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of it. Exactly as the Good Magician had advised at the outset. “You are familiar with the Demons?”
    “With the capital D? I have heard of them, but never had personal experience with one. Aren’t they supremely powerful?”
    “Indeed. The Demon Xanth sleeps beneath this peninsula we call Xanth, and the trace leakage of radiation from his body accounts for all the magic of the Land of Xanth. Demons normally pay attention to mortal folk only when using them as a randomizing factor for some Demon Wager, such as whether a given person will turn left or right at a particular corner. Inestimable forces can be invoked in the accomplishment of these Wagers, and Demons gain or lose Status as a result. Mortals may not even know that they are the objects of Wagers; it doesn’t matter to the Demons, any more than the personality of an ant would matter to you if you bet a friend which way it might turn. So it’s best simply to ignore any concern about Demons.”
    “Then why bring it up?” Hapless demanded.
    “Because it accounts for the talisman you seek. It happens that eons ago the Demon Xanth made a Wager with the Demon Earth, whose magic is Gravity, and lost. Thus Earth took a chunk of Xanth’s magic in the form of the Orb and hid it in the deepest core of Xanth, where it would be safe from incidental discovery. It is that Orb you must recover.”
    “You called it the Isis Orb. Why?”
    “That is another story. Isis, the Mundane Goddess of Fertility, learned about the Orb and went to claim it for herself. Now she has it, in a manner, to the annoyance of both Demons, but since it is their policy not to interfere in mortal matters without specific reason, they have had to let it be. So now she considers it hers, by right of Finders Keepers, though that will endure only as long as the Demons elect to remain clear. They may even have a Wager on whether anyone will succeed in wresting it from her, as you will try to do. To do that, you will require the five Totems of Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and the Void, each of which is dangerously powerful in its own right, and use them to control the Orb.”
    “Assuming Isis doesn’t interfere,” Hapless said.
    “Exactly. Only then will you be able to use the Orb for your own benefits. Now are you clear?”
    Hapless opened his mouth to protest, but Humfrey shoved the box in his hands. “Good. Then be on your way. Have a wonderful Quest!” His gaze returned to his huge tome. Hapless had been dismissed.
    “This way,” Liz said from the doorway. “We will get you outfitted for your journey.”
    Hapless followed her out, feeling as if he was back in the box. But if the Quest really won him the things he wanted, it would be worth it. He hoped.
    Back downstairs, Sofia took charge. “You will start tomorrow. Your room for the night is ready. A bell will sound for dinner and in the morning for breakfast; follow it to its source and you will be fed.”
    “Uh, thank you.” Hapless hesitated. “I’m not ready to retire yet. May I talk with you a while?”
    “With me?” Sofia asked, surprised and seemingly flattered.
    “And Wira, and Liz. There are things about Quests I still don’t know, and maybe you could help set me straight.”
    “We will be glad to do that.”
    They settled down to talk. “For example, I am supposed to recover a magic Orb that will be guarded by a goddess, Isis. Who is Isis? He said she’s the goddess of Fertility. Does that mean she makes plants grow?”
    “Ah, Isis,” Sofia said. “She’s Mundane, Egyptian to be exact. Fertility is a euphemism; she’s the goddess of sex. If you’re up against her, she’d as soon seduce you as look at you, and make you her love slave.”
    “Love slave! I wonder—he said I would encounter a bad girl. Could that be Isis?”
    “It certainly could,” Sofia said. “She has a formidable reputation. It’s not all bad; she’s identified with the moon, with the solar disk between her horns. She is also considered