Part 9 (1/2)
”Are you spelling that right?”
”Of course. That's the key. He said he was Vita Man A. We a.s.sumed he meant he was the first of five men denominated by letters of the alphabet. But it's a pun. These creatures really are supposed to be eaten.”
”But zombies don't eat.”
”This Challenge isn't for you, but for me. I have to eat them.”
She remained dubious. ”It will take you a long time.”
”Probably one bite of each will do. Chop off a finger or toe, and I'll eat that.”
”Coming up.” She faced the orange man. ”Prepare to be chopped, Vita men.”
But Che was already reconsidering. ”Maybe if I just identify them, it will do.”
”Still trying for the peaceful way,” she said, disgusted.
Che rifled through his excellent memory for obscure facts. He had been tutoring Sim for years, and so was very sharp on facts. The men were different colors, but also seemed to have different qualities. ”Vita Man A, you are the one who sees well,” he said.
The orange man nodded and stepped back.
Che addressed the gray man, who seemed to have very quick reactions. ”Vita Man B, your nerves are excellent.”
The gray man stepped back.
The green man seemed to have snow on his head and shoulders, as though freezing, but did not look at all uncomfortable. ”Vita Man C, you can beat the common cold.”
The next man was stoutly built and s.h.i.+ning white, like a beam of suns.h.i.+ne. ”Vita Man D, you have strong bones.”
The last one was blood red. ”Vita Man E, you have a strong heart.”
Now they were all retreating across the bridge. Che nodded. ”We cracked the riddle. They knew it. There was no point in continuing the Challenge.”
”I think they are cowards.”
She did have a militaristic mindset. ”Maybe we'll have to fight in the next Challenge,” he said.
They crossed the drawbridge, stepped onto the inner sh.o.r.e of the moat-and found themselves in darkness.
”Did night fall, or is my sight failing?” Zyzzyva inquired.
”It seems to be magical darkness. This must be the second Challenge.”
”Well, it can't hurt me; I have no concern about darkness. Zombies thrive in it. But it may be a problem for you.”
”Yes. I prefer light when I have something to accomplish.” But he stepped forward, having no alternative.
”I can go first, if you want.”
”I suspect that whatever is here will find me regardless.” He banged into something solid, and stopped.
”Did it find you?”
”I found it. It seems to be a wall. The way must turn.”
He turned to the left, but soon encountered another wall. He turned to the right, and found another wall. There seemed to be no open way forward. But behind was the moat; that was unlikely to be the route. Yet there had to be a way.
He felt the walls, but found no break. They extended high and low and to either side, blocking every avenue.
”Maybe you have to say a spell,” Zyzzyva suggested.
”Open sez me,” he said. But the walls remained solid.
He retreated, backing to the moat. Suddenly the castle returned to view, in full daylight. There was no sign of any tunnel, with or without walls. Could the darkness be illusion?
Still, the illusion of darkness was like the illusion of light: If it seemed to exist, it did exist. An illusory lamp worked as well as a real one. He could try to ignore the darkness, but that wouldn't banish the effect.
Zyzzyva appeared beside him. ”Ah, there you are. That's one weird tunnel. I can't see into it from here, or out of it from there.”
”It seems to be a structure of illusion. Made to conceal the wall. There must be some way around that wall, if I could only see it.”
She laughed. ”Too bad the wall's not illusion too.”
Then they looked at each other with dawning surmise. Surmises were always best when dawning; they weren't much for evening. ”Could it be?” he asked. ”An illusion of touch?”
”Does that kind of illusion exist?”
”I don't see why not. It could be covered by darkness because otherwise we'd see that the wall isn't there, and be suspicious.”
”Unless it's an invisible real wall.”
”No need to cover that with darkness.”
”One way to find out.”
They forged back into the invisible darkness. Che put his hands forward to find the wall. When he did, he pushed against it-and his hands moved on through its seeming substance as if penetrating jelly. He forged on, feeling the pressure of the wall against his flanks and wings and finally his tail. Then he was beyond it, and in a moment emerged into light.
Zyzzyva reappeared just behind him. ”That was interesting. I think you mortals have more fun than we zombies do.”
”Also more frustration.”
”I suppose so. We tend to take things more as they come, and relax under a nice blanket of dirt when nothing comes.”
”We seem to be through the second Challenge. There should be one more.”
She looked around. ”We seem to be in an old workshop.”
It was true. It was a roofless chamber filled with odds, evens, ends, middles, and whatnots. There were no doors, and the walls were too high to jump over.
”The Challenge must be to find our way out of here and into the castle.”