Xone Of Contention Part 11

"You are walking on air," he breathed.

"Get me down!"

He caught her around the waist and hauled her toward the sand. She seemed to have the buoyancy of a balloon, and wasn't hard to bring down to the ground.

"Oh, I felt the tingle," she said.

"Because you left the island-and returned," he said. "Now you have a different talent."

"Just as well," she muttered.

They walked along the sh.o.r.e, as she had foreseen. When they figured out an unwanted talent, they took turns lifting each other off the ground and getting new talents. Actually, after the first time, Edsel was worried about Pia's strength, trying to haul him up, so he tried jumping. That did it too. Talents were flighty, here in the Isle of Talents.

"At this rate, we won't be able to hang on to talents we like." Pia complained. "We need some way to anchor good ones."

They came to a sign. CONFISHV IALK TO THL TLIJ HR "What's the teller?" Edsel asked.

"Here's something," Pia said. She picked up a small disk from a pedestal beside the sign.

"Maybe it's the teller, " Edsel said.

She held it up "Are you the teller?"

"Yes," the disk said.

Startled, she dropped it Edsel picked it up "How do you work?"

"I announce your talent "

Edsel glanced at Pia "This could be useful " Then he addressed the teller again "What's my talent?"

There was a tingle in the hand holding the disk "To turn things transparent, so that only their ideas show "

"Ideas?" But the disk was silent It seemed it didn't qualify its announcements.

Pia took the disk "What's my talent?"

"To become what is needed, while it is needed, when you know what is needed "

"I don't understand " But the disk was silent.

"This is nevertheless better than nothing," Edsel said.

"I suppose," she agreed doubtfully "But doesn't it seem rather, well, convenient that we should encounter this helpful sign and disk right when we needed them?"

"You mean, like a path to a tangle tree?"

"Yes"

"Good point Let's put it back "

She set the disk back on its pedestal and they went on.

"I don't think I like becoming what is needed," Pia said "That might be a meal for a dragon."

"Or a s.e.x object for an ardent man."

She had the grace to laugh "That's not a talent. That's the state of being female."

"Then jump and change it "

"Then I won't know what my talent is any more."

"Urn," he agreed "Maybe we do need that teller."

"Maybe so," she agreed reluctantly "But I feel as if I'm being herded."

"Yes. Let's take it until we get talents we want, then leave it and the island."

"Yes"

Pia leaped, exchanging her talent. But Edsel wanted to verify his. He looked for something to turn transparent. All he saw was the wooden pedestal they were approaching. So he focused on that.

It became transparent Inside was the wavering image of a tree.

"It's a tree," Pia said "Or it was It still has the idea of its nature. That's sad."

"And I suppose if I tried it on a person-"

"Don't try it on me!" she cried, alarmed.

What, indeed, would become of her if he turned her transparent? These talents didn't seem to be reversible. This one could be dangerous. So he ended it by leaping.

Pia picked up the teller "What's my talent?" she asked.

"To amplify noise."

"I don't like that " She leaped "Now what's my talent?"

"Making paintings come to life "

She considered. "Maybe that will do." She kept her feet on the ground and handed the disk to Edsel.

"What's my talent," he asked.

"Waxing the moon's green cheese."

Edsel laughed, then realized that the teller was serious. In Xanth, the moon really did have green cheese on the side facing the ground. On the side facing away, he understood, it was milk and honey, because that was not polluted by the sights it saw. Thus a honeymoon was by definition to the far side.

But how was he going to get to the moon, to encase its cheese in wax? So this did not seem useful. He jumped "What's my talent?"

"Returning things to their original state."

Now that seemed useful He tried another question "Where did this talent come from?"

"A boy named Reuben "

Who must have visited the island, and exchanged his talent before he knew. Too bad for him.

"Let's get away from here with what we've got," Pia said tightly.

"Keeping our feet firmly on the ground," Edsel agreed He tucked the teller into his pocket, in case of future need.

They strode back to the boat, got carefully in, and paddled it away from the island Edsel felt relief, the island had seemed nice, but eerie in its lack of people or creatures. Now he knew why they didn't want their talents involuntarily changed. Those who did want change would come only long enough to get a useful one, then would flee, never to return.

"Where are we going?" she asked as they pulled clear of the cove.

He hadn't thought that far ahead. "I guess we had better return the boat. We don't seem to be finding much we want on the lake anyway. Then we can look for the enchanted path, and our Companions."

"They should be looking for us."

"So maybe we'll meet halfway."

She didn't argue, which meant she was as worried as he was. He did not want to get caught out at night. But how they were going to plow through that tangle of briars to get back to the campsite he didn't know.

Edsel felt something in his pocket. "I forgot to return the teller to its pedestal," he said.

"We can't go back now; our talents will change."

She was right He would just have to keep the teller, at least for now.

They took the boat back to where they had found it, and tied it in place. Apparently no one had missed it, which was another relief.

They walked across the plain. "I think the camp is that way," Edsel said, pointing.

"Where the very thickest brambles are."

"Right. So we'll have to be a bit indirect. There seems to be thinner cover there to the side."

It turned out to be mixed field and forest, rather pleasant. But of course this was day; it might be another matter by night. They pa.s.sed an apple pie tree and picked a ripe pie, and sat down to eat it.

"I'd better test my talent," Pia said. "But I don't see a painting to bring to life."

"Maybe you can draw one in the dirt," he suggested, half humorously.

"Yeah, sure," she said witheringly. Then she reconsidered. "The way things are literal, here in Xanth, maybe that would work after all."

"Sure." He cleared a place for her, smoothing it over.

She found a stick and drew a crude picture of a rabbit, with two huge long ears and a wiggly nose. Then she focused on it. "Come to life," she said.

The rabbit jumped out of the dirt and bounded away. Then it turned and hounded back, looking at them, it was lopsided, with brown fur, but definitely alive.

"You did it," Edsel said. "You made a living creature."

"See if yours works," she said.

He nodded. He spoke to the rabbit. "Return to your natural state "

The rabbit hopped onto the cleared dirt and flattened into the drawing.

"Oh, you killed it!"

That was an exaggeration, but he didn't argue "Then bring it back to life."

"I will." She concentrated.

Nothing happened.

"You did focus the same way?" he asked.

"Yes! It's just not working now."

"Weird. I'd better try mine again." He looked around. Would it work on a fallen leaf? He picked one up and focused.

Nothing happened. So he tried it on a dead stick. Nothing. On a stone, with no result.

"Our talents aren't working," Pia said, annoyed.

"Let me verify this." He brought the teller from his pocket. "What's my talent?"

"Summoning birds."

"But that's not what I took from the island!"

There was no answer. The teller was not much of a conversationalist.

"Well, summon a bird," Pia said, somewhat acidly.

Edsel looked into the sky. There was no bird in sight. He tried anyway. "Bring me a bird."

There was a shuddering in the air. A distant cloud vibrated. A shape came zooming toward them. It was a bird, growing larger. Larger. And huge. Huger. And enormous. Enormouser. It threatened to blot out the sky.

"Get rid of it!" Pia cried, covering he head with her hands.

"I don't think that's my talent," he said with more bravado than he felt.

The monstrous bird braked in air and they were almost blown away by its downdraft. It landed before them. It was bigger than both of them, by far. In fact it could have swallowed the two of them together.