Now Larry smiled, beginning to feel more at ease. “Wira told me.”
“So when he tells you to get an alien girlfriend, this is not a dismissal of your case. He knows your nature. If you follow his directions, you will obtain your answer, and be the better for it, as I was for mine.”
Larry looked at her. “You know about that?”
The Gorgon smiled, and it was most attractive through the veil. “Humfrey is the Magician of Information, and some of it rubs off on the castle personnel. At any rate, sometimes his Answers lead not to the solutions the querents seek, but to the solutions they really need, which may be rather different. So maintain an open mind; things are not necessarily what they seem.”
“All I want is a body to match my nature!”
“Exactly.”
Squid couldn’t blame Larry for being confused; Squid was confused too. The folk of this castle seemed to know Laurelai’s situation, but were hinting that the solution he wanted was not inevitably the one he would get.
“I hope my problem can be solved,” Larry said uncertainly.
“Time will tell. Meanwhile, Squid is a fine girl, for all that she is an alien cuttlefish. Give her a fair chance and you will surely be rewarded.”
Now Squid froze. They were talking about her! As if her coming association with Larry would not be entirely a pose similar to that of Santo and Noe. Yet how could it ever be real?
“Maybe in time I will understand,” Larry said diplomatically.
“You surely will,” the Gorgon agreed.
Wira reappeared. “The Good Magician will see Laurelai now.”
She led Larry up a tightly winding stairway to a cramped office filled mostly by a huge open tome. Behind it sat an old gnome-like man wearing huge spectacles, the famed Good Magician.
“This is Laurelai, the querent,” Wira said.
The gnome looked up. “Of course,” he said gruffly. “Come in, querent.”
Larry stepped into the tiny office, so that he stood right before the giant book. “I just want to know how I can—”
“Of course,” the magician said impatiently. “For your Service you will join the crew of Fibot, the flying craft with the fire sail, and serve there as much of a year as is needful. You will befriend the seeming girl Squid and call her your girlfriend.”
“But I don’t want a girlfriend!” Larry protested. “I will want a boyfriend, when the time comes.”
But the Magician seemed not to hear him. “I say this advisedly: Squid is the most important person you will ever encounter. You must support her completely, and protect her to the best of your ability, even if it puts your life in peril. That is your true assignment.”
Larry opened his mouth for another protest, but then stifled it. “Yes, of course.”
What? He was agreeing to cater to Squid, even though he knew their relationship was to be more pretense than actual? Because he was really a girl and she was really a cuttlefish. A girl dating a cuttlefish could be reckoned as a joke. It could not be serious. Yet it seemed he was now taking it seriously. Why?
Then she saw something subtle. The five siblings were able to spy the Demoness Fornax when she was near, because they were very close to her emotionally. In fact they loved her. They knew her tiny mannerisms. Squid knew that Fornax was using Laurelai as a secret host for some mysterious purpose. She knew that Fornax and Laurelai were having a private dialogue; that was what the subtle hints suggested.
Fornax must have told Laurelai to agree to what Humfrey was saying. To treat Squid as a very special girlfriend. Laurelai must be telling Larry, who was really a shell operating the male body. So without mentioning the Demoness, Larry was accepting the assignment.
But why was Squid so important? She saw no reason. She was different, yes, because she was not the little girl she appeared to be, but that had not changed. Everyone who knew her knew her nature. Apart from that, she was just nobody.
Then Humfrey looked directly at her. He could see her! “The fate of the universe depends on you, Squid,” he said.
He was talking to her? While Larry remained frozen in place? Even though she wasn’t really here, but was just tuning in on Larry? She had to be dreaming.
“No, you are awake,” he said. “Now stop with the childish denial and get with the program. You have a vital job to do.”
He could see her, and was telling her that her role was phenomenally important. It seemed crazy, but he was the Magician of Information, and she had to believe him. Somehow she really was the key to whatever was happening.
“Exactly,” he agreed.
Squid raised her hands in mock surrender. She would do her best, even if she didn’t understand it.
Then Humfrey returned his attention to Larry. “Fibot is sailing here now. Be ready to board.” And he turned his tired old eyes back to the giant Book of Answers before him. The querent had been dismissed.
Larry came out of stasis, nodded and backed out of the study. Wira was there. “I will show you to the courtyard where the fire boat will dock.”
And Squid shut off the vision, returning to her own awareness. She was on her bed, where she had been lying for safety while tuning into the other scene.
She got up and went to the porthole. There was the Good Magician’s Castle, ahead and below. They were slanting smoothly down to land in its courtyard.
She was about to welcome Larry aboard, officially, and become his dancing partner and girlfriend, so that they had seeming reason to stay together without arousing suspicion. In an adventure that seemed to be largely limited to children. If it was so important, why weren’t the adults handling it? Nothing was making sense.
She felt as if she were floating in a cloud of strangeness. What was wrong with this picture? She wished she knew.
But what could she do, except play it through, like any other role? She was the protagonist, the viewpoint character. There had to be more of a reason than she had seen so far. If she couldn’t really believe it, she could pretend. At least she was good at pretending.
