"Anthony, Piers - Xanth 06 - Night Mare" - читать интересную книгу автора (Anthony Piers)

something else, such as a talking bird. If she should en-
counter him again, she would be much more careful.

She proceeded west and in due course located the pass.
And there, standing within it, was a man. He was of good
stature for his kind, with pale hair and skin, with muscle
on his limbs and handsomeness on his face in the humanoid
manner. Naturally no human person was as handsome as
a horse; that was another of the discomforts the human
species seemed to have learned to live with.

"I say, pretty mare," the man called when he saw her.
"Have you seen a runaway white stallion? He is my steed,
but he bolted. He wears my circlet on hissforeleg." And the
man held aloft his left wrist, where there was a similar
short circlet. There could be little doubt he was associated
with the horse.

Imbri projected a dreamlet; herself in woman form,
again garbed in black, her female parts carefully covered.
She did not want to scare off another creature! "I saw him
shortly ago, man, but he bolted from me, too. He ran in
this direction."

The man looked startled. "Is that you in my mind,
mare, or did I imagine it?"

"It is me, man," she said, continuing the daydream for
him. "I am a dream equine. I project dream visions to your
kind, but by day they lack the conviction they have at
night." She had not realized it before, but obviously there
was no qualitative difference between the dreams of night
and those of day. It was just that the conscious minds of
waking people were much less credulous, so the impact was
less. They could readily distinguish fancy from reality. But
the dreams remained excellent for communication.

"Ah. And did you project such a dream to my steed, the
day horse? No wonder he spooked!"

"I fear my visions can frighten creatures who are not
prepared," she projected, her woman image spreading her
hands in the human signal of gentle bewilderment. If only
she had been able to inspire such fright in her bad dream

Night Mare

17

duty! "I am the night mare Imbrium, called Imbri for