Part 9 (2/2)
”Three?” Ivy asked.
”Centaurs need three reasons for doing things,” Esk told her. He felt a mild and foolish gratification at this chance to show that he did know a bit about the breed.
The child considered. ”That's right; I'd forgotten. We were going to Magician Humfrey's castle because he didn't answer his mirror, and I wanted to share another punwheel cookie with the Gorgon, and Stanley wanted to wrestle the moat monster. Three reasons. Now we know Humfrey's gone, so we don't have three reasons anymore.”
”Where iv the mapmaking centaur?” Volney asked.
”Oh, she's doing a detail map of the Gap Chasm,” Chet said. ”It is very convoluted.”
”Stanley needs to see the Gap Chasm!” Ivy exclaimed. ”He's going to take it over again any year now, so he needs to keep updated.”
Chet nodded. ”That is true.”
”And that's three!” she cried jubilantly. ” 'Cause Chem's at the Gap Chasm!”
”She does have a point, Uncle,” Chex said, smiling. ”We need a map, and to fetch my dam, and to take the dragon to the Gap Chasm.”
”So it seems,” he agreed.
”And we can learn all 'bout each other on the way!” Ivy said. ”Oh, this is fun!”
”Never become temporary guardian for a little Sorceress,” Chet said with resignation.
”And now let me see if I can make Chex fly,” Ivy continued with unabated enthusiasm. She ran to Chex. ”Lift me up!”
Chex, bemused, a.s.sisted the little girl in mounting. ”Now flap your wings,” Ivy directed. ”Real hard,”
”Really hard,” Chet and Chex said together.
”Oh, pooh, you centaurs are all alike! Just do it!”
Chex spread her wings and flapped them. There was indeed muscle on her chest; Esk tried not to stare at the way her b.r.e.a.s.t.s rippled as she made the effort.
”That's it!” Ivy cried. ”Harder!”
Chex flapped harder-and an expression of surprise crossed her face. ”I have more lifting power!” she said.
”Sure you do, 'cause that's my talent. Enhancement. Now take off.”
It almost seemed that it was going to happen. Chex's front legs lifted from the ground. But no matter how hard she flapped, she could not get the rest of her body up; she remained standing on her hind legs.
”That's enough!” she gasped, dropping back down. ”I'm winded!”
”Apany. Esk noted with private satisfaction that Ivy was just as secretive as he was about natural functions; the centaur way was not the only way. In fact, Ivy was a fine antidote to the centaur att.i.tudes.
In the morning they reached the Gap. It was a monstrous crevice whose faces descended clifflike to a narrow base far, far below. Esk felt dizzy just peering into it.
”We shall have to travel along it until we find a way down,” Chet said. ”That may require some time. There are bridges across it, but my sibling should be down inside it.”
Volney sniffed the ground. ”No need to vearch,” he said. ”The old vole holev remain; a large one will take uv down.”
”Voles are very good with tunnels,” Esk explained to the others as Volney moved along.
”But he's going away from the chasm,” Ivy protested.
Then Volney found what he was sniffing for: the cavelike entrance to a large tunnel ”You may wivh light,” he said as he plunged on in.
”I saw some lightning rods close by,” Ivy said. She dashed off to pick them. They glowed more brightly as she held them, enhanced by her magic. Soon everyone who wanted one had a glowing rod, even Tangleman. They trooped down after the vole.
The tunnel was long and dank, and branched many times, but they followed Volney with confidence, and eventually came out at the base of the Gap. The vole hole had saved them a good deal of trouble.
”Now to find Chem,” Chet said. ”Stay with us, Stanley; we don't want Stella to find us and take us for prey.”
”Stacey,” Ivy said smugly.
”What?”
”Her name is Stacey Steamer,” Ivy said.
”But she's listed as Stella.”
”But I named her, same as I named Stanley. I can't help it if the a.s.s who made the Lexicon got it wrong.”
”The a.s.s didn't get it wrong; he listed both,” Chex said. ”There's an ambiguity, that's all.”
”But when I'm here, my name is right,” Ivy said.
Chet shrugged, unable to refute that. Again the little princess had gotten the best of the centaur. Esk enjoyed that, privately.
Again Volney's nose simplified things. ”They went that way movt revently,” he announced, pointing west.
They traveled west, and in due course came upon Stacey and Chem. They were exploring an offshoot of the chasm, one with jagged walls angling upward. Chem was projecting an image of it and comparing the details to the real one, so as to match them perfectly. She was a lovely brown-maned, brown-eyed creature with a family resemblance to Chex.
Chex embraced her dam. ”My, how you've grown, dear!” Chem exclaimed.
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