“Enough of this foolishness,” Purple said, reaching again.
Tania blew again. This time, with Clef’s close guidance, she blew a note. Her fingers under Clef’s depressed the keys, and the note changed.
The first note was imperfect, yet had a strange quality. The second was better, and stranger. She was catching on, following Clef’s cues, making eerie music.
“No!” Purple cried. But she continued to play, with increasing facility, and he did not advance on her.
There seemed to be a light developing around the flute—not a glow, but an ambience. Its color heightened, enhancing its outline. Tania’s face seemed to have a double outline, as if she were a holo picture a trifle out of focus. In fact there seemed to be two Tanias, playing two flutes, overlapping.
Then the split images merged. Abruptly the music became intimately compelling. The radiance spread outward, seeming to ripple through the air and the people—and where it passed, they changed, becoming double and then single, then double again, as if swinging in and out of themselves. The air seemed to sparkle and become fresh with the fragrance of a healthy outdoors. Yet the walls of the suite also seemed to be dissolving, and a verdant outdoor landscape was showing through them.
“Now,” Clef said. He moved his hands, taking hold of the flute directly. Tania let go, giving it to him. She seemed stunned by what had happened.
The ripple of light jumped inward, as if a bubble were collapsing. The superimposed images faded. But then Clef began to play.
He was a master. All doubt about this was abolished by his first note. His fingers on the flute seemed to glow with sheer competence. Tania stared at him as if mesmerized.
The radiance strengthened, as if a spotlight had focused on the flute. It spread again, slowly; but this time its effects were intensified. It lighted Clef’s hands, and they became cleaner, stronger, the fingers more nimble; the discolorations of age faded, leaving the firm flesh of youth. It traveled across his arms, and they filled out, becoming muscular. It touched his neck, which smoothed out, both tendons and wrinkles disappearing. It expanded across his face, shaping it, heightening its animation, strengthening its character. His sparse hair darkened and advanced, thickening. His spectacles now seemed incongruous on so handsome a face.
Tania watched him, rapt. The man was being transformed! His whole body was turning youthful and dynamic as the light bathed it. Agape was staring too, and ‘Corn, from the floor; he knew the same thought was in all their minds. How could such a thing be happening, without magic? Yet how could magic be operating, here in Proton?
The globe of light seemed to split. A small intense part of it clothed Clef, while a larger but fainter secondary part of it expanded to enclose them all in its ambience. ‘Corn felt it infusing him, changing both his body and his mind in extraordinary manner, both uplifting and alarming him. He saw the others—and each was double, twin images overlapping, but not perfectly. Each was split, yet not harmed, and each looked as confused as he felt. When Tania had played, the outlines of each person had seemed blurred. Now they were distinct, yet dual.
The walls of the suite dissolved again. This time the outdoor landscape assumed full force.
Then they were moving—or the landscape was. As a group they passed through the wall of the suite, and through the walls of the neighboring chambers. There were people in those other chambers, looking started, but the group swept through them and past them without impediment. ‘Corn found himself moving toward a walking serf; then he went through the middle of the man and on, feeling only a momentary drag, as if the air had thickened. What was happening?
The pace accelerated, as the music continued. They burst out of Hardom and moved north, like nine figures locked in an invisible ship. Fields and trees passed at a blurring rate, and even hills. They were going somewhere at the speed of a spaceship, without the ship.
A castle loomed on the horizon, a blue pennant flying from a high turret. They shot in toward it, and through its walls.
Abruptly the motion stopped. They were in the castle, and ‘Corn’s face was near a tuft of grass sprouting from the crevice between two paving stones. But he could not be concerned about that; the travel had stopped, but not the music. Clef was still playing, his whole body concentrating on the effort, as if what had occurred so far were only the preliminary to something greater.
The globe of light touched Tania. The two images of her slid together. Her dishevelment and her bruises were wiped away, enhancing her posture. Her eyes seemed larger, and literally glowing. She had always been a striking woman; now she seemed charismatic. The music was lifting her, making her sway; she was not merely listening, she was of it.
