Zombie Lover (4 page)

Breanna was intrigued. "Did you have a night foal?"

"Not yet. But maybe now that I'm solid, it will happen. I would settle for whatever 1 could get,'"

They talked, and soon Breanna told Imbri all about herself too. Then they parted, but agreed to meet again, for they liked each other. It seemed that girls and horses were attracted to each other just as strongly in Xanth as in Mundania.

A week later Mare Imbri asked Breanna if she would like a magic talent. "Oh, yes, I'd love it!" Breanna exclaimed, liking this mental game.

"If you could have any talent you wanted, what would it be?"

Breanna thought for a long time—at least a minute. "Not a big one, not a small one. One that's me. Only I don't know me well enough yet."

"What about the ability to conjure any kind of seed?"

"I suppose that's okay, but I'm no gardener. I'd rather change the world."

' 'Or perhaps the ability to choose the breed of your future children.

"Future children! I'm only fifteen. I don't want to even think of having children until I'm an ancient old woman of twenty five."

"What about transformation of the inanimate?"

"I already have enough trouble with living things. Why should I want to mess with dead things?"

"Then maybe the power to create a small void?"

That was tempting. "Like the big Void, only under my control?" But in half a moment she reconsidered. "No, it would be too dangerous. I might forget and sit in it, and be half-reared."

Mare Imbri considered. "How about the ability to project a spot on a wall?"

"A black spot? Maybe, but spot-on-the-wall talents are a dime a dozen."

"This is a special spot. It's actually a picture. It improves with time, getting larger and more detailed, until it is a very nice image. "

ZOMBIt LOYfcR
        
25

"Maybe so. but its not me."

"Hearing from a distance?"

"That's not me either."

"Then perhaps the ability to conjure a gevser at any spot?"

That was intriguing. But a moment's thought dampened it. "Still not me. What would I do with all that spouting water?"

Imbri swished her tail. One might almost suspect she was becoming a smidgen impatient. "What would you consider to be you?"

Breanna had worked out her answer, "To see in blackness. That would be ideal."

' 7 think I have found a talent like that. I want you to have it.''

Breanna laughed. "But talents don't just lie around waiting for folk to take them! You have to be born—I mean, delivered with them."

' 'There are many kinds of magic in Xanth. Come with me, but don't tell anyone what you see.

"I promise," Breanna agreed, intrigued. Of course she couldn't get any magic talent, but just imagining it was fun.

"You will have to ride me," Imbri said. "It's some distance."

Breanna was delighted by the prospect. "Okay. But though I love horses—especially black ones—I'm not an experienced rider."

"There will be no problem. "

So Breanna climbed onto Mare Imbri's back, and the horse took off. She galloped somewhat faster than the wind, seeming to pass right through trees, and the girl was entirely at ease, not even close to falling off. That was part of the magic of it. Sometimes they even seemed to be flying through the air.

Still, she had a doubt to work through. "Do some talents lie around, waiting for folk?"

"In a manner. For example, there's the C Tree. Its seeds do mar-velous things. If you need a lot of water, you can invoke a C big enough to sail a ship on. Or you could put a C on your eye and C much farther than before. Or if you are afraid of failure, you can put a C seed in \our mouth and suck-seed.''

"I C," Breanna said. "I mean, I sea—er, see. But that's not the same as a talent, because you are using something else."

' 'The right C might give you the talent of C-ing better than ever.

Breanna shrugged. "I suppose so. Though if I tried to hide one in my bosom, it might C too much. I'd rather have an innate talent."

Then, suddenly. Mare Imbri stopped. They were in a towering cas-

26
     
PIERS ANTHONY

tie As Breanna slid to the ground, amazed, the loveliest woman she had ever seen appeared Her hair was long and pleasantly greenish and the rest of her would make a professional model jealous "Hello, Breanna." she said "I am Chlorine This is my friend Nimby " She gestured behind Breanna. and when Breanna turned, there was a huge dragon with a silly donkey head Breanna started to giggle, but managed to stifle it down into half a peep

"Nimby would like to share your dreams," Chlorine said "Is that all right with you7"

"You mean, this dragon will appear m my dreams9" "Not exactly
 
He will merely watch "

"Well, whatever, it's okay with me My dreams aren't much " "Thank you," Chlorine said

Then Breanna was riding on Imbn again, back the way they had come She wasn't quite sure how that had happened, but dreams did tend to be discontinuous, so she wasn't concerned

What did concern her was the lateness of the hour She realized that the day had passed without her noticing, and darkness was closing "I'll be late getting home," she said "I'll catch heaven " There were times she needed to swear, but that could get her into trouble, so she substituted words

"There will be no trouble," Imbn's dreamlet image said "Look around you

Breanna looked—and realized that she could see everything
 
She

could see in blackness'

That was the beginning of her wonderful private life She never told anyone else about her visit to the mysterious castle with the beautiful woman and ugly dragon, or about her brand new talent The castle scene was probably just a daydream, but the talent was delightfully real

"That's the way it was," she agreed as the memory dream ended "You, or maybe your tnends, found the talent for me But why can't I give it back?"

