Jest Right

by Piers Anthony

  “You’ll take other hosts?” Jess asked, alarmed.

  Kadence paused, then touched her hand to get serious. “No. This is my only host currently. It’s that I do have a life of my own, in my own time, much of which is public, and my folks would be annoyed if I were absent too much. Princesses can have a hard time getting much privacy. As it is, my parents are not completely sanguine about my time traveling. But Ula will let me know if there is something urgent, and I will come.”

  “We appreciate that, Princess,” Magnus said, and Jess saw the way his speech compelled the girl’s attention. She might understand how crushes came and went, but there were nervous aspects. “You mentioned a nexus. It seems we do have a mission that needs to be accomplished without undue delay. But we may still need one more princess. Is this something you can help us with?”

  “Yes, I believe I can,” Kadence said. “My cousin Aria, Princess Melody’s daughter, is my age. We play together often, and understand each other pretty well. There are times when she feels similarly stifled by the show business that is royalty. In fact she envies me my connection here. I believe she would participate, if there is a suitable host.”

  “Um, Ula, Win and Myst are taken as hosts,” Squid said. “That leaves me. I’d love to be a princess!”

  “Then let’s try it,” Kadence said. “I will fetch her.” She faded, and Ula returned.

  “Um, about you—” Ula said. “There may be a complication.”

  “No, I’m glad to do it,” Squid said.

  “What I mean is—”

  Kadence returned. “Take my hand,” she told Squid. “I will guide her in, this first time. After this she will know the way.”

  Squid extended her hand. Kadence took it.

  Squid’s aspect changed.

  “Oops,” she said in a new voice. “This isn’t going to work.” The aspect changed back.

  Squid burst into tears. “I wanted to be a princess!”

  Jess wanted to comfort her, but knew she couldn’t do it because of the curse.

  Then Kadence put a hand on Jess’s shoulder. The power manifested.

  Jess brought Squid into a comforting hug, and let her cry against her other shoulder.

  After a suitable interval, Squid recovered without leaving Jess’s embrace. “I didn’t mean to make a scene,” she said. “It was just—”

  Now Kadence spoke to her, while leaving her hand on Jess’s shoulder. “Squid, there is something I regret I did not think of in time. It is not that you are not a worthy person. It is that the requirements for hosting are rather stringent. The gender must match, which is why Santo wouldn’t do. The age must match, which is why neither Jess nor Nia would do. You are fine in those respects. But also the species must match, and you are not human. The parameters are skewed. It’s like trying to fit a square house on a triangular base. It just doesn’t work.”

  “I understand,” Squid said. “Sometimes I forget I’m not human.”

  “We are sorry,” Kadence said. “We did not mean to tease you. I know you from my prior visits here. You’re a good person. Just not suitable in this particular manner.”

  “I know.” Squid drew herself from Jess’s embrace and went off by herself.

  Jess hated the situation. The girl was being good about it, but she was hurting.

  “Maybe we can make it up to her, some way,” Magnus said. “But right now we need another host.”

  A bulb flashed over Win’s head. “Noe!”

  “No?” Magnus asked.

  “No, not no. Noe. Santo’s girlfriend. She’s eleven. That’s close enough, isn’t it?”

  “Noe,” Kadence repeated. “Yes, I believe she would do. She’s a good girl. But we’d have to fetch her.”

  “Santo’s girlfriend?” Magnus asked. “I thought he was gay.”

  “He is,” Win said. “But Noe understands. She gives him cover from folk who don’t understand.”

  Magnus spread his hands. “You know her. I don’t. If she’s what we need, we should talk to her. Where is she?”

  “On another planet,” Win said. “The World of Three Moons.”

  “Another planet!”

  Win smiled. “Right next door, for us. Now you’ll see Santo in action.”

  “The one who makes holes?”

  “The same. I’ll go tell him.”

  “She’s teasing you,” Ula said, reappearing. “Santo makes big holes.”

  Dell and Nia came on the scene. “Win says we need Noe,” Nia said.

