The Color Of Her Panties (26 page)

“But the roc would be too big to get in here,” Gwenny said.  “And there's no damage to show that it ripped any of this open to get at anyone.”

“So there must be some other explanation,” Jenny said, relieved.  “They must have gone elsewhere.  We don't know how old this castle is, after all.  They could have left centuries ago.  It could have gotten boring on this cloud.”

Finally they came to the top floor.  Here, there was a lone passage leading to the center of the castle.  It opened onto a balcony overlooking another awesome sight.

For there below them, in a vast central chamber, sat the huge roc bird.

It was of course roc colored, with a metallic sheen to its feathers.  It was sitting on a monstrous nest fashioned of marbled granite.  In the nest, just barely visible, was the rounded curve of the phenomenal roc's egg.

It sparkled like a gem, iridescently.

“If just that one little sliver of it is that lovely,” Gwenny breathed, “what must the whole thing look like?”

“Mind-bendingly spectacular,” Che said.

They stared down for a while, but the big bird did not move.  “Is it asleep?” Jenny asked.

“Do you know, I think it is a statue,” Che replied.

“See, it is not breathing.  This is a statue, an exhibit:  bird, nest, and egg.  So we should be able to borrow the egg without any trouble after all.”

That was a great relief.  They all found a ramp leading down to the base of the exhibit, just right for them.  They trekked down it.  Jenny watched the roc somewhat nervously, but it was true:  it neither breathed nor moved an eyelid.  It was indeed a statue, so realistic that it would have fooled anyone who did not watch it closely for a time.

They came to the base of the nest.  They walked around it.  One of the roc's enormous tail feathers projected out and down.  Jenny reached up and touched it.  It was longer than she was and as hard as stone.

“Isn't that egg too big to fit through the doors?”

Gwenny asked.

“It certainly is!” Jenny agreed.

Che looked around.  “From here I can see that there is an opening to the sky.  That must be where the roc flew in, before it was petrified.  Or where it could have flown in, to provide the statue verisimilitude.”

“You're getting centaurish again,” Gwenny informed him.  “I can't even imagine that word you just used.”

Che looked abashed.  “I only meant that if they wanted to make the exhibit seem realistic, they had to have a way for the bird to reach the nest.  Just as if it really could fly.”

“Why didn't you say that, then?” she said severely.  But she couldn't maintain her frown, and the smile started leaking through.

“So maybe we can use the wand to float the egg out the top,” Jenny said.

“And down to the ground below. And you can fly after it.”

“It does seem feasible,” he agreed.  “Provided I have some rest stops along the way.”

“So how do we get the egg out from under the roc?” Gwenny asked.

“You can use the wand to loft the roc out of the way. Then I can flick the egg and make it light enough to lift.

When Jenny and I have it clear, you can lower the roc onto the empty nest, and then use the wand to loft the egg Gwenny brought out the wand and faced the bird.  She pointed the wand, moved it-and the roc rose smoothly up.  The complete egg was revealed, and its luster magnified.

It was indeed the most beautiful object Jenny had seen.  She had not realized that a mere egg could be so magnificent.  But of course this was not a true egg, but a giant gem, part of the exhibit.

“Our turn,” Che said.  He stood beside the egg and flicked his tail, touching it lightly, making it light.

The egg flashed.  Light radiated out from its crystalline center, bathing them all.  It did not blind them, but it added an iridescent cast to their hair, skins, and clothing.  They were abruptly marked folk.

“Uh-oh,” Gwenny said.

The roc squawked.  It spread its wings and extended its legs.  It stood on the nest, glaring down at them.

Huge panels slid across the skylight, sealing it closed.

There was the sound of doors slamming throughout the castle.  There was also the crash of the portcullis slamming down across the front entrance, and the squeak of the hinges of the lifting drawbridge.

They had just been locked into the Nameless Castle with an angry monster predator bird.  Suddenly Jenny knew what had happened to all the other folk of this castle.  They had come from their safe chambers into the roc's domain and tried to steal the egg.  Touching the egg was what made the roc come to angry life.  That was the terrible trap of the Nameless Castle.  No wonder little news of it got out!

Bratty Gobble Goblin must have known or suspected that it would be this way.  So that Gwenny would not only be unable to fetch the egg, she would be dead.  And they had fallen for the dastardly plot.

They were in a dusky cave.  Okra and Ida stood on rock, but Mela stood at the brink of water.  Before she could catch her balance, she fell in with an ungailily splash.

