Part 17 (1/2)
”She matured and married Cheiron. Their first foal was Che, who became the tutor to the Simurgh's chick Sim. They have other foals, and are quite satisfied with life.”
”I am so glad to hear it. Chex was a good person, though no older than you are now.” She squinted at Cynthia. ”You look to be about sixteen.”
”Yes, Dame.” And the old woman looked to be over a hundred. ”Actually, she was younger when she visited the Kiss Mee River. She was fully mature by age ten, because of her winged monster sire.”
The woman peered at her. ”There is reason you do not call me Crone?”
Cynthia was on the verge of being slightly fl.u.s.tered. ”I do not wish to be offensive.”
”You know nothing of me since I shared adventures with Chex and her friends Esk Ogre and Volney Vole?”
”That is true, Dame. I-I needed to invoke a name to gain admittance to Castle Gateway, and yours was the only one I knew. Because Chex mentioned you as a good person. I apologize for my ignorance.”
”And your companion, the zombie mermaid?”
”Mazizdath,” Zilche said.
”I am unable to fathom that word,” Cynthia said, embarra.s.sed.
Latia addressed the zombie again. ”So you know, but she does not?”
”Yez.”
”How delightful! It is such a pleasure to encounter innocence.”
”Innocence?” Cynthia asked, not totally pleased.
”I will explain. Thanks in significant part to Chex and her friends of the time, we had a successful mission, and I returned to Gateway Castle with elevated status despite my infirmity of talent.”
”Infirmity?” Cynthia asked, still muddled. Actually, she knew what Latia meant, but remained distracted by this mysterious reference to innocence. What had she failed to comprehend?
”We curse friends all have the same talent: cursing. This manifests in different ways, but generally means mischief for those we curse. Unfortunately my cursing is flawed; one curse in three turns out to be a blessing. My a.s.sociates wanted to be rid of me, for my visage even then was so ugly as to curdle water. But after my success, that was not possible, and in due course seniority enabled me to a.s.sume the role of Magistrate.”
”Mazizdath,” Zilche agreed.
”Magistrate,” Cynthia echoed, finally seeing it. ”But isn't that a significant office in your society?”
”Yes. Equivalent to Queen in the human society.”
”Oh!” Cynthia cried, appalled as she realized the nature of her ignorance. ”And I demanded to see you! I didn't know!”
”Yes, so we have ascertained. You are the first in some time to come to me asking a favor without knowing my office. I like that.”
”But the guard called you a-a-”
”Crone. Not a-the.”
”I-I don't-”
”Ze Crone rulz,” Zilche exclaimed.
”The Crone rules,” Latia agreed. ”It is no longer a term of disrespect, but my t.i.tle. There is only one Crone in the Gateway Castle at present.”
”I had no idea! I would never have-”
”I know, dear. I liked Chex, and I like you; you will surely do right by her foal. Now let's see to your mission. You seek the Ring of Water.”
”Yes, Dame-I mean Crone.”
”I had no idea it was here, but zombies lack the wit to prevaricate. We surely do have it. We shall undertake a search for it.”
”Thank you, Crone.” Cynthia felt weak in all four knees. This had seemed so doubtful, and grown worse, yet suddenly had turned out so well.
Latia picked up a little bell and rang it. Immediately a uniformed man appeared. ”Yes, Crone.”
”Inst.i.tute a thorough search of the premises. You are looking for the Ring of Water. This is a band of exceeding power, I suspect not made of water.” Latia allowed a smile to crack the lower portion of her face. She had made a funny. ”We do not know its precise appearance, other than the form of a ring. So bring all rings you find here for inspection.”
”Yes, Crone.” He disappeared.
”Now while they search, would you like to see a play? We are always in need of pre-tour audience reaction by persons who have no familiarity with the productions.”
Cynthia realized that it would not be courteous to decline, though she was not at all sure she wanted to waste time in such manner. ”If you wish, Crone.”
”This way.” Latia got off her cus.h.i.+on, which Cynthia now realized was padding on a throne, and led the way out of the chamber. Obviously the woman was not much for ceremony, and she was quite spry for her age.
They went down another flight of stairs. There was a window, and Cynthia saw that beyond it was water, with fish swimming by. This was below the surface of the lake!
”You must admire this,” Latia said, indicating a ma.s.sive gla.s.s wall.
They peered out. There was a monstrous whirlpool, swirling down to unknown depths. ”This is what keeps Lake Ogre Chobee shallow,” Latia explained. ”Its extra water pours into the depths, concluding at the Pool of the Brain Coral.”
”Oh, this is the other end of the underground river!” Cynthia exclaimed. ”I had not realized.”
”Few do. But we do regard ourselves as guarding the gateway to the underworld.”
They followed her to a larger chamber. There were several chairs, and a fair-sized tank of water. ”For your friend,” Latia said, indicating it.
Cynthia set Zilche in the tank, and the mermaid swished her tail gratefully.
The stage curtains parted to reveal a group of actors holding various objects. One stepped forward. ”The name of this play is Charades. It is interactive. We shall present each concept for ten seconds, and if any member of the audience fathoms it, the audience scores a point. After that time, the answer will be given, and the audience will lose a point. At the end of the play, the score will determine whether the players or the audience won.”
”I am not familiar with this play, so I will be a part of the audience,” Latia said. ”Thus we are three.”
The first player stepped forward. She wore nothing but a tight body stocking. It occurred to Cynthia that any males would have found that interesting, for the actress was of a shapely disposition. She lifted a suit from a hanger, and put on trousers over her bare-seeming legs. Suddenly water splashed out; the trousers must have been filled with it. Then she put on a jacket, and bubbly water poured out from around her arms. ”I am becoming quite clean,” she said, ”as this apparel washes me. What is it?”
A suit that washed its wearer? Cynthia drew a blank.
”Bazing zuit!” Zilche said.
”A bathing suit,” the actress agreed. The number 1 appeared on a plaque marked AUDIENCE.