"Because I always did love Humfrey," MareAnn said simply. "I would have married him, had I not feared it would cost me my innocence. Now, in h.e.l.l, I have had much of my innocence taken from me, so there is no further barrier between us except that of death. I would be happy to marry him now."

"So which wife are you going to take?" Jot inquired smugly.

"Or will you marry MareAnn and take her?" t.i.ttle asked.

So it was to be a choice among six. No wonder the Demon had decided to compromise; he had of course known that this was coming. Demons of any kind had little care for the affairs of man, but great interest in complications. This was a rare complication! Lacuna did not see how Humfrey was going to find his way out of this one.

"Let's consult," the Gorgon said in a businesslike manner. "Since I'm the one who is making it possible, I think I should have some say in the decision."

"Yes, maybe you will change your mind," Jot said.

"Maybe you won't let any of them out," t.i.ttle added.

So that Humfrey, having made his compromise, would be denied the benefit of it, Lacuna realized. The Demon X(A/N)th must have seen to it that all of them appeared here, including Dana Demoness. What a great joke, for the demons!

Jot gestured, and a round table appeared with ten chairs. t.i.ttle gestured, and ten place settings appeared. Then Rose fetched a decanter of rose wine and a key lime pie with rose petals decorating each piece; evidently the petals made the pie good despite its origin in h.e.l.l. The wine turned out to have rose petals floating in it too.

When they were all served, the discussion began. Jot and t.i.ttle gobbled their pie slices and gulped their wine as if it were milk, in exactly the manner of children. The others sampled theirs more cautiously. Lacuna found both the wine and pie to be very good; Rose evidently had a talent for preparing such things. Probably this was a trait shared by all his wives and girlfriend.

"All five of you wish to share moments of Humfrey's life?" the Gorgon inquired. She was eating especially carefully, lifting her veil aside without uncovering her eyes.

The others nodded. "Perhaps we wish also to experience life again," Rose said. She glanced at Dana Demoness. "Or to simulate it." She glanced at MareAnn. "Or to indulge in a manner not possible before."

"But I can take only one," Humfrey protested. "And the only one I want is-"

"Is it?" MareAnn inquired.

That evidently set him back. Lacuna knew from his life history that he had loved only three times: MareAnn, Rose, and the Gorgon. The other three had been essentially business relationships, however well they had fulfilled them.

"I have discovered things of interest in the dream realm," the Gorgon said. "I have no objection to spending more time in it. Suppose we give each wife or love a month, in turn, before I take my turn? In six months the cycle would be complete, and we could start again."

The women exchanged fifteen glances. Lacuna thought that there should be twenty-five glances as each woman met the eyes of the five others, but some magic made fifteen enough.

"Hey, don't I have any say in the matter?" Humfrey inquired grumpily.

"Of course not," the Gorgon said, and the others nodded agreement. "It took you ten years to get this far; do you think we want to wait another ten for you to figure it out?"

"What, no big fight?" Jot asked, disappointed.

"No screeching and hair pulling?" t.i.ttle added.

"This may be h.e.l.l," the Gorgon said, "but we aren't h.e.l.lions. So it seems we are agreed. What should be the order of visitation to Xanth?"

"Alphabetic," Dana said. That would put her first.

"Age at death," Sofia said. That would put her first, because three had not died and so couldn't compete, and the other two had evidently died younger. "That's when our a.s.sets were frozen, as it were."

"Chronologic," MareAnn said. That put her first.

The others considered. They nodded. Chronologic did seem to make sense.

"So it seems we are agreed," the Gorgon said. "MareAnn will go first. Now if you will excuse me, I have a curtain call by prior appointment." She glanced at the twins. "You are honoring the deal, I presume."

Jot grimaced. "I have to."

t.i.ttle scowled. "More's the pity."

"Let's do it, then," the Gorgon said as she faded out. This was, for her, only a dream, so she had dreamy powers, and evidently enjoyed them.

"But I think we owe a vote of thanks to Rose, who made this possible by bringing Humfrey here," MareAnn said.

The others applauded. Rose blushed rose red. "Have some candied rose petals," she said.

Humfrey looked at MareAnn. "I suppose you're going to want a ceremony," he grumped.

"A little one will do," MareAnn said shyly.

Try as he would, Humfrey did not manage to look entirely displeased. She had, after all, been his first love.

"Fun's over," Jot said.

"Until the panties," t.i.ttle agreed.

Lacuna glanced at the twins as she followed Humfrey and MareAnn down the path toward the exit. "I realize that you are merely figments of the Demon's imagination, but you are cute and I'm almost sorry I won't be seeing you again."

At that they both burst into wild laughter and dissolved into smoke. That bothered her. What was so funny?

The handbasket was waiting in the waiting room. The three of them climbed in. "Won't you be sorry to lose your unicorns?" Humfrey inquired.

"There are no unicorns in h.e.l.l," she replied. "I haven't seen them in ages anyway. I will still be able to summon other equines."