“Oh!“ she spluttered, her hair turning sickly green.

“Fresh water!  Ugh!”

Okra immediately reached in and hauled her out by an arm.  Naturally Mela had not changed to her tail, because of the awful water.  Now she was soaked through.

“This is a weird place,” Ida said.  “What's that?”

Mela Merwoman looked around.  They were standing beside a collection of bones and skulls.  Mean-looking little bats hovered near, watching them suspiciously.  Above, on a broad ledge; was what appeared to be a huge dragon's nest filled with gems-and the dragon was there!  It rose up, jaws gaping, peering down at them.

Then its eyes fixed on Mela's soaking bosom.  It froze.

Mela glanced down.  It surely wasn't her sex appeal that mesmerized the monster.  There on her bosom were the two firewater opals, gleaming brilliantly.  So that was it!

Naturally the dragon wanted those precious gems for its collection.

“Hold, friend,” a voice said.  “I recognize one of those damsels.  She's my sister's friend.”

Mela looked, and saw that beyond the dragon was a large serpent with the head of a man.  One of the naga folk.  “You must be Naldo Naga, Nada's brother!” she said, relieved.

He looked at her.  “That I am.  But who are you, and what are you doing here in Draco's lair?”

“Draco?” Mela said, appalled.  “Draco Dragon?”

“To be sure,” Naldo said.  “You expected some other dragon?“

“He killed my husband!” Mela cried.  “And stole our firewater opal!“

The dragon looked abashed.  Naldo looked at him, evidently understanding him, then spoke again.  “But he returned it, and its mate, so that you now have a matchless set.  It was his way of apologizing for the incident.  He recognized the set instantly, but has not before met you.”

Mela's feelings were mixed.  “It is true that Draco returned double, but I would never have been in difficulty if that same dragon hadn't rudely toasted my husband.  I would not at this moment be in search of a new husband, having to go on land and wear these tiresome legs.” She lifted her plastered skirt to show her legs, being careful not to raise it quite far enough to show her wet panty.

There was no need to be an even worse sight than she already was.

“You came to a dragon's lair looking for a husband?” Naldo inquired with a droll lift of a brow.

“No.  Not exactly.  The three of us had Questions for the Good Magician, and he wouldn't answer, and he sent us to see your sister, Nada, instead, and she sent us to you.

A demon conjured us here.  I assure you, Draco Dragon was the last creature I ever wanted to see, and being dunked in his foul freshwater puddle was the last thing I wanted to do.”

“My sister sent you to me?  Then I must try to be a better host.“

Naldo's head turned to the dragon.  “Draco, do you have any human-style clothing in your collection, Maybe left over from a meal?  In her size?”

The dragon squinted, studying Mela's soaked torso.  He disappeared, then reappeared with several items dangling from his toothy mouth.  Naldo took them.  “Yes, here is some underclothing.  Not ideal, but it will do until your regular clothing can be cleaned and dried.  Here, I will toss it down, and you can retreat to a private crevice to change.  Then we can talk, for it may be that we do have a dialogue coming.”

Okra extended a hand and caught the items as he dropped them.  She brought them to Mela.  They were a furry green brassiere, a silky white slip, and a pair of light slippers.

Mela took them to a private spot, got out of her clothing, dried, delved in her purse for a spare plaid panty, and donned the new clothing.  The bra was odd but sufficient, even for her structure.  The slip was so slick it seemed to want to slide right off her body, but it stayed once she was all the way in it.  The slippers were similarly slippery.

“Just what kind of articles are these?” she called.

Naldo consulted with the dragon.  “An algae bra,  Freudian slip, and Freudian slippers.  Draco says they came from an unusual but sexy woman with erotic taste.”

Mela had never heard of such clothing.  But it was the best that offered at the moment, so she didn't complain.

It would do for the nonce.  Certainly it was better than having the dragon discover what her taste was.

Then the dragon let down his tail, and one by one they got on it and were hauled up to the nest.  It was beautiful; it scintillated with all manner of known and unknown gemstones.  Mela had to admit that the dragon had taste.

“I see that you like Draco's display,” Naldo said.

“It's the loveliest thing I've seen in my life, next to the deep sea itself,” she breathed.

The dragon snorted.  “Draco says that you are the loveliest thing he has seen, next to the boiling lava of a fresh volcano.

