in much the way Karia did, except that her feet had not left the ground. Diamond had brought her out of it. Just as well, for someone was coming toward her, going the opposite way on the trail. It was a young woman, two and a half orders of magnitude more attractive than Cube, or par for the course.

  "Hello," Cube said.

  "Hi. I'm Heather. Would you like a flower?"

  "A flower? All right."

  The girl raised her hand, and there appeared in it a pretty little flower. Cube took it and put it to her nose. It smelled sweet. "Thank you."

  "It's my talent," Heather said. "I conjure sweet-smelling flowers."

  Belatedly, Cube introduced herself. "I'm Cube. I summon nickelpedes, but only when I have to."

  "That must be awful."

  "Oh, they don't gouge me, just whoever attacks me."

  "May I pet your dog?"

  "Oh, Diamond's not my--" Cube reconsidered. "Yes."

  Heather petted Diamond, who wagged her tail. Then Heather conjured a sweet smelling dog-fennel bloom, gave it to Diamond, and walked on.

  It had been a purely routine encounter, but Cube found it significant, because it was her first while she was officially on the route to Counter Xanth. If the rest of her journey went as well, she'd have no trouble.

  She came to a furry creature that sat by the side of the path. It looked like an ape, but she wasn't sure.

  "Have you been Saved?" the creature asked. "The key to salvation is to join my church."

  Startled, Cube paused. "What are you?"

  "I am a monk-key," it said proudly. "If you want to avoid damnation, you will heed my words."

  A monk who preached a key. "I'll risk it," she said and moved on.

  Now the thread cut to the side, skirting uncomfortably close to a tangle tree, and stopped at a set of parallel metal tracks running north and south. That was it: it went up to the first track and ended. So much for having no trouble.

  Cube was wondering what to do, when she heard a tootle. It came from along the tracks to the south. Then something came rolling along them. It had metal wheels and looked like a carriage without a centaur to pull it. It made merry music as it moved, so it didn't seem dangerous. Diamond was not at all concerned about it, which was reassuring. As it came closer she saw words printed on its front: TUNEFUL TROLLEY.

  The trolley drew to a stop right in front of her. Now the silver thread reappeared, going up the steps and into the vehicle. Did that mean she was supposed to enter this odd mechanical thing?

  "All aboard!" a voice said loudly, startling her. It was an ugly troll (but that was redundant) sitting in the front. Suddenly it made sense; she could almost hear Karia exclaiming "Ugh!" Naturally the trolley was run by a troll.

  Still, she hesitated to board it. The last time she had encountered a troll, it had carried her away, wanting to marry her. She didn't trust the species.

  Then Diamond scrambled up the steps, following the thread into the trolley. Cube had to follow, not wanting to trust the dog to the troll.

  There were halfway comfortable seats inside. Cube sat on one, because the thread led to it, and Diamond sat on the floor beside her. The troll turned a handle; the door closed, and the trolley resumed trundling along the tracks.

  "Arf!"

  Cube jumped and looked toward the sound. It was an animal with flippers, on the seat across from her. It wore a cap on which were the words STATE SEAL. Oh--one of the Mundane water creatures, perhaps traveling from one pool to another.

  "Hello, maiden."

  Cube jumped again, and turned to look. In the seat behind her was a cadaverous man with a small dark cloud hovering over his head. "Were you addressing me?" she asked.

  "Of course. I don't often see such refreshing young flesh in my profession."

  That sounded like a compliment, but for some reason Cube wasn't easy with it. "Uh, thank you. What is your profession?"

  "Summoning zombies. It's my talent, so I travel from place to place to offer my services. I am surprised by how many otherwise adequate villages not only lack zombies, but claim not to need any. Would you like to have a zombie?"

  "No thanks!" No wonder he considered her young flesh to be refreshing; most of the flesh he saw was rotten. The compliment was weaker than it had seemed. The man himself seemed not far removed from that state.

  "They really make excellent servants," he said persuasively. "They are indefatigable, don't need to eat, and can be parked in any shallow trench when not in use."

