Faun & Games

by Piers Anthony

  “Maybe someone with the talent of blessing could reverse the curse of the geis-a girl's compulsion,” Ghina said as they moved on.

  Another chamber was filled with snakes. “I wish we had the blanket of obscurity now,” For-rest said. “Those look poisonous.”

  Indeed, in a moment they were surrounded by very poisonous looking snakes. The snakes were on the floor, while most of the people were on a wall, but in the confines of the passage they were close enough.

  “There are too many for me to put to sleep,” Ghina said.

  “And they could follow if I made another door,” Jfraya said.

  Forrest couldn't think of anything intelligent to do, so he tried something stupid: “Take us to your leader!”

  The snakes made a path through their number toward a special cave.

  Forrest and his party walked the nearest wall in that direction. Here lay a large snake wearing a crown. “It's the King Cobra,” Dawn whispered.

  Forrest had another idea, not nearly as stupid as the last one. “O King Cobra, we crave a favor,” he said. “We need to proceed quickly to the Red Wizard's castle.”

  The king nodded. Several monstrous snakes slithered up. The travelers, including Imbri, climbed onto these snakes, and were carried swiftly onward. They rode at a considerable angle, but the snakes seemed to understand.

  Forrest looked back. Sure enough, the King Cobra looked a size larger.

  Soon they were at the end of the tunnel. They slid off the snakes, who seemed even larger than before, and moved back out onto the red surface.

  Now they were correctly oriented, except for Jfraya. She had to lie on Imbri's back, because she couldn't stand on the ground.

  It was still night. They proceeded directly to the Red Castle, and Ghina put its guardian monsters to sleep. Except for one. This was an animated angle.

  “I recognize that,” Eve said. “It's a guardian angle. It protects folk against math courses.”

  “But we aren't math courses,” Forrest said.

  “Right.” She approached the guardian. “Please don't let any math courses get us,” she beseeched it.

  The angle nodded its acute point graciously. It would protect them from that threat.

  They entered the castle in the same manner as they had the other, and explained things to the red margins inside. The margins agreed to cease operations in two and a half days.

  They emerged, and passed through a door to a passage leading directly to the blue face. This one, however, was not completely deserted. “But there aren't any really bad folk on it,” Eve said, after touching its wall. “Except maybe the cuss today.”

  “A toad that swears?” Forrest asked.

  “Not exactly. It is found in the grounds for divorce. If we avoid the chamber where those grounds are, it shouldn't bother us.”

  They avoided that chamber by taking a detour. On the alternate passage they encountered a man of many colors. His skin was not blue, red, green, or gray, which explained why he wasn't walking the surface of Pyramid. Instead it was rainbow colored.

  “Hello,” the man said. “I am Hue Man.”

  The six of them introduced themselves, then moved on. It wasn't that there seemed to be anything wrong with Hue Man, who seemed completely human, but that they were in a hurry to complete their mission, and didn't care to advertise it, lest word get to the Wizards.

  It was a long trip to the blue face, and by the time they reached it the night was done. They had to remain in the passage. Forrest still had some food in his knapsack, and Ghina had some invisible sandwiches, so they ate lightly and relaxed.

  When night arrived, they went out onto another face where they couldn't walk. This time they tilted the opposite way, but it hardly mattered, their feet still wanted to be slightly above their heads. Jfraya's feet went the opposite direction from theirs. But again Ghina was able to adjust her flying, and she put the monsters to sleep so that the group could crawl in and alert the margins.

  This time they learned something new. The blue margins mentioned that they were able to communicate along their lines. That was how they identified people trapped within the enclosures formed by the lines. So if anyone got in the line of sight of a line, between the margin and the world of Ptero, he or she would be able to talk to the margin generating it. The lines did not become solid barriers until they were close to the surface of Ptero, because there was no sense wasting magic.

