“How did you get here?” Noletta asked. “Didn’t you know it was dangerous?”

  Sourie laughed sourly, of course. “We were young and careless. We were warned to stay away, so naturally we came to explore, thinking it was an old wives’ tale.” She grimaced. “We were fools.” Her sisters nodded agreement.

  “We’ll help you escape,” Nydia said. “Do you have things you want to take with you? This will necessarily be a one-way trip.”

  “Not even our memories,” Saltie said wryly.

  “Except maybe how we flashed our panties at the man next door and made him freak out,” Sweetie said. “That was fun.”

  “For you or for him?” Noletta asked. Nymphs lacked panty experience, normally being nude. They were still not completely accustomed to clothing.

  Sweetie giggled. “For both, we hope. It’s a mutual thing, display and audience, especially when there’s nothing else to do.”

  “We have been here some time, but don’t seem to have aged,” Saltie said. “It gets dull.”

  “No aging,” Anthem said to Nydia. “They must be in a kind of suspended animation. Conscious, active, but in limbo as far as life goes.”

  “Everything must be in a kind of stasis here,” Lilith said, manifesting in her human form. “Who first?”

  “Me,” Sourie said. “I’m a fatalist anyway.”

  So they were anxious, despite their girlish manner.

  Lilith became the flower and floated to the girl’s brown hair. After a generous moment, both vanished with the implosive pop.

  “I hope this works,” Saltie said nervously.

  “It works,” Nydia reassured her. Then, to change the subject: “You say you were flashing a man?”

  “He lives the next rung down,” Sweetie said. “He can’t join us, and we can’t join him unless we are prepared to go even deeper into the Void. So we can see each other, but not talk; sound doesn’t cross upward, only sight.”

  “He seems to be a decent sort,” Saltie said. “But too old for us. At least forty.”

  Then Lilith reappeared, alone. “Next?”

  Saltie stepped up. “Me.”

  The demoness became the flower and floated to her gray hair. There was the pop of implosion as they disappeared.

  “This neighbor man is a generation older?” Nydia asked Sweetie.

  “Yes. But still halfway handsome. I wouldn’t have wanted to waste any flashes on an ugly man.”

  “So it’s a kind of flirtation,” Anthem said privately. “Showing a man what is being offered without actually risking commitment.”

  “It’s a bleeping tease,” Nydia answered her. Then to Sweetie: “If you liked him despite his age, why didn’t you cross to his level and join him?”

  “I considered it. But then he stopped freaking.”

  Which ended that, it seemed. Only freakable men need apply. The perspectives of youth were evidently limited.

  Lilith returned. “Next.”

  Sweetie nodded. The demoness became the flower, and in a generous moment, they were gone.

  “This house is interesting,” Ecstasy said, examining it. “Constructed all on one plane so sideways motion is feasible. They couldn’t go back, and refused to go forward.”

  “Which was sensible,” Noletta said. “If dull.”

  Lilith appeared. “They are on their merry way home,” she reported. “But they may have a bit of trouble adjusting. My impression is that they were here at least a decade. Their original teen boyfriends will be married and familied.”

  “Extended youth never hurt a woman,” Ecstasy said. “They will make good use of their panties.”

  There was an open space in the center of the structure. They stepped into it and saw the next house down, similar to this one but better constructed. Within it stood a man of about forty, gazing up at them.

  “We are visitors,” Nydia called. Could he hear them? He should, being downslope. “Nod if you hear and understand.”

  The man nodded.

  Good enough. “We would like to talk with you,” Nydia continued. “May we approach?”

  The man nodded again.

  They walked slowly down toward him. “We are a party of fourteen, no, fifteen.” Because Jenny Elf was with them for now. “We are on a Quest to discover why the Elements are being disturbed, and to deal with it if we can. Four of our members actually are Elements, animating human figurines. One is a telepathic ant. Two are demonesses. Three are nymphs. Three are human, one is elf, one is of serpent stock. We will introduce ourselves more formally if you are interested. Who are you, what is your talent, and how did you come to be here?” For now they were coming into audible range.

