“Ouroborus!” Flame said. “Now I recognize him.” He moved close to the giant head. “Hello, Tailchomp!”

  The answer came in their minds, a powerful thought. “Hello, Fire Head.”

  The enormous serpent is telepathic, Nydia thought. That surely facilitated communication when its mouth was occupied.

  “It does, nymph.” The thought startled her, coming directly to her mind.

  “I haven’t seen you in a while,” Flame said.

  “My body is hidden so that the birds don’t poop on it. I am still holding things together. But it does get dull, in the course of eons. So I converse here with the Element of Water to pass the time. He has been around even longer than I have.”

  So they had come to the right place. “True, nymph,” Ouroborus answered her thought.

  “I am here to recruit the Element to our Quest,” Nerine said. “There is a problem we need to resolve.”

  “What problem is this?”

  “There are rivers in torrents and floods galore. Whole villages are getting drowned. Only the Element can stop them.”

  “He hardly cares about the convenience of villagers. He won’t talk to you.”

  “He will after I kiss him.”

  Ouroborus laughed mentally. “You think that the puny kiss of a mere nymph will influence an Element? Don’t make me laugh physically. It would shake the world.”

  Nerine eyed him. “You are one big phallic symbol. If there’s one symbol a nymph is not afraid of, it is that. We tame them many times a day. Who are you to laugh?”

  “I am more than a symbol. I am the serpent who seduced the first woman into eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and inciting in her and her man’s simple mortal hearts the endless yearning for more knowledge, especially the forbidden kind. The two of them became so persistent about poking into what didn’t concern them that the Deity got fed up and kicked them out of the Garden of Eden. Then they set about populating the planet with their kind, ruining it, and venerating me as the representation of Wisdom, though I never claimed to be wise. I am the Teutonic Midgard Serpent and the Hindu Asootee, the eternal path of the sun. I signify that good and bad, perfection and inferiority, are bound together in matter, like day and night. I also symbolize the Four Elements.”

  “Four?” Nydia asked sharply. “But there are five.”

  “The Void doesn’t count,” Ouroborus replied. “He’s empty.”

  “We’ll see.” But Nydia was shaken. Now that she thought about it, she had to ask: how could emptiness be considered an Element? Were they on an impossible mission?

  “Enough of this chitchat,” Nerine said impatiently. “We’re going on to Water.”

  “Only if you can get by me,” Ouroborus said. “He doesn’t want to be bothered by silly nymphs.”

  “Silly?” Nerine asked. “Do I have to pacify you on the way to him?”

  The serpent eyed her with contempt. “I could swallow you in a tiny fraction of a gulp, you arrogant piece of fluff.”

  “You’re bluffing, Oro. You are not about to let go of your tail and let Xanth fly apart. Then you’d have nothing to do, no justification for your existence. Here’s a sample of my power. I am going to kiss you.”

  “You wouldn’t dare!”

  She laughed. “Try me, Symbol of Wisdom.”

  “How are you ever going to manage it, tiny cutie?” The disdain was as big as the body.

  “Like this.” Nerine marched up, leaned forward, and kissed a section of his lip where it was up against his tail. The section was as big as she was, but the impact was apparent. A little heart formed by a miniature serpent with its tail in its mouth flew out. A visible current ran down along the mighty head, neck, and body. Steam bubbled up where it passed, and the lake floor quaked with the force of the serpent’s involuntary squeeze.

  “It’s a good thing I’m not human,” Ouroborus said dazedly. “And that you could not deliver the full force of your smooch. As it is, I will dream of you.”

  “Do that, Oro,” she said, satisfied. “You will not forget me.”

  “I should have warned you, Oro,” Flame said. “These creatures possess the Power of Love. There is nothing else like it. Now you know.”

  “Now I know,” the serpent echoed, and sank into a turmoil of bliss.

