{"id":449,"date":"2026-01-03T20:40:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T20:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/piers-anthony-xanth-45-a-tryst-of-fate-anthony-piers\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T20:40:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T20:40:06","slug":"piers-anthony-xanth-45-a-tryst-of-fate-anthony-piers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/piers-anthony-xanth-45-a-tryst-of-fate-anthony-piers\/","title":{"rendered":"Piers, Anthony – Xanth 45 – A Tryst of Fate – Anthony, Piers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Book Preview<\/h3>\n
\n

Chapter 1<\/p>\n

Murder<\/p>\n

Squid woke alone in her bed to a bright morning. She sat up as her awareness solidified.<\/p>\n

For a good moment and a half, she froze in moderate horror. Had it all been an amazing dream? About her being the most important person in the universe, about finding the most awesome boyfriend ever?<\/p>\n

No, it was real. But where was Chaos? The imprint of his host\u2019s body remained beside hers; he had slept here. Well, Laurelai had slept here, but there must have been an hour of daylight when Chaos took over to join Squid on the bed. Chastely, as they were underage, unfortunately.<\/p>\n

She had overslept. Chaos had elected not to disturb her when he was there. Not that anything he could do would disturb her as long as they remained a couple.<\/p>\n

She got up, washed her tween-shaped body, swept her hair back into a ponytail\u2014she did have real hair now, rather than a body painting of it\u2014donned a decent dress, and considered herself in the mirror. She was distinctly ordinary, even for age twelve, with dull brown hair, gray eyes, and a turned-up nose. Of course, she could change her appearance, since it was not her natural one, but what was the point? Chaos liked her this way. That was all that really counted.<\/p>\n

She left her room and went to the dining room. \u201cMorning, sleepyhead!\u201d It was the pet peeve, as dull for a bird as Squid was for a human.<\/p>\n

\u201cMorning, birdbrain,\u201d she replied, relieved that at least this one remained on duty. \u201cWhere is everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOutside enjoying the air, unwinding after the fine mess you got them into.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fine mess I got them out of<\/span>,\u201d she said, knowing the bird was teasing her. It was the peeve\u2019s custom to routinely insult everyone else.<\/p>\n

\u201cEat your swill.\u201d The peeve waved a wing at the table where a bowl of cereal awaited her.<\/p>\n

She obeyed. Then it hit her: \u201cAm I still the\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, you are still the protagonist,\u201d the peeve agreed. \u201cI would have thought you\u2019d be tired of it by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am! I did my time. It is someone else\u2019s turn. I just want to go find someone to hug and kiss, then sink into oblivion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLots of luck with that last, as long as you remain the story\u2019s main character.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGrumble,\u201d she muttered as she dissolved her teeth, rinsed out her mouth, and reformed them sparklingly clean.<\/p>\n

She walked to the wall, gripped the inset ladder, and climbed up toward the upper deck. \u201cOooo! I can see your legs under that skirt, and your thighs,\u201d the peeve called from below. \u201cAnd that\u2019s not all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs if you cared, beak-nose,\u201d she called back. \u201cMy panties wouldn\u2019t freak you anyway, even if they had adult power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now she stood on the deck. The boat was parked on a hammock, and the ground was actually closer down than the interior. The sail was furled vertically, with only faint wisps of fire around it. It would burst into full flame when spread and blown by wind. Fibot, the Fire Boat, was a marvel, far larger inside than outside, and one of the wonders of Xanth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere you are!\u201d Chaos called, reaching up toward her from the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere I am,\u201d she agreed gladly, doing a little leap-step into his elevated grasp, her skirt flaring wickedly. \u201cI trust you are seeing more than my legs.\u201d She kicked her feet invitingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlaid panties,\u201d he agreed as he held her over his head, looking up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you were normal, you\u2019d freak out,\u201d she complained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am not normal, and at eleven you are too young for full panty effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the bleep of it. \u201cTwelve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday you were eleven,\u201d he said as he swung her most of the way down.<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday was a different novel. We all age a year between books, regardless of the actual time passed,\u201d she explained. \u201cYou are now officially thirteen.\u201d Chaos had existed longer than the universe, but he was still learning the nuances of mortal interaction. She was glad to instruct him. \u201cThat is, the human body hosting you, Larry, is thirteen. If you use it, you need to honor its limitations.\u201d<\/p>\n