  “I am Oakley,” the man said. He was brown-haired and eyed, and indeed handsome for his age. “I was hiking, exploring new territory, and did not recognize the event horizon in time.”

  “The what?”

  He smiled. “The event horizon. It surrounds a black hole, which is really what the Void is. It is the line of no return.”

  Oh. This hinted at how smart he was. “Thank you for that clarification. I’m a nymph from the Faun & Nymph Retreat, and haven’t had opportunity to learn a lot about the realm beyond the Retreat. And actually, we can return because we have the cooperation of the demoness, Lilith.”

  Lilith materialized, her allure turned on. “Hello, Oakley. Doesn’t your name mean ‘From the Oak Tree Meadow’?”

  “It does. Just as yours means ‘wife.’ I don’t suppose you are any relation to the demoness who was Adam’s first wife?”

  Her low decolletage dropped a notch lower. “The same. But I took my assignment too seriously and got fired.”

  “The same,” he said appreciatively. “You are famous, or perhaps infamous.”

  Lilith’s skirt lifted shorter. “My reputation among mortals is not stellar, but I get along well enough.” Her bosom swelled slightly as her waist cinched tighter. “Because I deliver.”

  “I’m sure you do.” His gaze returned to Nydia. “To complete my answer to your question, my talent is to see the obvious that others don’t see.”

  Nydia was impressed by two things. First, that he was so readily able to shift his gaze away from Lilith when she was in flirtation mode. This was a man with amazing self-control. Second, he had an interesting talent, dependent on the context of his companions to be properly expressed. But was it of any real use? “Suppose I introduce you to the rest of our party?”

  “By all means. I note you have a few handsome men and a number of sightly ladies. My recent experience of the latter has been limited to three. But all they seemed to want to do was flash me, so finally I turned my reaction off.”

  He could do that? No wonder the demoness hadn’t mesmerized him.

  The introductions proceeded, with each member of the Quest chatting briefly with Oakley. The one he seemed most interested in, oddly, was Ecstasy. He questioned her closely about her manikin art. She answered, clearly flattered by his attention, but not letting herself dream of any further relationship. Art was one thing; romance something else, especially for older folk.

  He was also interested in Jenny. “Aren’t you the wolf rider from another realm? In fact, didn’t you marry a werewolf prince?”

  “Yes,” she agreed, taken aback by his recognition.

  “Why are you here in the Void?”

  “I lost my little cat trophy medal, and the Questers are helping me look for it. But it seems to be permanently lost.”

  He smiled. “This is, after all, the place of lost things. Tell me the details of the loss.”

  She did. Oakley frowned. “I believe we can find it. Check your hair.”

  “My hair?” she asked, surprised.

  “Humor me. My talent suggests it may be there.”

  Jenny caught hold of her hair and brought it around to her face. There, snagged at the end of her hair, formerly concealed by the tresses surrounding it, was a small coin-like disc. “That’s it!” she cried, pulling it free. “Oh, thank you so much! It’s such a relief.”

  He made a gesture of unimportance. “I am glad to have helped.”

  “But how—when none of us thought—” Then she laughed. “You did tell us of your talent. It must have caught on my hair when it blew across my face. Obvious, in retrospect.”

  “Your medal didn’t want to be lost any more than you wanted to lose it. It grabbed on to what offered.”

  “How ever can I thank you?”

  “Your pleasure is thanks enough.”

  Jenny turned to Nydia. “Is it all right if I go now? The pack will worry if I’m away too long without explanation.”

  “We understand,” Nydia said.

  Lilith became the flower and floated to Jenny. There was a pop as they vanished.

  Oakley turned back to Ecstasy. “I believe I would like to join this Quest, and not simply to escape the Void. Would you do me a favor?”

  “A favor?” she asked blankly.

  “Would you make the loveliest lady manikin you can, complete with removable habiliment?”

  “Oh, you want a pretty companion doll?”

  “Yes. I’m impressed by the examples I have seen here, such as Aery and Eartha. I may be of middle age, but I still like the look and feel of young women. That’s why I was for a time vulnerable to the next-door trio. I believe you could make the perfect one.”

  Bemused, Ecstasy drew ectoplasm from the air and started sculpting it. It seemed that the Void had brought in some of that, along with everything else. Soon she had a ravishingly beauteous form that made even the nymphs and other figurines look plain in comparison. She completed it by fashioning separate underwear and outer clothing, and putting them on appropriately. It was indeed one gorgeous doll.

  “Perfect,” Oakley said. “Just one more detail. It needs to be animated.” He paused half a moment. “By you, if you are amenable.”

  “Me?” she asked, astonished. “But I’m a baggy middle-aged spinster.”

  “Not anymore, if you agree. You have missed the obvious: using your remarkable art for your own benefit. You already have the maturity and experience I need in a woman. I have had a fair amount of time to reflect on what I truly want in a partner. I thought it to be an impossible dream, a foolish fancy. Now I’d like to see you in the body I like. That will make you my perfect companion, if you will have me.” He smiled again. “Is it not obvious?”

  Ecstasy was unable to speak; her jaw had fallen too far.

  The others nodded. They had missed it too. It was indeed obvious in retrospect. She was suddenly all she could be. He was perfect for her, being smart, talented, and of her generation. Not to mention handsome and genuinely interested in her.

  Nydia stepped forward, bringing out the wand. She waved it, speaking the words. The figurine animated as Ecstasy sank to the ground, unconscious. Flame and Flood caught her just in time and propped her up, then sat her in a chair.

  Now the figurine inhaled spectacularly and spoke. Inanimate, she had been a stunning doll. Now she was an outstanding woman. “What about my original body? That is the real me. This manikin, as you put it, is only a, well, a temporary costume. If my body perishes, so do I.”

  “Store it in the bag,” Oakley said. “It will be safe there, and timeless, until you need it back.”

  Now it was Nydia’s jaw that dropped, figuratively. Store the body in the bag! Obvious, again, now that it had been spoken.

  Oakley smiled, taking Ecstasy by the shoulders and staring into her face. “And I do want you out of costume, too, in due course. The real world is not make-believe.”

  They put the body carefully in the bag, while the new woman felt herself with her hands without moving her face. Then Ecstasy-Figurine spoke again. “This is amazing! I feel so real. And alive. And robust. Is it too soon to—?”

  He slowly brought his face down to hers, so she could change her mind if she wanted to. She did not turn aside. They kissed. Little hearts exploded, some colliding with some of the watching folk. One hit Nydia, infusing her with a jolt of love. If only she could have discovered such a partner! But of course, she was not the woman Ecstasy was. She was only a nymph, a form without real substance.

  “Oh, my,” Ecstasy breathed as it concluded. “What about—?”

  “As it happens, I have an open-face room.” He glanced about. “If the others will excuse us.”

  “Excused!” Nydia said for them all. “Let’s hold a conference to consider what’s next.”

  They walked single file to the side, then paused, considering.

  “Well, that was a surprise,” Noletta said. “But I’m glad for Ecstasy. She certainly deserves it.”

  “She does,” Nydia said. “Now I’m the last one left. I confess I’m a bit jealous.”

  Lilith appeared, laughing. “Me too. I thought he was going to be interested in me, and I would have obliged him, but he found a better way.”

  “Obviously,” the others chorused.

  “Green was all around them,” Vinia said. “Bleep, I want to grow up and find out what it’s all about.”

  “Me too,” Woe Betide said. “Eventually.”

  Lilith opened her mouth, but nothing emerged. She was unable to make a raunchy comment. It seemed the Adult Conspiracy still governed here.

  “So what is next?” Nerine asked.

