Zombie Lover (34 page)

more adult.

"We shall see." Voracia's outfit turned momentarily translucent. Breanna1 s doubt about her innocence increased to sixty percent. However, it wasn't convenient to challenge it right now. "But first, as I said, we should get you settled, Breanna."

"Translation she wants you out of her hair, so she can be free to vamp the kings without interference."

"For sure." Aloud, she said: "Thank you." Voracia wasn't the only woman who could mask her private agenda.

"Let's see that string again," the stone said. "I want to develop a

String Theory."

"You will have the house left by the last woman who trapped, 1 mean succeeded in finding her prince. It is a good residence. Right this way." She turned and walked away from the pond.

Most of the other women had faded back. But two remained. "Ahem," one said assertively.

"Oh, how nice to see you, Claire," Voracia said with artificial sparkle. Her clothing turned smoky for an instant. "Translation Get lost, Claire This hunt is mine " Breanna giggled, then quickly stifled it. "You're a good judge of women, Justin. That's exactly the way it is."

"Since there are three prospects," Claire said firmly, "three of us may see to their welfare. Since I am number two on the list, I qual-

ify."

"Do you ever!" the stone agreed.

"And I am number three," the other woman said. "So I also qualify."

"Yes. of course," Voracia said. "Thank you so much for remind-

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ing me." Her outfit flashed metallic with spikes. She turned back to the kings. "Normally we see only one male visitor at a time, so it has been a while since the protocol has been invoked. Three of you are entitled to three guides. This declarative female is the Demoness Claire."

"So very pleased to meet you," D. Claire declared. "Especially if any of you have an inclination to be blissfully freaked out for days at a time. I can be extremely accommodating when I wish to be. and I would wish to be for a prince." Her body seemed to expand here and here, and contract there, becoming suggestive of an hourglass.

"We really have no wish to be—" King Dor started. But Claire's whole form, body and clothing, turned smoky, and the smoke coalesced to form a tightening body stocking around a body no mortal woman could match. King Dor's eyes and jaw began to glaze.

"Stop that!" Breanna said, stepping between them. "This isn't the time." Not that there would ever be a time.

"My apology," Claire breathed. She was very good at breathing. Her garment thickened just enough to enable the men to resume their own breathing.

"I love the view from here," the stone said. It was on the ground near Claire's feet.

"These women are dangerous," Justin observed. "They have no intention of letting three kings escape "

"And this is Nefra Naga," Voracia said, indicating the other woman.

"Really dangerous Prince Dolph almost married a naga princess "

"Hello," Nefra said. She had very dark brown hair framing a small heart-shaped face with large aqua eyes. She wore an aqua dress trimmed with dark brown, so as to accentuate her features. "I was at your wedding, Prince Dolph."

Prince Dolph looked startled. "You were?"

"I thought you were going to marry my cousin Nada Naga, who didn't love you. but instead you married Electra, which I think was a good decision."

"You were there," he said, still surprised. "I didn't know she had a cousin."

"I was young. Nada's Aunt Nera fell in love with a human type guy named Nathan, and I'm their daughter Nefra. Because I am part

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human, I have a magic talent, along with the normal naga abilities. I have the talent of switching.1'

"Switching? You mean with a switch?"

She laughed. "How clever! No, I can switch any two things, including talents." She looked around. "Like this." She gestured, and suddenly the rock switched places with a small nearby tree. "Hey!" the rock cried out. "I can't see the sights from here." "You have already seen more than enough of Voracia and Claire's legs," Nefra said. "You don't need to see mine."

"I didn't want to see your legs. 1 wanted to see your tail." "If I assumed snake form now, I wouldn't be able to return to human form without showing way more flesh than I ought," "Yeah," the stone agreed.

Nefra returned to Prince Dolph. "So you see, I have no designs on you or your father or grandfather. But if I am not your guide, I will be replaced by someone who does have such designs. So I thought it best to keep my place."

"Nefra is all right," Justin concluded. "I guess so," Breanna agreed with less conviction. "I think you're here under false pretenses," Claire muttered darkly. "I was almost related to Prince Dolph by marriage," Nefra said. "I'm not going to betray a family connection."

"Exactly."

"Now if we can resume travel," Voracia said with a slight edge.

"The house is this way." She walked along a path.

