Faun and Games (13 page)

"No.
 
Only you."

"It's like seeing a ghost."

"Yes.
 
It Just requires the right concentration."

"Now I will review my memories of the day." He thought of his beginning

of the trip to the Gap Chasm, guided by the Demoness Sire.
 
Then of the

ride through the Gap, on the back of the dragon ass.
 
Then of the walk

to the Good Magician's castle.

"You are right," Imbri said.
 
"It's always morning.
 
The first morning

may have been the work of ComPassion, because she likes you. She just

wanted to give you more time, after you were nice enough to kiss her

mouse, so she reset your day.
 
Otherwise it would have been afternoon

then.
 
The second morning started when you got off the dragon ass.

That's a strange creature; I have no entry into its I ch is funny,

because she used to be an ormind, or Ch orine's.
 
Whi dinary girl,

rather plain and ill tempered, actually, with dreams as foolish as

anyone's.
 
Now, suddenly, she is phenomenally lovely and intelligent and

nice, and lives in the Nameless Castle with that dragon, and her- mind

is completely opaque.
 
It's as if she's a different person.

"You mean Chlorine really does live in that castle'?
 
I thought she was

just pretending."

"She really does live there.
 
The castle sits on a cloud that floats

across Xanth, so no one can see that it supports the castle.
 
She lives

like a princess, and that dragon assumes the form of a prince, and what

they do at night, on those air mattresses that the floating castle has,

is beyond any dream I could bring."

"Do you mean, like fauns and nymphs?"

She made an equine snort.
 
"Like fauns and nymphs in much the way Castle

Roogna is like a wood cutter's hut.
 
I'm surprised that there hasn't

been a flight of storks so big as to darken the sky.
 
They are surely in

love.
 
I wish I had been watching when they changed; I'm femalishly

curious about what happened.
 
They must have stumbled on fantastic

magic.
 
The oddest thing is that they don't make anything much of it.

That is, they just trundle around Xanth as a damsel and dragon, doing

favors for folk, asking nothing in return.
 
It is very strange."

"Yes.
 
I thought so too.
 
But how could they have made my afternoon

become morning?"

"That would require good illusion, or very good magic.
 
Maybe they have

a sprig of thyme.
 
At any rate, it does seem to have happened: they gave

you more day to do your business.
 
And more day again, when you left the

Good Magician's castle.
 
Because the Good Magician would hardly bother

to waste such magic so irrelevantly."

"Well, whatever the reason, I appreciate it.
 
It does help me save time,

so that maybe I can return to my tree within the month."

By evening they were approaching Castle Roogna.
 
Forrest paused to brush

out his hair and make himself presentable.
 
After all, this was the

royal human castle, and it deserved some respect.

When he started walking toward it again, Imbri spoke.
 
"This time I

caught it!
 
It's morning again."

Startled, Forrest looked around.
 
She was right: the sun was at

midmorning level.
 
He also felt fresh and vigorous, as if he had had a

good night's rest.
 
"This is nice magic."

"This is very strong magic," Imbri said.
 
"The rest of Xanth doesn't

seem to be changing.
 
Just us.
 
We just seem to have more time, without

losing what we have done.
 
It is as if we weren't supposed to notice the

favor."

"Well, if it's from the damsel and dragon., I will thank them when I see

them again.
 
But now I need to find Ptero."

"I will guide you there.
 
Go in and ask to see Princess Ida."

Forrest approached the castle.
 
The moat monster reared up

threaten'ngly.

This one I can take care of," Imbri said.
 
"Souffld, it's all right.

This is Forrest Faun, and he is with me."

The monster nodded, and sank back under the water.

"I thought you said no one else could see you."

"Only those I know well, and show myself to.
 
Souffld has been around a

long time.
 
He baby-sits the royal triplets."

"A moat monster takes care of children?"

"There is no other place like Castle Roogna."

So it seemed.
 
They walked on into the castle.

Two girls, about six years old, ran up to them, colliding before they

managed to stop.
 
They wore matching little crowns.
 
