Aton 2 - Phthor by Piers Anthony

Author:Piers Anthony
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Fiction, General
ISBN: 9780425054390
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 1975-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter V: Thor

The tide of battle had turned. The cavern creatures were now organized and on the attack, cutting off and surrounding segments of the minionette army and annihilating them by living-sea charges. Arlo recognized the strategy, for he had developed it himself. No doubt Chthon was now using Bedside's mind to organize the individual actions. Bedside would not be as creative-but Chthon had so many expendable animals that it could soon wipe out the entire forces of Life. All that had been needed was that one spark of creative thought that Arlo had provided.

No wonder Chthon had let him go without a fight. Arlo had already provided Chthon with the key to victory.

According to the mythology of LOE, the forces of Good were to suffer defeat at Ragnarok. Setting aside the question of which side represented Good and which Evil-for Arlo was not certain himself whether Life could seriously, be equated with Good-there remained substantial doubt. No matter what, the gods would not prevail; it was the end of the system. What use, then, to struggle?

"Chthon's winning," Arlo told Vex as he surveyed the situation. "The farther our troops penetrate the caverns, the more difficult it becomes for us. Our supply lines get longer, and we encounter more controlled animals. It's the Hard Trek all over again. We can't sustain our present rate of losses. We'll be wiped out."

"We are well aware of that," she said."The moment you went to Chthon, we started suffering disasters. We have contingents from the four major sentients of the galaxy, but we can't coordinate them properly. That's why we knew we had to have you back. You are the key to victory-either way."

"I doubt it. I have already given Chthon what it needed: organization of the monsters. I can't unorganize them, now that I'm on the other side. And-it is written in LOE that the gods will be defeated at Ragnarok."

"Nonsense!" she flashed, and he noticed with pleasure that her reactions on the intellectual plane were completely human by his definition. A minionette without telepathy would be like any other woman, only more beautiful. "Don't you see, Chthon fed you that whole Norse mythos, knowing that if you accepted all the other neat little parallels-Aesir, the Norns, even that damned eight-footed horse, yet!-if you swallowed all that, you'd have to accept that version of Ragnarok, too. You're the key; if you believe we'll lose, then we'll lose, no matter which side you think you're fighting on.

Why do you think Chthon let you go so easily? Because you're really fighting on its side-so long as you believe!"

"I don't know," Arlo temporized, shaken by her logic.

The cute, difficult child he had rescued had grown a mind as thorough as her body! "There are so many monsters that no matter what I might think, the battle still would-"

"You have to believe in the victory of Life!" she cried.

"Your framework is reversed, like my emotions-but intellectually we both must overcome our handicaps. And we can! You have to lead us in the fight.

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