Skeleton Key Read online

  Except that a gnat flew in Myst’s eye, and it instantly teared up, making her blink both eyes, so that she couldn’t actually see any real detail. Somehow that also interfered with Squid’s vision, so she couldn’t quite see either. Bleepity bleep!

  By the time the vision cleared, Piton had pulled his underpants back up. He obviously wasn’t comfortable exposing himself for long. Squid knew Myst wouldn’t complain; she didn’t want to admit that she had missed her chance.

  “I’ll hold it for you,” Piton said, holding the panty open.

  Myst fuzzed into mist, dropping her own panty in the process, floated around the plaid panty, and solidified within it. There was no problem with tangling. It fit her perfectly.

  Squid stared. The plaid panty was meant for Myst!

  “You did it!” Piton said, amazed.

  “Well, I’m a girl and it’s a panty.”

  “But when my sister tried, she couldn’t get it on. You’re the one it’s looking for.”

  Myst’s smile was genuine. “You mean I can keep it?”

  He had a second thought. Boys were possessive by nature. “Well—”

  “Please?” She twitched her bottom slightly so that the panty moved.

  Piton froze in place.

  Squid’s jaw dropped. He had freaked out! The old panty hadn’t done it, but the plaid one had. It was magic!

  She continued to ponder it. Empty panties didn’t freak out men or boys. Underage panties didn’t. But, suitably donned, this one did. It was really special. Squid realized that Myst would never again envy Marceen. She had already achieved Panty Power.

  Myst took most of a moment to assimilate the situation. Then she approached Piton as he stood frozen. “You will visit with us aboard Fibot for as long as we need you,” she murmured almost in his ear. “You will be my dance partner. You will be my boyfriend.”

  What a smart boy-manager she was! Maybe the panty was lending her the ability to use it most effectively.

  Piton remained frozen, but there was a resistant stiffness to his lips.

  Myst twitched the panty again. His staring eyes glazed over. “You will be my boyfriend,” she repeated firmly. Then she snapped her fingers. “Come out of it, Piton,” she said briskly.

  He blinked. “What happened?”

  “You freaked out.”

  “But I’m too young to freak,” he protested.

  Not quite, Squid thought.

  “Not with this panty. Do I need to twitch it again?”

  He glanced at it, not quite freaking. Motion made the difference. He got the message. “No.”

  “Good choice. Now we’ll get dressed and go to the boat.”

  “But—”

  She touched the panty meaningfully. He shut up.

  They dressed and walked around the dune. Data and Win were walking toward them. “Hey, where did you go?” Data called. “We were looking for you. We met the most interesting person! Caprice will take her to the Good Magician. The boat’s about to sail. Are you coming, brother?”

  “Well, I don’t know,” Piton said, reconsidering. “I don’t think I want to—”

  Myst hoisted the hem of her dress and twitched her bottom hard. Piton freaked out.

  So did Data. So did Win. Even Squid felt the power of that naughty flash, but because she was viewing it only mentally, and was not actually human, she managed to maintain her awareness. The plaid panty had not only freaked out the boy, but also the girls. She had never heard of that, regardless of age.

  When it came to panty magic, that panty was Sorceress caliber!

  Or maybe, Squid realized belatedly, Demoness caliber. What a weapon!

  “There will be no more protests,” Myst said as she dropped the hem to cover the panty. “We all want to do it.”

  Then she snapped her fingers, and the three came out of it. They stared momentarily at each other, befuddled.

  “Let’s get moving,” Myst said briskly, not explaining anything. She set out for the boat.

  The others followed. There were no protests.

  Squid let the vision fade. Now she realized that this was the way Fornax was enhancing Myst; by giving her the Magic Panty. It would do.

  “The square dance consists of four couples arranged in a square,” Nia said. She was actually forty years older than she looked, and had had decades to learn about such things. “We adults won’t be part of your brigade, as we have other business, but we can show you how it’s done, especially since you’re short two couples at the moment.”