  "No, I'm traveling light."

  Fortunately the trolley was creaking to another stop, and the thread led out of it. Cube lurched to her feet and stumbled for the opening door. She was relieved when the troll driver did not try to grab her and marry her.

  Back on the ground with Diamond, she watched the tootling trolley roll on along its tracks. The thread was before her again.

  "Hello."

  Cube jumped again. She had been distracted by the trolley. There was another young woman, naturally far more attractive than Cube herself. "Hello."

  "I'm Becca."

  "I'm Cube."

  "Nice dog."

  "Thank you." Diamond wagged her tail.

  "I could make her a mean guard dog, if you like. That's my talent: changing folks' personalities."

  "No thank you. I like her the way she is." Then Cube thought of something else. "I met a young dragongirl named Becka. She caretakes a nice castle."

  "Oh, I envy her!"

  Cube realized that she had said too much. There was no point in making the girl unsatisfied with her lot. "But it has a dangerous chamber."

  "Oh, I don't envy her."

  Cube decided to move on before she said something clumsy again. "Well, I must be--"

  "Have you seen my boyfriend?"

  "Not unless he is a troll."

  "No, he's half demon. His name is D. Cease. He can temporarily kill things."

  "Temporarily?"

  "They come back to life after a while. I'm just as glad. He killed me once. After that I changed his personality so he'd treat me better."

  Cube was taken aback. "I should think you would leave him!"

  "No, boyfriends aren't all that easy to get. But his sister D. Sist was jealous, so she stopped our relationship. That's her talent: stopping things."

  Cube could almost hear Karia's groans. Decease and Desist--what a pair. "I'm sorry."

  "But I'm hoping I can change him back to liking me, if I can just find him. Of course D. Sist may stop him again."

  "Why don't you change her personality, so she likes you? Then you won't have to be concerned about her stopping your relationship with him."

  "Oh, I never thought of that! Thank you." Becca ran off, looking for Sist.

  Cube walked on with Diamond. Suddenly she came to the brink of a monstrous chasm. It seemed to drop down forever--and the thread led down into it. This must be the dread Gap Chasm, again. She hadn't known that it was this close; the trolley must have taken her farther north than she realized.

  What was she to do now? She couldn't just step over the brink; she would fall to her death. But she had to follow the thread.

  Maybe it was time to bring Karia out, so they could fly across the chasm. But there were two problems with that: she wasn't sure the thread went all the way across, so they might lose it, and she didn't want to have to call on the flying centaur. She had already met several people along the way; there might be others, and if anyone saw her bring out Karia, they would either know or strongly suspect that something special was up. That could ruin the secret of the Quest. So she preferred to make it on her own, if she possibly could.

  She got down on her knees and examined the edge of the cliff. Now she saw that the thread did not go straight down, but zigged and zagged. In fact it was following a precarious trail down the steep slope. There were little ledges and indents for handholds and footholds. She could climb down on her own, i
f she had the gumption.

  But what about Diamond? The dog wouldn't be able to cling to those tiny crevices. "I don't know," she said.

  Diamond sniffed the brink. Then she put her head over. "Look out!" Cube cried, grabbing for her. But she was too late; the dog had already gone over the edge.

  Horrified, Cube peered down--and saw Diamond standing there, looking back at her. Standing on the face of the cliff, at right angles to the ground. Not falling.

  What kind of magic was this? Cube felt the cliff by the thread, and felt her hand drawn against it, as if by gravity. She felt the cliff away from the thread, and got no such effect. So it was localized, and the thread knew where.

  Well, maybe it would work for her too. If not, she could draw Karia out of the pouch and hang on while she flew. She clutched the pouch in one hand, and kept her other hand ready. Then she stepped over the brink, following the thread.

  Her body swung around the corner and halted parallel to the ground. Her feet were set on the face of the cliff. She was standing normally, except for her orientation. "You're right, Diamond. This is the way down."

