Titans of Chaos

For a moment, I was confused about what I was seeing. Two bathing-beauties in skintightcatsuits, carrying whips? It sounded like one of Colin's earlier wishes had come true.

Neither wore makeup. The only ornament I saw was a gem, the size and shape of a crystal marble,riding atop the black helmet of the warrior-babe on the right.

I skidded to a halt.

The horses turned narrow heads to look at me. Each horse had a metallic blue orb, like a thirdeye, shimmering and throbbing in the center of its forehead. A cyclopes-eye.

With the precision of machines, the two beauties dropped their reins; each one tucked her ridingcrop away, drew a streamlined glittering rifle from a holster built into her saddle and shoulderedthe weapon, and took aim.

At me.

The one on the left spoke in a soft, unemotional tone: "Leader! Target identification?"

For a moment, I thought she was talking to me.

The one on the right measured me with cold eyes. Her voice was also soft and cool: 'ThePhaeacian. Use the anti-psychic shell, medium charge."

There was a double click as both women chambered a round.

At the same time I shouted, "Wait-! Don't shoot!" another voice, Lamia's voice, issued from thecrystal marble (which had swiveled in its socket to look at me) the leader wore on her helmet. Thisvoice said, "Wait-! Hold your fire! That's not-"

The women must have been confused, and thought that only I was speaking. Had I been silent,they would have heard, and no doubt obeyed, the command not to fire.

I did not hear any noise from the weapons. A dull vibration passed through my body as I wasflung back by the force of the shots against a tree by the side of the path. My head lolled, wildlytwisted more than 180 degrees backwards against my spine. With my remaining eye, the last sightI saw was the bloody stump of my arm, flying up, hanging in midair, surrounded by red dropletsand white bone fragments.

Strange that I did not hear anything.

Sister, it was for this purpose you were sent into the hells of time: the indebtedness of your murdertriggers now my spell With my moly wand I transform you from this shape to a new shape thatunlocks the messages buried by the dreamlord Morpheus into your hidden soul and imprinted byArgyron of the Telchine into your nervous system. You will hear this only during a momentbetween life, when you are not properly in the Cosmos, and free, if only at that moment, from themeddling of fate, surrounded by silence far from the endless noise of crystal heavens turning.