Bink is offered the wealth of the silver tree as a reward for helping Donald, but refuses the gift.Īfter traveling further, Bink falls into a sea and is saved by the Sorceress Iris, a mistress of illusion, who offers him anything to help her take Xanth's throne. Bink escapes the dragon by allowing a shade, named Donald, to possess him so that he can give the location of a silver tree to his impoverished wife and child, many miles distant. When a dragon appears from the Gap, he sends her away and ends up trapped in a cave in the Gap. Bink quickly realizes that, unfortunately, her intelligence leaves much to be desired. Wynne may be the woman who was raped, although he is not certain. At the rape trial the next morning, both the charge and the victim are treated dismissively, but Bink has fulfilled the requirement and, when he leaves, is provided with the service of a gorgeous guide named Wynne. As night is falling, he agrees to stand in for a farmer at a rape trial in exchange for a night's shelter, before trying to cross the Gap. Before leaving him, Cherie also tells Bink about a centaur named Herman the Hermit who was banished from her herd for an act of obscenity, but refuses to elaborate further.īink's next obstacle is the Gap, a huge trench across Xanth that is filled with dragons and strange creatures. She tells Bink that magic may not be as valuable as most people think it is. As they travel, she educates him about the violent history of how humans came to Xanth. Cherie, a friendly centaur, comes to his aid and helps Bink travel closer to Humphrey's castle.

Bink's first adversary is Chester, a mean centaur. He is bedeviled by some creatures and plants, but aided, protected or taught by others. On the long journey to Good Magician Humphrey, Bink overcomes many obstacles. If he is unable to demonstrate a magical talent by then, Bink will be exiled from Xanth, the only home he has ever known. Although Bink is reluctant to seek Humphrey's help because the magician's price is one year of servitude, he relents, as his twenty-fifth birthday is only a month away. After the chameleon is gone, Bink discusses his problem with Sabrina, who urges him to seek the advice of the Good Magician Humphrey. As the story opens, Bink is near his home, watching a chameleon change its appearance and ultimately lose its life to a moth hawk, which foreshadows several events to come.

He does have the affection of Sabrina, a beautiful girl he wants to marry, and the love of his parents, Roland and Bianca. Although he has physical strength, Bink is treated badly by his peers and lacks self-esteem. His home is the North Village of Xanth, a land of magic, where everyone and everything has at least a minor magical capability however, Bink has none. Bink is a likable young man, with a rare handicap.

A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony