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.''
Now Breanna understood. "1 guess you're right. 1 can't give my talent back. So I'd better just go see the Good Magician."
"Yes. He always does deliver, and the deals folk make with him are always worth it, even if they don't think so at the time."
Breanna sighed. "Okay. I agree. Take back the dream."
She came out of her reverie. She knew that she had just had a phenomenal dream, and learned something that shook the very foundation of Xanth. but she couldn't remember what it was. Only that now she knew that it made sense to keep her talent and go to see the Good Magician Humfrey for some other solution to her problem with the zombie king. She had agreed to relinquish the dream; she remembered that much.
"Sleep here," Mare Imbri's dreamlet image said. "/ will keep watch for the zombies, and advise you if they come.''
"But don't you have to go home to Forrest Faun? I'll bet you had to censor that dream with him in it to avoid violating the Adult Conspiracy."
"Of course. But I can remain with vou for a while. Forrest understands, and so does my tree. When night comes, you can go to the Good Magician's castle. You will be able to avoid the zombies, because you can see better in blackness than they can. I would carry you there myself, but it's too far from my tree. I have substance only within a certain range of my tree, for it is what provides that for me. But I will help guide you and warn you, in my soul-mare form, and you will get there safely.''
"Thank you." Breanna said. She felt better about the prospect, though she didn't know why. Then she lay down and slept.
2
WE THREE KINGS
o
h, you're going to get it!" the floor said. "Queen Irene is looking for you."
_ "Then maybe she had better find me," King Dor replied, unperturbed. He was used to being addressed impertinently by various things, because that was his magic talent: to talk to the inanimate, and have it answer. Such things tended not to be very smart, but they were observant. "Where is she?"
"Do I look like the Book of Answers?" the nearest wall demanded flatly. "How should I know?"
Dor rephrased the question. "When did you last see her?" "Ten minutes ago." The inanimate did have to give a straight answer if it had it, when he asked directly. "What direction was she going?" "Toward the library."
He went to the castle library. Queen Irene was just watering the flame vine she had growing there, to make light for reading. It was curled in a rising spiral, with hot little leaves, and the flower on the end was a ball of rose-like petals of red flame. Unfortunately it hated water, so tried to burn anyone who watered it. Irene was the only one who could do it, and it wasn't always easy. The plant wasn't smart enough to realize that its roots needed water if it was to survive.
"Need any help, dear?" Dor inquired. His wife's talent was growing plants, and she could make anything grow to any size in a hurry. But that did not necessarily make the plants tractable.
Irene turned to glance at him.
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