He nodded. \u201cI am doing so. And we need to be nineteen and eighteen, to graduate from the dread Adult Conspiracy to Keep Interesting Things from Children.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMore\u2019s the pity. Now stop teasing me and kiss me. We can at least do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He enfolded her and kissed her. Her feet would have floated off the ground had they not already been off. Oh yes, she loved him.<\/p>\n

After a timeless moment they separated somewhat, and he set her all the way on the ground. \u201cYou have filled out some,\u201d he said appreciatively.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, it\u2019s that extra year. A hint of some padding on the hips, bottom and chest, and a little off the waist. Next novel, when I\u2019m a teen, I\u2019ll have more. Maybe some real handfuls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut is it permissible to grope it yet?\u201d <\/p>\n

She considered briefly. He actually wanted to grope her? There had to be a way! \u201cIt\u2019s against the rule, but we may manage to cheat a bit if we\u2019re careful, just as we did when I innocently flashed my panties at you. The Adult Conspiracy has trouble policing every piddling little detail. Pretend you\u2019re sniffing my lustrous hair, while virtuously holding my delicate hand. That\u2019s two things to distract its snooping interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

He drew her close again and sniffed her far less than lustrous hair while holding one of her stubby hands in his.<\/p>\n

\u201cMeanwhile no attention is being paid to your other hand,\u201d she murmured. \u201cSo\u2014*Yipe<\/span>!!* You got it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI certainly did,\u201d he agreed, laughing. \u201cAnd a delightful bit it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bit or butt? She was careful not to say. \u201cThank you. More anon, when.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if this is a story for a future book, what do the readers think?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReaders like a little bit of naughtiness. It perks up the dull text.\u201d She sighed. \u201cBut this business of being the protagonist again is unfair. I deserve some time off. For one thing, we could get away with a lot more if the critical eye of the reader were not on us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI could remonstrate with the Demons.\u201d He frowned, and for a moment his aspect changed alarmingly as part of a hint of his monstrous power manifested.<\/p>\n

Squid suffered a vision of galaxies blinking out of existence as the War of Demons resumed. \u201cNo!\u201d Then, seeing his slightly hurt look, \u201cPlease?\u201d<\/p>\n

He relented. \u201cFor you I would do it, but not if you don\u2019t want it. I want only to please you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I want to please you, too. It smells like love to me.\u201d She wrinkled her nose. \u201cNot that I really know what that smells like. I wish we could suddenly be over eighteen so we could\u2014never mind, we\u2019re not supposed to even know the options at our age. I\u2019ll just have to find someone else to give the Protagonist Role to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill anyone else take it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot if they have a choice. Nobody likes being constantly snooped on. So it\u2019s a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I almost forgot. You told me that today we would visit your family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Squid clapped her hand to her forehead. \u201cThat\u2019s right! That\u2019s why the boat anchored here overnight, near where my folks live. How I dread it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Chaos looked confused. \u201cPerhaps I misunderstood. I thought you wanted to see your family again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I do. But now I must introduce you to them, and that is what I dread. They are halfway conventional. They will not understand about my dating a Demon. But I have to tell them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI could stay clear and let you visit them alone. That way you could avoid telling them about me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo way, Chaos! I love you. It just may be awkward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever you decide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me ponder half a moment.\u201d She was briefly silent. In exactly half a moment she spoke again. \u201cMaybe it would help if you gave them something. A token gift that would distract them slightly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA planet? A nebula? A burgeoning hamper of Dark Matter?\u201d<\/p>\n

She laughed. \u201cNo, no, nothing like that. Something token, maybe amusing, a mere trinket, maybe useful in some simple way, but typical of you.\u201d She paused again, this time only half an instant. \u201cMaybe a mini ball of chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA mini ball?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA mini ball. A trifling token. Like a mini spell that has only minimal effect. A cute toy. To amuse them for half a moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe a mini chaos bomb? One that makes only close things chaotic?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes! They should like that. Let\u2019s go there now, before I change my foolish female mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you wish.\u201d<\/p>\n

