“And I love you. I do not wish to stifle you."
“I will give up the ikon!” she said. “I don't want to be free of you."
“You can't give it up. It is a sacred trust. The Lady Gale depends on you to maintain it safely."
“Agreement. But another person could do that. I would consult with Gale, of course, but I'm sure she will agree."
“Even if she does, you would be giving up more than my association is worth. You may be immortal, forever healthy and youthful. You deserve it."
Aspect felt tears on her face. “If you prefer to go elsewhere, I will not hinder you,” she said carefully. “But I love you and do not wish to give you up for any other reason. Especially not for youth, health, and passion you do not desire. I want to be what you want me to be, even if that means middle aged."
He shook his head. “This is what I did not want to ask of you. It is not fair to ask it."
“And you did not ask it. I want it. For you."
“Appeal: Do not be hasty. Consider the cost. Consult with Ennui. Be sure, before taking such a step."
She kissed him. “You're so sweet."
“I am rational. This is no simple decision."
She kissed him again. “I will not be hasty. I will consider. I will consult. I will be sure.” She continued kissing him, and he, evidently relieved by her acceptance of the situation, responded. Before long she got him into sex again. And felt guilty, knowing that it was this very urgency of hers that made him wary.
Next day she talked with Ennui. Both of them kept their minds closed. “Chief would like me to be as I was before the ikon."
“But you were middle aged."
“I thought he preferred me this way, but I was mistaken. I want to oblige him. How is it with you and Throe?"
The woman frowned. “The same."
So Ennui had already discussed it with her lover. “He would prefer you as you were?"
“As a homely middle aged woman,” Ennui agreed. “I find it hard to believe."
“Perhaps it is that they are middle aged men, and fear we will tire of them."
Ennui nodded. “That might be. At any rate, they are serious. I am ready to give up my ikon, but I don't want to put Havoc at any possible risk. Is there any truly secure place we can put them?"
Aspect hadn't thought of that. “We'll need to find a suitable hiding place, that no one will suspect. Secure, yet readily accessible at need. I have no idea where."
“Similarity."
“Let's think about it. One day's delay won't matter."
“Agreement."
They were wrong; one day did matter, as they discovered when Nonce returned from her leave of absence.
Aspect! Ennui's sudden thought came. Outrage here.
Aspect dropped whatever she had been doing and hurried to Ennui's office. Nonce stood there, distraught.
“Nonce was raped,” Ennui said. “In a manner."
“The mock king can handle that,” Aspect said, putting her arms around the girl. “Who did it? He'll be castrated."
“A golem,” Nonce said.
“Confusion."
In time they got the story straight. Nonce, seeking diversion, had gone to a Brown Chroma zone role playing game. This was a physical setting where the players animated golems, so that civilized limits could be dispensed with. Rape and murder were common, with the victims being diminished or ejected from the game. Animated golems seemed just like real people, to both the ones they encountered and the ones who animated them, but what happened to them did not happen to those who controlled them. So when a golem died, the person in it did not die; he or she merely had to start over. There were supposed to be constraints: players could form protective alliances, so that they could avoid or repel aggression while competing for points. One man could overpower one woman, but two women could overpower one man, and women had the option of deception. The men were required to tell the truth at all times; the women could lie when they found it advantageous. Points were awarded for many actions and discoveries: for finding hidden treasure, for killing monsters, for raping, castrating, or killing other players.
Nonce had been wary of entering the game alone, so had made an alliance with a young woman she met at the gathering area: they would be a team for the first day, until they became familiar with the layout and other players and could handle it alone. They picked pretty golem forms, wasp waisted and full breasted, and entered adjacent animation chambers. They would appear together in an isolated spot within the game, then set out looking for adventure and points. Nonce understood that the game provided a rare thrill for those who never in real life faced such threats and opportunities. They could live lives of promise and danger, without truly risking their bodies.
But when Nonce stepped into the game, she found no female companion beside her. Instead there were two brutish men. She tried to flee, but they boxed her in and caught her. Then one held her, screaming in protest, while the other ripped off her clothing. He raped her, still screaming. Then the other man throttled her, and she was dead before she had ever started.
She had found herself back in the booth, out of the game. The bauble she had traded for her day's play had been horribly wasted. She checked the adjacent booth, and found it empty. Her companion had never animated her golem.
“A shill!” Aspect exclaimed. “She set you up for the men."
“They got ten points each,” Ennui said. “Ten for raping her, ten for killing her. Accumulated points can be traded for tangible prizes after a player emerges from the game. They must have shared with their female accomplice."
“I can't protest,” Nonce said. “Women don't have to tell the truth in the game, and I think there are no rules for anyone outside the game. I was a lamb, and they slaughtered me.” She was halfway blaming herself. That was common in such cases, but hardly made it right.
“I still call it rape,” Ennui said grimly. “I think we should do something about it."
“It did feel like rape,” Nonce said. “And like death.” Her eyes were rimmed; she had been crying.
“Agreement,” Aspect said. “We shall act."
