Zombie Lover by Piers Anthony Read Free Book Online Page A

she lose the ability to summon unicorns," Bink said "She knows how it feels to be left out She shouldn't have left Jenny out "
     
    "Omissions happen," Dor said "We will do what we can for Jenny Now let's focus on our mission the zombies "
     
    "We need a name tor our group," Dolph said
     
    Dor hadn't seen the necessity, but humored him "We three kings "
     
    "But I'm not a king," Bink protested
     
    "You're the father of a king, and Dolph is the son of a king," Dor said "That's close enough "
     
    Bink shrugged "It will be nice to be a king for a few hours, even if in name only "
     
    "I'll change into a roc bird and carry you up high so we can spy the zombies," Dolph said
     
    "Don't drop us," Dor said, smiling He knew his son would be careful
     
    Dolph walked out beyond the moat, so as to have room, and suddenly he was a monstrous bird "Squawk'" he called
     
    "He says to get your sorry donkeys over there," a nearby rock translated helpfully "And don't soil his feet "
     
    "We suspected it was something like that," Bink murmured The inanimate sometimes overstated the case, not having much judgment
     
    Each ot them took hold of one of Dolph1 s huge legs and sat on his feet Dolph took two steps, pumped his enormous wings, and launched into the air Soon they were spirahng into the sky, making Castle Roogna look small
     
    Dor had seldom flown, so was intrigued by the patchwork of Xanth that spread out below them He recognized the good Magician's Castle to the east, and the Gap Chasm to the north, and the Isle ot View to the west Much of the rest was forest and mountain and lake, as it should be
     
    1 There's one " Bink called, pointing slightly south Dor realized that he was doing what he was supposed to, watching for zombies, instead ot getting distracted by the scenery
     
    ZOMBIE LOXTR       41
     
    The roc headed down, and soon landed in a glade near the slogging creature The two of them dismounted from the teet, and then Dolph reappeared
     
    But by the time they landed, the zombie had disappeared However, there was a female centaur practicing her archery, so they approached her
     
    "Hello," Dor said   "We three kings are looking for a zombie "
     
    She glanced at them "Hello I am Cmdy Centaur A zombie passed this way two moments and an instant ago, bearing north "
     
    "Thank you "
     
    "You are welcome " She loosed her arrow, and it neatly severed the stem of high root beer mug The roots cushioned its fall so that it did not break or spill, and she was able to pick it up and drink from it
     
    "No one can shoot an arrow as well as a centaur," Bink remarked as they walked north
     
    The zombie was typical of its breed, which was to say loathsome It had evidently once been a human man, but it must have rested in a grave with some ambitious worms for some time, because now halt its face had rotted away and its clothing was in a similar mess It shambled along, leaving decaying chunks of itself behind Most zom bies did that, it wasn't clear why they didn't soon degenerate into nothing Probably their substance was magically regenerated at the same rate it sloughed off, so they were in a steady state
     
    Dor tackled the ugly business "Excuse me, zombie " he said, stepping as close to the thing as he cared to
     
    "Zzure," the zombie agreed
     
    "Why are you and your kind walking around Xanth r
     
    The thing considered It took zombies time to think, because their brains were rotten "Xxeth." it said after a decomposing pause
     
    "Can you elaborate7" Bink asked
     
    "Nnooo " It shambled on, as if searching tor something
     
    Dor shrugged    "I think we need to find a fresher one "
     
    Dolph changed form and they got aboard his teet They flew across Xanth until they spied another likely figure Three figures, in fact, suitable tattered They came down for a landing on the beach on the southern shore of Xanth They walked toward the place where the figures stood
     
    42       Pit-RS ANTHONY
     
    But what they had