Vale of the Vole (43 page)

And there at the edge of the forest was Marrow—and Bria. The brassie girl rushed down to fling herself into his arms. "I was so afraid you had fallen and drowned!" she exclaimed. "The demons wouldn't tell us anything!"

"They're demonic," he agreed. "But I think 1 have solved their problem with the hummers. They are going to help restore the Kiss-Mee River to its natural state."

Then there was a flurry of discussion, as things were worked out. Wilda Wiggle, having passed beyond her reproduction cycle, was now ready to settle down with a male for fun and companionship, and she still liked Volney. The two were conversing by the shattered riverbank, and it seemed that some of the water's affection was returning, for they were touching noses in a fashion that was surely the volish kiss.

Marrow was going to return the Void, then see what else he could do to become real; he thought the folk at Castle Roogna might be able to use his services in looking for the lost Good Magician. Latia was returning to her people, her mission completed; that success would ensure proper respect for her during her retirement. Xap and Crunch departed together, evidently friends now. And Chex—

"I believe I have a date with a winged centaur," she said, spreading her wings. "I don't think I need to be concerned anymore about the acceptance of my species. I mean to generate my own species." She flicked herself with her tail and took off, and her happiness seemed to spread out in ripples.

A shape appeared in the sky. For a moment Esk thought it was Chex returning, but instead it was her sire Xap. He landed before Esk and squawked.

Esk could not understand the winged-monster language, but he thought he might guess. "You say you have a message from my grandfather, Crunch Ogre, that I have performed an act of ogreish destruction, absolutely ruining the Vale, so I am now considered an adult in the ogreish mode?"

Xap squawked agreement, and took off again. "Tell him I appreciate his news!" Esk called. "I never would have guessed, otherwise!"

Xap's final squawk sounded very like laughter. Evidently the hip-pogryph's sense of humor was more liberal than his centaur filly's.

"I shall have to stay here awhile," Esk told Bria. "I promised the demons, and of course I'd like to see the Vale of the Vole restored to its

original beauty, and the Kiss-Mee River to its former affection. So if you—"

"Speaking of affection," she murmured, "let's go somewhere private and try out that accommodation spell. Now that your grandfather says you are adult, you should be able to handle an adult relationship."

"Uh, I meant, if you want half my soul now—"

"That, too," she agreed. Then she hugged him, and he knew that it didn't matter what was done in what order; they would be together.