"I have no concern what she wears," Shaunture confided. "I would like to give her a bucket of-"

A bucket appeared on the girl's head. "Mmmph, mmph!" she cried, unable to make herself understood. She tried to lift it off. but it seemed glued in place.

"Bouquet!" Edsel called. "A bouquet of flowers!"

"Thank you," the centaur said as the bucket faded. "I shall stop speaking now."

"This is understandable." Justin said. "We nevertheless remain appreciative."

"Heather. I think your talent is relating to creatures, not just dragons." Breanna said to the girl. "Maybe you should stay with Shaunture, who really needs you."

The girl's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Really?"

"Really. You always know what he means to say, and that really helps him."

"Well, he says I help, so as not to hurt my childish feelings. But centaurs are way too smart to a.s.sociate long with dull kids like me."

Breanna seemed to be digesting an internal thought. "Intelligence isn't always what you think. Ask him."

Heather looked at Shaunture. He nodded. "Oh. Shaunture." she cried "I'd love to stay with you! I know you'll never chomp me."

The centaur looked at Breanna. "I must speak again after all. I am grapefruit for-" He became a huge grapefruit.

"Grateful!" Heather cried joyously, perched on the top. "For her insight."

The centaur resumed his natural form. He spat out a grapefruit seed and shut his mouth firmly.

Para moved on. "I like your boat." Heather called after them. Para made a dip of appreciation without breaking stride.

"That centaur reminds me of someone." Pia remarked.

"Demoness Metria." Justin replied.

There was a swirl of smoke. "Oh, no." Breanna muttered.

The smoke formed a mouth. "Did someone mention my name?"

"It was an accident," Breanna said.

The smoke coalesced into a lovely buxom form, bound by an elastic halter stretching almost to the snapping point. "And you found the foul footed boat."

Para quivered with indignation.

"What kind of foot?" Edsel asked quickly.

"Avis, feathered, game, bird, domestic-"

"Fowl?"

"Whatever," the demoness agreed crossly.

The boat relaxed.

"I'm sure the children will love to ride in it," Metria said. "Thank you so much for offering." She formed back into smoke.

"We didn't-" Breanna started, but of course it was too late. The smoke formed into Demon Ted and DeMonica. They were stuck for another round of babysitting.

"Maybe the two of them will one day grow up and marry each other," Pia muttered. "And the stork will bring them children they have to baby-sit."

"Named Tedmon and Monled," Breanna agreed. "And there'll be no Mundanes visiting who are foolish enough to do it."

"Whose menfolk are dazzled into volunteering," Pia said. They both laughed. "Actually the children aren't all that bad. and the dazzlcability of the menfolk make them more readily handleable "

"For sure."

Justin turned his head to exchange a glance with Edsel. The girls were having their bit of fun.

They departed from the river at a slight angle, so as to avoid the colored people. Soon they came to a boy who stood by the side of the path they were following, with his right thumb lifted.

"Same to you, jerk!" Ted called.

"Shush, that's a Mundane!" Pia exclaimed "Hitchhiking."

"We do have room for another pa.s.senger," Justin said.

"First things first." Pia cupped her hands and called to the boy. "What's your name!"

"Gabriel," the boy called back.

"So he's not one of the colored people," Pia said. "He can ride with us."

"What's wrong with colored people?" Monica asked.

"Nothing," Edsel said, forestalling trouble.

The boat stopped, and the boy climbed in. "Do you know a safe way to the snowy mountains?" Pia asked him.

"Oh, sure. Right the way you're going now. But you don't want to go all the way there. They're cold."

"We'll chance it." Pia said, and resumed her private dialogue with Justin. She had tuned him out, as was her custom with folk she had no immediate interest in.

So Edsel and Breanna took up the slack, lest the children do it. "What are you doing in Xanth, Gabriel?" Breanna asked. "Because you're obviously Mundane."