  They walked down into the chasm, except that it seemed like walking level. Far ahead a hill rose, which was actually the floor of the chasm. They proceeded toward it, and made another turn when they reached it.

  They were back to normal orientation. The thread had known the way.

  They walked on across the base of the chasm. There were trees and bushes here, and even a small stream. In fact it was a rather pleasant scene.

  Then Cube heard an odd whomping. Something was coming, but she wasn't sure what. She looked down the deep valley, between the bushes, and saw something green. It looked like a giant inchworm humping along, only it was steaming.

  Then she remembered: there was supposed to be a dragon in the chasm--a steamer that hunted every creature that got stuck down here. How could she have forgotten? The Gap Dragon!

  "Get beside me, Diamond!" she said. As the dog did so, she summoned a full slew of nickelpedes. They formed a thick ring around the two of them. She summoned a second slew. These formed a phalanx between her and the oncoming dragon.

  The dragon whomped into view. It had six stout legs, small useless wings, and a horrendous head. It spied the nickelpedes and ground to a halt, as any sensible creature would. The nickelpedes waved their deadly little claws at it. Even the dragon should know that those claws could gouge out nickel-sized disks of flesh.

  Then the dragon lowered its snoot and breathed out. A rush of steam bathed the nickelpedes. They fell over and died, cooked through. It was steaming them!

  Cube realized that her talent was no defense against the Gap Dragon. Soon it would clear a path and reach her.

  She cudgeled her stalling mind. What to do? Her first thought was to summon Karia, so they could fly away. But what about Diamond? She couldn't hold on to the dog and the centaur at the same time.

  The dragon took a step forward, the better to steam the remaining nickelpedes.

  Her second thought was to bring out the Princesses. But she didn't want to subject them to the risk. They might get steamed before they could make their magic music.

  The nickelpedes were done for. The dragon raised its deadly snoot, pointing it at her.

  Her third thought was to summon Drek Dragon. She didn't know whether it would do any good, but she didn't have time for a fourth thought. She reached into the pouch. "Drek!"

  Drek slid out. He looked at the other dragon. Alarmed, he breathed out a truly ugly stench, reminiscent of rotten eggs, bloated gut, putrefied zombies, and worse.

  Cube and Diamond gagged. What an awful smell! She was afraid her nose would fall off.

  The Gap Dragon inhaled, the better to blow out more steam--and choked. It backed away, but the horrible odor followed. It couldn't breathe! Cube understood exactly how it was; she couldn't breathe either.

  The Gap Dragon turned tail and fled. Drek saw that and was gratified. Strong perfume replaced the stench breath.

  Cube and Diamond sucked in the sweet smell. What a relief! And what a proof of Drek's ability to protect them. Except that his weapon affected them too.

  "Let's get out of here while we can," she gasped. She set out along the thread. "And thanks, Drek! You saved us."

  The dragon wiggled an ear.

  The thread led to the far cliff wall, and up it. Cube, Diamond, and Drek moved up it, the dragon surprised. In due course they reached the brink, turned the corner, and were back on regular land. Then Drek returned to the pouch, satisfied that the danger was over.

  Cube and Diamond followed the thread north, away from the Gap Chasm. She was glad that they were on a regular path now, instead of plowing through brush or worse. The scenery was nice, and there seemed to be no immediate threats. In fact it was rather peaceful.

  "Maybe this is a good place to rest," Cube remarked aloud. "We've been traveling much of the day, and my feet are tired."

  They were not on an enchanted path, but Diamond sniffed out a pie tree. Cube had the supplies that Sofia had packed, but preferred to save them for dire need. The better she could forage for herself, the better off they would be. The tree had a nice meat pie for the dog, and a hot pot pie for Cube. Then they settled down to rest for a while.

  "Wake up! Wake up!" Someone was shaking her shoulder, and shouting at her.

  "What's the matter?" Cube demanded, vaguely irritated by this disturbance of her rest. "We were just resting a while."

