Xone of Contention

by Anthony, Piers

  “I hope that’s meant to be funny,” Pia said nervously. The boat halted at the edge of the tiled surface; duck feet didn’t want to be gobbled either.

  “No, that is really their type. But they do not seem to be active at the moment. Does your talent indicate malignancy?”

  “No. But I’m not quite sure my talent is working.”

  Breanna looked around. “There’s a snoozing dinomite,” she said. “Test it on that.”

  Pia looked. “I don’t see anything but darkness.”

  “Oh, I forget—you can’t see in blackness. Here, I’ll lead you to it.” Breanna jumped out of the boat.

  “But just exactly what is a dinomite?”

  “A reptile that blows up when annoyed. But don’t worry; we won’t annoy it. We’re just checking your talent.”

  Pia reluctantly climbed out of the boat and followed the black girl to the side. There were no glowing stones or fungi here, so she would have been lost by herself.

  “Here,” Breanna said, putting out a hand to stop her. “Hear its breathing?”

  There was a sound like the crackle of a burning fuse. “Yes.”

  “Reach toward it.”

  Pia reached toward the sound. Her hand began to tingle. “It’s inimical,” she said.

  “For sure. So your talent works.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “It’s asleep,” Breanna said. “I can see its eyes closed. Anyway, it wouldn’t explode just for two innocent girls.” She backed away, guiding Pia.

  “So what would it do, if it woke?”

  “It would merely chew us up and swallow us.”

  “What a relief,” Pia said. But her attempt at irony was lost amidst her shuddering. Breanna had a nervy way of testing a talent.

  “So now check those stones again, just to be sure.”

  Pia reached toward the path. There was no tingle. She touched a stone. It was inert. “No problem,” she said, relieved.

  They got back into the boat, and the duck feet waddled forward. The stones remained inert. “I conjecture that the stones become active only when there is a threat to the castle,” Justin said. “We are obviously no threat. Most castles are capable of defending themselves when there is need.”

  “Even illusion castles?” Edsel asked.

  “Evidently so.” He paused. “But it just occurs to me that if the castle is illusion, so might be the approach. Those are probably not real gobble stones, merely the semblance of them.”

  “That’s right,” Breanna said. “You’re so smart, Justin.”

  The man shrugged, pleasantly embarrassed. Pia was faintly envious; those two got along so well, despite their inexperience in romance.

  Breanna turned to Edsel. “You said that phantom knew your names.”

  “Knew my name,” Edsel said. “And yours, because she emulated you. But maybe not Pia or Justin’s. I think I mentioned them first.”

  “Knew I was supposed to be your Companion,” Breanna said. “So you would do what I said, if I said it was an emergency. Maybe that was about all it needed.”

  “Yes. I should have been more alert.”

  “How could you know? We should have been more alert. But we were too busy holding hands.”

  Which was a technique Pia had suggested. So she might have brought it on herself. “Anyway, we followed the spook. It was a one-way path; when we got suspicious, we couldn’t go back.”

  “And one-way paths aren’t common,” Justin said. “There is formidable magic here.”

  Meanwhile the boat was climbing the easy slope of the hill. It was too dark to tell, but there seemed to be pleasant gardens surrounding the castle. Pia’s talent gave no tingle; this was not a hostile place. Yet its mystery remained: why had they been lured here?

  They reached the huge front gate of the castle. The stones of its construction were outlined in faint glow. Breanna jumped out of the boat and approached the gate. She touched it. Her hand passed through. Sure enough: it was illusion.

  Then the girl walked into the illusion and disappeared.

  “Don’t go alone!” Justin cried, pained.

  “It’s okay,” Breanna called back through the seeming wood and stone. “I can see clearly.”

  “We’d better follow her,” Edsel said.

  The boat moved slowly forward. The prow disappeared, and then the rest of the craft, as it moved on through. Pia was in the center; she flinched as the closed gate came at her. But the passage was painless; the thing about illusion was that she couldn’t feel it.

