“The carpet has an invisible shield,” Hilda said. “And other defenses, such as a star flash. That temporarily blinds nearby folk.”

  “That should suffice,” Sherlock said.

  “If you are out there,” Ion said, “all you have to do is cover your eyes.”

  Vinia’s ring flashed. “Approaching the site,” she announced.

  They landed beside the goblin mound, which resembled a monstrous anthill. Armed goblins immediately surrounded them, but Vinia knew that they could not damage the carpet or its occupants.

  “Lettuce do the honors,” Furioso said, standing. Vinia saw that he liked to play with words. He stepped off the carpet. “I am Furioso Fee,” he announced. “I have been here at the Scraggle Horde before, dating Georgia.”

  There was an evil chuckle.

  “Yes, I know,” he said. “I was the one she first came out to. Now we may take her off your hands. Please ask King Gourmand to join us here.”

  The goblins burst out laughing. This was a preposterous demand.

  Furioso was unfazed. “I gather that the one named O’Clock lived here and departed. When he left the mound, no one knew the time. You seem not to know that it is time for the king to join us here.”

  The goblins did not seem to be much amused by his cleverness with words. They threw a volley of spears at the carpet. They bounced off the invisible protective shield harmlessly.

  Then the goblins brought out a huge battering ram. The ornery beast might indeed butt through the shield.

  Furioso covered his eyes. That was the signal. Ion activated the flash. It struck out in all directions, blinding the goblins and the ram where they stood.

  “I repeat, ask the king to join us,” Furioso said calmly. “The blinding effect will pass in a few minutes.”

  Now the goblins were ready to listen.

  Before long the grossly fat King Gourmand was wheeled out on his portable throne. “Prince Furioso,” he said. “My men did not recognize you without your hair.”

  Oho! That was the detail they had forgotten. Furioso no longer looked the same. “The proprietors of this mission are a royal human Magician and a Sorceress,” he explained. “They enabled me to control my hair.” He removed his cap and let the long tress unwind.

  “Ah.” Gourmand reached to the adjacent wheeled rack and lifted out a bottle labeled SUPER RARE WINE. He removed the cap and took a sip, then replaced the cap and bottle on the rack. “What do they want?”

  “They would like to take Princess Georgia with them, as they have found a princess of her persuasion.”

  “Another pervert?”

  “A lady goblin who happens to prefer her own gender,” Furioso said. “In appreciation for your cooperation in letting her go, they bring a bottle of a rather rare beverage.”

  “Ah.” He was clearly talking the king’s language.

  Furioso lifted his open hand. Vinia picked up the toot rear bottle and stepped off the carpet.

  “Thank you, dear,” Furioso said, as he might to the lowliest of servants. He was playing a role. He took the bottle while Vinia stood meekly in place, playing her role.

  “What is it?” Gourmand asked greedily.

  “This is a rare variant of the common boot rear drink. It is called toot rear. I thought you might have a use for it, should you have to entertain a visiting dignitary you didn’t like but had to be polite to.” He paused meaningfully.

  Slowly the implication got through to the king. He smiled. “I believe I would have a use for it, on occasion.” He took the bottle and set it on the rack at the opposite side to his preferred vintage.

  “Now if you care to notify the princess, the proprietors would like to talk with her.”

  “It pains us to let such a personage go,” Gourmand said, taking another sip of his rare wine. “But we do believe in facilitating royal exchanges.” He made a signal to his courtiers.

  In barely a moment the princess arrived, somewhat disheveled. It had evidently not been by her choice. She was nevertheless beautiful, with a nice figure, shiny black hair, dainty hands and feet, and piercing black irises. Vinia could see why Furioso had liked her; she was everything a man could want, physically.

  “My dear,” Gourmand said in a patronizing tone, “these kind folk wish to talk with you.”

  “Well, they can kiss my—”

  The king made as if to strike her, and she flinched. She stepped back behind the rack of bottles, steadying herself against it. Vinia recognized the signs; had they not been in public that strike would have landed. “Get your sorry ass over there, slut, before I have it boiled in oil to improve its flavor.”

