Yasmine nodded, catching on. “I am up for grabs. You have gowns that will fit me?”

  “Our tailor will custom-make them for you while you sample the royal cuisine. All you have to do is keep the king’s attention while he’s conscious.”

  Yasmine nodded appreciatively. This was indeed the kind of life she sought.

  The two departed. “I think Hoo-Hah will not be invading us again,” Demesne remarked, satisfied.

  But Vinia had a qualm. “Uh-oh,” Demesne said, seeing it hanging there. Qualms were uncomfortable things to have close by; no one really liked them. “You thought of something.”

  “Yes,” Vinia said, regretfully. “The humans will not invade, but don’t we need to make similar peace with the other kingdoms, to be sure none of them remain mad at us?”

  “She is right,” Grossclout said. “Thanx is not yet secure.”

  Demesne sighed. “But we can’t expect the other kingdoms to resolve themselves the way this one did.”

  They looked at Vinia. “I’ll follow the paths tomorrow,” she agreed.

  When Vinia woke in the morning, the paths were before her. She followed the greenest one. It led to the kitchen. Breakfast, of course. But it did not lead to the cafeteria section, but to head dietitian Goblette’s office. What did it have in mind? Because sometimes the paths did seem to have wills of their own, as she became more familiar with them.

  “I know why you’re here,” Goblette said.

  “You do?”

  “Demesne mentioned it last night. Relations with the neighboring kingdoms, so they won’t try to invade us again.”

  “Oh. Yes.”

  “And we know how typical goblins feel about our kind.”

  About gay and lesbian goblins. “Uh, yes.”

  “So Georgia and I will go see the king and offer to quietly employ any goblins who want to come here. Those will be the gays. They’ll be happy here, and the kingdom will be free of them. No one will say anything, and we will keep their secret.” She glanced at grapevines on her desk. “The grapevine says that the king’s niece Godeleva, Godel for short, is the shame of his family. We know exactly how that is. She should make a nice addition to our staff and can serve as liaison when there is need.”

  She had it all figured out, to Vinia’s relief. “I think you have it covered.”

  “We do. Have a nice breakfast.”

  Vinia did. Then she followed the next green path. This led to the Communications Office, where Chloe Centaur worked. Dragoman snoozed in the background.

  “Ah yes,” Chloe said, her telepathy advising her before Vinia spoke. “Get on my back. We’ll go see the ogres.”

  Vinia climbed on. “Be back shortly, dear,” the centaur called. The dragon flicked an eyelid. He looked pleasantly worn out. This was a queendom, but its consorts were well satisfied.

  They trotted off. “I love your paths,” Chloe said as they got outside and headed for the ogre kingdom. She was seeing them through Vinia’s mind.

  “Uh, yes,” Vinia said. “They do help.”

  Chloe spread her wings and took off. Now the green path was in the air before them. Soon they came to the ogre king’s castle, a brutish mass of twisted tree trunks and traumatized stones.

  An ogre soldier was on guard. “Who you?” he demanded belligerently.

  “I am Princess Chloe of the Queendom of Thanx. I have come to see King Ogden, who is free at the moment.”

  The guard tried to think of a suitable denial but was unable. Ogres were justifiably proud of their stupidity, and he was proud. Chloe trotted past him and entered the king’s chamber.

  King Ogden was an ugly brute, which was probably his main qualification for his status. “Who you?” he demanded, in much the manner of the guard.

  “I am Chloe Centaur, in charge of communications at the Queendom of Thanx. I am telepathic, so I know your secrets. You have a shameful minority element in your kingdom you need to clear out.”

  Ogden started stupidly at her.

  “You are unable to get rid of them,” Chloe continued. “Because they turn up in the best and worst families. They are not mean-spirited, but there’s always that risk of embarrassing exposure. You try to hide or ignore them, but it is a continuing problem.”

  Vinia was uneasy. Did the ogres have the same problem the goblins did? This could be awkward. Yet Chloe stood directly on the green path.

  “You know what I’m talking about,” Chloe said. “You need to be quietly free of them.”

