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Authors: Piers Anthony
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there?"
A cloud of purple smoke formed. "Who wants to know?" it inquired.
"Oh, let it be, Mentia," Gary said. "You got me into this, so you should help me see it through."
The cloud solidified into the familiar shape of the slightly crazy demoness. "But you know what you got me into? Worm intestines. They were interesting. I've never been digested before."
"Have we met before?" Iris asked.
"I doubt it. I've only existed for less than a year, as a half-separate entity, and I don't recognize your face anyway."
"I am the Sorceress Iris."
"I doubt that too. She's an old and feeble crone, neglectful of what's what in her dotage."
"Rejuvenated to a vigorous twenty-three," Iris clarified. "Here is what I used to look like." Her appearance changed to that of the ancient old woman.
"Oh, sure, I'd recognize that old hag anywhere! But you almost never looked that way."
"Because I used my illusion to look more like this," Iris said evenly, reverting to her real appearance. "Now I don't have to. I am reveling in my newfound youth. So are you going to show us the way to the Grundy Golem residence?"
Mentia considered. "Why should I?"
"Because it's bound to be interesting," Gary said.
"Good point. Very well, follow me." The demoness walked roughly west, passing through a tree.
"Oh, great," Iris said sourly.
"She's a bit crazy," Gary explained. Then he called to the demoness. "Mentia, if you want us to be interesting, you will have to show us a route we can use."
The demoness reappeared, close. "Oh." She put her feet to the ground and walked around the tree.
There was a faint path there. They walked west, past innocuous trees and shrubs. Gary spied a breadfruit tree, and felt a strange sensation. It was a kind of distress below the midpoint of his new body. His fleshy innards burbled.
"You must be hungry," Iris remarked.
"Hungry?"
"When did you last eat?"
"Gargoyles don't eat. We're made of stone."
"Not any more." She stepped off the path and plucked a loaf of bread from the tree. Then she took another pace and took a butternut from a butternut tree. "Bread and butter. Try it."
Still he hesitated, not knowing what to do with the things she brought him. "Oh, for pity's sake," she said. "It seems I have to show you how to eat, too."
"Yes."
She took a slice of bread from the loaf and squeezed the butternut so that butter spread across the surface of the bread. Then she put the edge of the slice to her mouth and bit into it. She wrinkled her nose. "Needs something," she decided. She looked around until she spied an orange egg on the ground. "Good-a manna nested here. Here's what the manna laid." She picked up the egg and squeezed some of its orange onto the slice. Then she took another bite. "Yes, this is good."
Then she set up a second slice similarly for Gary. "Just bite and chew," she said.
Gary took the bread and bit into it. To his surprise, the weird combination did taste good. He chewed a mouthful, swallowed it, and took another. Eating was all right.
Soon they had finished the loaf and the butternut and the orange marma laid. "I forgot how hungry the young healthy folk get," Iris said, wiping her face.
"I never knew how hungry flesh folk get," Gary agreed.
They finished with some fluid from a leaning beerbarrel tree; someone had kindly provided it with a spigot, and there were some mugwumps nearby with pretty mugs. The stuff was dusky colored and it foamed, but it tasted good and Gary drank several mugsful. After that he felt better than ever, if somewhat unsteady.
They resumed their trek. But before long there was a growl. "That sounds like a dragon," Iris said, her tone hinting that she was not completely pleased.
"Of course it's a dragon," Mentia said.
A cloud of purple smoke formed. "Who wants to know?" it inquired.
"Oh, let it be, Mentia," Gary said. "You got me into this, so you should help me see it through."
The cloud solidified into the familiar shape of the slightly crazy demoness. "But you know what you got me into? Worm intestines. They were interesting. I've never been digested before."
"Have we met before?" Iris asked.
"I doubt it. I've only existed for less than a year, as a half-separate entity, and I don't recognize your face anyway."
"I am the Sorceress Iris."
"I doubt that too. She's an old and feeble crone, neglectful of what's what in her dotage."
"Rejuvenated to a vigorous twenty-three," Iris clarified. "Here is what I used to look like." Her appearance changed to that of the ancient old woman.
"Oh, sure, I'd recognize that old hag anywhere! But you almost never looked that way."
"Because I used my illusion to look more like this," Iris said evenly, reverting to her real appearance. "Now I don't have to. I am reveling in my newfound youth. So are you going to show us the way to the Grundy Golem residence?"
Mentia considered. "Why should I?"
"Because it's bound to be interesting," Gary said.
"Good point. Very well, follow me." The demoness walked roughly west, passing through a tree.
"Oh, great," Iris said sourly.
"She's a bit crazy," Gary explained. Then he called to the demoness. "Mentia, if you want us to be interesting, you will have to show us a route we can use."
The demoness reappeared, close. "Oh." She put her feet to the ground and walked around the tree.
There was a faint path there. They walked west, past innocuous trees and shrubs. Gary spied a breadfruit tree, and felt a strange sensation. It was a kind of distress below the midpoint of his new body. His fleshy innards burbled.
"You must be hungry," Iris remarked.
"Hungry?"
"When did you last eat?"
"Gargoyles don't eat. We're made of stone."
"Not any more." She stepped off the path and plucked a loaf of bread from the tree. Then she took another pace and took a butternut from a butternut tree. "Bread and butter. Try it."
Still he hesitated, not knowing what to do with the things she brought him. "Oh, for pity's sake," she said. "It seems I have to show you how to eat, too."
"Yes."
She took a slice of bread from the loaf and squeezed the butternut so that butter spread across the surface of the bread. Then she put the edge of the slice to her mouth and bit into it. She wrinkled her nose. "Needs something," she decided. She looked around until she spied an orange egg on the ground. "Good-a manna nested here. Here's what the manna laid." She picked up the egg and squeezed some of its orange onto the slice. Then she took another bite. "Yes, this is good."
Then she set up a second slice similarly for Gary. "Just bite and chew," she said.
Gary took the bread and bit into it. To his surprise, the weird combination did taste good. He chewed a mouthful, swallowed it, and took another. Eating was all right.
Soon they had finished the loaf and the butternut and the orange marma laid. "I forgot how hungry the young healthy folk get," Iris said, wiping her face.
"I never knew how hungry flesh folk get," Gary agreed.
They finished with some fluid from a leaning beerbarrel tree; someone had kindly provided it with a spigot, and there were some mugwumps nearby with pretty mugs. The stuff was dusky colored and it foamed, but it tasted good and Gary drank several mugsful. After that he felt better than ever, if somewhat unsteady.
They resumed their trek. But before long there was a growl. "That sounds like a dragon," Iris said, her tone hinting that she was not completely pleased.
"Of course it's a dragon," Mentia said.
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