Titans of Chaos

The Huntress drew back her head: Her eyes were as cold and inhuman as arctic stars. "You thinkto lay hands on me, the Virgin, inviolate, divine, and sacred? This world, this human earth, thisdirty spot within heavenly sphere, it is overwhelmed by all the bloodshed and pollutions of men,their stinking lusts, their cities a-drip with oil, their battlefields with carrion. Who told thePhaeacian to smuggle you into the world, sons of Chaos, dream things, Tartarians, soullesswights? Who discovered our weakness to you? Who told you of the madness of my adulterousFather, who did not slay the orphans of Chaos, those four children you impersonate? Was it LadyCyprian? Was it the Whore of Heaven? Was it she? Who else is the enemy of purity? Who elsehates the clean wilderness, the sacred chastity? Answer! Answer in the name of the untainted andfierce hatred only untouched maidens know!"

I saw the morality strands begin to wind around Quentin. "Leader! Have Andromeda shut off allmagic! Quick!"

Vanity clutched at her stone. Green light throbbed through her fingers. The tendrils I could seewere still issuing from the bow of the goddess, the substance of enchantment, reaching here andthere, but they could not enter the room. On the other side of the locked door, a pack of houndsmaterialized suddenly in the moonlight. Also in the bed cells to the left and right of us, in theadjacent rooms.

"Leader, I can see where the dog packs are! We're surrounded!"

Quentin bowed and said to the goddess, "Diane Artemis, mighty Potnia Theron, Mistress of theWild, who is called also Courotrophos the Nourisher, Locheia and Agrotora, Healer and Huntress,Shining One, Born of Leto! We have not forgotten your names nor ever held your shrine indishonor! We proffer you no disrespect, and deeply do we genuflect to you, sovereign goddess,White Lady, Maiden of Heaven! We do not disobey the wise commands of any god or goddess, wedo not meddle with sacred things, but in preserving the world, we do your will and do not opposeit..."

"Phoebe," she said, waving her bow in the air as if to clear away cobwebs. "I am Lady Phoebenow. Call me that. Cunning, you are! How can you be disobeying me, without triggering thedemands of fate?"

Victor said to Quentin, "Don't answer. Tell the enemy nothing. Leader, orders?"

Quentin said, "Lady Phoebe." Then he shrugged and smiled, and said to Victor. "Sorry, but thatwas worded as a direct command..."