Faun and Games (49 page)

The girls exchanged another glance.
 
"This is weird," Dawn said.

"But maybe true," Eve said.

"And worth a try," Imbri said.
 
"If there's any chance she's here, and

she would know -she's a nice person, and surely would help us."

They climbed out of the pit and walked away from the castle.
 
They found

a lake that didn't have any objectionable magic and washed up.
 
The

girls simply waded in with their clothing on, and after a startled

moment Forrest realized that since their clothing was part of their

soul-stuff, it didn't matter.

Then they pondered how to locate Ida.
 
"I can learn much from living

folk," Dawn said.
 
"But it's sort of random; finding out whether they

know a particular person could take a long time."

"Same for the inanimate," Eve said.
 
"I could see whether a rock had

ever seen a particular person pass, but first I'd have to go through its

entire list of people, which could be hundreds.
 
And it might not

recognize a particular person anyway; rocks aren't very smart."

"Grandpa Dor could make them talk," Dawn said.
 
"That made it much

easier."

"Of course we had to watch our skirts when Grandpa Dor was around," Eve

said.
 
"Any rock we stepped over would blab about what it saw."

"Unless Grandma Irene was there," Dawn said.
 
"She could glare a rock

into silence from far away."

:, We miss them," Eve concluded sadly.

.
 
"I think we'll have to ask someone," Forrest decided.
 
"That means

letting the blanket of obscurity wear off."

"Which in turn is risky," Imbri said.

"I know it.
 
So maybe the three of you should remain protected by it,

while I stay apart, so I can become evident alone."

"Maybe you should ride me, so that if there is trouble, I can gallop

away with you."

Forrest thought of protesting, but realized that she wanted to take the

same risk he did.
 
"Good notion." He looked around.
 
It seemed to be

getting late in the day.
 
"Let's find a place to sleep, and in the

morning the girls can take the canned blanket spell while we go out."

They looked for a good place to settle.
 
Soon they found a small range

of blue mountains.
 
Very small: they were hardly waist high. But the

mini-peaks should serve to conceal them from the view of the main path,

when they lay down.

But as they approached the range, it got up and walked away. Astonished,

they watched it depart.
 
Then Dawn laughed.
 
"A mountain goat!" she

said.
 
"I should have recognized it."

They found another place, near blue berry bushes, which made it handy

for supper.
 
As they ate, the wind came up, whistling softly through the

trees.
 
It made a sad melody.
 
"I always liked the blues," Eve remarked.

But as darkness closed, the temperature dropped.
 
Forrest realized that

he hadn't thought to bring a second blanket.
 
So he dug out the one he

had and gave it to the girls.
 
"This will do for the two of you," he

said.

They looked at him.
 
"I wish this wasn't a serious mission," Dawn said.

"Because then we could share the blanket with you," Eve said.

"I'm sorry too," he said.
 
"But I will join Imbri." For Imbri in mare

form was both warm and safe.
 
So things worked out after all.

He lay down beside Imbri.
 
"You really are a nice person," she murmured

in a dreamlet for him alone.

"No I'm not.
 
I really wanted to sleep with them."

"I know you did.
 
Right between them.
 
Knowing that they would probably

dissolve their clothing under the blanket, just as I did.
 
But you

refused to do it.
 
That's what makes you nice, just as you were with

me."

"But I should not even be wanting to do such things!"

"You are a faun.
 
It's your nature."

"And what of you?" he demanded.
 
"What do you think, when you see me

reacting to those pretty girls?"

"It makes me feel less guilty for what I did to you."

"You didn't do anything to me!"

"Yes I did.
 
And I will make it up to you, when I figure out how."

"You know I can't really do anything with those girls.
 
They're

princesses.

"They are of a slightly different culture than the one we encountered in

Xanth.
 
Maybe it's all right for them to play with fauns, if they want

to."

"I doubt their mother would approve."

"Mothers never do.
 
