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  “Can we keep them?” Felony asked.

  “I'm sure they will feel honored,” Comodon said. “So long as you appreciate that it is not possession, but an association of equals.”

  “Oh yes!” she agreed.

  Blue hissed. “Oh, yes,” Demeanor agreed.

  Now Ike had a question. “Those pomegranate seeds have to be portals to alternate Earths, where things worked out differently. You want to explore them, and you need competent people to train to do that without getting themselves killed. But some of these things seem to border on super science or even magic. For example, the way Felony can turn luscious; I'll bet you really do have magic for that. And how did you get the laser units? Those aren't portals; they're tools.”

  “Portals, yes,” Comodon agreed. “We have a device that opens them randomly, and we do need to explore more of them, as you surmise. Some are downright dangerous. We found the laser stubs in a warehouse in what appeared to be a super-science seed. We took them, retreated, and closed that portal, fearing that if the people or creatures of that seed discovered us, they might cross over and exterminate us. We thought we had determined the functions of the lasers, but as you demonstrated, we had not. There is indeed a portal to what seems to be a magic world; we sealed that over without abolishing it, while we test its artifacts. That, again, is why we need you. The potential rewards of the portals are huge, beyond our present imagination, but we are severely constrained by the dangers. This is something both of you need to be aware of: what you have seen so far is merely the tip of the iceberg. You will be putting your lives at serious risk. We have already lost personnel despite our precautions.”

  “As long as we can tackle it together,” Felony said, gazing adoringly at Ike.

  “As roommates,” Ike agreed. He was truly looking forward to it.

  “I'll invoke luscious there.”

  “No need.”

  “But I want to!”

  “You can alternate nights. I enjoy variety.”

  “Okay!” she agreed gladly. “And without the film suits. This is going to be joyfully, exuberantly, sickeningly real, regardless of the form I'm in.”

  “I look forward to being sickened.”

  “Brother,” Demeanor muttered.

  “One more thing,” Comodon said. “We have what I think is a formality. Your familiars need to accede.”

  “Accede?” Felony asked.

  “They represent their seeds. We have agreements with them, which is why they cooperate with our recruitment program.”

  Ike had an insight. “The Bird Seed demand for access to the portals—they already have it!”

  “They already have it,” Comodon agreed. “They put on a good show, no?”

  “A good show,” Felony agreed sourly.

  “So do you approve these recruitments, familiars?” Comodon asked.

  “Oh, yes!” Demeanor said. “We want these folk on our side.”

  Blue hissed.

  Comodon nodded. “I'm not surprised. You were not supposed to be a candidate for this office, as judged by our trainers, but you sneaked in, even if you did get caught partway, and Ike accepted you. He won your vote in that moment, didn't he?”

  Blue hissed again.

  Ike smiled. “I'm glad we met, Blue. You have been a good and able companion, regardless what those trainers thought. I couldn't have made those laser breakthroughs without your help.”

  “You were lucky, both,” Felony said fondly.

  “The next time the limos come for you, after the necessary paperwork, ” Comodon said, “They will take you to private airports, where you will fly to the actual campus, which is an unadvertised location. There you will meet your familiars and each other in person, and commence your rigorous training.” He smiled, “Yes, as roommates. We value your togetherness. We look forward to your participation.”

  “So do we,” Felony said. “It's a dream come true.”

  “A dream,” Ike agreed, taking her hand.

  Blue hissed. “But don't get mushy yet,” Demeanor said. “Plenty of time for that when you have some privacy.”

  “We may not wait,” Felony said, moving into Ike's embrace.

  They all laughed.

  Author's Note

  I had a different novella in mind to write the month of June, 2012, but something odd happened on the way there. On May 2, while doing other things, I had a notion, which I duly recorded in my Ideas file for future reference: suppose a young man, college bound, sees among the course offerings Basic Laser Magic? Sure that must be figurative. Then it turns out that it really is magic. Then a few days later I returned to it: suppose it's a virtual reality game, Pomegranate, with many seeds that are actually separate little realms? And in that game he meets the interesting girl, Felony? Another day I returned to ponder the ramifications of the laser shield. In fact, I just kept returning to it all month, until I had some 6,000 words of notes about this odd examination. What could I do except write it? It's not that I thought it was the world's greatest notion, just that it had my attention. And that's how it came to be.

  I do many series, but I see this one as a singleton novella. But of course I can't guarantee that a notion won't seek me out, relating to adventure on one or more pomegranate seeds. I'm a creative writer, and don't even want to turn it off.

  Readers are welcome to visit my www.hipiers.com site, where I have a monthly blog-type ornery liberal column, and an ongoing survey of electronic publishers and related services, for the benefit of aspiring writers who find themselves shut out of Parnassus, the traditional publishing establishment, which is essentially a closed shop. E-publishers are far more open to newcomers, and the market is growing.

  A note of appreciation to my proofreader, Rudy Reyes. He catches the typos that grow on the page after my own proofreading.

  All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2013 by Piers Anthony

  ISBN: 978-1-4976-5785-4

  This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

  180 Maiden Lane

  New York, NY 10038

  www.openroadmedia.com

  PIERS ANTHONY

  FROM OPEN ROAD MEDIA

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