hurt you.”
Goody stood before the tree. Hannah swung the pillow at him. It shied off without quite touching him.
“That's odd.” She wound it back and tried again. The second time it seemed to bounce back a bit, without quite touching him.
“Something wrong with this pillow,” she said. She fetched a weed stalk instead, and poked it at him. It seemed to push back in her hand.
“Weird.” She fetched a light stick and rapped at his shoulder. The stick came back at her with similar light force.
“It is repelling the weapons,” Vortex explained. “Bouncing them back in the direction they come from. It seems to be related to the reverse wood, reversing the thrust.”
“A bounce!” Goody said. “It really is there.”
“Let me make one more test,” Hannah said. “I will try just to nick you lightly.” She drew her sword.
Goody was distinctly nervous about this. “I'm not sure this is wise.”
She brought the sword down on his shoulder. It bounced back, just missing her own shoulder. “I felt it!” she said. “A force reflected it. You are protected!”
“I suppose so,” Goody agreed, amazed.
“It is getting stronger with practice,” Vortex said. “Now that it has been evoked.”
“So I really do have a protective talent,” Goody said in wonder.
“You really do,” Vortex agreed.
He went to fetch the parody from the branch of the tautolotree. “About time, you numskull,” the bird complained. “It's been a while, bonehead.”
The others laughed. “What so funny?” the peeve demanded. “Where's the humor?” But no one would explain.
Xanth 29 - Pet Peeve
6
Xanth 29 - Pet Peeve
Robot
They set out for Castle Roogna, on the way to Robot World. They cut across to intercept an enchanted path. By the time they found it, it was getting late, so they stopped at a campsite that was convenient.
A large spotted cat was there. “Ah, I have been waiting for someone to play cards with,” it said.
“A talking tabby,” the parody said. “Never trust a cat.”
“Cards?” Goody asked. He had not encountered a talking cat before, but perhaps it was no more remarkable than a talking bird.
“A deck of fifty-two,” the cat said as a splay of cards appeared. “A good game is poker.”
“If you poke me, I'll cut off your hide!” Hannah snapped.
“Very funny,” the cat said, unamused. “So will you play?”
“I thought poke-her was a game fauns played, dancing around a nymph and touching her in awkward places,” Goody said.
“Do you want to play?” the cat asked again, still supremely unamused. It riffed the cards.
“Let me see that deck,” Hannah said, snatching it from his paw. She riffed through the cards herself. “I thought so: five aces! You're a—”
“Cheetah,” the cat agreed. “What did you expect?”
Hannah returned the cards. “Let's play. What are the stakes?”
“Foraging for supper,” the cat said, its eye resting on the peeve.
“Don't you touch me, you pukey puss!”
“He's a cheater, and you still want to play?” Goody asked, surprised.
“Barbarians are fools about gambling.”
Goody shrugged. “But the parody is not on the menu.”
The feline sighed. “You drive a hard bargain.”
“I'll play too,” the peeve said.
It turned out to be an interesting game. Each player started out with a stack of colored chips, and the cards were dealt in batches of five. Goody never did get quite clear about the rules, and did not do well. Neither did Hannah. The cheetah won, of course, with the parody second.
Goody and Hannah went out to forage for supper. This was not hard at all, as there were many convenient fruit trees and plants, including catnip and beefsteak tomatoes for the cheetah. The point of the card game had been diversion, and it had been fine for that.
The peeve elected to spend the night with Hannah, who was alert to things around her even when asleep, and very fast with her sword. Goody appreciated that; the big cat was not to be
Goody stood before the tree. Hannah swung the pillow at him. It shied off without quite touching him.
“That's odd.” She wound it back and tried again. The second time it seemed to bounce back a bit, without quite touching him.
“Something wrong with this pillow,” she said. She fetched a weed stalk instead, and poked it at him. It seemed to push back in her hand.
“Weird.” She fetched a light stick and rapped at his shoulder. The stick came back at her with similar light force.
“It is repelling the weapons,” Vortex explained. “Bouncing them back in the direction they come from. It seems to be related to the reverse wood, reversing the thrust.”
“A bounce!” Goody said. “It really is there.”
“Let me make one more test,” Hannah said. “I will try just to nick you lightly.” She drew her sword.
Goody was distinctly nervous about this. “I'm not sure this is wise.”
She brought the sword down on his shoulder. It bounced back, just missing her own shoulder. “I felt it!” she said. “A force reflected it. You are protected!”
“I suppose so,” Goody agreed, amazed.
“It is getting stronger with practice,” Vortex said. “Now that it has been evoked.”
“So I really do have a protective talent,” Goody said in wonder.
“You really do,” Vortex agreed.
He went to fetch the parody from the branch of the tautolotree. “About time, you numskull,” the bird complained. “It's been a while, bonehead.”
The others laughed. “What so funny?” the peeve demanded. “Where's the humor?” But no one would explain.
Xanth 29 - Pet Peeve
6
Xanth 29 - Pet Peeve
Robot
They set out for Castle Roogna, on the way to Robot World. They cut across to intercept an enchanted path. By the time they found it, it was getting late, so they stopped at a campsite that was convenient.
A large spotted cat was there. “Ah, I have been waiting for someone to play cards with,” it said.
“A talking tabby,” the parody said. “Never trust a cat.”
“Cards?” Goody asked. He had not encountered a talking cat before, but perhaps it was no more remarkable than a talking bird.
“A deck of fifty-two,” the cat said as a splay of cards appeared. “A good game is poker.”
“If you poke me, I'll cut off your hide!” Hannah snapped.
“Very funny,” the cat said, unamused. “So will you play?”
“I thought poke-her was a game fauns played, dancing around a nymph and touching her in awkward places,” Goody said.
“Do you want to play?” the cat asked again, still supremely unamused. It riffed the cards.
“Let me see that deck,” Hannah said, snatching it from his paw. She riffed through the cards herself. “I thought so: five aces! You're a—”
“Cheetah,” the cat agreed. “What did you expect?”
Hannah returned the cards. “Let's play. What are the stakes?”
“Foraging for supper,” the cat said, its eye resting on the peeve.
“Don't you touch me, you pukey puss!”
“He's a cheater, and you still want to play?” Goody asked, surprised.
“Barbarians are fools about gambling.”
Goody shrugged. “But the parody is not on the menu.”
The feline sighed. “You drive a hard bargain.”
“I'll play too,” the peeve said.
It turned out to be an interesting game. Each player started out with a stack of colored chips, and the cards were dealt in batches of five. Goody never did get quite clear about the rules, and did not do well. Neither did Hannah. The cheetah won, of course, with the parody second.
Goody and Hannah went out to forage for supper. This was not hard at all, as there were many convenient fruit trees and plants, including catnip and beefsteak tomatoes for the cheetah. The point of the card game had been diversion, and it had been fine for that.
The peeve elected to spend the night with Hannah, who was alert to things around her even when asleep, and very fast with her sword. Goody appreciated that; the big cat was not to be
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