  Actually, the whole of Pyramid was close to the surface of Ptero, but Forrest understood what they meant. The lines went up to the top of Castle Roogna, then bent at right angles, and came down after another bend to intercept the ground. Only with that last bend did they become actual walls.

  So if we climbed to the top of the Wizard's castle, we could intercept the lines and talk to you,” Forrest said, getting it straight.

  “Yes. That is how the Blue Wizard does it.”

  However, it seemed enough of a challenge just to crawl into the dungeon from the ground. Trying to get to the top of the castle seemed pointless.

  They got the margins to agree to stop in a day and a half, and crawled back out. One Wizard to go!

  Outside, Jfraya cast about uncertainly. “I can't find a suitable passage to open a door to,” she complained. “There just don't seem to be passages to the bottom face.”

  “It wasn't a place the goblins wanted to go to,” Ghina said. “Mother commented about that. It's all stormy and cold.”

  “That's right,” Jfraya agreed, remembering. “Because it never gets any direct sunlight, and 's always in shadow. By most accounts, it's this world's dullest face.

  “But trying to trek all across this face to the edge, and then all across the gray face, would take days,” Forrest said. “We have to move faster than that.”

  “It will have to be on the surface,” Jfraya said. “There aren't any safe passages.”

  “Maybe we could get rides,” Dawn suggested.

  “On cooperative centaurs,” Eve added.

  “Can you locate such centaurs, quickly?” Forrest asked, feeling halfway desperate.

  “I think so,” Dawn said, touching a tree. “They pass by here often enough.”

  “And their prints form paths,” Eve said, touching the ground.

  “So let's go and ask them a favor,” Forrest said.

  “Is that wise?” Imbri asked. “We are all smaller than we were.”

  “If we don't accomplish the mission, our size won't much matter,” he pointed out.

  The others nodded. “I'm sorry I couldn't find a suitable door to make,” Jfraya said. “This seems to be the best alternative.”

  “They are said to live in the Atlas Mountains,” Dawn said, reading her tree.

  “Which are beyond the tropical depression,” Eve said, reading her ground.

  “Are they within ready crawling distance?”

  “Yes, if we go straight there,” Dawn said.

  “Which means going through the depression, which isn't fun,” Eve said.

  “We aren't here for fun,” Forrest said.

  They started crawling in the indicated direction. Imbri, who just couldn't crawl well, decided to wait where she was; they would arrange to pick her up later.

  Soon the ground sank lower as they entered the depression. Exotic warm weather plants grew in it. But Forrest started feeling extremely sad.

  Was any of this worthwhile? Or would it be better just to quit trying?

  “Oh, I'm depressed!” Jfraya complained.

  “That's because of the tropical depression,” Eve said. “Just crawl on through it.”

  Forrest was glad he hadn't spoken. He had assumed that it was just a warm low place. Now he knew better.

  Beyond the depression rose the peaks of mountains, shown outlined against the dimly illuminated sky. Then they reached the base of the first mountain-and discovered that it consisted of piled books. Atlases.

  What else had he expected?

  “Watch out for the bookworm,”
Eve warned.

  They paused in their crawling as a large worm crawled across their route. Its segments consisted of books.

  At last they reached the centaur village. Centaurs came bearing torches. “Don't you folk of the red face know you can't travel readily here?” one demanded. “You're just not red-dy for the blue.”

  Forrest dispensed with explanations. “We need to be carried to the gray face,” he said. “There is also a mare who will require several to carry her.”

  “Are you asking for favors?”

  “Yes.”

  “And you know the consequence?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then we are glad to help. I am Chaz Centaur.” He looked around.

  “Chalice-you take the faun.”

  An earthy brown-blue mare trotted up. She was as well endowed as the usual centaur filly, which was impressive by the standards of lesser females. Forrest tried to mount her back, but couldn't; his angle was wrong. Finally she picked him up with her arms, pressed him to her ample bare bosom, twisted him around, and plopped him on her back. Once firmly set there, he was able to hang on and maintain his position.

  “Chafe and Chide-take the girls.”