  Inside, the castle was lighted. They were in a long hall leading to a large chamber. Breanna was ahead, approaching that room. Pia felt no hint of danger. This was just an inanimate structure, illusion that it was. But what on earth for?

  The boat walked along the hall. Decorative statues of people and things lined it, and there were a number of plants, too. This was a nice building, for all that it didn’t really exist. But what was its purpose?

  “I see a thyme being,” Justin said. “Perhaps it is just as well that it is illusion.”

  “Just what is a time being?” Pia asked.

  “It is a creature who occupies a patch of thyme plants, and is immune to their temporal influence. People will come to leave offerings, in order to obtain the being’s help with their problems of time. Sometimes they have too much, sometimes too little. The being can fix that.”

  They entered the chamber. It was enormous, with tall arches and a dome over the center. The floor was clear, laid out in diminishing circles of stone. In the very center was what looked like a large manhole cover with a ring in the center.

  They stopped here, looking down at it. “This appears to be an illusion intended to call attention to a subterranean cavity,” Justin said.

  “Then let’s explore,” Breanna said.

  Justin and Edsel took hold of the ring and pulled upward. Slowly it came, lifting a hinged circular panel. Below it was a set of faintly glowing steps leading down into the ground.

  “This, then, is the reality beneath the illusion,” Edsel said. “The whole path and castle are designed to bring folk to this spot. I just wish I knew why.”

  “It is certainly a curiosity,” Justin agreed. “It seems furthermore that it was you it wanted brought here, because the phantom knew your name.”

  “It couldn’t have known me from Mundania,” Edsel said. “It must have listened as we walked, and picked it up.”

  “Does it occur to you boys that the fastest way to find out is to head on down these steps?” Breanna inquired.

  “Suppose the manhole cover slams down, sealing us in?” Pia asked nervously.

  “Let me try my talent,” Edsel said. “Maybe I can modify its magic, if it has any, so that it can’t do that.” He inspected the lid. “But this doesn’t seem to be magic. It has no catch; it can’t seal us in.”

  “Unless someone slides a block over it,” Pia said.

  “Who would want to do that?” Justin inquired.

  “I don’t know. I just don’t trust this business of going underground.”

  They considered. “Maybe one of us should remain here,” Breanna said.

  “I would not recommend that,” Justin demurred. “But perhaps if we divided into two parties, it would be secure.”

  “Which couple goes?” Breanna asked. “Which stays?”

  “We can’t let them go alone,” Justin said. “We are their Companions. We must not let them get separated from us again.”

  “But then how can we make two parties?” she asked.

  “Split the other way,” Edsel answered. “Breanna and I can go down; while Pia and Justin keep the rear guard.”

  The other three considered that, surprised. They sent a glance around. Then a nod traveled the same route.

  But Pia had a qualification. “I can check for what’s inimical, so I should go where there might be something bad. So Justin and I should go down.”

  “For sure,” Breanna agreed. “We’ll watch fo
r stray monsters of the night.”

  Pia set foot on the top step. There was no tingle. She tried the next. It was clear. She moved slowly down into the ground. This was like heading into a subway station. So would there be a train down there?

  Justin followed her down, equally cautious. “Watch yourself with that sixteen year old creature,” Breanna called after him.

  Pia smiled. She had forgotten; she had her teen figure back. She was sixteen, physically. So was Breanna.

  Justin, however, seemed flustered. He was not used to such by-play, having been a tree for so long.

  They reached the bottom. A passage led past the base of the stairway, so they could go either left or right. Both sides were lighted.

  Pia looked at Justin. “Does it make a difference? Neither direction seems dangerous.”

  “This is curious,” he remarked. “It was a one-way path that brought you here, yet now there seems to be a choice.”

  “Well, let’s try one direction, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll try the other.”

  “That seems sensible,” he agreed.

