Key to Destiny

  “Left Voila with Ennui for safekeeping for an hour."

  “Jumped to north pole. Huge cracks in ice, wide, deep, long."

  “Floated over them, invisibly,” she said. “Peered down."

  “Penetrated illusion. Saw signs of activity."

  “Descended to investigate. Landed on ledge. Tripped magic detector."

  She nodded. “Caught by surprise. More sophisticated magic than anticipated in supposedly barren region."

  “Withdrew to consider,” he said. “Dropped into our private residence, here."

  “Wondered whether the proprietors of the detector had fathomed our identity. We were wearing our robes and crowns."

  “Received emergency mind call from Ennui,” he concluded. Black rage welled up again. “They tried to assassinate us."

  “And got Berm and Spanky instead,” she agreed. “Innocent victims."

  “I am more angry about them than about us,” he said grimly. “Kings are natural targets. But I promised Spanky a fourth."

  “And Berm is Swale's brother. He was her mainstay."

  Havoc paced the floor, trying to work out more rage. “We don't know who they are, but we do know where they are."

  “They surely think we are dead in that valley,” Gale said. “That our bodies may never be found. So no one will come after them."

  “This quest was merely for information,” he said. “Until now."

  “Until now,” she agreed. “So we have the element of surprise. But let's consider carefully, to be sure we encounter no other surprises ourselves."

  “Agreement. We can bypass magic detectors. I doubt they know we are Glamors."

  “But they might,” she said. “Assume they do, for safety."

  “Assume they know,” he agreed. “Could beams from the crowns blast the minds of Glamors?"

  “Negation. We are virtually invulnerable."

  He shook his head. “Then why try it, knowing it could not succeed?"

  Gale nodded. “Revision: they must not know. If they set up the crowns, they must also know that Glamors could not wear them, and if we did, they would not be harmed by the beams. So it would make no sense. All that does make sense is that they don't know we are Glamors, and believe we are wearing the real crowns, and can be wiped out by them."

  But now he argued another case. “To assassinate a king is an act with consequences. We discover their activity, they try to destroy our minds—surely this would lead to quick and thorough investigation that would reveal their guilt and bring savage punishment. Why would they do it?"

  “Doubt,” she agreed. “Surely they would not. Not right then, at any rate."

  “So we are nowhere. Maybe too angry to think sensibly. We need another mind. Maybe Ini."

  Gale smiled briefly. “You like her."

  “Agreement.” He smiled too. “But don't get a notion about leaving me on the theory that she could substitute for you. No one can substitute for you."

  “Awww."

  They kissed. They were getting the rage under control, though it was far from passing.

  Havoc pondered. “Let's fetch her."

  “She's on Mino, in transit between planets."

  “We could still fetch her."

  “Negation,” she said. “Everyone would know something was up. The children would blab. Where would our element of surprise be then?"

  But he had hold of a notion, and did not want to relinquish it. “She can't substitute for you, but you could substitute for her. Take her place on the ship, so no one knows she's gone, while I talk with her."

  “The children would know."

  “You can handle them."

  She nodded again. “Take Futility instead."

  “Question?"

  “She's not as smart, but she's coldly practical, and you don't like her."

  He looked at her, surprised. “You are jealous of Ini?"

  “I try to be."

  He had to laugh. It felt good. “Futility, then. But I may have sex with her."

  “Knowing she hates it."

  “Unlike Ini. You have calculated precisely."

  “I want your mind working, not your feeling."

  He made a show of sighing. “Futility it is."

  Gale's features changed, and she came to resemble the dancer. The emulation wasn't perfect, but she would fine tune it when she saw the woman directly, assuming her clothing and hair style. She would become Futility, for a while.

  They jumped to the ship, invisible. Augur and Aura were playing cards with Ivo and Iva while the four little ifrits watched, better behaved than human children; Symbol was playing catch-the-fireball with Flame, not getting burned because the balls faded just before she touched them; Ini was watching the progress of the ship in the screen, explaining nuances to Warp; Weft was quietly watching Futility, who sat alone, tuned out. Weft was the dangerous one; she would immediately recognize the exchange.

  Havoc touched the girl and sent a thought. Mischief. Must take Futility for a while. Keep the secret.

  Weft loved secrets, especially with her father. Warp will know.

  But meanwhile Gale was touching Warp, swearing him to secrecy too. Then Havoc jumped to Futility, touched her mind so as to put her into stasis, took hold of her and jumped back to the house at the rim. Gale would become visible as Futility vanished, taking her place.

  He set Futility in a chair, freed her consciousness, and let her go. She jumped, startled, gazed wildly around, then caught on that she was no longer on the ship. “Sire!"

  “I need you."

  Her hand went to her blouse. “Of course. Gratitude remains, which means I am willing as well as obliging."

  “For dialogue."

  “Question? That is not my strong suit."

  “For objective, cynical analysis."

  She made half a smile. “Qualified.” She focused on the room. “Unfamiliar."

  “You may explore it as you wish, while we talk."

  “Appreciation.” She stood and began exploring the room.