  The four couples took their places on the floor of the main room of the craft; Dell with Nia, Magnus with Jess, Santo with Noe, and Piton with Myst. Each man was on the left, each woman on the right. Squid regretted that she was not part of it, but her partner was not yet aboard the boat. She would watch and learn as they did.

  Nia glanced at the peeve, who perched beside Tata Dogfish. “Start. We’ll interrupt you frequently, at first.”

  Tata’s small screen flickered. “Honor your partners,” the peeve said, interpreting the signal. Naturally the dogfish had records of all the dances.

  Nia held up a hand, for the first interruption. “Honor means this, in this context. Turn to your partners and bow slightly. Like this.” She turned to face Dell, who simultaneously turned to face her. They made a small formal bow to each other, then made quarter turns to face the center of the square again. “Do it. We want all four couples to do the motions together, once we get it right, for the larger visual effect. Dances are for watching as much as doing.”

  Magnus and Jess honored each other. They were familiar with this protocol, but also helping with the demonstration.

  Then Santo and Noe did it, and finally Piton and Myst. It was easy enough. The mock formality was sort of fun. True to Myst’s panty-inspired directive, the boy was fully cooperating with the dance.

  “Honor your corners,” the peeve said.

  “Your corner is the person of the opposite gender who is corner-wise from you,” Nia explained. “My corner is Magnus.” She made an eighth turn to her right, and he to his left. They bowed to each other. The others turned similarly. Myst faced Dell, and Piton faced Noe. They bowed.

  “Swing your partner.”

  “Men, put your right arm around your partner’s waist, as she puts her left arm around yours,” Nia said. “Take her right hand in your left hand. Turn together, clockwise.” They demonstrated gracefully. They made a lovely couple, unsurprisingly. Her skirt swung out behind her as she swung. It was a nice effect, and Squid made a mental note to try to emulate it, in due course.

  Then the others swung, and the girls looked almost as nice. In fact the four couples swinging together made a larger pattern that enhanced the effect. This was nice dancing!

  “Promenade.”

  “Men, put your right arm around your partner, take her right hand in your left while facing forward together, and slide-step forward together,” Nia said, as Dell did so.

  When they all did it, the square became a circle as they moved once around. That, too, was pleasant to see.

  “Do-si-do with your opposite lady.”

  Dell and Nia demonstrated the motion with each other, which consisted of holding one’s own elbows and making a circle around the other person, without turning around, so they passed back to back. Then they did it with their opposites, Santo and Noe. There was some confusion as eight people advanced to the center, but Nia showed them how to get through without colliding.

  The instruction continued, covering the other standard motions. Then they did an actual dance. The four children, whose understanding had been quietly enhanced, danced error-free. It was beautiful.

  “That was lovely,” Nia said. “You picked up on it surprisingly well. Tomorrow we’ll tackle the Round Dances.”

  Squid and Myst returned to their room to
change back into ordinary clothing. “That was great!” Myst enthused. “Piton never said boo.”

  “You enchanted him,” Squid reminded her. “You flashed him with your Magic Panty and gave him the word. He has no choice.”

  “Oh, that’s right,” Myst agreed, remembering. “Maybe I should free him. I want him to like me on his own, not because of enchantment. Do you think I should?”

  Squid considered. “He’s a boy. You can’t trust their judgment. Better to keep him captive until he gets to know you better. Then he’ll have a chance to get to like you. Then if you free him, he’ll stay. Meanwhile, you’ll have a good dancing partner.”

  “That does make sense.”

  “And when the mood is right, you can kiss him. If he accepts it, you’ll know you’re making progress.”

  “But what about the Adult Conspiracy?”

  “Kissing is okay, if you stick to his head.”

  The girl smiled. “Where else would I kiss him?” Then Myst considered. Then she blushed. She was getting a glimmer.

  Squid changed the subject. “That is some panty you got. It can actually freak out girls too.”