Citizen Purple made a noise. His doubled images were also merging. Tania’s face turned, her mouth forming a frown. Her eyes seemed to strike out at him—and Purple fell back, reeling as if struck.
That was the Evil Eye! ‘Corn had learned of it through Nepe. The Tania of Phaze had it, the ability to hypnotize or hurt people merely by looking at them. But this was Proton!
The light was coming here, bathing him, and bringing with it its strange effects. ‘Corn had been amazed by the ghostly traveling; now he experienced a ghostly unity. The thought that had prompted him to urge Tania to play the flute returned, assuming new clarity. This was—
“Aye,” he murmured, sitting up.
Aye? That was Phaze talk!
“Aye,” his mouth said again. “The flute be doing it.”
“What’s happening?” ‘Corn cried, even as he realized the explanation. He was merging with his other self.
“Aye,” his mouth said a third time. “I be Alien. Thou hast come here to Phaze.”
“But this is Proton!” ‘Corn protested.
“Nay, methinks it be both. See, the frames be merging, and the folk o’ the frames.”
‘Corn saw it was so. The Proton folks who had occupied the suite of Citizen Blue were superimposed on what must be the Blue Demesnes of Phaze. Somehow the music of the flute had carried them here, where they were joining with their parallel selves.
Yes, as he thought it through, he found confirmation from his other self. Alien—Al—had witnessed the treachery of Tan and Purple, and had gone to find Fleta and Tania, and the three of them had fetched the magic Platinum Flute and come here—and now with Clef playing that Flute, the frames were being brought together. It was overwhelming, yet also sensible.
He looked around him, discovering that the lethargy was gone from his body. Clef was still playing, Tania was still gazing raptly on him, and the others were reacting much as ‘Corn himself was. Agape’s features were changing, coming to resemble those of Fleta, Al’s thought continued. Her human form was petite and pretty. While, in contrast, the Purple Adept was a mottled and ugly hulk. The man’s fat face was twisted in a distorted snarl as he waged some internal war with Citizen Purple, ‘Corn continued. Evidently the two did not like each other much more than they liked anyone else. Probably they were engaged in a no-quarter-given struggle to determine which of them was to control their single body.
Meanwhile, Citizen Blue was coming to life. It seemed that the Adept Stile had been under a spell that the music was abating. But Stile and Blue were not united, and neither were Mach and Bane. What was wrong?
Blue caught ‘Corn’s eye. “Be not concerned, Al; my body in Phaze be but a golem, and with the mergence I am returned to Stile’s.” He gestured to the golem, which sat immobile.
Then the man’s eyes went glassy, and the golem animated. “On the other hand, ‘Corn, I can also assume his body,” Stile said. Or maybe Blue; it was difficult to tell which was which. “Because we are one, now, we can not occupy both simultaneously. This was one of the complications that made this a last-resort ploy. Mach has the same problem.”
“Aye, and Bane,” the living man said, while the robot was still. “But methinks we can live with it.”
Agape/Fleta turned to face Bane/Mach. “This could become complicated a
t certain times,” she said.
“Canst not take turns?” he asked.
“An we were an other two, nay,” she replied. “But we knew each other well; we have traded bodies before. Now we have the capacities o’ both.” She demonstrated by melting one hand into a molten lump, then re-forming it. Then she became a unicorn, and a hummingbird, and a woman again.
The Lady Blue stirred. “Welcome, Lady Sheen. Long has it been since we met. Surely we too can share.”
The woman went slack and the robot animated. “Surely we can, Lady Blue!”
“But if all of you can cooperate and share so readily,” ‘Corn asked, “why not Purple?”
Stile/Blue laughed. “For us it be fraught with difficulties, which may belong in the working out. For him it be nigh impossible. This be because we be amicable persons, accustomed to accommodation and sacrifice, while the Adverse and Contrary folk be perverse and greedy, accustomed to yielding naught but under force or threat. We can get along with our other selves; they can not. It be that simple.”
