A Sudden Wild Magic

“Don’t be stupid! I’ve only told her the most general outline,” Amanda said with equal ferocity. A certain amount of guilt lay behind her fierceness. While she had not given Zillah any real details, she knew she had talked to her more than she should. It had been so hard, never telling David or the children anything about this other, hidden side of her life; and when Zillah came to live with them, who knew all about this hidden side, the relief of having someone to talk to had certainly led Amanda to say far more than was quite discreet. “I’ve told her almost nothing!” she snapped. “Far less than you did by babbling about windows at full Moon! And what do you mean about Gladys not listening to you?”

“That was a smoke screen, you idiot!” Maureen retorted. “Besides, she didn’t listen much.”

“But what about the attack-magic? It doesn’t matter how many teams you select, if they’re going to arrive in Laputa-Blish without anything to— And don’t you ever mention Laputa-Blish in front of Zillah again! All I’ve told her is that there are hostile magicians in the next universe. I haven’t said a word about where!”

Maureen shrugged. “I assumed you’d told her the lot. All right. You needn’t glare. And Gladys has got the attack-magic ready. She’s calling it virus-magic — that was Mark’s idea — and they’re both dead chuffed with it actually, and they say it’ll go through Laputa-Blish like wildfire as soon as it touches anyone there.”

“Good,” said Amanda. Both were cooling down a little. Both found themselves looking around and behind them. Their anger had been interacting with the delicate magics of the capsule. They could feel it building elemental things that could be disastrous. They smiled at each other, like bared teeth. “Well, let’s have a look at that list,” Amanda said.

“Okay.” Maureen plunged a hand into her pocket. Before she took the list out, she said, “I’m sending Flan Burke. I can’t really spare her, but I think the team needs her vitality. And I think Roz Collasso will have to go. I hate the woman, personally, but you can’t deny she’s got a strong character. Then Tam Fairbrother is a must—”

“Tam?” exclaimed Amanda. “He’s a man! It’s unlike you not to notice, Maureen!”

“Jesus, Amanda! You are a prig!” Maureen said heatedly. “We discussed it. I thought even you agreed that an all-male world is likely to have a fair share of gay men. I’m sending two of our best looking boys. Even you must have noticed that Tam is bloody good-looking!”

This was hopeless. Around them on the dim floor, dust was beginning to rise in little dancing fountains. Maureen’s copper hair and Amanda’s straight black locks were lifting, and there was a smell of ozone. “Maureen,” Amanda said decisively, “you’d better get into your car and trail us back to my house. We’ll discuss the list there. If we argue anymore here, this capsule’s going to be possessed.” And, so that Maureen should have no chance to argue, Amanda strode to the open door of the capsule, calling ringingly for Zillah.

“Sorry I spoke!” Maureen muttered, plunging her hand back into her pocket, where the typewritten list was already half-materialized. “Back into hiding for now. Mother knows best!”

Amanda took the wheel this time and drove slowly and considerately in front of Maureen — which probably made Maureen even madder than she was already, Zillah thought. Maureen drove a fast car, new and expensive. Zillah could tell she hated crawling. Zillah sat in the backseat of Amanda’s car, because Marcus seemed to want her there, and kept her thoughts carefully on Maureen raging in third gear behind. It served to push that curious, primitive piece of magic she had performed in the capsule right down to the bottom of her mind. It was necessary not to know about that, though she had no idea why. She wished that the sight of Maureen’s furious face could push the misery out of her mind too — but nothing did much for that. And I’m so sick of it! Zillah thought. I’d like to be shot of it for good, though that’s a sort of death, and not fair on Marcus. She found her mind repeating this. A sort of death. a sort of death. Anyway, back to Maureen. I think she’s a bitch. Swaggering into the warehouse and behaving as if she’s in charge of the whole operation. Thinks she’s plenty officer quality, doesn’t she? I can just see what it would be like if she really was in charge. Zillah let her mind run on this. It was better than thinking of death. Maureen strutting, sauntering, hitching her long, limber legs about, taking all the best men for her own use.

It was during this flight of fancy that the High Head of Arth made his routine, delicate contact. He smiled. Then he hooked Maureen’s boyfriend out of the ether and told him to get off his haunches and get to work on Maureen.

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