Things happened fast when Demons were involved.

  Apoca smiled. “How can we decline? They’re our friends.”

  They spent the night in the pleasant little suite normally reserved for guests of Queen Apoca. This time Nolan was the guest and she was the host. They kissed chastely and slept. Their time would come, once things settled down and they were safely anonymous, with the two batons supervising other characters. Nolan knew that he and Apoca were already well on the way to the background. Probably they remained protagonists mainly to view the gala wedding. It seemed that readers of Xanth history volumes liked weddings almost as much as warfare.

  In the morning they rose, cleaned, dressed neatly, ate the occu pie and boot rear provided, kissed, and went out to assist the ceremony. Things were already progressing. They felt halfway anonymous already.

  “There you are!” Vinia said, intercepting them. “How are you with animals?”

  “Animals?” Nolan asked blankly. “This is supposed to be a wedding.”

  “Yes, a really truly big, fancy one. They want music, background, and of course the wedding march. They demand the very best. So they are importing a small herd of unicorns.”

  “Unicorns!” Apoca exclaimed. “What do they have to do with a wedding?”

  “These are special. They’re from Phaze.”

  “From where? Faze?”

  “Phaze. It’s the magic half of a planet, maybe one of Ida’s moons, I don’t know. Ion’s mom, Ida, has all these worlds orbiting her head—”

  “I know about Queen Ida’s moons. Some have unicorns. But that doesn’t answer the question.”

  “Yes it does. Phaze is where the unicorns live. They look like garden-variety ’corns, but their horns play music. Each horn is a different instrument. Most are wind instruments, like the harmonica, flute, oboe, bassoon, or trombone. But some are percussion, like drums or xylophones, or string, like violins or guitars. They have really melodic magic. They’re the best.”

  “I suppose,” Apoca said uncertainly. “But you know, unicorns and virgins. I’m not exactly a—”

  “Phaze unicorns are different. They don’t care about that sort of thing. In fact, they can change forms, sometimes to human form, and do it with people they like. They’re as smart as people. The point is, they are the best musicians, because their horns are not separate instruments, they are part of the unicorn. They don’t have to learn to play their horns; they are their horns. A herd of them makes the best orchestra there is, with the beat of their hooves keeping the cadence. That’s why the Demons want them here.”

  “How do you know all this,” Nolan asked. “When it’s new to us?”

  “My fiancé Ion knows just about everything about everything, and he has tools to find out what else. I asked him, and he told me.” She smiled. “I’m a girl. I like unicorns even better than horses. I never thought I’d get to meet a Phaze unicorn.”

  “So the Demons are importing a herd of them for the occasion,” Apoca said. “Where do we fit in? We don’t know peas about that breed.”

  “Well, I volunteered to escort them here. But the Demons want adult supervision. So—” She managed a small blush.

  Nolan and Apoca laughed together. “So you are recruiting your adult friends,” Apoca said.

  “Who you know won’t turn you down,” Nolan added.

  The blush expanded to middle size. “Yes.”

  “Smart move,” Apoca said. “We’re here to help. Show us the way.”

  The girl’s relief practically made her float. In fact, her feet did rise a bit from the ground. “This way.”

  They followed her to Prince Ion, who had a set of boxes in hand. “Set one up here,” he told them, opening out a box that quickly expanded to barn-door size. “Take the other to Phaze and set it up there. The unicorns can step into one and emerge from the other. When they return, it’s the same process. Just make sure that no one moves a portal or collapses it back to miniature size before the excursion is complete.”

  “We will need to set guards by them,” Nolan said. “Who would do it?”

  “Fire ants,” Aurora said.

  “Nickelpedes,” Nimbus said.

  “Both,” Apoca said. “We can leave a mixed contingent at the near portal and another at the far portal, and bring them back when the portals are shut down.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Nolan said.

  They went to the two fields housing the ants and the nickelpedes. Brief dialogues with the two queens quickly produced contingents of a hundred of each kind of bug. The nickelpedes climbed onto Apoca without gouging her, and the fire ants got on Nolan without scorching him. They walked to the field beyond the two used by the bugs and set up the first portal. Fifty fire ants and fifty nickelpedes unloaded, taking up stances on either side of it. Nobody was about to mess with this item.

