Swell Foop Read Online Free PDF Page B

the Foop. I am not sure."
    There was a startled pause. None of them had ever imagined the Simurgh not knowing something.
    "Let me summarize, if I may," Che said. He had a very organized mind.
    The sunflower seemed to smile. "You may."
    "Cynthia needs the Swell Foop to rescue the Demon Earth. She needs the Six Rings of Xanth to find the Foop. If I infer the implications correctly, the Rings are not easy to obtain, and each must have a separate holder. This will necessitate a party of at least six."
    "Correct."
    Sim cut to the essence. "Where are the Rings?"
    "Because they are so powerful as to be dangerous in the wrong hands," the sunflower said, "they are well hidden. No living person knows the location of any of them."
    A silence hovered above the group, then slowly settled on it. But Sim had a faint notion how his mother thought. "You did not exclude nonliving persons, such as the demons."
    "No demon knows, either."
    Sim was chagrined. He thought he had made a smart observation, for he was supposed to be a very bright bird.
    "Maybe a ghost," Cynthia said.
    "No ghost."
    Then a tulip bulb flashed over Che's head. "Zombies!"
    The sunflower nodded. "Only living persons may use the Rings. Only the zombies know where the Rings are hidden. This is a precaution to make it unlikely that their power will be abused."
    Sim nodded. Living folk did not like to associate with zombies, so seldom got close to them or asked favors of them.
    "But what do the Rings do, aside from locating the Swell Foop?" Cynthia asked.
    "They control the six known Regions of Xanth. Any one has absolute power over its Region; the six together would have power over all Xanth rivaling that of the Demon Xanth. It is felt that such power should not be invoked casually."
    "And the massed power of the Rings is required to handle the Foop," Sim squawked. "That must be an extremely potent device."
    "It is no ordinary foop," the Simurgh agreed. "It is an almost perfect one. That makes a difference."
    The other navy bean nodded. "Surely so."
    "Then I think we must go to see the zombies," the chick pea said with imperfect enthusiasm.
    "This is recommended," the sunflower agreed. "And I think this is a suitable mission for Sim to support."
    "Saving a world?" Che asked.
    "It is best for him to begin small."
    A world was small, to the Simurgh, who knew the entire universe. If Sim could not save a world, he would hardly be fit to tackle the universe. Still, this seemed like a formidable enterprise. He firmed his beak; he would make his best effort.
    Then the illusion faded, and they were back on the mountaintop.
    Roxanne spread her wings and lifted into the air. She came to hover just above them, her talons descending. There was no downdraft; she could prevent it from happening when she chose, as part of the enhanced powers of flight she had been granted for her task of caring for Sim. She was a good nanny, and he felt closer to her on a personal basis than to the Simurgh. She had time for him. Which was of course the point: Roxanne did not have to run the universe.
    They got into the enclosure, and the roc flew rapidly away from the beryl mountains of Qaf. In just a few wingbeats she was gliding down toward Castle Zombie. It was a decrepit structure, overgrown by sickly moss, with a moat filled with rotting goo. Sim was not particularly partial to this site, but he kept his beak shut, knowing that this visit was necessary.
    Roxanne set them down on a high slimy ledge, then went to seek a more pleasant resting spot for herself. This was not selfish on her part; it was uncertain that the tottering castle could sustain her weight. She would return the moment Sim squawked. In fact, she would bash down a wall to reach him, if she had to. But she would not have to; the fact was that no one in the Land of Xanth would offer Sim any trouble. That did not make him feel great; it was just the way things were.
    A rickety door squeaked open and a zombie emerged. "Whash?" it asked. A bit