Faun and Games (52 page)

delicious.

"But this is just a picture," Forrest said.

The gust brushed up against the picture, and it almost seemed that some

of the berries moved.
 
So Forrest reached out to touch a berryand it was

round, not flat.
 
He picked it and put it to his mouth.
 
"A bill-berry!"

he exclaimed.
 
"I should have known."

Imbri trotted over.
 
"Bill-berries?
 
They are very good for you."

She put her mouth to the billboard and took a bite of berries.
 
But then

she spat something out.
 
"I got a billfold by accident," her dreamlet

figure said, making a face.

Forrest saw the oh ect on the ground.
 
It was a wad of folded paper,

gray on the front, green on the back.
 
It did look inedible.
 
Apparently

the billboard wasn't perfect; there was some contamination.

Something tapped him on the shoulder.
 
He jumped.
 
There was a vague

female shape smelling faintly of morning.
 
"Oh-Dawn," he said, relieved.

"I hadn't noticed you."

"Because of the blanket of obscurity," her voice breathed in his ear. "I

can see you quite clearly."

"And so can I," Eve's voice murmured in his other ear.
 
Then they both

nibbled on the tips of his ears.

"Stop that!" he exclaimed.

Imbri looked around.
 
"Did I swish you with my tail?
 
I didn't mean to.

"No.
 
The girls are here."

She squinted.
 
"Why so they are.
 
That obscurity is effective.
 
Now that

I know what to look for, I can see them."

So could Forrest.
 
"Eve, would you check one of those crosses and learn

what it's all about?
 
The wind brought us here, so there must be some

reason."

"I'll be glad to." Her vague form kissed his cheek and departed.

"That wind must like you," Dawn said, kissing his other cheek.

"I think it's just doing its job.
 
Maybe it appreciates the way I

cooperated with it to send Lady Winter to Todd.
 
It has been very

helpful."

"Eve is signaling.
 
We had better go there."

Forrest looked, but no longer saw Eve.
 
The blanket had covered her.

"I'll lead you," Dawn said.
 
She took his hand in hers, squeezing his

fingers in a way that reminded him exactly how female she was. These

girls might be young, but they had learned a good deal already.

In a few steps they approached a gradually clarifying figure holding a

cross.
 
As Forrest concentrated, Eve became recognizable.
 
"These

crosses enable folk to cross things," she said.
 
"Eyes, T's, mountains,

rivers, people-anything."

"Then they could be useful," Forrest said, relieved.
 
The function of

Pyramid crosses was different from Ptero crosses.

"Indeed.
 
They are put out here for anyone to take and use.
 
But when

one is used, their maker gains the benefit of a given favor, and the one

who uses them loses mass.
 
So we don't want to take too many."

"Can one cross enable more than one person to cross something?"

"A big one can.
 
A small one is limited both in person and distance.

Four small ones would enable four people to cross one mountain, while

one big one might enable all four people to cross a whole range of

mountains.
 
But the big one will exact a greater amount of mass, so we

don't want to use any of them more than we need to."

"Suppose we take several crosses, but don't use them?"

"Then there is no price.
 
It doesn't matter where the crosses are, only

how they are used."

"Then we should take a fair collection of them, and not use them unless

we have to," he decided.

"How intelligent," Eve said.

"Are you trying to tease me again?"

"No, just to remind you."

He walked among the crosses.
 
That was when he discovered that he was

still holding Dawn's hand.
 
She had not reminded him.
 
He let go,

embarrassed, and heard her obscure chuckle.
 
"I think we should each

carry two small ones and one big one.
 
Can we do that?
 
I mean, I have

room in my knapsack, but do the rest of you have a way to carry things?"

.
 
"Sure," Dawn said.
 
"In our purses."

"And I have a pack," Imbri said.

Forrest leaned down to take a cross, but now Eve's hand stayed him.
 
"I

wouldn't," she murmured.

"Why not?"

"Because that particular one is made of petrified wood."

Forrest froze.
 
Then he moved his hand very slowly down, barely touching

the cross.
 
Fear coursed through him.
 
It was true; this cross made

anyone who touched it terrified.

"But I might be able to use this too," he said.
 
"If I got caught by a

monster I couldn't escape."

"But how can you take it with you, if it frightens you?" Imbri asked.

"It shouldn't frighten me once I'm not directly touching it." He reached

into his knapsack and pulled out a handkerchief.
 
He wrapped this around

the cross so that he could pick it up without touching it. The

handkerchief was thin, so his fright was there, but he was able to

handle the cross until it dropped into his knapsack.

"That was a brave thing to do," Dawn said, taking his hand again."

"No it wasn't.
 
I was scared, but I knew there was no danger."

"It's not handling danger, but handling fear that makes a person brave,

isn't it?"

Forrest hadn't thought of it that way.
 
"Maybe.
 
But it had to be done,

if I wanted that cross."

They each took two small crosses, which disappeared into their various

packs and purses without trouble.
 
But the large crosses were too big to

fit.
 
Finally Eve found one folding cross, and they fit that into

Imbri's pack, which was larger than the others.
 
That would have to do.

Now the wind, having dallied all this time, amusing itself by whirling

up dry blue leaves and grass and making funnel-shapes of them, resumed

its forward progress.
 
They followed.
 
The blanket of obscurity was

fading, so that the girls remained fairly clear.

The path led past several huge blue bee hives.
 
They had been

constructed in the shape of wooden boats with closed tops, and these

were arranged in a giant semi-circle.
 
The bees were very large, and

they were flying in with blue books.

Forrest paused to take in this scene.
 
"I never knew that bees collected

books," he said, surprised.

Eve went up cautiously to touch one of the fancy hives.
 
It seemed that

enough of the blanket of obscurity remained on her to keep the bees from

being disturbed.
 
Then she laughed.
 
"These are Ark-hives," she

explained.
 
"Where the bees store books, so they won't be lost. That

must be why these bees are so large; they are constantly doing good

deeds for this region, by saving all these good references."

They went on, hurrying to catch up with the gust.
 
But now they came to

a wide blue lake, and the wind was moving right across it, toward a blue

island.

Forrest considered the water.
 
"Do you suppose we could swim?"

Eve touched the surface with a finger.
 
"I think not.
 
This water

contains all manner of horrible blue monsters."

"Then this must be what we have the crosses for.
 
We had better each use

one small one, saving the other for the return trip."

They dug out their small crosses and held them up.
 
"Uh, how do they

work?" Forrest asked, belatedly.

"Just describe where you wish to cross, and say 'invoke,"

" Eve said.

"To that island," Forrest said, looking at it.
 
"Invoke."

Suddenly he was there, and the cross was gone.
 
He felt lighter, though

that might have been his imagination.
 
He turned to look back-and the

others arrived.
 
They made streaks as they crossed the water in half an

instant.

"That was fun," Dawn said.

"But we don't want to do it too many times," Eve said.

The wind was waiting for them.
 
They followed it along a winding path to

a blue ridge of mountains.
 
On the ridge was a house built of blue

stone.
 
As they approached it, a woman emerged.
 
"Aunt Ida!"

Dawn cried, going up to hug her.

"You haven't changed at all," Eve said, doing the same.

Ida returned their hugs, then inquired, "You seem like such fine girls.

Do I know you?"

orrest approached.
 
"I must explain.
 
We are from the world of-of Ptero.

Do you understand?"

"Oh, my, yes!
 
But I have never had visitors from there before.
 
How

nice."

"I am Forrest Faun, and this is Mare Imbrium, and these are Dawn & Eve,

the daughters of Prince Dolph and Electra."

"I am so glad to meet you."

"Do you have nieces here?" Dawn asked.