  “Trust me,” Furioso said quickly, holding up a hank of his hair to be sure she recognized him. “These folk are worth your while.”

  Georgia hesitated, still supporting herself on the rack. But she did know Furioso, and they were friends. “Okay.”

  Gourmand smiled as he faced Furioso. “The princess will consider your offer.”

  Furioso took Georgia’s elbow and guided her to the carpet. Vinia followed.

  “Good riddance,” the king muttered behind them. “Now I can celebrate with a solid drink.”

  “Trust me,” Furioso repeated to Georgia. “This is infinitely better than your present situation.”

  “Hell would be better than my present situation,” she retorted.

  “Hello, Princess Georgia,” Hilda said as they boarded the carpet. She remained seated, not from any disrespect, but so she would not stand almost twice the goblin’s height. “I am Princess Sorceress Hilda, and this is my brother, Prince Magician Ion.”

  “Speak your piece,” Georgia said shortly. She was clearly in doubt what she was getting into, but firmly maintaining her pride.

  “Here is the holo made by Princess Goblette, of another goblin tribe. It is self-explanatory.”

  The holo animated. Georgia watched it with disdain, then interest, then excitement. “Oh, yes!” she breathed. There were tears in her eyes.

  “Have you anything to fetch from your lodgings?” Furioso inquired, knowing that she accepted the offer.

  “Nothing worth keeping.” Then Georgia flung her arms about him and kissed him. “You were right. You have saved me.”

  “We are friends,” he said, pleased. “I am considering a similar holo offer by the fee princess. That’s what this mission is all about.”

  “We will remain friends.” She turned back to Ion and Hilda. “Weigh anchor, or whatever, please. Now. It is time to get out of here.”

  Meanwhile Vinia was observing something odd. King Gourmand, taking another gulp of rare wine, appeared to be in some kind of discomfort. In fact he was almost lifting off the ground. “What’s wrong with him? He looks as if he tried to steal a book from a lie briery and got stuck by briers in his pants.”

  “I switched the bottles,” Georgia said smugly.

  Gourmand had inadvertently guzzled from the toot rear bottle, more than a token sip, and it was violently inflating his gut. Vinia suppressed her mirth for almost half an instant before it burst uproariously out of her.

  Then they all were laughing as they caught on. The carpet was already airborne, fortunately. The goblin king had nothing remaining to cuss at, assuming he had the breath for cursing. Georgia had evidently learned about the bottle and had her revenge on the cruel king.

  “Now we need another carpet attachment,” Vinia said. She suspected she was going to like Georgia Goblin; she had nerve.

  “No need,” Furioso said. “Georgia can share with me. We understand each other well enough.” He glanced at the goblin. “They try to provide some privacy for each prince or princess. I’m sure one can be made for you, too, if you prefer.”

  “Thanks, no. I am happy to share with you.”

  Vinia knew that after the toot rear business, they all felt close to Georgia. They would get along.

  They talked, getting to know one another. Then it was time to return to business.

  “Next prince?” Hilda asked.

  “Please, if you list the other princesses for me, perhaps I can help,” Georgia said. “I have been looking for other possible residences and may know of one.”

  “Three remain,” Hilda said. “Chloe Winged Centaur, who is telepathic. Beetrix Bee. And Demesne Demoness.”

  “A Demoness!”

  “It seems she was impatient with the males of her species,” Vinia said. “They, like most males, really wanted only one thing, while she wanted to be appreciated for more than that.”

  “That will be a challenge to find,” the goblin said. “Perhaps best left to last.”

  “Perhaps,” Vinia agreed.

  “But I know of a bee hive with a number of drones. I have learned how to communicate with them. They know that most of them are bound to become surplus. One I was in touch with might be interested in meeting with an isolated bee princess.”

  Fortune had struck again. Or the ring. “What is his name?”

  “Drover.”

  “Drover Drone,” Vinia murmured to the ring. It flashed.

