Titans of Chaos

Even though Vanity was holding up her end of the conversation just fine, if Boggin told Archer Iwas the leader, he would not negotiate with her. Since I did not want him to deduce how I'd gottenout of his grip, and since I wanted to get dressed, I decided it was time to let him see me again.

I found an easy way to get dressed on the quick was merely to pluck my shed clothes up into thefourth dimension, scrunch my three-dimensional cross-section into a point inside my outfit, androtate it so that the point expanded outward suddenly. I had my left arm in my right sleeve andvice versa, but it was quicker to twist dimensions in a half circle than it was to take the clothes offand put them back on again. I left the evening gown on the hanger: I was dressed in my flyingleathers, with track shoes on my feet and my lucky cap on my head.

So I pushed open the door and stepped out. "Here I am, Mr. Archer! I need to know somethingabout you before we close the deal."

He nodded briefly. "You need only know whether I have the power to do as you ask. I do."

Vanity spoke up. "If you are so powerful, why'd you lose the throne?"

He gave her a cryptic, sidelong glance. "That is sort of a personal question, Princess. Ask ahistorian."

I said, "We need to know the situation. You say you are powerful enough to overrule Mavors, butif he is the war-god, can't he win any battle with you? With anyone? Come to think of it, whydidn't he take the throne by force when Terminus died? I'm asking the wrong question. Not howyou got pushed off the throne, but how you ever got on it? How did you inherit Heaven?"

Archer smiled that type of smile I've seen on Boggin's face when he hears a clever question fromColin. Smiling at the unexpected. "I was deposed because of my power, not despite it."

"What does that mean?" Vanity asked, her hand on her hips, her green eyes glinting.

He paused to smile at her, perhaps gathering bitter memories in his head. "When Lord Terminusfell beneath Typhon, the secret of the lightning bolt was lost. Lady Tritogenia can wield the Bolt ofHeaven, but even she knows not how to make it; they say the cyclopes of Mulciber can make it,but he cannot use it in battle; and the God of Battles, Mavors, who knows the outcome of war,knows that only the Lightning can drive Chaos away. You see? With our Great King dead, ouronly defense against Chaos is to hide behind you children. But there is a weapon greater than thegreatest weapon of Heaven; even the gods bow to it."