Fire Sail

by Piers Anthony

  “Can Fibot sail to other worlds?” Dell asked the peeve.

  “No. But Santo can make a hole there.”

  Now it was coming clear why they had had to pick up the children. The Good Magician had set it all up carefully. “You can do this, Santo?” Dell asked the boy.

  “Sure. If I have the precise address.”

  “I’m not sure how spacial coordinates work,” Jenny said.

  “If you can describe it well enough, I can orient on it. Once I get the feel of it, I can connect to it with a hole.”

  “Then let’s organize to go,” Jenny said.

  “But don’t you have a kingdom to tend to?” Nia asked.

  “Not really. It’s mostly ceremonial. The males handle the business. The females handle the social aspects.”

  “Such as arranging a suitable marriage for your son,” Nia said.

  “Exactly. I can’t rest until I get this done.” She smiled depreciatingly. “Though I would like to find my lost trowel before I go. It’s the only one that really works on this garden.”

  “What happened to it?”

  “I dropped it in a pool by accident. It sank too deep for me to find. A small thing, but most frustrating. It’s the little things that become most annoying.”

  “I can get it,” Squid said.

  “Oh, I don’t know, dear. That’s a horribly murky pool.”

  “Show me.”

  Jenny shrugged. “This way, then.”

  Dell helped the queen off the boat. She was small for a human person, but big for an elf, not quite fitting the standard classifications. But of course she wasn’t native.

  Jenny led them to a small but deep pool in the garden. Squid immediately dived in, changing apparent form as she did. She disappeared, and the surface became calm. “Oh, I hope it’s not too deep for her,” Jenny said, concerned. “I thought she’d just reach into it, or something. I’m not at all sure it’s safe down there.”

  “Squid’s special,” Win said proudly.

  Squid’s head appeared in the pool. A tentacle lifted out of the water, holding a trowel.

  “That’s it!” Jenny said, pleased. She took the trowel as Squid climbed out of the pool, a mass of tentacles. In moments the tentacles formed limbs, and the colors of clothing appeared. The little girl was back. “You and I are going to get along.”

  “I would do anything for you,” Squid said. “Without you I’d be dead, fifty years from now.”

  “Me too,” Win said, and Santo nodded. That affinity of souls was potent.

  “Time for you to see the castle,” Jenny said. “You will stay the night, of course.”

  “Oooo!” Win exclaimed, delighted.

  But Dell quailed. He had no experience with royalty, other than the highly informal wedding, and knew he’d make an ass of himself. He glanced at Grania, and saw that she was in a similar predicament. She had lived two more generations than he, but none of it in a royal castle. Even Ula looked queasy.

  “Call Kadence,” she whispered.

  “But—” He stifled his own objection. They needed her.

  He tapped the ring, focusing on her. Ula changed, stepping toward him. Kadence had arrived. “Something interesting,” he said. “A royal banquet. You’re a princess; you know how to handle it, right? We don’t. We don’t want to make fools of ourselves.”

  She smiled. “Of course. I will be by your side, guiding you throughout.”

  There were formalities, and they met Jenny’s son, the prince of the werewolves; his soul was similar, being the brother soul of the one they knew, and the three children liked him instantly. Kadence guided Dell and Nia, so that they properly bowed their heads, making token obeisance to the prince, and spoke only when answering him.

  “You’re a princess,” Jerry said to Kadence. “I can tell by your manner. Are you from a distant kingdom?”

  “Distant in a special way,” Kadence agreed. “I am a visitor, and prefer to maintain a low profile.”

  “I know exactly how that is,” he said. But of course he did not. He probably thought she was like Jenny, a foreigner here.

  Jenny had to make spot arrangements for her forthcoming absence, and of course there was a banquet in honor of the occasion. Kadence told them exactly what to do, and more important, what not to do, like slurping the finger bowls. They made it through without serious error.

  “How can we ever repay you?” Dell asked, grateful.

  She sent him a disturbing sidelong glance. “Perhaps I will think of a way.”

  That scared him worse, as he remembered the crush.

  Then she laughed. She had been teasing him in the way Ula had. Or had she been flirting? He dreaded the answer.

  The werewolves put on an impressive show, switching back and forth between forms, and Jenny rode her husband, the king, in wolf form. The children loved it, and so did Dell.

  They were shown to their rooms for the night. “You should have no problem,” Kadence said. “The formalities are done; it will be informal in the morning. Servants will serve you breakfast.”

  “I—I prefer to share a room with Nia,” he said. “The other adult.”

  “Of course. And Ula will share with the siblings.” She made a hand signal to the head servant, then faded out. Ula was back, looking relieved; she was happy to be with the other children, now that the rigors of a formal royal banquet had been handled.

  The servant ushered them to two rooms, one for the adults, the other for the children. Kadence had known how to arrange it.

  “Stay on her good side,” Nia told him. “She’s invaluable. We will surely have to deal with royalty or the equivalent on the World of Two Moons. We’ll be much better off if she’s with us.”

  “But she’s treating me like—almost like a boyfriend.”

  “Humor her. She knows the Adult Conspiracy will never let anything happen.”

