Yon Ill Wind (36 page)

“Yeah,” he said.  It didn't occur to him to wonder why a glimpse of a green bra should stain his eyes, while a complete look at a fine bare bosom merely made his eyes dilate.  This was, of course, the magic of certain garments.

“How come you came here?” Karen asked.  “I mean you helped us on our way, and we're glad, but do you really care about mainland Xanth?”

Sheila looked as if she was possibly pondering the merest hint of a blush, which would have been very unusual for a normal centaur.  “It is true that my main interest is in Centaur Isle.  But Carleton wished to see his sister again, and I was indisposed to allow him to travel that far alone.”

“I get it!” Karen cried with juvenile lack of circumspection.  “You're sweet on Carleton!”

“Karen!” Mary cautioned.

“While that is not the way I would have chosen to express it, the sentiment is accurate,” Sheila confessed.

“Where he goes, I go.” There was a slight stress on the words, because she had a notion where Carleton was going.

They got organized and started for the castle again.  But there was another arrival.  It was a young woman with tangled hair, and a small dog.

Immediately Woofer and Midrange took note, and went out to meet the newcomers.  Tweeter, perched on Karen's hair, chirped.  That alerted the girl.  “Snarl—and his lost mistress!” she cried, running after the pets.

So it was. Snarl had received an invitation to the party, because he had helped the Ill Wind effort, and he had brought Ursa along too, not wishing to separate from his mistress again.  The girl seemed a bit baffled by it all, but Karen quickly filled her in while cuddling Snarl.  There was another round of introductions.

They started in again—but were paused by still another arrival.  No one recognized the four women striding purposefully toward them until Tweeter cheeped again.  Then Chlorine, who had been talking with the centaurs, looked.

“The four forces of nature!” she exclaimed.  “Everyone's here!”

There were more introductions, this time made by Chlorine.  “Fira—the force of fire,” she said of the fiery woman.  “Mareen—the force of water.  Alanda—the force of land.  And Windona—the force of, air.  They helped us go to find the reverse story thread.” The four women nodded graciously.  Fortunately Chlorine did not clarify that the women had enabled them to travel back in time.

Now at last they all went to the castle.  Soufflé Serpent was in the moat, standing tall, with a little black bow tie on his neck to show that he was part of the resident staff.

They crossed the drawbridge, which was gaily decorated, and entered the castle proper.  There, in a gown that made Mary wince, was Princess Nada Naga.  And suddenly Willow understood why Prince Dolph had been distracted from Princess Electra, in the early days of their relationship.

But there were also the Demoness Mentia, and Trenita Imp, and Princess Ivy, and many others, and any concerns about who might catch on to what were lost in the welter of additional introductions and remembrances.

Then Jenny Elf and another woman approached Willow.

“Hello, Sean,” Jenny said.  “This is Wira, the Good Magician's daughter-in-law.  She must talk with Willow.”

“Wira?” Sean asked.  “But isn't she—” He caught himself.

“Blind,” Wira finished for him.  “That is why Jenny is guiding me, here in this less familiar castle.”

“I am Willow,” Willow said, approaching her.

Wira smiled.  “Magician Humfrey asked me to give you this.” She held out a card.

“Thank you,” Willow said.  “But what is it?”

“It is a pass to Xanth.  Present it at the station on No Name Key in Mundania and you and your companions will be admitted.”

“But I can't go to Mundania,” Willow protested.  “I would die!”

“The Good Magician says that isn't true.  But you would lose your wings and become a human maiden while there.

Your problem is not in leaving Xanth, but in returning.

Keep this pass with you always.”

Willow's eyes widened.  “You mean I can go with Sean?  And have my wings when I return?  And he can come back with me?” “Please don't speak so loudly,” Wira cautioned.  “The Good Magician would not like to have it widely known that he ever did a favor without charge.  But considering your service in helping to save Xanth from the Ill Wind, he felt it was warranted.”

“Oh!” Willow cried, on the verge of fainting from joy and relief.  “Tell him thank you!  Thank you!  Thank—”

But Wira was gone.

“We can be together,” Sean breathed.  “I'm sure Dad will let you travel to Miami with us.”