  “Yes,” Myst agreed. “I was surprised.”

  “Keep it in mind, in case you’re ever attacked by Amazons or something.”

  Myst laughed. “I will.”

  There was a knock on the door. “Uh-oh,” Squid said. “That must be Santo, with another mission for me to do. This protagonist business is a nuisance.”

  “You can rest on the bed,” Myst suggested. “I’ll make sure no one bothers you.”

  “Thanks, I guess.”

  “Santo’s the most sensible sibling,” Myst said. “You’re the next. If you find out what’s going on, I hope you’ll tell me. I’m perishing of curiosity.”

  “So am I,” Squid confessed. “But I still don’t see why I’m the main character instead of, well, Santo. He’s much more qualified than I am.”

  “There must be a reason.”

  That was not quite the kind of reassurance Squid would have preferred.

  Chapter 3

  Ula

  Sure enough, it was Santo. “Noe and I are going with Ula to pick up Firenze. You will need to tune in.”

  “Can’t I just skip this one? I’m sure you both are competent.”

  “No. You need to record the sequence. I will speak your name, but it is Ula you will need to follow this time, as she tames my brother.”

  “Santo, this smells like none of my business. I don’t want to snoop on the private lives of others, especially my siblings and friends.”

  “It is necessary. Be ready.” He walked away.

  “Of all the bleep!” she swore as she turned back into the room.

  “So who do you have to spy on this time?” Myst asked, duly intrigued.

  “Ula. With Firenze.”

  “She does like him, and he likes her. Where’s the problem?”

  “It’s that it’s not my business. They’ll probably be kissing, thinking nobody sees.”

  “Oooo, naughty,” Myst breathed. “They’re at least two years older than Piton and I are. Maybe they can get closer to breaking the Conspiracy. He’s a hothead who doesn’t accept limits well.”

  “You’re not helping.”

  Myst gave her a savvy glance. “Aren’t you curious? It isn’t as if you’re going to tell on them. It’s all sibling secrecy.”

  “Bleep.” Because the girl was right. Squid was curious.

  Myst wisely left her alone.

  Squid lay on her bed, hoping to snooze before returning to duty. Maybe she did, because the next thing she was aware of was her name.

  “Squid.” It was Santo.

  She tuned in instantly. She had to.

  Santo was with Noe, standing outside Ula’s door. He knocked.

  Ula opened it. She was a mature eleven, with orange hair and eyes. “Oh, hello, both,” she said. “What’s up?”

  Santo smiled. “Your talent is to be useful in unexpected ways. We have such a way in mind.”

  “Oh? Sure, I’ll help if I can. What do you need.”

  “We need you to tame my big brother Firenze.”

  Ula laughed. “As if he’s a dragon? He’s a nice guy under that hot head, and I like him.”

  “You will persuade him to join the crew of Fibot.”

  “Now wait half an instant! He’s okay, but he’d burn up the boat the moment something peed him off. You know that.”

  “Come with us. We’ll talk while we walk.”

  Ula glanced at Noe. “You know about this?”

  “Not a thing.”

  Ula laughed again, this time without humor. “I think you need to tame your boyfriend.”

  Noe smiled. “He’s untameable.”

  “At least give me a hint.”

  “Something big is about to happen,” Noe said. “We’re forming a dance group. You’ll couple with Firenze. That’s our pretext for staying close together, so we’ll be ready when it happens. That’s more than what I know.”

  Ula nodded. “If I date Firenze, will I be part of your group?”

  “Yes,” Santo said.

  “You said I will need to ‘tame’ your brother,” Ula said to him. “I think that would require feminine wiles I don’t yet possess.”

  “I will explain in the tunnel.”

  “Okay. But should I wear a dress?”

  “Yes.”

  “One-and-a-half moments, please.” Ula disappeared into her closet, and emerged in exactly one-and-a-half moments in a pretty green skirt with a white blouse above, slippers on her feet, and her hair in an orange wave. She did look a shade prettier.