  “For a host for Princess Aria,” Magnus said. “But is she really on another world?”

  “She really is. But we go there routinely on behalf of Queen Jenny, who has friends there. Win and Santo will handle it.”

  Magnus bounced a look off Jess and shut up. Jess agreed: it seemed best just to wait and see what occurred.

  Not long later, it did occur. They watched on deck as Santo focused and a giant hole in the sky appeared before the boat. A hole between worlds? He was a Magician, or close to it! Jess was amazed, as he had never said anything about it. He was, it seemed, a modest boy.

  Then Win blew the boat through the hole. On the other side was a completely different world, one with a plaid sky and three moons colored white, black, and red respectively. But that was not the oddest thing.

  Each moon had its own orbit. The white moon circled the world around the equator, which seemed reasonable enough. The black moon orbited around the poles; Jess could see the contrails of its prior passages, at right angles to the white moon, and passing neatly over each pole. The red moon orbited slantwise, crossing the orbits of each of the others.

  Apart from those details it seemed to be a fairly normal world, with seas, lands, fields, jungles, mountains and rivers.

  They sailed toward a small house at the edge of a jungle. The peeve flew down to the house. In two-and-a-quarter moments the inhabitants emerged; a woman and eleven year old girl. “Santo!” the girl cried, waving vigorously. Santo leaned over the rail and waved back. He looked happy.

  Win guided the craft down to land. The girl came running toward them, her hair flaring in the breeze of an approaching storm, and Santo jumped out to meet her. The two collided in a big hug. They clearly were thrilled to see each other.

  Was he really gay? Jess decided that probably he was, as he had little reason to lie about that. He just liked this girl as a friend.

  The two separated and faced the boat. “This is my girlfriend Noe,” Santo said. Jess saw that her hair and eyes were the color of hope. “She is not the prettiest, smartest, or luckiest person, but she will do. Then, to Noe: “You know my siblings and loco parents. Here also are my other sister Myst, and her loco parents Magnus and Jess. They’re on a mission for the Good Magician.”

  “Hello, loco and sibling,” Noe said, suddenly shy.

  “They need you for something very special.”

  “Sure. Will I get to ride on Fibot?”

  “Yes. They need you to host the spirit of a princess, the way Ula does.”

  Noe clapped her hands in glee. “I’ll do it!”

  “But will your family go for it?”

  Noe hesitated. “They may take some persuading.”

  “So we’d better ask them.”

  “Start with the adults,” Noe said. She seemed wary of pleading her own case to her mother.

  Jess and Magnus joined with Dell and Nia and walked to the house. Noe’s mother came out to meet them. She was of course a generation older than her daughter, with hair and eyes the color of experience. “What elicits this visit, Dell and Nia?” she asked.

  “Noleta, these are Magnus and Jess,” Nia said. “They are on a mission for the Good Magician. They require another princess.”

  “More than Kadence?” The approaching storm was echoed in her countenance.

 
“Kadence’s cousin Aria, the same age.”

  Noleta nodded. “And she’ll need a host of similar age.” Experience was evidently a good teacher.

  “She tried Squid, but needs a human.”

  “Will you treat Noe as you treat Ula?”

  “Yes, of course. She’s Family.”

  “This princess—is she of good character?”

  “We don’t know her yet,” Nia said. “But she’s of a good family.”

  “I’d better meet her.”

  Nia signaled Ula, who came forward. “Tell Kadence to bring Aria.” Then she signaled Noe. “Princess Aria will talk with your mother.”

  The girl was silent, knowing that the decision was out of her hands.

  A light rain began, as if signaling Noleta’s mood. They ignored it.

  Ula changed. Kadence was present. “I can assure you that Cousin Aria is a responsible princess, as I am.”

  “As if that suffices.”

  Kadence laughed. “You know me too well, Mother. No. I am a typical girl when away from my station. So is Aria. So is Noe.”

  Noleta was plainly reluctant, but she thawed slightly, evidently liking Kadence. “What’s her talent?”