  "It would have been a long while," the annoying person said. "Don't you know where you are?"

  "North of the Gap Chasm. Now if you will just let me finish my rest--"

  "No! Don't go back to sleep. You must get up, get mad, walk around."

  "Some other time," Cube said. "I feel rather peaceful now."

  "That's the problem! You're in Peace Forest."

  "That's nice." Cube relaxed.

  But the person wouldn't let her be. Hands grasped her shoulders, three or four hands, hauling her to her feet. "Get awake! Get angry! Walk!"

  Cube's irritation finally became solid. "What's the matter with you?" she demanded. "Why can't you leave me alone?"

  "Because you'll die."

  Cube opened her eyes. She saw a winged human girl bending over Diamond, trying to rouse the sleeping dog. The girl was so shapely as to stun men's minds just by the thought of looking at her, and even Cube was impressed. There was something about beauty that stirred the heart and imagination. Her wings were pure white, her hair was the same, and her gown matched. Only her huge eyes were different; they were pale electric violet. When she moved her head, her hair rippled in waves, and shone aqua.

  This was no ordinary pedestrian. Cube, now fully awake, tried to suppress her burgeoning resentment of the girl's very existence, because no man would ever look once at Cube if he even suspected that such a creature existed. Then she looked to either side, to find out who was supporting her.

  On her left was a pretty girl with long blue-green hair and black wistful-looking eyes. She was garbed in a black suit. On her right was an ordinary girl with brown hair and iridescent eyes. Even so, she was significantly better looking than Cube. But then, every young woman was.

  "Who are you?" Cube asked. Then, realizing that she was being slightly churlish, she introduced herself: "I am Cube, traveling north at the moment, and the dog is Diamond, traveling with me. We were just resting briefly before going on."

  "I am Oceanna," the black-clothed girl said. "I do things with water."

  "I am Lucidia Feldspar," the brown-haired girl said. "I can change ordinary stones into gemstones, and vice versa."

  "And I am Tala," the vision with Diamond said. "I sew enchanted clothing. Please help me rouse this dog; she's not responding."

  "Why? Why can't you let her rest?"

  "Because she'll rest forever. That's the nature of Peace Forest: folk caught in it become so peaceful they simply sink into oblivion."

  Alarm was percolating through Cube'
s mind. They had told her that she herself would die, and Diamond would rest forever. "But we were just resting briefly."

  "When did you start your rest?" Lucidia asked.

  "Just a short while ago, as early evening was starting, and--" Cube paused, for the sun was high in the sky; it was now broad day. "Maybe--yesterday?"

  "Or maybe several days," Oceanna said. "You are slightly off the beaten path; we discovered you only because we had to pause for a private function and saw the sleeping dog, and then you. So we acted, hoping we were not too late."

  "It seems you weren't." Cube checked herself. Her clothing was rumpled and soiled with the green of crushed grass. Yes, she had been lying there for some time.

  Cube went to the dog. "Wake, Diamond," she said. "Or I'll send a nickelpede to pinch you." A nickelpede appeared.

  "You summon nickelpedes!" Tala exclaimed. "What a marvelous talent!"

  Cube's resentment of the winged girl's beauty diminished. "It's useful at times."

  Diamond's eye flickered halfway open. It spied the nickelpede and snapped all the way open. The dog struggled to her feet as the nickelpede scurried away.

  Cube helped her. "We're in the Peace Forest," she said. "We've been sleeping for days. These nice girls roused me. We need to get out of here."

  Diamond seemed to understand. She shook herself and gained steadiness.

  They walked back to the path, and on north. Fortunately the thread continued that way, so Cube didn't have to say anything. "We travel together," Tala explained, "because it isn't safe for a single person."

  "But can't you simply fly over the forest?" Cube asked.

  "I can, but my friends can't."

  "We tease each other and tell mean jokes," Oceanna said.

  "And practice our talents," Lucidia said. She paused to pick up a pebble. "Would you like a gem?" She held it forth, and it was a sparkling diamond.