  They swam over the body and entered the inner chamber of the cathedral. The invisible presence of the Element was subtly tangible. Nydia brought out the water figurine and the wand. She waved the latter. “Element of Water, enter this figure,” she said.

  There was a swirl, and the figurine came to life. “I heard,” Water said. “Your companion’s kiss won’t compel me.”

  “We shall see.” Nerine caught hold of him, oriented him to face her, and firmly kissed him. This time, a heart in the shape of a quivering water bomb flew out.

  “Then again, I could be wrong,” he said, shaken. “I suspect I underestimated the Power of Love. Does it come with privileges?”

  “Yes, when I deem them appropriate.”

  “I anticipate that deeming with joy.”

  “You are learning,” Flame remarked. “As I did.” He smiled. “It’s not a bad thing.”

  “Not bad at all,” Ouroborus’s thought came from the other chamber.

  “Come with me,” Nerine said. “Read my mind for the necessary background. We have a job to do.”

  “I’m not telepathic. That’s Ouroborus.”

  “Oh.” She pondered half a moment, then looked at Nydia. “May we borrow Anthem?”

  Nydia took her hand, and the fire ant crossed over. Then Nerine took the figurine’s hand. They were connected.

  “You were a princess,” he said, surprised. “I remember your ancient kingdom. No wonder authority comes so naturally to you.”

  “I think I am not a princess anymore. My kingdom no longer exists.”

  “You are still my queen.”

  She laughed. “Thank you.”

  They bid Ouroborus farewell, exited the cathedral, and swam to the surface of the lake, Nerine and the Element communicating all the while. They decided to call him Flood. They waded to the bank.

  Where a smoker dragon happened to be drinking. “Out of our way, sootsnoot,” Flood said impatiently.

  The dragon swelled up, taking in air for a phenomenal blast of smoke. Many folk did not realize that smoke killed more people than fire, suffocating them. But a cloud of water bombs appeared, pelting the dragon mercilessly. Enraged, it opened its mouth wide—and a huge water bomb sailed in, splashing inside its throat. The dragon went into a coughing fit, balls of smoke flying from its ears. Realizing it was over-matched, it retreated.

  They walked back to the enchanted path. Now Flame strolled beside Flood, and they chatted, comparing notes.

  They spied a passing valley that had become a lake. “What made you do that?” Nerine asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said, surprised. “I don’t usually bother incidental bits of scenery.” He raised an arm and waved. The water level dropped. In a few minutes the valley was clear, with only a normal river running through it.

  “That’s the way it is with me,” Flame said. “Something is making me get all stirred up. I don’t like being interfered with.”

  “Me neither,” Flood agreed. “I’ll stop the damage.”

  This Element, too, was handy to have around.

  Chapter 6

  Air

  “I need a sock back,” Nerine said. She glanced at Flood. “Now that we’re out of our element.”

  Immediately, both Ecstasy and Vinia reached down toward their socks, about to take them off.

  “Wait,” Nydia said. “Both of you may still need protection as we approach other Elements. You should keep your socks, just in case.”

  “I don’t need mine,” Flame said. “That was just to mask me so that we could go into the lake without evaporating the water or disturbing the natives.” He lifted his foot and pulled off the sock. He presented it to Nerine. “I have your soul; you are welcome to my sock.”

  Nerine laughed, accepting it. “Fair trade, hot stuff. So now I will wear Noletta’s sock.”

  “Don’t mistreat it,” Noletta said, forcing a frown that endured barely half an instant before being obliterated by a smile.

  “What’s our next element?” Nydia asked.

  There was a roll of thunder in the distance. A storm was building.

  “I think we have our answer,” Ecstasy said. “We can be sure that’s no ordinary storm. We need to stop it before it blows away a village or two.”

  “Air,” Nydia agreed, though she distrusted the coincidence. Was the Element of Air aware of them and their Quest, and wanted to be included?

  “It’s coincidence,” Anthem said. “There have been storms in the distance all along, but we haven’t been paying attention.”