  The king grunted affirmatively.

  “Thanx offers you a way to do that. We are opening a facility where ogres of this persuasion, male and female, will be welcome. Especially the females, as we are a feminist state. All you have to do is let them join us.”

  “Who?” the king demanded.

  “For example, your daughter, Ottie. She’s a secret reader.” Her gaze slanted off to the side, where a young ogress sat. “She’s way too smart for your court.”

  The ogress looked guiltily up from the book she had been furtively reading.

  So that was the ogre’s shame! Some of them were unconscionably smart. What an embarrassment to have one in the king’s family.

  “We need a librarian at Thanx,” Chloe said. “Ottie can be it. Any others who want to join are welcome to come help her, and if they sneak in a little reading, no one else need know. We will never advertise their true nature.”

  The king capitulated. “Go,” he told the girl.

  Ottie got up and joined them. Soon they were on their way back to Thanx. Another kingdom was now at peace with Thanx.

  “I can read all I want?” Ottie asked as they flew.

  “All you want,” Chloe agreed. “In fact you will be in charge of fetching in new books, to fill out the library.”

  The girl gave a sigh of pure delight.

  The green had scored again.

  The next path led Vinia to the salamander field, where they had held off the trolls. There was Fiera Fire Cloud, in her human manifestation. Vinia approached her. “I need to talk with the troll king, and I hesitate to go alone.”

  “They do have a taste for young girls,” Fiera agreed. Vinia wasn’t sure whether that was figurative or literal. Maybe both. “I will protect you,”

  They went to the king, Truant Troll. He was eyeing Fiera, half wary of her fire capability, half admiring her form. “You here for fun or fury, hot wench?”

  “Neither,” Fiera said.

  Then Vinia got an idea, and it flashed green. “The trolls maintain the trollway that crisscrosses Xanth. But there is no stop here. We need to set one up.”

  “They wouldn’t come here. We’re way in the hinterlands.”

  “But suppose this stop was run by young, fair lady trolls? That would make it appealing for traveling trolls and others of similar persuasion. They could maintain it just inside the Thanx border so that nontroll travelers would not be concerned, but the personnel would be yours. Neat jobs, nice contacts.”

  Truant focused on her. “You interest me, girl.” Fiera fired up warningly. “I mean your idea. Thanx would support it?”

  Vinia spoke to her ring. “Demesne.”

  “I heard,” the Demoness said. “Yes, we would approve it, in the interest of harmony between nations.”

  Truant nodded. “You clear it with the trollway authorities. We’ll recruit the girls.”

  Thus readily was it accomplished.

  The next was the gnome kingdom, the one that had been balked by the snails. Grossclout clued Vinia in on a key aspect, and she went to see Elga Elf, who was the princess in charge of Maintenance. Then Vinia and Elga went to see Snazzy Snail, who was readily identifiable by her lovely shell, who took them to Queen Snafu. “Our survey indicates petrol power crystals buried beneath your territory,” Elga said. “They could free the robots from burning polluting coal and wood. There will surely be a market that will make this territory important. We can’t mine them, but the gnomes could.”

  “I have heard of those crystals,” Snafu said. “They radiate energy that makes nearby males impotent. That’s why they have not been seriously mined before.”

  “You are well informed,” Elga said. “However, there is no such effect on females. The gnomides could do it, especially here in the feminist queendom.”

  Snafu’s feelers wiggled appreciatively. “In that case, let the lady gnomes in.”

  Vinia realized that they hadn’t even yet approached the gnomes, but the deal was as good as done.

  Finally Vinia went to see her friend Ghorgeous Ghost, still following the green path. “You ghosts stopped the dragons admirably. Now do you think you could work with them to make them friendly to Thanx instead of antagonistic?”

  “We are already well on the way,” the ghost replied. “We are working with their ladies to animate revered ancestors. They know they’re not real, but they very much like the appearance.”

  “So the dragons will not be invading Thanx again?”

  “That’s right. We’re pretty much friends now.”

  “That’s a relief.” Vinia had had a long day and was glad to see it end.

