Part 13 (1/2)
”Your talent is, as I remember, voice projection. Could that be entertaining?”
”Why, I suppose it could,” he said, startled.
”And perhaps I will be able to provide interesting information.” She glanced at Unpun. ”But I'm not sure what-”
”He is covered,” Justin said quickly.
”I am?” Unpun asked.
”To be sure. Now how can we find a centaur?”
”I understand it is merely necessary to announce your desire to trade.”
Justin shrugged. He faced the blue mist and spoke loudly. ”We are three visitors to Ptero who would like to exchange favors with centaurs. One of us is a zombie.”
Suddenly there was the sound of the beating of hooves. Three centaurs galloped out of the north. They came to a halt before the visitors. ”Shall we exchange introductions?” the male inquired.
”By all means. I am Justin Tree, this is Princess Ida, and this is Unpun Zombie. We are from Xanth proper.”
The centaur nodded. ”I am Ca.s.saunova Centaur, this is Ca.s.saundra Centaur, and this is Catarrh Zombie Centaur.”
”Those are interesting names,” Justin said.
”I have the ambition to be every filly's lover, but lack the ability,” Ca.s.saunova said.
”And I have no power of prophecy, but others think I do,” Ca.s.saundra said.
”I lost my talent when I became a zombie,” Catarrh said. ”It was not a nice one anyway.”
Justin decided not to inquire. ”We wish to go to the pun-kin patch. Can you convey us there?”
Ca.s.saunova glanced at the other centaurs. ”We can, but would prefer not to. That is in one of the worst of the comic strips. The puns are ferocious.”
”They would be,” Justin agreed. ”Nevertheless, we must go there. Our mission is rather important.”
Ca.s.saunova turned to Ca.s.saundra. ”Do you foresee a problem?”
”There you go again!” she exclaimed. ”I have no power of-”
”I'm sure he meant it figuratively,” Justin said quickly. ”He does not wish to make an exchange of favors that might cause you distress.”
”Exactly,” Ca.s.saunova agreed as quickly.
”Oh.” Ca.s.saundra seemed momentarily fl.u.s.tered. ”No, no problem other than distaste. The puns are so thick there it's hard to avoid stepping on them. Have you ever had to sc.r.a.pe a squished pun off your hoof?”
”I'm sure it's a horrible experience,” Justin said. ”But as it happens, our mission relates. We may be able to commence alleviation of that situation.”
She glanced sidelong at him. ”You seem to be a fair hand at expression.”
”That has on occasion been intimated.”
She glanced at the other two centaurs. ”Let's do it. They should be interesting to converse with.”
Ca.s.saunova nodded. ”Turn we now to negotiation. We offer to transport the three of you rapidly to the pun-kin patch. What favors do you offer in return?”
”A modic.u.m of entertainment, perhaps,” Justin said, projecting his voice so that it seemed to emanate from behind the centaurs.
All three turned to look, but of course there was nothing there.
”My talent is projection of my voice,” Justin said, this time projecting it to a spot over their heads. ”I thought it might amuse you.” Then he made a dirty sound behind Catarrh's tail, and an ugh sound from before Ca.s.saunova's face, as though he had spoken it.
The male centaur smiled. He of course had no foibles about natural functions, but appreciated the humor. ”I will carry you, if you continue that entertainment while we travel.”
”Agreed.”
”You act as if something funny occurred,” Unpun said sourly.
”It did,” Ca.s.saundra said.
”Oh. Thank you for informing me.”
The filly turned to Ida. ”You strongly remind me of someone. Have we met before?”
”Have you encountered a woman with an orbiting moon?”
”Not directly, but I do know of one. But her moon is in the shape of a foursided pyramid. Yours is spherical.”
”That would be that version of me who exists on this world. I understand that each version has a satellite of different shape.”
”That surely accounts for my thought,” Ca.s.saundra agreed. ”What favor are you prepared to exchange for transport?”
”I thought I might provide information on the relation between Ptero and Xanth.”
”We already know that Ptero is a derivative of Xanth,” the centaur said. ”We are the souls of all creatures possible.”
Ida nodded. ”Perhaps I have no information of interest to you. I had not antic.i.p.ated this, because I had never expected to be on this world. I had no ideas about partic.i.p.ating in it.”
Ca.s.saundra considered. ”I wonder whether your moon can help. It is of course the soul of our own world, Ptero; we normally are unable to see it as a sphere. It is responsive?”
”Why, I don't know,” Ida said, as her moon hid behind her head. ”On Xanth it is, but there it is this world. I don't know how perfectly its soul duplicates the original.”
”Surely as competently as our souls duplicate our larger existences,” Justin said.
”Let's find out,” the centaur said. ”Soul-Ptero, come forward.”
The moon swung hesitantly to the centaur's side.
”Do you emulate your larger self perfectly?”
The moon bobbed up and down.