Piers, Anthony - Xanth 30 - Stork Naked by Anthony Piers

Author:Anthony, Piers [Anthony, Piers]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Xanth (Imaginary place), Fantasy - General, Fiction - Fantasy, General, Fantasy, Fiction, Anthony; Piers - Prose & Criticism, Humorous, Science Fiction And Fantasy, Kidnapping, Infants
ISBN: 9780765304094
Publisher: New York : Tor, 2006.
Published: 2007-10-02T05:00:00+00:00

"I'm IE."

"I am glad to meet you, Stymie Stork."

"Likewise, I think, Stymy."

"We have the same territory. We're equivalent."

"Almost," she agreed, glancing modestly aside.

"Except for gender," he agreed. "And you're lovely. Pardon my candor."

"You aren't lovely." But she seemed flattered.

He climbed out of the mud and they walked to the clear water she knew of. He told her the whole story of the bet and the challenge to Surprise Golem to recover her baby without being corrupted.

"But that's a rigged case," she protested. "If she sacrifices the children to get her baby, she's corrupted. If she sacrifices the baby to save the children, she's corrupted. Your side loses either way."

"That's why we have to find the children," he said. "So she doesn't have to make that choice."

"I see." She considered a moment. "I know Surprise Golem. She lost her soul four years ago, and hasn't been decent since. She faked a marriage to Umlaut and even signaled the stork with him nine months ago, but of course we refused to honor the order. She doesn't deserve a baby."

"Not as she is in this reality," he agreed. "I didn't know that when I delivered. I can't think why I wasn't suspicious."

"Because Morgan le Fey enchanted you to not be," she said. "Now that you've explained about the way she took over Surprise, things are clarifying. You were a victim of circumstance, as was I."

"Yes."

They walked in silence to the clear river she knew of. Stymy waded gladly in. In two and a half moments he was clean and white again. He emerged and shook himself off.

"I will keep your secret," Stymie said. "I'm not one of the participants, so if I don't tell, there's no harm done."

"Thank you!" he said, vastly relieved. "I could kiss you." Storks did not kiss in the sloppy way humans did, of course; it was more a matter of clicking beaks together. But the sentiment was similar.

"Not if I kiss you first," she said, and clicked his beak. "I'm sorry I pulled your feathers. I didn't understand."

"That's all right," he said, stunned in much the way a human man would have been by the gesture.

"I have been in trouble much as you have," she confided. "I'm on probation too. One more bad mistake and I'm out on my tail. That's why I was so angry. I searched for you—for whoever made that wrong delivery—and, well, I have a temper."

"I noticed," he agreed.

"I didn't understand. I wish I could make it up to you."

"You have done that, by restoring my feathers and agreeing to keep silent about the Demon bet."

"You're very nice." She clicked his beak again.

"Don't do that! You'll get me all excited."

"That had occurred to me," she confessed.

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