Xone Of Contention Part 4

"Nothing I can see. It's just the scene Now it's changing. Oh- there's Edsel."

"What about Justin and me?"

"I don't see either of you. Just Edsel."

"Can you hear anything?"

"No. It's silent."

Justin spoke. "This would seem to be purely an ongoing visual talent, perhaps seeing what she will be seeing exactly one day hence. That is indeed limited, but potentially quite useful. Perhaps Breanna and I are walking behind you at the moment. It is encouraging that there is no sign of mischief."

"I suppose," Pia agreed. She was somewhat disappointed; she would have preferred a more versatile vision of the future.

"Sometimes simple-seeming talents turn out to have important aspects," Justin said. "You should continue your exploration. I'm sure Nimby would not have given you an inferior talent."

"For sure," Breanna agreed.

Pia continued to watch, but all she saw was a dull travelogue as she and Edsel walked along the sh.o.r.e. Maybe it would be interesting when they were there, but with the sound turned off, it was like watching a soundless movie. She had done that once on an airplane flight, because she hadn't wanted to get soaked several dollars to rent germ-laden earphones for two hours. The movie had distracted, frustrated, and bored her something awful. This felt like that.

"Perhaps if you attempt to change that future scene, you would ascertain useful information," Justin suggested. He had a vaguely archaic mode of speaking that made him sound much older than he was. Except that he was much older, she remembered; he had taken youth potion. So he was after all in synch. But why was young Breanna so taken with the man?

"How do I change my future?" she asked.

"I should suppose that the mere decision to take a different course would be effective. A person's future is naturally determined by his choices in the present."

"All right. I'll do something else." Pia concentrated, determined to do something else.

But the vision of the future did not change.

They pondered that, but none of them could figure out how she could change her future if it refused to be changed. "I suspect we shall simply have to wait until we arrive at that point," Justin said. "Then perhaps we can estimate how we might have changed it, and what might be effective thereafter."

That seemed to cover it. They walked on down the path "We don't have much of an agenda," Breanna said. "We thought the first day you'd just want to see the local sights. Then tomorrow, maybe we can visit Castle Roogna."

Edsel perked up. "I'm not much on the geography of Xanth. But isn't Castle Roogna south of the Gap Chasm?"

"For sure. Chlorine arranged for a roc bird to carry us there. It should be a nice trip."

"That's tomorrow?" Pia asked. "Is Castle Roogna by the sh.o.r.e?"

"No, it's inland."

"Then why am I seeing the sh.o.r.e, tomorrow?"

That made the girl paused. "Gee. I don't know. Unless maybe we ask the roc to take us to the Isle of View or something."

"The what?"

"It's an island named View. Very romantic. Prince Dolph and Princess Electra got married there." Breanna smiled. "I hear it was quite an event, because neither one of them knew how to signal the stork. But they must have figured it out because the stork delivered twins."

"I wonder if there's an Isle of View II," Edsel mused, his tone indicating that this was supposed to be funny. "For the second time around."

Pia figured it out. Isle of View I Love You. And I Love You Too. Romantic by definition. She didn't want to go there with Edsel; he would get ideas. So she would insist on the original tour, to that castle.

She looked at the future again. It hadn't changed. They were still wandering along that stupid sh.o.r.e.

"There's a sign," Edsel said, looking ahead.

The sign said RES PLING-BOXING-SOCKER. An arrow indicated another side path.

"That's probably not-" Breanna began. But Edsel was already heading down it.

"He's like that," Pia said with resignation. "Impulsive to a fault."

Breanna shrugged. "The side path's enchanted, so it should be safe. But these diversions aren't always what you expect."

"This is true," Justin remarked.

They followed Edsel down the path. They came to a region where several men. women, and children were lying on the ground. They weren't sleeping, just lying.

"You folk okay?" Edsel asked.

"Of course," the nearest man said. "We are restling."

"Wrestling?"

"Restling. We are finding out who can laze around the longest. The winner gets to do it again tomorrow."

"As we said," Breanna murmured.

But Edsel was already going on to the next. This turned out to be a group of people making boxes as quickly as they could. Boxing.

"Have you seen enough?" Pia asked in a moderately withering way.

"The Socker should be better." he said, moving on.

It wasn't. People were hurling stinking used socks at each other. The winner was evidently the one who could overcome the others with the intoxicating fumes. Several people were gasping on the ground, and others had purple faces.