  “Things seem to be in order, here,” Grossclout said. “The queendom is established and secured. Tomorrow you children can fly home.”

  That seemed good to Vinia, especially since green surrounded him.

  The four of them packed up the carpet, now separated from the huge addition that had transported the Lips tribe and made ready to depart. Vinia was feeling a little sad and knew the others felt much the same. It had been such a marvelous adventure, for all its problems, and now it was over. “I’m almost sorry to leave Thanx,” Vinia said. That was an understatement; all her new friends were here as citizens.

  “Me too,” Ben said. “And not just because of the Lips girls.” He glanced at Hilda, but she was wise to him and refused to be baited.

  “Still, we need to check out—” Ion began, before Vinia’s look threatened to chop off his knees. “With Demesne,” he finished. “She mentioned it.” Then they both smiled. It was a kind of game between them, her supposed jealousy of his nascent interest in other girls.

  They walked to the main cave. Queen Demesne was there, in front of a broad curtain that closed off the rest of the cave. “What is it, dears?” she inquired, looking up from her desk of papers.

  Ion glanced at Vinia. She took the hint. “It is time for us to go home. We’re just here to clear it with you.”

  Demesne smiled. “That’s fine, dear. Oh, one detail: Apoca will accompany you. She wants to meet your folks and establish formal relations between Adamant and Thanx. I have deputized her for that.”

  Now Vinia saw Apoca and Nimbus standing behind Demesne. “Oh, of course, if she wants. We have room on the carpet.” She loved the idea of her closest new friend coming along. Apoca was the most recent, but she was special, and not just because she had enabled Vinia to discover her hidden second talent. The two of them just seemed to relate very well.

  “Thank you,” Apoca said. “I am taking temporary leave from kissing women, to rest my lips, though I shall return soon to resume.”

  Yet Vinia was strangely reluctant to end it. There were so many new friends here in Thanx! But that was the way of it. She belonged with Ion.

  “One other detail,” Demesne said. She put a hand to the curtain and drew it aside.

  There beyond it were all the other princesses, together with their consorts, and all Vinia’s friends from the invasion. “Surprise!” they chorused.

  “It’s a farewell party,” Hilda said, surprised.

  Then they were all clustered around the four children. “We owe everything to you,” Hula Human said.

  “Everything!” Goblette Goblin agreed, with Georgia nodding behind her.

  “And more,” Elga Elf said.

  “You made it all possible, when we were crystallized,” Chloe Centaur said, with Dragoman Dragon behind her.

  “And we can never truly repay you,” Beetrix Bee buzzed.

  “But we will always honor you as the true creators of Thanx,” Demesne Demoness said, with Grossclout behind her.

  The other friends Vinia had made were there, too: Signal Siren in a bucket of water, Sali Salamander, Ghorgeous Ghost, Snazzy Snail, and Lorna Lovebug. Even Fiera Fire Cloud was present, in her human form. Nimbus Nickelpede was with Apoca.

  It was a lovely send-off. Vinia felt tears in her eyes and knew the other children were sharing her mood. They had managed to rescue the six crystallized princesses!

  “More than that,” Chloe murmured, reading her mind. “You have been marvelous. You have enabled a new nation in Xanth. You will be remembered.”

  It was quite a party, with all the trimmings, the four children at the center.

  Then they were on the carpet and flying toward Adamant. It was routine, except for the feelings. Vinia and Hilda cried openly with mixed joy and grief, while the boys suffered in silence.

  In due course they arrived at Adamant. Now Ion and Hilda had tearful reunions with their parents Hilarion and Ida, while Vinia waited to introduce Apoca and Nimbus to them more formally.

  “A nickelpede!” Queen Ida said, surprised.

  “She was my host when I enlisted the help of the nickelpedes to save Thanx,” Vinia explained. “She’s a nice person.” And before long Ida was holding Nimbus on her hand, amazed and appreciative. Any friend of her child was a friend of hers.

  But the main new interest was Apoca. Vinia told how she had become friends with Apoca, having common interests, which she did not specify.