Chapter 5
Dance
Squid climbed to the sailboat section as the fire sail boat landed. Win turned off the breeze, and Firenze took down the sail. Tending the burning sail came naturally to him, because of his hot hands. Ula was there, lending moral support. When she had brought Firenze aboard the sail had assumed a heart shape; it knew what was what.
The others came topside to watch, including Dell and Nia. They knew this was important.
Squid made herself look exceptionally pretty for the occasion. Then she jumped over the gunwale and landed in the castle courtyard, her simulated skirt flaring nicely to show her legs. Larry stood there, admiring the vessel. Beyond him stood Wira and the veiled Gorgon.
She walked up close to him. “Let’s get this over with,” she murmured. “Only in public, I promise.”
“Thanks,” he murmured back.
Then she put her arms around him, drew him in close, and kissed him solidly on the mouth. She knew that no little hearts would appear, but that wasn’t the point. The point was that they were now officially a couple.
They finished the public kiss and separated slightly. And stared.
There were no hearts, but there were multiple miniature question marks surrounding them. Slowly they drifted upward and outward, dissipating.
“I never saw that before,” the Gorgon said, surprised.
The faces on the deck were similarly bemused. No one else had seen it before either. Maybe it was the first time a misbodied girl child had kissed an alien cuttlefish child. Still, Squid wondered why there were any little symbols at all. Did their appearance mean something? If so, what?
“Sorry to put you through this confusion,” Squid said as she guided him to the boat. “It seems to be a complicated time.”
“Actually I’m glad to be with yo
u,” Larry said. “Because I don’t have to explain myself to you, you have a better notion what’s going on than I do, and you are familiar with the fire sail boat as I am not. I am happy to leave myself in your hands.”
“I will show you around. Then we should talk. There are things you may not like.”
“I don’t like being in this body. The rest is incidental.”
“Maybe.”
He halted before they got on the boat. “What do I need to know, that I won’t like?”
“I’ve been watching you. It’s a new talent I learned of after we met before. I can tune in on folk who mention my name, or even sometimes if they only think of me. I can see what they do and hear what they say. I saw you do the challenges, and talk with Wira and the Gorgon, and the Good Magician.”
Larry smiled. “He mentioned you.”
“Yes, I heard that too. It seems I’m the protagonist for this story, so I have to know everything that relates to it. So you have no real privacy.”
“So when I poop or pee, you can see?”
Squid was surprised. “I suppose I could. But I’m not out to embarrass you. I just want you to know that I may be with you more than you like. It’s not anything I chose; I’m stuck with it.”
“I’m embarrassed just being in this body. So if that’s it, I can handle it.”
“Then let’s board the boat.” She showed him how to climb over the gunwale, flashing her legs again in the process. That was incidental fun. Then she commenced the cycle of introductions. He was duly impressed by the people, the animals, and the boat itself. By the time they were done, Fibot was on its way through the sky.
“Now you can have your own stateroom,” she said, “or you can bunk with me. I used to bunk with Myst, but she got a boyfriend and moved in with him.”
“With you,” he said immediately. “If that’s permitted.”
“It is. Fibot has its own rules, and couples can share quarters.”
“Even children?”
“Yes. It’s not as if children can actually do anything that violates the Adult Conspiracy. We know; we’ve tried.”
He smiled. “Children do. But I can’t perform any private natural function without straining the Conspiracy. I hate the whole wrong-body business.”
“You’re a special case,” she agreed. “As I am, albeit a different case.”
They settled into her suite. “The next thing is the dance,” Squid said. “I hope you like square dancing and its cousins. We’ll be partners.”
“Actually I do. There’s a kind of freedom of expression in dancing that appeals to me.”
“Dell and Nia are conducting classes this week. Next week we’ll go on tour with Magnus and Jess.”
“With who? I don’t remember meeting them.”
“You didn’t meet them. They’re taking time off between tours. They’re in love.”
“Love seems to be going around. I noticed Firenze and Ula.”
“Children can love,” Squid said a bit defensively. “They com, com, complete each other.” She had stumbled, trying to get the term.
Larry smiled. “I think the word you are looking for is complement. One has what the other lacks.”
“Yes. He’s a hothead but she has cooling hands. He’s my brother and she’s my friend; I know how hard it was for him, until he met Ula, and how lonely she was. They’re perfect for each other, regardless of age.”
“I’m sure. But I wasn’t disparaging young love. I’ve had crushes myself.” His lips quirked. “On boys.”
“And you’re not gay. I know. I hope you get your body change, so you can finally be yourself. But meanwhile we have to fake it, for the sake of this mysterious mission.”
“If it gets me my body, it’s worth it, whatever it is.”
“I hope so,” she agreed warily.
“I fear you have similar misgivings to mine. We fear the unknown.”
“We do.” She quirked a smile. “We may actually be kindred spirits despite our physical differences.”
“If only I were a boy and you were a girl,” he agreed.
Then Santo knocked. “We have met before,” Larry told him.
