Piers, Anthony - ChroMagic 02 by Piers Anthony

Author:Piers, Anthony
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter 6—Trial

Gale walked with Throe to the ferry. "No fault?"

"No offense."

"None!" she agreed, relieved. She knew his problem: he loved Ennui, and did not want to have sexual relations with a friend of hers. Neither did Gale. "But it may be necessary with strangers."

"I don't care about strangers."

Again, she understood. No fault allowed strangers to return to that condition after the association was done. People who knew each other and worked together did not have that option, so sexual interaction was more complicated. It could be done, but needed to be more carefully considered.

Still, she teased him. "Those Air Chroma maidens—you evidently had a time."

"And you want to know all about it."

"I'm a woman."

"That's what they said." Then he glanced obliquely at her. "There is something that may be relevant."

"Interest."

"The fourth Air Chroma sister is a changeling. She can see reality through illusion. It occurs to me that this could be a changeling ability."

"Now that is interesting. I never had experience with much illusion until I left Trifle Village, and never thought to try to see through it. Is this confined to Air Chroma illusion, or does it apply to any

illusion?"

"Ignorance. Conjecture: if it is general to changelings, it is general to illusion."

"I must try it as soon as convenient."

They walked to the fringe of the neighboring Blue Chroma zone, as this was in line with the coordinates. "How do we purchase passage?" Throe asked.

Gale touched her hammer dulcimer. "I am a songstress. I will sing a ballad of thwarted love. You can be the dumb lover."

"Are you remarking on my 'no offense'?"

She laughed, for it was humor. They were reading each other's minds, and he knew that she meant for him to be silent—dumb—while she sang the tale. Any third party might indeed take him for stupid, for passing up the chance to possess her no fault. They might yet relate that way together, if it became necessary to establish their identity as a couple, to spare them from uncomfortable sexual interactions elsewhere. Ennui was not a jealous woman, and would understand, but sex between them was really not advisable. They both truly preferred simply to be companions and friends.

"Affirmation," he said, answering her thought. "I must say that awkward as it was to learn, mind reading has become an advantage for me. It was this that enabled me to relate to Ennui, and she to me, both knowing our true minds. And it is similarly comfortable with you."

"You appreciate my personal and sexual appeal, without needing to take advantage of either,"

she agreed. "And I do value your thought that I could take you at any time I wished, if I wished.

Fortunately you know that I do not wish, as Havoc is my only love. But your interactions with those Air Chroma girls are still swirling in your mind, and that narration will wile away some dull time."

"One made note of the fact she was my daughter's age, as she seduced me, telling me I reminded her of her father.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.