Part 17 (1/2)
The Black Adept skied up on his black-line skis. ”Do thou do it now!” he called to Flach.
Flach realized that he was referring to the transformation Green had spoken of. He sang his spell: ”In co'er o' fog, exchange with dog.”
Vapor appeared, hiding him. Suddenly he was in the form of one of the icedogs-and the dog was in the form of the man Flach had appeared to be. The dog was bound by the form, unable to leave the sledge-but it was a good place to be, next to Icy.
Then the green fireball sailed up and exploded. Light blinded them all. But in a moment, as Flach and the demons and dogs blinked back their sight, the hot gas vents were gone. Green, the Adept of fire, had taken charge and suppressed them.
”Go on through!” the Black Adept called. ”Before the jets resume!”
Icy called to the milling dogs, and they re-formed their lines and forged forward. Flach was one of the loose dogs, running beside the sledge. He saw Icy speak to the man-image beside her, then her surprise as she realized that something had changed, for the image barked in response.
Icy, absolutely no dummy, glanced across at Flach. He nodded his head. She nodded hers, catching on. She pursed her lips in a farewell kiss. Then she turned back to the figure on the sledge, treating it as a companion, while Flach ranged outward as if searching for new threats to guard against. He was glad she understood; with two other Adepts along, and an ambush awaiting them, she knew that he had to hide again. Perhaps he had been foolish to let her know about his change of form, but he thought she would help cover for him, and he didn't want her believing that he was captured with the others. It was his hope that beneath her humor and games she really did care for him a little. That hope would sustain him for a long time.
The group went to the White Mountains-and the ambush was sprung. Icy had just directed the dogs to skirt a bank of fog, because she did not trust fog in this cold. It might be natural ice-fog, or it might be more hot venting. But before they could clear it, it abruptly expanded, and armed men stepped out of it, forming a semicircle around the sledge. This might be the realm of magic, and the demons might be made of ice, but they knew immediately that they were helpless before this enemy. The men were armed with flame-throwers, the most deadly mundane weapon here.
The Purple Adept stepped out of the fog. ”We have tracked you three, and now have you. An any resist, we shall torch the snow demons here and take him anyway; we have set a spell to snare any who try to use magic to flee. What shall it be?”
”Thinkst to employ my specialty 'gainst me?” the Green Adept said scornfully. ”I can douse those flames, or turn them against thee.”
”An thou dost, thy family pay,” Purple said evenly. ”And thine, Junior Adept,” he added, looking at the figure beside Icy. ”We have all in tow.” He looked at the Black Adept. ”And we can cut thy line: a Hectare missile be oriented on thy castle. But the Hectare be indifferent, and will harm none not who resist them not.”
”Thou dost come too late,” Black said. ”We have planted the Magic Bomb where none can retrieve it.”
”About that we shall see,” Purple said. ”Now, submit yourselves to Hectare power, and it be done.”
Green shrugged. ”Methinks this be not the end o' this.” But the two Adepts went with Purple. Now a Hectare saucer-s.h.i.+p came into view within the fog. This trap had been thorough!
When the two of them, and the man-figure beside Icy, stood with Purple, the snow demons were freed. ”Go, maid o' ice, and tell thy folk to a.s.sociate not again with enemies o' the power that be,” Purple cried.
The harnessed dogs scrambled away, hauling the sledge, and the loose ones ranged beyond them, resuming their guard duty. Flach knew he had escaped; by the time Purple discovered his error, it would be too late to do anything about it. He was just one dog, coming into the mountains where thousands were, and no snow demon would betray him.
He hoped Icy did well in her quest for a suitable match. He rather thought she would, now.
9 - Play
The Brown Adept knew it was further folly, but she was quite taken with Tsetse. The woman was beautiful and obliging, and made a perfect servant and companion. Perfect except for the fact that she was a creature of Citizen Purple's, his former mistress and surely still his spy. It would be her job to watch Brown and report on any deviance. So she could not be trusted.
Yet what did it matter? Purple had finally fathomed Brown's secret, and required her cooperation with the Hectare invaders on pain of the revelation of that shame. His cynical ploy of a.s.signing a woman who had been the mistress of both a man and a woman demonstrated his complete contempt for Brown. He was happy to facilitate her shame, binding her yet more closely to his fell cause. Brown understood this, but was helpless against it.
