Piers Anthony: Unicorn Point

“But we be free,” Fleta protested. “We can go and—”

“And be trapped also,” Tania said. “They expect that. Be assured we can stand not against their magic; likely already there be goblins in search o’ us, and our time be measured.”

“But one thing—“ Alien said.

Fleta glanced at him. “There be yet more?”

“My father gave me an amulet long since, saying an disaster e’er strike, invoke it. Be this the time?”

“Aye,” Fleta and Tania said together.

The boy brought out the amulet, which he wore on a chain about his neck. It was in the shape of a tiny tube. “I invoke thee.”

The tube expanded in his hand, turning silvery. It twisted, so that the mouthpiece pointed southeast. They stared at it. “That be a little flute,” Fleta said. “What use be that?”

Alien shrugged; he knew nothing of this. But Tania’s brow was furrowed. “A flute—there was one, once, before our time, when Stile separated the frames. May hap—”

“The Platinum Flute!” Fleta exclaimed. “The elves made it, and keep it now. It—when it be played, it—”

“Brings the frames together,” Tania finished. “But only one can play it, and he be long gone from Phaze and Proton frame. Now, with the frames fore’er parted, there be no use for this. And e’en were it so, what point? The Adverse Adepts rule here, and the Contrary Citizens there.”

“This be a mystery,” Fleta said. “But surely the Red Adept knew whereof he spoke! Why give Al this token, an it be not the key to aught important?”

Tania nodded. “It be our only hope. Needs must we go where it points, and find the Flute.”

“But that will take time, and there be naught!” Fleta pro tested.

“It be all we have,” Tania said grimly. “But mayhap thy dam will know what this portends. She was e’er close to Stile.”

Fleta brightened. “Aye! An she had her secret will, I’d be foal o’ Stile ‘stead o’ Stallion! An any know the key to this riddle, it be Neysa.”

“But it be far to go, and I can change not my form. An thou wouldst go alone—”

“Nay,” Fleta said decisively. “An we meet magic, thine Eye be needful. I will carry thee, as before.”

“I had hoped thus,” Tania confessed. “Al, change form and stay close; else we can protect thee not.” Then Fleta reverted to ‘corn form, and Alien to batform, and Tania mounted. The bat flew to perch on Fleta’s head. She started off at a gallop. Fortunately she was rested; they had been proceeding cautiously, and she had grazed recently. However, the amulet of privacy was giving out; they were becoming audible and visible. It might be restored somewhat by another invocation, but that should be saved for an emer gency.

She followed the direction indicated by the amulet-flute, deviating only to take advantage of open and level ground. This took her to the Animal Head Demesnes, which was a problem, as they were allies of the Adverse Adepts. Sure enough, a crow-head spied her, and she encountered a line of manlike creatures with assorted animal heads. They were armed with clubs and spears; she would not be able to run that gauntlet without getting hurt.

She slowed. Tania sat up tall and Eyed the leader, a lion head with a magnificent mane. “We be on special business,” she said. “Direct thy minions to let us pass, and one to lead us the best way through.”

It was that simple. The lion-head, fascinated by the Evil Eye, gestured his minions back. A hawk-head ran forward, leading Fleta, and in a short time she was through what had seemed like a difficult thicket, and facing another open re gion. “We thank thee, lion!” Tania called as Neysa acceler ated.

Tania had already justified her presence, apart from being a friend. Still Fleta could not bring herself to say what she needed to: that her objection to Tania’s play for Bane was withdrawn. She was finding herself as foolishly stubborn as her dam!

Fleta could not run forever. In the evening she had to stop. But Al had a suggestion: “An thou be hummingbird, Tania can carry thee, and I can use my night eyes to spy the way through the dark.”

“But needs must I also eat,” Fleta protested. “I can find thee sustenance,” he said eagerly. “What wouldst thou have?”

“An ounce of nectar would fill my bird belly, but that be hard to come by.”

“I will come by it!” he promised. He assumed his batform and disappeared into the twilight.

Soon he was back, hauling something that staggered his flight. It was a leaf cunningly drawn into a bag, and inside it was a pool of sweet nectar.

“How couldst thou harvest so much so soon?” Tania asked. “Each flower has but a trifle!”

“I found a big flower,” he said proudly. Fleta assumed bird form and tried the nectar. It was excellent, and more than she could finish; they had to store the extra for future use.

Then she settled in Tania’s tan tresses, and Tania walked, with Al flying ahead. She slept.

She woke at dawn, well rested. She flew up to spy the land, and incidentally loose some droppings; she had not felt free to do that while nesting in Tania’s hair. They were significantly closer to the Purple Mountain Range and to the Harpy Demesnes. Tania had really been exerting herself! Indeed, as she flew back down she saw that the woman was staggering; she had moved as fast as she could all night.

Fleta assumed woman form. “Enough! Thou must eat, and I will take my turn.

“I ate on the way. Al found fruits.”

Fleta was further impressed. The bat boy was doing his share too! She assumed ‘corn form, and Tania mounted, and Al came in. Now it was evident that he too was tired; he had been all night aloft.

She set off at a trot, following the contour of the foothills of the great mountains. She could tell by their respective postures that both woman and bat were almost instantly asleep. They deserved their rest!

At mid-moming she spied a dragon aloft, for the Dragon Demesnes were just south of the mountains. She hesitated, then decided that prevention was better than risk, and re invoked her amulet. Then she ignored the dragon, because she knew the amulet shielded her sight, sound and smell from its awareness. She did, however, make sure to tread on hard ground, because any tracks she left would be visible. But this was about the last use she would be able to make of the amulet; its magic was exhausted.

So it went. In two days they reached the Herd where Neysa grazed, and made themselves known to her. “So we know not what it means,” Fleta concluded. “We can fetch the Flute, an the elves yield it to us, but only the Adept Clef can play it—and he be far removed in space and frame, and can join us not.”

Neysa considered. “I have thought on such matters be fore,” she said. “I have discussed it-with Stile. Finally I made a point, which he in his humor called the Unicorn Point, and we laughed, thinking it lacked relevance. Now methinks he took it more seriously, and this be the reason for Al’s amulet.”

“A point?” Fleta asked blankly.

“It be this: that the most fundamental force in both frames be the same, and that its difference in the frames be but perception. In Phaze we see magic, and in Proton they see science, but the split between them be illusion. An we knew how, we could do science here, and they could do magic there. It be naught but a—a geis, or what they call a program, a rule that makes it be one way or the other.” Fleta exchanged glances with Tania and Al. All three were baffled.

“But science works here not,” Fleta said. “And magic works there not. I have been in both, and tried.”

“Because of thy mindset, and that o’ the frame,” Neysa said. “It be the same for all. The geis be unbreakable. But an the frames be merged again, both would work, drawing on either interpretation o’ the power o’ the basic rock Phazite or Protonite. The curtain between frames be but a window o’ awareness, like the screen o’ a science computer. Merg ence be the answer: that be what Al’s amulet means. Only when they be together can the frames be truly at rest.”