They stood before the little house that Kandy and Ease used. Squid made a mental note to try to become less impulsive when with Chaos: she kept forgetting he could take things literally, and make them happen before she thought them through. Still, they could walk away.<\/p>\n

Squid heard a buzz. There was a bee. No, it was a floating eyeball. She reached out to catch it, somehow knowing it wouldn\u2019t sting her. What was it doing here? She examined it closely.<\/p>\n

\u201cEye of the bee-holder,\u201d Chaos murmured.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy is it buzzing around here instead of looking at more important things?\u201d she asked. <\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe it\u2019s lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I can\u2019t help it.\u201d Then she got an idea. \u201cBut maybe I know who can.\u201d<\/p>\n

The door opened. Kandy stood there, a completely lovely creature with luxuriant midnight hair dropping down to her slender waist: everything that Squid was not. \u201cSquid!\u201d she cried, sweeping the girl into her embrace. So much for walking away. \u201cWhatever brings you here? We thought you were in a dancing troupe aboard the Fire Boat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Squid stuffed the eye into a pocket. \u201cI, uh\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Then Ease was there, too, strong, handsome, smart, with short curly blond hair and a bit of a matching blond beard. Her wonderful parents. \u201cBut great to see you, kid,\u201d he said. \u201cWe missed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Squid realized she had better get on with introductions before too much could go wrong. \u201cUh, I came to have you meet my boyfriend, who\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoyfriend!\u201d Kandy exclaimed, taken aback. \u201cSquid, you\u2019re way too young to get into that kind of relationship. You\u2019re a child!\u201d<\/p>\n

Just so. If dating was left up to parents, their children would be in their forties before they started, if then. That was just part of the awkwardness.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome in and we\u2019ll get to know each other,\u201d Ease said, always the easygoing one. That was his talent: to make things seem easy, even when they weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

In most of another moment they were inside, seated facing each other. \u201cUh,\u201d Squid repeated, casting about for the right words when she suspected there were none. \u201cHis name is Chaos, and he\u2019s\u2014\u201d She broke off to take a nervous breath, then plowed on. \u201cA Demon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kandy was still on her original track. \u201cSquid, you\u2019re only twelve years old! Way too young to have a\u2014\u201d She broke off. \u201cA\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. What?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA demon,\u201d Ease said. <\/p>\n

\u201cDemon, dear,\u201d Kandy murmured. \u201cCapital D. But this is impossible!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey do mix with mortals on occasion, sometimes quite compatibly,\u201d he said. \u201cI remember a demoness who\u2014\u201d Kandy\u2019s glare had cut him off at the knees, so he changed the subject. \u201cSquid, big or little D, does he know your nature?\u201d<\/p>\n

Squid was glad to follow this diversion. \u201cYes, he knows that I am an alien cuttlefish emulating a human girl, a tourist who got trapped in a future Xanth when it ended. That Fornax and Astrid Basilisk rescued me and four other children and brought them here to this reality track of Xanth, and arranged local adoptions for us, for which we are forever grateful. They saved our lives! He doesn\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe even changed for me,\u201d Chaos said. \u201cShe became the cuttlefish, with its marvelous mimicking ability, and swam in a lake. She\u2019s not human at all. But neither am I. Regardless, it\u2019s her mind that interests me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer mind?\u201d Ease asked. \u201cNo boy is interested in a girl\u2019s mind<\/span>, even if she is said to be the most important person in the universe.\u201d<\/p>\n

But now Kandy was reorienting. She eyed Chaos in the way only a protective mother could, and that was a warning even a Demon dared not ignore. \u201cLet me introduce myself further,\u201d she said with deadly deceptive calm. \u201cThen I will expect similar candor in return.\u201d<\/p>\n

Squid knew this was mischief. Chaos needed to avoid this poisonous exchange. Squid opened her mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Chaos agreed.<\/p>\n

