"Why?” Halo asked. He was three, and looked exactly like his father.
"Your father and I can't stand each other,” Coma explained gently.
Both children stared at her, then at Hero. “Confusion,” Coda said.
"We were required to pretend to be in love,” Hero said. “Now at last the need for pretense is past, and we can do what we have longed to do for the past six years."
"Ob—ob—” Halo said, unable to get the complete word out.
"Obscenity,” Coda finished for him.
"You have a foul-mouthed son,” Coma said severely to Hero.
"Your daughter knew the term,” he retorted.
They gathered up their separate things and went to the magistrate who had married them. “And to what do I owe the dubious pleasure of this visit?” he inquired.
"An annulment,” Coma said.
"Astonishment! Humor?"
"They can't stand each other,” Coda explained helpfully. “They were pretending from the start."
"Obscenity,” Halo repeated, getting it straight this time.
"Child, there is no need for language like that,” the magistrate said severely.
"Just perform the ceremony of annulment, and we'll be gone,” Hero said. “Bad language and all."
"Not quite yet,” the magistrate said. “This is no longer a matter of merely the two of you. What of your children?"
"My daughter comes with me,” Coma said. “She is Coy. His son is Hat, and goes with him. Now cease dawdling."
The magistrate considered, then came to some internal decision. “Then take your children, for the ceremony."
Hero took hold of Halo, and Coma took hold of Coda. But the two children did not want to separate. They clung to each other.
"Aversion!” Coda cried.
"Pain!” Halo cried.
But the adults took firmer hold, and managed to drag the children apart. They stood at opposite sides of the room, holding daughter and son so that they could not run together again. Coda evidently drew on her Amazon training to stifle her tears, but Halo was plainly crying.
"Now for the ceremony,” the magistrate said. “Do you, Hero, declare that you never loved this woman, and that your association with her was a mistake from the start?"
"I do."
"And do you, Coma, declare that you never loved this man, and that your association with him was a mistake from the beginning?"
"I do."
The magistrate glanced around, his gaze lingering on the two children. “Be there any here who object to this annulment? Speak now or forever hold your peace."
Halo stared at his mother and burst into renewed tears. Coda stared at her father. “Daddy!” she wailed, reaching toward him. “Desperation!"
Hero dissolved. “We've got the wrong children,” he said, aghast.
Coma nodded. “But we can't exchange. That would put them each into hostile territory."
"A Hat among the Coys,” he agreed. “And a Coy among the Hats. This isn't feasible."
"It seems we have a problem,” the magistrate said. “Let go your children."
They let go. The boy and girl ran to each other and hugged, both crying.
The magistrate looked at Hero. “It seems your daughter loves her brother—and her father. Do you love her?"
"I do,” Hero said, shaken. “Our quarrel is none of her doing. I can't bear to hurt her."
The magistrate turned to Coma. “And do you love your son?"
The woman's eyes were wet. “I do. I thought I could let him go, but I can't."
The magistrate nodded. “Observation: Both children resemble their parents of similar gender exactly. Both parents love their children of opposite gender. What does that suggest?"
Hero and Coma exchanged glances of bafflement, unable to answer.
"Then I will answer for you,” the magistrate said. “The two of you have lived a lie from the outset, sponsored by the animosity of your two feuding families. Unable to admit that you love each other, you have displaced that love to your children who resemble you exactly."
They stared at him in mutual horror.
"Now abate this idiocy,” the magistrate continued. “Go home together. You'll get no annulment here."
"But the feud—” Hero said.
"Our vengeance—” Coma said.
"Is already complete, as it has been from the moment you embraced each other instead of killing each other. You foiled the worst plotting of both your families, and now they have grandchildren they can't deny. You destroyed the feud itself: the ultimate retribution. You can maintain the discomfort of the guilty parties by continuing as you have been. Go home."
"You don't understand,” Hero said. “We hate each other."
"We can't remain together,” Coma agreed. “We have waited impatiently for six years for this release."
The magistrate sighed. “Very well. Kiss before me, knowing what you know now, and separate if you can."
"Readily accomplished,” Hero said.
"The very last affront,” Coma agreed.
They came together, embraced, and kissed. The two children hugged them from outside.
It was as though a barrier was being torn asunder. The passion of mutual hatred seemed to turn inside out, becoming its own opposite.
Hero drew back his head, not letting go of her. “Defeat."
"Abject,” Coma agreed.
"I love you. I know it now."
"I have always loved you."
Then another thought came. “Dismay!” Hero said.
"Do not be concerned about your home,” the magistrate said. “The oracle can't take it if it means breaking up a family."
"That, too,” Coma said. “But what he meant was, we can have only one more child of our own, before the fourth."
"How can we separate, so soon after discovering each other?” Hero asked. “I want to clasp no other than you, not even once. We have lost much time."
"Six years,” she agreed. “We must erase every wrong act of passion with a right one, in half the time."
"Adopt one, and be free,” the magistrate said impatiently. “You do not have to be unfaithful to each other."
"Solution,” Hero agreed.
