David Gerrold and Larry Niven by The Flying Sorcerers

Author:The Flying Sorcerers [Sorcerers, The Flying]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-12-30T14:27:44.796000+00:00

"Lant!" Purple cried. "What's-what's happening? Why are they here?"

I tore my eyes off the bag of wind. "Purple-why did you name the women?"

"Why not?" He seemed doubly confused. "I couldn't just keep calling every one of them 'Hey, you,' could I?" There was a moan from somewhere behind me. I ignored it.

Purple continued, "I had trouble remembering the order, Lant. There were too many of them. I mean, it was easy to remember to call a woman 'Trone's wife,' but she got insulted if I forgot to call her 'Trone's second wife.'"

"Third," I remembered.

"Third. You see? It was slowing things up. So I made up some names-Kate, Judy, Anne, Ursula, Karen, Andre, Marian, Leigh, Miriam, Sonya, Zenna, Joanna, Quinn-it made things so much easier."

"Easier?" I looked about me. Perhaps a score of villagers remained. They seemed to huddle together, holding their torches high against the night. The others had not fled, but seeped away into the darkness while Purple and I were talking.

I glanced nervously at the sky-but his thing had vanished.

"Easier?" I repeated. "They're here to burn you, Purple. Or they were."

"Um," he said. He looked vaguely about him. "Where's my balloon? It was right here a minute ago-I was holding it-"

"You mean that thing-that thing that went up into the sky-?"

His face lit up, "It did? You mean it worked?"

I swallowed hard and nodded.

"It actually worked!" He peered excitedly upward, squinted at the darkness. Abruptly he looked at me, "Eh, did you say burn me?"

I nodded again.

It didn't seem to bother him much-he still kept glancing at the sky. He was preoccupied with that balloon. "For what?" he asked. "For naming women?"

"Purple, you're a magician-you should have known better! I suppose you named them right out in public, in the hearing of others, so that every woman who spins now knows the names of every other woman! Well, did you?"

"Certainly. Why not?"

I groaned. "Because they'll use magic on each other! And magic is too powerful to be placed in the hands of fools and women! They'll get above themselves, Purple! First you have given them a profession, now you give them names. They'll think they're as good as men!"

"It bothers you, doesn't it?" he said perceptively. "Very well, Lant, what would you like me to do? Shall I take their names away?"

"Could you?"

"Certainly. I'll do it for you-I'll memorise their numbers and their husbands' names instead-anything to make peace."

I couldn't believe he would give up so easily, so casually. As casually as he had given them Timidly I repeated, "You'll take their names away?"

"Of course," said Purple, "what do you think I am? Some kind of fiend?" He laughed boomingly, showing his teeth. Twenty villagers moaned softly and pushed closer together.

Purple bent back to his water pot again, began fiddling with his battery wires. I watched as he fastened a large piece of cloth to the funnel of the pot. "Another airbag?"

"Huh? Oh, yes-another balloon." He spread the cloth between his hands. "We made the first ones today." Slowly, the bag began puffing up.

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