Harpy Thyme Read Online Free PDF

hundred and sixty, the same as his half wife MareAnn.”
    “She's physically a hundred, too?”
    Wira laughed. “Oh, no, she prefers to be somewhat younger. She says that now that she's lost her innocence, she might as well be of an age to get some fun from life. It seems that old women aren't as appealing as old men, and of course they can't afford to get worn or dirty. She won't say how old she is now.”
    “Life certainly seems complicated here,” Gloha said, not sure she would be able to keep all these ages straight, even if some weren't known.
    “Oh, no; life is pleasantly simple here,” Wira demurred. “It's only the background that is complicated. Just forget it and you'll have no trouble.”
    That seemed like good advice.
    They reached a small chamber buried somewhere in the deep interior of the castle. It was filled to overflowing with books, scrolls, and stoppered little bottles. In the midst of it was an ancient gnomelike little man hardly larger than Gloha herself.
    “Good Magician, here is Gloha,” Wira said. “To ask her Question.”
    The gnome pulled his gaze from his tome with such difficulty that Gloha almost thought she heard a tearing sound. “Go see my second son,” he said grumpily. His gaze plopped back to the tome.
    “But I haven't even asked my Question!” Gloha protested.
    Wira nudged her. “It's better not to try to argue with him. He doesn't pay attention.”
    “But I came all this way, and went through all those challenges, and I want to get what I came for.”
    “Please, don't annoy him.” Wira guided her away with such concern that Gloha had to go with her. “He's already grumpy enough.”
    But when they were safely away from the Magician, Gloha voiced her protest more firmly. “I don't think it's fair to make me go through all the challenges to get here and not even let me ask my Question. What's the matter with him?”
    “The Good Magician always has good reason for whatever he does. We just don't always understand it. When Mela Merwoman, Okra Ogress, and Ida Human came two years ago with their Questions, he listened to them and refused to answer them. Mela was so annoyed she threatened to show him her panty and freak him out. But later they learned that their Answers would have been a lot less satisfying if he had given them then, because there were other things they had to do first.”
    “I don't understand.”
    “Well, for example, Mela wanted to know how to find a good husband. He told her to ask Nada Naga. That didn't make any sense to her, but when she asked Nada, Nada sent her to her brother Naldo, who was then Xanth's most eligible bachelor prince, and he married Mela. Because he saw her freak-out panties, which he wouldn't have seen if there hadn't been complications on the way.”
    “So she might have lost him, if the Good Magician had told her to go after him,” Gloha said. “I see the point. And maybe my case is similar, because I'm looking for a good husband too. But my problem is worse, because I fear there is no male harpy-goblin crossbreed for me. Certainly the Magician's second son isn't one!” She paused, suffering another unpleasant thought. “In fact, he only has one son, doesn't he? Hugo, whom you married?”
    Wira was surprised. “Oh! I hadn't thought of that. I'm sure he hasn't had any more children since Hugo. One of the wives would have mentioned it.” Then she brightened. “But he does have five and a half wives, and maybe some of them had children before he went to Hell. So Hugo may not be the first son.”
    “Suppose he's the second?”
    “Then you can ask him. I can quickly find him for you.”
    “You can?”
    “Like this.” Wira paused, then whispered, “Hugo, dear.”
    There was a scrambling on the stairway. A disheveled young human man appeared. “You called, dear?”
    “Isn't love wonderful?” Wira asked Gloha. “I'm so glad I met him.” Then, to Hugo: “Father told Gloha to see his second son. Is that you?”
    “I