Key to Destiny

  “That's not the same. You're a Glamor too, so don't have the mortal limitation. Anyway, you're pregnant."

  “I can still have sex."

  “Would my presence affect Voila? You know I share your womb with her."

  That set Gale back. Obviously the succubus could visit Gale in her Glamor aspect, and in her pregnant condition, but when she got sexually active it was a transforming state. “Try it with Symbol,” she agreed.

  There was a gentle knock on the door. “Bijou,” Symbol said. “I know her knock."

  Gale extended her awareness and verified the mind. The girl had an urgent message. “Enter, Bijou,” she called.

  Bijou opened the door, slid through, and closed it silently behind her. “Lady Gale,” she said. “I have a message from Sire Havoc."

  Gale still had not gotten quite used to being addressed as Lady, and she had never felt at ease with Havoc's title, though it was standard; too many attractive women seemed to take it literally, wanting him to sire their fourths. But she knew she would simply have to get used to all of it. She knew that Havoc could have reached her mentally, but was trying to follow protocol. “Speak."

  “He must go immediately with Chief to handle a situation. He is not sure you will find it convenient to accompany him—"

  “Exclamation! Of course I can't go now!"

  “So perhaps the Lady Symbol—"

  “Negation,” Symbol said. “The babies need me more than Havoc does, for the present."

  “But it seems a formal appearance is in order,” the girl continued. “The queen or mistress should be with him."

  Gale exchanged a glance with Symbol. Both well understood the requirements of formal missions, but this was out of the question.

  “Idea,” Bijou said.

  I wondered how long it would take her to think of getting into Havoc's bed, Swale thought.

  And there it was, in her mind. “Emulate me,” Gale agreed.

  “Problem. I can't touch a Glamor."

  “Solution,” Symbol said. “I told you how. Practice."

  Gale kept silent. She knew Bijou loved Havoc and wanted to embrace him, and now could not. That problem didn't really bother Gale, but it was true that if Bijou emulated her, she would have to be in Havoc's bed. She would have to learn to pretend it wasn't really him. Surely the girl would rise to the challenge.

  I'll help her, Swale thought. And of course it hadn't taken the succubus long to think of sex with Havoc, either.

  “Challenge,” Bijou agreed with evidently mixed feelings.

  “Swale will help."

  Bijou nodded. “I may need her."

  Parting. Swale left Gale to join Bijou.

  “You will also need the crown,” Gale said. She fetched it.

  “Agreement. By your leave, Lady.” Bijou accepted the Queen's crown but did not put it on. “I must assume the likeness."

  “Affirmation,” Gale said. She and Symbol helped put the girl in a queen's robe, and redid her hair to match Gale's. It was surprisingly easy to make the conversion; the clothing fit, and the hair was already close. Soon they stood beside each other facing a large mirror; they looked like twins.

  “Appreciation,” Bijou said, now emulating Gale's voice.

  “Don't do anything I wouldn't do,” Gale said.

  That broke Bijou up for a moment. “It is doing what you do do that is the challenge.” She departed regally.

  “Remark,” Symbol said. “She is as worthy to embrace him as I am. She has earned her keep."

  She certainly had. “Marriage makes me jealous of the designs of other women."

  “Sympathy. But also opportunity."

  “Question?"

  “You are now officially invisible again, as long as Bijou emulates you. You can travel."

  “Travel?"

  “To see Ine's folks in the Invisible Chroma."

  Gale knocked her head with the heel of her hand. “Idiocy! Where has my mind gone?"

  Symbol smiled. “The babies took it."

  They got to work changing their appearances, becoming anonymous. Meanwhile, Gale summoned Ennui, the one person who had to be cognizant of royal identities.

  Ennui appeared just as the babies woke. “Confusion,” she remarked, seeing their preparations.

  “Havoc's on an official mission,” Gale said, picking up Warp. Ennui quickly took Weft, competently checking her diaper for wetness. “Bijou will emulate me. Symbol and I will be anonymous, traveling to see Ine's folks to learn baby care. Cover."