  For perhaps the first time, he truly appreciated the Conspiracy.

  “Also, you’re a peon,” she added. “Princesses normally don’t seriously mess with the lower classes. So it’s just a game to her.”

  Again, he was glad of the designation. Still, he remembered how it had been with Cyrus Cyborg and Princess Rhythm. There were exceptions.

  The following morning Jenny accompanied them into the yacht portion of the craft, and was duly impressed. Then they returned to the upper deck, where Jenny described the World of Two Moons in increasing detail while Santo focused, picturing it in his mind’s eye. The boat floated in the upper air, the sail ready to ignite at any time.

  “Maybe we should bring Kadence,” Ula said. “I know this is the kind of adventure she’d like to be in.”

  Good point. Dell thought of Kadence, and tapped the ring.

  Ula changed. “Thank you,” Kadence said. “I’ve never visited a foreign world before.” She settled down beside him, slightly closer than necessary. She was a child, but she was also a princess. He remained nervous.

  “Factor in a viable princess or the equivalent,” Nia advised. “Can you do that?”

  “Yes. It’s all part of the developing definition.” Santo was concentrating, assembling it in his mind. “Every detail helps.”

  “Young. Pretty. Smart, if possible,” Nia added with the semblance of a smile. “The kind you’d like if you liked girls.”

  Jenny glanced at him, startled. It seemed she hadn’t picked up on that aspect.

  “I see it, I think,” Santo said. “It’s shifting, but I’m getting a fix. There’s a moon. And there’s another. Two moons.”

  “That’s it,” Jenny agreed.

  “Nab it before you lose track,” Nia said.

  Santo focused. A hole appeared before the boat. A big one. Big enough for the craft to sail through.

  They looked. Beyond it was the open sky of another world.
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  “The hole will last for an hour,” Santo said.

  “Wow,” Kadence breathed. “That’s impressive magic.”

  Santo slumped down on the deck. He had done it; he had forged an inter-world connection, but now he was exhausted.

  Nia went to him and more or less hauled him up. “Come on, San; you’re going downstairs to rest. You’ve done your part. I will hold your hand.” She was good at that.

  “I will do it,” Jenny said. “I might as well be useful while we travel.” She took Santo’s free hand, and he pretty much melted. The aura of her soul made her perfect for this.

  Nia nodded, turning him over to the queen. She glanced at Dell. “Now you do your part; you’re captain of this voyage.” She went to help Santo get down the hatch, something more difficult for the smaller Jenny to handle.

  “Uh, yes,” Dell said. “It looks like clear sailing. Win, take your place. Can you handle the rudder while your magic operates?”

  “Sure,” the girl said, settling into the seat Nia had occupied and taking hold of the rudder handle. She clearly liked having the responsibility.

  “Blow us through the hole.”

  She focused, and the wind came up. Dell set up the sail and snapped his fingers to ignite it. Suddenly bright, the sail caught the wind, round so as not to catch on the tunnel. The boat forged forward.

  Through the tunnel, which was really only a few wavelengths long. Could they really be traveling between worlds?

  Squid saw the doubt on his face. “Santo has good magic. It may be Magician Class. It not only connects things, it shortcuts between them, so we don’t have to take several lifetimes to travel light-years to other planets. But it’s hard on him; it’ll be a day before he recovers. I know Jenny will take care of him; otherwise I’d go with him myself.”

  Dell knew she would too; he had seen it. The siblings really supported one another. They made sure Santo was guarded while he rested. Actually, being flanked by two understanding girls protected him in the day, in another manner.

  “Definitely Magician Class,” Kadence agreed. “I know Astrid didn’t save him for that reason; she saved him because she found him and he needed saving. Just like the rest of you. But I think his talent is going to make a difference in Xanth.”

  “He’s the oldest of the three of us,” Squid said. “But he needs the most support, because he’ll want to marry a man when he grows up, and some folk don’t like that.”

  “As if it’s any of their business,” Win said.

  Jenny returned. “Santo’s safely asleep. Grania has taken over. I appreciate how much magical energy it requires to do what he did.”

  “Yes,” Win said. “He’s different and he’s special.”

  “So I gather,” Jenny said. “He’s different, as my son and I are different. As you are different. Not merely in space or time.”

  “So we stick together,” Win said.

  “I love the way they stick together,” Kadence said. “I love being with them.”

  They emerged into the other world, and the tunnel closed up behind them. It had done its job, and Santo could no longer maintain it. Dell knew the boy would make another tunnel when they were ready to return to Xanth.

  Win’s wind eased and stopped. They no longer needed to be moving. The boat parked in the air.

  “Oh!” Jenny exclaimed.

  “What is it?” Dell asked, alarmed.

  “This isn’t the World of Two Moons!”

  “It isn’t? Are you sure?”

  “Look at the sky!”

  Dell had been focusing on more immediate things. Now he looked up at the sky, and saw what he had missed before: it wasn’t blue, like Xanth and Mundania. It was plaid. How that was possible, especially in three dimensions, he didn’t know, but it was. The air sort of weaved through itself in colored patterns.

  “We didn’t specify sky color,” Squid said. “It’s not Santo’s fault.”

