The Siren heard them and turned, ceasing her playing and singing. She had hair like flowing sunshine, and a tail like flowing water. Her bare b.r.e.a.s.t.s were spectacular.

"She can summon me anytime," Edsel breathed.

"Well, you're an idiot male." Pia retorted. She pursed her lips. "But she does have formidable architecture."

"The Siren is seventeen years old at this stage," Justin remarked. "She has a teenaged figure."

"That's the best kind," Breanna said.

"Indubitably."

"You must be the Siren," Grey said.

"Why so I am, handsome man," the mermaid said, inhaling. "Are you going to stay a while?"

"I, ah. already have company," he said, indicating Robota, who remained on his shoulder.

"I'm sure the golem girl can share you. What can she offer that I can't?"

"Legs," Robota said, flexing hers.

"Really?" The siren drew her tail from the water, and it split and became a fine bare pair of legs. She stood, setting her dulcimer on the stool.

"We came only to talk," Grey said quickly. "You seem to have been causing some mischief in the neighborhood."

"But all I do is divert myself by singing and playing my dulcimer," the siren protested. "It gets so lonely."

"Couldn't you go elsewhere to divert yourself?"

"No. Our parents left me and my sister the Gorgon here, making us promise never to leave the lake. So I remain, hoping for company. But it never remains."

"Gorgon?" Robota asked.

"That's her name. She's lovely, like me, and has almost as sweet a disposition. But we got tired of each other's company-I mean, we're both female-so she went to another island nearby. The trouble is, though I play fair and let men go on to meet her too, she never sends them back. It's generating some stress between us."

"You don't know why?" Grey asked.

"Well. I never thought she was selfish, but I'm beginning to wonder."

"They are truly innocent," Justin explained. "When they reached the age of-of-"

"Stork interest," Breanna supplied.

"Um, just so. At that stage their magic talents also matured, and they could no longer be safely kept at home. So they were deposited on the islands of the lake, to fend for themselves. Which, unfortunately, they were more than capable of doing, despite their innocence."

"So then you lure more men, with your music," Grey said. "And the same thing happens."

She pouted prettily. "Yes. I would like to marry and settle down, but I have to let them meet my sister, because we are supposed to share evenly, and then I lose them."

"Well, I may not be an authority, because I'm from Mundania." Grey said carefully. "But I think there are better ways to meet men. Perhaps I can persuade your sister to send one back to you."

She clapped her hands. "That would be wonderful! I have so much to give, if only there was someone to take."

"She's not tooling." Edsel commented. "That bare figure-"

"We know." Pia snapped. She tended to get snappish when encountering women with fuller bosoms than hers.

Grey and Robota followed the one way path on to the Gorgon's island. "What are they up to?" Pia asked. "That creature's dangerous."

"I believe he wants to persuade the Gorgon not to turn every man to stone." Tristan said. "But this is chancy, because the Gorgon significantly affects Xanth history, especially after she encounters Magician Humfrey, and this must not be changed."

"Grey knows that." Breanna said. "He lives at the Good Magician's castle. He knows the Gorgon personally."

"Then she'll recognize him!" Breanna protested.

"No. dear," Justin said. "She does not know him at this time. Later she may remember him, but that's much closer to the present, and shouldn't have much effect. Still, I confess I am not at ease about this encounter."

"Ssst!" Pia said. "The golem's on it."

"Is this wise?" Robota asked as they walked. "The Gorgon will marry the Good Magician, after he makes her deadly face invisible."

"I won't interfere with that, of course," he said. "I merely want to unstone some of the men from the Magic Dust Village, so they can return there to work and comfort their women."

"The Siren's song will just lure them away again."

"True. But at least they will have some time with their families, making things better without changing history significantly."

"I think you're risking paradox." Robota said.

"No I think it will be all right."

"In fact, I think you have been foolishly smitten by the lovely innocence of the Siren, and want to see the Gorgon in her teenage youth."

"What makes you think that?"

"I am objective as only a machine can be, and female besides. Turn aside. Grey."

"I think she's right." Pia said. "He is after all a man. There's only so much bare female flesh they can handle before their foolish minds overload."

The others looked at Edsel. "I fear she's right too." he said. "That siren is one luscious creature, and she has made it plain she wants a man to love. Grey has lost his objectivity."

"Do we have to send in help?" Tristan asked nervously.

"Not yet." Edsel decided. "It hasn't happened yet. Maybe he'll come to his senses before he does something really stupid."

But Grey demurred, forging onward. He seemed to be beyond reason. Edsel winced, watching it. Men were foolish about women This was the danger they hadn't antic.i.p.ated.

"Remember." Robota said, perhaps resigned to likely disaster. "Sight of the Gorgon's mere face turns men to stone. All stone, not just one little part of them the way the sight of other women does " She hugged his head, pressing her bosom against the side of his face.

"She's trying to distract him." Pia said "And for once I agree. If she seduces him. there won't be a change in history."