"Forever,” Coma agreed.
They kissed again, this time pressing rather more closely to each other, and caressing each other's flesh.
"Not in front of the children!” Coda said, imitating an adult voice. Then she and Halo dissolved into laughter as they tried to imitate the kiss.
The illusion show ended. “That was ludicrous,” Lucent said. “How could they be in love, and have sex endlessly, and two children, and never realize it?"
"It's a story,” Symbol said. “Stories don't have to be sensible. They just are."
"At least they should be halfway realistic. No Amazon would act like that."
"And they couldn't have fooled the children,” Symbol agreed.
"Well, they didn't,” Lucent said. “Not really. The children knew they loved each other."
"And the children loved them both."
"Children do."
"Children do,” Symbol echoed. “I wish I could have had my own, instead of being exempted as the king's mistress."
"Similarity, in a fashion,” Lucent agreed, surprised.
"Still, I confess it's not at all realistic."
"Egregious."
"Ludicrous."
The Amazon sighed. “I loved it."
"It's one of my favorites."
"That first sex scene is phenomenal."
"One of the best."
"Frustration! Where is a man when we need him?"
"Or two men,” Symbol agreed.
"Or three.” They laughed together.
Then they got serious. “What of the stalker?"
"I have been attuning to it, never fear. It came about to the edge of the illusion, and paused, never coming closer. It's there now."
"Now!” Symbol cried, horrified.
"A
nd now it's gone. Our awareness of it drove it off."
"What was it waiting for?"
"For our complete oblivion. But we never slept, so it couldn't close. Our ploy didn't work; it knows when we are alert."
"I don't know whether to be disappointed or relieved."
"Both, maybe. I still can't tell what it is, or what kind of threat it represents."
"If only it were a man."
"It is not a man. Never forget that. Nor even male, I think. Sex is not its object."
"Is our death its object?"
"I don't think so. But that other Amazon died. That bothers me."
Symbol experienced another shudder. “Let's get out of here! You said we could travel by night if we had to."
"I said it was risky. Safer to stay awake this night and travel by day. Better logy than injured or dead."
She made sense. “But I can't stand just waiting here while it lurks. If only we could know its exact nature! Then we could assess our chances."
"I wish we could ask an old timer. Someone must know."
Symbol had an idea. “My library of illusion shows—they have many settings. Maybe there's something similar in one of them."
"We need a description, not just a glimpse."
"I have some natural life and hazards shows too. I could look something up—if I had its name or description."
"Could we catch a glimpse in a regular show, then use that to orient on the natural life description?"
"Yes, I think so. But it could be a long random search."
"We're awake anyway. We can watch a lot. Can you speed it up to pass the irrelevant parts quickly?"
"Yes, and slow it to focus on relevant parts. Illusion is versatile."
"Satisfaction."
They reviewed illusion shows, this time skimming over the romantic or sexy sequences, to Symbol's regret, and focusing on the scenes of forests or bare landscapes. They saw many strange animals, but not what they wanted.
"Maybe we can narrow it down some,” Lucent said. “Can you orient on large insects?"
"Some. The spooky ones can have those."
They watched spooky romances, with marvelously shapely young women being horrified by armies of ants, spiders, or big stinging flies. “Larger,” Lucent said.
They watched the shapelies being chased by ants, spiders, and flies larger than they were. “Not credible,” Lucent said. “The big spiders stick mainly to their webs, and the ants to their trails. The flies are nectar eaters.” Then she emitted an unAmazonian shriek. “What's that?"
Symbol played the sequence over. It was a giant wasp.
"That could be our creature,” Lucent said. “It's the right size, and it flies."
Symbol got another show stone and played it. In a moment it oriented on wasps of all types. Then it came to the big one. “All wasps are deadly, to some decree,” the announcer said. “All sting. But some are especially ugly.” It showed the giant, thirty pounds heavy, with an enormous wingspan and five legs. “This is the so-called love wasp. It consumes pollen and other plant fruits. It is of solitary habit, making no nest. Male and female meet only briefly to breed."
"That doesn't seem deadly,” Symbol remarked.
"Could be a bad lead,” Lucent said. “But the physical description could fit what I saw."
"The female then looks for a suitable host for her eggs."
"Host?” Symbol asked, suffering a nervous tweak.
"I think we're getting there."
The show showed the male and female wasps coming together in flight for a brief connection, then separating. The male then returned to foraging, while the female set up a search pattern, flying back and forth. “Only she knows what host is suitable,” the announcer continued. “We do not properly understand the criteria. Only that it must be of suitable size, and have a certain amount of fat on its body."
Symbol felt worse. “It must kill and set up the body for the grubs to eat."
"And there is the wasp's choice,” the announcer said. “A fat pig, lost, isolated from its herd. The wasp watches and waits, for it can't address an alert animal. But in time the host sleeps. Then it is vulnerable.” The wasp closed on the sleeping animal, then with a quick lunge struck with its stinger. “The venom is far from sufficient to kill a creature this size,” the announcer said. “But it does pacify it so that it will not wake during the critical stage."