They continued to talk as the basket swung up and away, oblivious of Lacuna. She was glad for them, but what of her own life? Would she really be able to change it?

The basket slowed. Lacuna saw that it was not proceeding straight back the way she had come. Now another type of dream realm was opening out, with a yellow brick path below. Humfrey had described that.

They reached a pleasant community. There was a handsome young couple standing on the path, evidently waiting for them. It was Hugo with Wira, his blind love.

"This is where we get off," Humfrey said. "Lacuna, you ride back to the castle. Tell them we're coming."

"Yes, of course," Lacuna said, surprised. But now she realized that her body was at the castle, while the other bodies were at the Isle of Illusion. They would have to take turns riding the magic carpet back after waking up.

The others got out. Introductions were proceeding as the basket bore Lacuna away. MareAnn had never met either Hugo or Wira, of course; now she would be a temporary stepmother for Hugo. It should be all right.

Then the castle came into sight. Lacuna had a lot to tell Grey and Ivy!

Chapter 18: Change.

Lacuna saw her body lying within the temporary coffin. She climbed out of the handbasket and let go. She dropped to the coffin, through its lid, and on down into her body. She was back.

Suddenly she felt stifled. She lifted a hand to pound on the closed lid. In a moment it lifted, and there was Magician Grey Murphy peering down. "You're back!" he said. "We didn't see you."

Lacuna sat up, feeling a bit disoriented. "I've been to h.e.l.l and back in the handbasket," she said. "I have a whole lot to tell you. But first I have to warn you that Good Magician Humfrey is coming back; he's on his way now with his girlfriend, MareAnn, and-"

"What?" Ivy asked.

Lacuna saw that this was not going to be a simple explanation. So she plunged in. She just had time to cover the main gist and part of the minor gist (gist was the sort of stuff that needed to be covered quickly) before Humfrey's magic carpet arrived. He had evidently used a lightening spell, because all four were on it together.

Then Lacuna had to perform the introductions, because she was the only one present who had had personal contact with everyone, though some of it only through her printing of Humfrey's history. Wira was now a woman not a lot younger than Lacuna herself, but Humfrey located his youth elixir and gave her a dose; then she became her real age of sixteen. Lacuna wished she could do that! But of course youthening wouldn't do her any good; it was her whole life that was blah, not just her physical age.

She felt awkward now, for she was not really part of this group. "I should go do my service for Magician Grey now," she murmured. "And-"

Grey took note. "But it will take time to research your Answer."

Humfrey snorted. "Oh, I'll do it. I don't like reunions much anyway." He stalked off toward the study, and Lacuna followed.

Humfrey squinted at the old pages. "Ah, here it is. You must take the Key to Success and go to the Mountain of Change before the Statue of Limitations runs out." He went to a shelf and picked up a large wooden key. "Bring this back when you are finished with it." He handed it to her.

"But-" Lacuna said blankly.

"Nonsense. The magic carpet will take you there after you deal with Com-Pewter. Be sure to return it, too." He walked out of the study.

"But-" Lacuna said, following helplessly.

"Oh, by the way," he said, pausing. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. But-"

"Here's the carpet. Get on it."

She did so, bemused. Then it took off.

"But-" she protested one more time, despairingly, to no better avail than before. She was on her way.

The carpet seemed to know where it was going. It flew out a window and looped around the castle before heading north. It soon went out over the awesome Gap Chasm, but instead of crossing it, it turned to fly west along it. Then it flew south a short distance to a small mountain and looped down to a cave in the base. It entered this cave, flying unerringly in the sudden darkness until reaching a large, bright chamber. It landed.

Before Lacuna was a rather junky metallic box with k.n.o.bs on the front and a pane of gla.s.s sticking up at the top. Part of it was fashioned from a pewter pitcher, which Lacuna now realized the Demoness Metria had sneaked from Humfrey's castle to bring here. It was amazing how things integrated, now that she knew Humfrey's life story. This was Com-Pewter, the dread nemesis of Xanth.

A GREETING, the pane printed.

"I think you don't know who I am," Lacuna said, nerving herself for her effort. She had spoken blithely of changing its print, but she knew that the evil machine had a lot of power, and a doubt was starting to nag at the edge of her mind, with a qualm, a twinge, and even a compunction waiting in line behind. Com-Pewter's power was to change reality in its vicinity by printing the reality it preferred on its screen. She could change its print-but would it remain changed? Why hadn't she thought of this problem before?

I DON'T EVEN CARE WHO YOU ARE. YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY SUPREMELY DULL. I WILL USE YOU AS A SERVANT.

"I don't think so," she said, and concentrated on the magic formula she had rehea.r.s.ed to dominate the device.

The print on the screen changed. Now it said: COM- PEWTER IS REPROGRAMMED TO BE A NICE MACHINE. IT HAS NO USE FOR THE SERVICES OF GREY MURPHY, AND RENOUNCES THEM. SAVE AND COMPILE. The last word was the key; that const.i.tuted a special spell that would change Com-Pewter's nature.

