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surrounded it, and began a cruel game of torture for the poor deer.
Tiring, finally, of running the deer almost into exhaustion, sticking it with
their horns, and allowing it an escape route only to block it and trip it up,
the unicorns moved in and began eating the deer alive.
"How disgusting!" Marge exclaimed. "Those magnificent animals!"
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"The way of the world, as it must be to balance nature. The unicorns are a
relative to the horses, but they took a far different path. Their teeth are
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many and are sharp and pointed, as are the wolf's. They play with the cruelty
that children exhibit, for that is what they always are, but then they eat.
They did not choose their way, nor did the wolf choose his; they just are.
But, unlike their brethren, there is great magic within them. Shall we go down
and see?"
Marge hesitated. "Considering their eating habits, is it safe?"
"For thee, perfectly. The virgin alone is one with the uni-
corn. All others they will flee from or, if need be, destroy."
They walked down to the herd, which had finished its grisly feeding and was
now relaxing, some standing, some lying down as horses never did. The unicorns
eyed the two women warily but did not flee.
"Call one," Huspeth prompted. "Go ahead."
Marge shrugged. "Ah, here, unicorn. Come here, unicorn."
"Not exactly the approved way of summoning, but it works,"
the witch noted as the nearest unicorn glanced up at the call, looked at both
of them, and then trotted right over to Marge.
Hesitantly, Marge put out her hand and petted the unicorn on the neck, as she
would a horse. The skin was quite different from what she expected, with the
feel and texture of velvet.
The unicorn seemed to like her touch, though, and the skin certainly felt nice
to her.
"Mount him," Huspeth told her. "Let him take you for a ride."
With her tremendous muscle tone and practiced athletic ability, she had no
trouble jumping to the back of the beast, although there was nothing to hold
onto but mane.
Still, the beast started off at a trot and quickly accelerated.
Marge found that, far from being uncomfortable or badly
/4 THE RIVER OF DANCING GODS
mounted, she seemed to merge with the unicorn, to become one with the
creature, more and more so as it increased speed and sped around the great
meadow.
It was a magical and most wonderful transformation, with all of the unicorn's
enormous vitality and, yes, sexual energy flowing into and through every fiber
of her being. It was a tremendously pleasurable, orgasmic experience that the
unicom gave, and so wonderful that it was Huspeth who had to bring it to an
end.
"Thou seest now why the unicom and the virgin always go hand in hand in
legend," she said. "But beware, for just as thou dost take from it, so it
takes from thee, and the energy it removes from thee takes many days to
replenish, longer if thou hast not the will to stop it in time."
"I'll remember," Marge assured her teacher, still feeling as
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than she had given.
"Now that the two of you are chosen, the unicom Koriku is wed to thee so long
as thou shall take no man. He will come upon the call of his name by your
lips, no matter where thou art, to give pleasure or to rout thine enemies. His
strength should be used sparingly, for there is always a cost, but it is there
when needed. Beware, too, that Koriku, like thyself, is a mortal creature, and
should he die while in thy service, thou, too, wilt die."
Marge shivered slightly at that. "I will remember."
The time flew by. In many ways Marge hoped it would never end. Huspeth was the
wisest and most wonderful person she'd ever known, and she loved the witch who
was the key to all things wonderful and magical as she had loved no other.
But one day there was a cloud in Huspeth's soul as she emerged from her hut,
and a great foreboding filled Marge as she saw it.
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"It has come time for the trivial that now becomes the paramount," the witch
said enigmatically. "Come, sit beside me, and I will tell thee of this world
and its enemies."
"Something's wrong," Marge said nervously.
"The forces of Hell are again on the march. Great battles are taking shape as
we speak, and the war advances. The bulk of Marquewood between the River of
Sorrows and the Ros-
signol itself is at stake. If it goes, then the enemy is at our
JACK L. CHALKER 75
front door, demanding entrance, and there will be few to stop them."
"Who is the enemy, my mother?"
"The same who defiled lost Eden. This time he works, as always, through
others, in the guise of armies and wars and philosophies and great promises.
Many who march to his tune are willing, many more arc unknowing servants, but
it makes no difference to him. The Dark Baron himself may be deluded, although
he certainly knows for whom he fights, since the gates of Hell must be
unlocked to create such a force. All the wizards and sorcerers of Husaquahr
traffic to some degree with the demons of Hell, as thou well knowest. But such
traffic, which
I abhor in all cases, for it involves compromise with the ultimate evil, is
the temptation to greater and greater evil. If Hell can wield such powers to
the wizard's tune, it can corrupt a wizard's heart as well, and they have got
themselves a master wizard totally on their side, self-deluded and thoroughly
corrupted by the enemy."
"Who, my mother? Which wizard is it?"
Huspeth shook her head. "I know not at this time. Many of the chief demons of
Hell were once the angelic agents charged with the making of our own world.
Their power here is as great as in thine own world, and they know all the
counters for our magic. The Baron's identity is hidden from all of us, until
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magical means. But this continual cancer is nothing new to our world. It is an
incurable disease that worms its way into every comer and must be continually
fought. When it grows too large to control, as it seems it has now, it must be
beaten down. The enemy can afford ten thou-
sand defeats, but we can not have one."
"This is not the first time, then?"
"Not even the first time in Husaquahr. But this is a big world, much larger
than the one from which thou comest. There are many other continents and many
other lands. One, called simply The Land, is so fouled up no one from thy
world will believe it's real, even though he be there. Another once put down a
dark force under a great wizard, and now that wizard's son, Alateen, refights
his father's battles. From Lan Kemar to
Lemoria, all the lands that make up our world are continually threatened. Now
it is Husaquahr's turn."
"But what can they win, even if they capture the land?"
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"Ah, once captured, it will never be freed. But, worse, the
Dark Baron's plan is clearly diabolical. He hopes to seize or destroy the
lands, castles, and, if possible, persons of a majority of the Council. If he
accomplishes this, and he is already a quarter there, he will be able to
rewrite, suspend, or even abolish the Books of Rules. Hell will rewrite the
Rules and will then have a world of its very own to rule and dominate.
This will become Hell, and will provide, too, a second front for an assault on
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