  Two sneering young stallions trotted up. The sneers faded when they got two good looks at the girls. Then they became very helpful. One picked up Dawn and set her on the other's back; then the other picked up Eve and set her on the first one's back. The girls, quickly zeroing in on the situation, were very appreciative and flattering. Two males who might have been annoying were quickly being tamed.

  “Checkers-take the green lady.”

  A dappled stallion trotted up, and managed to get Jfraya on his back.

  Chaz looked around. “Is that all?”

  “No,” Ghina called. She donned her red cloak so as to become partly visible. “I am a winged goblin girl from the red face.”

  “Chenille-take her.”

  A centaur filly trotted up, and managed to get Ghina aboard.

  “Now where is this mare?”

  “Across the tropical depression, toward the Blue Wizard's castle,”

  Forrest said.

  “We'll go around that.” The centaurs got moving, while their passengers hung on. Soon they reached Imbri. “Chicory, Chiffon, Chime, Chip,”

  Chaz said, and four more centaurs trotted up. “Chenille, sew a sling.”

  Ghina's filly brought out cloth, and with magical speed formed a sling suitable for a horse. The four other centaurs lifted Imbri onto it, then picked up the four corners, which had been fashioned into harnesses. These harnesses went over their heads and around their human torsos, so that they did not need to use their hands to hold on. They took up their positions and stretched the harness taut. Imbri was hauled into the air.

  “To the Gray border: march,” Chaz said. All ten centaurs set off in perfect step.

  They were on their way. But Forrest felt lighter; he and the others were paying a price for this invaluable assistance.

  “How is it that a red faun is traveling here?” Chalice asked him.

  “My companions and I are trying to carry out an important mission,” he explained. “Several of us are actually from another world.”

  Then, to divert her attention, he asked about her. “Where I come from, not all centaurs have magic talents. Do-”

  “Certainly. My talent is with pottery. I can fashion blue-brown clay into excellent utensils. The other centaurs have talent too. You saw Chenille's ability as a seamstress. Checkers has great ability with board games. Chicory is a herbalist. Chiffon can make things transparent. Chime is an excellent minstrel. And Chip can shatter objects. He's my foal,” she added proudly. “We discovered his talent at the expense of a vase.”

  Thus the time passed amicably enough. Soon they came to the edge. “You know, it's cold around the corner,” Chaz said. “Would you like warm garments?”

  Forrest looked at the bleak landscape beyond. “Yes, I think we had better have that favor too,” he agreed with resignation.

  In moments Chenille had made warm caps and jackets and trousers for all of them, including Imbri. The six members of their party were surely slightly smaller, because of this favor, and Chenille became the largest of the centaurs. “Thank you,” Forrest said.

  “You are all welcome,” Chaz replied. Then he produced a horn from his pack. “Here is a bull horn. If you return this way and need more favors, blow it.”

  “A bull horn summons centaurs?”

  “No. It summons bulls, of course. They graze at the bull market. But we will hear the stampede of their hoofs, and come to investigate. You would not want to ask favors of the bulls.”

  “Are bulls bad folk?”

  “No worse than the bears, generally. But these ones can be. Edi and Para Bull are all right, with their food and stories, but Stum is clumsy, Trem is fearful, and you wouldn't want to encounter Trou or Terri. You wouldn't believe Incredi Bull.”

  “Surely not,” Forrest agreed.

  They bid parting to the centaurs, and crawled over the edge onto the gray face. Immediately a chill wind rose, stirred by their presence, and blew snow in their faces. They were at a different angle here, but it was no better than the other angles; they were unable to walk. They could slide somewhat on the snow, which facilitated things, but this promised to be a difficult journey.

  “Do you think we could get more help traveling?” Forrest asked. “I fear we'll never make it, at this rate.”

  “I'm checking the snow,” Eve said. “But it's freshly fallen, and doesn't have much experience of this region.”

  “And there don't seem to be any living creatures or plants here,” Dawn said.

