Read Online The Secret of Spring by Piers Anthony, Jo Anne Taeusch - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Piers Anthony, Jo Anne Taeusch
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his promise to Lily. While not prone to hop from one flower bed to the next, he did regard himself as a normal young Veganoid . His magazinias were a far cry from the raunchy trash he had seen in the polli parlour , but they still had lovely blossoms, and were not helping matters.
He flipped to the classified section instead, and browsed through the personals; the seed of answering one was growing in his mind. Why not? Responding to an ad would fill up a dull evening, and it wasn't as if he would actually meet the girl. Just writing a letter could hardly be considered disloyal to Lily, especially if she didn't know about it. It might be amusing to see what kind of reply he got.
Some of the ads were blatant, while others were obscure. He wanted to know something about whom he was contacting, but was put off by the aggressive ones. An ad near the end of the page at last caught his eye.
"Attractive, human Moon Maiden with botanical background seeks correspondence with interesting male. Species no obstacle. Object?"
A botany student? Herb thought girls in these magazinias were more interested in body than mind games. He was certain she had never studied his species of plant. Paradise was off the beaten path for vacationers, not without good reason. "Moon Maiden." He liked the sound of that. It was romantic, rather than sexy. "Object?" probably meant friendship, but the door was open for exploration. Herb decided he would answer this "Moon Maiden." Anything to relieve the monotony.
On New Moon, Iolanthe slid another letter beneath Spring's door and walked quickly away. If any of the Companions saw her do such a thing, it could mean expulsion or at the very least, solitary penance.
The Companions were quite strict about some of their precepts and outside communication was one of them. It would not matter that Lady Spring was only in their temporary care; she was still expected to abide by their tenets. It was, after all, for her own good. Hadn't her father made it a matter of extreme importance that none were to discover his daughter's presence? He did not explain why, but that was of small matter. The Companions were not curious. They wished only to lead a quiet life away from distracting outside influences. What he had requested was no more than they required.
Under ordinary circumstances, Iolanthe would never have agreed to such complicity. It was only that the sad-eyed young woman had been through so much and now had no one at all since her only parent had passed away. If this covert communication afforded her a measure of peace, then who was she to deny that request? Peace and comfort were the goals of the Companions, were they not? And it was plain the letters she had smuggled in to Lady Spring did provide her with a strange comfort.
She also admitted to herself that the harmless intrigue spiced up an otherwise too peaceful existence for Iolanthe . She went on down the hallway, reminding herself to do extra kitchen duty for the worldly thoughts she had been plagued with of late. And perhaps there would even be the chore of discarding the extra portions.
While Iolanthe contemplated pudding, Spring was thinking of her dearest enemy. "What is on your mind tonight, Zygote? Are you warm and secure in your mad magician's bed, or can it be you will toss and turn, wondering where the daughter of Gabriel has eluded you?
"Do you dare dream of holding her in your thin arms, penetrating her soft young body even as you penetrate the deepest secrets of her mind? Or could the ways of the flesh hold any allure for one such as you? I think not.
"No, a woman's heart is but an organ. To know a heart, you must possess one, and yours is cold hard lead. Power is your love, wealth your desire. How could a mere woman compete with that?"
"Dream on, Zygote, and sleep well. All your fond desiring, anxious waiting, patient planning, will avail you nothing. Yet, we will meet. But at a time of my choosing, and I fear, your dreams will become a
He flipped to the classified section instead, and browsed through the personals; the seed of answering one was growing in his mind. Why not? Responding to an ad would fill up a dull evening, and it wasn't as if he would actually meet the girl. Just writing a letter could hardly be considered disloyal to Lily, especially if she didn't know about it. It might be amusing to see what kind of reply he got.
Some of the ads were blatant, while others were obscure. He wanted to know something about whom he was contacting, but was put off by the aggressive ones. An ad near the end of the page at last caught his eye.
"Attractive, human Moon Maiden with botanical background seeks correspondence with interesting male. Species no obstacle. Object?"
A botany student? Herb thought girls in these magazinias were more interested in body than mind games. He was certain she had never studied his species of plant. Paradise was off the beaten path for vacationers, not without good reason. "Moon Maiden." He liked the sound of that. It was romantic, rather than sexy. "Object?" probably meant friendship, but the door was open for exploration. Herb decided he would answer this "Moon Maiden." Anything to relieve the monotony.
On New Moon, Iolanthe slid another letter beneath Spring's door and walked quickly away. If any of the Companions saw her do such a thing, it could mean expulsion or at the very least, solitary penance.
The Companions were quite strict about some of their precepts and outside communication was one of them. It would not matter that Lady Spring was only in their temporary care; she was still expected to abide by their tenets. It was, after all, for her own good. Hadn't her father made it a matter of extreme importance that none were to discover his daughter's presence? He did not explain why, but that was of small matter. The Companions were not curious. They wished only to lead a quiet life away from distracting outside influences. What he had requested was no more than they required.
Under ordinary circumstances, Iolanthe would never have agreed to such complicity. It was only that the sad-eyed young woman had been through so much and now had no one at all since her only parent had passed away. If this covert communication afforded her a measure of peace, then who was she to deny that request? Peace and comfort were the goals of the Companions, were they not? And it was plain the letters she had smuggled in to Lady Spring did provide her with a strange comfort.
She also admitted to herself that the harmless intrigue spiced up an otherwise too peaceful existence for Iolanthe . She went on down the hallway, reminding herself to do extra kitchen duty for the worldly thoughts she had been plagued with of late. And perhaps there would even be the chore of discarding the extra portions.
While Iolanthe contemplated pudding, Spring was thinking of her dearest enemy. "What is on your mind tonight, Zygote? Are you warm and secure in your mad magician's bed, or can it be you will toss and turn, wondering where the daughter of Gabriel has eluded you?
"Do you dare dream of holding her in your thin arms, penetrating her soft young body even as you penetrate the deepest secrets of her mind? Or could the ways of the flesh hold any allure for one such as you? I think not.
"No, a woman's heart is but an organ. To know a heart, you must possess one, and yours is cold hard lead. Power is your love, wealth your desire. How could a mere woman compete with that?"
"Dream on, Zygote, and sleep well. All your fond desiring, anxious waiting, patient planning, will avail you nothing. Yet, we will meet. But at a time of my choosing, and I fear, your dreams will become a
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