  Then Ghorgeous ex-Ghost expanded to giant size and picked up Nolan and his ants in one hand, and Apoca and her nickelpedes in the other. Vinia clung to a finger near Apoca. They were on their way.

  Ghorgeous strode to the Kingdom of Adamant, to the royal palace. She set them down and faded back out of sight, preferring to be anonymous for this side trip.

  Queen Ida came out to meet them, having been advised mentally. Her little moon Ptero orbited her head and seemed curious about this meeting. “It is good to see you again, Vinia. And your friends, who are …” She delayed artfully to give them time to introduce themselves.

  “Prince Nolan Naga,” Nolan said. “And my fiancée, Queen Apoca Lips.”

  “Oh, the ones who saved the talents!” Ida exclaimed. “We are so grateful.”

  Apoca laughed. “We did not realize news had already gotten around.”

  “Folk knew the moment the pie conjurings stopped. The prior ones have been retroactively changed to other talents. You are incidentally famous. The messed-up talents have been a horror.” She made a small queenly gesture of changing the subject. “What brings you here?”

  “Nolan and Apoca are helping me with a detail for the big wedding,” Vinia explained.

  “Ah, yes, we received an invitation. But I am not clear exactly whom the parties are. One reading suggests a mortal man and a ghost. Another suggests two Dwarf Demons.”

  “Both,” Vinia said. “The Demons merged with the man and the ghost because they wanted to experience mortality and souls. Now they are marrying, to experience I have no idea what.”

  Ida smiled, knowing that the girl was not nearly as innocent as she pretended. The Adult Conspiracy was sharper on appearances than on reality. “To be sure. Perhaps my prior question was unclear. What is it that brings the three of you here, plus so many ants and nickelpedes? Not to mention the ineffable personage who brought you.”

  Nolan realized that not only was Ida a Sorceress in her own right, relating to imagination, she was a pretty sharp observer. He liked her.

  “We need to visit the world of Phaze,” Vinia said. “For a herd of unicorns.”

  “Phaze,” the queen repeated thoughtfully. “That’s one of the alien planets, not readily accessible. It resides mainly in an alternate framework.”

  “Yes. But you have every planet, somewhere along the line.”

  “So I do. But some are dangerous to visit without protection.”

  “We have protection.”

  Ida smiled. “I thought you might. Then here is the route.” Ida proffered what looked like a length of string.

  “Thank you.” Vinia took the string. She turned to the others. “The other end of this will be on Phaze, near the unicorns. All we have to do is follow it.”

  Nolan did not know how that worked but was sure Vinia did. Her green path surely followed the string.

  Ghorgeous picked them up again. They sailed up, up, into the sky, for Ghorgeous was no longer a ghost but a Dwarf Demon with relatively boundless powers—and there was the moon of Ptero, looking ever larger as they approached it. They zoomed across its landscapes until they came to a version of Castle Roogna, following the string, and there in her room was Queen Ida again. Except that her orbiting moon was Pyramid, with four triangular faces colored blue, red, green, and gray respectively. They soared to the blue face, to a lake with an isle, where there was another Ida. Her moon was a torus, or shaped like a doughnut. There they crossed the Sarah Sea to the Isle of Niffen, where Ida’s moon was Cone, with the center filled with water hosting sea folk who were eagerly meeting with land folk at the shore. “I have no idea what they’re doing,” Vinia said, which suggested that it was covered by the Adult Conspiracy to Keep Interesting Things from Children. They plunged into the water and dived down all the way to the base of the cone, where Ida lived. Her moon was Dumbbell, where everyone seemed to be working out with weights. Ida was in the center of the bar, the most muscular woman of any age Nolan had seen. Her moon was Pincushion, with residences on the huge pins stuck in the center. Ida was on the rounded end of the planet. Her moon was Spiral, like a tiny galaxy, with Ida in the center. Her moon was Tangle, like a knot in a messy ball of string, with her in the center. Her moon was Motes, which was a cluster of planetoids, she in the center of it all. And on through Trapezoid, Shoe, Implosion, Puzzle, Octopus, Tesseract, Fractal, Zombie, Dragon, Green Goo, and so many others that Nolan had to stop watching lest he expire of dizziness. As it was, he was feeling a bit motion sick. What a panorama!

