Xone Of Contention (13 page)

“Me neither. So it's one big loop. Six illusion pictures of two scenes. And that's it.”

“I fear I still do not understand the rationale.”

Pia agreed. “Maybe I'm too bleeping suspicious, but I can't believe that this is all there is. Do you think it's a test, or something?”

“A test?” he asked blankly.

“To find out just how smart we are. See if we have the wit to figure out the real situation ”

“I suppose that could be the case. I confess feel rather unintelligent at this stage.”

Pia realized that Edsel probably could have figured it out. He was good at puzzles. She wanted to prove that she could figure out something on her own, before appealing to him for help. “There must be something we're missing. We have to prove we're smart enough to figure it out.”

“This may indeed be a challenge. But my mind is not apt at such riddles.”

“Let's see: we made a loop and saw six exhibits. They're in a big circle. Could there be something inside that circle?”

“That seems to be a fair possibility. But I saw no access to it.”

“Right. No tunnels going anywhere. Just those illusion pictures.” Then she had a bright idea—and was amazed to see a light bulb form and flash, about two feet before and above her face.

“You have a bright notion,” Justin said.

“Yes.” she said, recovering from her surprise “These pictures are illusion, right? So they're not solid. There could be something behind them.”

“Behind them? I should think merely the wall.”

“How do we know? There could be another passage. We wouldn't see it, because it would be covered by the illusion.”

“Why I believe you are correct. It is certainly possible.”

“So let's go look.” She forged on toward the first of the exhibits.

Justin followed. “Actually, there could be other passages from this one, covered by illusion. But your notion is certainly viable.”

They reached the snowy mountain view. Pia reached into it. The snow wasn't cold; there was no sensation, and no tingle of danger. She lifted a foot and stepped into it. As her head entered the illusion, she became blind; there was nothing but fog in view.

She backed out, and the passage reappeared. “I'm not Breanna. I can't seen in the dark. That scares me. I mean, suppose there's a pit and a pendulum?”

“A pendulum?”

“Never mind. What I mean is that there could be something dangerous in there. Maybe not inimical, but not good to go into blind, like a drop-off. Because folk aren't expected to walk through the illusions. Anyway, it makes me distinctly nervous.”

“A sobering prospect,” Justin agreed. "It may be unfortunate we lack a rope, so that we could protect ourselves from a possible fall.”

“Yes.” Pia remained unwilling to give up on it, but what else was there to do? Then a second bulb flashed "Clothing!”

“I beg your pardon?”

“We could knot our clothes together to make a rope. Maybe not a long one, but maybe enough. I saw that trick in a movie once.”

“A what?”

“Never mind. Let's try it.”'

“I am afraid I don't—”

He was truly diffident, which was one big reason she felt free to try it. “We take off our clothes and tie them end to end to make a crude rope. One of us can hold it while the other goes ahead. So there won't be a fall.”

“Why, I suppose that could work. But—”

She understood his reticence. “You feel it would be bad to see each other naked?”

“That is a matter of concern,” he confessed.

“You've seen it before, haven't you?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You have seen Breanna nude.”

“Well, yes, actually. Technically. On occasion she has insisted on bathing in my presence. But—”

“I’m much the same, only a different color. Anyway, we'll be in illusion, so won't see much for long. Let's do it. We don't want the others to worry because we're taking too long." She found she was enjoying this. It was a kind of adventure. She was rather proud of her restored body, too.

“I suppose that is true. Perhaps Breanna would understand.”

“Sure she will.” Maybe too well, but Pia did not find it necessary to say that. She pulled off her blouse and stood in her bra.

Justin's eyes bulged dangerously, but he managed to squeeze them back into shape. That didn't bother her at all; she liked making an impression, especially when it was risk free. He visibly nerved himself and removed his own shirt.

Pia stepped out of her skirt.

Justin froze. He didn't move at all. After a moment, she inquired. “Justin — are you all right?”

He didn't answer. He just stood there, his eyes glazing over.

