Titans of Chaos

The green stone on Boggin's toe winked and shimmered, and my upper senses turned back on. Myfourth-dimensional limbs, the parts of my body made of light and music and various shades ofemotion and energy, were still numb, but I was no longer blind.

I could see Victor's internal workings were undamaged. A simple twist of his monad would haverestored him to action, but the manipulator I used to do that was numb.

I also saw, shining with utility, something hidden in Boggin's belt pouch. The usefulness to me wasalmost blinding.

It was a note. Addressed to me. Folded up, crumbled into a ball, stuck in the bowl of his clay pipe.

Right out in plain sight where I could not fail to see it.

Reading the note, I said, "Mavors-excuse me, Lord Mavors-I do have a question. Lady Phoebe,the moon-goddess, your royal sister-"

"Half sister!" he said sharply.

"-ah, half sister, she was on our trail when we fled the Earth. Am I correct in assuming she is tohunts as you are to battles? If she overtakes us..."

Mavors nodded briefly. Now he waved his spear in the air. "Hear me, O Furies! I decree, by myauthority as God of Battles and Lord of Men, that the flight of the children of Chaos from Earth,and their doings there, were part of my battle with Lamia. No foxhunt can cross a battlefield.

Luna is the lowest of heavens, and the martial heavens, fifth of the Spheres, is ulterior andsuperior to it."

He did it right in front of me. I saw him change fate. It was complex, and I did not understandwhat I was seeing, but I saw it.

It was as if the reddish strands of moral energy binding me to what fate had been decreed by LadyPhoebe were parted by the sweep of that spear. Something in the future, an entity, perhaps, or aprocess, shifted its attention. The internal nature of objects changed slightly but definitely, losingfree will in one vector of possibilities and gaining it back again in another.

Mavors ordered Boggin to return my flag to me, which he did. Then Mavors spoke one last time,

'To any who challenge my sovereignty, I will answer with a weapon, thus." And he threw the lanceinto the rust-colored soil at his feet, splitting a rock in half with a noise like a gunshot. The lancestuck fast and stood quivering.