Faun and Games (17 page)

"Not exactly.
 
Are you curious about my derivation?"

"Yes!" Forrest and Imbri said together.

"I am Chemare.
 
It all started when my sire, who was horribly prejudiced

against zombies, was scheduled to have a bad dream in which he and a

really rotten female zombie drank from a love spring. But somehow the

night mare who was carrying the dream got confused, or maybe she had a

secret thing for the centaur, who was rather handsome for his kind, and

she fell into the dream herself and drank from the spring instead.
 
The

elixir overwhelmed them both, and they promptly indulged in an encounter

of love that heated the spring so much it almost evaporated.
 
Then the

mare departed and the dream dissipated, leaving the centaur considerably

more satisfied than the authentic dream would have left him.
 
In due

course the mare bore a foal with half a soul, black as night but with

the form of a centaur. That was me.
 
But because I derive from an

illicit dream, I came not to Xanth proper, but to Ptero, where I bring

bad dreams to those 'dents who deserve them.
 
It's not the best

existence, but 't will resi do.

"Oh, Chemare!" Imbri exclaimed.
 
"How well I understand.
 
I was a night

mare for many decades."

"I thought you looked somehow familiar.
 
But you're in human form.

"Yes, so I can be substantial for my companion, Forrest Faun, whom I am

trying to help.
 
Would you like to exchange a service?"

"I would love to.
 
But I'm not sure what we could do for each other.

"Is there anything you need?" Forrest asked.

"No.
 
I came only because I was closest when the call went out.

So I truly regret this, because it's so rare to encounter someone with

experience nightmaring, but I must go." She faded out.

"Wait!" Forrest cried, too late.
 
She was gone.

"We are slow on the uptake," Imbri remarked.
 
"We had better be prepared

to render some service before the next one disappears."

"Yes.
 
They don't seem to wait around long without reason."

There was the sound of running hoofs.
 
A centaur came galloping from the

green direction, followed by two centaur foals.
 
She had a white mane

and white body, but blue eyes.
 
Forrest tried not to stare at her

rippling bare chest, knowing that centaurs paid no attention to certain

effects, but he was impressed.

She came to a stop before Imbri.
 
"Hello, mare in human form.
 
I am

Ilura Centaur, and these are my foals.
 
We apologize for our tardiness."

"Tardiness?"

"We were some distance when we heard your call, and the foals couldn't

move at adult speed."

Forrest realized that more than one creature had answered Imbri's call.

But Imbri was already handling it.

"I am Mare Imbri, and this is my companion."

"What have you to trade?"

"A pleasant daydream."

"What do you wish in return?"

"Information on the person on Ptero who can best help us to find what we

seek."

"What do you seek?"

"A faun for a vacant tree."

"That would be Cathryn Centaur.
 
She is the one who best knows where to

find fauns."

There was a pause.
 
Then Imbri, realizing that she had her answer,

looked directly at Ilura.
 
The centaur's eyes went blank in a manner

Forrest recognized.
 
She was having a daydream.

He looked at the two foals.
 
One was a dark furred male, the other a

light furred female.
 
The male was stoic, while the female was

impatiently stamping her feet.
 
"Hello, foals.
 
I'm Forrest Faun.
 
You

must be dissimilar twins."

The female looked quickly at him.
 
"I'm in a hurry," she replied.

The male looked slowly at him.
 
"I'm in no hurry," he said.

"Well, I'm sure your dam will be finished here soon."

The female reacted rapidly.
 
She used a forefoot to scratch letters in

the sand.
 
THE HURRY TWINS: IMINA AND IMINO.

Oh.
 
"My apology for misunderstanding," Forrest said.

"Don't be," Imina said quickly.
 
"It happens all the time."

"We're used to it," Imino added slowly.
 
"It's probably a good thing we

don't exist."

"But how can I be talking to you, if you don't exist?"

" We're might-he's, " Imina replied rapidly.
 
"It would take a freakish

set of circumstances to make us real.
 
For one thing, our dam isn't real

either."

"Only our sire, Hurry Centaur, is real," Imino said tardily.

Forrest was starting to catch on.
 
"Your sire lives in Xanth proper, and

the rest of you don't."

"That's it exactly," Imina agreed swiftly.
 
"We can only come to exist

if our dam gets real, and encounters our sire, and performs a certain

ritual that makes human folk uncomfortable to contemplate. All that

seems extremely unlikely."

"I'm sorry."

"It doesn't really- natter," Ii-nino said deliberately.
 
"There are far

too many might-he's for Xanth to accommodate."

Ilura had completed her daydream.
 
"Come foals; we must be off."

"Already'?" Imino asked.

"About time!" Imina said.

"I had a very nice dream of your sire," Ilura said.
 
"I think he may be

almost ready to consider something."

They galloped off into the yellow color.
 
Forrest and Imbri watched them

go.
 
"Those were might-he's," he said.

"Yes.
 
It's a shame they aren't real."

"How do we find Cathryn Centaur?"

"I think we just ask for her."

"Can we just ask for the faun I need?"

She turned to him, startled.
 
"We could certainly try."

He faced nothing.
 
"I want to trade with the faun I need."

Nothin, happened.

"I suspect he isn't close enough to hear," Imbri said.
 
"Have you

noticed that all the creatures we have encountered here are equine

crossbreeds?"

"I hadn't noticed," he said, surprised.
 
"Could it be coincidence?"

"It could be.
 
But I think there must be sections of Ptero for different

types of creatures, and this happens to be the equine section. That

would explain why we landed here: I'm equine, so was drawn here.
 
So

there would be no fauns close by.
 
Cathryn Centaur must know where they

are."

"That makes sense to me.
 
Very well, let's trade with Cathryn."

Imbri stood facing nowhere.
 
"I would like to trade with Cathryn

Centaur."

Another lady centaur appeared, emerging from the forest.
 
She was brown

of mane and fur, with large white wings.
 
"Why hello, mare," she said.

"I never expected to be summoned."

"Why not?" Imbri asked.

"Because there is no service anyone can do me, so I can't trade. Didn't

you know that?"

" I am from far away.
 
I know very little about this region."

"But the conventions are similar throughout our world.
 
You don't mean

to say-" She broke off, looking startled.

"Yes, we are from Xanth," Imbri said.

"That is extremely unusual, as there is virtually no physical contact

between Xanth and Ptero."

"But considerable emotional contact."

Cathryn nodded agreement.
 
"All we might-he's long to achieve Xanth

proper.
 
But so few of us ever do.
 
Now I suppose if you offer me some

way to cro there, then we can indeed deal.
 
But as it is impossible to

travel there physically, I suspect that your mission is of some other

nature."

"Yes.
 
We need to locate a suitable faun to become the spirit of a

vacant tree."

"Ah.
 
That's why you summoned me: because I know the best route to the

faunhold."

I 'Yes." I

"I am really sorry that we can't exchange services, because I can

certainly start you on your way there."

"Start us?
 
You can't direct us all the way there?"

"Correct: I can't.
 
It is beyond my range."

"Range?"

"Oh, I see," Cathryn said sympathetically.
 
"You are from afar, and

don't understand our system."

"Yes, I don't.
 
But I am willing to trade, if it's a matter of that."

"I'm afraid it is.
 
We are unable to interact significantly without the

exchange of equivalent services."

Forrest stepped into the dialogue.
 
"There must be some service you need

or desire, that we might do."

Cathryn glanced at him.
 
"I doubt it.
 
I am really quite satisfied,

apart from my natural longing to become real.
 
This is a pleasant enough

realm, and far better than utter nonexistence.
 
I would gladly show you