Piers Anthony - The Source of Magic

"He earned his life!" she retorted. "You owe him more than that!"

Bink tried to caution her. "Don't aggravate him," he murmured. "He can blink us all into nothingness-"

"Without even blinking," the Demon agreed. One eyelid twitched as if about to blink.

"Well, Bink could have left you to rot for another thousand years, without blinking himself," she cried heedlessly. "But he didn't Because he has what you will never understand: humanity!"

"Filly, you intrigue me," X(A/N)th murmured. "It is true I am omnipotent, not omniscient-but I believe I could comprehend human motive if I concentrated on it."

"I dare you!" she cried.

Even Chester grew nervous at this. "What are you trying to do, Cherie?" he asked her. "Do you want us all extinguished?"

The Demon glanced at Grundy. "Half-thing, is there substance to her challenge?"

"What's in it for me?" the golem demanded.

The Demon lifted one finger. Light coalesced about Grundy. "That."

The light seemed to draw into the golem-and lo, Grundy was no longer a thing of clay and string. He stood on living legs, and had a living face. He was now an elf.

"I-I'm real!" he cried. Then, seeing the Demon's gaze upon him, he remembered the question. "Yes, there is substance! It's part of being a feeling creature. You have to laugh, to cry, to experience sorrow and gratitude and-and it's the most wonderful thing-"

"Then I shall cogitate on it," the Demon said. "In a century or so, when I have worked out my revised nomenclature." He returned to Cherie. "Would one gift satisfy you, feeling filly?"

"I don't need anything," she said. "I already have Chester. Bink is the one."

"Then I grant Bink one wish."

"No, that's not it! You have to show you understand by giving him something nice that he would not have thought of himself."

"Ah, another challenge," the Demon said. He pondered. Then he reached out and lifted Cherie in one hand. Bink and Chester jumped with alarm, but it was not a hostile move. "Would this suffice?" The Demon put her to his mouth. Again Bink and Chester jumped, but the Demon was only whispering, his mouth so large that the whisper shook her whole body. Yet the words were inaudible to the others.

Cherie perked up. "Why yes, that would suffice! You do understand!" she exclaimed.

"Merely interpolation from observed gestures of his kind." The Demon set her down, then nicked another finger. A little globe appeared in air, sailing toward Bink, who caught it. It seemed to be a solid bubble. "That is your wish-the one you must choose for yourself," the Demon said. "Hold the sphere before you and utter your wish, and anything within the realm of magic will be yours."

Bink held up the globe. "I wish that the men who were restored from stone by the absence of magic, so they could return to the village of magic dust, will remain restored now that magic is back," he said. "And that the lady griffin will not turn back to gold. And that all the things killed by the loss of magic, like the brain coral-"

The Demon made a minor gesture of impatience. "As you see, the bubble did not burst. That means your wish does not qualify, for two reasons. First, it is not a selfish one; you gain nothing for yourself by it. Second, those stone and gold spells can only be restored by reapplication of their inputs; once interrupted, they are gone. None of those people have returned to stone or gold, and none of the similar spells in your land have been reinstated. Only magic life has been restored, such as that of the golem and the coral The other spells are like fire: they burn continuously once started, but once doused remain out. Do not waste my attention on such redundancy; your wish must go for a selfish purpose."

"Oh," Bink said, taken aback. "I can't think of any wish of that kind."

"It was a generous notion, though," Cherie murmured to him.

The Demon waved his hand. "You must carry the wish until it is expended. Enough; I become bored with this trivia."

And the party stood in the forest that Bink and Cherie and the colt had left It was as if the Demon had never been-except for the sphere. And Bink's friends, restored. And the reviving magic of the forest. Even Cherie seemed satisfied with that magic, now, Bink shook his head and pocketed the wish-globe. All he wanted to do now was to get home to Chameleon, and he needed no special magic for that

"I'll carry Bink, as usual," Chester said. "Cherie, you carry the Magician-" He paused. "Crombie! We forgot the loud-beaked griffin!"

Bink felt in his pocket. "No, I have him here in the bottle. I can release him now-"

"No, let him stew there a while longer," Chester decided. Evidently he had not quite forgiven the soldier for the savage fight the two had had.

"Maybe that's best," Cherie agreed. "He was in a life-and-death struggle when he was confined. He might come out fighting,"

"Let him come!" Chester said belligerently.

"I think it would be better to wait," Bink said. "Just in case."

It was dusk, but they moved on rapidly. The monsters of the night seemed to hold no terror, after their adventure. Bink knew he could use his stored wish to get them out of trouble if he had to. Or he could release Crombie and let him handle it. Most of the more dangerous wilderness entities were still recovering from the shock of the temporary loss of magic, and were not aggressive.

Chester had a problem, however. "I have paid the fee for an Answer," he reminded the Good Magician. "But I found my talent by myself. Now I could ask about Cherie's talent-"

"But I already know it," Cherie said, coloring slightly at this confession of near-obscenity. "Don't waste your Question on that!"

"You know your talent?" Chester repeated, startled. "What-"

"I'll tell you another time," she said modestly.

"But that leaves me without a wish-I mean without an Answer," he said. "I paid for it with my life, but don't know what to ask."

"No problem," Humfrey said. "I could tell you what to ask."

"You could?" Then Chester saw the trap. "But that would use it up! I mean, your telling me the Question would use up the Answer-and then I wouldn't have the Answer to my Question!"

"That does seem to present a problem," Humfrey agreed. "You might elect to pay another fee-"

"Not by the hair of your handsome tail!" Cherie cried. "No more adventures away from home!"

"Already my freedom is slipping away," Chester muttered, not really displeased.

Bink listened glumly. He was glad to be getting home, but still felt guilt about what had happened to Jewel. He had a wish-but he knew he could not simply wish Jewel out of love with him. Her love was real, not magical, and could not be abolished magically. Also, how would Chameleon react to this matter? He would have to tell her

They galloped up to the palace as night became complete. The grounds were illuminated by shining luna moths whose fluttering green radiance gave the palace an unearthly beauty.

Queen Iris was evidently alert, for three moons rose to brighten the palace as they entered, and there was a fanfare from invisible trumpets. They were promptly ushered to the library, the King's favorite room.

Without ceremony, Bink told his story. King Trent listened without interrupting. As Bink concluded, he nodded. "I shall make arrangements to set the shield as you suggested," the King said at last. "I think we will not publicize the presence of the Demon, but we shall see that no one intrudes on him,"

"I knew you would see it that way," Bink said, relieved. "I-I had no idea there would be such a consequence to my quest. It must have been terrible here, without magic."

"Oh, I had no trouble," the King said. "I spent twenty years in Mundania, remember. I still have a number of little unmagic mannerisms about me. But Iris was verging on a nervous breakdown, and the rest of the kingdom was not much better off. Still, I believe the net effect was beneficial; citizens really appreciate their magic, now."