Key to Chroma

by Piers Anthony

  "No fault,” she reminded him again, this time without sharpness.

  "That is why I want this mission to last."

  She kissed him, and felt his rapture from the gesture. It was as intense in its fashion as his sexual climaxes, but of another nature.

  Soon the bubbles emerged at the far side of the zone, and the wagons rolled out to the staging area. There were horses ready for them, and the caravan set off for the next Chroma. “Which one is that?” she inquired.

  "White."

  "That should be interesting.” For the White Chroma's specialty was the magic called science, in some ways rather odd. Of course all magic was odd to Gale, who had been brought up with only marginal knowledge of it. She had learned a lot in the past year.

  The dragon seed buzzed. That meant danger, or wrongness, or that someone was lying. Gale looked about, but saw no likely threat. The wagons were rolling along the dirt road without impediment.

  "There is a problem?” Dour asked, noting her distraction.

  "A foolish intuition, perhaps."

  "I have observed little that is foolish in you."

  "I worry that something bad may happen. Needlessly, it may be.” But she knew there was something, because the dragon seed was never wrong.

  "Your concern is my concern.” He drew his shield up over his head and set it in front of him. He gripped his staff, looking right and left.

  Suddenly there was shouting. Garishly garbed men appeared, brandishing hand weapons. “Yield! Yield!” their leader screamed.

  "Expletive!” Dour swore. “Raiders!"

  "What can we do?” Gale asked, alarmed.

  "Not much, if the Amazons can't fend them off. They're after the babies."

  "Negation!” Gale held the baby close to her bosom.

  "They won't kill us if we give it up."

  Gale was in a fury of indecision. She did not want to give up the baby, but would be unable to fight effectively while holding it. She had a knife and knew how to use it, but had to be free to move rapidly and unpredictably.

  The wagon lurched to a stop as it was surrounded by rough men wielding clubs. The horse was confused, and the wagon ahead had stopped, so it had nowhere to go.

  Raiders charged the wagon from either side. “Babe here!” one cried. Then, to Gale: “Hand it over, slut!"

  Gale knew the sensible thing to do was to obey. The raiders clearly outnumbered the defenders, and were free to use their weapons effectively. But she couldn't. “No!” She expected the dragon seed to buzz, but it didn't.

  "Then we'll do it the hard way.” The man lifted his club.

  But another beside him stayed his hand. “Look at that lassie! Got more than tits. Take her too, for double duty."

  Double duty: sex and nursing. Now it was too late to turn over the baby, even if she could make herself do it. Did the dragon seed regard robbery and rape as wrong, if she were not physically hurt?

  "Got it.” The first man dropped his club and grabbed for Gale.

  And halted, for her knife was pointing at his nose. Some women were helpless, but Gale was not. This was as much bluff as substance, considering her situation with the baby, but at least she could make him cautious.

  "Okay, we'll knock her out first,” the second man said. He raised his own club. Gale knew she would not be able to stop that, for it was a longer range weapon than her blade, and she had to try to shield the baby.

  Then the blunt end of Dour's staff rammed into the raider's forehead, hard. He was knocked back and fell to the ground, unconscious. The staff was already reversing to knock the head of the man on the other side of the wagon. The cartographer really did know how to use it; he had hesitated only because he wanted to give Gale a chance.

  This of course meant trouble. Raiders swarmed in from both sides, yelling. Dour set his shield across Gale, protecting her and the baby. Then he struck with the staff again, knocking back two more men. But two more were already looming, their clubs lifted, and another man grabbed the staff, nullifying it. Gale knew that they had lost, and that she would be clubbed unconscious and probably raped repeatedly before she woke—if she woke. Dour would simply be killed. She should never have resisted, forcing the issue.

  Yet the seed had not buzzed. It had given warning of the ambush, then remained quiescent. Evidently it knew of some way out of this danger, if they could find it.

  A knife appeared in the face of the man on Dour's side, and the one on Gale's side fell back, gagging. He had been garroted. The Amazon woman had come.