Then she realized: he had freaked out' She had overdone it. forgetting about the magic effect a girl's panties had on men in Xanth.

What was she to do? They needed all their outer clothing to make the rope. But if he couldn't function while her skirt was off, that wouldn't work.

She remembered something Breanna had said, nymphs ran nude all the time, and didn't freak out men, though they did attract considerable attention. So would Justin un-freak-out if she went all the way naked? Maybe so, but she did not care to risk it. Even if it worked, her purpose could be misunderstood. She did not want to make an enemy of Breanna. So what else was there?

Maybe she could hide her lower body under the illusion Then he would be all right, until they were through. Once they were through, they could dress again. That seemed to be the best course.

She walked into the picture, centering on one of the mountains The floor seemed level beneath the picture; her footing was firm. She could see the illusion up to her waist. Now she called again to him. “Justin!”

He blinked, and his eyes lost their glaze. “I heg pardon; I must have been thinking of something else. What were we doing?”

He had no awareness of the freakout. She would not enlighten him. “We were getting out of our clothing so we could knot it into a rope. I tried stepping in and it seems okay. How about you take off your trousers?”

Justin got out of his trousers. He stood there somewhat blankly.

“Okay, now let's tie them.” Pia said. She suspected that though her bra was not freaking him out, it was having some effect, so he needed to be guided. It would probably be best not to lean forward. She rather liked this aspect of Xanth, now that she was working through it, it gave a woman control of a situation.

He knotted the clothing together securely, and had a clumsy kind of rope. “Now give me one end.” she said. “And follow me through the illusion ”

Pia held on to one end and stepped deeper into the scene. Justin clung to the other end, bracing in case he had to take her weight suddenly. Her face entered a higher mountain. It was like walking into pea-soup fog. She could not see her free hand two feet before her eyes. But the footing remained firm, and that was what counted.

Suddenly she was out of the fog, and standing behind the illusion scene. She saw the hacks of the mountains and glaciers.

Then the rope went slack, and Justin stepped out of the scene. Now it was his jaw that went slack as he froze in place.

Oh. that again. Well, they were safely through, and there had been no pit at all. Pia un-knotted the clothing and slipped her skirt back on.

“Justin,” she said.

He returned to animation. “Was I woolgathering again? I must be more tired than I thought,”

“No problem. We are through the illusion without trouble, so can put our things back on.” She handed him his trousers.

“To be sure.” He put on pants and shirt while Pia put on her rumpled shirt. She wondered idly why there was no similar effect on women. The sight of his underpants hadn't freaked her out at all. Maybe women were simply more sensible, or maybe they had better assets. She could see it either way, preferably both ways.

Now they considered what next. There was another passage opening out to either side behind the picture. Probably an inner ring, servicing the six settings. But was that all'?

They walked around the ring, seeing the settings from the rear. That was all. “I suspect that we have not yet fathomed the riddle.” Justin said.

“I agree. There must be more. But maybe we have established that this is a safe place to spend the night.”

“Should we return to the others?” Justin asked hopefully

Pia was tempted, but uncertain “How can we be sure this is safe without a rear guard, until we know more about who set it up and why?”

“Alas. I fear you are correct.”

“But maybe we should let them know we are working on it.”

“Yes,” he agreed eagerly.

They walked through the icy mountain scene, not making the rope now that they knew it was safe. Soon they mounted the steps. “It seems safe,” Pia said “But there's more to check. Can you folk hold on a while longer?”

“Sure,” Edsel said. "Breanna's fascinating.”

“He's just teasing.” Pia whispered to Justin. “He does that.”

“Oh. Of course.”

“Okay.” Pia called. “We should be done soon.”

They returned to the mountain image, and walked through it to the inner passage. Pia walked along it checking the outer wall, while Justin checked the inner wall, looking for illusion-masked passages. There were none.

“Maybe the ceiling?” Pia asked.

Justin looked up. “I fear it is just beyond my reach.”

