Anthony, Piers - Xanth 23 - Xone of Contention by Anthony Piers

Author:Anthony, Piers
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter 8. GOOD MAGICIAN

Pia shook herself off. She hated getting soaked in her clothing. She was shiveringly cold, and their blankets were also hopelessly wet, and dusk was closing. What a mess! Para, the duck looted boat, was the only member of their party who seemed satisfied; he was resting on the water, untouched by the chill and undismayed by his dunking. He was evidently not the smartest of creatures, and liked being of service.

Well, she had never been one to mope ineffectively. "We need a fire, a tent, and food," she said. "Then we can strip and dry our clothes while we eat in comfort."

"I can find some fireweed," Justin said.

"I can make a tent from the blankets," Edsel said.

"I can roust out some chocolate spiders." Breanna said, peering into the darkness.

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A B B YY.c "Spiders! " Pia said, alarmed.

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The girl shot her a dark glance. "You're a vegetarian?"

"No, but-" She realized that she was in danger of looking like a squeamish female. It was true; she was plenty squeamish about bugs and other noxious notions, but she didn't like admitting it. Maybe someone else would balk at eating spiders, and then she could safely do so too. "Okay. I'll make a hearth."

"We'll fetch wood," Demon Ted said.

"And pillows," DeMonica agreed.

The children were getting helpful? Pia distrusted that. But maybe such chores were their idea of fun.

The others scattered. Justin and Breanna disappeared into the darkness, while Edsel scouted around for sticks of wood suitable for ridgepoles. He was good at things like that. He used a rock to pound forked sticks into the ground, put the ridgepoles into the raised forks, and then set about stretching the sodden blankets across them. The blankets would drip dry as time passed, and should provide shelter.

Pia used a stick to scrape a section of ground clear, then carried in stones to make a circular hearth. The effort warmed her, but not enough: her teeth were still chattering.

Ted brought in a number of dry sticks for the fire, and Pia thanked him. He stepped on his own toes and almost blushed; he didn't know how to handle thanks from an adult.

Monica brought pillows. They were dry, and promised to be useful for sitting on, and for sleeping on later. Pia thanked her also, and she reacted much the way Ted had. They were not bad children, just active and sometimes impertinent.

What was interesting was the way they brought these things: each in turn held the locket they had found before, and spoke to it: "Out, sticks," or "Out, pillows," and the things had abruptly appeared before it.

That was a most useful and capacious locket.

Justin returned with the fireweed. This was dull green stuff. But when he laid it in the hearth and said

"Fire," it burst into brightly colored flame. The light radiated out, blessedly warm.

Then Breanna returned with an armful of dark brown leggy substance. It was hard to tell where she left off and it began.

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