Page 72 - The Grotesque Children's Book

But, thought Citia, is there more to it than that? Is he touching the
banners with his hoof a specific number of times? She watched and counted. 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Touch the object. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Touch the
object. Yet he wasn't touching the same banner nine times. He was touching,
he was touching the same three banners. A red one, a blue one and a green
one. Actually, Citia saw now that she was watching very very closely, he was
touching in the same order: blue-red-green, blue-red-green, blue-red-green.
Three sets of three, for a total of nine.

Cilia shimmied down her nearest sibling (fourth eldest, the one who
ironically had come the closest to guessing the truth in thinking there was
some sort of magic spell involved) ran to the palace front door and knocked its
mighty gold knockers with a mighty knock. She noted the knockers were low
to the ground, better suited to someone who used hooves to knock at doors.

A few moments later, Diavolo d'Oro opened the door, surprised to see any
visitors. “If you're collecting for the Fund to Help the Impoverished, little girl,
I'm afraid I'm not quite the benefactor you're seeking.”

“Oh, but you are, Signore d'Oro! Those are my brothers and sisters you
have strapped to your rooftop, and I want the chance to set them free.”

“Ah yes,” said the demon, “you must be the ninth daughter.”

“Seventh daughter. I have two brothers. But yes.”

“Most touching! Not to mention mathematically correcting. What you
don't seem to take into your accounting, however, is that you now have no
brothers or sisters, and I have eight pillars, which is all I need. Where would I
put you, a ninth pillar, when you failed?”

“I don't intend to fail.”

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