Bleep<\/span>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a rather ordinary breathtakingly lovely young woman who wanted more than the ordinary,\u201d Kandy said. \u201cI was nicknamed I Kandy, and I thought the I stood for Irrelevant. I didn\u2019t realize at first that it was actually Eye Candy, no respect intended. I was tired of being constantly eyed by boys who wanted only one thing, which was not my mind. So I made a wish at a wishing well, explaining that I was bored stiff and wanted Adventure, Excitement, and Romance. My wish was granted, but not quite the way I intended. I had misspelled \u2018bored\u2019 in my mind, and got changed into a stiff board.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd a great board she was,\u201d Ease added. He reached toward Kandy and took hold of her ankle. Suddenly, she was a big wooden board, which he wielded like a club. Then he brought it to his face and kissed it, and abruptly Kandy was back and completing the kiss. They clearly understood each other and were hardly bored.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we did not have the usual kind of relationship, at first,\u201d Kandy concluded. \u201cBut we worked it out. So we understand unusual associations. Then we made a home for Squid, a remarkable girl in her own right.\u201d Her eyes came to resemble the mouths of Mundane machine guns as they focused on Chaos. \u201cHow did you come to make Squid\u2019s acquaintance, and what are your intentions toward her?\u201d<\/p>\n

Squid opened her mouth again to try desperately to head this off, as the Demon\u2019s own candor could permanently alienate her folks. But Chaos was already answering.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn my time, the universe was without form and void, and darkness covered the firmament. Then other Demons came on the scene and introduced concepts like light and gravity and electromotive force. I was appalled, so I confronted them. But they had been too long entrenched, so I could not immediately destroy them. So we arranged a compromise: a dialogue between representatives of our powers. Three spot contests, and the winner of the majority would govern. If I won, the universe would end. Their selected representative was Squid. We talked and she showed me that without the other Demons and their artifacts I was just a space without definition. That I actually needed them to have any apparent reality myself. I was also curious about this mysterious concept of Love, as nothing of that nature exists in the void. I asked her to explain it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

What was there to do except finish it? \u201cI couldn\u2019t answer with any authority,\u201d Squid said, suppressing her despair of ever getting parental understanding, let alone approval. A twelve-year-old pseudo-girl dating a capital D Demon? Talking of love? She was hardly supposed to know the meaning of the word. \u201cI was too young to comprehend the secrets of the Adult Conspiracy, and I wasn\u2019t even human. So I kissed him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was some kiss,\u201d Chaos admitted. \u201cAfter that I was her captive. It was as if without her I was nothing physically, and without her love, I am nothing emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ease looked thoughtful. \u201cYou spared the universe because you liked Squid?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ease spoke to Squid. \u201cAnd everything might end if you break up with Chaos?\u201d<\/p>\n

That was the literal truth, but could she say it? \u201cUh\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ease spoke to Kandy. \u201cIs that a good enough reason for you to accept him as her boyfriend?\u201d<\/p>\n

She considered dubiously. \u201cUh\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was pondering letting the universe end, rather than allow her daughter such a relationship? \u201cMother, I love him! I know you don\u2019t think I\u2019m old enough, but I know how I feel. That was a two-way kiss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then both parents laughed. \u201cWe\u2019re teasing you, dear,\u201d Kandy said. \u201cOf course you can date him if that\u2019s what you really want.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were accepting it? This suddenly seemed too easy. \u201cEven though, well\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew, dear,\u201d Ease said.<\/p>\n

Squid was shocked. \u201cYou knew?!\u201d She actually managed both punctuation marks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe peeve told us,\u201d Kandy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe peeve! I should have known that ill bird couldn\u2019t keep its beak shut!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAt ease, girl,\u201d Kandy said. \u201cAll five families have been regularly briefed by the peeve. It was a condition of allowing the children to serve for an extended time on the Fire Boat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Squid was appalled. \u201cYou mean the bird has been ratting on us all along?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re children<\/span>,\u201d Kandy said. \u201cWe care about you. But we know your judgment isn\u2019t always perfect. So we try to stay informed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe trust Grania,\u201d Ease said. \u201cWe know she won\u2019t let you stray too far. But we didn\u2019t adopt you only to pass you on to someone else. We prefer to know<\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n