“And mine, certainly,” she said, for he was substantially taller than she. “But I could check it if you lifted me ”

“I suppose I could do that,” he said doubtfully.

She had a notion why. “You don't want to pick up a girl who's not Breanna. It would seem too friendly.”

“This is an accurate observation.”

“Well, you could carry me without picking me up.”

“I don't understand.”

“Let me ride on your shoulders.”

“Oh.” He seemed not wholly relieved.

“We do have a job to do,” she reminded him.

He squatted down beside the wall, and she mounted his shoulders, putting her legs down in front. “You clasp my knees, so my hands are free to reach up.”

He rose to his feet, somewhat unsteadily, putting his hands on her knees. She in turn clasped his neck with her thighs. Her dread panties were now in contact with his head, but he couldn't see them, so didn't freak out. It was possible to get around some of Xanth's magical effects, she realized.

He walked, and she reached sliding her fingers along the smooth ceiling. It was solid throughout: no illusion covered it. When they completed the circuit, they knew that they had failed

“Squat down so I can dismount,” she told him.

Justin just stood there.

“Or lean over so I can jump down.” she said.

He did not react.

What was the matter? Couldn't he hear her? She realized that he hadn't said a word since they started the ceiling search.

Then she caught on: her panties were against his ears, or close enough so that he could hear their faint rustling. They had freaked out his hearing.

She wedged her hands down to cover his cars, breaking the contact. “Get down.” she said, loudly enough to he heard through the barrier.

“Certainly.” He got down, and she climbed off.

“Well, we haven't gotten far,” she said. “There just doesn't seem to he any waiy a minute we didn't cheek the pictures. There could he a passage there.”

“Perhaps so.” he agreed, though he sounded weary.

They entered the mountain scene again, this time checking the side walls. There was nothing. They went to the next scene and checked

similarly. Nothing.

“I’m getting depressed,” Pia said. “But we'd better check the rest.” They checked the next three, and found nothing. One more failure and they would be done.

Resigned, Pia entered the Hooded scene—and found a gap in the wall. “Justin!” she shrieked. “I've found it!”

He made his way to her, and felt the wall. “Dear girl, you are correct.” he said, “There is an aperture.”

It was about head height on her. Justin boosted her up and she cradled into it. In a moment she was beyond the illusion, and saw that she was in a short tunnel leading gradually down. The sides of it glowed faintly, so she wasn't blind. “Give me a moment to get clear, then follow,” she called back. She needed that moment, because she was on her hands and knees, and he would freak out if she didn't get her panties out of sight first.

“My hands seem to have gone numb,” he said.

They must have touched her panties during the boost. This was multimedia magic! “Flex your fingers,” she called. “They'll recover in a moment.”

She reached the base of the curve, and the tunnel debouched into another full sized passage below. “Okay, come on,” she called.

Justin scrambled into the tunnel and crawled down toward her. Soon he stood beside her. “This certainly seems to he an avenue,” he agreed, looking around. “It must pass under the inner passage, going toward the center of the circles. That would seem to be where the answer to our question lies.”

“Yes Let's find it Then we can tell the others, and maybe finally get our night's rest.”

“That would he eminently satisfactory.”

The passage sloped downward, and at the base there was water. It wasn't illusion: it seemed to be ground water that had seeped in and flooded the floor. It wasn't deep; they sloshed through it and come out the other side.

They came to a large chamber, whose ceiling was supported by a number of thick columns. The columns were square, rather than round. The chamber seemed to be curved: in fact it was like the two passages, circling around a huge central pillar. This was the true center of the establishment.

“What’s this place?” Pia asked, impressed by its magnitude.

“Why. I suspect these are square roots,” Justin said. awed. “Cube roots, more accurately. And that this must be a tree.”

“A tree?”

“A very large, very special tree. In fact, I believe this is the Coventree.”

“The what?”

“It is largely isolated from the regular forests, but has remarkable properties. I know of it only by reputation, but believe the identification is secure. This would be its root system.”

Pia looked around with a new appreciation. “All these columns— roots.”