Vale of the Vole (41 page)

"Sire!" she cried with glad recognition.

Xap Hippogryph flew toward them, and was soon hovering beside his filly. "Sire, I'm tiring, and must come down!" Chex cried. "Can you guide me to a safe landing?"

There was an affirmative squawk. Then Xap led the way, and Chex followed, getting the hang of navigation even as her wings lost strength.

"Flick yourself again!" Esk suggested.

She did it. "Oh, yes, that does help! Now I can make it, I think!"

It was true. The lightness caused by her magic flicking gradually wore off, but could be restored by repeated flicking. All she needed was wing strength, which would come naturally with practice.

Soon they reached the dry hill where Crunch and Volney and Latia waited. The last thing Esk heard before Chex's hooves touched down in a clumsy but serviceable landing was Metria's anguished "Darn! Darn! Darn!"

They had survived the demons' counterattack.

By morning the water was ebbing. Even the full Kill-Mee lake could not keep the entire region inundated long; the water was running through new channels to rejoin the river and surge on down into Lake Ogre-Chobee, where it would surely agitate the curse fiends. Soggy refuse was everywhere, and high-water marks were on the trees. Huge tangles of battered brush were balled hi the thickets, while small temporary ponds stewed as the sun heated them.

Gazing at this, Esk realized that he might have climbed a tall, stout tree and rode out the flood. But how could he have known what tree was secure, in the dark? A number of large ones had been undermined and toppled. Also, that would not have helped Chex. So the way it had turned out was best.

The four fleshly members of the party were safe and, thanks to the return of Crunch and Xap, were likely to remain that way. But the two creatures from the gourd were gone.

"They said they would survive," Esk said, trying to sound positive.

"They are all metal and bone," Chex agreed with a similar effort.

"Me look down brook," Crunch offered.

Xap squawked. "Sire will search by air," Chex translated. She spread her wings experimentally, but winced and folded them again. "My muscles are stiff from the night's exertion. I'm not ready to fly again, just yet." Then she looked surprised. "But they are stiff here," she added, reaching back to touch under her wings. "Not here in the pectorals." She cupped her breasts.

"You ninny," Latia said. "Did you really think those were muscles you were developing there? You have become a mature female of your species!"

"But I exercised!" Chex protested.

"You exercised, and strengthened your wing muscles, true. But you were also becoming a mare, or a woman, however you choose to call it. Any man could have told you."

Flustered, Chex looked at Esk, who could only nod. Her breasts had never looked much like muscles to him.

For the first time, he saw a centaur blush.

"Well, letv vearch where we can for Bria and Marrow," Volney said diplomatically. "We can vpread out and keep each other in vight, walking downward until we find them."

They did that. Chex walked closest to the Vale on the east, then Esk next west, then Volney, then Latia farthest west. They walked south, pushing through tangles, slogging through mudflats, and making generally messy progress. Far ahead they heard Crunch proceeding in the ogre manner, crashingly, and above Xap wheeled, his sharp eagle eyes peering down.

They searched all morning without success. Esk's heart slowly sank, as if caught in the mud he slogged through. What would he do if they couldn't find Bria?

By evening they knew it was no use. They had canvassed the region up and down and sideways, looking and calling, but had found no sign of either lost creature.

"But they can't die, because they aren't alive," Esk said around the lump in his throat. "They can't be hurt!"

"But they can be mislaid," Chex said. "Perhaps the water caught them and washed them all the way down into Lake Ogre-Chobee, and they are waiting for it to ebb before they slog back here."

"That must be it," Esk agreed. But he knew that it was as much of an effort for Chex to believe this as it was for him. Bria and Marrow should have been able to hold onto something and ride the rushing water out, then call out if stuck in a tangle. Indeed, they could have climbed a tree with far more confidence than Esk, because if it fell they would not be killed. Their complete disappearance was inexplicable.

"We have done what we can," Latia said briskly. "We must simply wait for their return in due course, and get on with our business. The wiggle will be arriving soon."

They foraged and ate and settled for the night. Esk slept alone, and didn't like it; it had not taken long at all for him to get quite accustomed to Bria's company.

As darkness closed, a figure appeared. "Hello, Esk."

"Bria!" he exclaimed joyously. Then he caught on. "Metria. Go away."

"Don't be that way," the demoness said. "You've lost your metal girl, but demon substance can be as good. Let me show you what I can do for you."

"You're trying to corrupt me, so I won't make any more trouble for the demons!" he said angrily.

"That, too. But I have developed respect for you, Esk. You're an interesting man. We could have a lot of fun together." She lay down beside him and drew his head into her bosom. It smelled faintly of smoke.

"I thought you just wanted to be left alone," he said grumpily.

"Yes, when I choose. And to have stimulating company when I choose. I misjudged you, before, so I'm making up for that now. Come, have a pleasant night with me; your companions need not know."

"No!" he gritted.

"Oh, fudge," she said. "You keep doing that, you fool." She dissolved into vapor and was gone.

So the demons knew of their loss. That did not make Esk feel any better. He knew he could not trust Metria, yet for a moment hi his sorrow and loneliness, he had almost been tempted. He felt guilty for that.

Next day the water was down further, but there was still no sign of Bria or Marrow. There was, however, another arrival: Xap reported a pretty vole coming along the path from the east, looking good enough to eat.

"That'v Wilda," Volney said. "Now we muvt vet up for the vwann."

Well, this might help take their minds off their lost companions. They plunged into this new aspect of their campaign with vigor.

Wilda Wiggle was indeed a very pretty figure of volishness. She wore her surface coat, gray, with intense brown eyes. Her fur almost glowed, and her contours were softly rounded. Esk was sure that if he had been a vole, he would have found her compellingly luscious. It was hard to believe that this dulcet creature could be the origin of the worst menace of Xanth: a wiggle swarm.

