In a moment she had pulled it level and clicked it into place. But she knew she couldn't trust it. How could she make sure it would support her weight?

"Go across it, Dug," Nada said. "You can still win."

"You disgust me," Dug said. "First because you are False; you're still trying to make me get dumped. Second because I wouldn't take that prize anyway; it's Kim's to take. She deserves to win that prize."

He really was a decent person, Kim knew. If only- She cut off the thought. She felt around the notch-and found a swinging bone that would lock the floor into place. Now it could be used.

She looked at Dug. "I don't need that prize either," she said. "If you would like it, you can have it."

"You can take it. Dug," Nada said. "She doesn't want it."

He shook his head. "You know, we don't have the right att.i.tude about this game. We're supposed to be scrambling madly for the prize."

Kim had wanted the prize. But that desire had faded after she met Dug. Now that she had thoroughly embarra.s.sed herself in that respect, what else was there but the prize? "I suppose somebody should take it," she said. She stepped out on the chamber floor, half expecting it to give way and drop her into the hole. But it remained firm.

Kim paused and looked back. Dug was standing there, watching her. Nada was facing away, her head hanging. Jenny was about to follow Kim. There was something wrong here, but Kim couldn't figure out what it was. There was an expectancy, a tension, as if all h.e.l.l were about to break loose. What was going to happen, and who knew it?

She started to turn back toward the prize. Then Nada moved. The woman flung herself toward the notch, with its fastener-bone. But Sammy Cat leaped there first, covering it. And Dug tackled Nada much the way he had tackled Kim before. The serpent princess was brought up short of the bone. "Get on across!" Dug cried. "Before she-"

Kim jumped forward and picked up the prize box, just as Nada became a huge serpent. Kim opened the box as the serpent slithered out of Dug's grasp and toward her.

Kim reached in to take the little globe inside as the serpent's head came up to knock the box from her hand.

Her hand glowed, painlessly. The globe had disappeared. The serpent saw the glow, and fell as if struck.

I am your Talent, a voice said in Kim's head. a voice said in Kim's head. I am the Talent of Erasure. When you return to Xanth, you will be able to Erase anything you choose. Try me now. I am the Talent of Erasure. When you return to Xanth, you will be able to Erase anything you choose. Try me now.

Unsure how this applied, Kim reached out and stroked her hand across a section of the wall, as if erasing chalk on a blackboard. The wall disappeared behind her hand, showing the sky beyond the castle wall.

She stared. "Anything?" she asked.

Anything, living or inanimate. Use me wisely.

Wisely! She didn't want to use this at all! This was a destructive talent.

No, you may cancel my effect by reversing the stroke. Use the back of your hand.

Kim stroked her hand back across the open section, with her palm toward her, and the wall reappeared, except for one sliver her hand missed. Still, this power frightened her. She didn't want to be forever erasing innocent things!

Then she got smart. She willed the talent to turn off, then stroked her hand back across the wall. Nothing happened. She willed it on again, and touched the wall with one finger. A finger-sized hole appeared. She willed it off and stroked her backhand across the hole. Nothing happened. She willed it on and made the same reverse stroke. This time the hole filled in. She had it under control. This was a tool as well as a weapon, a talent of phenomenal power, when she learned to use it properly. But for now she didn't want to use it at all.

She returned her attention to the others. Nada had reverted to her normal form, that of a serpent with a human head, and was sobbing. "I didn't want to do it!" Nada said. "I didn't want to be False! But I had no choice."

"But why did you try to be False to me, when you were Dug's Companion?" Kim asked.

"Because he wanted you to win."

Kim looked at Dug, who nodded. But she wasn't satisfied. "There's got to be more of it than that. What aren't you telling us?"

To her surprise, Nada answered. "It really doesn't matter, now that the issue has been decided. I don't have to be False any more. I will tell you the whole truth."

"What's gone before was a half-truth?" Dug asked.

Nada smiled, becoming beautiful again. "Not even a quarter-truth, Dug. The Demon E(A/R)th was trying to take over this land from the Demon X(A/N)th. They made the decision in their normal fashion: they gambled. They set up the game, and chose characters. If X(A/N)th's Player won the prize, he won the wager. If E(A/R)th's Player won, he did. But Earth used a devious ploy: he sabotaged his own Player, and arranged for him to have a False Companion when he returned. Then he had the two Players exchange Companions. In this manner he thought to ensure that X(A/N)th's Player lost, even if E(A/R)th's Player did not reach the prize first. It would be at least a tie, requiring another game to settle the issue. When that ploy failed, because of the willfulness of Earth's Player, the False Demon made me act."

Kim was too surprised to speak. But Dug did. "What would have happened if the other Demon had won? If I had gotten the prize?"