It did seem to make sense. What would have been the point of adopting the children from the future if they didn\u2019t try to take care of them? Squid realized she had no real grounds for complaint.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt also serves as a relevant example for Chaos,\u201d Ease said. \u201cA practical demonstration of what family unity is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you\u2019ll know when your turn comes,\u201d Kandy concluded.<\/p>\n

Squid had not thought of it that way\u2014her turn to have children, to become a family. When she was grown and adult. She was awed. But of course a cuttlefish and a Demon could never\u2014<\/p>\n

Chaos touched her hand, and she felt a tiny ripple of his immense power.<\/p>\n

A cuttlefish and a Demon could<\/span>. If they wanted to.<\/p>\n

But that was a matter for another day, far away from now. Time to change the subject. \u201cUm, Chaos, the bomb,\u201d she murmured.<\/p>\n

He picked right up on it. \u201cI have a small gift for you,\u201d he said to the parents. \u201cA token of my appreciation for your courtesy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no gift is necessary,\u201d Ease said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially not a bomb,\u201d Kandy agreed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot really a bomb. It\u2019s just something cute you might like,\u201d Squid said quickly. \u201cHe\u2014it\u2019s as if he has a talent, to make these little things. He can show you one, so you know how to use it, if you ever need to. But maybe better to demonstrate it outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

They went outside. Squid looked around and spied a small termite mound that was under siege by an ant army. \u201cMaybe that scene,\u201d she told Chaos.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose creatures have developed some bad blood,\u201d Ease said. \u201cIt\u2019s termite territory, but the ants are expanding their domain. Now it has come to war.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chaos nodded. He walked to the mound, and the others followed. In two thirds of a moment they all stood around the mound, just outside the ant platoons. The siege was well advanced, but by no means concluded. The termites were ranged along the upper battlements, about one foot above the ants, armed with miniature spears. On the next deck up their archers were aiming their bows. The ants had filled in one section of the moat and were charging across, pulling a wheeled battering ram, holding their shields over their bodies to fend off the arrows. <\/p>\n

But the defenders were ready. As the ram neared the wall, they tilted a relatively huge vat of boiling oil, ready to dump it on the attackers.<\/p>\n

Then the ants did something odd. They brought out captive female termites, and put them on a stage in full view of the mound.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know termites had ladies,\u201d Squid said. \u201cOr ants either. Not like that. I thought they had single queens who laid all their eggs, and the others were just, well, locked into childhood girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re thinking of dreary Mundania,\u201d Ease said. \u201cThis is Xanth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oh! Of course. Xanth was more advanced, and far less dull.<\/p>\n

The lady termites, evidently trained under duress for this purpose, gyrated on the stage. The termites manning the battlement paused to stare. Then the ladies faced away, bent over, and flipped up their skirts to flash their panties.<\/p>\n

Termites had skirts and panties? Oh, right: this was Xanth. The lady ants probably had them too. How else were the brute males to be kept under control?<\/p>\n

The workers tilting the oil vat froze in place. They had freaked out. Meanwhile the ram rolled ever closer to the wall. The ant legions massed, ready to march double-time into the gap the moment it was smashed open.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime for the bomb,\u201d Chaos murmured. He held one hand over the mound and dropped something invisible. There was an invisible flash. Squid knew that such a description would be nonsensical anywhere but Xanth.<\/p>\n

The termite troops guarding the rampart started running around aimlessly. The bows and arrows fell to the bricks. The ant legions puffed into legends, charging in all directions at once, forward, backwards, and into the moat. The ram bleated and overturned, its mission unaccomplished. Some of the ant soldiers began making out with the termite lovelies, who seemed happy to accommodate them. The regal termite queen came to the rooftop, her jeweled crown flashing in the sunlight, but then she aimlessly wandered back inside. The ants ignored her. Nothing made much sense anymore. The defense had collapsed, but so had the offense. The siege had dissolved into confusion, and little was being accomplished at a great rate.<\/p>\n

