The Second Book of Lankhmar

over his breastbone, saying, "Wake up, Captain Fafhrd."
           The warmth of his skin surprised her, though not enough to make her think of fever.
           The smoothness of his skin truly startled her. It was shaved more closely than she'd thought possible, with sharpest eastern steel. Bending down just as the new-risen sun sent out a wave of brightness, she could see only the faintest copper-pink flecks as of fresh-scoured metal. Yesterday she'd noticed gray and white hairs among the red. He'd merited Gale's "Uncle" fully. But now — the effect was of rejuvenation, the skin looked babyish, fair as hers was. He continued to smile in his sleep.
           Fingers gripped him firmly by the shoulders and shook him.
           "Wake up, Captain Fafhrd," she cried. "Arise and shine!" Then, in an impish mood, irked by this smile, which now began to seem merely foolish and stupid, "Cabin-girl Fingers reporting for duty."
           She knew that was wrong as soon as she heard herself utter it, when in response to her shaking he reared up into a sitting position, though without opening his eyes or changing expression. Suddenly these things became frightening.
           To give herself time to think about the situation and consider what to do next, Fingers returned to fetch his robe from where she'd left it spread out on the wet grass back at the moondial. She doubted he'd want to be seen naked, and certainly not wearing his ladies' colors. Yet the sun was up and at any moment Gale, Afreyt, or some visitor might appear.
           "For although your ladies playing nuns had every right to mark you as their lover — seeing you'd been most free (I think) with all of them, that does not mean I have to go along with their naughty joke, though I do think it funny," the girl said as she came hurrying with his robe, speaking aloud because she thought he really did still sleep and wanted in any case to check upon this fact.
           In the interval she had jumped to the rather romantic conclusion that Fafhrd was in the situation of the Handsome Tranced One, a male equivalent of Sleeping Beauty in Lankhmar legend — a youth with a sleep spell on him that can be lifted only by his true love's kiss.
           Which at once suggested to Fingers that she convey the sleeping (and strangely transformed, even frightening) hero to the Lady Afreyt for the reviving kiss.
           After all, they had been introduced to her as lovers (and proper gentlefolk) except for Fafhrd's straying with the naughty nuns, which was the sort of straying to be expected of men, according to her mother's teaching. Moreover he'd been under all the strain of directing the search for his comrade Captain who'd slipped underground.
           Surely to bring Fafhrd and Afreyt back together would be a most proper return for all the courtesies they'd shown her, beginning with her rescue from Weasel.
           Back at the mushroom bed Fafhrd had made no further progress toward awakening. So she draped the sun-warmed robe around him, gently urging him by words and assisting movements to don it.
           "Arise, Captain Fafhrd," she suggested, "and I will help you into your robe and then to some shadowed and comfortable spot where you may have your full sleep out."
           When with some repetitions of this routine and patter she'd got him up (safely asleep on his feet, as it were) with his robe belted about him so his colorful honors were completely concealed — and a long look around showed they were still unobserved — she breathed a sigh of relief and set about to lead him back to Cif's house using the same methods.
           But they'd got no farther than the moondial when it occurred to Fingers to ask herself, Where's everyone?
           It was a question easier to ask than answer.
           You'd think after the second great weather change, every last soul would be out to see, soaking in the heat and talking about the wonder.
           Yet wherever you looked there wasn't a person to be seen or heard. It was eerie.
           All yesterday the digging for Captain Mouser had kept up a steady traffic between the diggings, the barracks, and Cif's place. Today no trace of that since Cif's departure by moonlight hours ago.
           It was as if Fafhrd's sleep spell were on everyone in Salthaven save herself. Maybe it was.
           And the somnambulistic spell on Fafhrd was a lot