  “She sings.”

  The woman thawed a bit more. “Noe would like to sing, but we can’t afford training.”

  “She could learn from Aria.” Kadence reached out her hand to take Noe’s hand. “She’s here.”

  Noe’s expression changed. “Hello, all.”

  “Aria,” Kadence said. “This is Noe’s mother Noleta.” She gestured to the others. “Magnus and Jess, who have the Quest. Myst, the other sibling from the future.” Then, to them: “This is Princess Aria, from my time. Her talent is singing.”

  Now the rain was thickening, threatening to soak them all. But they had to complete the introduction, lest they lose permission.

  “Let me demonstrate,” Aria said. Then she broke into song, a children’s ditty. “Rain, rain, go away! Come again some other day.”

  Jess felt the power of her sorcery surrounding them. Not only was the simple melody beautiful, it was intense.

  The rain fled.

  If the princess could do that with a childish melody, what might she do with a real song? Jess saw that the others were similarly impressed. For it was Noe’s body doing it; the princess was with her only in spirit.

  Noleta capitulated. She could not deny her daughter this phenomenal experience. No mother could.

  Noe reappeared. “Thanks, mom!” she exclaimed, hugging Noleta.

  So it was that Noe joined them on the boat. Jess and Magnus chatted with Santo while the arrangements were being made.

  “We were surprised when we learned you had a girlfriend,” Jess said. “But Noe seems like a very nice girl.”

  “She is,” he agreed. “Here is the thing: I don’t want to have to constantly justify my orientation to strangers, and she shields me from that. She will soon enough be a young woman, a rather pretty one, and she doesn’t want to have to constantly fend off too-friendly boys, so this makes sense for her, too. It isn’t that I hate girls or she hates boys; they’re fine as friends, for now, and I love my sisters. We just don’t want to have to be romantic with them. So Noe and I hug and kiss only in public.”

  “But you know the princesses are other people,” Jess said. “They may have ideas of their own.”

  “Yes. Kadence regards me as a bit of a challenge. But Magnus is more of one for her.”

  “More of one,” Jess agreed morosely.

  “And what of Aria?” Magnus asked.

  “She’ll be after us both,” Santo said. “To rival her cousin. They know better, but they’re impulsive children. They want to try things just to see if they can do them, like intriguing boys or even grown men.”

  Jess saw that Santo, only twelve years old himself, was a pretty sharp observer. Maybe his orientation made him more objective about romantic relations.

  “I hope we can identify and complete our mission quickly,” Magnus said.

  “Meanwhile you will fake it with Jess, with her cooperation, just as I do with Noe.”

  “And if the princess comes when you’re faking it with Noe?” Jess asked.

  “I’m terrified,” Santo admitted. “Because Aria will know I’m not responding to her, and I don’t want a Sorceress mad at me. Especially one I have to kiss in public.”

  “You do have a case,” Magnus agreed.

  Nia emerged from the boat and approached them. “I believe we’re ready to sail back to Xanth proper,” she said. “But there’s a complication.”

  “We don’t need any more of those,” Magnus said as they boarded the boat.

  “A local villager saw the boat arrive, and caught on that Noe would be departing on it. They want a farewell show. She really can’t turn them down; they’re her friends.”

  Magnus sighed. “We’ll do a show.”

  “I didn’t know they cared,” Noe said a trifle wistfully as they settled in the main room.

  “You will have to participate,” Jess said.

  The girl laughed. “Yes, that would be a joke.”

  There it was again. “Ula, could I borrow Princess Kadence? Just the touch of her hand.”

  Ula came to her, her features shifting. She put her hand on Jess’s arm. It was Kadence’s touch; Jess felt its hidden power. “Thank you.”

  Santo nodded, understanding what was happening.

  Jess tried again. “Noe, you have to participate, because this show is in honor of you.”

  Now the child took her seriously. “Sorry; I thought you were joking. But I have no idea how to do one of your shows. I would only mess it up.”

  “They are highly informal. Magnus tells the players what to do, and speaks their lines for them. You could be the lead character.”