"I guess it does show." Gabriel said, abashed. "I'd like to live in Xanth. I made a deal. I can visit Xanth for a week. I can stay here if I can find a family to adopt me or a girl to marry me. Otherwise I must return forever to drear Mundania."

"How old are you?" Breanna asked.

"Fourteen."

"That's what I thought. You're younger than I am, and so you are still mired in the Adult Conspiracy. You can't marry a Xanth girl."

"I could marry one who is eighteen or over." Gabriel said. "If she wanted to. If she didn't break the Conspiracy."

Both children perked up. evidently intrigued by the prospect of breaking the Adult Conspiracy.

"But you already know all that stuff, don't you?" Breanna asked.

"Sure. But in Xanth-"

"I know. And you'd rather put up with that, than go back to Mundania."

"Yeah. Do you think I have a chance?"

"To find a girl, no. To find a family, maybe." Then Breanna brightened. "Does it have to be any special kind of girl?"

"I don't think so."

"How about a nymph?"

Gabriel smiled. "I'd love a nymph But she'd break the Conspiracy in the first five seconds."

The children squealed with laughter. Ted grabbed Monica, and she flung her hair around and kicked her feet up in a parody of a nymph.

"For sure." Breanna agreed ruefully. "Bad idea. But maybe there'll be a family."

"Maybe." he agreed hopefully.

There was a fairly sharp turn in the path. Para, traveling rapidly, was off-balanced by the extra weight, and his side sc.r.a.ped against a sad looking tree. It emitted a sighing sound.

"What was that?" Edsel asked as they moved on.

"A sigh-press tree," Justin called back. "They sigh when pressed."

Now they came to another person. It was a somewhat portly woman. "Are you looking for a ride? " Pia called.

"I'm looking for a lake." the woman replied.

"There's a lake on the river not far ahead," Gabriel said.

"How do you know?" Edsel asked.

"Because I saw fire ants near a fire, and earth ants near earth, and air ants near air. I saw water ants here, so there must be water near."

Edsel nodded. "That works for me."

"Then get in and we'll take you there." Pia said to the woman. "Para could use a swim."

"A swim!" Ted cried, clapping his little hands. Monica's dress became a two piece swimsuit.

The woman climbed in. and there were introductions. She turned out to be Alexandra.

"What's your talent?" Breanna asked.

"I'm a were-dolphin."

"I never heard of that!"

"I think I'm the only one. I've been searching out stray lakes, hoping to find another of my kind, so far without success."

"Why do you want another of your kind?" Gabriel asked.

"I'm lonely. I don't like swimming alone."

"But you don't need another of your kind just for company," Breanna said.

"I think I do. Who else would want to stay with someone who's half in and out of the water'"

"I would." Gabriel said.

Alexandra looked at him. "You look young and wild. Surely you wouldn't want to settle down to a dull lakeside life."

"Life would never be dull, in Xanth."

"Not if we kept you company," Ted said.

"We're younger and wilder," Monica agreed.

Edsel exchanged a glance with Breanna. "Would you consider marrying a boy without violating the Adult Conspiracy?"

Alexandra considered. "That depends on how good company he was."

"Why don't you talk with Gabriel, here?" Edsel suggested.

The two half demon children lost interest, and peered out of the boat.

"I could be great company. I think." Gabriel said. "If that meant I could stay in Xanth."

The two started a dialog, sitting in the center of the boat. Edsel, as a matter of courtesy, tuned them out. "There seem to be a number of interesting people in Xanth." he remarked to Breanna.

"Every person is interesting, when you get to know him," she said. "I'd like to meet every person in Xanth. But there are too many."

Surely so. "What do you think we'll find at the mountains?"

"Melting snow. I've wondered how there can be such a cold place in warm Xanth."

"Well, it's because the temperature drops with elevation."

"That's in Mundania. Here in Xanth you can fly way above the mountains, and not be cold. I've been up there. So there must be magic."