“But what of your mother?”

“She will be silent.  That's her way of agreeing without actually saying yes to an arrangement some might consider untoward.”

“Untoward?”

“You and me sharing a room.”

“Sharing—?”

“In my generation, it's acceptable for engaged couples to share residence.”

“Engaged?” Willow was staring at the pass, still getting her new bearings.

“Willow, will you marry me?”

Suddenly her bearings were gotten.  “Yes!” She hugged him and kissed him, and little hearts floated out.

“Oh, look!” Karen cried, spying a heart as it floated by her nose.  “Little hearts!  They're engaged!”

Then everyone looked, and there was applause.

Nimby was glad the Good Magician had not come in person, because he would have had some hard questions for Nimby.  It was not easy to keep the truth from Humfrey, who was the Magician of Information.  Obviously the Good Magician knew that Nimby had asked Willow to help herd Happy Bottom north.  But, as obviously, he had not fathomed Nimby's full nature.  Yet.

The party began, and everyone had an excellent time.

Nimby danced with Chlorine, and it was wonderful.  She had not been an expert dancer, but he quietly made her so, knowing it was her wish.  Then she danced with other males, dazzling them, and he danced with other females.

Meanwhile Princess Electra, her royal duties done, reverted to blue jeans and then to (gasp)!  shorts, and went out with Jenny and the children to pig out on pies.  If anyone noticed, anyone had the sense to ignore this infraction of protocol.

Willow's winged parents arrived from their flying elm tree, and met Sean and his family.  They did not seem completely thrilled about her betrothal to a land-bound Mundane, but quickly saw that the situation was hopeless, as Willow adamantly refused to take any love-nullifying potion.  They also grudgingly appreciated the fact that Sean's family had helped save Xanth from destruction; that was worth something.  So they would live with it.

Somewhere amidst it all King Dor formally presented Jim Baldwin with a Certificate of Thanks for the family's volunteer effort to save Xanth from yon Ill Wind, now confined to the Region of Air.  “Without you and your traveling house, and the special effort of all of your family members and pets, we could not have done it,” the King concluded.  “We owe you an enormous debt of gratitude, and regret that we have no way to reward you that will be effective in your homeland.  But be assured you will be welcome here at any time you choose to return.”

“Return?” Jim asked blankly.

“When you use the pass Magician Humfrey gave Willow,” the King explained.  “Any of you will be able to accompany her and Sean when they visit.  Your three pets are included, of course.”

“Woof!” Woofer agreed.

“That's telling them, mutt!” the floor under him agreed.

Jim looked at his wife.  “We might wish to visit,” Mary said cautiously.

“Yea!” Karen exclaimed.

In time the festivities wore out, and folk retired to their rooms in the castle and temporary rooms set up around it.

Folk pretended not to notice how Sean and Willow shared one of those rooms.  “She's a good young woman,” was all Mary would say.

“He's a good young man,” Willow's mother said with similar reservation.  The two women, one Mundane, the other winged, exchanged a glance that transcended cultures.  That was enough.

In the morning the family and Willow piled into the RV and headed for the trollway, waved on their way by a King, a Queen, and a number of Princesses.  The Demoness Mentia went also, to make sure that they found a suitable gas guzzler and suffered no other problems.  They also had the Mundane addresses of Dug and Kim, two others who had visited Xanth and knew something about it.  Some of them would surely be visiting again.

Then Chlorine knew it was time for her to go home; her big adventure—bigger than she had really expected—was over.  Her folks might be wondering where she was.  So, reluctantly, she bid farewell to the royalty and set off for the backwoods, riding Nimby in dragon form.

When they got close.  Chlorine had a notion.  “I know this is all about to end.  Nimby,” she said.  “You promised me one good adventure, and you certainly delivered it.

You have things of your own to do, and can't take forever catering to my whims.  But at least I'd like to show you to my family, before you go away forever.  Will that be all right?”

Nimby nodded.  It was all right because anything she wanted was all right, by the terms of his situation.  But far more hung on her decision than she realized—and he could not tell her that.