"Oh, goody!"

the red haired one cried.
 
"Visitors from afar!
 
A faun from north of

the Gap!

"And a day mare," the dark one added.

"Meet the children of Prince Dolph and Princess Electra," Imbri said.

"Princess Dawn, who can tell anything about any living thing, so she

knows about you, and Princess Eve, who can tell anything about any

inanimate things, so she knows about me."

"But you're alive!" Forrest protested.

"No she isn't," Eve said.
 
"She's a spirit.
 
She has half a soul, but no

body.
 
She lost that in the Void in 1067."

"They really do know," Forrest said, amazed.
 
"I've never seen such

magic."

"That's because no Magicians or Sorceresses ever came to your sandalwood

tree," Dawn said.

A woman in blue jeans hurried up.
 
"Girls!
 
Behave!" she exclaimed.
 
The

two little princesses immediately stood back and looked angelic.
 
"I'm

sorry," the woman said.
 
"They're irrepressible.
 
I i'm Princess

Electra, their mother."

"He's Forrest Faun, here to see Princess Ida Dawn said. "And she's Mare

li-nori, who has to guide him through Ptero."

"Oh, you are here on business," Electra said.
 
"Girls, tell the Princess

she has a visitor."

The two children dashed off.
 
"Uh, thank you," Forrest said.
 
"I didn't

mean to make a commotion.
 
I don't know Princess Ida.
 
I'm supposed to

go to the land of Ptero."

Electra looked blank.
 
"Go to the land of what?"

"Ptero.
 
Where all the might-be folk stay."

"But Ptero ]s-" The Princess paused.
 
"Well, I'm not sure exactly what

it is.
 
But it's not a place you can go to."

"But we have to go there.
 
Because that's where I'll find my faun."

Electra still looked remarkably doubtful.
 
"I think I'll just have to

let Ida explain it."

"I hope someone does.
 
Imbri hasn't."

The Princess nodded.
 
"I can appreciate why.
 
Come this way." She turned

and led them down the hall.

The twins came dashing back, their red and black pigtails flying.

"Auntie Ida says to go to the Tapestry!" Dawn cried brightly.

"And she'll meet them there," Eve finished, darkly.
 
"She says this

could get com-com-"

"Complicated," Electra finished.
 
"I'm sure." She changed course

slightly, and led them upstairs.
 
Forrest was much impressed, because

this was only the second time he had used stairs, and these were much

broader than the ones at the Good Magician's castle.

Soon they arrived at a pleasant chamber with a nice view of the outside

moat and orchard.
 
A woman rose to greet them.
 
She was another

princess, because she wore a crown.
 
She looked to be about twenty

eight, but it was never possible to be quite certain, with women.
 
There

was something odd about her head.

"Princess Ida, this is Forrest Faun," Electra said.
 
"Mare Imbri is with

him, as his guide and companion."

"Any friend of Imbri is a friend of mine," Ida said graciously. "Please

have a seat and tell me your concern."

Forrest took the indicated chair.
 
"I need to find a faun to associate

with the neighboring clog tree.
 
The Good Magician told me to look in

Ptero.
 
Mare Irnbri has been there, so can show me the way."

Imbri?" the Princess said.
 
It wasn't exactly a question; she was

addressing the day mare.
 
Her eyes went halfway blank and she seemed to

be listening.
 
After a moment she smiled.
 
Imbri must have given her an

explanatory daydream.
 
"Ah, I see; that's interesting."

"So if you can just tell me where-"

Ida raised a hand in gentle negation.
 
"I will, but there are things you

must first understand.
 
Consider the Tapestry."

He looked where she indicated and saw a large Tapestry hanging on the

wall.
 
It was filled with intricately sewn pictures of Xanthly scenes.

They were so realistic that they almost seemed to be moving. In fact

they were moving!
 
"This is magic," he said.

" It shows all the scenes of Xanth," she explained.
 
"In all times or

Xanth, up to the present.
 
Here is your glade."

The scenes changed, and one part expanded to fill the whole Tap estry.