Part 10 (1/2)

Che would never have thought of it that way, but he was coming to appreciate her zombie viewpoint. Zyzzyva herself was a fine and interesting person who was forever changing his conception of zombies. Naturally she had empathy for other neglected or disparaged creatures. He would have to do something about his flying machine.

”Suppose I name it, and give it a compatible destination? If it is capable of hearing and understanding, then it will know where to go on its own.”

”I can enable it to do both,” she said. ”Toss up my sword.”

He had no idea what she wanted with it, but she would need both sword and helmet when she went on. He picked up the helmet. ”First this,” he said, and tossed it.

She caught it neatly. ”Thank you.” She put it on, becoming more military. Had he been human, he might have been disappointed.

”And the sword.” It was sheathed, so was safe to throw. He did so carefully, and she caught it as neatly. She buckled the sheath belt around her waist, then drew the sword. She put it to the side of her head and cut off her left ear.

”What are you doing?” Che cried, appalled.

”I am cutting off my left ear,” she said. ”Have no concern; I'll grow another, zombie style. Fasten this one to your machine, so it can hear you speak.” She tossed the ear down to him.

He controlled his revulsion and caught it. There was no blood, just a little stickiness at the point of severance. He took it to the machine and set the sticky side against the prow. The ear adhered; indeed, in a moment it seemed as if it had grown there on its own.

”Now that is a zombie machine,” Zyzzyva said. ”It will hear you and respond to you.”

This was weird! But he followed through, rather than embarra.s.s Zyzzyva by openly doubting her. ”Flying machine, I name you Rockie, because your animation is from roc feathers and your ear is female. You are a lady craft. Do you understand?”

There was no reaction. That hardly surprised him. ”You have to tell her how to respond,” Zyzzyva said. ”She doesn't know anything yet.”

Oh. ”If you hear and understand, wiggle a flight feather.”

Still nothing, as expected. Machines constructed of ends and odds did not come to life of their own accord. ”You must tell it which one,” Zyzzyva said. ”It will not be very smart at first.”

”The front right feather,” he clarified.

The right front feather wiggled under its stone.

Che stared, but there was no doubt about it. It was now a living, or at least an animate, flying machine. Zyzzyva had been right all along.

So he continued. ”I will use you to fly out of this yard. Then I will leave you, to go about my own business. Do you understand? Wiggle your left front feather if you do.”

The left front feather wiggled.

”But I don't want you to feel out of sorts, because you are the only creature of your kind. So I will tell you who else to look for. There is a duck-footed boat named Para who normally plies his trade near the Isle of Women just west of the peninsula of Xanth. He's the only one of his kind too. You should get along. Simply fly over the coast until you see him. He should be glad to see you. If you understand, wiggle your right rear feather.”

The right rear feather wiggled.

”One more thing,” Che said, as an afterthought. Afterthoughts were almost as good as forethoughts. ”Your ear is from a zombie, so if you ever have occasion to do a zombie a favor, please consider it. Zombies can be good folk when you get to know them.”

Then he got into the craft and reached out to roll the rocks off the six flight feathers. They immediately vibrated, taking flight, carrying the craft and him with them. In nine-tenths of a moment he was up and out of the yard and flying over the walled garden.

”Wait for me!” Zyzzyva called.

But the flying machine wouldn't or couldn't wait; it was flying vigorously onward. So Che spread his wings and flicked himself, and felt himself getting lighter. He lifted out of the craft, hovered above it for the remaining tenth of a moment, then turned to face Zyzzyva. ”You're going east, Rockie,” he called. ”You want to go west.”

The craft turned and flew the other way. Meanwhile Che glided down to land on the top of the wall beside the zombie woman. He saw a lump on the left side of her head; the ear was already re-forming. ”Thank you for your help,” he said.

”Men need women's help,” she said matter-of-factly. ”That's why I married Xeth.”

Che didn't argue. He lifted her onto his back, as there was not room on the wall for her to get to his side. ”You have also educated me about zombies.”

”Living folk need that.”

He spied a woman waving in the center of the garden. He flew down to join her. ”That's Wira, Humfrey's blind daughter-in-law,” he murmured. ”She's very nice.”

”I have heard of her.”

”h.e.l.lo, Wira,” he called as he landed. ”I am here on business, and I brought Zyzzyva Zombie, King Xeth's wife and queen of the zombies.”

”On business?” Wira asked. ”We a.s.sumed you were a querent.”

So that was it. ”No, this is an urgent mission to save Xanth from destruction.”

”In that case you had better see the Good Magician right away.” She faced the zombie, who was dismounting. ”h.e.l.lo, Zyzzyva. We have not met before.”

”We live apart,” Zyzzyva agreed.

Wira stepped into her and embraced her. So much for prejudice; the blind woman had little way of knowing that this zombie was not rotten. ”You seem remarkably fit.”

”I am. I was killed in battle, and zombied within hours.”

They followed Wira into the castle proper. There was room for Che's bulk; the Good Magician's castle always accommodated what it needed to. They made their way up the winding stairway to the Good Magician's dingy office. There was Magician Humfrey, poring over his Book of Answers.

”Che Centaur and Zyzzyva are here on business,” Wira said, announcing them.

”I don't know where the Ring of Earth is,” Humfrey said grumpily.

So he had known their business! ”I understand you are in charge of it,” Che said.

”True. But none of the Ring proprietors know where their Rings are. You will have to search for it.”

”But doesn't your Book of Answers list everything?” Zyzzyva asked.

”No. The omission is deliberate. If the location were recorded, some nefarious ent.i.ty might snoop and locate it.”

Che considered. His zombie guide didn't know exactly where the Ring was, and neither did the Good Magician. But it had to be somewhere in this castle, because otherwise it would be out of Humfrey's control. ”May we search for it?”

”Of course. We cleaned up the castle for you. The Designated Wife will help you.” Humfrey turned back to his huge tome.

They went back down the stairs to the kitchen, where a cloud of smoke hovered over the stove. ”Dana, this is Che Centaur,” Wira said politely. ”Also Zyzzyva Zombie. Che, this is Dara Demoness, the Good Magician's Designated Wife.”

The smoke roiled, then formed into the figure of a lovely dusky woman. ”A zombie! This could be interesting.”

”Or it could be dull,” Zyzzyva said, unimpressed.

”What are you up to?”