Faun and Games (43 page)

faun into it?"

"Because the idea has to come from someone who doesn't know her talent.

Forrest pondered that.
 
All of them obviously knew Princess Ida well.

Even Imbri had known the Princess before.
 
Only Forrest himself hadn't

known her talent, though he had thought he did.
 
So only his own belief

in the success of his mission counted.
 
His ignorance had been his

greatest asset.
 
"So now I will succeed," he said slowly. "But what I

believe after this won't count, because now I know the true nature of

Princess Ida's talent."

"That's it," Grey agreed.
 
"But it is enough.
 
That assurance guarantees

not only your personal success, but the salvation of the whole human

complement of Ptero.
 
Until this point, we have had to face the prospect

of extinction."

Forrest was amazed, and not completely pleased.
 
"So I was sent here

because of what I didn't know, so that you could persuade me that I

could succeed, so that it would become possible for me to succeed,

thanks to Princess Ida, so that you could escape your fate."

"Oh, don't be so poopy about it," Dawn said.

"We'll make it up to you," Eve added.
 
Both of them inhaled.

"You will not!" Electra snapped.

They burst into mirth.
 
Even Forrest had to laugh at that.
 
The prospect

of working with them was beginning to seem not so bad.
 
At least they

were cheerful, and surely their talents were worthwhile.

"So now it seems we all know where we stand," King Ivy said. "We have no

better notion than you do how to proceed from here, but we will give you

any support you need."

"Thank you," Forrest said.
 
"I suppose I should consult with the girls

and see if we can develop any strategy for dealing with the margins."

"Sure, let's go to the bedroom right away," Dawn said brightly.

"I'll turn down the sheets," Eve agreed darkly.

"Girls!" Electra said severely.
 
"When I was your age, at least I had

some manners."

"Mom, when you were our age, you were married," Dawn said. "And

exploring tfle Adult Conspiracy."

"And in blue jeans, too," Eve added.
 
"While we wear dresses."

She spun about, causing her skirt to rise dangerously.
 
"Now it's our

turn, while we're lush and full."

"Of all the ages to be stuck in," Electra moaned.
 
"You're imposs'ble.

"Oh come on Mom," Dawn said.
 
"You enjoyed signaling the stork to order

us.
 
Admit it."

"Maybe the Tapestry room," Imbri suggested.
 
"If it's not being used. So

you can show us exactly where things are."

"Oh, we can do that without the Tapestry," Dawn said serenely, tugging

at her blouse.
 
Eve tugged at her skirt.
 
But this time King Ivy added

her glare to that of Electra, and the two decided to behave.

They went to the Tapestry room.
 
Forrest was almost afraid that he would

see himself lying on the bed there, but it was empty.
 
The four of them

sat on the bed, facing the Tapestry.
 
Forrest found himself flanked by

Dawn & Eve, their soft hips touching his.
 
He was uncomfortable, but

pretended not to notice.
 
He knew they were having innocent fun with

him, and didn't mean what they hinted.

"Can the Tapestry show the margins?" he asked.

"Sure," Dawn said.
 
She was usually the first to speak, and Eve the

last.
 
"There they are."

A pattern of lines appeared on the picture.
 
They crisscrossed the

valley, forming a giant circle.
 
Castle Roogna was in the center of the

portion that remained clear.
 
The lines extended out to the pun strips

that bordered the human territory, and stopped there.
 
None seemed to be

near the Good Magician's castle, however.

"So the attack is limited to the human region," Forrest said, trying to

proceed intelligently despite his continuing awareness of the maidenly

hips touching him.
 
He tried to think of the girls as the little ones he

had first seen, but it just didn't work; they were big girls now.

"Yes," Eve agreed somberly.
 
"Even the margins can't stand the puns.

"Imbri and I thought the pattern resembles a game played by invisible

giants," he said.
 
"Tossing knives."

"Oh, you're so smart!" Dawn exclaimed, nudging him.

He was determined not to be falsely flattered.
 
"Do you have invisible

giants here?"

