“Yes, we are wearing some of the Good Magician’s socks. Their magic prevents us from being burned, drowned, or blown away. So I can tackle the personified Elements with confidence.”

  “That’s my girl.” Ecstasy looked around. “Maybe I can craft a wagon to haul them along.”

  The conviction translated to practical thought. “We have a bottomless bag.”

  Ecstasy actually clapped her hands. “Wonderful! That’s much simpler.”

  Nydia had the purse tucked into her waistband. She lifted it out, opened it, reached in, and hauled out the carpet and the smaller bag of vials. She tucked those into the back of her belt. The carpet seemed to weigh slightly more than nothing, which was perhaps not surprising, as it was made to float people in air.

  Ecstasy lifted the Fire figure and set it in the bag. It disappeared inside despite being far larger than the bag. That was part of the beauty of such magic. It was followed by Water, Air, Earth, and the Void. She closed the bag. It was no larger than before and weighed no more.

  “I will fetch my incidentals and be ready to go,” Ecstasy said.

  Just like that?

  “When your life is as dull as mine,” the woman added, “it is easy to park it for a while. I have little to lose but my boredom.”

  So it seemed.

  Before long, they were back on the enchanted path, following Vinia’s green route. Woe Betide, after being introduced to the new member of the Quest, was taking her long daily nap, floating in the crib. Nydia talked with Ecstasy, finding her interesting despite her protestations of dullness. She did have life experience, something the nymphs lacked, apart from the One Thing, and even peripheral details could be intriguing. Such as her passion for art in the form of sculpture. Ecstasy poured her very soul into her figurines, imagining them to be having adventures she wished she could share.

  “But what of creatures like the trolls, who only want to catch, cook, and eat a person?” Nydia asked, omitting a detail of what trolls wanted. Why would the woman care about the One Thing? “We barely escaped their ambush.”

  “I made a figurine that looks like a basilisk. It can’t really kill with a glance, but monsters don’t know that. They skedaddle.”

  Neither Nydia nor Anthem were familiar with the word, but they got the general idea.

  “Still, there are times when I almost wish that a troll would look at me with the same desire it would look at you. Even as a young woman I never attracted that sort of attention.”

  What was there to be said to that? Nydia hadn’t realized that males weren’t interested in ordinary women. What was dull routine to a nymph was lost fascination to Ecstasy.

  Then the paths diverged, leading them to a small cabin in isolated woods, the kind of dwelling nobody would have noticed were it not for the invisible path.

  Nydia knocked on the door. There was no response. It was as if the cabin were deserted, but Vinia was sure it was not. So Nydia turned the handle and pushed the door open cautiously.

  Inside was a pretty young woman, black of hair and eye. The type males did like. “You must be Wanda,” Nydia said.

  “I must be,” the girl agreed.

  “We are looking for the Magician’s lost wand.”

  “You are looking.”

  “And you are supposed to be the only person who knows where it is.”

  “I am supposed,” she agreed.

  “How can we get you to tell us?”

  “How can you.”

  “There is something odd about this,” Anthem said, echoing Nydia’s sentiment. “She’s not saying anything original. It’s as if she’s more of an echo than a person.”

  Nydia’s intelligence focused on that. “She may be a creature of illusion, like the Baton of Protagonism.”

  “Maybe,” the ant agreed. “See if you can touch her, so I can read her mind.”

  Nydia reached out toward Wanda, and the girl dodged aside as if magnetically repelled. But Nydia was too smart for her. She reached again, this time putting her left hand behind the girl. Sure enough, Wanda’s next dodge took her right onto Nydia’s left hand. Yet there was no contact.

  “She has no mind!” the ant exclaimed.

  “Or body. She may be illusion, but the wand isn’t,” Nydia said, sweeping her hand through the apparent body of the girl until it caught the generating force: the floating wand. “Gotcha!”

  Wanda disappeared. All that remained of her was the wand. It had been cleverly concealed, but now she had it. The ancient Magician must have set up the illusion to protect his legacy.