  “Gale and I explored likely terrain, and found something, but were observed. We returned home—here—and learned that the mocks, Berm and Spanky, had been mind-blasted by the crowns they wore. The crowns Gale and I do not use; ours are fakes, as we don't need protection."

  She froze in place. “I was not close to them, but they were courteous to me, and I wished them no evil."

  “We were the targets of attempted assassination; they were the victims. We are angry."

  She nodded. “Now I understand the brooding power I feel in this room. I thought it was from something else, but it is you."

  “Confirmation."

  “There will be hell to pay. You did like them."

  “Agreement. I fear I am not thinking straight. I want your take.” He described their conjecture about the lack of knowledge of their Glamor status, and their doubt that the folk of the polar crevice would be responsible for the assassination attempt.

  Futility considered, turning slowly in place with her dancer's grace. “I betrayed you once, and was banished to Limbo. Were I to try it again, I would be more circumspect. Since I would obviously be under suspicion, I would arrange to have some other party do it, with no apparent connection. Someone who did not know me, or even of me. Who thought it was his own idea. So that interrogation could never implicate me. Then my proximity to you would not matter."

  “So it could be the crevice people?"

  “It could be, if they have secrets that required desperate protection. The timing suggests it."

  “But they would not do it directly."

  “Certainty. Guilty or innocent, there will be no discernible connection. Have you investigated the crowns?"

  “Pause.” Havoc shot a thought to Ennui. News on the Crowns?

  Detonated by remote. Throe traced it to a wandering laborer who found the device and triggered it without knowing its nature. Now tracing prior possessor.

  Appreciation. He broke.

&nbs
p; Futility smiled. “Confirmation?"

  “Agreement."

  “Consider: if the assassination is successful, the authorities may be too busy choosing a new king to make a proper investigation. Perhaps only the dead king knew exactly where he was going or what he was seeking. The new king may not know or care what the old one was up to; he has a learning curve of his own. The palace will be in disruption. Chances of escaping discovery may be better than even. Still, not worth the risk unless the risk of the old king's action was worse. What could be there, that warrants such a measure?"

  “The secret of the changelings, who are slowly taking over the planet."

  “But you are one of them! Why investigate that?"

  “To become my own master."

  “Understanding."

  “You must complete the journey in the ship. Carry the tapestry a while longer. As the mission finishes, you will have your reward."

  “Belief."

  She came to him. He touched her, nulled her, and jumped back to the ship. They made the exchange, and returned to the crater.

  “She called it,” he said. “No traceable connection to the crevice folk. No exoneration."

  “Then we must investigate further."

  “Agreement."

  “Unnecessary reminder: investigation, not action. Until we know enough."

  Because she knew he was apt to indulge in a destructive orgy against those responsible for the assassination, perhaps before every person in the chain of culpability was identified. She was as hurt and angry as he, but less likely to explode. The enemy would not fare better with her justice; the denouement would merely be quieter, and there would be fewer loose ends. “Agreement."

  “Strategy?"

  “Act now, before they realize the king is not dead."

  “Obvious. Act how?"

  “Turn ifrit, infiltrate crevice, observe."

  “Thought: bring Voila?"

  For her superior precognition. It was best to keep the baby girl away from Mino, for a reason it was best not to think about too openly, but she could be of real help in this case, and safe in cloud form. “Agreement."

  Gale disappeared, returning in a moment with Voila, who had not been surprised. Precognition was a marvelous advantage, but the baby's ability remained eerie. Havoc had become accustomed to being better at most things than those he dealt with, other than other Glamors, but it remained unsettling to have his own baby plainly superior in this respect.

  Voila chortled. She knew this, too.

  They jumped to the neighborhood of the crevices, dissolved into clouds, floated to the nearest crevice offshoot, and infiltrated. The air was deathly cold, but the ifrit form had magic to conserve heat and could handle it for a short time. Because they were Glamors, they could handle it indefinitely.

  Havoc went first, following the main crack as it fed into the network. Gale and Voila followed, giving him time to clear the entry point, remaining in tendril contact. The true ifrits did not have telepathy, but tendril communication was about as effective for this purpose. Gale was careful, while Voila was enjoying the experience, having both parents to herself on a mission.

  Soon they found the activity. A line of men were carrying boxes to the surface, where there were dogsleds taking loads of boxes south. Havoc floated around the boxes and infiltrated them, analyzing their content. It turned out to be magic crystals, one Chroma to a box.

  “Revelation,” Havoc communicated via tendril. “This is where the magic gems come from. They are mined and crafted here, and shipped out for trading."

  “We never thought to wonder about their origin,” Gale responded. “They are everywhere, and precious. It must be a lucrative industry."

  “One the king should control. But would they kill a king to protect their business?"

  “If they use the crystals to maintain power beyond the reach of the king."

  “If they make the crystals,” he thought, “they surely have the power to corrupt those in the crowns."

  “Therefore have the will and the means,” she agreed.

  There came a thought of negation.

  “Voila sees a path,” Gale said. “It suggests that the crystal miners are innocent of this crime."

  “Surprise! Innocent?"

  “A false lead. Someone framed them. That's why they're going about their business as usual. They may not have realized that it was us their magic detector tagged."