  The three walked together off the boat, which was still parked on the beach. They approached the small sand dune Myst and Piton had used, and went around it. Then Santo faced it and concentrated. A person-sized tunnel formed. They entered it.

  “We are private here,” Santo said as they walked within the tunnel. “No one we don’t want to can spy on us here.”

  That made Squid pause. Santo could make spy-proof tunnels? With a single exception, her? That was impressive indeed.

  “I’m impressed,” Ula said. “But what is it we need to hide from spies?”

  “Our talents are being upgraded,” Santo said. “I can do more than I could before, and so can the other siblings. So can you. You can now be highly persuasive. If my brother resists you, kiss him, and he will heed you.”

  “If he’s mad, his head will be too hot to kiss.”

  “Not only will you be able to do it without getting burned, if you kiss the side of his head you will be able to forcefully cool it.”

  “That seems like a magic talent. I don’t want to lose the one I’ve got.”

  “You won’t. This is additional.”

  “Nobody has more than one magic talent!”

  “This is why we don’t want to be snooped on. Aunt Fornax is gifting us with extras.”

  “Fornax! But she can’t meddle here in Xanth.”

  “She made a deal with the Demon Xanth. She’s allowed.” He took a breath. “In fact, she will be with us, personally. One of our party will be hosting her. That’s secret, but we need to know so we don’t guess it later and give it away. Mum’s the word.”

  Ula whistled. “You said something big is coming,” she said, glancing at Noe. “You weren’t fooling.”

  “I wasn’t,” Noe agreed.

  “Back to Firenze. And if you kiss his mouth,” Santo said, “he will love you, at least for a while.”

  Ula paused, visibly taking stock. “I like him, but that’s a bit extreme.”

  “No it isn’t. His head must remain cool while he is aboard the boat so he doesn’t set fire to the sheets, curtains, and wood. You will keep it cool, by keeping him h
appy, until he learns the rest of his upgrade.”

  “His upgrade? All he wants is not to set fire to things.”

  “He can now heat his hands, or his feet, or any part of his body. If some bully tries to grab him, he can heat his arm until the bully’s hand incinerates.”

  “And if he holds me, he can incinerate me.”

  Santo smiled. “No. You will cool him wherever you touch him. You will explain about those upgrades to him. He will heed you, as he might not care to heed me.”

  “Sibling rivalry,” Ula agreed. “If I had a younger sister who was immeasurably more intelligent and magically powerful than I, I’d resent her for sure.”

  “Actually we five siblings do not compete with each other. We support each other completely. All the same, it seems better not to advertise that I am privy to special information.”

  Ula nodded. “Diplomacy. It helps.”

  “You do understand,” Noe said.

  Ula glanced at her. “If I am here to handle Firenze, why are you here?”

  “When you get together with Firenze,” Noe said, “You will want some privacy. I will make demands on Santo’s attention so that he is not in evidence.”

  “When I convince him to join us on the boat,” Ula said, “Then we’ll all return to it via a tunnel. That’s why you need to stick around.”

  “You have it,” Noe agreed.

  “I have it. Now if I can just do it. What if I can’t persuade him?”

  “Kiss him.”

  “That’s right! I forgot about that new power. But it does seem like cheating.”

  Santo gave her a direct look. “We don’t want to cheat. But we do have to have Firenze.”

  “Why? He might be happier where he is. We all love Astrid.”

  “Because we need him for the Sibling Conference.”

  Ula nodded, remembering. “That’s where the five of you get together to figure things out.”

  “And if this new thing is as big as it seems,” Noe said, “they’ll need to figure it out completely.”

  “Actually, you friends are becoming virtual siblings,” Santo said. “You will join the Conference too.”

  “Why virtual?” Ula asked. “You five are not related to each other; you’re adoptive siblings. Why can’t we do that too?”