Read Golem in the Gears for Free Online Page B

corresponding period of weakness to make up for the temporary power.
    He flopped on the bed and slept.
    Bink's optimism seemed valid, for they rested undis- turbed until nightfall. Then they roused, ate some quats that Chester had saved from breakfast, and resumed their
    travel.
    As they wended along the path, which still bore deter-
    minedly east, they found themselves entering a more equine region. There were horseflies sleeping on the trunks of horse chestnuts, and night mares seemed to prowl.
    They came to a fork in the path. They paused, uncer- tain which one to take, as neither went north. While they hesitated, two actual horses showed up. Horses were very rare in Xanth, being mainly mundane in their original form, but of course if Bulls and Bears could stray here,
    so could horses.
    "Say, you horses," Grundy called. "We want to get
    back to the magic path going north. Which trail should
    we take?"
    The horses paused, one in each fork. "Gee!" neighed
    the one at the right. "Haw!" neighed the one on the left. Then they galloped on down their respective paths.
    "They're just horsing around," Bink said philosophi- cally. "I suppose we'd better gamble on the more north- erly path."
    That was a decision Grundy himself should have made,
    the golem thought, troubled. But who paid attention to
    him, even on his own Quest? They took the more north- erly trail.
    In due course they came upon a woman and a small
    equine creature. The woman had a little notebook, in which she was busily making notes by the light of the moon. She looked up, startled, as they approached. "And who are you?" she inquired, her pencil poised.
    "I am Grundy Golem, on a Quest," Grundy said impor- tantly from just outside the beam of moonlight. "These are Chester Centaur, Bink, and Snortimer. Who are you?"
    "Snortimer?" she asked. "I don't see that one."
    "He's the Monster Under the Bed. Most adults can't see him. It's your turn to answer, toots."
    "How interesting," she said. "The Monster Under the Bed. I thought those were just fantasies."
    "Look, cutie-pie," Grundy said sneeringly. "Are you going to answer a simple question, or have you forgotten
    your name?"
    "Oh, yes," she said, finishing her note. "I'm EmJay,
    and this is my Ass."
    "I can see where—oh, you mean that animal?" "He's no common animal!" she said indignantly. "He's
    MiKe, my right-hand Ass, and he helps me a lot." Grundy studied the shaggy beast. "Helps you with
    what?"
    "Helps me make my notes. I couldn't get the job done
    without him."
    "What are you making notes about?"
    "About everything in Xanth, for my Lexicon."
    "What good is that?"
    "Well, I hope it will be useful for those who want to
    know about anything in a hurry." "Like who?"
    That seemed to stump her. "Well, somebody must be
    interested in Xanth!"
    "The only one I can think of is Good Magician Hum-
    frey, and he already knows everything he wants to." "Maybe the Mundanes—" she said uncertainly.
    "Mundanes! What do they know?" "Very little," she said. "That's why they need a Lex- icon."
    "Female logic," Grundy said disparagingly. "Now get
    out of our way so we can get where we're going."
    EmJay looked a little annoyed for some reason, but she rallied. "You said you were going on a Quest. What
    Quest?"
    "What business is it of yours?" "I want to list it in the Lexicon, of course." Grundy considered. Probably there was no harm in telling her; "I'm going to the Ivory Tower to rescue Stan- ley Steamer."
    "Oh, the little dragon!" she exclaimed, checking the
    entry in her notes. "May I come along?"
    "Listen, sister," Grundy said angrily. "This is my Quest, not yours! I don't need any strange woman and her Ass
    messing it up!"
    "You are a diplomatic one, aren't you!" she exclaimed.
    "What makes you think I would mess up your precious
    Quest?"
    "You're a woman!" Grundy reminded her. "Of course
    you'd mess it up!"
    She looked as if she wanted to argue, but thought the
    better of it. "Well, suppose we tag along a little way, and if we