  Nydia tucked the wand into her belt. “Now let’s go tackle Fire.”

  They emerged from the cabin and explained things to the others. “That was a nice ploy,” Ecstasy said. “It must have hidden the wand for decades.”

  “Saving it for us,” Nydia agreed. “Now lead us to Fire, Vinia.”

  The girl glanced at her paths. “This way. But be on guard; the green is mixed with other colors. I will watch for the greenest path, but it won’t be perfect. We’re heading into some risk.”

  “Maybe you are,” Woe Betide said. “I’m not.” She returned to sleep, bored with these routine proceedings.

  “Stay alert, Noletta,” Nydia said. “We need to be ready to change course before we get locked into some disaster.”

  “Oh, yes,” the nymph agreed. “The future is flickering.”

  “It is fascinating watching you girls operate,” Ecstasy said. “Not to mention a demon child.”

  This time, the way did not return to the enchanted path. It wound into the deepest wilderness.

  Nerine wrinkled her nose. “I smell smoke.”

  “Where there is smoke, there is fire,” Ecstasy said wisely. “Which reminds me of an analogy. A man was shopping for a figurine in the form of a pretty girl. I have many of those, as all species value them. I can’t think what he might have wanted to do with it.” Obviously she had a notion, but was bypassing it in the presence of the child. “My assistant at the time, an ordinary girl externally, was annoyed. Maybe she didn’t like being bypassed in favor of prettiness, when there are so many other aspects of womankind. I do have half a notion how that is. She informed him that he should take the trouble to learn how to treat a real woman, not an imitation. When he turned to her to argue the case, she kissed him with such force that little hearts flew out and it shut him up.” Ecstasy smiled reminiscently. “I lost that assistant when she married that man. I provided figurines for their wedding party.”

  Nydia found that interesting. It seemed that even ordinary girls had power when they chose to invoke it, just as Apoca had hinted. The nymphs had no problems with prettiness, being cast in that mold, but it was worth learning what else there could be.

  The smell of smoke grew stronger. They were coming to the fire.

  That made Nydia nervous. She realized that she had no idea how to perform with the wand to capture an Element, and less idea what to do once that was done.

  “Ask Ecstasy,” Anthem suggested. “She’s had time to learn to be a woman, and must have thought about what her figurines might do.”

  She might indeed have information. “Ecstasy, I really don’t know how to use the wand or the figurines. Do you know?”

  “I can’t say I know, but I have thought about it on occasion. It seems to me that the wand may require some additional instruction, such as ‘Wand, conjure this Element into this figure.’ If that works, then you can talk with the Element, find out what’s bothering it, and maybe make it stop being so destructive.”

  Once she heard it, it seemed obvious. “Thank you. I’ll try that and hope for the best.”

  “Remember, you are not about to be intimidated by any male, including Fire.”

  “Yes.” She had to stop forgetting that, even temporarily. “But what else is there, for a woman? We nymphs have no experience other than the One Thing.”

  “At the risk of boring you, I will elucidate. There is indeed far more to a woman than panties, whatever the men may think.” Ecstasy went into lecture mode. Boring? Hardly! Nydia was fascinated, and she could see Noletta and Nerine paying rapt attention. Indeed, there was more to a woman than her external appearance. She might use the One Thing to fetch and hold a man’s attention, but it was her qualities of character that truly secured him.

  Even Vinia was interested. “I will have to remember this when I come of age. Why depend on appearance, when there are so many other things to use?”

  Why indeed!

  They walked a fair distance, but they barely noticed, being absorbed in the lesson on the Powers of Womanhood. They weren’t even magic, but they were potent.

  “A woman’s eyes are powerful tools to catch the attention of a man,” Ecstasy continued. “There is magic in the exchange of gazes. She can also attract and hold his stare with a low neckline. If need be, she can even kiss him. Kisses have special power. If a little heart shows, she’s got him. Then it is time to play the innocent, pretending not to comprehend that she has conquered him. That is a special part of the game of love that makes her all the more appealing. All part of the female arsenal.”

