The Jewels of Aptor

beads up from Urson's hand. T

e go now?"

ama does have a temple somewhere, we try to find it, get the thi

ated the rest of what they had found to hi

in. That must mean the volcano we saw from the steps in the City of New Hope." Iimmi

e no

e river is that way, we should head," he t

now and started through

at the monastery," Geo said. "Were they really

and guess that Jordde was a spy fo

Argo on the ship?" asked Geo

nt when he reported to the priestesses that she was bewildered. She probably thinks just like we di

Snake made lights with the jewels, and once more they began to pick their way over the terrain, bar

the crater hung

dle of the night?" Twenty feet later Snake's light struck a lava cliff that sheered up into the darkne

limb that in the dark

id Urson. "This way you can't

k, the lip of rock broadened into a level stretch of ground and ag

able country,"

to mountains." He reached around and felt the stub

i re

either merci

ard of Vinci

: Christ's Suppe

at from?"

rch," Iimmi explained. "It comes from a

nard of Vinc

ainter, I suppose," said Iimm

rist?" Ur

ther

gainst the walls of fissures and hoist himself up with his

With it came a breeze that pushed sulfa powder throug

r feet. Fatigue tied tiny knots high in their

" Iimmi said. The red glow cut off at the

us," Urson muttered. H

t a niche in the ledge. He turned around and dropped back himself. There was sweat on the boy'

n said. "Giv

said softly,

over the cropping of rock. "Take it easy," Urson instructed. "You don't

joined them on the pitted ledge. Together they looked into the

moke which rose up the far rocks and spilled over the brim a radion away. Light leapt in wavering pylons of blue flame, then

ed the watc

s, died red and orange in the flame, blew about her as she wal

side of her head in the warm breeze. Firelight and shadow fell deeply into the wrinkles of her face. As she a

u?" Geo sud

in light of sa

ses shall be

oman in a cal

am Argo Incarna

ght ..." Ii

?" inquired the eld

g," sai

e." Suddenly he pointed in to the volcano. "Say, this isn't any of that funny li

fire," she assured them, "a severed artery of the e

s feet and rub

ter of the present Argo Incarnate and ret

The Goddess has many faces. You have seen q

e have," U

soner of Hama?

Hama," said

rd jewel and bring it back to the

" sai

iously toward the black behind them. "They said they worshiped Argo. What ha

the slope, "from birth, through life, to death," she looked back up at the

" sai

gan to walk back along the rim. Snake and Iimmi

and like she means on Leptar. There's nothing but more evil to come out of this. She's leading us into a trap, I tell yo

," Geo

he big m

I'm very

h, and put his arm around Geo's shoulder. "Come on," he grunted, supporting Geo agains

ed into the crater. "Walk carefully here,"

It's a trap I tell you. How does that thing go

he wint

all not

inue

on glancing into the bo

r not

e curren

honey

salmo

d before," mused

caves which pocked the crater's inside wall. "No," she said to Snake, who was a

, from the hand of a demon to a monkey's mouth, from a nymph's belly to the horns of a satyr's head. Chemicals in the cups caused each flame to burn a different color; green, red, blue, and orange white light filled the small cha

ked when he saw where

And look over there. Where did we see one of those before?" It was a machine

Argo said.

, once halted, knotting their calve

el even in captivity," commented Iimmi, "but

ma's mother,

Urson

all things, the begetter and bearer of all

they aren't really your priestesses, are they? They wa

he dwellers in that convent from which you escaped are a-how shall I say, a degenerate branch of the religion. They were truly blinded by the fall

"Jordde isn't a spy for Hama. He's work

ir way is correct, and a respect for belief is essential to the understanding of Man. And it

d Iimmi. "They were probably just after the jewels, too. You don't look like a prisoner. That must be the

he Goddess. "Unfortunately you are

ewel after us when he tore it from A

ses would have a better chance of getting it; my daughter, acting Argo Incarnate in my absence and her sister's, does not know that what she is fighting is another face of Argo. As far as she is concerned, all

.?" beg

ce. With the science here in Aptor it would not be difficult. But I must refrain. I suppose she has actually done well. But there

Hama and return with you to the ship," said Ge

ompletely confuse your mission. Once the jewel is s

arnate,"

was your daughter," said Geo, "but

ave already met one. Now you must rescue the other. When my youngest daughte

nt nose, and her hand lay curled in a loose fist near her mouth. A white sheet covered the gentle push of adolescent breasts, and on the table beside her bed was a c

id, switching off the picture. "She is

steal the jewe

llets have been set up for you in the far room where you may sleep." She rose and led them to a further chamber. The blankets over the loose boughs seemed to pull them down. Argo pointed to a tri

jammed his two fists

tled, Argo

answe

st, but I must talk to you

"he needs the rest more than any of us. If you want to question him

"not a student. I need one who

s chest where Snake had returned it when they ent

frow

y be a trap,

," suggested Argo,

hand lift the th

with me,"

king down at the molten rock. The light sifted through her robe, leaving the darker outline of her

eo. "One of Aptor's fir

n than you. Do you know how he lost his tongue? I watched it all from this same screen inside the chapel, and could not help. They jammed their knuckles in his jaws and when the mouth came open, Jordde caught the re

heard th

hot. And the white hot loop was tautened until the rope of muscle seared away and just the roasted stump was

blind priestess

t picked up the two of them from the

new him before this as a first mate.

thing, but something you would perhaps rather not kno

ou mean?"

ow he manages to function? That is what you wi

ll don

ou, a poetic riddle. Wil

er a not too poet

best to answer m

es

st to answer yours. W

d why is he doing

into men's minds. The other could not. Silently, one swore allegiance to one force, while one swore allegiance to the other. The second part of your question was why. Perhaps if you can answer my riddle, you can answer that part yourself. I do know that they were the only two who escaped. I do know that Snake would not tell Jordde his choice, and that Jordde tried to convince the child to follow him. When they were rescued, I know that the argument continued, and that Snake held back with childish tenacity both his decision

what you know," Geo said

e through the door once

k chamber s

body's flo

o are twin

ut and tu

ht chamber

ision, sil

ng along

to an in

s in the t

in the bur

d. "I'm not even sure I know what the question is

that you would recogn

the pre-purge r

daughter," Argo said. "The qu

g in and out; and that's where the floods of the body begin. And it's twinned again. The he

ill do for part

me. The human mind, I guess. The line of divisio

o be doing

'the two sides of every question'?

ess I hadn't thought of it in that way. Bu

s the mind and the heart again. You usually think of love with the heart, and fear with the mind

"You must ask her-when you rescu

at the fires of the volcano. Light whirled white and red. Blue tongues lick