“Yes. As you know, my relationship with Noe parallels yours with Squid. Both are associations of convenience, with a foundation of mutual respect. But my concern at the moment is something else.”
“Let’s have it,” Squid said with resignation. “Your concerns are never easy.”
He smiled acknowledgment. “We finally have all five siblings together again, along with five non-sibling associates. We need to have a conference, this time including the others.”
“We haven’t had one of those in years, even with just the five of us.”
“Yes. But we are approaching what may be the most significant mission yet. We need to be prepared.”
“Last year we stopped Ragna Roc from taking Xanth over and making it his personal kingdom. What could be more significant than that?”
“This could.”
Squid sighed. “You do realize that it might not work with half of us being non-siblings?”
“I believe it will work. It has to work.”
“And you do realize that there may be a hidden adult among us?” she asked, carefully not looking at Larry. Because Fornax was keeping Laurelai company.
“That is why I believe it will work.”
“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Larry said. He was not allowed to speak of the presence of Fornax.
Santo’s smile was grim. “And may it remain that way.” He glanced at Squid. “Are you ready?”
She was shocked. “Now?”
Santo nodded. “I have already spoken to the others. I will join Noe now. Hold Larry’s hand when you strike your match.”
“I will.”
Santo departed.
“What is this conference?” Larry asked. “What does it have to do with matches?”
“Each sibling has a match. It strikes not flame but position. It will take us to the Playground.”
He shook his head. “It seems that I still have much to learn.”
“All the non-siblings do. I will see you through it.”
“Thank you.” He was bemused, again.
Squid pulled a mundane wooden match from her nonexistent hair. She took his hand, then struck the match on the wall. There was no spark.
Suddenly they were in the Playground. There were swings, slides, turntables, and paths for playing tag. “We seem to be the first to arrive,” Squid said, letting his hand go and putting the match away.
“The Playground,” Larry said, looking around. “For children. We were teleported here. Exactly where is it?”
“It is folded up into a miniature bag that Santo keeps in his room, but to us it seems wide open. All part of the magic. Mainly, it’s a private place for us to gather.”
Firenze and Ula appeared a few feet away. “Hello, Squid and Larry,” Ula said brightly as Firenze put away his match. She had been here before, so wasn’t surprised.
“Hello, both,” Squid replied.
Ula glanced at Firenze. “Do we have time for a kiss?”
“We’ll make time,” he said. They kissed, and more little hearts orbited them. Their love remained fresh.
Then Win and Data appeared. “Blip, I wish we had boyfriends,” Win said, putting away her match.
“Maybe we can find some here,” Data said, looking around.
Myst and Piton appeared. “Wow!” he said as she put her match away.
“If I got on that swing, and swung high, my magic panty would show,” Myst said. “Too bad we don’t have time for that naughtiness.”
“You are an infernal little tease.”
“Yes,” she agreed as she twitched her hip in a way that made her skirt rise almost
enough. “I love it.”
Mainly, Squid knew, Myst loved playing eighteen when she was only nine. But it was evident that Piton enjoyed the game too. Flirtation was fun at any age.
Then Santo and Noe arrived. “This brings memories,” she said as he put away his match.
Santo was all business. “We are all here? Gather round. Form a circle, couples together.”
“We’re not a couple,” Win said. “We’re just friends.”
“You’re a pair,” Santo said. “That will do.”
They formed the circle, facing inward. “We all know each other,” Santo said. “But for the benefit of the non-siblings, a brief review. The Land of Xanth, on an alternate track, found itself in a situation that doomed it to extinction, about forty-five years hence. There were only five survivors, children who were rescued by Astrid Basilisk and Demoness Fornax, who took them fifty years into the past and arranged for them to be adopted into five families. We five consider ourselves to be siblings despite having no family connection to each other because we share that lost realm and our closeness to Astrid and Fornax; no one else matches those associations. We are an odd bunch, consisting of a hothead, a gay boy, an alien cuttlefish, a windy girl, and a girl who can dissolve into mist. We all love each other, and we love Astrid and Fornax; that will never change.”
He paused to glance around. The other four siblings, including Squid, nodded. They were in complete agreement; there was no incomplete about it.
“That does not exclude other relationships,” Santo continued. “Firenze has found love with Ula, I have a relationship of convenience with Noe, Squid has one with Larry, Win is friends with Data, and Myst is playing girlfriend to Piton, knowing that when they grow older it may become a true romance. These relationships are close enough so that we consider them virtual siblings too, for this particular purpose. For example the fact that my relationship with Noe is a fake romance does not mean we are not close. I love her and she loves me. We just don’t mean to marry.”
He paused again. There was no dissension. Squid trusted that he would get to the point soon.
“We discovered also that when we get together and focus, we can achieve a conference that clarifies our situation in a way nothing else can. We can do it only when all five of us are present, and when we all decide. We have not done it recently because only three or four of us have been together at a time. Now something huge is looming; we don’t know what it is, only that it concerns the whole of Xanth yet is limited to children. All of our powers have been amplified so that we are better able to handle what we may encounter. The mystery especially relates to Squid, who is the protagonist for this story and the most important person of us all.”
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