  It was a considerable education for the nymphs, who had never engaged males in dialog, just lured them into the chase, catch, and celebration. But of course, real women wore clothing, which masked their assets. That meant they had to work at it. They could make things so much easier for themselves if they simply went nude. Why didn’t they?

  So she inquired.

  Ecstasy laughed. “Because they don’t want to be limited to that One Thing. They want to be known for other things, too, like character, intelligence, and industry. If they went bare all the time, the men would never have interest in any Other Thing. Men are governed by their gonads. They want to play Faun and Nymph continuously. Also, many women prefer to restrict their intimate activities to one partner, and to be left alone by others, so they can focus on those other things. There’s a convention that governs that. It’s called Marriage.”

  This was a completely new concept to the nymphs. They questioned Ecstasy closely, gradually coming to an understanding of it. Commitment to just one man! What a novelty! But it did have its appeal. Nydia suspected that men, too, might have more than One Thing on their mind if the clothing enabled it. Maybe.

  They crested a hill and saw the valley beyond. It was nice, with a fair-sized river, beyond which was a pleasant human village. And, a moderate distance away, a raging forest fire, sweeping avidly toward the village. The villagers were plainly alarmed, smelling the smoke. They would have to flee their homes, which might be burned to oblivion. They surely wouldn’t like that.

  Woe woke. “Wow!”

  Suddenly their mission leaped to prominence. “We have to stop that fire!” Noletta exclaimed.

  Indeed. But there were complications. They could cross under the river, but what about Vinia and Ecstasy?

  “The carpet,” Anthem reminded her.

  Oh. Yes. Nydia brought it out and spread it on the ground. “We’ll have to fly across, and maybe on up to the fire.” And realized that she had no idea how to guide a flying carpet.

  “Don’t worry,” Vinia said. “I know how to do it.”

  “Wonderful!”

  They sat on the carpet, which obligingly expanded to accommodate all five of them plus Anthem. Vinia took her place front and center. “It’s a mind control thing,” she explained. “I just think at it, and it obeys. Don’t worry; you won’t fall off. Staying in place is part of the magic.”

  The carpet lifted smoothly, achieved a reasonable height, then flew over the water, accelerating. They were comfortably anchored to it. Vinia’s and Ecstasy’s hair flowed back as the breeze of their passage tugged at it. The nymphs’ hair was still; they were shielded by the socks, as wind was part of the Element of Air. The crib trailed them.

  They flew along the river, as it made a convenient channel through the forest. Soon they reached the fire. Smoke enveloped them, making Vinia and Ecstasy cough.

  Nydia got a notion. She put a hand on Ecstasy’s arm, extending the protection of the socks. Nerine did the same with Vinia. The coughing stopped. “That’s a relief,” Ecstasy said. “Thank you.”

  “I should have thought of it before. I’m still new at Protagonism.”

  “But you’re learning. That’s good.”

  “Should I go right into it?” Vinia asked.

  “I think so. The heart of the fire must be where the Element can be summoned.”

  The carpet flew into the center of the blaze. They felt no heat. Apparently their contact also protected the carpet. They landed in a small clearing where the blaze was limited to the grass. “Hold my hand,” Nydia told Ecstasy.

  “Oh, I will!”

  “This is fun!” Woe said, now awake for the action.

  They stepped together off the carpet, as did Nerine and Vinia. Nydia reached into the bottomless bag and brought out the Fire Figurine. She gave it to Ecstasy to hold with her free hand. Then Nydia took the wand in her free hand and brandished it. “Fire Element, appear! Occupy this figurine so that we can talk with you.” Would it work?

  There was a flare of power from the wand, and it radiated, causing Nydia’s skin to tingle. It caught hold of the fire, changing the flame’s color from deep yellow to pale orange, molding it into a pulsing sphere. Then the sphere sailed into the Fire figurine, infusing it with a glow. Indeed, something was happening.

  The figurine seemingly came to life. “What the blazes is this?” it demanded.