  “Air can be erratic,” Flame said.

  “We all can be,” Flood said. “I am increasingly curious who or what is messing with us.”

  “We hope to find out soon,” Nydia said.

  “But a caution,” Ecstasy said. “A potent female kiss won’t suffice this time. I crafted the figurine of Air to be as my insight indicated. Female. Sightly.”

  “She is that,” Flame agreed. “With a temper to match.”

  “What are you implying, soulkeeper?” Noletta demanded, bridling.

  He laughed. “That she’s like you, you beguiling bundle of ever-changing moods. I love that in you. You constantly stoke my fire. What a time I could have had with Air, were we Elements not like siblings, socially. I have no romantic interest in Air. But I’m sure she could use a man. Too bad there’s not a handsome, robust, macho male in this Quest.”

  “True,” Flood said. “My water helps power her storms, as does your heat. She’s alluring, but not for us.”

  Nydia realized that they had a problem. Men did not have the kissing power women did, as far as she knew. They were the objects rather than the forces, though they might see it the other way around. Few men realized that women were the secret mistresses of Xanth, Mundania, and points between. It was the Female Conspiracy. How were they going to pacify this wild Element without that kiss power, even if they got her in a figurine? They had been able to focus the other two Elements, but Air was everywhere and nowhere. They needed her cooperation.

  “We need a man,” Ecstasy said. “A special one. The right men do have their unsubtle appeal.”

  The other females nodded, knowing their power. The two Elements looked blank, not really aware of the nature of their appeal. Just so. It was best that men remain ignorant, lest they become even more difficult than usual.

  Then Nydia suffered a realization. Air was everywhere, seeing, hearing, and feeling everything no matter how private or intimate. But she had no solid body to experience it personally, no brain to understand it. She might be curious as to what she was missing, but unable to satisfy that curiosity despite how much information she acquired. She might be extremely frustrated.

  They could help her, via the figurine and their dialog. But how could Air ever come to know the kind of emotional interaction Noletta and Nerine had with their boyfriends? Nydia herself had no personal acquaintance with it despite her experience in the Retreat, and intelligence thereafter. Fauns were no substitute for a real relationship with a man. If she thought about it too much, she would work herself into a siege of jealousy. She wanted a man, too, even if it was only an animated ectoplasmic figurine.

  Better to change the subject. Nydia looked at Vinia. “Do your paths lead to any prospects?”

  The girl focused. “Not here on land or in the sea. In the sky, maybe.”

  That was not much help. What was in the sky but wind and clouds?

  “The moon!” Woe Betide exclaimed. “The Man in the Moon! Even I know how intriguing he is, always out of reach.”

  A look circled, its adult aspect passing over the child’s head. Could this crazy notion actually be viable?

  Ecstasy was practical. “How would we get there to recruit him, assuming it could be done?”

  “The magic of perspective,” Nydia said, remembering how that had been useful when addressing the sun. “Catch the moon when it is near the horizon. Get on it and search him out, following Vinia’s paths.”

  “Get Air into a figurine and take her along,” Nerine said. “Then she can fascinate him and be satisfied herself.” She glanced sidelong at Flood, ready to do both with him soon.

  Maybe that made sense.

  “Very well,” Nydia said, though she was not at all sure it was even a trifle well. “We’ll walk into the storm and clamor for her attention.”

  “No,” Noletta and Vinia said almost together.

  The others looked at them.

  “The paths are scrambled, with no clear green one,” Vinia said.

  “My future flickered,” Noletta said. “It reeked of disappointment.”

  This was interesting. “Can the two of you work together to find a clear and safe path to success?” Nydia asked. “Maybe if we use our magic properly, it will guide us.”

  “Try making decisions,” Ecstasy suggested, “while watching the changes only you can see.”

  “The storm’s no good,” Vinia said. “But where else can we go to find her?”

  Noletta looked around. “Back the way we came? No.”

