Read Online Isle Of View by Piers Anthony - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Piers Anthony
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beautiful at the same time. “What's the matter—did we ask the wrong Question?”
“I just researched the problem of your betrothals!” Grey exclaimed.
It was Nada and Electra's turn to stare. Then both burst into laughter. “We never thought of that!” Electra cried.
“That's next week's problem,” Nada added.
Grey brushed his hair-colored hair back and looked sheepish. It was a fairly easy expression for him. “I guess I was too busy with technicalities. I just assumed—” He shrugged. “This presents a problem.”
“You mean you don't know where Che is?” Electra asked, “because you were checking into our triangle problem? I guess that's a problem, all right.”
“Maybe the mirror knows,” he said. Most magic mirrors were fairly transparent, but some were brighter than others.
He rummaged in a drawer and brought out a hand mirror. “The problem with this one is that it has to be questioned in rhyme, and the format's limited, and it isn't always quite current.” He pondered for a moment, then addressed it: “Mirror, mirror, in the desk, is Che Centaur picturesque?”
“That query is grotesque!” the mirror responded, matching the rhyme. But a scene showed on it, of the little centaur tied, hobbled, and guarded by goblins.
Nada, Electra, and Ivy stifled similar exclamations of horror. He had been stolen by goblins!
“But there are several goblin tribes,” Nada said. “There're the goblins of Mount Etamin that my folk war against—”
“And the goblins east of the Element of Earth,” Electra added.
“And the Goblinate of the Golden Horde,” Ivy said with a shudder.
“There are goblins all over Xanth,” Grey said. “There are references to them in many of Magician Humfrey's papers. Most of them live well underground. But the mirror showed a surface scene. That limits it somewhat.”
“Can you ask the mirror to be more specific?” Electra asked.
“No, it will only answer a given question once. Also, this could be from several hours ago. I'm afraid I'll have to research it in the Book of Answers.” He looked glum.
“How long will that take?” Electra asked, concerned.
“Probably several more hours. It's not the sort of Answer I'm good at finding, yet.”
“But Che's in danger now We can't wait several more hours!”
Nada leaned toward him, her wet dress clinging and heaving in the way that no dress ever did on Electra. “Isn't there some other way, Grey?” she breathed.
“Find a way,” Ivy said quickly. Her mouth was momentarily grim. One might almost have thought she didn't want Nada having to ask him any more questions.
“What?” Grey seemed distracted for a moment. Nada's dresses tended to have that effect on men, even when dry. It was a good thing her pink panties weren't showing, Electra thought, or he would have been unable to speak at all. “Oh, yes. Maybe the ghost writer.”
“Who?” Electra asked.
“He's a ghost doing his year's service for an Answer,” Ivy explained. “But he's very shy, and doesn't speak or show himself to others. So when he has to communicate, he writes.”
“But how would a ghost know about something like this? Isn't he tied to his place of death?”
“No, this one is able to travel,” Grey said, “because he's not associated with any one locale; he can operate anywhere. He moves very quickly, so may be foggy on details, but he should be able to give us a general notion.”
“Well, ask him, then,” Electra said impatiently.
Grey frowned. “He may not answer.”
“But if he's doing service—”
“He's nervous about goblins,” Grey said. “It seems that the Goblinate of the Golden Horde caught him and cooked him in a pot. That's how he died. He hasn't been the same since. He says it was a bad review. Writers don't like bad reviews.”
Electra was able to appreciate that. She wouldn't have cared to get potted like that herself.
“So we don't like to push him, where goblins are concerned,” Ivy
“I just researched the problem of your betrothals!” Grey exclaimed.
It was Nada and Electra's turn to stare. Then both burst into laughter. “We never thought of that!” Electra cried.
“That's next week's problem,” Nada added.
Grey brushed his hair-colored hair back and looked sheepish. It was a fairly easy expression for him. “I guess I was too busy with technicalities. I just assumed—” He shrugged. “This presents a problem.”
“You mean you don't know where Che is?” Electra asked, “because you were checking into our triangle problem? I guess that's a problem, all right.”
“Maybe the mirror knows,” he said. Most magic mirrors were fairly transparent, but some were brighter than others.
He rummaged in a drawer and brought out a hand mirror. “The problem with this one is that it has to be questioned in rhyme, and the format's limited, and it isn't always quite current.” He pondered for a moment, then addressed it: “Mirror, mirror, in the desk, is Che Centaur picturesque?”
“That query is grotesque!” the mirror responded, matching the rhyme. But a scene showed on it, of the little centaur tied, hobbled, and guarded by goblins.
Nada, Electra, and Ivy stifled similar exclamations of horror. He had been stolen by goblins!
“But there are several goblin tribes,” Nada said. “There're the goblins of Mount Etamin that my folk war against—”
“And the goblins east of the Element of Earth,” Electra added.
“And the Goblinate of the Golden Horde,” Ivy said with a shudder.
“There are goblins all over Xanth,” Grey said. “There are references to them in many of Magician Humfrey's papers. Most of them live well underground. But the mirror showed a surface scene. That limits it somewhat.”
“Can you ask the mirror to be more specific?” Electra asked.
“No, it will only answer a given question once. Also, this could be from several hours ago. I'm afraid I'll have to research it in the Book of Answers.” He looked glum.
“How long will that take?” Electra asked, concerned.
“Probably several more hours. It's not the sort of Answer I'm good at finding, yet.”
“But Che's in danger now We can't wait several more hours!”
Nada leaned toward him, her wet dress clinging and heaving in the way that no dress ever did on Electra. “Isn't there some other way, Grey?” she breathed.
“Find a way,” Ivy said quickly. Her mouth was momentarily grim. One might almost have thought she didn't want Nada having to ask him any more questions.
“What?” Grey seemed distracted for a moment. Nada's dresses tended to have that effect on men, even when dry. It was a good thing her pink panties weren't showing, Electra thought, or he would have been unable to speak at all. “Oh, yes. Maybe the ghost writer.”
“Who?” Electra asked.
“He's a ghost doing his year's service for an Answer,” Ivy explained. “But he's very shy, and doesn't speak or show himself to others. So when he has to communicate, he writes.”
“But how would a ghost know about something like this? Isn't he tied to his place of death?”
“No, this one is able to travel,” Grey said, “because he's not associated with any one locale; he can operate anywhere. He moves very quickly, so may be foggy on details, but he should be able to give us a general notion.”
“Well, ask him, then,” Electra said impatiently.
Grey frowned. “He may not answer.”
“But if he's doing service—”
“He's nervous about goblins,” Grey said. “It seems that the Goblinate of the Golden Horde caught him and cooked him in a pot. That's how he died. He hasn't been the same since. He says it was a bad review. Writers don't like bad reviews.”
Electra was able to appreciate that. She wouldn't have cared to get potted like that herself.
“So we don't like to push him, where goblins are concerned,” Ivy
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