  They bore left. The passage widened, forming an alcove. In it was a picture or a display. It showed mountains covered in ice.

  “There are icy mountains in Xanth?” Pia asked, intrigued.

  “There are,” Justin agreed. “I am not clear which range this would be, but the scene has an aspect of authenticity.”

  She peered more closely. “There’s something about this scene. I thought it was a painting, but it seems three dimensional. It must be a model rather than just paint. Like a museum exhibit.”

  “A museum?”

  “That’s a place where things are shown, often in naturalistic settings. So the people can see them without having to travel to the ends of the world. But what’s a museum-type setting doing here under an illusion castle?”

  “This perplexes me also. I must confess I am having difficulty making sense of any of this.”

  Pia poked a finger at the scene. She touched the nearest mountain—and her finger passed through it. “It’s illusion!” she exclaimed.

  “Why so it is,” he agreed. “No wonder it is so realistic. I had assumed that the illusion stopped at the surface of the ground.”

  “This is weird. It certainly seems to be here for us to see. But what’s the point?”

  “I confess the point eludes me.”

  “Let’s go on. I sort of like mysteries, so long as they’re not dangerous.”

  They walked on along the gently curving hall. Soon it formed another alcove, with another scene. This was of the mountains again, but now much of the ice and snow was gone. A river coursed away into the distance.

  Pia touched it. This, too, was illusion. But it was also fine art. “Whoever made this really knew how to make a scene,” she said.

  “I agree. I have a certain appreciation for nature, having been a natural creature for much of my life. This is extremely well crafted.”

  “We are all natural creatures,” Pia said.

  “Why, that is true,” he agreed, surprised. “I meant to say—”

  “I know what you meant to say. And I agree. This person really knows his stuff.”

  “Indubitably.”

  Pia discovered that she was getting to like this archaic man. He was a gentleman in the classic sense.

  They moved on, and came to a third exhibit. This was of a lowlands scene, with rolling hills and valleys. It was largely forested, with many odd trees.

  “What are those?” she asked, pointing to several grossly fat-trunked growths.

  “Beerbarrel trees. Their trunks contain beer. They are rather popular in some circles.”

  “You mean people get drunk in Xanth?” she asked, surprised.

  “Some do. I confess I do not understand what they see in such activity.”

  “You never drink?”

  “I drink water, of course. Or one of the myriad flavors of soda from Lake Tsoda Pop. Or milk, or boot rear, or similar. But I would not care for an intoxicant.”

  “Me neither,” she said. Actually she had had her flings, back when she had really been sixteen. But it had complicated her diabetes, and she had learned better. “That goes double for boys; I won’t go near one who’s drinking, because he’s sure to get ideas.”

  “Ideas? Of what nature?”

  “Of a sexual nature.”

  “Oh.” He seemed embarrassed. Lovely man.

  Then she saw a small figure half hidden behind one of the fat trees. “Oh look!” she exclaimed, delighted.

  “It seems to be a little man, or an elf, or fairy.” He peered more closely. “No, I think none of these. I don’t believe I recognize the type.”

  “It’s a leprechaun,” Pia said.

  “Really? I have never seen one before.”

  “Maybe they are confined to this particular forest in Xanth. Their range is very limited in Mundania, too. To Ireland, I think.”

  “Ire Land? Are they bad tempered?”

  “No, just very shy.”

  They walked on to the next exhibit. This scene was the same as the prior one, except that there were some ponds in the low sections.

  Pia looked at Justin. “Does this mean anything to you?”

  “The exhibit is very nicely done, but apart from that I see no special significance. Perhaps this is after a heavy rainfall.”

  They moved on to the next exhibit in the gallery. This was the same scene, but with several of the ponds linking into a lake. It was an attractive view, but some trees were being overtaken by the water; the bases of their trunks were covered. The leprechaun was back, and looking worried. “I guess I’m not one to make judgments,” Pia said. “But maybe this is too much of a good thing. I mean, ponds and lakes are fine, but this was regular land.”