  At last they homed in on Phaze, which from a distance looked relatively ordinary. Ida was on an island in a sea near the West Pole. This time they did not go on to the next moon but crossed the Translucent Demesnes—Nolan was reminded briefly of the Queen of Thanx—to find a herd of grazing unicorns. Now all they had to do was make the deal to borrow some for the wedding and set up the portal.

  Ghorgeous set them down on the edge of a green field, where a colorful herd of unicorns was grazing. It consisted of about fifty mares and one stallion.

  “Your turn,” Vinia said as Ghorgeous faded out.

  The mares ignored them, but the stallion spied them and trotted up, his hooves beating the cadence to the vibrant sound of double-bass strings. He was large, muscular, and his hide was plaid. “Well, now,” Apoca gasped.

  Nolan realized that it was probably not coincidence that they had been brought to this particular herd, of all the herds on this world.

  The stallion stopped before them with an impressive terminal musical chord. He changed form to a naked man, as well endowed in his various aspects as the unicorn, with plaid hair like Nolan’s and the stub of his horn at his forehead. “Well, now,” Apoca repeated. Vinia was silent, but it was clear that she was admiring both forms of the unicorn, in all aspects. The Adult Conspiracy was surely shuddering, but it lacked force on this distant world.

  Nolan stepped forth. “I am Prince Nolan Naga.” He made a spot change to serpent form and back to illustrate his identity. “This is my fiancée, Queen Apoca Lips.” Apoca smiled. “This is Vinia, the fiancée of the human Magician Prince Ion.”

  The man nodded. “I am Player Plaid, the stallion of this herd. To what do I owe the honor of such a royal interplanetary visit?”

  Nolan glanced at Vinia. She took it from there. “Two Dwarf Demons are getting married today. They want the finest music for their wedding. We would like to borrow a few of your herd to play that music, including the Wedding March. Can we make a deal?”

  “What do you offer?” So there was to be bargaining.

  Now Apoca spoke. “We can provide bales of the finest alfalfa hay. Buckets of sugar cubes. The adoration of maidens and children.” She paused. “Do they all have to be virgins?”

  “Not a problem. None of my mares are.”

  Nolan saw that the mares within range were pausing in their grazing. They understood what was being said and were interested.

  “A guided tour of the local area of the world of Xanth,” she continued. “Plus the honor of the occasion and plaudits for your participation in it.”

  Player nodded. “It will do. Next question: transport. We can’t gallop to neighbor worlds.”

  “We have a portal that connects,” Nolan said. “We can set it up, and transport will be instant, there and back.” He smiled. “There is powerful magic in the background.”

  “So it seems.” Player looked at the herd. “I will select a suitable variety of instruments. There will be no problem on that score.”

  “We will set up the portal. Vinia will lead you through. She has a feel for paths.”

  Then Player thought of something. “Is there a limit on the number?”

  “I don’t think so,” Apoca said. “Your whole herd could visit, if they care to.”

  Nolan saw ears perk up. They cared to.

  “You have handsome hair,” Player remarked to Nolan.

  “You have handsome hide.”

  Then Player changed back to his natural form and trotted among the herd, his vibrant music spreading the word. The humans set about setting up the portal.

  A blue mare approached with the sweet sound of a harmonica. She changed to nude maiden form, her hair and eyes blue. “Player designated me as liaison. I am Bluette. How can I help?”

  Vinia seemed mesmerized.

  “I doubt you can help with the portal,” Apoca said. “But Vinia would like very much to get a ride. Is this permissible?”

  “Yes.” Bluette changed back and waited while Vinia mounted her, bareback. Harmonica music resumed the moment the mare moved. It seemed it tied in with their breathing, and motion accelerated that. They went to circle the herd, the girl plainly thrilled.

