Phaze Doubt

“Wait!” Brown cried. “What did they promise thee, to make thee speak so?”

He paused. “That need concern thee not. Be assured I bespoke thee the truth.”

“It does concern me!” she insisted. “I know thou dost do naught for naught. What—?”

“A clean and painless death,” he said, and resumed his walk-

“Nay!” she cried, hurrying after him. “I wished this not on thee! We made a deal, and I agreed nor to seek harm to thee neither to be silent an I learned o’ harm coming.”

“This be not o’ thy making,” he said gruffly, still walking. “In any event, the deal be off; it were in power only while the Hectare governed. Concern thyself not farther on this matter.”

But she could not let it go. “An they brought thee here for a public execution, I tolerate it not! I forgive thee aught thou intended, and thank thee for bringing me a companion. Thou must not die!”

“I ask this not o’ thee,” Purple said, pausing again. “I came only to spare myself a life confined, under geis. An the truth purchase me that, I be satisfied.”

Brown looked to the side. There was the Blue Adept and the Lady Blue. “Stile! I beg thee, an our friendship mean aught, let not this horror be!”

Stile lifted his hands. “Thou be pardoned, Purple, at Brown’s behest. An thou do no further evil, we spare thee death and confinement, and thy paramour too. Get thee gone from our sight.” He was evidently somewhat disgusted—but only somewhat. He had never been a vengeful man, when there were reasonable alternatives. He turned to the Hectare standing behind him. “Do thou input it to thy net: he to be watched but not molested.”

The BEM extended one small tentacle, its tip tilted up.

Slowly Purple turned. “Lady, thou be more generous to me than I were to thee. I thank thee for what I expected not.” Then he turned again and walked away, and no one challenged him.

No one except Alyc, who tackled him and embraced him. He put an arm around her. He had always had an eye for young women, and she was reputed lo be a most passionate one.

Now Brown saw the Tan Adept, with the vampire Jod’e beside him. Tan had used his power to fascinate the lovely bat woman, who was blameless. Brown opened her mouth.

“And Tan, pardoned,” Blue said before Brown could speak.

The BEM made another note.

“I thank thee, O my lady!” Jod’e exclaimed.

Tan walked away, with Jod’e. Brown had to admit that they did make a decent couple. With a bat wife, Tan would not again betray the interests of Phaze.

Another couple came forward. It was Lysander, who had turned out to be another enemy spy, but who had in the end chosen to help save Phaze, and his companion Echo or Oche. “When you took Tsetse to Hardom to help Purple play his game with the Hectare, I was the one you took, in the guise of Tsetse. I apologize for deceiving you in this manner.”

Brown was amazed. “Thou? A man?” But she realized that it was possible. She had known that the person was larger than Tsetse, and of course she hadn’t verified for gender.

“Yes. The prophecy indicated that my cooperation was required if the planet shell was to be saved. Thus I was integral to Phaze Doubt, and Nepe brought me to help her fetch the key element of the counterploy.”

Phaze Doubt. She realized that that would have been their name for the project to save Phaze. “The key element?”

An attractive young woman of about seventeen stepped up. “I was the one he fetched, in the form of a BEM seed,” she said. “I am known currently as Weva, though with the reversal this is approximate. I want to thank you, Adept, for enabling me to come into existence, and to help save Phaze.”

So this was the new BEM Adept, whose music had indeed saved Phaze! Without her, all would have been lost. “I be glad, now, it happened,” Brown said.

“My companion Flach sends his regrets, and those of the Robot Adept; they are occupied at the moment in conjuring the last snow demons to the western reaches, where it is now suitably cold. I offered to help, but Flach preferred to handle it himself.”

Brown looked at her. “Thou dost disagree?”

Weva smiled wryly. “Not really. I think he has to bid farewell to a certain snow demoness before he can get serious about me.”

Brown laughed. “Methinks I heard about Icy! Believe me, he had his future not with her!”

“True. But I think I will remind him of it several times before I let him settle down to his future with me. Meanwhile, I am glad to meet you, who were instrumental in my genesis. I had no parents, really, but I always thought that someone like you—“ She shrugged. “A foolish notion, of course.”

“A mother figure?” Brown asked, amazed.

“I should not have mentioned it,” Weva said quickly, flushing. “Now I realize that I had no right to cast you as—“

“Nay, girl, I be not affronted!” Brown exclaimed. “Gladly would I have had a child like thee, an it been possible without—“

A tear showed at the girl’s eye. “Then—?”

“May I hug thee, Weva?”

“Oh, yes!” Weva opened her arms and embraced her.