“Fortunately the griffin heard me scream and came to help.”
Kody put it together. Not a bog, but a blog. Evidently such a mass of ignorant opinions that the woman had become disoriented and lost her poise. It seemed that such things happened in this weird realm. Actually they could happen in Mundania too; he had been stuck once in a public place with a radio blaring out phenomenally ignorant political verbiage and had soon felt ill.
“Let’s exchange introductions,” Zosi said. “I am Zosi Zombie.”
The griffin shied away in horror.
“Not at the moment,” Kody said quickly. “She is a living woman now. No rot.”
The griffin relaxed. Then it painted more letters on its side. ZAP
“Zap Griffin,” Zosi said. “We are pleased to meet you, sir.”
FEM
“Oh,” Zosi said, embarrassed. “I didn’t, er, look.”
“Pleased,” Kody echoed. He hadn’t looked either. “I am Kody, from Mundania. I’m dreaming this.”
They let that pass, maybe assuming he was speaking figuratively.
“I am the Maiden Yukay,” the woman said. When the others, including the griffin, looked blank, she launched into her personal history. “I was delivered eighteen years ago to the Maiden Japan. I never knew my father, but he was said to be one of the three most intelligent men in Xanth at the time, which may be how he impressed my mother. She expected much of me, but was disappointed. I existed in my own perfect little world, unresponsive to speech, unable to speak myself until age six. These were symptoms of my magic talent, which is Precise Harmony with the Physical Universe, otherwise known as Zen.”
“We have that in Mundania,” Kody said, marveling at her self-description. Was it unusually candid, or delusional?
“Mother thought I was developmentally disabled,” Yukay continued. “But then she realized that I could perform any feat effortlessly, as long as I had never tried it before, and my mind was unfocused, or in a Zen state. So something I could do perfectly the first time, like accurately loosing an arrow at a moving target, I was unable to do again, making it seem like sheer luck. But if I deliberately went into the Zen state, I could do new things or variants of prior things. That made my talent seem less unreliable.” She took a breath. “I am emotional, loyal, tenderhearted, and loving, but have been unable to function effectively in Xanth. So I elected to see the Good Magician, who I hope will tell me how to modify my behavior so as to become effective.”
“Lotsa luck there,” Kody murmured, remembering the famous obscurity of the Good Magician’s Answers.
“But then, focusing on the castle, I waded into the blog and was bombarded by blathering ignorance. It was utterly awful! Fortunately you folk came to rescue me.”
“If the Good Magician’s Answer is like the one he gave us,” Zosi said, “he will tell you to travel on a Quest, yours or someone else’s, where you will find your Answer in due course.”
Yukay sighed. “So I understand. I delayed coming here for some time for that very reason. But what else is there for me?”
“You might consider traveling with us,” Kody said. “We are already on a Quest or two.”
She gazed at him with her beautiful eyes. “There is something odd about the way you look at me.”
“I see you as you are: a lovely young woman.”
“That must be it,” she agreed. “Others are revolted by my aspect. Ever since the Curse manifested.”
“My Quest is to abolish that Curse,” Kody said.
Yukay considered. “There’s almost a certain nonsensical sense to that. Substituting one Quest for another, without the intercession of the Good Magician and his required year’s Service or Equivalent. I must confess that abolishing the Curse is almost as important to me as becoming more effective. Without the Curse I hardly need to be effective; no one notices. But questions remain.”
“I can think of one,” Kody said. “Will our Quest provide
Kody put it together. Not a bog, but a blog. Evidently such a mass of ignorant opinions that the woman had become disoriented and lost her poise. It seemed that such things happened in this weird realm. Actually they could happen in Mundania too; he had been stuck once in a public place with a radio blaring out phenomenally ignorant political verbiage and had soon felt ill.
“Let’s exchange introductions,” Zosi said. “I am Zosi Zombie.”
The griffin shied away in horror.
“Not at the moment,” Kody said quickly. “She is a living woman now. No rot.”
The griffin relaxed. Then it painted more letters on its side. ZAP
“Zap Griffin,” Zosi said. “We are pleased to meet you, sir.”
FEM
“Oh,” Zosi said, embarrassed. “I didn’t, er, look.”
“Pleased,” Kody echoed. He hadn’t looked either. “I am Kody, from Mundania. I’m dreaming this.”
They let that pass, maybe assuming he was speaking figuratively.
“I am the Maiden Yukay,” the woman said. When the others, including the griffin, looked blank, she launched into her personal history. “I was delivered eighteen years ago to the Maiden Japan. I never knew my father, but he was said to be one of the three most intelligent men in Xanth at the time, which may be how he impressed my mother. She expected much of me, but was disappointed. I existed in my own perfect little world, unresponsive to speech, unable to speak myself until age six. These were symptoms of my magic talent, which is Precise Harmony with the Physical Universe, otherwise known as Zen.”
“We have that in Mundania,” Kody said, marveling at her self-description. Was it unusually candid, or delusional?
“Mother thought I was developmentally disabled,” Yukay continued. “But then she realized that I could perform any feat effortlessly, as long as I had never tried it before, and my mind was unfocused, or in a Zen state. So something I could do perfectly the first time, like accurately loosing an arrow at a moving target, I was unable to do again, making it seem like sheer luck. But if I deliberately went into the Zen state, I could do new things or variants of prior things. That made my talent seem less unreliable.” She took a breath. “I am emotional, loyal, tenderhearted, and loving, but have been unable to function effectively in Xanth. So I elected to see the Good Magician, who I hope will tell me how to modify my behavior so as to become effective.”
“Lotsa luck there,” Kody murmured, remembering the famous obscurity of the Good Magician’s Answers.
“But then, focusing on the castle, I waded into the blog and was bombarded by blathering ignorance. It was utterly awful! Fortunately you folk came to rescue me.”
“If the Good Magician’s Answer is like the one he gave us,” Zosi said, “he will tell you to travel on a Quest, yours or someone else’s, where you will find your Answer in due course.”
Yukay sighed. “So I understand. I delayed coming here for some time for that very reason. But what else is there for me?”
“You might consider traveling with us,” Kody said. “We are already on a Quest or two.”
She gazed at him with her beautiful eyes. “There is something odd about the way you look at me.”
“I see you as you are: a lovely young woman.”
“That must be it,” she agreed. “Others are revolted by my aspect. Ever since the Curse manifested.”
“My Quest is to abolish that Curse,” Kody said.
Yukay considered. “There’s almost a certain nonsensical sense to that. Substituting one Quest for another, without the intercession of the Good Magician and his required year’s Service or Equivalent. I must confess that abolishing the Curse is almost as important to me as becoming more effective. Without the Curse I hardly need to be effective; no one notices. But questions remain.”
“I can think of one,” Kody said. “Will our Quest provide
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