Jack and the Giants by Piers Anthony & J.R. Rain

Author:Piers Anthony & J.R. Rain [Anthony, Piers]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: J.R. Rain Press
Published: 2014-06-10T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16:

Castle

It was late.

We were all eating a magically prepared dinner, thanks to Sydelle’s considerable talents. Now, as we sat around her oversized wooden table—at least, oversized to us—and feasted on corn on the cob the size of fireplace logs, Joe spoke up. “If you can come to us in our dreams, and bring us to this God-forsaken place, create this delicious meal, and even shrink down to our size...” he trailed off after that, raising his eyes hopefully, “then why on earth did you need to bring four puny humans and a chicken to your land?”

Crudely and rudely stated, but the man had a point.

The sorceress gave the two newest members of our party the rundown on her “condition.” Her condition being, of course, that she only had a simulation of a head. The real deal was elsewhere, awaiting a return to her body when all was safe.

“Unfortunately,” she said, summing up, “it’s not safe to do so now. Fetching my head would put my sister at great risk. Not to mention, the restoration of my head takes intricate and meticulous magic. One false step and...”

“You would be dead for real,” I finished.

“Exactly. My magic is limited. What you have seen now is only a portion of what I can do.”

“You are some woman,” said Joe, eyeing her appreciatively from over his massive cob of corn. It was evident that it wasn’t her head that was his primary interest.

She ignored him. “I am operating at only a fraction of my normal self. Thus, I am a liability. My reflexes are off, and that would prove fatal in a life-or-death situation. Of course, I’ve known all along that for me to fulfill the prophecy, I would have to ‘die’. Or simulate death.”

“But why us?” Joe said, dropping the corn with a clatter. He reached for an oversized wooden spoon and proceeded to struggle with some mashed potatoes. Carl reached over and scooped the spuds out with one hand, splattering them on the con man’s plate. “I mean look at us. And look at you.” And he did look at her, for a long moment or two. “Surely there were others in this land who could help you. Others more suitable. What gives?”

More good questions. Joe obviously saw things from every angle. He was used to making deals, deals that were in his favor. Obviously, he didn’t like the deal he’d found himself in the middle of. Still, his questions were relevant, and had occurred to me as well. I just hadn’t had time to stop and ponder them. This dinner was as good a time as any, especially as we had decided to storm the castle at night, and had a few hours to kill.

Sydelle nodded, acknowledging his concerns. I noted that she hadn’t eaten, and I suspected I knew why: she didn’t have a head. At least, not a real head. I wondered how she derived her nourishment. Perhaps through magic?

“The reason is simple. Many in this kingdom do not posses magical qualities.

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