“Oh, really?” Mela said, flattered.  “Oh, he means as a morsel for eating.”

“That, too,” the naga agreed.  He looped his serpentine body into a pyramidal coil, with his head at the apex.  “As I explained, it was a misunderstanding that caused Draco to toast your husband, and he much prefers not to quarrel with you.  We were playing dominoes and discussing our mutual problem with goblin encroachment of our demesnes, never expecting company.  Draco has had interesting news from other winged monsters, and suddenly I think I see a larger purpose in this encounter.”

“A larger purpose?” Mela echoed.

“Because the Good Magician never does anything purposelessly.  He surely had good reason to send you to my sister, and she had similar reason to forward you to me.

Let's have formal introductions, and then perhaps I can clarify things somewhat.  I am Naldo Naga, and this is Draco Dragon.”

“I am Mela Merwoman, and this is Okra Ogress, and this is Ida Human.

Okra wishes to become a major character, so needs to get rid of Jenny Elf.  Ida needs to achieve her destiny.”

The various named parties nodded at each other.  But when Mela turned in the course of introducing the others, Ida's eyes looked troubled.

“Naldo's staring at your backside,” Ida whispered to Mela.

Mela put a hand back, and discovered that her slip had somehow slipped aside, and was revealing some of the color of her panty.  Naldo had seen!  She felt herself turning a rosy-checked apple red crosslined with other colors as she hastily pulled the slip back across her bottom.  This could never have happened if she had been in her normal tail.

But the slip started to slip aside again, so she sat down on the raised edge of the nest.  Unfortunately the slip rode up across her knees, and the slippers managed to make her feet slip apart, giving Naldo too much of a glimpse up her legs.  What perverse items of clothing these were!

She had to concentrate on keeping them from embarrassing her further, leaving the dialogue to the others.  There had been a time when she had not been concerned with appearance, but that had been before she learned that males were not supposed to see panties.  She was now doing her best to abide by the customs of landbound folk.  So she firmly crossed her legs and hoped for the best.

“What is this interesting news Draco Dragon has?” Okra asked.

“And why do you think Nada sent us on to you?” Ida added.

“I will answer you both,” Naldo said, removing his eyes from what Mela hoped he hadn't quite seen.  “But first let me learn just a little more about you.  Okra, why should getting rid of a harmless elf facilitate your situation?  “

“Because there was an opening for one major character, and the choice was between an ogress and an elf, and the elf got it.  Since Jenny was the elf, if I can get rid of her, then there will be only one candidate, me.”

“You don't actually wish her any harm?”

“No.  I just want her out of Xanth, one way or another.”

“So if there were some other way for you to gain the status you desire, you would be content to let Jenny Elf be?”

“Well, I suppose.  But since there was only one character to be chosen, I think it has to be her or me.”

Naldo nodded.  “And, Ida, how do you propose to achieve your destiny?”

“Well, I was going to ask the Good Magician, but he didn't answer.  So I thought I’d ask Nada Naga, but she sent us on to you.  So maybe you know how.  I'm sure I don't.”

“You are sure you don't, but that I do?”

“Well, yes, really,” Ida said.  “Because we have been sent to you.  So you must know the Answer, or know how to get it.  Professor Grossclout seemed to know the Answers, but he's just like the Good Magician Humfrey:  neither one will second-guess the other.  They say our Answers would be counterproductive, whatever that means.

So you're our last hope.  You must be able to help us.”

Naldo's human head nodded on his serpent neck.  “I believe you are correct.  Very well, now I will answer.  The news is this:  Che Centaur is in trouble.  The winged monsters have been keeping an eye on him, but aren't supposed to interfere.  But they fear that if something is not done soon, Che will not survive his difficulty.  Neither will his companions, Gwendolyn Goblin and Jenny Elf.”

“Jenny Elf!” Okra exclaimed.  “I don't want her to survive!“

“And why should we care about Che or the goblin girl?” Ida asked.

Naldo smiled a trifle grimly.  His face was rather handsome, and so were his coils, in a different way, Mela thought.  “I asked myself a similar question, when I learned that a goblin was a member of the party to be saved; the naga folk do not get along well with the goblin folk.  But this particular goblin has a chance to become the first female chief of goblins, and that would transform their nature and make them halfway decent neighbors.  And because Che Centaur us very important to the Simurgh, and she will be most annoyed if he is harmed.  We don't want to experience her annoyance.  She might let the universe expire, so that another can start instantly in its place, one without the annoyance.”

