you?” she demanded severely of Zach. “I have half a mind to—”
“No, don't—” he protested.
“Kiss you myself.” She did. “So there. Now behave.”
“I will,” he said. “Oh, darn. Who am I fooling?” He kissed her back.
“Ha!” Frosteind said. “You did it. Now you're my boyfriend.”
“I guess so.” He did not seem totally dismayed.
“It's a good thing our talents mesh. Now we can make iced tea together.”
Azalea smiled to herself. It was nice to see things work out. She had done what she had to, to get the job done.
They all made it safely down. Now they assessed the situation. Four waterfalls dropped into this nether pool, including the one they had come on. One of them had daylight at its apex. That had to be the way out. But how could they get there? They couldn't swim up a waterfall!
She cudgeled her brain again. This time it didn't wait to be abused long; it gave her an idea almost immediately. “Kalt! Frosteind!” she called as the soggy bulb flashed over her head. “I think you can help.”
“We want to,” Kalt said. “What can we do?”
“Frosteind, you can freeze water,” Azalea said. “Can you freeze that waterfall?”
The girl considered. “I think so.”
“And you, Kalt—can you shape the frozen waterfall into steps? So we can all climb them to get out of here?”
“Yes!” he said, seeing it.
“Then do it, both of you. We all want to escape.”
They got to work. Soon there was a winding stairway to the top, made of ice. This time Azalea let the others go first, so she could make sure no one was left behind. Kalt and Frosteind also stayed, to keep the steps frozen and shaped. “This is the fanciest job we've ever done,” Kalt said ruefully. “And no one will see it, after this.”
“But everyone will remember,” Frosteind said.
At last everyone was up. They followed, letting the steps melt below them. It was scary, and their feet were cold, but they made it, as the others had.
Azalea was the last to step off the ice and onto warm dry land. And paused, amazed.
There stood all the children, applauding her for the rescue. With them was Che Centaur, Surprise Golem, and a fiery young woman.
“By the time we located you, you were well on your way,” Che said. “So we let you finish. You're a hero.”
“I was just trying to rescue the children,” she said, abashed. “All of them.”
“You succeeded,” Surprise said. “Thanks to your initiative, determination, and sense. And you found your sister too.”
“And a boyfriend, as soon as I tell my brother Ray about you,” Wade said. “You're such a great girl.”
But Azalea couldn't think about that at the moment. “It's not done yet. I have to get the other children back to their homes. We can't just leave them here.”
“Of course,” Che said. “We'll help, since we can't help you find your sister.”
“And we'll warn Xanth about the Punderground and the Hobgoblin,” Surprise said. “It's high time that awful scheme is stopped.”
“Yes!” Azalea agreed. Then she sank to the ground in worn-out tears of relief. This was more than enough adventure to hold her for a long time.
Xanth 30 - Stork Naked
5
Xanth 30 - Stork Naked
First Pass
Che Centaur watched Azalea, Lotus, and the last of the lost children go. Azalea, for all her youth, had turned out to be a redoubtable babysitter, and had risen to answer considerably more challenge than anticipated. Fortunately everyone had come out of it safely.
“We've got to do something about that Hobgoblin,” Surprise said, looking darkly at the flower bed. “We can't have him taking any more children into the Punderground.”
And there was another young woman with surprising (no pun) potential. Che was fighting against the realization that he was not after all effectively immune to the love elixir, despite his statements on the subject. Surprise, still in centaur form, was a lovely and motivated mare, and he wished he could—no, of
“No, don't—” he protested.
“Kiss you myself.” She did. “So there. Now behave.”
“I will,” he said. “Oh, darn. Who am I fooling?” He kissed her back.
“Ha!” Frosteind said. “You did it. Now you're my boyfriend.”
“I guess so.” He did not seem totally dismayed.
“It's a good thing our talents mesh. Now we can make iced tea together.”
Azalea smiled to herself. It was nice to see things work out. She had done what she had to, to get the job done.
They all made it safely down. Now they assessed the situation. Four waterfalls dropped into this nether pool, including the one they had come on. One of them had daylight at its apex. That had to be the way out. But how could they get there? They couldn't swim up a waterfall!
She cudgeled her brain again. This time it didn't wait to be abused long; it gave her an idea almost immediately. “Kalt! Frosteind!” she called as the soggy bulb flashed over her head. “I think you can help.”
“We want to,” Kalt said. “What can we do?”
“Frosteind, you can freeze water,” Azalea said. “Can you freeze that waterfall?”
The girl considered. “I think so.”
“And you, Kalt—can you shape the frozen waterfall into steps? So we can all climb them to get out of here?”
“Yes!” he said, seeing it.
“Then do it, both of you. We all want to escape.”
They got to work. Soon there was a winding stairway to the top, made of ice. This time Azalea let the others go first, so she could make sure no one was left behind. Kalt and Frosteind also stayed, to keep the steps frozen and shaped. “This is the fanciest job we've ever done,” Kalt said ruefully. “And no one will see it, after this.”
“But everyone will remember,” Frosteind said.
At last everyone was up. They followed, letting the steps melt below them. It was scary, and their feet were cold, but they made it, as the others had.
Azalea was the last to step off the ice and onto warm dry land. And paused, amazed.
There stood all the children, applauding her for the rescue. With them was Che Centaur, Surprise Golem, and a fiery young woman.
“By the time we located you, you were well on your way,” Che said. “So we let you finish. You're a hero.”
“I was just trying to rescue the children,” she said, abashed. “All of them.”
“You succeeded,” Surprise said. “Thanks to your initiative, determination, and sense. And you found your sister too.”
“And a boyfriend, as soon as I tell my brother Ray about you,” Wade said. “You're such a great girl.”
But Azalea couldn't think about that at the moment. “It's not done yet. I have to get the other children back to their homes. We can't just leave them here.”
“Of course,” Che said. “We'll help, since we can't help you find your sister.”
“And we'll warn Xanth about the Punderground and the Hobgoblin,” Surprise said. “It's high time that awful scheme is stopped.”
“Yes!” Azalea agreed. Then she sank to the ground in worn-out tears of relief. This was more than enough adventure to hold her for a long time.
Xanth 30 - Stork Naked
5
Xanth 30 - Stork Naked
First Pass
Che Centaur watched Azalea, Lotus, and the last of the lost children go. Azalea, for all her youth, had turned out to be a redoubtable babysitter, and had risen to answer considerably more challenge than anticipated. Fortunately everyone had come out of it safely.
“We've got to do something about that Hobgoblin,” Surprise said, looking darkly at the flower bed. “We can't have him taking any more children into the Punderground.”
And there was another young woman with surprising (no pun) potential. Che was fighting against the realization that he was not after all effectively immune to the love elixir, despite his statements on the subject. Surprise, still in centaur form, was a lovely and motivated mare, and he wished he could—no, of
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