Luck of the Draw (Xanth) Read Free Page B

below the surface. The leakage from the Demon Earth is experienced on that world as gravity. Demons seldom pay attention to the endeavors of mortals, but they do vie for status by making wagers that sometimes involve the unpredictable actions or reactions of mortals. You appear to have become one of those. Your entry to Xanth was facilitated, and you were given certain things you will need, such as youth and a magic talent, plus the imperative of courting Harmony. Your entry at this place was probably to be sure you received some necessary background information promptly, so you would not get eaten by a dragon before you got started. So your presence here is no coincidence. If that is the case, the Demon who selected you will not play any further part in your life. He or She will merely watch, and win or lose based on your performance.”
    “I’m a toy of a supernatural spirit?”
    “Yes, in essence.”
    “But I don’t believe in the supernatural,” he protested.
    Both Dawn and Picka laughed. “You’ll get over that soon enough,” the skeleton said.
    Indeed, if this was not a dream, there was plenty of evidence for the supernatural, beginning with the animated talking skeleton. “I just realized that it probably was not the yellow box with the three items that changed me,” Bryce said, working it out. “The instructions were merely labels, a protocol signaling my readiness to participate. The youthening, magic talent, and love for Princess Harmony were all done by the Demon when I spoke the magic words. Because Rachel happened to be in the vicinity at that moment, she was affected too, entering Xanth with me, getting youthened to a lesser degree, and getting the magic talent of being able to speak the words she knew.”
    “Exactly,” Dawn said.
    “So assuming that I must participate, regardless of my choice in the matter, what is my best course of action?”
    “You are sensible,” Dawn said. “You both should take a few days to familiarize yourself with Xanth and its local customs, as well as learning to use your talent effectively. Then you should go to see the Good Magician Humfrey, who will advise you how to proceed. I suspect he won’t charge his usual exorbitant fee, considering that this must be a Demon incident.”
    “What exorbitant fee?” Bryce asked warily.
    “He normally charges a year’s service, or the equivalent,” Picka said.
    “A year’s service! I just want to go home!”
    “Do you?” Dawn asked gently.
    And Bryce realized that he had nothing to return to except old age, illness, loneliness, and death. “No. I don’t know what I really want.” He looked at Rachel. “Do you?”
    She wagged her tail. “No.”
    “You want to relive your life, this time making better decisions,” Dawn said. “This is your chance.”
    “I suppose it is,” Bryce agreed, amazed. “Crazy as it seems.”
    “And to do that, you need to remain here in Xanth and perform your Demon-inspired task.”
    Bryce sighed. “This is the kind of channeling I would prefer to avoid. Throughout my mundane life, others made key choices for me: my mediocre residence, my indifferent schooling, my dull job, even really my wife. Oh, she was a good woman, and I loved her, I’m not complaining about that, but I really did not choose her myself. My family thought she’d be good for me and guided me rather forcefully toward her. They were right, but it would have been better if I had been able to make my own decision. Now some Demon is channeling me similarly, and some Good Magician, and some teenaged princess. Who knows, I might have loved her on my own, if I could ever get over the immense disparity in our ages and stations, but I wasn’t given the chance. I was potioned or magicked into artificial love. Where are my choices? What is the point, as far as my personal life is concerned?”
    “He’s got a point,” Picka said. In that moment Bryce found himself liking the skeleton.
    Dawn frowned as if addressing a