  “Oh no!” Noe protested, appalled. “I would perish of stage fright!”

  “She’s right,” Santo said. “She’s all right person to person, but public scenes make her nervous.”

  Jess considered. This was a malady many folk suffered from. It resembled her curse in its way. Then a bulb flashed over her head. “But Princess Aria surely does not get stage fright. She could take over, and the audience would think it was you.”

  Noe’s features shifted. “I am not sure of that,” Aria said. “My manner differs from hers.”

  Bleep! Jess focused again, and a dimmer bulb flashed. “Maybe a non-speaking part. She could just be there, looking just like herself even if it was the princess.”

  “Looking just like a dummy,” Noe said sourly.

  “She needs to play a significant role,” Santo said. “So the villagers can applaud her.”

  There was the crux of it. The princess could play a role without stage fright, but was not the one the villagers wanted to see. How could Noe play a role herself?

  Then a third bulb flashed, brighter than the others. “She could sing!”

  Noe brightened. “I do like to sing. Then she dimmed. “But not alone. I sing in a chorus. That gives me company so I’m not facing the audience alone.”

  “We don’t have a chorus,” Magnus said. “I speak the roles, and I’m not a singer.”

  Aria appeared. “I can sing solo. But I don’t know the local songs. That would give it away.”

  Bleep again! But then Kadence spoke. “She could hum! That’s Ula’s idea; she gets them unexpectedly. That would not give away anything.”

  “She could hum to the mood of the scene,” Magnus said. “Could you do that, Aria?”

  “Readily,” the princess agreed. “I love the emotions in music. Humming evokes them, too.”

  “Then I think we’ve got it,” Magnus said. “Let me go over it with you, Aria, so you know exactly what to expect.”

  “Of course,” the prin
cess agreed, sending him an evocative look. “I will be happy to work closely with you.”

  Bleep, Jess thought. But what could she do? It was her idea to have Noe participate.

  Santo glanced at her with perfect understanding. That hardly helped.

  Aria glanced at Squid, who was hovering unhappily in the background. Jess knew why: she had hoped to be the host of the princess, so that she would be the center of attention, at least vicariously. This was what she was missing. “Squid, may I talk with you first?”

  That caught Squid off-guard. “I guess.” She came across and took a seat beside Jess, as if seeking mute support.

  Aria pulled up another chair. “Squid, I am sorry about what happened before. I couldn’t use you as a host, but that does not mean you are not a nice person.”

  “I’m an alien animal.”

  Aria put a hand on Squid’s arm, much as Kadence did on Jess’s arm. Jess knew that though her magic talent was different, the touch still had phenomenal impact. She saw Squid thaw, emotionally. “You are technically an alien animal, yes, but I touched your essence, briefly, and know that you are the kind of person I would like to have as a friend. That is feasible even if hosting is not.”

  Squid was amazed, as was Jess. “But you’re a princess! Why would you want anything to do with me?”

  Aria smiled. “Let me tell you something about being a princess. At my home, nine years in your future, I am constantly surrounded by servants, courtiers, instructors, and other royals. Everything is structured. I must play my role perfectly, all the time, or I will soon regret it. I have almost no time to myself. That is one reason this visit to your time appeals to me; I can associate with others on a more even basis. At home I think I have only one friend, Kadence, who is in a similar situation. She is friends with the siblings, and with you. But I am new to this scene. I have yet to make friends, and don’t really know anyone here except Kadence. I am a stranger here even if I don’t look it because of my host. I am from another time and another station.” Now she took Squid’s hand. “Squid, you know how it is to be different even if you look the same. You have adapted to the challenge. You can teach me so much, if you care to. When no one else understands, a friend understands. When no one else wants to help, a friend helps. When others judge, a friend does not judge. I desperately need a friend.” Now there were tears in her eyes. “I know this is asking a lot of you, considering how briefly we have known each other. But you are my age and distance from the others, albeit in a different direction. Squid, please, please, be my friend.”