Soon they came to a pleasant little log cabin in a glade. "Oh, that

looks sweet," Breanna said, falling instantly in love with it.

"Go on in," Voracia said, "See how you like it. In due course

someone will come to explain the intricacies of our listing system to

you. so that you can get in line for a prince to marry."

"But I'm only fifteen," Breanna said. "I don't want to — " "Maybe best not to tell them that, " Justin warned. "Lest they evict

you from the island "

Good point. "Don't want to be pushy," she concluded. She opened

the door and entered the house.

It was small but beautiful inside. There was a table with two chairs, a pretty rug on the floor, a nice little kitchen alcove, a bathroom alcove with a basin and potty, and a bedroom with a queen-sized bed. "Whv so bis. for one person1'" she asked Justin.

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"One established way for a woman to prevail on a man to marry her is to share her bed with him Therefore it needs to be large enough for two "

"Oh," she said, blushing. "I knew that."

Stairs led up to a storage attic where there was a chest with extra blankets. There was a window opening onto the back, with the island shore in sight.

All in all, it was very nice. She would like it here. But first she needed to figure out how to prevent Xeth Zombie from coming to share that bed with her. The zombies had traced her to this area, and surely Xeth was on the way now. The boat would bring him here, because he was royal. So she might not have much time. Maybe just one day, until the isle interfaced again with Xanth.

But the three kings had agreed to help her solve this problem. Maybe they could share the house with her, until the crisis passed. She would go out and invite them in. She would be glad to give them the bedroom, and she could take the attic.

She opened the door and stepped out. And looked around, dismayed. The three kings were gone. Everyone was gone.

"But they wouldn't just have deserted me like that, would they?"

"Of course not," Justin said. "But I think I can fathom what happened The women of the Isle preferred to be free of you, because you interfered with their designs So when you were out of sight, one of them showed her panties, freaked out the men, and carted them off to another section "

"But what of Nefra Naga? She had no designs on them."

"So she said She might have simply been trying to reassure you and the kings, the better to close the trap Such subterfuge is not beyond the capacity of the gender "

"Translation: women can be bitches," she said bitterly.

"Perhaps I am being unduly suspicious "

"No, I don't think so. I just got myself suckered." She looked around. "But they can't have gone far. I'll get out there and find them."

Then she glimpsed something walking through the forest. A shiver of sheer horror ran through her. "Justin! Is that what I'm afraid it is?"

He looked through her eyes. "I very much fear it is. A zombie."

"He's here already!" she yelped. "They must have sent the duck

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boat back for him immediately." She dived back into the house and slammed the door. There was a set of braces and a bar on the inside. She slammed the bar into place, locking the door.

Then she ran for the back door, and barred it too. But by that time she heard something at a window. She ran up and slammed shut its inside storm shutter, and barred it. Then she hurried to do the same

for the other windows.

Breathless, she surveyed the situation. The house seemed to be secure for the moment. But she was trapped inside it. "How am I ever going to get out of here?" she asked. "To get something to eat? To dump the potty? I don't want to be a prisoner here forever!"

"/ am not sure Perhaps the kings will realize your predicament and

come to your rescue "

"If the greedy women don't keep them perpetually freaked out until they forget they're already married. That Voracia has the potential, and that Demoness Claire's no slouch either. And if Nefra Naga's in on it too, they could be lost."

"/ do fear the possibility
 
It may be that they will need your aid

more than you need theirs "

"Oh, damn, Justin, this is awful! This island was supposed to be

the answer, not the problem."

"Agreed This is more of an adventure than I anticipated "

Then she heard something at the door. It was a faint bumping or

scratching. It was the zombie, trying to get in.

She went to the door. "Go away! Go away! I'm not going to marry

you!"

The reply came faintly: "Listen. We must talk."

"We've already talked! I won't marry you! Go away!"

There was a pause. "I'm not the king."

"So you're one of his minions. I'm not going with you. Go away!"

Another pause. "1 am Zyzzyva."

"That's the one Voracia mentioned The zombie female who lives

on the Isle "

"I don't care who you are!" she yelled at the door. "Go away!"

"You are becoming hysterical"

"I have a right to be hysterical!" Breanna screamed. "The zombies

are going to get me!"

"There may be another interpretation "

"I don't want an interpretation! I want no zombies!"

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"Breanna, think for a moment All the women on this island want to marry princes Who would Zyzzyva want to marry?"