  “I think we should continue down-slope,” Nydia said. Then she reconsidered. “But, really, I am the only one who needs to do that. I have to confront the Void, and animate him, and try to recruit him. It will be safer if the rest of you, except for Lilith and Anthem, depart. We will rejoin you in due course.” If she survived.

  “Let’s remain together a little more,” Moonroe said. “We can see the sights, proffering moral support, then leave you to the finale, which we can’t share.” The others nodded.

  Nydia was relieved for that much. “Thank you.”

  Oakley and Ecstasy returned. Both were radiant. Ecstasy, especially, seemed fulfilled. She looked at Nydia. “You’re next.”

  Nydia hoped so. But how could a mere nymph ever win over the dreadful power of the Void? All she had going for her was One Thing, and that was hardly enough for more than a few minutes. She felt horribly inadequate. She didn’t even have a soul.

  They proceeded down-slope. Now the ground was littered with lost things. There were plates and spoons, combs and hairbands, gloves, and piles of lost socks.

  Then something odd: a faint whirling shadow. “What is that?” Rob asked.

  “I have seen it before,” Aery said. “I believe it is a wraith. A drifting spirit.”

  “Wits,” Oakley said. “Someone lost their wits.”

  They passed dozens of shiny coins mixed with lovely, faceted gemstones. Lost wealth. Then something much larger: a ship. The crew was still on board, evidently afraid to leave it. They did not approach it closely, as sailors were notorious for wanting that One Thing.

  “How did a ship get overland to the Void?” Noletta asked.

  “I can answer that,” Oakley said. “The Void is not limited to this site, any more than the other Elements are limited to their sites. Anything ever truly lost comes here. It phases through reality until it settles here.”

  That seemed to make sense.

  Then came something else: a marching column of soldiers led by a general. They must have gone seriously astray. It might have been better to avoid them, but the local terrain made that awkward.

  Nydia went forward to meet the vanguard. “I am Nydia Nymph, on a mission to try to save Xanth. May I ask your identity?”

  “You’re a nymph!” the general said. “We are the Lost Legion. You are, of course, good for Only One Thing, but that is exactly what we are missing. Take off your clothes.”

  Nydia suppressed her annoyance. The general obviously didn’t know any better. “My group is otherwise occupied. Go your way and we will go ours.”

  “Not so fast, tart. You can depart after we finish with you, if you can still walk.” He reached out and grabbed her by an arm before she could jerk it away.

  Nydia clung desperately to her politeness. “Please let go of me. I am not your plaything.”

  He laughed cruelly. “That’s what you think. I’ll take you first, then pass you down the line to the terminal grunt. We’ve been a long time without nookie. Now get your clothes off.”

  A whirlwind of fire appeared not far distant, consuming everything in its path. A nearby river they hadn’t seen before overflowed its banks, advancing toward them. A twisting wind stirred, forming an expanding cone. The ground rumbled warningly. A volcano fired a shower of burning rocks into the sky. The Elements, perhaps prodded by their companions, were not too subtly expressing their annoyance.

  Then Ecstasy spoke. “I will handle this.” She strode forward, now clothed in a hooded cloak that concealed her face and form. Even so, she was beautiful beyond belief. “General, the lady asked you nicely. Now turn her loose or suffer the consequence.”

  The stirrings of the Elements subsided. They were letting her manage it her way for now, just in case she knew what she was doing. Nydia was surprised; this was a side of the woman she had not seen before.

  The general did not let go. His gaze flicked sidelong. “And who the bleep are you, hussy?”

  Ecstasy drew back her hood to reveal her lustrous face. Her searing gaze made his eyelashes and whiskers curl and smoke. A terrible beauty was manifesting. “I am a fair-minded woman trying to make allowances for your time away from civilization, thug. Now I ask you again: release my friend and go your way with your contingent. I do not want to embarrass you unnecessarily.” Nydia was impressed, but what was Ecstasy up to?