Tsetse herself was innocent, being genuinely relieved to have a compatible a.s.signment instead of whatever other horror Purple might have visited on her. She wanted very much to stay here at the Brown Demesnes, and eagerly did anything Brown asked. There really wasn't much that needed doing, other than going into Proton to check the affairs of Citizen Brown, who of course wasn't a Citizen any more. She much preferred the isolation of the wooden castle. So Tsetse's availability for that was nice. If she reported to Purple at the same time, what of it? Brown had never been under any illusion on that score.
But Tsetse as a companion was a temptation it was hard to resist. Tsetse knew the ways of love with either s.e.x, but preferred female. She had made it clear that such a thing would be no sacrifice at all. What was Brown to do?
For days she had stewed over this question, appreciating the horrific nicety of the trap Purple had set for her. If she got friendly with Tsetse, then Tsetse would become a hostage in a way that Brown could not. One Adept could not truly hurt another by magic; some inherent magic in the position of Adept seemed to nullify their efforts against each other. Brown had kept Purple and Tan prisoner, but had not tried to hurt them; now Purple had reversed the ploy, and was making no direct move against her. Of course the Hectare could have her killed, but it was already evident that they preferred to use native talent when they could, and that Purple had promised them to obtain her cooperation. So Purple was working on her-and if she made it too plain that he was getting nowhere, then the Hectare might do it their way.
Brown did not want to die, but neither did she want to betray her friends. She did not know which way she would go, if put to a straight choice between those alternatives. She could only hope it would not come to that. But that hope had never been great, and was diminis.h.i.+ng as she saw how methodically the Hectare were consolidating their hold on the planet. Already all but five Adepts were captive, and the hunt was on for those. Clef they would not catch, but the others...
Tsetse hurried up, looking elegant in the temporary robe Brown had given her. ”Brown, there's something in the storeroom!” she exclaimed. ”I heard it!” She used her native speech, and Brown used hers, and there was no problem between them on that score.
”Surely not,” Brown said in a businesslike manner. ”But needs must we check it.” She hoped it was a certain thing, but did not feel free to speak of it. She walked to the golem storeroom with Tsetse.
Inside were the inactive golems, and the guidebot that had brought Tsetse here. ”Thou dost see, all be in order,” she said. ”It must have been a mouse. They do get in, and I have not the heart to trap them.”
”But it sounded like a machine!” Tsetse protested. ”I heard it from outside, and it frightened me.”
”Well, there be one machine here; I had forgotten.” That was a lie, but a necessary one. ”The guidebot that brought thee here; perhaps it were restless.”
”Maybe you should send it back,” Tsetse said doubtfully.
”Yes, surely I should! Unfortunately I have no ready conveyance for it, unless I have a large golem carry it.” She reflected briefly. ”Yes, that may indeed be best. Why dost thou not go and fix us something to eat, while I ready a suitable golem?”
”Certainly!” Tsetse agreed readily, and hurried off.
Brown walked around the chamber, looking at golems. Then she came to the guidebot as if to check its size. ”Why didst thou return?” she inquired quietly.
”Mach said you did not betray me,” the machine replied as quietly. ”Though you did recognize me.”
”Of course I betrayed thee not, thou darling child! Thou knowest I support thy grandfather, as I always have.”
”But Purp will make you,” Nepe said. ”I know how.”
Brown stiffened. ”Thou knowest?”
”I must ask you to do something awful,” Nepe said, retaining her form as the guidebot. ”My father asks.”
”What dost thou know?” Brown demanded, hoping it was something else.
”Brown, not all of us are conservative like Grandam Neysa. We don't care how you live; we know you're a good person. But we need your help, and you can do it if you can stand to. It would really make a difference.”
Brown realized that the child did know. ”What dost thou want?”
”Do what Purp wants.”
”What?” Brown was horrified.
”Go with Tsetse. Let him blackmail you. Do whatever he says. But don't tell on me.”
”Betray thy grandfather-to help thee?” Brown asked, appalled.
”Brown, they've nabbed Black and Green, but their mission was accomplished. The Adepts covered for Flach, so we could escape. Now it's just Mach and me, and he'll give himself up to save me. But we need your help to get Purp out of the way.”
”Thou'rt going after Purple?” Brown asked, amazed.
”In a way. I'd like to wipe him out, but we can't afford to waste our effort doing that. So we're just going to punish him a little, and keep him occupied.”