In the old days I delivered thousands of bad dreams

to worried mothers.
 
They think their daughters must be pristine and

never do what the mothers did when they were young.
 
So the daughters

simply don't tell their mothers." She chuckled, in the dreamlet.
 
"Now

that Queen Iris has been rejuvenated to her twenties, she doesn't tell

her daughter Irene, who would Not Approve Iris's present activities.

Folk seldom approve the fun others have."

"Still-"

"Forrest, those two girls know their own minds, and they know your

nature.
 
If they decide to celebrate with you, you should feel free."

"Well, I don't feel free.
 
I mean, I would love it, but I don't think

it's proper."

Her dreamlet image shook her head.
 
"Because you have been placed in the

role of adviser, which implies parental authority.
 
So you act as a

parent would, though you wish you could act as a normal faun would."

"That's it!" he agreed as a bulb flashed over his head.
 
"How well you

understand."

"Well, I have had some experience in dreams, and what you feel for the

girls is a dream."

"Thank you, Imbri!
 
You have helped me to clarify my mixed feelings."

"Maybe that's what I'm here for." The dreamlet image walked across to

the fading bulb and planted a kiss on it.
 
Forrest felt the kiss on his

face.

He was startled.
 
"Imbri-"

"I will change to maiden form, if you ask me.
 
I know my own mind too."

Suddenly he was horribly tempted.
 
Imbri was definitely of sufficient

age and experience, and she surely did know her own mind.
 
But he had to

demur.
 
"I- can't ask you to do that."

"I know, Forrest, I know.
 
You don't feel free to be a faun, or free to

make commitments of that nature, so you are caught in a personal limbo.

I wish I could free you from it.
 
And I will, if I ever find the way.

Meanwhile, I respect your stance, and I respect you."

"Uh, thank you."

"Would it help if I sent you a wish-fulfillment dream?"

"It might.
 
But I think I need to focus on my mission, now, and not

waste imagination on anything else."

"Then I will send you a dream of deep sleep."

In his mind's eye he saw a pale blue cloud floating toward him. The

words DEEP SLEEP were embossed on its surface.
 
It loomed large,

smelling of gentle music, and encompassed him, and he sank into it with

relief.

He woke much refreshed.
 
His head was against Imbri's gently heaving

side.
 
Dawn & Eve were up and picking blue berries, wearing blue skirts

and slippers.
 
In a moment they spied his flickering eyelids and came to

join him.

"Have a berry, Forrest," Dawn said, plumping herself down crosslegged

beside him.

"Yes, they are very good," Eve said, doing the same.
 
Their firm legs

showed well beyond the knees.
 
Were they teasing him again?

He opened his mouth to say, "But I can pick my own berries."

But before the first word popped out, Eve leaned dangerously forward and

popped a berry in.
 
It was delicious.
 
He chewed it, then opened his

mouth to thank her-and she popped in another.

He gave up the unequal struggle, and ate the berries he was given. There

was something to be said for being catered to by willing maidens.

But they had a day ahead of them.
 
Forrest dug into his knapsack and

brought out the canned blanket.
 
"Don't invoke this until after Imbri

and I are out of range," he told them.
 
"And don't do anything too wild;

we don't know the limit of the obscurity."

"Yes, Master," they said together, and laughed, their tightly bloused

bosoms heaving.

"And get out of those nuisance clothes before something freaks me out."

They glanced down, startled.
 
"oops, we forgot," Dawn said.
 
Her pale

blue blouse rippled and became a heavy blue plaid shirt.

"We just naturally dressed our usual way, when we woke," Eve said.
 
Her

blue-black skirt twisted and formed itself into baggy dark blue jeans.

"After just naturally sleeping nude."

"And dreaming of fun with a faun."

Then they stood, together.
 
Dawn's light blue skirt changed to pale blue

jeans just a bare instant before it would have shown Too Much, and Eve's

dark blouse changed to a dark shirt just a transparent instant after it

had shown More Than Enough.