“So okay, I'm taking my medicine and declaring this wonderful adventure over,” she said, and at that point she reverted to her natural appearance and nature.  “You are free to do whatever you want, with my thanks.  But if you will be kind enough to wait here until I can bring my family to see you, I'll really appreciate it.  It's been great, Nimby.” Her reversion hadn't quite registered yet, so she was still being nice.  Then she turned and marched away from him, not looking back because she was afraid she would break down and ask for what she thought to be impossible:  a permanent life as a lovely, smart, healthy, and nice woman.

And Nimby lost his power of motion and magic.  All that remained was his awareness of all things in Xanth, but he could no longer affect them in any way.  He had been reduced to a donkey-headed hulk,, and would remain so until he rotted away, unless Chlorine should shed her tear for him.  And why should she do that, knowing it would blind her?

The Demon X(AN)th was depressed because he was about to lose his wager, and with it his governance of the Land of Xanth.  Some other Demon would take it over, and might change it or destroy it, because no other Demon cared about it the way X(AN)th did.  For he had indeed come to care for it, very much.  And therein lay another irony, for he had also fallen in love with Chlorine.

Of course, he knew that the beautiful, smart, healthy, nice edition was a creation of his magic.  He had made her, literally.  But he had done it by her request, to her specifications.  She had become the woman she chose to be, when she had the option.  Therefore the seeds of it had been within her; she had known her deficiencies, and acted to eliminate them.  Chlorine, as she had been the past few days, was what she would be always, given the chance.

And it was Chlorine Ideal that he loved.  She was just the perfect woman.  In all but one respect—the one she hadn't thought of.  And that was the capacity to love.  Her hard life had washed that out along with her tears, until only a vestige remained.  And so she did not love him back.  He knew it, because he knew her mind as no other did.  And without that love, she would never shed a tear for anyone other than herself.

X(A/N)th himself had not known the meaning of love, before this adventure.  He had not cared about anyone or anything except himself and his competitive ranking among Demons.  But in order to win Chlorine's love he had had to learn about love, and in the course of that he learned how.

It had not been easy or sudden, because Chlorine herself did not truly understand it.  She thought that love came automatically with beauty and niceness.  She was mistaken; such things merely facilitated it.  So she had practiced her craft, impressing young males by displaying teasing portions of her healthy body and clothing.  She had teased Nimby, too, and indeed she had been interesting, and he would have liked to summon the stork with her.  But storks were not identical to love; they were more like fellow travelers.  There could be storks without love, and love without storks.  Chlorine had finally realized that distinction, and broken off the effort, and in that decision had sown the seed of what she lacked.  She had realized that she was coming to care for him enough to make playing unkind, but she hadn't realized what she was actually searching for.

It was the Mundane family Baldwin that had begun to show him the immense potential depth and breadth of love.

The children's love for their pets, and Mary's love for the children.  Neither had anything to do with storks, but in their subtle ways they were as significant.  Any member of that family was prepared to die to protect any other member.  Not all of them realized it, such as David, but it was true.  X(A/N)th had studied that quiet underlying emotion, laboring to understand it, and gradually had succeeded.

Mary had helped him most, by showing her concern for everyone, even for him, when he had come in soiled from the meatier shower.  She had treated him like a son, and though he was infinitely older than she, he had appreciated it.  She had cared for him, and thereby shown him how to care for her.  It was a kind of commitment that required no magic; it was just there, like water seeping silently through ground.  But it was the base on which the more dramatic forms of love were laid.

Such as that between Sean and Willow.  True, it had been sponsored by a dip in a love spring.  But neither would have been affected as they were, if they had not had solid family love first.  They had understood the aspects of love, and were ready when suddenly it caught fire.

Otherwise the water would merely have caused them to mate uncontrollably, summoning as many storks as they could in a short time, and then to separate, the mood expended, in the manner of animals.  Instead they had resisted the mating urge for the sake of a larger commitment that they were, ironically, unable to make.  For the love they wished to realize in its entirety.

It had taken X(A/N)th some time to analyze that, and to emulate it to be sure that he did understand it.  But that turned out to be a door that, once opened, could not be closed again.  He loved Chlorine.