‘Corn looked at Purple again. The man’s face was mottled and approaching the color of his name as a series of foul emotions crossed it. Purple was evidently unable to wreak mischief on anyone else until he settled his own case.
“But they have the Oracle and the Book of Magic,” Agape/ Fleta said. “And my child!”
“With the frames unified by the stronger magic of the Flute, neither the Oracle nor the Book of Magic is as important as before,” Stile/Blue said. “And as for my grandchild—I will bring him now.”
He singsonged a spell, drawing on the immense ongoing magic of the continuing Flute, and disappeared. In a moment he was back with Nepe and a young wolf. “Just as well I did,” he said. “They were near the limit of the good air. The Proton pollution has been pushed off the main continent, for now.”
Nepe looked around, seeming less surprised than the others. “This is fun!” she exclaimed.
Agape swooped down to gather her up. But Nepe was already changing. “Ugh!” Flach exclaimed as Agape kissed him.
“But then who is the wolf?” ‘Corn asked, astonished. The wolf became a rather pretty young girl. “Sirelmoba,” she said.
Flach disengaged from Agape and embraced his bitch-friend. But she changed, and in a moment he was holding Troubot. “Ugh!” the robot exclaimed.
Somebody started laughing. Then all of them were, except Adept/Citizen Purple, who was lost in his own private quarrel. There were certainly things to adjust to! But what a great new situation was opening out: the realms of science and magic merged, both being operative together at last!
“Unicorn Point,” Stile/Blue said, looking around. “I see now that the two frames were never meant to be separated, and they shall not be so again. The cities and the creatures of the wild shall learn to coexist. There will be problems, of course; significant ones, such as the matter of pollution. We can’t have Phaze atmosphere go the way of Proton’s! But what would life be, without challenge?”
“Aye,” Neysa said. Then she became Nessie. Now ‘Corn understood why Citizen Blue had hired this older alien from Planet Moeba; he had been facilitating the parallelism, so as to be ready for this mergence, if it came. Flach’s granddam, Nepe’s grandmother: had one been offplanet at this time, there could have been a bad disruption.
‘Corn/Al remembered something. “What of Tania?” he asked. “She did more than anyone to make this possible, and she loves Mach/Bane, and we owe her—”
Fleta/Agape looked up. “It be true. We owe her,” she said sadly. “Mayhap she loved power as much as the man, wishing to unite with an Adept or Citizen and so gain back her own, but an we have the debt, needs must we—”
The music of the Flute finally stopped; the mergence was complete. Clef’s job was done. Rejuvenated, exhilarated, he lowered the instrument and stood there, smiling and handsome. Slowly he turned to Tania, with a questioning glance.
In two steps she was in his arms, kissing him with a passion verging on ferocity. A light flickered about them.
Now ‘Corn appreciated the phenomenal impact the playing of the Flute must have had upon the woman. She had started it, guided by Clef’s expertise; then she had experienced the unparalleled magic of his playing. Power? Clef was the leading Adept of the age, because of the Flute. Tania had known that her love for Mach or Bane was futile; now she had discovered all that she longed for—power, Phaze and a matchless man—in Clef. It was true for both Tanias; they had unified cleanly, and evidently had no internal conflicts. The suddenness of her change of love was no more amazing than the magic of the mergence of the frames.
“Come, we have much to do,” Stile/Blue said. “Let’s hope that folk like Merle are satisfied with their new powers in lieu of other payment, and that our other allies are well off, while the Adverse allies are similarly badly off.” He glanced at ‘Corn. “Thy folks may remain ensorceled, Al. Needs must we check on the Red Demesnes. Mayhap with ‘Corn’s folks offworld, there will be a complication we must abate.”
“Me too!” Nepe cried. “Come on, ‘Corn—let’s meet Al’s folks!” She ran across and took his arm.
Corn, dizzy, realized that the prospects were still opening up. Maybe, as with Flach and Sirelmoba, Nepe looked forward to a different partner when grown than when young! He had to admit, things were looking better.
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Piers Anthony, Unicorn Point
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