  So they slogged on. They found that they could slide Imbri across the snow, especially if they braced each other so as to get good temporary footholds. So progress improved. But it was still too slow.

  At last, as the day faded, worn out with the struggle, they had Jfraya open a door into an isolated cave. It was blessedly warm, and they were able to stand comfortably on the walls, but Dawn and Eve were doubtful.

  “There are mites,” Dawn said. “Stalag mites.”

  “And they stop anyone from using this cave,” Eve added.

  “Too bad,” Forrest said. “We need to rest here. We're protected by our clothing.” For all of them were wearing closely fitting jackets and pants that kept them warm despite the weather. They did not remove them right away, preferring to be sure the cave was safe.

  Forrest looked at the stone spikes hanging from the cave ceiling, and rising from the floor. “What are these called?”

  “Stalactites and stalagmites,” Eve said, touching them. “The first descend from the ceiling, and the second rise from the floor.”

  “How can we keep that straight?” Jfraya asked. “They sound so much alike.”

  Suddenly Forrest jumped. “Something bit my leg!” he said, trying to scratch at it through the tight trousers. It was not a problem he had had before, because he normally did not wear clothing on his tuffed lower half Then the twins jumped. “ooo!” Dawn cried. “Something bit my calf.”

  “And something bit my thigh,” Eve said. “It's the mites. They are crawling up under our tights.”

  Then all of them were jumping and trying to scratch.

  “We have to get them off,” Jfraya said, yanking down her own pants.

  Forrest turned away from her, as a matter of courtesy, but that turned him toward the twins, who were yanking down theirs. Their bare legs were astonishingly nice, but he tried not to notice. In any event he was busy pulling down his own, so as to be able to get at the biting mites.

  In two thirds of a moment all of them were bare-legged and scratching off the mites. Then Ghina managed to fill the cave with her sleep spell, and the remaining mites fell asleep and dropped off. However, the spell also affected the rest of them, though more slowly because they were more massive. So they lay down to sleep.

  The last thing Forrest remembered was Imbri's
dreamlet. “Now we know how to remember the stone columns,” she said. “when the mites go up, the tites come down.” He groaned and tried to forget it.

  After some time, he woke, and so did the others. The mites seemed to have given up, or maybe they remained stunned by the sleep spell. But it was time to resume travel. So they pulled their leggings back on, tightened their jackets, and braved the snow above.

  It wasn't as bad as they remembered it. It was worse. The snow had piled up until it was chest high on Forrest, and it was dense and hard.

  This promised to be absolutely awful.

  “Say,” Imbri said in a joint dreamlet. “Why can't we use the snow the same way as we do the cave walls?”

  The others turned to her, not understanding. But then she made a dreamlet picture, showing a path being trampled into the snowsidewise.

  So that five of them could walk on it, sidewise, and the sixth, Jfraya, could walk on the other side of it.

  Suddenly it made sense. Jfraya and Dawn held each other, their heads going in opposite directions, and used their feet to stomp banks of snow to either side. When they tired, Eve and Forrest tried it, she using her feet to stomp while using her hands to hold him in place so he could use his own hands to beat the snow into shape on the other side.

  It worked, to a degree: Imbri was able to walk on the sideways path, her body scraping the snow of the center. But it was too slow. They needed not merely to use the path quickly, but to make it quickly. So they simplified it. Since only Jfraya faced the other way, her path was for her alone, and she hardly needed it once she had made it. So she became a brace instead, stabilizing the others without wearing herself out.

  That allowed the others to take turns, with one tramping out the path while the others followed, walking normally.

  So their progress improved. Still, they had a long way to go, and the terrain was rough, and their time was limited. They needed to reach the Gray Wizard's castle by dusk, to be sure of their success. When they encountered steep hills, they were able to tramp their sidewise path more readily. When they came to a frozen lake, they slid rapidly across it. But as the day passed, it slowly became clear that they were not going to make it in time.