Magician.”
THAT DOES NOT MATTER. NOW YOU ARE MY SERVANTS.
“We’re not--” Astrid started.
GIRL IS SILENT
Astrid shut up. She was learning.
YOU LOOK LIKE HEALTHY YOUNG SPECIMENS. MAYBE I WILL USE YOU TO START A BREEDING COLONY TO RUN MY ERRANDS.
That would be a disaster, Kandy thought. But how were they to escape the power of this evil machine?
Maybe she could arrange it. Pewter didn’t know about Kandy. She could prompt Ease to do things Pewter didn’t expect, such as escaping. START WALKING OUT.
Ease started walking out.
STOP WALKING OUT
Ease stopped.
RESUME WALKING
He started walking again.
WHAT IS OPPOSING ME? Pewter demanded.
Ease continued walking, as that order had not been countered.
REVEAL YOURSELF
Oops. Kandy didn’t want that. I’M AN INDEPENDENT CUSS.
“I’m an independent cuss,” Ease said, still walking.
STOP WALKING. TURN AROUND. RETURN TO ME.
Ease did these things, and stood before the nasty machine.
Then Kandy got an idea. BASH COM PEWTER WITH YOUR BOARD.
Ease bashed the screen before Pewter could understand and counter his attack. His aim, with Kandy’s guidance, was true. Glass shattered.
But Kandy knew that the monitor was not the whole of Pewter. He had been blinded, not destroyed.
“Get out of here!” Ease said, prompted by Kandy’s urging.
They scrambled for the exit tunnel. In no more than three moments they were back in the forest.
But the giant was still there. An enormous invisible hand blocked them off. SO YOU DEFY ME, he said.
Oh, no! That was Com Pewter talking.
But now Astrid, evidently not used to being bossed around, talked back. “You have no right to hold us. We’re on a Quest. Now get out of our way or I will be forced to hurt you.”
OH YEAH?
“Final warning. Retreat.”
HO HO HO! The hand moved forward; Kandy could tell by the swishing of the breeze around it as it moved. Also by the smell.
Astrid removed her dark glasses and gazed up into the region of the sky where the giant’s face might be.
OOOMPH! There was an enormous thud as the giant fell back, evidently landing on his rump, in the process squashing a fair section of terrain.
Now Kandy realized what had happened. Com Pewter might be animating the invisible giant, and talking through his mouth. But the giant was a living creature. The basilisk’s death gaze had struck him.
Astrid put her glasses back on. “I warned you.”
There was a stirring as the giant leaned forward. “So you did. What manner of creature are you? A gorgon?”
So the giant wasn’t dead. Maybe it had been too big for the death-gaze to do more than stun, or maybe its invisibility had diluted the effect. It might have been a glancing blow. But there had been an effect, because now a faint outline of a giant man was showing. It was the man, rather than the machine, now speaking.
“A basilisk,” Astrid said. “Astrid Basilisk-Cockatrice, or ABC for short. Transformed to human form for the purpose of this Quest. Now will you leave us alone?”
“I will be glad to,” the giant said. “But it is with my master Pewter you must deal.”
“Why do you serve a machine?” Astrid asked. She seemed more assertive, now that she had unveiled herself, as it were.
“There are benefits,” the giant said. “During off hours I get to play games on the Outernet and exchange messages with girls who don’t know my nature.”
“I appreciate the point,” Astrid agreed. “I think I might enjoy flirting with boys who don’t know my nature.”
Now Ease came to life. “You’re a basilisk!”
“I’m sorry you found out so soon. I believe you found my form interesting, before you knew.”
“It’s still interesting,” Ease said. “Especially when that dress turns translucent.”
“It does that?” the giant asked, interested. Evidently he could see well enough, even if he couldn’t be seen, and he appreciated the sights.
“It’s complicated,” Astrid said. “But the essence is that when a sequin
THAT DOES NOT MATTER. NOW YOU ARE MY SERVANTS.
“We’re not--” Astrid started.
GIRL IS SILENT
Astrid shut up. She was learning.
YOU LOOK LIKE HEALTHY YOUNG SPECIMENS. MAYBE I WILL USE YOU TO START A BREEDING COLONY TO RUN MY ERRANDS.
That would be a disaster, Kandy thought. But how were they to escape the power of this evil machine?
Maybe she could arrange it. Pewter didn’t know about Kandy. She could prompt Ease to do things Pewter didn’t expect, such as escaping. START WALKING OUT.
Ease started walking out.
STOP WALKING OUT
Ease stopped.
RESUME WALKING
He started walking again.
WHAT IS OPPOSING ME? Pewter demanded.
Ease continued walking, as that order had not been countered.
REVEAL YOURSELF
Oops. Kandy didn’t want that. I’M AN INDEPENDENT CUSS.
“I’m an independent cuss,” Ease said, still walking.
STOP WALKING. TURN AROUND. RETURN TO ME.
Ease did these things, and stood before the nasty machine.
Then Kandy got an idea. BASH COM PEWTER WITH YOUR BOARD.
Ease bashed the screen before Pewter could understand and counter his attack. His aim, with Kandy’s guidance, was true. Glass shattered.
But Kandy knew that the monitor was not the whole of Pewter. He had been blinded, not destroyed.
“Get out of here!” Ease said, prompted by Kandy’s urging.
They scrambled for the exit tunnel. In no more than three moments they were back in the forest.
But the giant was still there. An enormous invisible hand blocked them off. SO YOU DEFY ME, he said.
Oh, no! That was Com Pewter talking.
But now Astrid, evidently not used to being bossed around, talked back. “You have no right to hold us. We’re on a Quest. Now get out of our way or I will be forced to hurt you.”
OH YEAH?
“Final warning. Retreat.”
HO HO HO! The hand moved forward; Kandy could tell by the swishing of the breeze around it as it moved. Also by the smell.
Astrid removed her dark glasses and gazed up into the region of the sky where the giant’s face might be.
OOOMPH! There was an enormous thud as the giant fell back, evidently landing on his rump, in the process squashing a fair section of terrain.
Now Kandy realized what had happened. Com Pewter might be animating the invisible giant, and talking through his mouth. But the giant was a living creature. The basilisk’s death gaze had struck him.
Astrid put her glasses back on. “I warned you.”
There was a stirring as the giant leaned forward. “So you did. What manner of creature are you? A gorgon?”
So the giant wasn’t dead. Maybe it had been too big for the death-gaze to do more than stun, or maybe its invisibility had diluted the effect. It might have been a glancing blow. But there had been an effect, because now a faint outline of a giant man was showing. It was the man, rather than the machine, now speaking.
“A basilisk,” Astrid said. “Astrid Basilisk-Cockatrice, or ABC for short. Transformed to human form for the purpose of this Quest. Now will you leave us alone?”
“I will be glad to,” the giant said. “But it is with my master Pewter you must deal.”
“Why do you serve a machine?” Astrid asked. She seemed more assertive, now that she had unveiled herself, as it were.
“There are benefits,” the giant said. “During off hours I get to play games on the Outernet and exchange messages with girls who don’t know my nature.”
“I appreciate the point,” Astrid agreed. “I think I might enjoy flirting with boys who don’t know my nature.”
Now Ease came to life. “You’re a basilisk!”
“I’m sorry you found out so soon. I believe you found my form interesting, before you knew.”
“It’s still interesting,” Ease said. “Especially when that dress turns translucent.”
“It does that?” the giant asked, interested. Evidently he could see well enough, even if he couldn’t be seen, and he appreciated the sights.
“It’s complicated,” Astrid said. “But the essence is that when a sequin
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