A new dream formed This was of Imbn, grazing by a clog tree Near it was a sandalwood tree, where a faun danced and played pan pipes
  
Then Imbn changed to nymph form and went to tousle the taun's hair, and he patted her pert bare bottom
  
Obviously the two got along well

ZOMBIE Lo\tR
     
2/

A dragon appeared—the one with the silly donkey head
  
On its back was the fair Chlorine They stopped before the faun and nymph "Nimby wants to dream," Chlonne said

"Dragons can dream," Imbri replied

"But demons don't "

"Demons7" the faun asked

"Yes, Forrest
 
Will you keep a secret7"

Forrest and Imbri glanced at each other "/ think \\e had better ' Imbri said

"Nimby is really the Demon X(A/N)lh "

Both faun and nymph laughed, thinking this a joke Then the dragon transformed into a huge glowing demon figure, and the scene turned inside out After a moment the scene returned to normal, with the dragon back There was no further laughter

"You are the expert on dreams, Imbri," Chlorine said "Can you teach Nimby to dream7 By himself, without having to view it as done by mortals9"

Imbn was plainly awed "/ don't know No demon has e\ei dreamed The\ don't have the mortal coil? for it The} don't know what living emotions are So there's nothing for dream1* to fi\ on '

"Living emotions," Chlonne said thoughtfully
 
"Like love7 '

"Yes, that especially Demons think lo\e is silh Of course Nimby—" She framed the word with a peculiar emphasis now that she knew what it signified "Nimb\ is not just am demon So pos-sibl\—"

"Nimby loves
 
He learned it from Mundanes, among others '

"Oh Then ma\be he should start lo learn dreaming fiom Mundanes too They are less complicated than magical creatures If he could follow the dreams of one, perhaps a \oung one he might be able to pick up the essence I can't deh\ er a dream to one who doesn : know how to do it It's like lo\e \ou can't accomplish it until \ou learn how " Imbri glanced at Forrest Faun, and a little heart flew across to bop him on the nose He smiled

"The Mundane family we know returned to Mundama,' Chlonne said "Fresh Mundanes are hard to come by "

"/ know one, " Imbri said "She has been m Xanth almost half her life, but she remembers Mundama "

"Bring her here "

28
     
PIERS ANTHONY

"But is it wise to let a Mundane know Nimby's true nature?" "It isn't wise to let anyone know Nimby's true nature," Chlorine said firmly. "We have told you only because we need your informed

help."

"Make her a deal.1' Forrest Faun suggested. "Give her what she most wants, if she will share her dreams with you."

"What would she want?" Chlorine asked.

"What would any Mundane want?" the faun asked rhetorically. "A magic talent, of course. Don't tell her who Nimby is, just make

the deal."

Chlorine looked at Nimby, who wiggled a long ear. She returned to Imbri. "Bring her to the Nameless Castle."

Imbri resumed mare form and galloped swiftly away. Chlorine mounted Nimby, and both vanished. Forrest waved at the space where they had been, and retired to his sandalwood tree.

The scene faded. Breanna was back in her regular daydream, facing Mare Imbri. "Now you know how you came by your talent. The Demon gave it to you, in exchange for sharing your dreams.''

"But I haven't seen that dragon in any dream," Breanna protested.

"He merely watches without interfering. If he disturbed your dreams, they would no longer be innocent. It has been effective; he is slowly learning how to dream on his own. But it would be impolitic to renounce the deal now.''

"Well, he can keep sharing, if that's what he wants," Breanna said, though she felt more than a smidgen queasy about having such a creature there. Some of her dreams were rather personal. "Just take

back the talent."

"Demons don't work that way. He would not feel free, if he voided the talent. In anv event, it's not smart to jostle any demon, and especially not this one. He has more power than all of Xanth put together. In fact the whole of the magic of Xanth is merely the incidental leakage from his body, in much the way heat leaks from mortal bodies. It is best to stay entirely out of his notice, if at all possible, like a flea on a dragon. Chlorine interprets for him, so that the mere power of his attention does not obliterate much of the surrounding landscape. So it is best by far to let things be as they are—-for all of

us.''

"But he is already noticing me. if he is sharing my dreams,"

ZOMBIF Lovf-R
      
29

Breanna said.
 
"And now that I know his nature, how can I avoid noticing him?"

"Precisely. That is why you must not know. Your dreams must continue as they have been. He observes them with onl\ a fraction of his attention, and that won't change if \ou don't change.''