Titans of Chaos

Vanity Fair was shorter than me, a dress size smaller, but with more generous hip and bustmeasurements. We were closer than sisters, having been raised in the same, well, you can call it ajail cell, since that's what it was. The freezing rain had plastered her hair to her head, and her thincoat tight to her body. She was shivering. Her real name was Nausicaa, of the mythic land calledPhaeacia, beyond Earth's shore, but our real names had been taken from us in youth and, untilrecently, we had only the names we chose for ourselves as children.

"You are not going to run away and get killed!" She was a green-eyed redhead, and her eyesseemed to glow like emeralds when she was angry. I could see only her silhouette, but from hertone of voice I knew her eyes blazed.

"If the leader orders a retreat, you retreat!" (I was screaming louder than regulation for a Britishmilitary officer, but I was still new at this, and was outshouting the storm-wind.)Colin mac FirBolg was blue-eyed, with unruly hair and ruddy skin, built like a wrestler. He gaveme a stiff-armed Roman salute. "Sieg Heil mein Obergruppenfraulein! But we thought you weredead! Didn't Echidna kill you?"

Vanity hissed, "Stupid! No matter how far away, she hears whenever her name is spoken!

Speaking summons her!"

Colin shrugged. "Is she going to get through that fleet?" To me, he said: "Besides, Leader, wecame to report that your dumb order could not be carried out. We are entirely surrounded, cut off,doomed, so we can't retreat! There may be time for a quickie, though, so if I can suggest, withoutseeming insubordinate, ma'am-I mean, you don't want me to die a virgin, do you?"

Thunder drowned out any words I might have spoken back. I slapped him. I could hear the smackof my palm on his not-quite-shaven cheek even above the storm.

"Thank you, ma'am! May I have another!" he barked out, unperturbed, still holding his Nazisalute. His real name was Phobetor, son of Morpheus, and he was a dream-lord of Cimmeria, thesunless world.

Even if he meant it in mockery, his stiff bearing reminded me I had no time for anger. We werewithin minutes of recapture, and if I was the leader, I had to invent the plan and give the orders.

If we failed, we failed under my leadership. It would be my fault.