  Gale stabbed at the hand of the man holding Dour's staff, forcing him to let it go. As he did so, the staff lifted and jabbed him in the throat, and he fell back, also gagging.

  Angina stepped clear of the men and leaped onto the back of the horse. She slapped its flank, and it plunged forward, guiding around the wagon in front. The wagon bounced across the terrain, toward the white zone ahead.

  The other horses saw this and almost mindlessly followed the leader. Soon all the wagons were lurching along, shedding raiders who were caught by surprise. Amazons aboard them immediately took advantage of the situation to attack any raiders remaining on the wagons and dump them off. But the others, after a moment of amazement, charged along the sides, pursuing the fleeing caravan, and they were able to run about as fast as the harnessed horses were. In fact they gained, and were catching hold of the wagons, trying to slow them or get on them to take over.

  Angina glanced back, saw that, and urged their horse to a faster lumbering gallop. The wagon gained speed, and with it the others did too, their horses keeping the pace. But it was an extremely bumpy ride, because the road was not made for racing, and they were not squarely on it.

  Ahead the land turned pale, and then white. They were approaching the fringe of the White Chroma. But would that save them? None of them could invoke the White magic. So they might be lost anyway, unless White Chroma residents showed up to help. So far there was no sign of them; the white land was bare. Probably they would take an hour or two to show up, as had been the case in the other Chroma. That was too late.

  Indeed, that was the way the raiders saw it, too. They charged right into the white terrain, surrounding the caravan. Several managed to get ahead of the horses and make them stop by shouting and waving their hands. So Angina's gallant effort had been for nothing.

  "No more Mister Nice Guy!” the raider leader cried. “All we wanted was the babies, but now we'll teach you a lesson. We'll take your wagons too, and rape the Amazon sluts before we kill them.” His wild eye spied Gale. “And you started it, you lovely wanton; we'll keep you for a permanent sex slave and milk spigot, until you wear out."

  Dour lifted his deadly staff. “You will not,” he said grimly.

  Gale was frightened, but tried to caution him. “They should let you go, if you don't antagonize them further.” She had no real assurance that the dragon seed would buzz if he were about to die; she was the one it attuned to.

  "I will not leave you."

  The leader considered. “Cartographer, eh? We don't need trouble with your kind. So we'll let you go, and the rest is none of your business."

  "Go!” Gale whispered urgently.

  "You will not let me go,” Dour said to the raiders. He recovered his shield from Gale, jumped to the ground, and stood protectively before her. “You will not have this woman."

  The leader shrugged. “Have it your way, then; we'll just kill all of you, so there's no evidence what happened to you. Then your people won't have a case.” He signaled, and a group of men approached, clubs ready.

  Gale could not read the grouped minds; there had to be some reasonable isolation to get the signal of a single mind. But the group impact was overwhelming: they were serious about killing him. Why had he insisted on making a target of himself, when the Cartographers normally had immunity to civil disturbances and brigandage? He was smitten with her, of course, but had to know that he could not save her or the caravan. Only if he got away could he report o
n this outrage.

  Five men were coming at Dour, but they were getting in their own way. One stepped forward to swing his club, but the Cartographer's staff leaped out and clouted his head, knocking him back. Two others leaped in before the staff could recover position, but Dour's shield came up to intercept them, shoving them back in a tangle. The man really knew how to fight!

  But the raiders kept piling in. Gale saw one dive for the shield, grabbing on to it, while another swing viciously at the Cartographer's head. Gale screamed—

  And a cord snaked out and wrapped around the club, yanking it to the side. The Amazon had re-entered the fray, saving Dour again.

  Still the raiders came on, determined to overwhelm the cartographer. It seemed impossible to hold them off much longer.

  "Halt!"

  Gale looked, and saw a man standing nearby, holding a small object. He was obviously of the White Chroma, because he was completely white, from clothing to skin.