  “Covered,” Ennui agreed, returning Weft to Gale, as the baby was starting to fuss. She would inform whoever else needed it, and keep the palace operating smoothly. Gale knew that the woman's oath friendship with Havoc had been a sudden, almost random thing, but she had taken hold and become completely competent as well as loyal. She was in certain respects the most important person in the city.

  But the woman lingered. “Problem?” Symbol asked as she changed Flame's wet diaper.

  “Oddity, perhaps irrelevant. The loom is active."

  That made Gale pause in the act of baring her breasts for Warp and Weft. “Clarify."

  “Nonce carried the loom ikon, but it brought an urgency on her, and she invoked it as the full loom in a storage chamber. Now she is weaving—and so is Lady Aspect. And me. We all feel the need of the loom, and the dragon seeds do not object."

  “What pattern?” Symbol asked.

  “Unknown. Intricate. Precise. We are instituting four hour schedules so that it can proceed continuously, but we don't know its ultimate nature."

  This was more than interesting. Neither Ennui nor Aspect was given to idle distraction. “Continue,” Gale said. “Keep us informed. And the Brown Dragon Glamor."

  “Appreciation.” Ennui departed.

  “So the loom isn't done,” Symbol said.

  “We have yet to fathom its full nature. We need to. Maybe it's helping us."

  Then they returned to the businesses at hand, with another round of nursing and changing. When Flame slept again, Symbol went to see the Sorceress Ineffable, to arrange for their travel with her. Ine's body was invisible, as was Symbol's; she was garbed in inclusive underwear and stockings beneath a conventional opaque long-sleeved blouse and skirt, with gloves and a veil under her hood. She could make herself visible, but that would be a waste of precious magical energy, here in the nonChroma zone. That was why Symbol handled this; it was clear that she understood the concerns of the Invisible folk, being one herself. She had gotten along well with Ine throughout.

  Soon they were on their way, providing Ine with a king's coach, her friends Gal and Bol and their babies accompanying her as a courtesy. Ine was delighted to take Warp and nurse him; she had that power as a sorceress with a magic gem to provide some of her home-Chroma power. She had to unwind and stretch her body bands to do it, making it look as if there were a hole through her body, as she had not powdered her breasts. That left one each for Gale and Symbol, which simplified things. The three babies seemed to have worked out shifts, taking turns to fuss, and the breast did not necessarily satisfy them. They did have active little minds and were accustomed to getting their own way. Gale well understood why their original families had been unable to keep them. Glamor or no, Gale herself would have been overwhelmed by now, had she not had the support of Symbol and other women.

  As they traveled Ine regaled them with the adventure the three sisters had had with Throe, making him have sex with each of them in order to decide which one was the best mate for their boyfriend Jamais Vu, who was actually the Black Glamor in mortal disguise. But Throe had gotten them back by selecting none of them, choosing their younger sister Inoffensive instead, recognizing her as a changeling. They had gotten him back, in turn, by really working him over on their trip to Triumph City. It seemed that the girls had compared notes, so knew the most intimate details of all the sexual encounters. It was apparent that all of them had high libidos and enjoyed playing with men.

  Meanwhi
le Gale looked out the coach window to see the giant blue animals hauling them along across the blue landscape. It had been scarcely a year since she had first left Village Trifle and come to the center of the planetary kingdom, and the Chroma magic still intrigued her. They had known of it as children, but hardly experienced it; riding in a coach was THE way to enjoy it. Everything was shades of blue, and she could see magic everywhere as people flew by without benefit of wings.

  One little blue girl in a blue dress and hair ribbon flew up to the window and offered her a blue fruit; she opened the window and proffered a coin for it, but the girl handed it to her and zoomed away, giggling.

  She showed it to the others. “Is this edible?"

  “Looks like a blue banana,” Symbol said.

  Ine was wary. “Let me see it.” She took it and held a transparent gem close. It flashed. “Toss it out the window,” she said. “It's a stinker."

  “Question?"

  “Demonstration. I'll set it off, then toss it, so you know without getting stenched.” She held the fruit up and scratched it with one nail.

