Songs of the Dancing Gods

from some strippers he’d seen in San Francisco, or some of the basic skills, like mending and tailoring? Why a slave? Because, otherwise, she could not be pared down to the tough essentials to get her to this point, and certainly not to aid in the destruction of the way back.

And all that so that they could stand there, captive of their worst enemy?

The “Mia” personality, so nicely adjusted by Ruddygore’s spells, rebelled against the truth, but Boquillas was ready for that. “Let me simply disentangle those rather simple little spells that blinded you both. Won’t take a second, and it clears away all that messy stuff.”

Tiana stopped protesting and suddenly gasped. “Then it is true,” she said simply.

Boquillas smiled. “Of course it is. And you will be very, very helpful to me. You see, as our palace slave, in reality the role you were handed by Ruddygore’s fiction, compelled to obedience, you will be my closest advisor and critic. With you advising me, dressing me, prompting me, there will be no question in anyone’s mind that I am the one and only original Tiana. And after I am in control and beyond threat, you will continue to be there to serve me and do whatever I command, living life at its lowest while watching me live yours.”

“So you plan to be the one in Tiana’s body,” Joe said.

She nodded. “Of course. I can’t be you, since I’d lose what powers I have regained, and, as I said, I rather like being this way. In fact, I shall be sad to leave this body for the more, ah, statuesque proportions of Tiana, but we can’t have everything, can we?”

“I see. And what about me?”

She gave that wicked Boquillas smile once more. “But that’s so simple, Joey baby! It’s the most delicious part of all of it! We’ll just slip little old you back into that marvelous body you had, whose statues don’t do you justice, and you’ll be right there, unimpeachable, convincing, truly returned, reinforcing my own image, with your great sword living as absolute proof that it’s you. You’ll leave the decisions to me, of course, but you mostly did that when you were reigning with her anyway.”

“You bastard! What makes you think I’ll do anything of the sort?”

“Oh, Joey baby! As a man who was just taken in by the simplest little old spell in Creation, you really don’t think you have a choice, do you? If old Ruddypuss can convince you that this girl is not Tiana, how much simpler will it be to build a scenario in your mind that I am? And you’ll be much too lovesick to do more than forgive and accept whatever I decide to do. Why, you have to create love potions and charms just to get into Witchcraft 101. Besides, if all else fails, there’s always your son to hold you, isn’t there? There are all sorts of possibilities with the boy!”

He knew at once that Boquillas was right and that they’d all been had, even Ruddygore. Boquillas had understood that in the critical first week they returned unannounced, they’d be under a microscope by politicians, courtiers, and top-ranked sorcerers. Sugasto couldn’t exactly be around in the nearest closet to bail her out; with her powers still limited, she would at that point be as vulnerable as he would be. After consolidating power, though, and gathering it in, she’d be able progressively to eliminate anyone who might challenge, and Sugasto would take most of Husaquahr without even firing a shot.

Now that was a thought!

“You mean you’ll spend all the time in the great palace as a puppet, doing what Sugasto wants,” he noted. “You have changed, Boquillas. This plot is up to your usual standards, but it’s all so you can become somebody else’s stooge.”

She waved a hand, and many of the yellow bands of magic flowed back into her. He could move again—but not toward her. He could not touch her or make a move in her direction.

“Come over to the window. Yes, that’s it. Come here and look out and tell me what you see.”

He went to the window and looked. Just beyond the tower were other gardens, and, beyond them, the ice pack, and in the distance…

“The Devastation,” he said.

She nodded. “I think you understand some of it now, or you wouldn’t have been able to cross it. A brilliant stoke, by the way, that I admit I didn’t anticipate. You forget that I have the old bodies with many of your patterns. The moment you set foot on this ground, a standing spell informed me that you had arrived.”

“Yeah. So?”

She pointed a slender arm decked with jewels out at the far-off phenomenon. “They’re still there, you know. The battle in full cry. Not just the souls, everything, perfectly preserved. Now, what do you think would happen if this volcano we’re sitting on, a complementary phenomenon to the Devastation you might have guessed, went off? The flow would only reach the edges of the Devastation in most spots, but imagine the heat that would be given off—and the whole frozen valley would warm in proportion. On this world, it would be like the loosing of thousands of hydrogen bombs would be on Earth; An evil that even Hell fears would be loosed once more upon this world.”

“Is that what you want? Still trying to bring about the final war between good and evil?”

“Oh, darling, of course not! Not anymore. I’ve outgrown that, as I told you! But if it’s not me, then it’s them. Sugasto is so conventional, you see. Power-crazed, yes, but his vision is so boring. You see, there is one way to restore all my powers. Only one way. The entire Council, which now includes dear Suggy, would have to reverse their combined spells. Even though not really on it anymore, it would require Ruddygore as well. With my powers” back, in that situation, I would be both temporal and spiritual ruler. My powers would be near absolute. Did you see the tree in the middle of the lava pit?”

He nodded, sickened at her ambitions. “I saw it.”

“It is one of the trees, the original trees, from the Origin of Humanity. Sugasto and the others believe it is the Tree of Knowledge which condemned humanity, as do others, but it is not. It is the Tree of Life. Eat of it, and nothing at all may harm you. With my powers and that fruit, I’ll be a true goddess. I shall walk about my world, worshiped as the one who is truly divine. My reign shall be forever!”

He felt a cold chill. “How do you know which tree it is, or if it’s really one of those?”

“Because, dear one, I’ve done my homework. It is what that battle was about out there. Two Powers, perhaps beyond anything we know, battling to become a third face, not Heaven, not Hell, but beyond and beside it, equal to both. That’s why they got together to stop them, lest one side win and truly become a god.” She shrugged. “I think even supreme beings have Rules, too.”

“There’s only one hole in your grand design,” Joe argued. “Why would Ruddygore and the Council restore your powers? I think they’d rather die first.”

“Indeed? Ruddygore, perhaps, but he knows that, if that were to happen, I’d be freed of the need for him. The others? Die for principle? How amusing you are! The only reason Ruddygore has remained so long is that he has never found a worthy successor, and he won’t. But, you see, he has no choice, and neither will Sugasto. They will all do my bidding, since to toy with me or cast obedience spells upon me or try to do away with me is genocide! I have it rigged, you see—carefully placed mechanisms deep beneath this place, where even I at this point cannot find them. They will blow, this place will blow, the volcano will blow. The heat will melt the Devastation, and the world as we know it will end. Given a choice of that, or restoring me and being allowed to pass on, which do you think your old sorcerer will choose?”

“Aren’t you afraid Sugasto will stop you? He might not be too pleased at this himself.”

“Sugasto, at least, already knows that I’ve wired the place. Right now he thinks we’re partners, destined to be a new god and goddess. He doesn’t think much of women, you know. His own male ego, which I perfectly understand, blinds him to the possibilities.”

Joe turned away from the windows, feeling a cold chill, and saw that heavily armed, mean-looking Bentar now filled the room.

A way out, he kept thinking. The Rules require I have a way out!

He turned back to Boquillas. “Can you answer me one simple question?”

“Of course, darling! A wife to be should have no secrets from her husband!”

“Why are all the zombies gathered around watching Gilligan’s Island?”