Swell Foop by Piers Anthony

folk can be prejudiced in various ways, and I was prejudiced against zombies. Until I heard myself talking about them exactly the way I'd heard others in Mundania talk about blacks." She looked down at her brown arm. "That they're all right in their place, but I wouldn't want to marry one."
    "Yes."
    "Of course I still wouldn't marry a zombie, or any other kind of creature. Justin Tree is the only one I want to marry, and I made him change to young human man form for that. But meanwhile you did marry Zyzzyva, so you are happy."
    "Yes."
    "Any luck summoning the stork?" This query might be considered out of order among fully living folk, but zombies didn't mind direct questions; in fact, they preferred them, as being less confusing.
    "Storks are slow to answer zombies."
    "Well, keep trying, and you'll get there. I understand that the Demoness Metria summoned the stork more than seven hundred and fifty times before getting its attention."
    "Yes."
    A swirl of smoke formed. "Did I hear my cognomen?"
    "Your what?"
    "Appellation, designation, patronymic, personage, identification—"
    "Name?"
    "Whatever," the cloud agreed crossly.
    "It was just an incidental reference. We were talking about storks."
    "Bothersome birds." The cloud formed the semblance of a stork as it faded.
    Breanna was relieved. The demoness was usually more mischief than she was worth.
    They passed a boy looking at a stone. "Oh, are you a rock collector?" Breanna asked.
    "No, I'm using my talent," the boy said. "I can see the future of any object. The trouble is, most objects never have more future than they have past. So I keep checking, hoping to find a really interesting one." He dropped the stone.
    "That may be the case with things out in the wilderness," Breanna said. "But maybe the objects in castles would be more interesting, because so much more happens there."
    "Gee, yes," the boy agreed. "I'll go find a castle. Maybe I'll find an object that will be used to kill somebody. Thanks."
    "Welcome," Breanna said with a quirk of a smile as he departed. The boy had a good talent, when he learned to use it well.
    They came upon an older woman of about Breanna's height but heavier, who looked confused. Breanna was impatient to get her business done, but didn't like to pass someone by who might need help. "Hello. Are you all right?"
    "I don't know. I thought I was ill, then suddenly I was standing in this forest. I walked, but have not found my way out of it. In fact, I tried to follow this dog, but he seems to be lost too."
    Now Breanna saw the dog. He was of a rusty color. "True, Rusty?" she inquired.
    He wagged his tail.
    Breanna got a glimmer. This was not far from the realm of madness, where some who had died appeared. "Are you from Mundania?"
    "Mundania?"
    "The real world. Sometimes people come here from there. Animals too."
    "Yes. I am Vanna Jane Morrow Shelton. I live at—"
    "I am sorry to tell you that you can't go back, Vanna. This is—this is a weird place. But you can find new friends here. If you will just follow this path behind us, you will come to Castle Zombie. It looks awful, but it's not. Ask to talk to Millie the Ghost."
    "A ghost!"
    "It's just a name. She's a nice person. She will help you to get comfortably settled. I know you will like it here."
    "I don't want to impose—"
    "Don't worry about it. I'd show you the way myself, but I'm on an urgent mission."
    "Of course." The woman set off down the trail, looking more confident now that she had somewhere to go.
    The dog hesitated. "You too, Rusty," Breanna said.
    The dog ran after the woman.
    But that reminded Breanna of their own objective. "Say, just where are we headed?"
    "To the Demon Realm."
    "The Demon Realm! Do you even know how to get there?"
    "No."
    "Then where are we walking to?"
    "If we just keep trying, we'll get there."
    Breanna was accustomed to zombies' ways, but still got caught on occasion. "I prefer to find a shortcut," she said. "Do you know one?"
    "No."
    "But the Ring is in