"I'll be careful," Grey said carelessly.

They pa.s.sed through a region of the lake where tall trees grew up through the water, forming a natural screen They rounded a turn, and something moved Grey instantly exerted his talent-and accidentally nullified the path across the water. He fell in with a splash. Robota laughed, clutching on to his hair. "Serves you right." she said. "Maybe this will shock you into some common sense."

"You're right," Grey said, treading water in a more conventional man "I've got no business meeting the Gorgon. What was I thinking of?" He was swimming now. perforce.

"Maybe this." Robota said, pressing her bosom against his ear again. "Or this." She spread her knees. "Swim to sh.o.r.e, and we'll get out of here."

"Right." He swam to the nearest sh.o.r.e.

A hand reached down to help him climb out and up the steep bank. He looked at his rescuer-and turned to stone.

Pia screamed. Edsel fell off his chair. Grey had been caught by surprise, not thinking to nullify any more magic, and had accidentally gazed at the face of the Gorgon. The ultimate disaster had happened.

Chapter 11: FANTA SEA.

After a moment, Pia recovered enough to help Edsel gasp out the nature of the catastrophe.

"Grey-stoned?" Tristan repeated, stunned. "We never antic.i.p.ated this."

"For sure," Breanna said, not smiling. She looked as white as her brown face could get. "We were so concerned about him changing history, we never thought of how history could change him. What'll we tell Ivy? She'll be Poison Ivy when she hears about this, even when it's not the time of the month."

"Women in Xanth have times of the month?" Pia asked. "I thought-I mean, with the stork and all-"

Breanna glanced to make sure no males were close enough to hear. "Between storks, they can get out of sorts, about once a month." she said. "Men don't know. But what I really meant was-"

"I know. This is awful. She loves Grey."

DO NOT PANIC, Com Pewter's screen printed. STONING IS NOT PERMANENT.

"It isn't?" Pia asked, foolish hope flaring.

"All the stoned men recovered in the subsequent Time of No Magic," Justin said.

"That's a relief," Edsel said, looking more than relieved. "I thought he was dead."

"I will have to go to rescue him," Tristan said with grim determination. "When I get him out of Xanth, the magic will relent, and he will be restored. He is not dead, merely enchanted."

Pia grabbed on to something. "What's this time of no magic?"

"It occurred about a year later." Justin said. "When Bink mistakenly freed the Demon X(A/N)th and the Demon departed, taking his magic with him."

"But the Demon XA/N)th is still here." Pia protested. "In the form of-"

"It was temporary," Justin said. "The Demon returned after about a day, and the magic was restored. But the stoned men remained whole; the Gorgon's spell had been interrupted, and could not restore itself. It was an incidental benefit of a very awkward period."

"Then-" Pia said, working it out. "Then all they have to do is wait for that, and Grey will be all right."

The others circulated a surprised glance. SHE IS CORRECT, Pewter's screen printed. NO RESCUE MISSION IS NECESSARY AT THIS TIME.

Tristan looked twice as relieved as Edsel had been. It was clear that he did not want to travel into the past, and risk disturbing history himself. Yet he had been ready to. The troll had courage.

"Quick, fast-forward," Breanna suggested. "See if they work it out themselves."

"No!" Justin said. "Resume at exactly that time, to see how Robota reacts. That may be important."

"Yes!" Pia shut her eyes and tuned in. It was obvious that Edsel couldn't, for now.

"h.e.l.lo." Robota said.

The Gorgon stared at her. "Oh-I thought you were a man."

"Not exactly," Robota said. "I was climbing on this statue of a man; maybe you confused us."

"That must have been the case. I thought I saw a swimming man."

"Our eyes do sometimes deceive us," Robota said. "Is there another path away from here?"

"Yes, that way." The Gorgon pointed.

Robota took the path and made her way back toward the Magic Dust Village. "She shows no regret at Grey's fate," Pia reported. "She's just going about her business."

"She's a golem, without a soul." Tristan reminded her. "She can emulate caring, but can't actually experience it. Since she is alone, she must see no reason to emulate it.'"

Robota reached the village. "He got stoned."

"I don't understand." Trolla said.

"He made a mistake, and will not be returning. So I have come to join your community."

"You are welcome," Trolla said. "Provided you are willing to work hard."

"Yes"

So Robota settled in, in her natural golem form, and helped the villagers disperse the magic dust. She worked hard, and soon was accepted by the others. She did them favors when she could, and became increasingly decent as she studied the others to learn the ways of it.

Pia opened her eyes. "What I don't get is why Grey went so crazy, there toward the end. I mean, I thought he was a pretty level-headed married man."

"He is." Justin said. "But the Siren's song-actually it's her dulcimer that carries the magic-is among the more remarkable lures of Xanth. Grey surely underestimated its power to affect him."

"And perhaps rationalized to believe that he remained in control." Tristan said. "Men do that."