  Nydia was thrilled. It was working! The animated figure was a handsome man clothed in flames. His hair reached up in brilliant wisps, and sinuous smoke rose into the sky. He was actually quite impressive. “Fire Element, we are here to stop you from burning up the village. Put out the forest fire immediately.”

  The well-favored features shaped into potent negation. He was handsome that way too. “The hellfire I will! I mean to burn everything in this valley, then go on to the next, and on until there is nothing left to burn. Who the Hades are you to tell me nay?”

  Nydia was set back. She had assumed that conjuring the Element would give her control of it. Apparently not.

  “He’s fiery, of course,” Anthem said.

  Noletta stepped up. “We are three nymphs and associates on a Quest to stop the damage wrought by out-of-control Elements. Now answer, fire spirit. Why are you suddenly doing so much damage?”

  Fire paused, evidently appreciating the direct challenge. “I’m not sure. I just got a sudden urge to exert my power fully, instead of letting it lie fallow. What’s it to you, floozy?”

  Woe tittered.

  Noletta turned almost as fiery as the animated figure. She became an impressive figure herself as she caught and held his gaze. She inhaled, causing her chest to expand impressively. She seemed to be about to burst out of her blouse. “Who the blowtorch are you calling a floozy, ash-for-brains? You are burning things indiscriminately with no concern for the welfare of others!” She seemed to be as hot as he was, at least emotionally.

  He angrily put his fiery face close to hers. “Listen, girl-brain! I—”

  He was cut off by her ferocious kiss. It was so strong that a ball of light flared around them, the sky flickered, and a burning heart sailed up and hovered over their heads. It was plain that she was scoring.

  “Metria does that,” Woe said. “It gets men really hot.”

  “Oh, I felt that even without a physical touch,” Anthem said. “There’s an ambiance about him.”

  “Well, he is an Element,” Nydia reminded her. “His awareness may be in the figurine, but his essence is all around us.”

  “In fact, now I can feel his mind. It depends on the proximity of folk like you, especially Ecstasy, because she has a soul. I may use my telepathy to tune him in better so that he is more focused.”

  “I think Noletta is focusing him pretty ably.”

  “She certainly learned my instructions well,” Ecstasy said. And Apoca’s, Nydia realized. That kiss had been like a detonating bomb.

  “We nymphs aren’t stupid, just ignorant,” Nerine said. “We are eager to fix that. We want to become real people.”

  Nydia realized it was true. She had drunk from the Ein Stein, but even when the Good Magician’s Challenges nullified that, she had handled things reasonably well. Nymphs had a lot of potential, if they only knew it.

  The kiss broke. Fire stared at Noletta, his brightness dimming. “Oh, my,” he whispered, nonplussed. “What have you done to me?”

  Now Noletta played innocent, as pretty that way as she was when fiery. “I kissed you. If you want any more, rogue spirit, you will have to oblige my whims.”

  He flickered, waxing and waning in rapid succession. “I never felt this way before. Suddenly, I just want to please you.”

  “You’re right,” Anthem said. “She has tamed him.”

  Noletta relented slightly. “Get used to it, spirit. You’re in love.”

  He shook his head, amazed, but did not argue the case. “I am at a loss how to proceed. How can I please you?”

  “By doing anything I ask of you. Starting with dousing this forest fire. End it now.”

  The figure gestured. The surrounding fire faded. In barely half a moment all that remained of it were a few wisps of steam from cooling vegetation. “Now what?” he asked.

  She fixed him again with her compelling gaze. “What do you want?”

  “I want to be with you, man to woman. To kiss you constantly. To love you. But I don’t know how. I’ve never been a man before, or been with a living woman. All I know is that now I very much want it.”

  “One moment, please.” Noletta left him and went to Nydia and Ecstasy. “I think I want to be with him, too, and teach him how to be a man. He is handsome, and hot, ideal for a bold girl. But I don’t know how, myself, as I suspect that is well beyond the One Thing. Can you teach me, Ecstasy?”