  The blue hide of it ripped open along the scratch. Blue powder puffed out. Then Ine tossed it out her window as the thing exploded into a blue cloud. The little bit that was inside the coach smelled awful. Gale realized that had the whole thing been confined inside, they would have been completely soaked in the stink.

  “Child's joke,” Ine said. “We have an Invisible variant. It seeds itself by emulating fruit and exploding into pollen when bitten. The creature's efforts to rid itself of the smell spreads it widely."

  “The babies wouldn't have liked it,” Symbol said, sniffing as if to clear it.

  Gale realized that she should have been warned. Normally the dragon seed did that, but she no longer had it, since she could perceive spot errors for herself. But she had been so used to the dragon seed, and her Glamor powers were still so new, that she hadn't invoked that awareness. This was her lesson; now she attuned. She would not be caught like that again.

  The next Chroma zone was Black. Black made her nervous, because it was the imploding zone, though she knew it really wasn't any more dangerous than any other volcano. Here everything was in shades of black, odd as that seemed; shiny black alternated with dull black to form clear outlines of trees and creatures. Their coach floated right over the vast empty central cone, which made even Symbol nervous; they knew the Black Chroma guides knew what they were doing, and would not have used this direct route had an inruption been imminent, but that fathomless funnel was scary all the same.

  The next zone was Translucent, whose natives specialized in mind reading. The three of them used their mind shields to mask their thoughts, though they doubted that anyone was peeking.

  Next was an Invisible zone, but not the one where Ine lived. The various Chroma zones were scattered all around Planet Charm, with hundreds of each color in no clear order. The same was true of its sister world Counter-Charm; they could see its patchwork colors. What governed the color of a particular volcano no one seem to know; somehow each remained true to its Chroma, regardless of its neighborhood. Mixing of colors occurred only on the surface, where the border of one zone overlapped another. Symbol and Ine compared notes, as both were of Invisible origin.

  Then on to a Green Chroma zone, with exotic plants galore. Their tentacles lifted and swung the coach rapidly across, until at last they reached the fringe of the next Chroma zone. And so on, until they reached Ine's home Air or Invisible zone. Gale was relieved; the babies’ almost constant need for attention of one kind or another was wearing.

  Now Ine could fly, and so could Symbol. They got out of their clothing and made themselves beautifully visible nymphs. For the first time Gale saw their hair, which was long and silky. Of course they might be enhancing its appearance, but Gale thought they weren't; both were too apt at fascinating men to have such a detail unreal. All Invisible Chroma women were lovely, because they formed their own appearances, but these two were real.

  Ine led the way, carrying Warp. Symbol followed, with Flame. Gale carried Weft. This was another new experience for her: flying in company with others. In nonChroma zones she was likely to be the only one who could do any magic, and normally she tried to hide it. But here everyone could do it, so they could be quite open. Others would not be aware that Gale was not an Air Chroma native.

  The scenery was varied and quite interesting. The reality was invisible, but both creatures and plants clothed themselves with illusion so that color was everywhere. Air was the Chroma of illusion, of necessity, and everything here was good at it. Gale knew that what she saw was not necessarily what was there, but probably most of it was merely enhanced for better effect. Then she remembered: as a changeling before, and a Glamor now, she could penetrate illusion to see the reality. What she saw conformed her guess: things were close to their appearances, merely less so.

  The babies, too, were intrigued. They gazed around, appreciating the riot of colors and forms. That was just as well, because it meant they made no mischief.

  They arrived at the house of Ine's parents. Ine's illusion clothing formed around her, so Symbol did the same.

  A young woman opened the door as they landed. She was absolutely lovely in a conservative way; she was not trying to flaunt herself, yet could not conceal her beauty. This was Ino. “Ine!” she cried hurrying to hug her sister. But she stopped just before making contact. “You birthed a baby?"

  Ine laughed. “Not yet, tyke. This is Gal's baby.” She turned to the others. “Introduction: Gal and Bol. My little sister Ino."

