Titans of Chaos

Trismegistus laughed. "I can circle the equator five laps in the time it takes you to throw yourspear at me. Oh, I am sure you could beat me, if I stood still long enough for you to snail on upand poke me. But why should I?"

"Here's why."

Mavors unslung a shield from his back and held it up, and yanked off a cover or cloak he hadthrown over it. At least, I assume it was a shield. It was round. I could not make out what was onthe shield, but it was something that wiggled like a spider.

Mavors said, his words marching out without inflection, 'The other members of your group soldyou out. Lady Wisdom asked for amnesty. She's the one who made me promise I'd ask you to giveup peacefully. Remember her? Tritogenia? She's the one who carries the shield of the Medusa. Shelent it to me so I could get you. Even you can't run faster than you can see."

The shadows representing the Laestrygonians all suddenly stood stock-still. Frozen in place.

The pale shadow representing Trismegistus turned all dark and grainy in my vision the momentMavors held up the shield. He fell out of the air. When he crashed to the deck, I recognized thenoise. Stone. Trismegistus had been turned to stone.

His own men, too. Mavors had petrified platoons of his own people, just to get the shot atTrismegistus. Cold bastard.

Mulciber must have thought so, too, because he said, "As we agreed, you put that damn thingaway now. I thought you were going to call out a warning, let us cover our eyes, eh?"

Mavors did not say anything, but his silhouette seemed to be tense, ready. Perhaps he wasweighing in his mind his chances against Mulciber. The giant golem Mulciber was in had turretsfor sixteen-inch guns, loopholes for other weapons, decorating the crenellations of its massiveepaulettes and chest plate.

Mulciber said, "Come on, now. As we agreed. Sure, you can't be afraid of my little toy here, areyou? Put away the shield, and I won't shoot you."

A winged figure dropped from the sky and landed behind Mavors. I felt a cold breeze, as if arefrigerator door had just then opened.

I heard Boggin's voice: "My lords, while duly acknowledging the presumption, indeed, I amtempted to say, the disrespect, which may, in some less generous minds, be attributed to myhumble words, while lords as august as yourselves are debating the most efficient...efficacious?...