But it was so. "Have you the plafe?" she asked, speaking the humanoid language as well as Volney did, but with an accent.

"We have," Esk assured her.

"Have you the fpell?"

"We have."

"Ekfellent. I have mated, and muft foon make my neft."

"The way we have set it up," Esk explained, "is that you will select a site near the center of the Vale. Then, before the larvae hatch and swarm, you and all other vulnerable creatures will evacuate the Vale, and we'll lay down the containment spell, which is really an aspect of the Void, and leave it in place until the swarm is done. Then we'll fold up the Void

again, and the voles will return to restore the river. The demon's dikes will be hopelessly ruined, of course, so the restoration will be easy."

Wilda considered. "I have two queftionf," she said, wiggling her nose delicately. "Are you fure the demonf will leave?"

"Well, we think they will, because they won't enjoy the swarming at all, and once their dikes are ruined they'll have to do the work all over again, and demons are not noted for their patience. If it doesn't work, we'll just have to think of something else."

"And who will fet out the Void, and fetch it back again?"

"Why, Marrow will do that," Esk said. "You haven't met Marrow yet; he's a—" He broke off.

"Oops," Chex said.

"Oh, my!" Latia said. "We forgot that we needed him for that little chore!"

"Do you folk have a problem?" Metria inquired, coalescing.

"You've been listening!" Esk said accusingly.

"Of course," she said. "I'm the demon liaison, after all. Your brassy girlfriend appointed me."

"That's brassie!" Esk snapped. "Not brassy."

"I don't think you're going to find your bone friend in time," the demoness said, "or your metal one. Considering that we hold both hostage."

"What?" Esk gasped.

"Well, I really don't expect you to believe me, but it's true. We couldn't let you folk proceed with your plan unchallenged, after all. You can have them back the moment you agree to stop harassing us and go home."

"Damn you!" Esk swore.

"That's hard to do, just as it's hard to kill your dead friends. All we can do is hold them. Are you ready to deal?"

"No!" Esk cried in fury and anguish. "I'll handle that Void myself!"

"Esk, you'll be holed!" Chex protested. "You wouldn't survive!"

"I'm an old crone; I'll do it," Latia said. "It doesn't matter much if I die."

"I'll never understand you mortals' will to sacrifice," Metria said. "It won't work, regardless, because whoever remains in the Vale will be holed and killed, and won't be able to remove the Void anyway."

They exchanged glances. "She's right," Chex said. "A fleshly creature can't do it."

"But a demonic creature might," Metria said. "Why don't you ask me?"

"What?"

"I said—"

"I know what you said. Even if a demon could handle the Void, which no demon can, why would you? This is to drive you out of the Vale!"

"I can't touch the Void, 'tis true. But I could protect a mortal from the swarm, by making myself into an invisible shield."

"You know, she could," Chex said. "But—"

"But why? I'll tell you why," Metria said. "It's because we demons have nothing to fear from the wiggles. We can either vaporize or make ourselves too hard for them to penetrate. We just don't like the mess they will make of our dikes. But you mortals won't believe that, so we'll have to prove it the hard way. Are you ready to deal?"

"Deal?" Esk asked. He was getting bewildered, as he tended to do when events became too surprising.

"I'll help you with the Void," Metria said. "And we will release our hostages to you. If."

"If what?" Esk asked guardedly.

"If, after you are satisfied that you can't drive us from the Vale, you will put the same effort into solving our problem that you have put into trying to get rid of us."

"Us help you?" Esk demanded. "That would be crazy!"

"Suit yourself," she said, beginning to fade.

"Wait!" he cried. "I didn't say I wouldn't!"

She resolidified. "Now you are getting sensible. It isn't much we ask, after all."

"Let me see whether I understand this correctly," Chex said. "You are allowing us one more try at getting you demons out of the Vale of the Vole, and if we fail, then we must try as hard to get rid of the hummers as we did to get rid of you."

"That's it," Metria agreed.

"But if we fail to get rid of you, we may fail to get rid of the hummers, too!"

"But you'll try as hard as you can, and you might have better success," the demoness said. "You fleshly creatures have souls, and therefore a degree of honor; we think it's worth the deal."

"And we get Bria and Marrow back," Esk said.

"The moment you start working for us," Metria agreed.

"All right," Esk said. "I'll make the deal."

"Now wait," Chex protested. "This isn't tight. If we do drive the demons out, we won't get back the hostages, and—"

"Never mind," Esk said. "I have my reason. I'm making the deal, not

you." He turned to the demoness. "I will handle the Void; you will protect me."

"But vhe may not!" Volney said. "How can you truvt her with your life?"

"Because I'm making the deal," Esk said, "It's my responsibility. If I die, then the deal is off, and the rest of you can do what you want. So the demoness has some incentive to honor her part of it, and keep me alive."

Metria nodded. "You have gotten smarter, mortal."

"But then the hostages would not be freed," Chex said.

"I'm the one who is love with Bria, not you," Esk said. "If I'm gone, there's no such lever on you. And the demons don't want the hostages anyway; they're just using them against us. So if I don't make it, you just quit and go home, because the Vale will be locked forever in the Void, and of no further use to either the voles or the demons. We're playing for double or nothing, here; if Metria lets me die, the demons lose as much as we or the voles do. More, actually, because the demons already control the Vale, and the voles will be driven away if the demons remain."

"You've learned to play hardball," Chex said. The term derived from Mundania, wherein the ball might be soft, but the play bashed heads. Ogres were fans of Mundane ball games, as they were of Mundane politics, because of the extreme violence there.