Titans of Chaos

Quentin said gently to Colin, "It was well for you that I did. Now then, give me the ring. As soonas the stars are right, I can cast the spell to confound the fate that allows the Master of the NorthWind to find her, and let her wear the ring while the spell takes hold. Gyges' ghost will blind eventhe senses used by Boreas to find her."

In the other room, the fireplace swung open on hidden hinges, and Victor and Vanity came outfrom the secret passage. Victor was also carrying an Amazonian-style weapon he had constructed.

I could see, in the secret room beyond, the slab on which the two duplicates of me Victor hadmade or grown were resting; one was dressed in my San Diego evening dress, the other in my redbathing suit.

Vanity's eyes were round and wide.

"Wow! I cannot believe you just let him kiss you!" And she marched up to Quentin and slapped hisface.

"Ouch." He said mildly, "May I ask what that was for?"

"You are staring at her breasts!"

He offered her the crook of his arm. "Let us go the twenty yards down the secret passage to ourrooms overlooking the French Riviera. I will be happy to stare at yours." I saw him put the ring ofGyges carefully in his pocket, and he escorted her out of the room.

There I was in the bathroom, alone with two men who loved me, naked as a jaybird, cold, andwet.

I looked back and forth between them, and they stared awkwardly at each other.

Colin said to Victor, "I'll wrestle you for her."

Victor stepped over to me, seized me by the shoulders, picked me up to my feet, and then an inchor so above that, so I was standing on my tiptoes. He bent his head down and kissed me. Not asroughly as Boreas had done, but much, much more thoroughly.

Wow. He was a pretty good kisser, too. Like everything else he put his mind to, Victor Triumphwas driven to excel at this.

When Victor drew his head away, I could barely breathe, and I guess I did not want to breathe anyair that did not have the warm smell of Victor on it. I put my cheek up against his chest.

Victor said to Colin, "We have been wrestling. You've lost two falls out of three. No hard feelings,I hope, old sport."

He put out his hand.

For a moment, I was sure Colin was going to spit at him, or throw down his truncheon, orsomething. But he exercised his self-control, put out his hand, and shook.

Colin said, "Okay. Fine. Maybe the man was right. A half-blind monkey could see it from a mileaway on a foggy day."