Part 12 (2/2)
”I beg your pardon?”
”Parzon?”
Not much for social niceties, either. But these could hardly be expected of those whose brains were rotten. ”How did you die?” she repeated.
”Zome call it horschschooz.”
”I don't understand.”
”I think he said horse-” Ivy started.
”Don't say that word!”
”Manure,” Ivy finished contritely. ”A princess doesn't even know the other word.”
”Let's hope not! But how could anything like that account for his death.”
”I'm sure he can explain it, if I ask him,” Ivy said confidently. ”Here, let me ride him.”
”I really don't think-”
”Oh, he can hold my weight all right. I talked to him while we were waiting for you. He's nice enough, for a zombie.” She leaned across, and Chex had to move close to facilitate the transfer, lest the girl fall between them.
Ivy scrambled across and settled on Horace's back. ”Horace, you're pretty strong,” she said, and indeed, the zombie seemed to be in better physical condition than before. ”You can talk well, too, I just know it.”
”Zthank you,” Horace said, and his voice did sound better. It was the child's magic, enhancing him.
”How did you die?” Ivy asked.
”People zhooz.”
”People shoes!” Ivy exclaimed. ”What they call horseshoes in Mundania! Where you throw these metal shoes.”
”Yez.” The p.r.o.nunciation was less slushy, but still not perfect. There was only so much Enhancement could do, when lips were decayed and teeth missing.
”But how did a game kill you, Horace?” Ivy asked.
”Hit by a boot.”
”Oh, an accident!” Chex exclaimed. ”One of those hard metal shoes. .h.i.t you on the head!”
”Yez. A heavy people zboot, with hob nailz.”
”And then the Zombie Master revived you as a zombie.”
”Yez.”
”How do you feel, being a zombie?”
”It'z not zbad. But my oldz friendz won't play with me.”
”I'm afraid the living aren't too fond of the undead,” Chex said. ”They're prejudiced.” She had just had a good lesson in prejudice.
”Yez.”
”But Zora Zombie's nice,” Ivy said, transferring back to Chex. ”She's almost alive.”
”Zora is a friend of yours?”
”Yes. She helped Mom learn about zombies. Then she married Xavier.”
”Xavier!” Chex exclaimed. ”I know him! He rides Xap!”
”Yes. Xap's great. He's a hippogryph.”
”I know. He's my sire.”
”Oh!” Ivy squealed with delight. ”I didn't realize! That's how you got your wings!”
”That's how,” Chex agreed. ”I know Xavier because he's been with Xap, but I didn't know he was married. He never mentioned it.”
”I guess that's less important to males than to females,” Ivy said.
”Unless he was ashamed of having a zombie wife.”
”I don't think so,” Ivy said. ”He always seemed real-really proud of her, when he was with her.”
”Then perhaps he was afraid that others would have the wrong picture of her, if they learned she was a zombie without meeting her.”
”Maybe. You'd hardly know she's a zombie. That's how I know zombies aren't bad, 'cause she's baby-sitted me and she's great.”
Horace veered to the side. ”Gourd,” he announced.
There was another of the huge variety that grew in dragon dung. Horace plunged into its peephole, and Chex followed.
Inside it seemed exactly the same as it had been on there prior entry. Chex had thought they would be in the region of imaginary numbers that they had left, but they were in the first stage, with the zombie vegetation.
They negotiated the region of knives the same way as before. ”I wonder what's beyond those knives?” Ivy asked.
”Perhaps nothing,” Chex said. ”It may be only a ritual, where a particular action is required to change the setting of the maze. An intruder not knowledgeable about this matter might take the wrong direction.”
They came to the buried trap door. ”I'd sure like to see what's down there!” Ivy said.
Chex was getting quite curious too; the steps seemed very inviting. But she was sure it was a trap; if she deviated from the route of their guide, she would perhaps be trapped within the gourd.
They reached the numbers, and again lay down and slept-and woke not far beyond Castle Zombie. There was no giant gourd here, just as there had not been at the southern beach; they had emerged by some other mechanism.
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