In fact, it was, well, chaos. Fortunately, its effect was limited, and did not reach as far as the watching human figures. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat is impressive,\u201d Ease said. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t see the bomb, just its effects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is unseeable,\u201d Chaos explained. \u201cBecause it is<\/span> an effect. Organization has no chance when chaos rules.\u201d Then he gave Ease and Kandy three bombs, which were parked invisibly beside their souls, that they could invoke at any time with a thought and a gesture. If they were ever under military siege by ants or trolls, they would find good use for them. \u201cThese are larger, and their range will extend out about fifty feet,\u201d he explained. \u201cThey also will not affect you, as they belong to you. So if you ever have trouble with robbers, dragons, nicklepedes, or panty-flashing nymphs, you will be able keep your sense and walk away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ease nodded, though Squid suspected that he might prefer to handle the nymphs by himself. All men were foolish in such respects. \u201cThis is a useful gift. We thank you, Chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do indeed,\u201d Kandy agreed. If Ease did not use a bomb on the nymphs, she might use it for him. Then she stepped up and kissed Chaos on the cheek. He stood there, frozen in place. He had freaked out!<\/p>\n

\u201cWake,\u201d Squid said, snapping her fingers.<\/p>\n

Chaos woke. \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMom kissed your cheek, and made you freak. Bleep, I\u2019m jealous of her adult power. Maybe when I\u2019m grown, I\u2019ll be able to do it too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I never saw her panties.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cA really pretty girl can do it without flashing,\u201d Squid said. \u201cMom\u2019s the prettiest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEven as a board,\u201d he agreed faintly.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just saved yourself a spanking,\u201d Kandy murmured, flashing her board form for barely a quarter of an instant. There was something suggestive about it that did not seem to smack of punishment. More Adult Conspiracy stuff? Bleep, that was annoying!<\/p>\n

Then they bid their partings and moved on. The worst chore had been accomplished. The Parents had been Told. Not that it had been necessary, as it turned out.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm,\u201d Chaos said as they walked through field and glade, holding hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFornax wants to borrow back the host body, though it is not yet nightfall. She has a message.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Demoness Fornax, the patron of antimatter, who associated with this host\u2019s female aspect, just as Chaos associated with the male aspect. She was also the children\u2019s aunt figure, and the adoptive mother of one of them. She was not to be denied. <\/p>\n

\u201cFornax is not one to waste time or attention,\u201d Squid said, concerned. \u201cWe\u2019d better let her in, even if it\u2019s not yet night. It must be important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAgreed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The host had both male and female forms. The male was Larry, whom Chaos had taken over, while the female was Laurelai, with whom the Demoness associated when she chose. They were able to communicate slightly with each other, but only enough to indicate the desire to communicate further.<\/p>\n

So it would have to be done. \u201cKiss me and go,\u201d Squid said. \u201cMaybe she won\u2019t need to stay long.\u201d She had nothing against Fornax, nothing at all, but when it came to Love and Kissing, she preferred Chaos.<\/p>\n

He kissed her, and it was delightful as always. Then his body shifted in her embrace and became smartly female. Even at age thirteen, Laurelai was lovely with her glistening blue-black hair and eyes. She would be devastating when she matured.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Squid asked her friend.<\/p>\n

Laurelai looked surprised. \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you asked for the body back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFornax asked. But she\u2019s not telling me why. Just that we need to prepare quickly\u2014immediately\u2014for a trip to another reality of a month or more. We have to clear it with Nia and go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother reality! For a month! But Chaos and I wanted to have some time to\u2014you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laurelai nodded understandingly. \u201cI do know. You want to get in some serious flirting and maybe sneak some naughty feels past the Conspiracy.\u201d The two girls understood each other pretty well, and Laurelai was capable of some pretty racy behavior herself. She was surely a trial to the Conspiracy. \u201cBut Fornax says that will have to wait. This is urgent.\u201d<\/p>\n