  Benny saw and steered the carpet in that direction.

  “However,” Georgia said, “You will need to haggle, I mean negotiate, with Queen BeeAttitude. She puts a sweet price on everything, even a drone she’d prefer to be rid of.”

  “What is her problem with Drover?” Vinia asked.

  “He’s a fine drone. But he suffered an injury of one wing, and now instead of being the hive’s faster flier, he’s the slowest. He’s mortified. He knows he has no chance to catch the new princess in flight, and become the king bee, and the worker bees treat him with contempt.”

  “Couldn’t healing elixir fix that?”

  “The queen refuses to spare any for a mere drone, one of dozens. One of the others will do, and then they’ll all be surplus.”

  Vinia saw that it was a tough life for the average bee, especially a nonproductive one. “We could fix him,” she told Ion. “So he wouldn’t be surplus anymore, and no longer be interested in an alternate queen bee.”

  “Yet if that’s his attitude, we might not want him anyway.”

  “Drover’s not that type,” Georgia said. “Why not give him a chance?”

  Ion nodded. “We’ll try.”

  “I have made a study of bees, local and Mundane, since getting to know Drover,” Georgia said. “In Mundania, worker bees live for a month, drones live for three months, and queens for three years. But in Xanth, with magic, it’s more like one year for workers, a decade for drones, and thirty years for queens. They also approach human intelligence.”

  “It must be awful in Mundania,” Vinia said. “However do they manage, with such short lives?”

  “There’s a high turnover. There’s more: the princess bee in Mundania mates with a dozen or more drones, but only one in Xanth: he becomes her consort. So Drover has a lot on the line. You can’t blame him for considering carefully.”

  Hilda had been listening. “Folks, we’ll be entering the hive. For that we’ll need three accommodation spells, for size, flight, and speech. You have a notion how it works. We’ll have to park the carpet and go in as individuals. Anyone who prefers to stay with the carpet is welcome.”

  King Sherlock, Prince Furioso, and Princess Georgia looked at one another, then did a mutual shrug. “We’re in,” Sherlock said. They knew that the regular crew was committed.

  They soon approached the hive. It was huge, bulging out of a giant old beer-barrel tree with a cracked trunk. Probably the whole interior was filled not with beer, but honey. Provoked worker bees flew up angrily, more than ready to repel this intrusion. But they were unable to penetrate the carpet’s protective shield. That made them angrier.

  “Make that four spells,” Hilda said as she looked at the angry bees. “We also need one for personal protection. It will make our skins invulnerable to stings. Just in case.”

  “You have that kind of magic?” Georgia asked, amazed.

  “They are Sorceress and Magician,” Furioso said. “Do not be deceived by their youth. They have amazing powers.”

  “Yes. I have not before interacted with that level of magic.”

  “First elixir,” Ion announced, lifting a vial. “Size. Stay where you are: everyone on the carpet will be affected.” He opened it, and the vapor puffed out.

  Vinia had seen his magic before, but she still was a bit nervous as the mist enveloped her. She breathed it in and moved her arms and legs, making sure it touched every part of her. The others emulated her.

  They all shrank to bee size, together with their clothing. The carpet did not. They were standing on a huge expanse of material. This accommodation spell was selective. Vinia noted that all of them were the same bee size, not larger or smaller in the manner of humans and elves or a goblin.

  “Amazing,” Georgia echoed.

  “Actually the carpet has its own protective spell,” Hilda said. “So it is excluded from the effect. Our clothing associates with us, so maintains the same proportions.”

  “Second elixir,” Ion said. His bag had shrunk with him, being attached to his clothing. “Flight. We will grow wings, but they are mainly for appearance and to reassure the bees; we will actually fly by the power of our thoughts.” He opened the vial.

  More vapor emerged. It surrounded them. Vinia saw wings sprout from the backs of the others, through their clothing, and felt the same for herself.

  “Try it,” Hilda said. “So as to achieve control.” She buzzed her wings and lifted a body length off the carpet.

