John Wright - Fugitives of Chaos

6.

Victor said, "Enough about the past. Let's discuss the immediate future. First, which way do we go? A point is approaching where Vanity will have to decide whether to head for Australia or America, straight across the Atlantic or south to the Horn. Second, Vanity's memory. Third, Colin's body. And apparently his brain, too, because he does not seem any smarter than a bird in that shape."

Vanity said, "Colin's body before my brain. I am only missing a few days. I can function. If we get assaulted by—which one is it, sirens?—if we get assaulted by sirens, we have no defense."

Quentin said, "Besides, we need Colin to do Vanity."

Vanity and I both giggled, while Quentin looked puzzled. "What did I say?"

I said, "Nothing, ah—nothing. So Colin is going to do Vanity, right?"

Quentin looked at Victor, who shrugged. Victor said, "Colin, then Vanity. When we got aboard the ship just now, we all used what powers we had to check for bugs and spies and seeking spells, and Vanity said we were clean, at the moment. What happens the moment we are not clean? Remember in Amelia's story, how certain ap Cymru was that we would be found again. Why? Why so certain? We need to prepare for the next attack. An addendum to point four, the ring of Gyges. What do we do with it?

Vanity also says it is clean, and Quentin detects no spells. I can see it is not giving off any radio signals on any wavelength."

I said, "Can we do point two first? Colin might want a say as to where he is going to be living next."

Quentin said, "Point five. What about our parents? Our families? Our homelands? Vanity's ship could take us there right now, couldn't she? They are experts at all this stuff we are just learning. But—there is a problem. A big problem. It is that important matter I was starting to discuss earlier, having to do with the oath I swore to Bran."

Victor said, "We are out of England now. You swore not to hurt England. I do not see the application."

Quentin drew a deep breath, and actually looked scared for a moment. Scared of Victor? But he was also looking at me. That was more than a little surprising. Even though, according to Boggin, I was the

"dangerous one," I did not see how anyone could be scared of me.

Vanity saw his expression. She laid her hand gently on his back and said, "Dear, maybe now is not the time. Let's wait till Colin is whole again, you know? Otherwise, we have to tell them twice, and stuff."

For a moment I felt annoyed. It was obvious Vanity and Quentin had discussed something that they were keeping from the rest of us. Weren't we the Three Musketeers Plus Two? Why was there suddenly this barrier of silence splitting the group?

Then I put my hand in front of my lips and suppressed a smile. I am sure my eyes were shining. What in the world was I thinking! And me, still wearing a wedding dress under my stolen clothes! What else could it be? What other secret surprise would two young lovers have to announce to their friends, that they wanted to keep hush until everyone could hear it at once?

I smiled and patted Quentin on the shoulder, leaned in and gave Vanity a hug, "Oh, congratulations!" I said. "And I am sure you are making the right decision!"

When I let go of Vanity, the look on her face told me I'd guessed wrong.

Quentin was not so observant, and so he was saying: "It is a very tough decision, but I do think it is indeed the right one. I did not know you would be so happy about it, though, all things considered. Well!

This is a re-lief…" Vanity touched his arm and gave him a little shake of the head. She said, "Later. After we fix Colin."

7.

Victor did not seem interested in talking about things not on the topic, and he was clearly not curious about what was up between Vanity and Quentin. All he said was, "Destinations? Remember, we can also pick unknown worlds. I'd recommend against it, because they are unknown."

I said, "I can speak for Colin. Ireland. It's English-speaking. He thinks of himself as Irish."

Quentin said, "But he's not Irish."

I said, in a tone sharper than I wanted to use (okay, maybe I was still smarting about being left out of whatever secret Vanity and Quentin were sharing): "He picked Irish! That's the nationality he picked."

Vanity said, "Do we all get to pick nationalities? I'll be Spanish."

Her tone of voice was so light and gay that I had to laugh. So, I can't stay mad at her. I said playfully, "A Spanish redhead?"

"Everyone knows the Spaniards are the most romantic people on Earth. Spanish women get to knife their unfaithful lovers"She said to Quentin, "Nemo is Latin. I guess that makes you an Italian."

Quentin said, "Don't I get to pick, myself? The Ro-mani, whom you call the gypsies, retain the remnants of the Egyptian lore. All the true practitioners of the Art these days are Romani."

Vanity looked at me. "What about you, Amelia?"

"Easy," I said. "American. Neil Armstrong, Chuck Yeager, the Wright Brothers, and Sally Ride. What do they all have in common? Americans."

"Yuri Gagarin was Russian," said Vanity.

"Women in America carry guns and own businesses. They kick ass and they use rough language like

'kick ass' and nobody looks cross-eyed at them. American women are the greatest."

Vanity said, "Victor… ?"

Victor said, "We are picking a destination, not choosing nationalities. This conversation is irrelevant"

Vanity said, "Wherever we pick, we might be there for a long time. We may have to become natives. So which nationality would you pick, if you had to?"

Victor decided to play along. He did seem more easy and relaxed than the Victor I knew. Of course, the Victor I knew had spent every minute of his life inside what he thought of as a prison. Maybe this Victor was new.

He said, "Logically, from the way the question is asked, given that wording, only Amelia's answer is correct."

"Thanks!" I said. "But how can there be a right or wrong answer to a question of opinion?"

"The question was asked, which nationality would I choose? The question contains a false-to-facts assumption. Every nationality—with one exception—is something you are born into. It is not a matter of choice. One must be born Spanish to be Spanish, born Gypsy to be Gypsy. Americans are a self-selected group. Americans are people dedicated to a proposition that all men are created equal. It's a matter of choice."

Vanity said, "Can I be Spanish-American, then?"

I said, "If we are really going to pick a destination… ?"

Victor said, "I don't mind being back on topic. Yes?"

"I do not want to go to Australia."

Quentin smiled, and said, "It is not really peopled entirely with criminals, any more than Cornwall is all smugglers."

"A woman cannot own a gun there," I said.

"Why is that important?" said Quentin. "I hope we're not planning to shoot someone."

I said only: "The next Grendel gets it."

There was a moment of dull silence after that.

Victor said calmly, "I vote with Amelia. Only an armed man is free; anyone else is the ward or dependent of such a man. Besides, America is richer than Australia, bigger. Easier to blend in. We can hide."

Vanity said, "Hollywood. Everyone in the world watches the movies made in America. We can be famous :?

Quentin just laughed, and spread his hands. "The only people on Earth with no tradition and no lore, a people utterly cut off from the ancient masters. A land famed only for its materialism and lack of high culture. Fine. Not only am I outvoted, but we all are going to go wherever Vanity wants, because she is the only one who can steer the boat."

Vanity sat down on the bench, closed her eyes, took a deep breath. She meditated for a moment, or maybe she slept, or maybe she entered another state of consciousness for which I have no name.