  The men around Dour paused. The raider leader looked around. “There's just one of him! Take him out!"

  The raiders regrouped, orienting on the White man. They charged.

  There was a loud bang, and a puff of smoke before the White man. A raider clutched his belly and plowed into the ground. But the others continued their advance.

  There were two more bangs, with more smoke, and two more raiders fell. What was happening?

  "There's only one!” the raider repeated. “Get him!"

  There was another bang and smoke, and this time it was the leader who fell. At that point the remaining raiders broke and ran. In moments all of them were gone.

  Dour strode forward to meet the White man. “Greeting, White. Dour Cartographer."

  "Acknowledged. Sixgun."

  They shook hands. “Pleasure, Sixgun. I was afraid you would not make it in time. We were hard pressed."

  "We are thinly spread on the fringe. I heard the commotion and came as soon as I could."

  Gale realized that Dour had been trying to distract the raiders until White help could come. He had been this way before, and knew that help was likely. He had gambled with his life and won.

  Merchants and Amazons were appearing at every wagon, starting to put things in order. It seemed that most of the action had been at Gale's wagon, because of the resistance Dour had made, and that had eased the attacks on the others.

  Now a White wagon came down the road, moving rapidly. But there was no horse drawing it. Gale stared.

  The caravan master approached the lone White warrior. “Appreciation."

  "Accepted."

  "Confession: I feared we would not escape. That was a worse raiding party than any we have faced before."

  Dour returned to Gale. She got out of the wagon and kissed him. “Gratitude."

  He shook his head. “Necessary."

  "You saved the baby—and me."

  Angina spoke. “And I saved you, Cartographer. Twice."

  He faced her, nodding. “How may I repay you?"

  "Sire my fourth."

  Dour froze. The Amazon had just asked the one favor this man could not readily oblige. “I—I can't—"

  But he would have to. “This is not a request you can decline,” Gale murmured to him. Then, to Angina: “He is—awkward. May we talk?"

  "When we ride,” the Amazon agreed. She went to see to other business.

  In due course the Whites had piled the bodies of the raiders to the side, poured white fluid over them, and set fire to it. There was an instant white blaze, consuming flesh and bone alike, making sickeningly sweet smoke. They had no sympathy with criminals.

  Each caravan wagon was hooked to one of the horseless White vehicles, which then hauled it exactly as the horses had. “This is weird magic,” Gale remarked.

  "It is Science Magic,” Dour explained. “It specializes in machines of all kinds, which need governing by people in much the manner animals do."

  "How did the White warrior, Sixgun, kill the raiders?"

  "He held a little machine in his hand, that expelled small metallic balls at great velocity. They punctured the bodies of the raiders, disabling or killing them."

  "Amazing."

  As they moved along, Dour brought his shield around again, and made another note. “Brigands,” he explained. “We track them as we can, though they normally don't remain long in any one region. Still, the pattern of their appearances can be informative."

  "I hope so,” Gale said, shuddering.

  Angina appeared. She must have been at the back of the wagon, so was able to join them while it moved at rapid velocity behind the metal horse. “Now we talk,” she said tersely.

  Gale knew the dialogue would be up to her. “Dour is a fine man, but he lacks experience with women. He does not feel up to performing the particular service you require."

  "He is with you, isn't he? Hasn't he done it with you?"

  "He has. But I—had to lead him through it. It would be different with you."

  "It sure would! I won't seduce him. All I want is his seed, nothing else. No sweet talk, no handling."

  "He can't do it that way.” During this interchange, Dour sat silent, unable even to address the subject. But Gale knew that she was correct, hardly needing to read his mind.

  "Let's see if I have this straight,” Angina said. “He's as weak with women as he is strong in combat."

  "Affirmation."

  "Frustration! I can't do it either."

  "Then why do you ask for—"

  "I've seen Dour before, on other trips. He's a good guide and a good guard. He never messed with women, so I figured he liked men. His business. But when I saw him with you, I knew no woman could lead him like that if she didn't have control of his lust. So he's a prospect. But it has to be dead body, for me."