They acted. They planned carefully, had Throe hire a coach and driver anonymously, and went to the Brown Chroma zone game site. Things were quiet at the palace, which was why Nonce had been given leave; Chief was advising the mock king and would alert them if there were any problem. This was planned as a one day event, handled without wider notice.
“You are gutsy ladies,” Throe remarked as they traveled. Theoretically he was a man with two sisters to convey to another region; that was all the coachman needed to know, in case he gossiped elsewhere. They were not speaking loudly enough to be overheard by the coachman anyway.
“We have protection,” Aspect said.
“By that you don't mean merely me.” He had been the king's bodyguard for many years, and had guarded Aspect too. Now he guarded Havoc and Gale, but they no longer needed it, and were offplanet. He guarded the mocks when they went anywhere, but they too were relaxing at the palace today. That left him free to do them a favor.
“We'll settle for merely you, once we figure out where to put something,” Ennui told him fondly. Even in privacy, they did not refer directly to the ikons.
“Suggestion."
“Ear open,” Aspect said, cupping one of hers as if to listen closely.
“Crowns."
The two women stared at each other. Put the ikons in the appropriate crowns! Havoc's in Havoc's crown, Gale's in Gale's crown. That would not conflict with the Glamors, because they no longer used the real crowns; they used the fake ones, leaving the real ones to the mocks. Thus the ikons would be securely hidden, and would normally remain in the nonChroma zone.
Ennui kissed him. “And I thought you were hired for your muscle,” she said.
“Was,” he agreed, pleased.
“Tonight, when Berm sleeps, fasten this in the king's crown,” Ennui said, bringing out Havoc's tree ikon. “You can
do it, because it is your job to poke around looking for threats to the king."
“Agreement.” He reached to take the ikon she proffered. “Observation: you will need to let it go if I am to take it."
“I am trying,” Ennui said. “It sticks to my hand."
That seemed to be the case. Throe let go, and she held her hand out, the ikon remaining though she was not holding it. “Confusion."
Aspect had a chill notion. She brought out Gale's moss ikon and tried to set it on the seat beside her. She could not; it clung to her fingers. “Fear: they have become attached, and we can not relinquish them."
“But Throe carried them before,” Ennui said.
“Until we became their permanent guardians,” Aspect said. “We have not tried to set them aside since we kissed Havoc a year ago. We merely assumed that we could do so."
“It seems we were mistaken,” Ennui said. She looked uncomfortable.
“Perhaps in a Chroma zone,” Aspect said. “To cut off their source of magic just long enough to allow separation."
“We are going to one now,” Throe reminded them.
They nodded. “If we succeed, take them, and keep them clear of us."
“Agreement.” He was obviously glad to help, because he wanted Ennui free of her ikon.
In due course they arrived at the Brown Chroma zone. This was set up for tourists, with golem guides directing them to the game complex. The grounds were nicely laid out, with brown trees and bushes lining the wide driveway, and pleasantly designed brown buildings. Intriguing statuary decorated the entrance to the main building: truly handsome nude men and women.
The coach parked at the coach lot, and a brown attendant came out with a bag of feed for the horse. They took care of everything here.
“It will cost you to enter,” Aspect reminded Ennui.
“I happen to have a blue stone,” Ennui said. “That should more than pay my way for a day.” They were speaking now for any possible listeners, acting like tourists, keeping their minds closed.
“Mind you pick the right golem."
Ennui smiled knowingly. “A truly lovely one, outside and in.” She eyed Aspect appraisingly. I must say, you look fetching in brown.
Appreciation. For while Ennui was garbed in nonChroma colors, Aspect was all in brown: a tight blouse, very short skirt, and dainty brown slippers. Her skin had been tinted brown also for the occasion. Throe was similarly brown. They had prepared carefully.
Ennui climbed out of the coach and walked into the building, immediately escorted by a helpful golem. Then Throe got out, turned, reached in, and draped Aspect over his shoulder in an undignified manner, her bottom and legs in front, her head and arms dangling behind. She was quite limp. He walked directly to the maintenance door to the side, and entered it with his burden. They had researched the complex layout, so knew exactly where things were. They were ignored; service personnel were not tourists.
They made their undignified way to the inner game area, and to the row of booths containing unused golems. One was a brown woman much like Aspect's present form. Throe set Aspect down carefully, she remaining quite limp, opened the booth, removed the golem, set her down, then stood Aspect up in her place. He picked up the golem and carried her away. Wooden golems were stiff when not activated, but these game-golems were more like rag dolls.
Now she was on her own, physically. In place, she thought to Ennui.
Good. There are predator males here, but not the ones who did Nonce. It's a pattern, with a female shill; a number use it on new innocents. Be ready.
Oh, yes! Aspect remained standing still in her box, but she was looking around with her mind. She couldn't read the golems, which had no minds, but could see that there were several male golems in booths near her own.
I am concerned about playing this game my very first time alone, Ennui thought. My virgin voyage. I am making an alliance with a friendly woman who will go with me.
And alert her henchmen to my location, Aspect agreed grimly.
There was a pause. Then Ennui contacted her again. I have chosen you. My friend is choosing the golem beside you. Oh, say!"
