Swell Foop Part 23

"She has no wings," Mary agreed.

Breanna usually had something to say on anything, but she was blank for the moment. This family wasn't aware of color? Maybe it was being studiously polite. But she had better make sure. "It's been half my life, but I have some pretty clear memories of Mundania. In my day a white boy did not travel much with a black girl. Has that changed?"

"Not enough," Jim said. "The identification may be the greater problem, however. But I think it can be managed, if the parties are circ.u.mspect."

"Like pretending I'm a foreign princess and he's my translator?"

They all laughed, but not with any force. "You willing?" David asked.

"Yes. Anything to get this job done efficiently and get home in a hurry."

"Then let me set you up," Mary said.

She took Breanna to her bedroom where she quickly adapted a black dress and jacket and cap to fit. "Your fiance," she said as she worked. "Would we know of him?"

"I don't know. He was a tree when you were in Xanth." She explained about Justin Tree and their relationship.

"Why, that's charming," Mary said. Then she got down to serious business. "David and Karen long to return to Xanth, at least for a visit, but only Sean has a pa.s.s. Do you think, if your mission is successful-?"

"I know a woman called Chlorine. She has Nimby's ear. You know about Nimby?"

"We traveled with them both. He is a donkey-headed dragon-and rather more, we learned later."

"Much more. I think maybe they'd go for it. I'll ask."

Mary nodded. "Thank you. It would mean so much to them. It's the kind of thing money can't buy, literally."

"For sure. Speaking of money-"

"We will cover the air fare and incidental expenses. As you say, your mission is important."

"Yes, it is. You're being very nice to take it on faith."

"We did visit Xanth," Mary reminded her gently. "We became believers. David and his cat Midrange had a small additional part in the matter of Nimby's visit to Mundania two years ago."

"That's right!" Breanna agreed, remembering. "Still, maybe I can give you a little bit of evidence, so you know I'm not a fake."

Mary demurred, but as with the laugh, not with force. That meant she did have some doubt.

Breanna lifted the Ring of Fire. "Can I have a little demo, please?"

A bit of smoke curled up from the Ring. It formed into the head of a tiny demoness. "I thought you'd never levy," she said.

"Never what?" Breanna asked.

"Exact, claim, impose, require, beseech-"

"Ask?" Mary suggested.

"Whatever," the demoness agreed crossly.

"Metria!"

The demoness looked at her. "Have we met?"

"We met your alter ego Mentia five years ago. A most seductive creature. She told us of you."

"She would," Metria said darkly, but she was evidently satisfied. She turned to Breanna. "How are you doing?"

"I am becoming a Mundane princess so I can a.s.sociate with a white boy without getting the vigilantes on my tail."

"I don't understand."

"That's because you're not Mundane. I just wanted to show Mrs. Baldwin that I'm really from Xanth."

Metria turned her gaze back to Mary. "She's really from Xanth. You have my demonly word."

"I believe it," Mary said.

"I'd rather have made some mischief, but Grossclout put me under strict orders. I'd better not use up any more toxic waste."

"Any more what?" Mary asked, startled.

"Magic dust," Breanna said quickly. "I have just about enough to make the Ring work, in case I need it."

"See that you do," Metria said. "I want to see more of Mundania."

Then Breanna remembered. "Actually, the Rings are self-powered. But you never can tell when some extra magic would help, away from Xanth. That reminds me: When you return to Xanth, ask Chlorine if David and Karen Baldwin of Mundania can have pa.s.ses to Xanth. The family is really helping with the mission."

"Will do." The little head fuzzed, became an even smaller figure of a bare voluptuous woman, and faded out.

"She hasn't changed," Mary said. "Thank you for showing me."

"I didn't know Metria was the one on duty, or that you knew her. I just wanted a demonstration."

Mary laughed. "You said 'a little demo'! She must have taken that to mean a small demon."

Breanna knocked her forehead with the heel of her hand. "She would!"

"Well, I think you're ready, princess. Jim will have the e-tickets set up."

"The what?"

"A recent development. We no longer need physical tickets for airplanes."

"Just as well David's going with me," Breanna said ruefully. "I'm sure not up on the latest."

"We suspected that would be the case."

Breanna found herself liking this family.

Soon they took her to the airport. Sure enough, they were listed for pa.s.sage. David showed his identification, and showed a blank card for Breanna. She invoked the Ring of Fire, and the demoness made it look like a valid ID. They were allowed to board the plane.

Except that they had to wait an hour in a gradually filling waiting room. Then came an announcement: The flight was delayed half an hour.

"Something wrong?" Breanna asked, alarmed.