"Sure," Eve agreed soberly.
 
"But they haven't done anything like this

before."

"In any event, they wouldn't have magic like this," Imbri pointed out.

"Who would have magic like this?"

"We don't know," Dawn said.

"Maybe an evil Wizard," Eve added.

"Not a Magician or Sorcerer?" he asked.

"We don't think there are any left," Dawn explained.
 
"So it must be

something non-human."

Forrest nodded.
 
"That makes sense to me."

Both girls turned their heads to look at him.
 
"You mean you're taking

one of our suggestions seriously?" Eve asked.

Forrest was taken aback.
 
"Shouldn't I?
 
You both know more about this

situation than I do."

"Nobody ever took us seriously before," Dawn said.

Forrest began to get a glimmer why they tended to misbehave. "I'm

supposed to advise you how to handle the marginalization.
 
I can't do

that if I don't take you seriously."

The two exchanged a glance, on either side of his face.
 
It brushed his

head, feeling like a caress.
 
"You'll actually pay attention to our

ideas?" Eve asked.

"Yes, of course.
 
What are they?"

"We think the Wizard must be hiding in the hills somewhere, in an ugly

castle, hating human beings because he's not pretty like us," Dawn said.

"And he's casting out margins to hem us in so we can't escape, so he can

destroy us all," Eve said.

" Then we should find him and stop him," Forrest said.
 
"But how?"

"You got through the lines," Dawn said.
 
"So maybe you can take us

through, so we can sneak up on him."

"But the lines are one way."

"We can't be sure of that," Eve said uncertainly.
 
"Maybe it just seems

that way."

"But if even Grey Murphy couldn't dent them-"

"We think maybe the Wizard is watching, and does something to strengthen

a margin when one of us approaches it, to make us think we are trapped

more solidly than we are," Dawn said eagerly. "Maybe if we could go to a

line without being noticed, we could get through it, or do something to

it."

"Well, if my blanket of obscurity helps-"

They clapped their hands in perfect unison.
 
"Let's try it!" Eve said.

"The worst we can do is fail."

"By all means," Forrest agreed, pleased with the progress they were

making.
 
The twins were no longer trying to distract him; they were

genuinely interested in the project.

They went downstairs and to the front gate.
 
There Forrest brought out

the canned blanket and invoked it.
 
Nothing seemed to happen, but he

proceeded with confidence toward the margins.

They stopped before the nearest line, which was red.
 
"When Imbri and I

came through, the lines were visible, but we couldn't touch them," he

said.
 
"But we didn't try very hard.
 
If your theory is right, we should

be very quiet and careful, because the spell of obscurity may not be

very strong.
 
I don't know how far out it reaches, so we should remain

closely grouped, too."

They clustered in close, the twins touching him on either side, but this

time they were not trying to tease him.
 
"It might also be that it's the

margins themselves that react when people approach," Dawn said. "So that

you got through because they didn't know you were challenging them."

"That makes even more sense to me," Forrest said.
 
"The lines are here

all the time, and if they have any awareness-"

"The inanimate does have awareness," Eve said.
 
"I can talk to it,

though not the way Grandpa Dor can.
 
I will try to fathom the nature of

the margins, if I am able to get close enough to make contact."

"You couldn't touch it, before?" Forrest asked.

"It was just a blank nothing," she said.
 
"I reached out my hand, and it

stopped as if meeting a wall, but there was nothing there.
 
I can tell

anything about anything inanimate, but this wasn't a thing, it was a

force.
 
I couldn't reach its substance, if it has any."

"Let's see if we can cross the line," Forrest suggested.
 
"Then let's

explore it from the other side.
 
But if we do succeed in crossing it,

don't make any exclamations of joy or victory, because that might

attract the attention of whatever brings down those birds who fly in. We

don't want to be trapped as they were."

The two girls shuddered together.
 
"We'll be very subdued," Dawn said.

"I'll go first," Forrest decided.
 
"Then you follow me, Dawn.
 
Then Eve,

then Imbri."

"But shouldn't someone remain on the other side, in case we are