Titans of Chaos

Your people, the Nameless Ones, can reach into Telchine skulls and rewire them. You could makehim love you with no help from me-and the fact you can do that, just by itself, whether I use theGreat Weapon or not, will kill your relationship."

I said, "I would never... never do anything... like that! It would be cheating!"

He grinned his charming grin and shrugged his feathery shrug. "Women are supposed todomesticate men. List the countries where they treat women like dirt, and then list the crude,warlike, and brutal countries. Same list, yes? So you sweet little dears cannot help your sweetlittle selves. You have to try to change men. Remember your sister, Circe? Women are like that inreverse. Turn pigs into human beings. But a man you can control is not really a man, is he? He's aboychild, not a paterfamilias."

By then Vanity and the boys were approaching, so there was no more time for talk.

The Surprise

I wish I could remember whose idea it was to split up in the shop after Archer left. It must havebeen mine, because I was the leader. I guess I am responsible for the decision, no matter whoseidea it was.

After seeing the boys all dressed up and handsome in their tuxes, the leader made the unilateraldecision that we really ought to visit the club down the street anyway.

I said to them, "The same problem exists now as before. As long as we are being hunted, weendanger humans by being near them. So we'll have to search for some spot remoter than theplanet Mars. Promixa Centauri might be nice!"

That was greeted by a choir of moans and groans. The troops were not eager for another long tripin an ancient Greek spaceship.

"But this is a victory, troops!" I said over the noise of dissent. "Sort of. The authority of Mavors isoverruled. We're not out of the woods yet, but now getting out of the woods is possible. Archerwas not willing to stop other fates already in motion, but no new ones will be set against us. If weever, by our own efforts, get free from the gods, they cannot now simply decree that we'll becaught again. In other words, we still have to find some way to sever the bond between me andBoggin, or deceive Mestor's needle, but once that is done, Phoebe or someone else will not andcannot just predestine us to be found again. The game is still on, but now the playing field is level.

"So how about one last night of celebration before we leave? We're all dressed up, or, at leastVanity is"-I had not even tried on the dress I picked out-"so who wants to go dancing?"