"Routine," David rea.s.sured her. "These days they figure it's an error if a flight travels on time. I hope we don't miss our connecting flight."

"Connecting flight?"

"On such short notice, we had to take what we could get, the zigzag express. We'll change planes in New Orleans, Dallas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Some of those connections are pretty tight. We'll be lucky to make our schedule."

"Oh." Breanna wasn't pleased, but this was, after all, Mundania. She was remembering why she was glad to have left it. "Well, whatever. Just as long as we get there."

"We'll get there. I just can't say when."

But after half an hour, the plane was in, and they did board. Their seats were in the rear, and not together. "Maybe we can trade with someone," David said.

"It's okay. Don't get off without me."

He smiled. "I won't, Princess Bre."

That was right: She was a foreign princess, garbed in black. She took her seat, which was by a window. She liked that; she always liked to see where she was going. She buckled up. There was no leg room to speak of, and hardly any hip room; she was not a large person, in fact she was on the smallish side, but she would not have cared for a tighter fit.

A large man sat next to her. His thigh and elbow overlapped her s.p.a.ce, and his extra bag overlapped her foot room. This was annoying, but she wasn't here to quarrel, so she bore with it.

The plane took off and forged up into the clouds. She was fascinated; this was like being carried aloft by a roc bird! It pa.s.sed through a cloud with a faint swishing sound, and emerged above it. From here the clouds were huge vertical ma.s.ses of mist, rather than the pretty m.u.f.fins they appeared from the ground. Unlike Xanth clouds, they were not cupshaped, with the cups filled with water; there was a more complicated mechanism for rain.

She became aware of something. The hand of the man next to her was touching her thigh. Her voluminous dress covered it, but still his fingers were somewhat too familiar. She realized that she was stuck in this little seat, cut off from escape. She didn't want to make a bad scene, but neither did she want to be handled by a stranger.

She lifted her Ring to her mouth. "Metria," she murmured.

"Got it," the Ring replied in the demoness's voice.

Breanna let her arm fall across her lap so that her left hand was on her thigh near the man's hand. She nudged it closer, without actually touching.

In a moment his hand moved. It touched hers. A spark jumped from the Ring.

"Goof!" the man grunted, jerking his hand away. It must have been quite a shock.

Breanna turned wide innocent eyes on him. "Is there a problem, sir?"

"No, no, of course not," he muttered.

And by some odd coincidence, his hand did not stray again. "Thanks, Metria," Breanna said subvocally.

The Ring turned warm for a moment, just a pulse of acknowledgment.

Nut and cracker snacks were served, and drinks. Breanna enjoyed her first Mundane fizzle water in nine years. This trip really wasn't bad, so far.

The plane made up time on the flight, and was only fifteen minutes late landing at New Orleans. Breanna rejoined David, and they got off and hurried to the gate for the flight to Dallas. They just made it. This time they had seats together. "What did you do to that guy?" he asked.

"Just burned him with the Ring of Fire," she said. "Nothing serious."

"I'll bet," he agreed, smiling.

But now there was weather. The plane went around it, but then was late, and was put in a holding pattern around Dallas. By the time it landed, they were an hour late, and had missed their connecting flight.

"We'll take the next one to Phoenix," David said.

The clerk checked his listings. "In twelve hours."

"Twelve hours! There should be a plane every two hours."

"All booked solid," the man said. "You should have taken the one you were scheduled for."

"Our plane didn't even land until that one had taken off."

The man checked his computer listings. "True. In that case, we'll put you up for the night, compliments of MundaniAir. We like to have satisfied customers."

"Satisfied cus-" But he broke off, for Breanna's hand was on his arm, cautioning him. "Okay. Thank you," he said insincerely.

Actually, the hotel room wasn't bad. It was small, but had a TV set with cable and an Internet connection. "Say-can that thing reach the Xanth Xone?" she asked.

"Sure, if you have the magic code."

"I have it."

He used his credit card to go online, then turned it over to her. She typed the magic code and entered the Xone. Then as an afterthought she turned to David. "Put your hand on my shoulder, so you have contact. Then you'll be there too."

"Thanks!" He clasped her shoulder.

A lovely woman appeared on the screen. "Why, h.e.l.lo, Breanna," she said. "Back so soon?"

"Hi, Mouse Terian," Breanna said. "No, I'm calling from Mundania."

"And who is your handsome companion?"

"I'm David Baldwin," David said.

"I'm sure you are." Terian gazed at him speculatively.

"Hey-we're talking in sound!" he said, realizing.

"We're in the Xanth Xone," Breanna reminded him. "We're in three dimensions too."

"We sure are," he agreed, gazing raptly at Terian's decolletage, which was somewhat more revealing than she pretended to realize.