  Now Dour managed to speak. “Why?"

  The Amazon grimaced. “I guess you're entitled to know, if you're to sire my fourth. But it's not something I care to spread about."

  "Neither is Dour's hesitation with women something he cares to advertise,” Gale said.

  "Deal. Private dialogue.” Gale and Dour nodded, and Angina continued. “I'm really a conventional housewife. I love my man, and he's the only one ever to touch me. He understands me; he makes me soft as no other can. I had three by him, and that made me due for the fourth by some other man, but I just couldn't do it. I'd freeze up, hating it. I'd have to be raped, and I'd kill the man who tried it. So I refused. And my village banished me. Until I get my fourth."

  Now Gale understood. “You have to submit to something you can't stand, or lose your man and family."

  "That's it. So I was never a weak woman, physically, and I became an Amazon for the past year, and had no complaints. I could do both parts of this job."

  "I have seen you before too,” Dour said. Now that the subject was not his incapacity, he could talk. “You're a tough fighter, but you never abused a baby."

  "It's the closest I can come to the family feeling,” Angina said.

  "And I took your baby,” Gail said, feeling guilty.

  "I gave her to you, to shut you up. I thought you'd give her back, once you understood."

  "Chagrin! I didn't know."

  "It was better that way. I am not bereft; I have two others."

  "Two others?” Gale was astonished.

  "Each Amazon has charge of three babies. She can nurse one at one breast, then nurse another at the other breast while the first breast recharges for the third baby. Policy prevents more; even three suckers debilitates her body in the course of the tour. We all have to eat well, but that amount of nursing gets ahead of us. So you have eased my burden. It freed me to range more widely, guarding the caravan. I saw you looking around and figured you knew something, so I watched more closely. But you weren't in with the raiders; you fought for the baby."

  "Shock! I would never—"

  "I couldn't be sure. Sometimes there's infiltration, so we're careful. But you're no fake as a songstress, and then you foug
ht, and made Dour fight, so I came to help."

  "I was nervous,” Gale said. “I thought there could be danger, but I didn't see any. The very idea of giving up the baby—"

  "Understood. And when I saw you sing to Dour, with the baby—I knew I just had to get back to my family, whatever the cost.” She paused. “Confession: it's my job to defend this caravan. I can't demand a fourth for doing my job."

  Dour looked relieved, but Gale couldn't let it go. “I took your baby, more than you meant. Maybe I can give you something back. I'll help Dour do it."

  Both Cartographer and Amazon looked at her quizzically.

  Gale felt herself flushing. She plowed on. “I know how to seduce a man. I can tell you, each of you, what to do, if you wish. So you can—can get it done."

  "I know how it's done,” Angina said wryly. “I just can't do it on my own. My man—he knows what to say, how to touch, and I love him. It's a whole different Chroma."

  "Dour knows the mechanics too,” Gale said. “Similar problem. But I got around it, and I think—"

  "You have a face and body like the King's mistress. I don't."

  Gale was momentarily startled by the analogy. She was the King's mistress, or would be if only she and Havoc were free to breed. But it was only an analogy. “It's not just appearance. It's actions, and words. Words especially. They fire the imagination, they signal desire and acceptance. I know the words."

  Angina shook her head. “Sounds weird to me. I shouldn't have asked."

  "Observation: I am with Dour on a mission. After it is done, I will go my way and he will go his, having no more ability with other women than you do with other men. He needs to learn how to be with other women. Maybe even other Amazons, if they are interested."

  "Some are,” Angina said.

  Dour jumped. “I never—"

  "You're a good man, and Amazon duty gets dull. Others aren't limited like me. Nursing turns them on, and they get hot for a man, but the merchants have their wives along, by no coincidence, and the wagoneers are low types. Most women prefer sex with men they can respect, and any Cartographer is that, and you especially. They'd meet you halfway, no fault, if you showed interest."

  "I could never—"