"Go ahead, get in the contest, Ed," Pia suggested sweetly "You could win hands down. Or maybe feet down."

He shot her a dark look. "You shouldn't try humor; it's not your forte."

But both Breanna and Justin seemed to be possessed of aspects of a smile.

They returned to the main path. There at the juncture was a female form so luscious it seemed like a crime. Edsel's gaze was immediately locked, and so was Justin's.

Pia exchanged a glance of annoyance with Breanna. Men were so superficial.

"Hi," Edsel said, approaching the figure.

"Lo," the figure responded in a sultry manner. That was all there was; it was swathed in a toga-like wrapping of scintillating cloth, so that only the hourgla.s.s outline could be made out.

"What can I do for you?" Edsel asked eagerly. He was such a fool about women.

The figure began unwinding the cloth. Soon the face would be exposed. "I thought I might ask one tiny little favor "

"We're not looking to do favors," Breanna said "We're a special party touring Xanth. So if it's all the same to you-"

"By no means," the figure said in dulcet tones. "It is very miscellaneous for me."

"It is what?" Edsel asked.

"Unlike, altered, contrary, deviant-"

"Different?"

"Whatever," she agreed crossly.

"The Demoness Metria1" Justin exclaimed "I have heard of you. The demoness with a speech impediment."

The opening hood turned to him "You have an obstruction with that?"

"A what?"

"Problem," Breanna snapped "No, we don't have a problem with that. But we're not in the business of favors."

"Fortunately I wasn't asking you," Metria said, exposing her lovely face "I was asking these handsome gentlemen "

"Anything," Edsel breathed raptly.

"Not anything," Breanna said "We have other business "

Pia wondered why the girl was being so negative. The strip tease was annoying, but didn't seem to warrant such emphatic denial.

The demoness unwrapped some more. Her sculptured slender neck came into view, and the first divine upper swell of her gently heaving bosom "I thought if you were touring Xanth anyway, you could take along my darling Ted."

"Ted?" Edsel asked foolishly, his mind evidently on that swell rather than her words.

"My baby You have no idea what I went through to get him delivered. But now Demon Ted is three, and wants to explore Xanth " Her rose-petal mouth quirked "Without his cadaver."

"His what?"

She unwound some more "Corpse, carca.s.s, deceased, embalmed, bandaged-"

"Mummy." Pia said, before thinking "His mummy."

"Whatever," the demoness agreed crossly She unwound some more, baring an unbelievable bosom barely covered by a translucent halter, and proceeding down to a waist that was three sizes smaller than impossible.

"Sure, anything," Edsel agreed, his eyes spiraling down in concert with the unraveling winding.

"Acquiescence." Justin agreed.

"We're in for it now," Breanna muttered darkly.

"And of course his inseparable friend of the same age, DeMonica," Metria continued as the winding bared her expanding hips.

"Why not." Edsel said.

"What's wrong with three year olds?" Pia asked Breanna. "Not that I care."

"They re half demon, Breanna said tersely. "Ted has a human father and demoness mother, while Monica has a demon father and human mother. They're cute, but worse than any human children can be."

"Well, let the menfolk take care of them. They're the ones who are slavering."

"You ever see worse incompetence than a man with a baby?"

"Point made. The job will fall to us "

"For sure."

Meanwhile Metria was winding down to her splendid thighs. "That creature could irk me, if she made the effort," Pia remarked.

"And she's not even trying "

"So you folk will keep good eyes on them, and not let them get into any mischief?" the demoness asked as her long symmetrical legs appeared. Their juncture was covered by another trifle of haze.

"Yeah, yeah," Edsel agreed. Pia wasn't sure, but it almost seemed that his eyeb.a.l.l.s were smoking.

"Excellent!" Metria stepped out of the last winding "Just for that, I'll show you my-"

"Don't show them your panties!" Breanna cried.

The demoness paused "Why not? Aren't they of age? They will earn the glimpse."

"Because it will freak them out, and they won't be able to do the job."

Metria considered "You do have a p.r.o.ng."

"A what?" Pia asked, again before she thought.

"Pin, spur, tine, spike-"

"Point."

"Whatever So I'll just leave the little darlings."

The demoness gathered up the strewn winding, dissolved into smoke, and separated into two blobs The blobs dropped to the ground, dissipated, and revealed two children.

"I'm Ted," the boy said. He wore a little frilly pink dress with matching feminine sandals. His blond hair was tied with a red ribbon.