They wasted no further time in dialogue. They were already hurrying toward the Fire Boat. They reached it and clambered aboard, over the rail around the deck, carelessly flashing panties at the sky as they did. A cloud locked in place, until the following cloud bumped into it and snapped it back alert. That had to be Laurelai\u2019s relatively mature exposure, not Squid\u2019s juvenile effort.<\/p>\n

The pet peeve was there, of course; it knew when anyone came or went.<\/p>\n

They went straight to Grania\u2019s cabin and knocked. Nia opened the door. She was a beautiful adult woman with dark brown hair, gray eyes, and a slender torso. She looked twenty-three, but was actually sixty-three thanks to a confrontation with a pool of youth elixir. She seemed to have no trouble living with her apparent youth. If she<\/span> ever swung over the deck rail in a skirt, the entire welkin would freeze. \u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

Then Squid remembered the eye she had put in a pocket. She took it out. \u201cI found this, I think it\u2019s lost. Can you help it? You know about flying eyes.\u201d Because Nia\u2019s talent was to form a pair of phantom eyes that could go anywhere and look at anything, relaying the images, so that it was hard to keep any secrets from her.<\/p>\n

Nia took it. \u201cWhy yes. This is an Eye of the Bee-Holder.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what Chaos said. I thought he was joking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re right. This one is lost. I will scout out its hive and see about returning it. Meanwhile it will be safe with me.\u201d Her phantom eyes formed and peered at the eyeball. It promptly flew up to join them, evidently finding them compatible.<\/p>\n

Nia\u2019s natural eyes focused again on Squid. \u201cYou didn\u2019t come here about that. What is really on your mind, dear?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFornax says we have to travel across the realities,\u201d Squid said breathlessly. \u201cWe don\u2019t know why, but it must be important. For a month or more. Can you spare us?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Fornax wants, Fornax gets,\u201d Nia said, sounding her real age. She evinced no surprise at seeing Laurelai by day. Grania effectively ran the Fire Boat, and did not misuse her authority. \u201cWe\u2019ll be doing a routine dance tour; Fornax or Chaos will be able to locate us when you return. We\u2019ll save your cabin. We\u2019ll miss you, but we can cope.\u201d She glanced at Squid. \u201cThe boys are busy elsewhere at the moment. But perhaps you should bid farewell to the girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWin! Myst!\u201d Squid agreed. They were her closest siblings and friends, though they were not related by blood, quite apart from Squid\u2019s own difference. Win\u2019s talent was to have the wind always at her back, and it had been enhanced so that now she blew at the fire sail of the boat so that it could rapidly travel anywhere. Myst\u2019s talent was to become a cloud of mist, and re-form as a ten-year-old girl, so no cords could hold her, and no prison, unless she got sealed up in a corked bottle. She was wary of bottles.<\/p>\n

Squid left Laurelai to fill in what few details there were, and ran to find them. But Myst was already coming to find her. The peeve would have told her that something was up. She was in the form of a pudgy red-haired scamp. They hugged.<\/p>\n

\u201cLaurelai and I have to go away for a while,\u201d Squid said. \u201cWe don\u2019t know where or why, but Fornax says it\u2019s urgent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome folk get all the adventures,\u201d Myst complained with a smile. But there was a tear in her eye. She didn\u2019t like losing Squid even for a day. \u201cAt least you\u2019re going together. You can maybe sneak in some hand holding along the way.\u201d She, too, knew that Squid\u2019s romantic aspirations went way beyond interdigitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll return as soon as we can,\u201d Squid said. They hugged again.<\/p>\n

Win appeared, similarly notified, and they hugged as the breeze blew past Squid. Win looked just as nondescript as Myst or Squid, but was crucial to the operation of the boat. There was another tear or two.<\/p>\n

Then Squid went to her own room and efficiently packed whatever she might need. Where were<\/span> they going?<\/p>\n

The boat sailed to a new location, which was just a glade in a forest, as Nia followed Fornax\u2019s relayed instructions and Win blew the sail just right. Then Squid and Laurelai left the boat and stood in the small clearing as the craft departed, watching the fiery flickering of the sail. They were alone together.<\/p>\n

