Titans of Chaos

He squinted and shrugged his huge shoulders, a grotesque rolling motion. "Phaethusa, you knowI've nothing against you. Believe me, I've got nothing against your kind. But the universe ain'tmine to take risks with. I'm going to have to attack, and I'll hurt you and your friends pretty badlybefore it's over, and you all getting yourselves killed is as much bad to me as if I let you go. Yousee? You see what I am saying?"

"Sir, I am not going to hurt the world, or let my people in Chaos hurt it. It is the only world Iknow. But I am going to be free, and so are my friends!"

"I just want your word on that."

"My... my word... ?"

"You're old enough to know what it means. You know what I am asking."

I spoke quickly, before Quentin or Colin could tell me not to do so.

And so I said, "I swear it."

He bent over and gripped the statue of Trismegistus with both hands.

Mulciber looked up. "And I decree you'll not survive what comes if you break that oath, not younor your friends neither. Agreed... ?"

I said, "As long as I am free, I agree."

Mulciber looked back down at the statue of Trismegistus. He looked quite grim, and wrinklescrumpled up his knotty face.

He spoke again: "Okay. You caught me at a busy time. Your good luck, I guess. Go. Take yourfriends. Get a medical kit from some of these bodies lying around the deck here. And if you everdecide you want that job after all, look me up. Okay?"

Fate and Freedom

The gray waves of the North Sea pitched and rolled the silvery boat, and a cold drizzling fogwoven with blowing snowflakes attempted to make us miserable as we shivered on the deck.

The attempt failed. Vanity's face was red with cold, and frost had gathered on the furry hem ofher parka hood, and snowflakes on her delicate eyelashes, but delight simply burned from her. Inone hand she held her champagne glass. The bottle was tucked into a lump of snow which hadgathered beneath the stern bench, since we did not have an ice bucket. Victor was solemn andglad; Quentin could not cease from smiling.

Victor raised his glass, and said in a voice that lacked its usual stern note: "It is too soon tocelebrate. The fate of death hangs over us, and we must proceed rigorously and logically. Theexperiment is still awaiting results." Then he forswore his words by taking a long sip of thebubbling, bright liquid.

Vanity hiccuped, and giggled, covering her nose with her mitten. "Nope! Here he comes.

Experimental results. He's looking for the boat."