  “To the nearest village?” Vinia asked. “No.”

  “That low hill,” Noletta said, glancing to the side. “I got a flicker and I think it’s positive.”

  “A green path is forming, but it’s obscure.”

  “That is nevertheless progress,” Ecstasy said. “Try variations.”

  “We climb the hill and do something,” Noletta said. “Another flicker.”

  “Do what?” Vinia asked. “Put on a show?”

  Then both of them paused as if something impressive had made an appearance.

  “I saw the Air figurine already come to life, tomorrow,” Noletta said. “Beautiful and sexy. Maybe it happens today. She was beside Flame and Flood, and smiling.”

  “And the path to the hill flashed bright green.”

  Before long they worked it out. Flame and Flood would stand at the top of the hill and make a show of fire and water to impress Air, demonstrating that they really were part of this party. And it seemed that Air would be affected and elect to join them, at least to the extent of animating the figurine so they could talk with her. Then Nydia would make the pitch for trying to recruit the Man in the Moon.

  They marched up the hill and made their show, knowing Air was watching without understanding. The key was to intrigue her enough to join the game. Flame made a fire, then let his figurine image sag as if empty. Nydia waved the wand and the fire moved to the figure, which came to life. Then Noletta stepped up and kissed it. A fiery little heart flew out. They walked away, hand in hand. A capsule romance. Would it interest the Element? She had surely seen romances galore, right down to any details air touched; did they mystify her so that she wanted to know more?

  Flood stood by a hollow in the ground and gestured, filling it with water. His figure went inert. Nydia waved the wand, and the puddle floated up and doused the figurine, which woke back up. Then Nerine kissed it, generating mini water-bomb hearts, and they held hands. Another spot romance. The difference between these and others Air had seen was that they involved Elements. Would she care?

  Finally, Ecstasy got out the Air figurine, which was a wild and lovely form. She held it up, as it was obviously vacant. Nydia waved the wand. Was the essence of the Element close enough to animate it? Only if she chose to be.

  The figurine twitched. Its sky-blue hair flung out. Its matching blue eyes opened. Air was there! She was a beauty, with a shape rivaling that of a nymph. Ecstasy had outdone herself fashioning this one. But did Air even care about appearance?

  Nydia spoke to her immediately, improvising. “Hello, Air! We’ll call you Aery. Welcome to our Quest. The magic of the figurines enables you to understand our speech and to respond in kind. We regret we do not have a man for you to kiss and fascinate, but we’re working on it. If you cooperate with us, not only will you come to understand what we are up to, you will have a chance to experience a kind of fulfillment you may not have had before. You are welcome to talk with your sibling Elements Fire and Water, who are working with us by choice.”

  “Talk?” Aery asked, as if trying out the verbal mechanism. Yes, it worked.

  “Talk and act,” Nydia reassured her. “You can indulge in the full range of life. You will finally know the meaning of what you have only observed before.”

  “I don’t know. This is so strange.”

  Flame stepped forward. “I am Fire. You know me by my heat and smoke. Trust me, parallel Element, you will enjoy this experience.” He beckoned to Noletta. “You will know passion. There is nothing else like it.” He kissed the nymph, who of course cooperated fully, generating another heart. “Perhaps even love. That is something we Elements never knew before.”

  “Love,” Aery repeated somewhat blankly.

  Flood joined them. “You will know it when you find it.” He kissed Nerine. “I am Water. Together we can discover who or what has been messing with us, and set it right. And we Elements can get to know each other better. We have been interacting for millennia as virtual strangers. It is past time to become friends.”

  “Friends,” Aery repeated. This was evidently another foreign concept.

  The other members of the Quest introduced themselves and explained how their group had formed.

  “Something has been agitating the Elements,” Nydia said. “We feel this is rank interference in the natural order and needs to be stopped. So we are trying to organize the Elements by making them part of our Quest, and hope you agree and join us.”