Faun and Games (57 page)

"Our agreement is up to, but not including, the stork.
 
We must be

together for that.
 
So I'll give her the chance to do you an equivalent

favor before then, so we'll be even again.
 
And we'll both give you

opportunity to do us favors, on other days, so your interest will match

ours.
 
We will keep you quite busy, for a while."

"You girls are almost frightening in your cooperation."

"Never trust a Sorceress," she agreed.
 
"Let alone two of us."

Forrest resigned himself.
 
These girls had his number, and knew it. He,

eally didn't need to do them any favors, to find them dangerously

appealing.
 
"Tell me all about this lake."

She started talking, punctuating her sentences with kisses on his ears.

It took some time.

At last they emerged from the water.
 
Forrest was shaky, not from the

information, but from Eve's kisses.
 
There might not be magic in them,

but they nevertheless had extraordinary force.
 
She was right: he would

be dreaming of her during whatever off moments were available, and when

the time came, he would not make any excuses. She had captured his

desire.
 
The irony was that his weakness of the moment gave her the

pretext to put her arm around him and help support him.
 
She hadn't

bothered to form clothing, and her touch remained electric.

"If you had been a nymph, all this would have been abated in seconds,"

he muttered.
 
"With no emotional complications.
 
Instead you have

chained me."

"I know," she said smugly.
 
"You're not used to dealing with women with

minds.
 
We're dangerous.
 
We are aware of consequences, and we know how

to make a temporary interest permanent." She nudged him without using an

elbow.
 
"But somehow this session hasn't changed my feeling for you."

"It couldn't increase what was already complete," he said glumly.

"Maybe." I He decided not to inquire what she meant.
 
She surely

understood further aspects that would only alarm him worse.
 
He had

anticipated problems with terrain, monsters, magic, and people, but

never with emotions.
 
He had hardly known what emotions were, before all

this began.
 
Now he knew that they were the most formidable of the lot.

They returned to the central plateau.
 
Along the way Forrest recovered

his steadiness, and his fur dried, and Eve shifted to dry clothing.

Their immersion in the water was not obvious.
 
She released his hand, so

that even that aspect disappeared.
 
He was struggling to keep his face

and manner straight, and was privately amazed at how readily Eve made

herself look cool, as if nothing of any kind had even been thought

oLviously girls were better at this than men.
 
Or fauns, at least.

"That was one close call," Imbri said in a dreamlet.
 
"If she had kissed

you on the mouth instead of the ears-"

Dawn also looked knowingly at them, without comment.

Forrest approached Ida.
 
"The name of the lake is the Sarah Sea," he

began.
 
He went on to describe its depths in meticulous detail.
 
As he

spoke, he found himself becoming increasingly interested in Ida. She was

an attractive woman, with a remarkable talent, and now he was in a

position to know how special her moon was.
 
Eve had tempted him

wickedly, but he knew it was desire rather than love. Ida did not tempt

him in that manner, but his feeling for her was becoming encompassing.

He wanted to stay with her forever, and bask in the delight of her mere

presence.
 
This, he realized, was love, an emotion he had never before

experienced.
 
It was different from desire, though there were

connections between the two.
 
Should Ida express any interest at all in

desire, he realized it would spring fully formed from the broad base of

the larger emotion.
 
Fortunately she gave no such indication, though her

moon angled to observe him better.

"Now it is my turn," Ida said when he finished.
 
"You have delivered in

full measure, and satisfied my lifelong curiosity.
 
Do not be concerned

about your present emotion; it will shortly pass.
 
Here is the

information you need.
 
You have to talk to the margins, and explain to

them that they have been deceived.
 
That they are not giving favors,

they are stealing them, and will be diminished thereby."

"Margins?" Forrest asked.
 
"The lines?"

"The creatures who generate the lines," Ida said.
 
"They are kept in the

cellars, and not told much of anything that is true."

A bulb flashed over Forrest's head.
 
"So if they learn the truth,

they'll stop generating the lines, and the power of the Wizards will

collapse!