  “I agree. It is painful for me to see trees suffer.”

  The next scene showed a still larger lake, and several of the trees were dead. “If this is meant to be uplifting,” Justin said, “it is not so, for me.”

  “Let’s move on.”

  They did so—and came to the steps to the surface. “We have completed a circuit!” Justin said, amazed. “I was so taken with the exhibits that I didn’t realize.”

  “Me neither. So it’s one big loop. Six illusion pictures of two scenes. And that’s it.”

  “I fear I still do not understand the rationale.”

  Pia agreed. “Maybe I’m too bleeping suspicious, but I can’t believe that this is all there is. Do you think it’s a test, or something?”

  “A test?” he asked blankly.

  “To find out just how smart we are. See if we have the wit to figure out the real situation.”

  “I suppose that could be the case. I confess feel rather unintelligent at this stage.”

  Pia realized that Edsel probably could have figured it out. He was good at puzzles. She wanted to prove that she could figure out something on her own, before appealing to him for help. “There must be something we’re missing. We have to prove we’re smart enough to figure it out.”

  “This may indeed be a challenge. But my mind is not apt at such riddles.”

  “Let’s see: we made a loop and saw six exhibits. They’re in a big circle. Could there be something inside that circle?”

  “That seems to be a fair possibility. But I saw no access to it.”

  “Right. No tunnels going anywhere. Just those illusion pictures.” Then she had a bright idea—and was amazed to see a light bulb form and flash, about two feet before and above her face.

  “You have a bright notion,” Justin said.

  “Yes,” she said, recovering from her surprise. “These pictures are illusion, right? So they’re not solid. There could be something behind them.”

  “Behind them? I should think merely the wall.”

  “How do we know? There could be another passage. We wouldn’t see it, because it would be covered by the illusion.”

  “Why I believe you are correct. It is certain
ly possible.”

  “So let’s go look.” She forged on toward the first of the exhibits.

  Justin followed. “Actually, there could be other passages from this one, covered by illusion. But your notion is certainly viable.”

  They reached the snowy mountain view. Pia reached into it. The snow wasn’t cold; there was no sensation, and no tingle of danger. She lifted a foot and stepped into it. As her head entered the illusion, she became blind; there was nothing but fog in view.

  She backed out, and the passage reappeared. “I’m not Breanna. I can’t seen in the dark. That scares me. I mean, suppose there’s a pit and a pendulum?”

  “A pendulum?”

  “Never mind. What I mean is that there could be something dangerous in there. Maybe not inimical, but not good to go into blind, like a drop-off. Because folk aren’t expected to walk through the illusions. Anyway, it makes me distinctly nervous.”

  “A sobering prospect,” Justin agreed. “It may be unfortunate we lack a rope, so that we could protect ourselves from a possible fall.”

  “Yes.” Pia remained unwilling to give up on it, but what else was there to do? Then a second bulb flashed. “Clothing!”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “We could knot our clothes together to make a rope. Maybe not a long one, but maybe enough. I saw that trick in a movie once.”

  “A what?”

  “Never mind. Let’s try it.”

  “I am afraid I don’t—”

  He was truly diffident, which was one big reason she felt free to try it. “We take off our clothes and tie them end to end to make a crude rope. One of us can hold it while the other goes ahead. So there won’t be a fall.”

  “Why, I suppose that could work. But—”

  She understood his reticence. “You feel it would be bad to see each other naked?”

  “That is a matter of concern,” he confessed.

  “You’ve seen it before, haven’t you?”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “You have seen Breanna nude.”

  “Well, yes, actually. Technically. On occasion she has insisted on bathing in my presence. But—”

  “I’m much the same, only a different color. Anyway, we’ll be in illusion, so won’t see much for long. Let’s do it. We don’t want the others to worry because we’re taking too long.” She found she was enjoying this. It was a kind of adventure. She was rather proud of her restored body, too.