This smelled of something else. What?
She really is going with me—but she will animate a male golem.
That was a novel touch. Women debauching women, or perhaps just killing them after setting them up for their male cohorts. Nothing like twisted sexual fun.
Coming now.
Aspect came to life. She stepped out of her booth and looked around as if seeking her female companion.
Two men burst from nearby booths. They charged her from either side. She tried to flee in ineffective alarm, but one caught her, spun her about, and held her with her arms pinned back.
Aspect screamed, as any helpless terrified woman would.
The second man put his hands to her bosom and ripped off her blouse. He hooked his fingers into her skirt and yanked it down, dropping it around her ankles. She wore nothing beneath either, in the golem manner. She tried to kick her feet, but they were entangled. She tried to push him away, but was ineffective. She was helpless. It seemed.
The man in front brought out his stiff member and wedged it in her crotch. She screamed as piercingly as she could manage and twisted her body, trying to avoid the entry, but the man behind her yanked her back harder, keeping her helpless. That would be the woman in male body.
The man in front got his rod angled correctly and thrust upward and inward, completing the rape. And Aspect acted.
First she clamped on his member. The ikon had given her remarkable strength and control there; she grasped it in the manner of a closing fist. Then she caught his ears in her two hands and brought his head down toward hers. Then she bucked her hips with a violent twisting motion.
The golem member, designed for ready amputation, was wrenched off. At the same time Ennui sent a telepathic bolt at the human operator's mind, stunning him. The golem slumped against her.
“What?” the woman-man demanded, confused.
“He fainted,” Aspect said. “Something's wrong."
The pseudo man let her go and bent to see to his fallen companion. And Aspect drew her knife and stabbed him in the back. He dropped to the ground, as the golem body was designed to do when killed.
She had castrated one man and killed another. She had just gained twenty points. There was no reason to kill the rapist; ten points was the maximum one person could get from harming another. That was why one man had raped Nonce and the other had killed her; that way each made the maximum. Now Aspect had done the same, to two others.
She pulled the separated member out, and twisted off the ears of the golem she had killed. These were the proofs of her conquest. She had to admit it: she was exhilarated. It was very satisfying to do it back to the bad guys.
She put her clothing back together as well as she could and walked away. There were other men in the area, but they avoided her, having caught on that she was not the patsy she looked. Well, she didn't need them; there were monsters to slay and treasures to find.
Found them, Ennui thought. All three. Get out of there.
And leave my winnings behind? Aspect thought with mock petulance. But she walked to her starting booth, entered it, and became quite still. She had been decommissioned.
Throe came to service the battered golems. He carried the original female over his shoulder. He hauled Aspect out, put the other in, and carried Aspect ingloriously away. She suffered herself to dangle, rather more of her anatomy showing than was decent. But of course golems had no decency; they were mere anatomically correct dummies when not animated by human minds.
Throe carried her all the way out to the coach, and no one even glanced his way, let alone challenged him. He set her on the seat and got in himself.
“Were we ordinary folk, I might be tempted to forget my place,” he murmured, smiling.
“I have ripped off one member; I'm game to do another."
“Sometimes Ennui traps me that way
, teasingly. She's actually stronger than I am, now. I know she would never deliberately hurt me, but it does make me uncomfortable."
“We somehow thought that form and sexual appetite was what would please you men most."
“We men might have thought so too. Now we know better. There is after all more to a woman than sex."
“After all,” she agreed, laughing.
Ennui emerged, having finished her game session. More important, she had located the trio that had savaged Nonce. Those were the ones they were really after; the others were incidental. They had needed to play the game in order to have a pretext to remain there long enough to survey minds and locate their quarry. Ennui entered the coach, and the driver started it moving.
“Now for stage two,” Ennui said.
“You have the data?"
“You know I do. We'll intercept them tonight."
They rode to a trail inn for a good meal, acting the part of tourists. Then near dusk they went to the key spot.
They hid the coach and horse on a by-path, and set their trap. It was in a narrow nonChroma avenue between two small Black Chroma zones; no one would stray far from this path. Throe hid in black bushes with a rope, while the two women donned torn old clothing that hardly covered them. In fact they looked very poor and very buxom, with artfully wild hair. Aspect's brown skin tint was long gone; she was no longer a golem. Even if their prey had been the ones she had encountered in the game, they would have been unlikely to recognize her.
“Remember, we want them to be caught in the act,” Aspect reminded the others. “If they don't do it, we have no right to take them."
“They'll do it,” Ennui said. “I saw it in their minds. The men like to abuse women, and the woman likes to abuse women too. They make quite an ugly team."
“Still, we need to catch them. We can't punish folk for what they might do, only for what they do do."
“Agreement."
When their mind check signaled the approach of the trio, they commenced their act. “Oh, what is to become of us?” Aspect wailed forlornly.
“Hush, sister, we can surely find our way home,” Ennui reassured her uncertainly.
“But home is far away, and we have no idea where we are, and no one at home knows either! Oh, those wicked men! To think that we trusted them."