Part 28 (2/2)

”I beg your pardon?”

”Type-O causes errors to appear.”

Jaylin t.i.ttered. ”Typo! He must visit Mundania, because I do that all the time.”

”To be sure,” Justin agreed. ”I understand that Mundania also has the Post Orifice, where all the spare letters and articles go.”

”Letters?” Cynthia asked, perplexed.

”A, B, C, and so on through the alphabet. There has to be a storage place for them when they are not in use.”

Cynthia looked as if she had swallowed a bad prune. ”And the articles?”

”The, a, an. They also must be stored.”

”You must have been exposed to some really rabid puns recently,” Breanna said severely.

”I was. Punny and Unpun. Nice enough folk, actually.”

”You found the origin of puns!” Sim squawked, delighted.

”The origin of some puns,” Justin said, qualifying it. ”As well as the termination of a similar number. I doubt that this particular weed will ever be eradicated, however. Puns are fundamental to Xanth.”

”Yes, they are the lowest level,” Sim squawked.

”The basest bottom,” Justin agreed.

A small black cloud was forming over Breanna's head. This time it extended to cover Cynthia's head as well. Che was having trouble keeping a straight face, and he saw that Sim's beak was trying to twist into a smirk.

”It's like a bad movie,” Jaylin said, evidently not taking the matter as seriously as the other females were. ”Every time you think it's bottomed out, another silly a.s.s appears.”

Putre looked indignant. ”She didn't mean you,” Che said quickly.

”She surely means the move-E,” Justin said, his own face marvelously straight. ”A thing that moves around to block your way. It can be destroyed only by a cri-tick, but that may have the perverse effect of making it seem larger.”

”If you silly a.s.ses are quite done,” Breanna said tightly, ”let's get the bleep on with the mission. We need to remove our Rings so we can sight through them.”

The others sobered, regretfully, agreeing that it was time. Each of them removed a Ring from a finger or toe. Che used thread to tie them together in the shape of a tube. Then he looked through it.

”What do you see?” Cynthia asked.

”Nothing, except a flying goblin child with rainbow-colored wings,” he replied, swinging the tube around as he peered. Sure enough, in a moment the goblet pa.s.sed close enough for the others to see.

”Hi!” she called. ”I'm Megan. Can you tell me where the nearest rainbow is? I like to play on rainbows.”

”You can do that?” Che asked, surprised.

”Oh, sure. Goblin/harpy crossbreeds have talents, you know. Mine is playing on rainbows.”

”I think you will have to look for intermittent rain,” Che said. ”Rainbows seem to prefer that environment.”

”Thank you.” She flew on.

Che resumed his search through the Ring. Then he saw a vague brightness. ”That direction.”

”Nice going, hooves-for-brains,” Breanna said. ”You have just indicated the entire jungle to the north.”

”Perhaps you will have better success,” Che said, modestly nettled. He gave her the tube.

Breanna took it and swung it around. ”All I see is a funny ogre.”

”Ogre's aren't funny; they are stupid,” Che said. ”And justifiably proud of it.”

”I know that, four-foots. But this one is different.”

In a moment the ogre appeared. He did look odd. ”Who are you, dimwit?” Breanna demanded.

”Me Stretch, no wretch,” the ogre replied, pleased by her compliment.

”Stretch?”

For answer, the ogre stretched. As he did so, his body and arms and legs lengthened, and he became larger. But then he tottered; he had diluted his body and was weaker. So he compacted himself to half size, picked up a stone between two fingers, and squeezed it into a pebble. That was impressive; normally an ogre required a full ham-hand to do that. He had gained strength.

”That's pretty good,” Breanna said. Satisfied, the ogre moved on.

She returned to her search and this time found it. ”That way.”

”That is half of the area Che indicated,” Cynthia said.

”For sure,” Breanna agreed, evidently feeling a nettle herself. She gave the tube to Cynthia.

Cynthia sighted through it. ”All I see is a man touching plants. He is enlarging or minimizing living things.”

”I suspect the Rings have spurious results if not closely guided,” Che said. ”They seem to be orienting on special people or talents.”

She continued to look. ”There is definitely a brightness in that direction.”

”You have halved it again,” Justin said. ”I believe I perceive the semblance of a pattern here.”

”Each new person narrows the focus,” she agreed, handing him the tube. ”After spying a bogus image.”

Justin looked through it. ”I see two girls, evidently sisters. They are staggering.”

In a moment the girls came into the sight of the others. They were indeed walking in a very irregular manner.

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