Zombie Lover (3 page)

She moved quietly on
 
She was getting tired, and hungry, but all she saw was some shortening, and she knew better than to eat any of that She didn't want to be any shorter than she was She would avoid largening too, neither food appealed to her Then she spied a variety of pie tree bearing mun danish, those were tasteless, boring pastries but she was used to them from her own term in Mundama, so could handle it
 
She picked several and chewed on them as she went Where could she go where the zombies could not1 Her mind was

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blank So Breanna just kept running, fearing that wherever she stopped, a zombie would close in on her What an awful mess she had gotten herself into' All because of that inviting bed in the pavilion

She was getting hot as well as tired The sun was glaring "I knon I was stupid1" she yelled at it Mollifed by her admission, the sun eased its glare

She came across a small village marked Norfolk Maybe someone here would help her "Hey, can you block off zombies9" she called to the nearest man, who was digging in a garden

He paid no attention Irritated, Breanna ran on to where a woman was washing clothing in a stream "Can you help me7" she asked But the woman didn't even glance at her

She came to the far edge of the village The sign there said You

ARE NOW LEAVING loNOREFOLK
  
GOOD RIDDANCE TO YOU

Oh, that was why they had ignored her1 She must have misread the first sign

A side stitch caught up with her The only way to get nd of one of those was to slow down until it zoomed on ahead, for they were speedy things When she slowed, Breanna's mind began to work a bit better She got an idea maybe the zombies couldn't go into the Region of Madness She could maybe hide there, it wasn't far away That was fortunate because she was getting too tired to continue much longer

There was a small patch of it north of the Gap Chasm, though its main mass was south That little patch should be plenty But what was the fastest way to it7 She wasn't sure, and didn't have much time But she saw a fully living man walking along, so she approached him "Hi1 I'm Breanna of the Black Wave "

He shook her hand "I am Ayitym I absorb one property of anything I touch " His skin turned dark, like hers

She wasn't certain whether he would be pleased or annoyed, so she didn't mention it "I'm looking for the Region of Madness I know it's close by but—"

"I don't want to go anywhere near that'" he exclaimed "It would make me mad " He hurried away

That wasn't much help But she saw another man, so approached him similarly "Hi I'm Breanna My talent is to see in blackness "

"I am Tyler I have a different talent each day "

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PIERS ANTHONY

She was impressed. "That must be some fun." "No it isn't, because I can't choose them, and they are small. Today I have the talent of growing warts on little toes. Do you want a wart?'1

Breanna's toes cringed. "No thanks! 1 want to find the Region of Madness. Do you—"

"Right that way," he said, pointing.

She changed course, and walked swiftly toward the nearest loop of madness. She knew its nature, because her girlish curiosity had led her to explore some of its fringes. It was really weird there, and she didn't care to get far into it. But maybe it would be worse for the zombies than for her. She hoped.

She spied a man walking the opposite way. He looked rather dazed. Beside him was an old small white dog who seemed less confused. The dog paused as they came together, looking up at her, showing a black left ear, and a curled furry tail.

"You look Mundane," Breanna said. "Hi. I'm Breanna." The man became aware of her. "I'm William Henry Taylor, and this is my daughter's dog 'Puppy.' I don't know what I'm doing here. I was just so sick, for so long—and suddenly everything changed." "I know how it is," Breanna said. "But I guess if Puppy found your way out of the madness, he knows where you're going. So maybe you should keep going that way."

"I suppose so." he agreed. "[ hope my daughter is all right." They went on.

Breanna felt a bit guilty for not trying to help him more, but she was afraid the zombies would catch up with her at any time, while they wouldn't bother Mr. Taylor.

She saw a ragged doll. But then it moved, startling her. "You're alive!"

"Not exactly. I'm Ricky. I'm a golem." "Oh. a doll who has been animated."

"More or less." He moved on before she could ask him to verify that she was going the right way to intercept the madness. But she was pretty sure she was close; the scenery was beginning to think about looking weird, and she had been meeting weird people.

She came to the fringe and plunged in. The weirdness closed in, and for once she welcomed it. Let the zombies try to orient on her

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magic, when it was overridden by the magic ambiance of this section.

Then, halfway satisfied that she just might maybe be safe, she dropped to the ground and rested. She was so tired that she fell almost immediately into a daze.

''Why child, whatever is the matter?"

Breanna looked up. There was Day Mare Imbri, her friend. Imbri had once been a night mare, but had gotten half a soul and turned too nice to handle the ugly job. Now she had become a tree nymph, and kept nice company with a tree faun. She was pure black; that was what had first attracted Breanna. What could be finer than a black mare? "Oh, Imbri! I'm in trouble,"

Imbri formed a dreamlet image of a pretty black young woman in a lovely black gown. She always knew how to relate. ' 7 can tell that, dear. I felt your emotion from afar. What trouble?"

"I did something ever so stupid," Breanna wailed. "I slept in the Pavilion of Love, and a zombie king kissed me. Now he wants to marry me."