Now Fornax appeared in her own assumed form, a stately older woman. \u201cTake my hands,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have a distance to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

She still was not explaining what this was all about?<\/p>\n

Squid took her right hand, and Laurelai her left hand. The three of them stood in place. There was no sensation of motion. The sun started moving across the sky, gaining velocity. Then it set, and night closed in. Then came dawn, and day, and night, faster and faster. They were crossing the boundaries of alternate realities, and each was a second or so ahead of its neighbor, so it seemed like time travel. They could have gone backward as readily by crossing to the lagging realities. This was only an aspect of Fornax\u2019s Demonly power.<\/p>\n

So this was to be an excursion into a virtual future Xanth. Squid understood, because she had come from a future fifty years ahead of the one she lived in now, just like the other siblings. Were they returning there?<\/p>\n

But Laurelai was confused. She was special in her own right, but had not been rescued from the future. \u201cWhat is happening? Are we living faster?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Squid answered. \u201cWe\u2019re moving across realities. Each is a bit different in time. It\u2019s like drawing pictures on a pad of paper, each slightly different, so when you flip the pages it looks like motion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWeird.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now the changes were so rapid that the days and nights were mere flickers. It seemed that they were not going just next door, as it were.<\/p>\n

Then Squad realized something else. They were talking naturally, having no trouble despite the shifting of reality frames. The Demoness must have set up a bubble of personal reality that insulated them, like a diving sphere that kept the air in so folk could breathe. Not that Squid needed to; she could breathe the water.<\/p>\n

Okay. \u201cFornax, now we can talk without being snooped on, because nobody else could be crossing realities at our pace. So what is really happening?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are going to handle a murder mystery,\u201d the Demoness replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cA murder mystery?\u201d Laurelai exclaimed. \u201cWe\u2019re not detectives!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Squid knew Fornax better than Laurelai did. She phrased her question carefully. \u201cPlease give us some necessary details on this case. In some future world there has been a murder. What are we expected to do about it, giving that we have no expertise in crime?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst we must cover up the murders, so that no one else knows they have even occurred. Then we shall solve them, identifying the perpetrator. Finally, we will establish justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not let the regular authorities handle it?\u201d Squid asked. \u201cThe local town mare, maybe, supervising from city hall.\u201d A number of towns had mares, lady horses that efficiently saw to the routine operations. Some mares were quite well known, at least in political circles. <\/p>\n

\u201cOr an investigator sent by the king or queen,\u201d Laurelai said. \u201cA professional. Maybe even someone with relevant magic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause there may be Demon involvement.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a heavy silence. Naturally, regular folk could not handle a Demon.<\/p>\n

After a significant while, the sheer weight of the silence caused it to sink to the ground and dissolve. \u201cAnd how are trifling folk like us expected to handle a Demon?\u201d Squid asked. \u201cSurely that is a matter for other Demons. We have some Demon friends, but that\u2019s neither here nor there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you are already involved,\u201d Fornax answered. \u201cOnly you are in a position to accomplish the three aspects of the case.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCover-up, Solution, Justice,\u201d Laurelai said. \u201cBut we\u2019re not even from the reality frame where the murders occur. Apart from that, this is a distinctly odd way of handling it. How can a murder be solved if no one even knows it has happened?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is the only way it can be solved,\u201d Fornax said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe the problem is that our feeble mortal minds just aren\u2019t up to Demon caliber,\u201d Squid said. \u201cHow does this make any sense at all?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you are the victims.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were traversing alternate realities. Suddenly, their own reality crashed down upon them. They were both doomed to die? And they were heading right for that fate?<\/p>\n

Squid exchanged a tortured glance with Laurelai. What had they gotten into?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Read the full book by downloading it below.<\/p>\n

DOWNLOAD EPUB<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Preview Chapter 1 Murder Squid woke alone in her bed to a bright morning. She sat up as her awareness solidified. For a good moment and a half, she froze in moderate horror. Had it all been an amazing dream? About her being the most important person in the universe, about finding the most … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":448,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[21],"class_list":["post-449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-piers-anthony"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}