  “This grows more interesting by the minute,” Kadence said.

  “I’ll take a look around,” the peeve said, and launched into that many-hued sky.

  “We may have to go back home and start again,” Dell said. “But having a suitable princess was part of the specification. There must be one here.”

  “Tata will know,” Squid said. “Tata, is there a princess here? One who’s right for Jerry Elf?”

  The dogfish sniffed the air. A map appeared on his screen. They leaned down close to peer at it. It showed the planet with seas and continents. Two spots were starred. “Blue is for us,” Squid said. “Red is for the Princess.”

  Unfortunately, the two were halfway around the world from each other.

  The peeve reappeared. “It’s got three moons,” it reported. “And that’s not all. They’re all at right angles, sort of.”

  “I’m not sure you’re making sense,” Dell said.

  “Show it, Ta,” the bird said.

  The map was replaced with a globe. Around the ball circled three tiny moons of different colors. The white one went from east to west. The black one went from north to south. The red one went slantwise, from northeast to southwest, and on around.

  “Right angles, sort of,” Dell agreed, impressed.

  “Worse, there’s war,” the peeve said. “I saw the battle lines.”

  “We need more information,” Dell said. “We don’t want to get caught in anybody’s war.”

  Then it got worse. There was a flight of birds approaching. No, larger. They were dragons.

  “Really interesting,” Kadence said.

  “Up screen,” Dell said as he snapped his fingers to douse the firesail, and the protective field enclosed the craft. Now dragon-fire would not roast them. Breathable air could get through it, but not anything harmful.

  But with the shield up, they were unable to tap into the prevailing winds for sailing. They were dead in the air. The dragons circled them as if aware that fire would do no harm. They hovered, peering in.

  “Don’t give them any fingers,” the peeve told Jenny.

  Ha. Ha. Ha.

  Then the dragons did something odd. They formed a kind of half-bowl shape in the sky, as if the boat were being cupped. The bowl moved closer, almost seeming to push them.

  “They want us to go in that direction!” Dell exclaimed.

  “But do we want to?” the peeve asked suspiciously.

  “I doubt it,” Kadence said.

  Squid looked at the dogfish. “Do we?” she asked.

  Tata sniffed the air again. Then his fins stood on edge, and a skull and crossbones appeared on his screen. “Growr!” he growled, making one of his few sounds.

  “My guess is that there’s nothing good for us down there,” the peeve said. “I could investigate.”

  “Don’t do it,” Dell said. “They might catch you and roast you.”

  “They might at that,” the bird agreed. “Especially after I finished calling them spraint-faced retards who wouldn’t know a friend from a basilisk.”

  “Hey!” Win protested. “Our best friend’s a basilisk.”

  “Exactly. These jokers wouldn’t know.”

  “Ooo, got me that time,” Win said cheerfully. She was clearly a good sport.

  “So let’s not do what they want,” Dell said. “Except that if we can’t tunnel for a day, and can’t sail—”

  “We can sail,” the peeve said. “We did before, in the storm, remember?”

  Oh. Dell knocked the invisible dottle out of his ear. “Win—”

  The child oriented, facing forward as she held the rudder stick. The wind came up, bowing her hair forward. Dell snapped his fingers, and the sail caught fire again, this time square. The wind struck it, and the craft moved forward, shield and all. The dragons stared.

  “How’s that bite, you smoke-tails?” the peeve call
ed. “Now clear out of our way before we plow you under.”

  The dragons evidently heard, understood, and were duly annoyed. That was the main talent of the peeve, now that it had a chance to manifest. Small jets of fire erupted from their ears. One charged the boat, and bounced off the shield.

  “No stupidity in your family, air brain,” the peeve called gleefully. “You’ve got it all.” The dragon looked ready to explode into a ball of fire.

  “Follow in the direction of the castle of the princess,” Dell told Win. “We’ve got a long sail ahead of us.”

  “Aye-aye, Cap’n,” she agreed.

  But soon there was another obstacle: the battle line. Different colored dragons were facing each other across the line. If the boat tried to sail through it, it would only stir up more trouble.

  “We’ll go an indirect route,” Dell decided. “But first we need to learn more about the local situation, so we don’t blunder worse than we have already. Fibot, disappear.”

  Nothing seemed to happen; they still saw the boat and themselves, and the surrounding landscape beyond the shield. But the dragons outside did double-takes. They could no longer see, hear, or smell the boat. The visibility was strictly out, not in.

  Dell looked around. “Descend to that swamp,” he told Win. “That looks unoccupied, and we can lose ourselves in it. Then we can make our way quietly to the princess’s castle.”

  “Maybe we should try to learn more about this war,” Kadence said. “That might make a difference.”

  “Good advice,” Dell said, and she surprised him by blushing. It seemed that she took his incidental compliment quite personally. That did not entirely reassure him. Suppose she got jealous when he met a girl he might want to stay with?

  Win guided the craft down to the edge of the swamp and shut off the wind. The dragons seemed to have given up the chase, so Dell turned off the screen. Now they were surrounded by the atmosphere of the swamp. It was actually halfway pleasant.