"But didn't you see the sign?"

"I came to the bed just before dawn, from the other direction. I wasn't looking for any sign. I had been exploring all night, using my talent—and now the zombies are orienting on it to find me." That gave her an idea. "Say, maybe if I got rid of the talent, Xeth wouldn't be able to find me!"

"But you can't do that, " Imbri protested.

Still, Breanna had hold of a desperate notion. "I love my talent, but I hate being chased by zombies. If that's the price of my freedom, well maybe it's a necessary sacrifice. Can you take my talent and put it back where you found it?" For that was how she had come by it. Breanna had been born (not delivered) Mundane, and come to the land of Xanth with her Wave. No Mundane had magic. But the day mare had befriended her, and given her the talent she had found, and they had been friends ever since, all six months. So she was the only original Black Waver to have magic. The children who had been delivered (not born) since then did have black magic talents, but none of them were over six years old.

Imbri shook her head. ' 'No, I can't do that. You had better go to the Good Magician for an Answer.''

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PIERS ANTHOM

"But he charges a year's service for an Answer—and often it's so cr>ptic that it doesn t do much good anyway I'm too young to suffer through that'

'Ne\ertheless
 
I think it is \our best chance " 'He'll probably just tell me to accept my fate "

' // he does
 
it will surel\ be the correct course "

"But I'm desperate1 If that zombie catches me, he'll marry me and make me queen oi the zombies—and I'm only fifteen' It's a fate worse than death " That was literal, for zombies were made from dead people Death was bad enough, but to be forced to drag about alter death was surely worse And to have to summon the stork with a zombie—absolute ugh' She'd rather be chewed by a werewolf or sucked by a vampire any day

' / know this is awful, ' Imbn said 'But I can't take \our talent bac k

"Why not? I'm originally Mundane The magic can't stick to me very closely "

"/ am not free to explain

"But the zombies are after me1"

Imbn sighed "/ kno\\, dear, and it is indeed awful I am not sawng that I don t want to help \ou I am saying that I can't—and I can't tell \ou wh\

Breanna began to cry She was ashamed of herself for doing it, but just got overwhelmed

Imbri was just as sensitive to that as a man would have been, to the girl's surprise "Ma\be I can compromise

Breanna brightened
  
"You can9"

/ \\ill tell \ou what 1 can't tell \ou, m a dream—but then I must take back the dieam
 
So ^ou will not remember it "

' But how can that help me9"

' / can explain everything, in the dream, so \ou understand When \ou do and agree that \ou need to ask the Good Magician, ^ou will wake from the dream and remembei onh that when \ou knew the whole stor\, \ou agreed Then ^ou will be willing to do it, and know that I can t help \ou, though I want to "

This was almost as weird as the madness
 
But what did she have to lose7 "What if I don't agree9" she demanded That \\ould be dangerous

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Weirder yet Breanna knew Imbn was her friend, and trusted her So there had to be something But whatever could it be7 "Okay Give me the dream "

"First I will rehearse the sequence as \ou experienced it Then I will fill in the parts \ou did not see "

"Okay " Breanna was really curious now

The forest faded, to be replaced by a scene from Breanna's memory There she was, walking out from the Black Village, perturbed about the unreasonable restrictions her Mundanish parents still put on her Here she was, just fifteen, and still not allowed to date a boy and close the door Or to wander out into the distant forest alone They still treated her like a child

She wished she could go far away, and have some fabulous adventure, free from parental restriction Maybe even visit the shore, and see the sea She had heard of a city there called Attle, where rude creatures retorted "Attle be the day1" to any expression of ambition She'd love to tell off those creatures of Sea Attle She'd like to eat a sea-mint, and see whether it really stuck the mouth tight shut

She started to get angry Why couldn't she go and do these things> What right did anybody have to tell her no9 It made her so blankety mad'

She realized she was on a special path, with another path crossing it Oh—she had blundered onto a cross walk No wonder she had gotten so suddenly cross She stepped off it, and her temper subsided Still, she felt that some of her ire was justified It was high time that the Black Village started spreading out and interacting more with the rest of this magic land, which really had so much to offer

Then she saw the beautiful black horse "Oh, you lovely creature1" she breathed

Mare Imbrfs head turned "You can see mer' she asked in a dreamlet

"Of course 1 can see you' You're pure black You're the prettiest horse I ever saw May I pat you9"

"/ suppose, ij \ou want to " Imbn was plainly taken aback

Breanna approached She patted the mare on the shoulder "I didn't even know there were horses in Xanth," she said "Or are you a unicorn, with your horn hidden'"

"I'm a— well, it is complicated
  
'

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PIERS ANTHONY

"Oh, tell me!" Breanna pleaded.

"/ was a night mare for two hundred years, then a day mare, and now I'm a tree nymph, but I can assume mv old form when I want, and be solid, and make some dreams. My tree gives me that power. I forgot I was solid; that's why I thought you couldn't see me."