Lord Briffault grimaced as another portion of the army was swallowed by the ground. The genie floating above them was looking on with a sorrowful face. Perhaps it really was trying to help him with easy questions, but due to his lack of knowledge, he failed his n. Please, Lord Briffault said towards the small creature, give us a proper riddle where we have to think about the answer, not a riddle that tests our knowledge.
rvin tilted his head. Are you sure about that? I can do that if you really want to.
Yes, Lord Briffault said. With millions of soldiers, itd be impossible for none of them to figure out a riddle. But questions pertaining to knowledge, what if the genie asked sothing beyond mortal understanding? How is a waterlon a vegetable? Its sweet and juicy! It has seeds! Only an expert in the field of waterlons wouldve been able to answer that question correctly, and none of his n were experts in raising waterlons. Sothing that we can figure out if we put in enough ti thinking about it.
If thats the case, rvin said and rubbed his chin. Okay, I thought up an easy one for you.
Lord Briffault nodded. Thank you.
rvin cleared his throat. Listen up because Im only going to say this riddle once: When you pay attention to , I appear quite slow. When your focus turns away, I may fly over your head. You can find in the sands. You can find in the sun and shadows. I dont have hands, but with hands is how people normally catch . What am I?
Now this is a proper riddle, Lord Briffault said and smiled. Lets work together to figure it out, n. When you think up an answer, tell your squad leader. All the squad leaders will take the most common answer, or any answer that you think may be the right one, and tell . Then Ill report it to the genie.
Take your ti, rvin said and sat down in the air with his legs crossed. Theres no rush.
After thirty minutes of clamoring and writing down answers in the ground, Lord Briffault stared at the words before his feet. There was no doubt about it. Genie king, I have the answer.
rvin yawned and stood up. He cracked his neck by twisted his head and nodded. About ti, he said. Its really so simple. You didnt have to spend so long on it, you know?
About ti indeed, Lord Briffault said and smiled. The answer, is ti!
Hooray! rvin shouted and threw his hands into the air. You did the impossible! You actually got the easiest riddle I had incorrect!
Lord Briffaults eyes bulged, nearly falling out of his head. I-incorrect!? What do you an incorrect!? When you pay attention to the ti, it moves slower! When you dont pay attention, it flies by. You can count the ti as it passes with an hourglass. A sundial uses the sun and shadows to tell the ti. But you and I can both agree that the most common way to tell ti is with a clock! Ti may not have hands, but a clock has a second hand and a minute hand. If ti isnt the answer, then what is it!?
rvin crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. A duck.
A, a duck, Lord Briffault said and lowered his head. A duck. I see. Its a duck. Truly, Ive never once thought a duck was fast. And
Sir, Ralph said, interrupting the commander of the archers train of thought. I think the genie is ssing with us. Soldiers scread as they were skewered by earthen spears and dragged into the ground. If we answered with a duck, the genie wouldve said the answer was ti. There are no ways to win. You have to rember, genies are excellent at twisting ones words to ruin a wish.
Lord Briffault raised his head and glared at rvin. Is this true?
Uh, no? rvin asked. Really, what do you expect to say in this situation? Youre asking if Im fooling a group of millions of people when millions of you can shoot down with arrows or magic. Of course Ill say no. But I promise you that I always have an answer in mind before I compose the riddle. Speaking of which, would you like to hear the next one?
Lord Briffault looked around. A quarter of the army had disappeared without a fight. Everyone, on your feet! Is there an archer or magician here who hasnt had any children?
At least a thousand people raised their hands.
Lord Briffault nodded. Shoot that genie down! No curse of misfortune can befall your lineage if you dont have any. I shouldve ordered this from the start.
Oh boy, rvin said and swallowed his saliva. People who cant solve simple riddles about ducks always resort to violence. He cleared his throat and waved at the army. Since thats how it is, goodbye! As he flew away, his voice trailed behind him, You couldve avoided a disaster if you just solved a riddle, but no, you had to get violent.
Lord Briffault nodded and looked around again. Why did we even stop in the first place? There was nothing keeping us here!
Sir.
What is it, soldier? Lord Briffault asked Ralph. You did good work once again.
Your hands are black, sir, Ralph said and pointed.
Lord Briffault looked down. So they are, he said and furrowed his brow. Why? As a blood person, he shouldve been completely red. And it seed like the darkness was spreading, crawling up his wrists. Is this the curse of the genie?
Maybe its the punishnt for failing to solve the genies riddle, Ralph said and scratched his head. I was sure he was just tricking us.
Lord Briffault groaned as his hands moved, grabbing his bow and arrow. My arms, theyre moving on their own, he said, beads of red sweat falling off of his face. His hands nocked an arrow and pointed it at the army. Move out of the way! Soone stop !
Ralph tackled Lord Briffault, bringing the commander to the ground. Oh, thats not good, Ralph said and swallowed. His hand had touched the commanders arm, and now his pinky was turning a noticeably darker shade of red. Maybe we shouldnt have threatened the genie.
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