  “Greetings, visitors,” Ino said shyly. She was about sixteen and clearly unspoiled. She might be betrothed to the Black Glamor, but as yet she had not explored the married state. It was evident that she had been raised well and strictly.

  “We come to ask a boon of the parents, and perhaps you too, if you have babysitted infants,” Ine said. “We need instruction in raising babies."

  Ino could not conceal her surprise. “But these are six months old! Surely—"

  “Adopted this day,” Gale explained.

  Ino nodded, understanding. She was a very quick study, as was typical of changelings. Gale suspected that she had caught on that Gale was more than she seemed, but her mind was shielded. “My parents will surely help."

  “Appreciation."

  The girl ushered them into the house. There stood two older folk, dully garbed and nondescript, obviously by design. “Introduction,” Ino said. “Gal of Triumph, Bol of our Chroma and Triumph. My parents, Intrepid and Innate.” The parents nodded. “They wish instruction in raising infants. These babies are recently adopted."

  “More,” Gale said. “They have magic abilities—in nonChroma zones."

  “Disbelief!” Intrepid said, then caught himself, not wishing to be discourteous. “Figurative. There is no magic in nonChroma."

  “Privacy,” Gale said.

  The parents hesitated, then nodded. They would respect secrecy. “Agreed,” Ino added.

  “Do you know of Glamors?"

  They hesitated again. “They know,” Ino murmured, this time allowing a thought to escape so Gale could read it: she meant the Black Glamor, whom she was to marry. Her parents were trying to keep that secret.

  “Affirmation,” Intrepid said, trusting his daughter's insight. “But babies are not that."

  “I am a Glamor.” Gale rose slightly into the air, and glowed. It was clear that she was no Invisible resident, so she should not have been able to do magic here. “I associate with the Black Glamor, and others.” She settled to the floor and faded to normal.

  “But you are nonChroma!” Innate protested.

  “I am the nonChroma Glamor of mosses. I draw my power from them, and serve their interest.” Gale extended her hand. Moss sprouted from it. She smiled. “Recently ascended. I do not wish this to be generally known."

  “But you are Queen!” Ino exclaimed. “How can it not be known?” Then she blushed. “Oops."

>   She had indeed caught on to that aspect, recognizing Gale. The girl had evidently studied politics. She was extremely sharp, but young enough to make slips.

  “Affirmation,” Gale said. “Queen and Glamor. I am King Havoc's wife. I adopted three babies because they can't be governed by less than a Glamor. But I have no experience with magic babies. I need instruction."

  Now Innate smiled. “That we can provide, Lady."

  “Demonstration.” Gale glanced at Ine, who had learned of the babies’ talents during the journey. She held Warp out at arm's length. She let him go. He bobbled and floated.

  Gale tucked Weft into the crook of her left arm, and conjured a bright bauble to her right hand. She teased the baby with it, and in a moment it jumped to Weft's little hand. “I did not do that,” Gale said.

  “And this little mischief is pyro,” Symbol said. “she sets fire to things. Surely she does not mean harm, but enormous harm can come in a city made of wood."

  “There are several ways,” Innate said. “Each has its application and its caution.” She glanced at her husband.

  “The man's way is to punish the child for infringement, Intrepid said. “Make the child hurt when it transgresses and it will quickly desist. If the child makes fire, burn her on the bottom so she understands it is not a plaything. If the child levitates when told not to, levitate him out of control; he will learn. If the child conjures what is not hers, conjure a prickle to the offending hand."

  “But such measures stifle the child,” Innate said. “It comes to fear the exercise of its power. This is not good."

  “Yet the child must learn of consequences,” Intrepid said. “Some magic is dangerous. The fear of that danger must be instilled. Thereafter a mere warning suffices."

  “Still, love must be ever be paramount,” Innate said. “The child must fear danger, never the parent."

  Obviously the two had differences, but they had succeeded in raising four magic children. Everything they said made sense; Gale remembered the loving discipline of her own parents, especially when it came to safeguarding her welfare as a fourth. She just had never before thought of it from the parent's side. She had considerable relearning to do in a hurry.