"Critical stage?” Symbol asked.
"I think I have a glimmer,” Lucent said. “This really will be ugly."
"Must we watch, then?"
"We'd better, so as to know our enemy. We already know that it has to catch its victim sleeping, just as we suspected."
The wasp flew around above the pig for several minutes, watching. Then, satisfied that the creature had been properly pacified, it came in for a landing. It settled on the body, inspected it carefully, and finally oriented on its posterior. It unlimbered what looked like a giant phallus.
"I thought this was a female!” Symbol said, repulsed.
"It is,” Lucent said grimly.
"The wasp uses its ovipositor to insert its egg,” the announcer said. The phallic-seeming member worked its way into the anus of the pig, slowly but deeply.
"That sure looks like sex to me!"
"Maybe it is, in a way,” the Amazon said. “Planting the seed into the host."
"And what kind of a birthing will result?"
"We shall see."
At length the wasp completed its insertion of its eggs and withdrew its tool. It flew away, having no further interest in the pig.
"The hatching of the eggs and development of the grubs take some time,” the announcer said. “It is important that the host be healthy, so it will move about and eat for a time. Then, as the grubs develop, consuming the intestine, this becomes impractical and the host will seek a private place to retire.” The pig staggered to a small cave and lay down. Then, in fast motion, the progress of the gestation was shown. The pig became shrunken though its belly was swollen. It remained alive, but unable to move. At last the grubs ate their way out of its flesh, emerging from a hole in its side.
"Ugh!"
"I agree,” Lucent said. “To be eaten alive, by grubs, helpless—I would much prefer to die outright."
The grubs remained near the pig, finishing the last of its flesh, until only the bones remained. Then they attached themselves to nearby plants and pupated, becoming indistinct blobs. In due course they would emerge as little wasps, and forage until full grown, when the cycle would continue.
Symbol shut off the illusion show as it moved on to other insects. “I think this is it,” she said with a shudder.
"And it is seeking one of us to be host to its grubs."
"Me, I think. I have more edible flesh."
"Acquiescence. But mostly, it is that we are for the moment isolated. If we escape to a Chroma, it will seek some other creature."
"So let's escape to a Chroma,” Symbol said.
"That would be effective for me. I will shortly be home. But what of your return trip?"
Symbol was stunned. “I must return on schedule! I can't wait for a better time."
"Precisely. You will likely have to travel alone. You will know the route, and once you reach the next Chroma you will have no trouble charming any number of men for free floating. But you will have to sleep here one night—as that other Amazon did."
"Horror!"
"Deal."
"Deal?"
"I have something to do, that your illusion could facilitate. You have a problem traveling. I will help you handle yours if you help me with mine."
Symbol hardly dared hope. “What is your notion?"
"I believe there are few such wasps that go after human beings. For one thing, humans tend to be vengeful, and kill those who predate on them. If we kill this wasp, there is unlikely to be another, and you will travel safely alone, apart from the usual threats for a solitary woman."
"Like rape and robbery,” Symb
ol agreed. “I am much more inclined to risk those than the wasp."
"Even brigands you could probably charm, so they would protect you rather than abuse you."
"I have done it before. But how can we kill the wasp, when it won't approach us awake?"
"We can reverse the ploy and stalk it. I suspect it is not used to being the prey instead of the predator."
"In the dark?"
"By night or day. We may have to stay here another night to get it, but then it will be gone."
"I don't think we can just chase after it,” Symbol said. “It can move faster than we can."
"Accuracy. But not faster than an arrow. You will decoy it near the candle while I move out. Thus it will be in light, I in darkness. When it comes to you, I will riddle it with arrows."
"Decoy? I mislike the sound of that."
"Practicality: it will come only to a sleeping person. We must both sleep some time. You will sleep, but instead of guarding you from close, I will guard you from a distance. This should be effective."
"I can't sleep!"
"Confession: I have some sleep dust. On occasion, I use it to pacify men I prefer not to indulge. It will enable you to sleep."
"While the wasp comes!"
"And I lurk with my arrows."
Symbol realized that this made sense. She did need sleep, and this was a viable strategy. “I will never forgive you if you miss the wasp and I host its grubs.” She was trying to joke, but it seemed supremely unfunny.
"I will not miss."
Symbol decided to agree before she thought of several dozen reasons not to. “Do it."
"But I have not told the assistance I want from you. You may not wish to do it."
"More than I wish not to be impregnated with grubs?"
Lucent laughed. “Hardly! But it will take a day or so."
"I can spare it, if we handle the wasp."
"Acquiescence. Here is the dust. Make yourself comfortable and sniff it once."
Symbol took the dust in the palm of her hand, lay on her side, and sniffed. She wasn't sure how well it would work, because she remained tense.
She woke at dawn, alone. For a moment she was afraid the Amazon had deserted her, but then she saw Lucent striding toward her. “No luck,” she said regretfully. “The beast must have been aware that I was alert, and remained well clear."
Symbol was almost relieved. “Maybe we should just ride the cart out of here and be done with it."