Piers, Anthony - Incarnations of Immortality 03 by Piers Anthony

Author:Piers, Anthony
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf

Chapter 10 - LACHESIS

The spider descended before her on a thread of silk, then transformed into a comely young woman with hair so light it was almost white. "We must talk with you," the woman said. "Do not utter the name of him who must not know." She had an accent, but was intelligible.

"Clotho!" Niobe said, suddenly remembering that moment a quarter-century before when she had drawn a refugee girl from a line in Budapest. "Lisa!"

The woman smiled. "You have changed; I have not." Then she patted her hair. "Except cosmetically. I am eternally grateful for what you did, rescuing me from that city. It gave me a new existence, and I was able to help my troubled friends. They never knew I had-changed."

"I understand," Niobe said. "It is nice of you to let me know."

"But this is not a social call," Lisa said quickly. "We- have something very important to ask of you."

Niobe smiled. Privately she was dismayed by the contrast between them. When she had selected Lisa to be her replacement, Niobe herself had been a slender beauty, while Lisa had been attractive but less stunning. Now, a quarter-century later, Niobe knew herself to be lined and dumpy; she hadn't seen any reason to maintain herself, the last two years especially. Lisa had remained exactly as she had been.

What a terrible scourge mortal aging was!

"If your question is whether the-unnamed one-has been interfering in my life since I turned mortal, I'm not sure. I can think of only one instance, when I took my girls to-"

"No, no," Lisa said quickly. "Not a question. I-I have been selected to ask you this, because I am the only one of us who has met you. Lachesis and Atropos have changed-"

"Terms are getting shorter these days!" Niobe remarked. "I was an Aspect for thirty-eight years!"

"Yes, you were one of the great ones, and you dealt well with-the anonymous. I-we-had a difficult time.

He twisted the threads without license, he confused us-"

"He does that," Niobe agreed. "If I was proof against him later, it was because I had some hard lessons early! I'm sure I was no better than-"

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A B B YY.c "Yes, you have had much experience. More than any other mortal. That is why we must ask this thing of

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you."

This sounded serious! "Exactly what is this thing?"

"You must come back."

"What?"

"To be an Aspect of Fate. We need you again."

Niobe was so surprised she stuttered. "To-to be-I, I-Lisa, I'm forty-eight years old, in mortal terms! Only a young woman can-"

Lisa shook her head. "Not to be Clotho. To be Lachesis. That is the key Aspect-the one who governs the Tapestry."

Lachesis-of course. Niobe was now middle-aged in body, and looked it. Lachesis was the middle-aged Aspect. Yet-

"Lisa, I never dreamed-it's never been done before! Once an Aspect returns to mortality-once any Incarnation leaves the office-"

"True. That is one reason we believe it must be done this time. The unnamed will never suspect."

To fool Satan.

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