Piers Anthony - Apprentice Adept 02 - Blue Adept by Anthony Piers

Author:Anthony, Piers [Anthony, Piers]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-07-19T00:00:41+00:00

"This is legal and ethical. Of course no agreement has force in the Game itself. But two honorable players can come to an agreement if they wish."

"I understand. Are you willing to meet me in Music?"

"Yes, depending."

"You grant me Music, and I will grant you choice of instruments."

"That was my notion."

"However, I should warn you that I am widely versed in this area of the arts.

My favorite is the flute, but I am proficient in any of the woodwinds and strings. More so than you, I believe; I have heard you play. So you may prefer to select one of the less sophisticated instruments."

Stile's fiercely competitive soul was aroused. He had a compulsion to beat opponents in their special areas of strength. That was why he had tackled Hulk in Naked Physical. He thought again of the Platinum Flute, surely the finest instrument he could employ. On it he could play the best music of his life. He might take the measure of this self-proclaimed expert! But caution prevailed.

If the flute was Clef's instrument of choice, no skill of Stile's could reasonably hope to match him, and it would be foolish to allow himself to believe otherwise. Also the Flute was in Stile's possession only on loan, and if his use of it here drew the attention of Citizens to it-no, he could not risk that. Fortunately he did have an alternative.

"The harmonica," Stile said.

"A good harmonica is hardly a toy," Clef said. "Properly played, it can match any instrument in the orchestra. Are you certain-I am trying to be fair, since you are so generously offering me the category-"

"I'm certain," Stile said, though Clef's confidence disturbed him. Exactly how good could this man be on the harmonica?

"Then so shall it be," Clef agreed, and offered his hand.

"A handshake agreement is not worth the paper it's printed on," Stile reminded him.

"But it is also said that the man who trusts men will make fewer mistakes than he who distrusts them."

"I have found it so." Stile took the proffered hand, and so they sealed the agreement.

Their turn at the grid came. They played as agreed. They would contest for this Round with the harmonica.

Sheen was ready with Stile's harmonica; she was able to carry objects unobtrusively in her body compartments, and she was the only one in this frame he trusted with such things. It had to be this familiar instrument, the one he had played so often in Phaze, rather than some strange one issued by the Game Computer. It was not the Flute, but there seemed to be a certain magic about it. On this, he could play well enough to defeat a musician-he hoped. For Stile thought it likely that a man who played the flute habitually would not be able to do much on short notice with the harmonica. Not as much as Stile could. Stile was by no means a bad musician himself, and he well understood the nature of the Game. There were tricks of victory apart from straight skill.

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