Mela thought about that, and realized that they did have a certain peripheral interest in the matter, since they were part of the universe.

“But we have concerns of our own,” she said.  “Why would Nada send us here, when we can't do anything about your other concern?”

“Ah, but perhaps you can,” he said.  “But rather than attempt to persuade you by logic, which is an imperfect mechanism, let me be more direct.  I believe I can solve all your problems, or at least arrange for the satisfaction of all three of your quests, if you will do something to help me handle my concern.”

“You can satisfy our quests?” Ida asked excitedly.

“Yes.  But I shall not do so unless you do something for me.  I want you to help save Che Centaur.  I suspect that this is what the Good Magician had in mind when he sent you to me via Nada.”

“But why not send us directly to you?” Ida asked.

“Perhaps because Mela would not have come, had she known I was with Draco.” He glanced at Okra.  “And you would not have come had you realized that I would require you to help save Jenny Elf.”

“Save her!” Okra exclaimed.  “I don't want to do that!”

“But you do want to be a major character,” he reminded her.  “Just as Ida wants to achieve her destiny, and Mela wants a husband.  I do happen to be in a position to enable the three of you to fulfill these quests.

But I do also have my price, which I think is not as great as the one the Good Magician exacts.  The three of you must do what you can to save the three others from their predicament, regardless of your personal wishes.  Only if you do that will I oblige your own wishes.”

Mela exchanged a good three and a half glances with Okra and Ida.  She did not like this, but if he really could deliver, it might be worth it.

She saw that the other two felt much the same.  “Then we'll do it,” she said.

“Though we consider this to be unfair.”

Naldo shrugged, which was impressive with his serpent body.  “The price does not seem excessive considering that you are in no position to bargain.”

They could not argue with that.  “So what is it we have to do?” Mela asked.

“You have to go to the Simurgh and tell her that Roxanne is about to eat Che.”

“The Simurgh!” Mela exclaimed, horrified.  “No one dares go there!”

“Correction:  no flying monster dares fly there,” Naldo said.  “And other creatures had best practice extreme caution, because of the Maenads and Python.  But I think three damsels in evident distress might manage to get through.

So that is your task:  to go to Mount Parnassus and tell the Simurgh.  Then return here and I will make good on my promise.”

Mela knew that the naga folk always kept their promises.  But she had another objection.  “We are north of the Gap Chasm, and Mount Parnassus is south of it.  It will take us a long time to get there, and if the problem is urgent we may be too late.”

Naldo glanced at Draco, who slithered out of the nest, spread his wings, and flew down to the water.  He dived in.

“I’ll will show you out of this den,” Naldo said.  “By the time we emerge, Draco will have some winged monsters ready to transport you.”

“Just so long as we don't have to go through that awful fresh water,” Mela said.

“Unfortunately you do.  But I trust all three of you can swim.

Mela exchanged a few more glances with her companions.  “Yes.  But we don't want to get our clothing wet.”

“Then take it off, by all means!  I certainly don't object!“

“But if we do, you will see our-our unmentionables,” Mela said, not wanting to say the P word to a male.

“I will transform to my complete serpent form,” he said.  “The proscription does not apply to animals, of course, as they have no appreciation of the significance of such apparel.”

Mela wasn't quite certain of the logic, but couldn't refute it.  So Naldo assumed his fully serpent form, and the three of them removed their clothing and then their panties, and stood in their altogether like three nymphs.  They sealed their things in their purses, then looked at the snake.

The snake slithered to one side of the nest, and nudged something with his snout.  It was a rope ladder.  Mela went and tossed it over the side, and saw that it reached to the floor of the cave, and was firmly anchored above.  That must have been how other visitors came up, when the dragon had company.  She had never thought of dragons as sociable creatures, but it seemed that it was possible.  After all, Draco had been playing a game of fire, water, sand with Merwin Merman when they had the altercation that led to the loss of the firewater opal.  It seemed that though every mercreature knew that water doused fire, sand displaced water, and fire melted sand, the dragon had somehow thought that it was backwards, with fire evaporating water, water covering sand, and sand smothering fire.  So each thought he had won, and that the other was cheating, and they had fought.  What mischief had come of the confusions and aggressions of males!  Still, males did make life more interesting.  Perhaps not as interesting as females made life for males, but then the realms of life and love never had been quite fair.