Ida smiled.
 
"I'm glad that this information is useful to you."

"It certainly is!"

"But how can we get into the castles, to tell the margins?" Imbri asked.

Forrest relayed the question.

"You have merely to locate Ghina, whose talent is to put people to

sleep," Ida said.
 
"She is somewhere on Pyramid's red face, and will

help if you ask her.
 
Also Jfraya, whose talent is to draw a door that

opens.

"But how do we find Gina and Jeffrey?"

"Ghina, the daughter of Graeboe Giant and Gloha Goblin-Harpy, I believe.

A large invisible winged goblin girl.
 
And Jfraya, of uncertain origin,

on Pyramid's green face.
 
I fear you will have to accept some favors

there, and be accordingly diminished."

"I can do that," Imbri said.

"So we have it," Forrest said.
 
"Thank you so much."

"No thanks necessary; it is a fair exchange."

Then he realized something.
 
"My emotion-it has faded.
 
I don't love you

any more.
 
Not that you are unworthy.
 
It's just that-"

"Yes.
 
It abated when I returned the favor.
 
But I trust you can

appreciate why I demurred, before."

"Yes!
 
It's a great emotion, but it must be invoked suitably."

"That is correct.
 
I am glad we were able to arrange our exchange of

information, for we both profit handsomely thereby."

"So am l." he said, much relieved.
 
If only Eve could be similarly

turned off.
 
But he knew of no favor he could do her at the moment.

"Now we must return to Pyramid.
 
Do you have any objection if we go

directly from here?"

"None.
 
I have not before observed travel between worlds.
 
It should be

interesting."

"Maybe so." He looked at the others.
 
"Are we ready?"

"No," Dawn said.
 
"I haven't had the chance to do you a favor to match

Eve's."

"Better yet," Forrest suggested, "why don't I do Eve an equivalent

favor, so that her emotion abates?
 
I can't think of one, but maybe you

can."

"Maybe I can," Dawn said.

.
 
"Nuh-uh!" Eve protested.
 
"I like it this way."

"But we have to be even," Dawn said.

"How long has it been since Eve did her favor for Forrest?" Ida asked.

"An hour," Dawn said.

"Then it's too late.
 
Favors have to be exchanged soon, before the

emotion sets in place."

"Then I'll just have to do Forrest some favor," Dawn said.
 
"Forrest,

what do you really, truly, most want to know about some living thing?"

"Where to find a faun for my neighboring tree.
 
That's my whole mission

here."

"But I have to touch a living thing to know about it.
 
I can't find your

faun from a distance, unless I can touch someone who knows where he is."

"I wish you could do me that favor," Forrest said.
 
"But it is evident

that you can't."

"Maybe one of us knows," Dawn said.
 
"Without knowing she knows, I mean.

So I could find out."

"I do not," Ida said.
 
"I would have to query Cone again, and that would

mean-"

"Don't do that!" Forrest said.
 
"It's Dawn's favor I must have."

Ida smiled.
 
"I understand."

"Let's hold hands," Dawn said desperately.
 
"If the information is among

us, I can get it."

"I can't hold hands," Imbri said in a dreamlet.

"But you can touch us," Eve pointed out.

So they formed another circle, with the two girls holding Forrest's

hands, and touching Imbri on the other side.
 
There was a pause.

"There is something," Dawn said.
 
"Not the faun.
 
Somethingsomething

better, I think.
 
Oh!" She let go.

"What happened?" Eve asked.
 
"Is something wrong?"

Dawn looked awed.
 
"H don't think so.
 
But I don't know what to do. It's

all-all mixed up."

Forrest was getting impatient.
 
"Do you have the answer or don't you?"

Dawn turned to Ida.
 
"Aunt Ida-where I come from, that's what you

are-you always had good advice for us.
 
I really need it now.
 
Is there

any way-without complicating things-"

Ida nodded.
 
"There may be, dear.
 
If you care to tell me what is on