The pane of gla.s.s blinked. HUH? it printed, with something less than machinelike precision.

Lacuna had had the sense not to get off the magic carpet. "Well, I'll be going now," she said.

Print rolled across the screen. WOMAN DECIDES TO REMAIN LONGER. And Lacuna found that she couldn't tell the carpet to go; she had indeed changed her mind. The evil machine was fighting back. In a moment it would decree that she decided to reverse the reprogramming she had just accomplished, and she feared she would not be able to deny it.

But she could fight back too. Even as the print appeared, she changed it: WOMAN IS SENT ON HER WAY BY COM-PEWTER, WHO PREFERS TIME ALONE TO MEDITATE ON ITS NEW NICENESS.

It worked! The carpet lifted and sailed down the cave tunnel, out of the mountain. Not only did Com-Pewter's print change the local reality, it changed the evil machine's mind. Once it was printed, it was so, even if the machine didn't like it. And it seemed that Com-Pewter could not reprogram itself. It was stuck with her new prime directive: to be nice and to renounce the services of Grey Murphy.

Lacuna had accomplished her mission. Now she had only to get her reward. She stared at the wooden key she still held in her hand. What had Magician Humfrey said? She had to take this Key to Success to the Mountain of Change before-before what? Something was going to happen, but she didn't remember what.

She looked around. The carpet was moving over unfamiliar territory. Lacuna had not been paying attention and was now lost. It didn't matter, because the carpet knew where it was going, but she would have preferred to know also. Was this north or south of the Gap Chasm?

The carpet circled down by a curious walled park. Somehow Lacuna couldn't quite see what was inside the park; it was obscured by trees and bits of mist. This must be where the Mountain of Change was. But what was she supposed to do there? It was all so unclear. She wished it had been Grey Murphy who had researched her Answer, because he was young and inexperienced, so tended to explain things carefully. Humfrey just a.s.sumed that everyone knew things, and had no patience. But of course he had lived a long time and experienced many things, as she well knew after printing his life history. He had a right to be short with ignorant folk.

She got up and stepped off the carpet. It rolled up behind her, but did not fly away. That was a relief. She did not want to be stranded in this strange place. It wasn't that the loss of such a dull person as she was would harm Xanth in any way, but she preferred to be dull in her own home rather than to bore folk she didn't know.

She approached the large wooden door to the park. She lifted her wooden key and fitted it into the keyhole. She turned it. The lock resisted. She turned harder, but it was no use; the key would not work.

Lacuna stepped back and looked at the park. What little she could see was not attractive. The wall was worn and the nearby trees were wilting. She saw a word printed along the wall: FAILURE. Oh, no! She had come to the wrong place!

But the carpet wouldn't have done that. This must be the right place-or maybe it could become the right place.

She focused on the word, and changed it: SUCCESS.

The wall brightened. The foliage of the trees hanging over it became greener.

She approached the door again. She tried the key. This time the lock clicked. Now this was the right place, thanks to her talent.

She tried to close the door after her, but the hinges tightened up and it no longer budged. It remained firmly open. Curious, she stepped back outside the park to see if anything else was approaching, waiting for this opportunity, but no one was.

Then the door slammed shut behind her, making a bang. She jumped. Was she locked out?

She tried her key once more. It turned, and the door opened. But again it refused to close-until she stepped outside. Now she understood: it would not close until the one who had opened it and entered the park went back out. That was a fairly neat magical device-but to what purpose? Why should the door care whether she was inside or outside? She shrugged; it was a harmless mystery. If it should close while she was inside, she could use the key to unlock it again.

She gazed around the park. Inside she saw a statue of a naked running man. He was a fine-looking specimen in every respect-muscular, handsome, and well endowed in a fashion a maiden was not supposed to understand. But of course it was only a statue; they were always idealized. She really didn't care about that particular detail; her desire was for a man who was good in his head and heart, and for good children. One of the problems with men was that they put more store by a woman's anatomy than by her head and heart. Fortunately, women had more sense, so used their minds to choose the more sensible men. But it did help if the men were handsome.

Then she became aware of something else. The statue was changing. Ever so slowly, it was moving. The forefoot was coming down and the body was shifting forward, and the hair was blowing back as if he were racing through the wind. Maybe on her scale he was barely making progress, but on his scale he was sprinting.

Where could he be going? She looked the way he was looking, and saw that it was the open door. Oh. Evidently he hoped to get out before it closed again. How lucky for him that she had happened to come long just before he reached it.

Lucky? Lacuna had learned to distrust coincidence. Maybe in Mundania chance governed, but this was Xanth. There might be more to this than appeared.

She pondered, then tried an experiment. She scuffed a mark by the man's leading foot, so she had a record of exactly where he was. Then she stepped out of the park again. The door slammed shut behind her.