  “Who would frame them in such a way?"

  She sent cold laughter along the filament. “Who else? The one we seek. Hoping to distract us."

  “By killing our friends? That does not abate my ire."

  “Nor mine,” she agreed.

  There was a signal of confirmation from Voila, who had caught the reference to Spanky. And another: a picture of a path leading to the south pole. She was too young to understand planetary geography, but Havoc recognized the gist.

  Gale recognized it too. They had learned a lot about geography since leaving their home Village Trifle. “Shall we withdraw and turn this present matter over to our minions?"

  “Agreement.” Havoc was annoyed at being led astray even briefly. But he would soon be back on the true trail, and those responsible for the murders would pay.

  They propelled their vapors back out of the crevice. They had set off no magic detectors; the miners did not know they had been investigated. This had been the first test of the cloud formation on Charm, successful.

  The real challenge was still ahead.

  * * * *

  Aura gave up on the cards, which were interesting but pointless for her, as she did not require entertainment or diversion. She went to join Ini at the viewing screen.

  “Question,” Ini murmured. “Did you note anything different about Warp and Weft?"

  “Both unusually interested in Futility."

  “Agreement. That seems odd, as they had no interest in her before."

  “Feasible to ask?"

  Ini shrugged. “Why not?” She glanced at Warp, who had now left Futility and was returning to watch the screen. “Question?"

  “Mommy came,” he said.

  Astonished by this diversion, Ini tried to clarify it. “Gale is elsewhere, not on this ship. She sent a thought?"

  “Negation,” Weft said. “She emulated Futility. Dummy Warp was supposed to keep the secret."

  Warp floated off the floor, angry. “You blabbed too!"

  “We'll all keep the secret,” Aura said quickly. “Just us four. Why did Gale do that?"

  “Daddy wanted to talk with Futility,” Weft said.

  “To have sex, dummy,” Warp corrected her witheringly.

  “Doubt,” Ini said. “Havoc has readier partners, me included. You know that."

  “Ask her,” the boy said rebelliously.

  Aura exchanged a glance with Ini. “I will ask her,” she said. “Keep the children here.” She knew Warp and Weft would cooperate, because they wanted to know too.

  The children became instantly interested in the screen, which was showing Charm looming large. Aura walked across to where Futility sat.

  The woman ignored her, but Aura was undeterred. “Gale took your place for a time. Why?"

  “Not your business."

  “Warp believes it was to have sex with Havoc."

  The woman was plainly annoyed. “Negation. He wanted my opinion. I gave it."

  Aura was surprised again. “Opinion?"

  That irritated Futility farther, causing her to say more than she must have intended. “The mocks have been assassinated. We considered motives. Now leave me alone."

  Surprise became astonishment. This was ugly news. She left the woman and returned to Ini. “Mocks assassinated,” she whispered in her ear.

  Ini stared at her. “Havoc won't like that!"

  “Tell! Tell!” Warp and Weft clamored, almost together.

  “Part of the secret,” Aura said quickly. “Berm and Spanky have been killed."

  Both little faces froze
. Then both children burst out crying. Aura picked up Weft, and Ini took Warp, hugging and comforting them. The others in the ship surely noticed, but pretended not to. They knew that something private was occurring.

  Futility stood and came to join them. “You should have left it alone. But now that it's out, conjecture: this relates to the quest. The intended targets were the king and queen."

  That added to the horror. Of course! The mocks emulated Havoc and Gale almost perfectly; the assassin would have thought they were real.

  “Further,” Futility said. “The tapestry has changed."

  “This relates?” Aura asked, perplexed.

  “Change in mission,” Futility said. “Coincidence?"

  Ini nodded. “Let's look at the tapestry."

  Aura remained confused. “Question?"

  “To see if it has reoriented. The work on Counter Charm is done. Now it is Charm's turn. If a new region has been targeted, there could be resistance from those associated with it. The tapestry may tell."

  Futility brought out the tapestry and unrolled it. “Changed,” Ini said immediately. “But I don't know what it shows."

  “It's on the screen,” Warp said.

  They held the tapestry up beside the screen. Sure enough, certain broad features coincided. “Polar region,” Ini said. “Not sure which one."

  “Can we overlay the images?” Aura asked. “That should establish an alignment, if there is one."

  Ini hesitated. “Perhaps."

  Why had she hesitated? Then Aura realized: Mino was listening. How could he help it? They were inside him.

  Then she realized two more things that complicated her concern. First, this business might not be relevant to Minos’ interest, so its exposure didn't matter. Second, if they made a show of concealing it, that would make him suspicious. Better to proceed, and hope that it didn't matter.

  “Let's see if it's feasible,” Aura said. “Hold the tapestry up before the screen."

  Futility did. The tapestry was opaque, blotting out the picture on the screen. That was no good.

  “Projection!” Warp said. “Illusion."

  “Do it, Mino,” Weft said.

  Abruptly a translucent image appeared just before the tapestry. Both pictures could be seen, one through the other. The children had directed the machine, and the machine had done it. That was a bit unnervingly interesting.