And Eternity by Piers Anthony Read Free Book Online Page A

diving for it. She caught it. “Invoke!”
    The dark cloud formed. The raging wind had no effect on it. Soon they were both within it and wrenching back to the exterior realm.
    They were closer to the summit, but Jolie was no longer concerned about that. She was in serious doubt whether this mission should proceed. Not only were the dangers getting worse, Orlene was still changing. Now she was not at all feminine. In fact “Orlene!” Jolie exclaimed. “Have you looked at yourself?”
    Orlene glanced at her with irritation. “What are you talking about?”
    “You’ve been changing! The farther we go, no, it must be the wand! Every time you use it, it-”
    “Quit stuttering, woman! What’s the matter with the wand?”
    “It makes you more like a man,” Jolie finished, horrified as she realized the direction it was going.
    “For chrissake, girl, stop talking nonsense! We’ve got to get on with this before something else happens.”
    “Didn’t you hear me? That wand is changing you into a man!”
    “And you into a monkey!” Orlene retorted, laughing. She started up the path, striding strongly. Her hips had narrowed and her feet grown, making her better at this. Apparently her shoes did not bind.
    Jolie stood for a moment, appalled. Orlene refused to recognize how she was changing!
    They were looking for Nox, Mistress of Night. This must be a dream sequence, where the most outrageous situations were accepted as given. It was Orlene’s dream: Jolie was merely an observer. Thus it seemed that only Jolie could see what was happening.
    Should she urge a retreat from this mission? That would probably be wasted effort; if Orlene couldn’t see the problem, she wouldn’t act to abate it.
    Jolie hurried after, soon panting; she certainly wasn’t changing! She lacked the muscles and imperative to stride boldly onward. But she was afraid of letting Orlene walk into Nox’s den alone.
    Another menace appeared. It looked like a mountain goat, but it had three horns-and three legs. Two in front, one in the rear, in each case. Others of its breed followed: there was a flock of them. There was no way to avoid them on this narrowing mountain.
    “I’ve had just about enough of this crap!” Orlene snapped. She stepped off the path, took hold of a struggling sapling, and wrenched it down. Its roots twisted out of the ground, spraying dirt. Orlene gave it another jerk and the remaining roots snapped. She had a serviceable staff.
    She turned to face the tri-bucks. “Now charge me, dogmeat!” she cried. “You’ll get roots up your nose!”
    Jolie, breathless from running, was unable to speak. She was amazed at the strength Orlene had shown in ripping out the tree, and at the sheer aggression she was showing. But there were too many of the odd creatures to fight!
    The first creature charged. True to her word, Orlene countered it with the rooty end of her pole. The front pair of horns rammed into the roots and shoved the pole back. Orlene, at the other end, was pushed down the path, cursing. The creature tossed its head, throwing the staff clear, and resumed its advance, the others close behind.
    “The wand!” Jolie gasped.
    Orlene’s lip curled into a snarl, echoed in her throat, but she did bring out the wand. She evidently wanted to fight, but appreciated the odds against victory, so gave way grudgingly. That was, of course, the man’s way.
    The cloud appeared. In due course they were back inside the mountain, on the descending slope.
    Jolie didn’t want to look, but had to. Her fear was confirmed: Orlene was another stage more masculine than before, being larger, hairier, and now proportioned like a man. The exposed bra hung pointlessly; there was muscle rather than mammary flesh there now. Was her genital anatomy changing similarly? Jolie was sickly certain that it was.
    “Well, come on, cutie, we’re almost there,” Orlene barked. She forged on down.
    Cutie? Jolie liked this least of all. What was Nox trying to do