  The others tried it, with less initial control. They wound up striking the overhead canopy and falling back on their heads, fortunately not hard. Only Georgia, with more experience with bees, was able to make her first flight controlled. But soon the others got the hang of it. Their wings buzzed automatically when they flew.

  “Third elixir,” Ion said. “Communication. Again, your minds will govern it. Just talk as you normally would, and don’t be concerned how it sounds. The bees will understand us, and we will understand them.” He opened the vial.

  “Try it,” Hilda said after the vapor infused them. There was a buzzing quality to her speech, but it was intelligible.

  Vinia spoke, experimentally. “Is this right?” She heard her own buzzing voice, but could make out the words.

  “It is,” Ion reassured her with his own buzz.

  When everyone was satisfied, Ion brought out another vial. “Fourth elixir: protection. No stinger can penetrate your skin.” He let out its vapor.

  “But don’t tease the bees,” Hilda warned. “Remember, this is a peaceful mission.”

  Just as the one to the goblin mound had been, Vinia thought. It was indeed best to be prepared. The mist surrounded her, and she felt her skin crinkle slightly, then relax. That was all. She would have to take its protection on faith.

  “Now we visit Queen BeeAttitude,” Ion said. “Who wants to do the honors?”

  “I can try,” Georgia said. “I have been around the hive. They should recognize me, once I introduce myself.”

  “Take it,” Ion agreed.

  Vinia saw the goblin hesitate. She had volunteered, but remained uncertain. Vinia knew exactly how that was. She went to join her. “I will be your assistant.” The two of them were now the same height.

  “Thank you,” Georgia buzzed, clearly appreciating the support.

  They stepped off the carpet. The bees swarmed down to confront them. “Who the buzz are you?” the troop leader demanded. She was female in the manner of Vinia, her gender clear but undeveloped, yet she was no child. Her fur formed into a uniform, black and yellow, and her stinger was prominent. Her eyes stared at them and her antennae flexed. A warrior.

  “I am Georgia Goblin, magically reduced in size for this occasion. I know Drover Drone; we met in the field. You have seen me around the hive. This is Vinia Human, similarly reduced.”

  There was a stir among the bees. They did recognize Georgia, now that they were adjusting for her reduced stature. She looked like a tiny winged goblin, not a bee, but they had seen her in the field.

  “What do you want with us?”

  “We speak for a human mission.” Georgia indicated the party remaining on the carpet. “We want to take Drover Drone to meet a foreign princess bee, to see if they connect.” This was plainly important, because it meant the formation of a new hive.

  The warrior bee considered. “This is a matter for the queen.”

  Obviously so. “Yes. Please conduct us to Queen BeeAttitude.”

  Vinia waved to the folk on the carpet. Ion, Hilda, and Benny stepped off. Then Sherlock followed. Furioso remained behind, evidently the one chosen to keep an eye on the home base. Again, a matter of being prepared.

  “This way,” the warrior said. She took off, flying toward the hive.

  They took off and followed, single file, first Georgia, then Vinia, then the four others. A bee came to fly beside each of them, not threatening, but close. The hive, too, was being prepared.

  They entered the hive. The entrance passage branched, leading to the several activities like the worker barracks, nursery, honey storage, and the queen. Vinia would have had no idea where to go without guidance, assuming she could ever have gotten into the fiercely defended hive.

  Soon they came to an antechamber. There was the queen, more than twice the size of a worker, her eyes and antennae restless. Or rather, the front half of her, projecting from a supportive wall. Vinia realized that the rear half was surely busy laying eggs, attended by nursery bees.

  “Queen Bee, here is the intruder party,” the troop leader said. “They say they want to take Drover Drone to meet a foreign princess.”

  The cold eyes focused. “Who are you?”

  “I am Princess Georgia Goblin, of the neighboring horde. We do not compete with your hive, but our territories overlap. I met Drover Drone in the field and we got to know each other, as you know. These are Princess Hilda Human, and her brother Prince Ion, and their retinue.” She introduced Hilda first, because to a bee, the female was obviously the most important.