[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
knew it was about eight pairs too many.
"Uh, let's change to naga form," he murmured in her ear.
Nada glanced around. Her lovely lips pursed. She turned naga. He followed, so that they were twined
together but relatively sanitary.
"Uh, what's going on here?" he asked, still somewhat at a loss, and not just because of the strangers he
saw.
"The Adult Conspiracy forbids an answer," Metria replied. "If she had had panties on, we would have
had to lock you up and swallow the key."
Nada's head turned to cover the demoness. "And who is she?"
"Uh, she's Metria," Dolph faltered. "Demoness Metria. She-"
"I see." For now the demoness had assumed a form even more luscious than Nada's, which was a feat
only a supernatural creature could accomplish, and she surely couldn't maintain it for long.
"She just appeared!" he protested. "She said she needed-"
"I can guess."
"Oh come on, Nada," Electra said. "You know he loves only you."
Nada was taken aback. "You mean I was getting jealous? Woe is me!" Then she laughed.
Dolph suspected that she was teasing him, but he wasn't sure. He also didn't know how to respond to
Electra's remark, because of course Electra was the one who loved him. So he got away from that
subject as fast as his tongue could take him. "I mean, who are these goblins?"
One stepped forward. "I am Godiva and these are my henchmen, Moron, Idiot, and Imbecile. We
abducted the centaur foal, but also helped rescue him from the horde."
"Well, I came to rescue Che," Dolph said. "And I know Nada and Electra did too. So you can go now,
because we're taking him back to his dam."
"You've got it mixed up," Electra said. "We made a deal with Godiva. The horde is after us all."
"A deal?" he asked, befuddled.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
"Arrangement, bargain, pact, pledge," Metria said.
"I know that! I mean, just which side are these goblins on, anyway?"
"Ours, now," Nada said. "We can't just take Che home. We have to settle with Godiva. But first we all
have to get away from the horde."
"I can become a roc and carry you all away," Dolph said. "Except the goblins; four extra is too many.
What deal did you make?"
"That we would work together to rescue Che and the elf from the horde, then decide who would get to
take Che."
"What about Jenny?" Dolph asked. "Who takes her?"
"How do you know my name?" the elf girt asked, surprised.
"Sammy told me."
"But Sammy can't speak!"
"He can't speak human,'" Dolph told her. "I talked to him in feline."
"He does that," Electra told Jenny. "He can talk the languages of the animal forms he assumes. But it's a
good question: once we decide where Che goes, what about you? Are you going back where you came
from?"
Che turned to the elf. "Oh, please don't do that, yet, Jenny!" he protested. "You have been such a friend
to me, I do not want to lose you so soon."
"She can't go home," Metria said. "We blocked the hole."
"The hole?" Electra asked.
"The hole in Xanth through which she came," Dolph said. "I had forgotten. Monsters were coming
through, so Metria and I blocked it. Jenny can't go back, because we closed it. So I guess she'll have to
stay with us for a while."
Jenny hugged Che. "I didn't want to leave yet anyway," she said.
"We can't stand around talking," Godiva said. "The horde will catch us."
"Let's settle this fast," Nada said. "We'll decide where Che goes, and if we win, you goblins help us take
him to his mother, and if you win, we'll help you take him to Goblin Mountain."
"Now wait!" Dolph protested. "We can't give him to the goblins!"
"We made a deal," Electra said. "We may not like it, but Godiva did help rescue him by distracting the
horde."
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
"Yes, she did," Che agreed. "I saw her dancing. When she distracted them, then Jenny's magic caught
them and we were able to escape. I will go with whoever wins. It is fair."
"But these goblins abducted you!" Dolph said.
"True. But they did not harm me."
"We can work out those details later," Nada said. "Right now we need a fast, fair way to decide. What
do we do, guess numbers?"
"But we're all on one side or the other," Electra pointed out. "Someone could cheat."
"I know a goblin game," Godiva said. "I think it would do, because it's clear who wins."
Dolph realized that they were determined to settle this before running from the approaching horde.
"What game?"
"It's called godo," Godiva said. "We make a little noose of string, like this." She brought out a length of
string from somewhere in her long hair and nimbly twisted it into a loop. "Then one person buries it in
sand, and others try to poke sticks through it. The one who first succeeds, wins."
Dolph looked at the others. "Does that seem fair?"
"I think so," Nada said. "But the one who buries it shouldn't play. In fact, the one who buries it shouldn't
be present, because he might signal a player."
"I'll bury it," Metria said. "Because I don't care who wins. I just like to be amused by the action."
"She's right," Dolph said. "She doesn't care about any of us. So who plays?"
"I will," Godiva said.
"I will," Electra said.
"Give me the noose," Metria said.
Godiva gave her the noose. The demoness took it, and turned into a dark small cloud. There was a stir of
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]