  “And do you have a consort, Apoca?” Ida asked.

  “None as yet,” the Lips queen answered. “But I am not yet old. There should be time.” Vinia saw a flash of green as she spoke. There should indeed be time.

  There was a sumptuous welcoming banquet. Then, full and tired, the children retired to their chambers, and Apoca and Nimbus joined them. They settled down to sleep.

  But something was bothering Vinia. She focused and realized it was the colors around her. They had been generally green throughout, but now were a tangled blue, red, and yellow. The paths were wrong!

  “Tell,” Ion murmured.

  “It’s not right for us to be here anymore,” Vinia said. “I don’t understand it, but that’s what the paths indicate.”

  “Conference,” he said, catching on immediately. He raised his voice. “Hilda. Benny, Apoca. Nimbus. We need to talk.”

  The others joined them in their assorted nightclothes. “The paths are troubled,” Apoca said, her hair yellow, reflecting her own doubt. “Am I correct?”

  “Yes,” Vinia said sadly. “Something is wrong.”

  “We feel it too,” Hilda said. “Somehow this no longer feels like home. That’s weird, because it is home.”

  “Where is the green?” Ion asked.

  Vinia searched. Finally she found a green sliver. She oriented on it and it broadened, pointing to somewhere. Then she recognized it. “Thanx.”

  “You four are children only chronologically,” Apoca said, and Nimbus on her shoulder nodded: the nickelpede was adult. “In experience you are now well into adult status. You can no longer be satisfied to be obedient members of your childhood context. You need a new venue, where you can be accepted for what you are now and will become in the near future. I believe the Queendom of Thanx is that venue. That is where your real friends are, and where you want to grow up.”

  A four-way look circulated. Then they nodded together. The green was all around them. “My true home is wherever you are, Vinia,” Ion said.

  “And mine is with you,” Hilda told Benny.

  “I believe Thanx can use a Magician, a Sorceress, a crossbreed, and a seer of paths,” Apoca concluded. “Apart from valuing your friendship. I saw that they were as sorry to see you depart as you were to go. Now you can return.”

  “We’re going home,” Vinia said, relieved. “Even if it isn’t where we thought.”

  Then they hugged together, the six of them, and the green brightened.

  Author’s Note

  Yes, I am setting up Apoca for the next Xanth novel, #47, Apoca Lips. I just couldn’t resist that pun. She may or may not be the protagonist (that is the viewpoint character). Sometimes that changes at the last moment. It did for the present novel: I had planned on Prince Ion, but then realized that Vinia would be better, as she observed him, and she came through splendidly. Sometimes a minor character watching the action does better than the main one. Sometimes the minor one becomes major herself. Writing has its own rules that the writers don’t always properly understand. Um, no, I’m not sure that Nimbus Nickelpede observing Apoca would make a good protagonist. Yes, I can tell you the man who comes to claim Apoca. He is Prince Nolan Naga, the son of Nalda Naga and Mela Merwoman. Remember, Mela is the one who accidentally freed Princess Ida from the crystal, which really started this story, way back when. Nolan is fascinated with the color plaid, because his mother’s plaid panties contributed to his genesis, and he has plaid hair. Apoca’s hair can be plaid when she has mixed emotions, so naturally they are meant for each other. I trust you appreciate the fine logic that goes into the genesis of a Xanth novel. Critics don’t, for some reason.

  Now into more serious material. My wife was declining in 2019, and I needed some distraction. I considered writing more stories, or a novelette, or novella, and I had ideas for them, but my mood just wasn’t in them. So I thought why not try a chapter or three of the next Xanth novel? I had scheduled it for writing after the turn of the year, beginning 2020, but I could do a bit of it early. So on AwGhost 8, 2019 (remember, I use the Ogre Months here: they are more descriptive), I set up the directory or folder for Crystal with my working files. Next day it disappeared, as the computer had swallowed it, and I had to make up a new one. Then the first one reappeared. This is the kind of magic computers like to perform, just because they can. On the tenth I started writing.