  “That was nice of you,” Nolan murmured.

  “Vinia’s my friend. I know what she likes.”

  He did not argue the case. He liked the way Apoca looked out for her friends.

  They completed the portal and set the bugs to guard it, explaining that aspect to Player. The unicorns were already lining up, directed by the basso notes of the stallion. Then Vinia, riding Bluette, led the way, disappearing as they stepped through the seemingly open framework. The others followed, until only Player, Nolan, and Apoca remained.

  “Who’s next?” Apoca asked.

  The stallion became the man. “The two of you.” Then after half a pause, he asked “Is it true what they say about Lips women?”

  “It is true,” Nolan said. “Don’t kiss her or any of them. I understand that unicorns are resistive to outside magic, but it’s not worth the risk.”

  “Surely not.” But he looked as though he would have liked to test it. He had forty-nine mares to breed with, but a human woman was its own challenge.

  Nolan and Apoca stepped through and were immediately back in Thanx. Sure enough, girls and children were massed, adoring the unicorns, and some were riding them. It seemed the unicorns liked girls almost as much as girls liked unicorns. Queen Demesne was watching with pleasure.

  The stallion came through next, in man form. Nolan introduced them. “Player, this is Queen Demesne of the Queendom of Thanx, our host for this occasion. She is a lowercase demoness in human form at the moment.” The queen obligingly became a purple cloud for two and a half instants, then reverted to human form. “Demesne, this is Player, the herd stallion, in man form at the moment.” The unicorn shifted to stallion mode, then back. They were not showing off; they were demonstrating their natures, per socially accepted convention.

  “Oh my,” Demesne whispered, seeming quite taken. Player was also admiring her form, perhaps picturing her as a unicorn mare.

  “Give her a ride,” Apoca told Player. “In demon terms she’s still a girl.”

  In barely three-fifths of a moment, the demoness was riding the stallion, both theoretically directing their contingents, both loving the contact. Girlhood did not necessarily end with maturity.

  The site for the ceremony had been set up during their absence, a virtual stadium with separate sections for each type of guest. In the center was a stand for the key participants. The furnishings were elegant. Demons evidently rated the best.

  Then the guests began to arrive. The first was Demon Xanth, in his ass-headed dragon guise, accompanied by his beauteous human consort, Chlorine, whose talent was the distinctly run-of-the-mill poisoning of water. Nolan understood that it had been a fair story how the unlikely two of them had gotten together, something about a Demon contest requiring a human tear of love or grief. But romances could be fashioned from the least likely pairs.

  Then came Demoness Fornax, whose sphere was Antimatter, with her consort the Demon Nemesis, whose domain was Dark Matter. Both were in human guise, though there were a few sparks where bits of airborne dust collided with their ambiance. Nolan suspected that they had interesting nights together, possibly generating larger sparks.

  Then came Demon Chaos, with Squid on his arm. He was humanly handsome, having learned the art of appearances, and she was on the verge of bursting out of childhood, a lovely girl. Nolan and Apoca went to greet them. “No kissing!” Squid said as if alarmed, and the four of them laughed. But there was something about a look Chaos gave Nolan, not in the least threatening, merely unfinished. Was Nolan missing something? It hardly mattered, as the couple was soon gone, joining the others in the Demon section.

  The other guests filed in, slowly filling the stadium. There were assorted royals from several kingdoms, including Queen Ida and her twin sister, King Ivy. The citizens of Thanx occupied their section, and their surrounding kingdoms had sent representatives. There were the fire ants, the nickelpedes, the ghosts, and the dragons, all well behaved. Also a few zombies, robots, and witches. There were a number of folk Nolan didn’t recognize, but he was sure they were important in their own stories.

  And of course the unicorns, coming to stand in their own section: forty-nine mares and the herd stallion. Many eyes admired them, as unicorns were not common in Xanth, and these were spectacular with their myriad colors and the muted sounds of their horns as they moved. It hardly seemed to matter who was getting married; the audience alone was spectacular.