cried. 'If you don't eat me, the life of the poor girl I replaced will be forfeit to the next dragon!'
Oops — that was correct! If Luna fought off the dragoness, she and the girl were free. But if she never actually encountered the monster — because some third party like himself interfered — her gesture would go for nothing. Luna might have argued the case, since the dragoness had fired a blast at her, but she had chosen instead to seek an honest death. Zane would have appreciated her determination more if he had not loved her.
No, that wasn't right either! He loved her more because of it. Luna was showing her integrity and mettle in the most telling manner possible. He, Zane, had never done that.
Still the dragoness paused. Zane had not realized that the sight of the human personification of Death would have such impact on an animal. The dragoness really should not be afraid of him. Did she know something he didn't?
Luna charged at the monster, brandishing her knife. Now the Smokeress reacted properly.
She pumped up, swung her head about, and issued a jet of pure blue flame that extended a good three meters, with very little smoke. Maybe the dragoness had not been pausing from alarm, but to work up a higher heat.
Luna dodged the jet. It was so narrow, now that the hot-box had become fully operative, that it was easy to avoid. Especially by someone watching the monster's head. Luna ran right up alongside the dragoness, stepped on the reptile's smoking snout, and scrambled onto her winged back.
The startled dragoness whipped her head about. The serpentine neck was supple; she had no trouble biting at her own back.
Then Luna got her hands on the egg. She ripped it free and held it like a football, close to her body. 'Now sear me with your fire!' she screamed.
Of course the dragoness did not dare do that; she would roast her own precious offspring. She froze for a moment, paralyzed by indecision; she was smart enough to see the problem but not smart enough to figure out a solution.
Luna had made an amazing move and gained the advantage.
Luna slid off the dragoness' back, holding the egg tucked under one arm. Still the reptile could not attack; the egg was hostage.
The Dragoons saw what Luna had done. 'Put down that egg!' the man in charge cried. 'It's invaluable! So few dragons reproduce — '
Luna backed away from the dragoness, holding the egg before her as a shield. The Smokeress switched her tail and snorted dense smoke, but did not attack.
'The reckless use of pesticides has damaged the wilderness environment,' the Dragoon called. 'Dragons' eggs have relatively fragile shells because of this, and many break before hatching time. Until the pesticide residue clears — and that may take decades — the species is flirting with extinction! Virgin, spare that egg!'
Luna looked down at the egg, considering. She nodded. She set the egg down on the sand and moved away from it.
How did this count? Zane wondered. Had Luna defeated the creature, discharging her obligation? If so — Luna charged the dragoness again, brandishing the silver knife. The fierce head whipped about automatically, the jaws opening.
What madness was this? Luria didn't have a chance! But it happened so fast that Zane couldn't act in time to prevent it.
The dragoness wafted out a gust of smoke, not having time to pump up another good fire. The smoke engulfed Luna for a moment.
She screamed, and the sound tore at Zane's being. In a moment the smoke cleared, blown away by an idle breeze, and Zane realized to his added horror how hot that smoke had been. Luna's lovely hair and fine clothing were scorched, her skin blistered. She had been blinded and partially flayed by the heat.
The dragoness limped forward and took the reeling woman in her jaws. The teeth crunched down, and rich red blood welled into her mouth and dripped from her chin.
With wild surmise, Zane looked at his watch. The countdown stood at zero. His gems were pointing to Luna.
'You were my client all along!' he cried to the horribly mangled body. 'Your good deeds — saving the designated virgin, sparing the valuable dragon's egg, feeding the dragoness — they squared your balance! You are dying even!'
He ran up to take her soul, for she could not truly die until he claimed it. The flames of Hell could not be worse torture for her than this! But as he came to the terrible scene and saw her body bleeding in the dragoness' jaws, her head rolled toward him. Her burned eyes opened partway, the tatters of eyelids rising. Somehow she felt his presence. 'Take me. Death!' she rasped in agony.
Suddenly Zane rebelled. This was the woman he loved!
He looked into Luna's suffering face. He had never imagined that he would ever choose to extend such agony by even one second, but now he had to. 'No,' he said. He put the Deathwatch on hold.
Then the entire scene froze, for he had punched the button that stopped time itself, not just the countdown. Punched? Unconsciously he had done the opposite, pulling it out. The clouds stopped moving in the sky, the leaves on the stunted bushes stopped quivering in the wind, and the Dragoons were statues. The dragoness remained with her teeth clamped in Luna's body. Even the smoke hung motionless.
Zane turned about. Sure enough, Chronos stood behind him. 'I thought you would come to investigate,' Zane said. 'I want you to move us back to just before Luna got — '
Chronos shook his head. 'I can do that. Death, but it will not help you. Luna has been designated to die on this day; only the manner of it is optional.'
Zane was grim. 'Her death is now in my province. I love her. I know her early demise is illicit, and I will not take her soul.'
A woman walked across the sand. It was Fate, in her middle guise. 'You must take her soul, Death, or there will literally be Hell to pay.'
'To Hell with Hell!' Zane exploded. 'I will not take her on this basis. You may have been directed to set this up. Fate, but you can not move her soul. Only I can do that, and I will not. Undo your mischief, for I will not let her die.'
Another figure appeared. It was Mars, the Incarnation of War. 'Fate set it up, but as you surmise, it was at the behest of the Powers that Be. She had and has no choice.'
'At the cheating behest of Satan!' Zane cried.
'That may be true,' Mars said. 'But you can not war with him.'
'Satan cheated!' Zane repeated. 'I have put in a petition for redress that shall surely be granted when the facts are known. Until that petition is heard, I shall not indulge in any tacit collusion with the Prince of Evil. Luna shall not die.'
One more figure arrived, also immune to the stasis of time. It was Nature, wearing her dress of mist. 'Desist this foolishness, Thanatos,' she urged. 'You have gotten away with breaking little rules, but this time you are in deeper than you know.'
Zane glared at them. 'Are you all against me? Then all of you be damned! I know I am right, I know my power, and I shall not be moved.'
Nature smiled grimly. 'We are at the crisis point. It is the occasion to speak plainly.'
'I have heard you speak plainly!' Zane retorted. 'But you can not overrule me in my bailiwick. This woman shall not die!'
Fate smiled. 'Relax, Death. We are on your side.'
Suddenly Zane had a mental vision of parallel lines, one of the five formations of thought Nature had described to him at their prior meeting: is. It was as if each Incarnation was one of the matchsticks, and all were going the same way. 'You're all in this! You all conspired to put me in this hole!'
'We all conspired,' Chronos agreed. 'Satan has to be balked, and God won't intervene. We Incarnations are all that remains to enforce the Covenant of nonintervention.'
Zane spun about, his angry gaze brushing past each of them. 'The way I assumed the office of Death — my meeting with Luna, so carefully arranged by her father, who was in on this — my innocent, seemingly coincidental encounters with each of you other Incarnations — Luna's present agony — all arranged beforehand!'