"The magic of Xanth would have been lost, and it would have become just like Mundania." More tears squeezed from Nada's eyes. "Oh, I'm glad I didn't succeed! It was the most horrible thing! But I had to do everything I could to make you lose, Kim. I'm so mortified!"

Kim found her voice. "There was a whole lot more riding on this than I knew! Xanth without magic-" She couldn't finish.

"More than I knew, too," Dug agreed. "I just wanted to play fair." He looked at Kim. "Well, you better get on home with your prize. I guess you'll be a Sorceress next time you play."

"Yes, you must go," Jenny agreed. "The game is about to fade out, and we Companions will return to our normal pursuits."

"But what will become of Bubbles?" Kim asked. "I can't just leave her here!" She sat down and hugged the dog.

"Then take her with you," Jenny said.

"I can do that? I can take her to-to Mundania?"

"She's a Mundane dog."

"But in Mundania she'll die in a year or so," Kim said. "She's old. Here in Xanth she can live, because of the magic. I don't want to condemn her to death because of my own selfishness." Because she realized that that was the case: she wanted Bubbles with her.

"Save the second bubble in the bottle," Jenny said. "When you can't keep her in Mundania any more, send her back to Xanth. To one of the folk she likes."

"Like Ma Anathe," Nada said. "Or Wira."

Kim felt a great relief. "Oh, I'll do that! Oh, Bubbles, I can keep you with me!" Bubbles licked her face.

"I hope you can forgive me," Nada said to Dug. "I would much rather have been your Fair Companion, as I was the first time. If you will accept my apology-"

"What, a gourd-style apology?" he asked, smiling.

"Yes." She put her arms around him and kissed him pa.s.sionately.

Kim, despairingly jealous, could only busy herself with her own business. She brought out the bottle. She found the little blower, and dipped it in the fluid. She brought it out, capped the bottle, and blew. A bubble formed. It expanded, until it became large enough for both girl and dog. She and Bubbles stepped into it. "Take us home," Kim said.

The bubble lifted. It floated to the castle wall, and through it. Kim had only an instant to look back, to see Jenny Elf waving goodbye. Then they were out floating over the landscape and leaving the bone castle behind.

The scene faded, and the chamber in the Good Magician's castle appeared. There lay Bubbles, Nada, and Kim herself, looking into the peepholes of the gourds. The bubble settled over the girl and dog, and the two of them merged with their other forms. When the bubble lifted, only Nada remained there.

They floated out the window and high into the air. Xanth spread out below them, then was lost under a screen of clouds. There was a shudder.

The scene changed again. Kim blinked. She was sitting in her room, before her computer screen, which had gone blank. She was out of the game. Back in reality.

It had all been the game. Now she had to face the mundane grind of schoolwork and dullness. Who would believe the adventure she had had? They would say it was just a game. As if her feelings didn't coun.t She felt an overwhelming grief.

Something nuzzled her hand. She looked down. There was Bubbles!

Kim got down and hugged the dog again. "Oh, Bubbles, I asked for what I most desired-and I got it! It was you, to keep!" Somehow the magic had reached out of the game, and given her this.

Yet that was not quite true. There had been another thing she wanted. But what was the point in brooding about that? In or out of the game, she remained just a plain girl.

The phone rang. Startled, Kim answered it.

"Now, don't hang up on me, Kim," a familiar voice said. "It's Dug. I know I made a real a.s.s of myself. I've been good at that, recently. But I figured I might as well go whole-hog, or whatever pun fits. I'm really sorry about what happened-I mean, when you said-and I never picked up on-"

Kim felt the flush coming to her face again. "That's all right, Dug. I shouldn't have-"

"I mean, I've always been stupid about girls, which is why I'm out a girlfriend now. But I was really out to lunch on that one. So I called to apologize, and-"

"There is no need," Kim said. "I was the one who made the mistake." Her face was burning.

"And when you kissed me, I almost freaked out."

Would he never give over! "I-I-" Kim said, trying to find some way to get away from her shame.

"But you know, I'd be a fool to judge by one kiss," Dug continued relentlessly. "So if you can forgive me for being a blockhead, I'd like to try for more. Like maybe a gourd-style apology. That is, I mean-well, how about a date? So we can start really getting to know each other, you know, to be sure it's not just a fluke. I mean, I don't know anything about you, really, except that you sure can kiss, better than Nada does, and you're real! And-oh, come on, Kim, give me a chance! I can be an okay guy, once you get my attention, and you sure did that. Is it a date?"

"Yes," Kim breathed, realizing that she had after all gotten all of what she most desired. Dog and boy. The Good Magician had known!