Piers Anthony - Juxtaposition

“Surely we shall meet,” Clef said warmly, taking the hand, forgetting his own prior doubt on this score. Then they opened the air lock, held their breath, and charged out to intersect the faintly scintillating curtain ahead. The air-lock door swung closed automatically be hind them. It was camouflaged to resemble an outcropping of rock; Stile had passed it during his honeymoon without ever noticing.

They stepped through together. The bleak, barren desert became lush wilderness. Stile played a few bars on the harmonica, summoning his magic. Now he was conscious of the spirit of his other self within the instrument, facilitating his performance. No doubt he had been able to practice magic much more readily and effectively because of this help than would otherwise have been possible.

“Adepts be deaf; computer get Clef,” Stile sang. He was trying to conceal his magic from the awareness of the enemy; he wasn’t sure that aspect would work. Clef vanished. Stile played some more, restoring the expended potency of the magic. This time he was conscious of its source, Phazite, with an ambience of magic like a magnetic field; the music intensified and focused this on Stile, as a magnifying glass might do with a beam of sunshine. The transfer of Phazite to Proton-frame would diminish this ambience, robbing his spells of half their potency. Still, Phaze would be a magic realm—and of course he would probably leave it, so as to make it safe.

“Conduct me whole,” he sang, “to the East Pole.” He splashed in water. Naturally that was why this region was not a tourist attraction. The water was foul too; the universal Proton pollution was slopping through. All the more reason for tourists to stay clear! Stile trod water and played his music again. “Set it up solo: a floating holo.”

A buoyed holographic transceiver appeared. Stile had really strained to get the concept detail on this one. This was to be his contact station, so that he could stay in touch with the two frames from either side. Because it was at the deserted, unpleasant East Pole, it should be secure for some time from the depredations of other Adepts or Citizens. He was sure that by this time the enemy Adepts had booby-trapped his fixture at the West Pole and would not expect this alternate ploy. Satisfied, Stile played more music. “Take me down to see Brown.”

He arrived at the wooden castle of the Brown Adept, feeling nauseous. Self-transport never was comfortable, and he had done it twice rapidly.

In a moment the pretty, brown-haired, brown-eyed child dashed up to him. “Oh, Blue,” she cried. “I was so afraid they had hurt thee!”

Stile smiled wanly. “I had the same fear for thee. Thou alone didst side with me, of all the Adepts.”

She scowled cutely. “Well, they did tie me up with a magic rope or something. I was going to get a golem to loose me, but then Yellow came and let me go. She’s real pretty in her potion-costume! She said all the others were after thee, and she really didn’t like it but couldn’t go against her own kind. Is that what I’m doing?”

“Thou art helping save Phaze from disaster,” he assured her.

“Oh, goody!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands. Stile had a second thought about using Brown as an ally. Could a child have proper responsibility? Yet he didn’t seem to have much choice. She had at least had the courage to oppose the other Adepts, which was more than Yellow had had.

“I need thy help in an important capacity,” he said. “There may be hard work and even danger.”

“If Phaze is in trouble, I’m already in danger,” she said brightly.

“Aye. The other Adepts prefer to risk disaster later, for the sake of power now. I must do something that will make magic less effective, but will save Phaze for future centuries. Then must I leave Phaze.”

“Leave Phaze!” she exclaimed, horrified. “I was only just getting to know thee!”

“I do not wish to leave, but a prophecy of the Oracle suggests Phaze will not be safe until I do. I love Phaze too much to hurt it by remaining.”

A soulful tear rolled down her cheek. “Oh, Blue—I like this not!”

“I fear the Lady Blue will like it even less,” Stile said, choking somewhat himself. “Neither will my friend Neysa the unicorn. But what must be, must be. Now must I cross the curtain before the other Adepts spot me. They tried to trap me in the goblins’ demesnes, and now that I escaped, they will be attacking me anywhere they find me. In any event, there is something I must fetch in Proton-frame. So must I ask thee to be my coordinator in Phaze.”

Her young brow furrowed. “What is this?”

“The creatures of Phaze must be warned. They must be told that the Oracle predicts disaster if certain things be not done, and that the Blue Adept is trying to do these things and may need their help. That the other Adepts are trying to prevent this program from being implemented and may attack any creatures who help me. Canst thou go to the creatures and tell them?”

“Oh, sure, I can send my golems,” she said. “If they are not stopped by magic, they will speak the message.”

“Excellent. I have set up a spell to keep thee in touch, so that thou canst check with me across the curtain. When I have what I need, I will return.”

“I hope thy business there takes not long. This frightens me. Blue.”

“It frightens me too! But I think we can get through.” Stile played his harmonica, then sang: “Create a crystal ball, for Brown Adept to call.”

The ball appeared. Stile presented it to her. “Speak to this when thou must reach me. I will answer if I can.” She smiled, her spirit rebounding quickly at the prospect of this new toy.

“That should be fun!”

“Now must I go,” Stile said. He sang a routine spell to take him to a little-used section of the curtain, then stepped across into a maintenance hall in Proton. Soon he was in touch with Sheen and riding with her in a private Citizen capsule. “What is the present state of my fortune?” he inquired.

“Mellon has manipulated it into about sixty kilograms.”

“Sixty kilos of Protonite? Already he’s doubled it?”

“He’s one of my friends,” she reminded him. That meant Mellon had access to information not generally available to others, including Citizens—such as what supposedly random numbers might be generated by the Game Computer. That would of course be an enormous advantage. Stile did not like all of the implications, but decided not to inquire about the details.

“However,” she said, “several things are disturbing the Citizens and making mischief for you. It may be difficult in the next few hours.”

“It may indeed,” he agreed. “The countdown for the juxtaposition of frames has commenced. I’ve already set most of the other Adepts against me, and soon the same will happen with most of the Citizens.”

“Yes. First there is the matter of your rapid increase in fortune. They are concerned where it will stop, understandably. Second, they don’t like your designating me as your heir. The panel approved it, but now many more Citizens are becoming aware of it. A robot with such a fortune would be awkward. Third, there is a rumor you mean to destroy the society of Proton. That notion is not at all popular.”

“I should think not,” Stile agreed. “As it happens, they are not far wrong.”

“Will you update me, briefly? I fear things will complicate rapidly, now that you have reappeared, and I lack the living capacity to adapt to totally changed situations. Some Citizens even expressed hope you were dead, and in that hope their action was held in abeyance.”

“So now they may seek to render me dead,” Stile said. “I thought Citizenship would alleviate my problems some what, but they have only intensified. Very well—you get me to the Game Computer, and I’ll fill you in.”