Yon Ill Wind by Anthony Piers;

Author:Anthony, Piers;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media
Published: 2019-11-19T16:00:00+00:00

12

WILLOW

Sean stamped out the last of the fire in his section, near the edge of the plateau, and turned to look after the dissipating trail of smoke. They had done it; they had made the signal and summoned the cloud and done the deal. Of course, there would still be some work for someone before the ill wind was contained, but the corner had been turned. Xanth would be saved, and they would go home. It had been interesting and even fun, but he was ready to return to dull Mundania.

Yet there was something lacking. Why should he be ready to go home, when lovely Chlorine was here? And that supersexy demoness, Mentia? He should want to see as much of both of them as possible, though he knew that neither was for him. They were just dream material, pinup fancies—but when had unavailability ever stopped him before? He should want to catch every last glimpse he possibly could. Yet he didn’t; somehow he had lost interest. Oh, he was showing some interest, but that was because the other members of the family had begun to glance at him strangely, and he realized that they would figure he was sick if he didn’t strive for every last glimpse of hidden female flesh. But his heart was no longer in it.

Was it the rising madness in the air? It didn’t affect Mundanes much, because of their determined unmagicality, but it did have some effect. He was feeling light-headed, and some things he knew were straight, like the surface of the ground, seemed wavy or insubstantial. But that was perception; it shouldn’t deplete his normal young-man interest in beautiful women. Neither should it give him an inexplicable sense of loss.

He walked to the far side of a lingering smudge of smoke and used its cover to answer a brief call of nature. In a moment he faced back toward the RV and the others. He stepped around a deep hole in the ground that might or might not be illusion. His job here was done; it was time to rejoin the family.

Then something appeared at the brink of the drop-off, catching the corner of his eye. He looked, realizing that one of the monsters might be returning from a scouting flight. For an instant he thought it was a harpy, for it was a winged female, but then he realized that its body was fully human, and clothed. It was a winged girl!

She rose above the plateau level and moved forward. Now he saw that she was terminally tired; her wings were fluttering weakly, and her head was lolling. She had exhausted her strength, flying up to the mesa in this stiffening wind.

Her dainty feet touched the ground. Her wings folded and she fell to her knees.

Sean went to help her. She was so delicate, so vulnerable, that he had to do something. “Are you all right?” he asked, extending one hand.

Her weary head turned. She looked into his face. “Sean!” she cried, and collapsed.

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