die, but of the people who can live. You're wrong when you say that 'today, four more people will die.' Instead, you must remember that, perhaps tomorrow, four more people will live ."
I shook my head. "If you were one of the people who would die waiting for tomorrow, would you feel the same way?"
"Yes." Her eyes met mine. I believed her.
"Perhaps."
We continued.
She was a masterful therapist; I do not know when the trance ended, but when I looked at her and saw her as a human being, I was far back up the rode toward sanity. We crossed the sands to a limousine, to take us into town. I raised my eyebrows. "A limo?"
"Of course. What else would the heiress to the Grantship of Summerform travel in?"
"The heiress!" In horror, I grabbed her by the shoulders. "You're the next target! We have to find you a safe place!" I raised my arm. "Safire, send Glitter as fast as she'll fly." I started searching the skies for cruisers, and blizzards, and anything else the mind of an evil Master might conceive.
She slipped from my touch. "Of course I'm your next target, silly." She looked puzzled for a moment. "Why would you seek a place of safety for me? You know it's too late."
"What?!"
"The poison. I know I'm dying." She brushed her hand through my hair. "I was hoping you'd consider giving me the antidote. I love the people of Forma. I believe you do, too." She looked away for a moment. "Why then are you killing?"
"I'm not!" I tried to scream, but the air scorched my lungs. "It's a set up!"
She seemed puzzled. "I believe I know you now. You are here to help the people of Forma. You are a good man. If my death will help, I accept it. "
"Have you been poisoned?" I tried to get some sense out of this conversation. "I'll run every test 1 know. We'll find an antidote." I was talking nonsense, of course; there are billions of poisons in the universe that cannot be counteracted, poisons that strike the brain so that rvoii Transfer cannot help. Death was still my master.
She knew it, too. Her expression became even more peaceful. "Then you aren't the assassin."
"NO! NO!" I held my head in my hands.
She touched me. "You have to promise me something."
I looked at her. "What?"
"I know you will destroy the person who's behind this. But you must promise me that first, you'll get even by saving Forma . You have the tools, and the talent, and now again you have the sanity. Promise me that you'll save Forma before killing my killer."
At the time, numb as I was, it seemed a tiny thing. "I promise."
"Thank you." She jerked, a broken motion that was not her own. I held her close. "A three day poison," she mused, taking a shuddering breath. "Just long enough . . . the enemy . . . how did he know?"
An ambulance slid to a stop beside us, and two men leaped out to carry her away. I stared in amazed horror. "We've been on call," the medic explained as they pulled her from me and put her in the back. They left me alone.
Glitter came into sight; I boarded her.
On my first sip of Aldebarone wine I choked. Furious at my weakness, I forced the whole glassful down in one gulp and refilled it.
On my next sip I choked again. In helpless fury I hurled the glass against the wall. The glass didn't even give me the satisfaction of breaking. A robot scurried in to clean up; in minutes, all sign of my anger had disappeared into time's passage.
Karmel, the heiress to the Grantship of Summerform, had ruined my one path to ruination. I couldn't even escape into a drunken stupor any more. I was trapped with my memories.
With a deep breath I swore revenge, again. And again I remembered the promise I had made, to save Forma first.
I laughed, maliciously. It would be ridiculously easy to save Forma. The Playmaster had made a terrible mistake setting me up as the murderer, because he had also set me up as the invincible power behind the murders. The whole planet trembled at my touch, the touch of the assassin.
When I had announced from Glitter that I was
I shook my head. "If you were one of the people who would die waiting for tomorrow, would you feel the same way?"
"Yes." Her eyes met mine. I believed her.
"Perhaps."
We continued.
She was a masterful therapist; I do not know when the trance ended, but when I looked at her and saw her as a human being, I was far back up the rode toward sanity. We crossed the sands to a limousine, to take us into town. I raised my eyebrows. "A limo?"
"Of course. What else would the heiress to the Grantship of Summerform travel in?"
"The heiress!" In horror, I grabbed her by the shoulders. "You're the next target! We have to find you a safe place!" I raised my arm. "Safire, send Glitter as fast as she'll fly." I started searching the skies for cruisers, and blizzards, and anything else the mind of an evil Master might conceive.
She slipped from my touch. "Of course I'm your next target, silly." She looked puzzled for a moment. "Why would you seek a place of safety for me? You know it's too late."
"What?!"
"The poison. I know I'm dying." She brushed her hand through my hair. "I was hoping you'd consider giving me the antidote. I love the people of Forma. I believe you do, too." She looked away for a moment. "Why then are you killing?"
"I'm not!" I tried to scream, but the air scorched my lungs. "It's a set up!"
She seemed puzzled. "I believe I know you now. You are here to help the people of Forma. You are a good man. If my death will help, I accept it. "
"Have you been poisoned?" I tried to get some sense out of this conversation. "I'll run every test 1 know. We'll find an antidote." I was talking nonsense, of course; there are billions of poisons in the universe that cannot be counteracted, poisons that strike the brain so that rvoii Transfer cannot help. Death was still my master.
She knew it, too. Her expression became even more peaceful. "Then you aren't the assassin."
"NO! NO!" I held my head in my hands.
She touched me. "You have to promise me something."
I looked at her. "What?"
"I know you will destroy the person who's behind this. But you must promise me that first, you'll get even by saving Forma . You have the tools, and the talent, and now again you have the sanity. Promise me that you'll save Forma before killing my killer."
At the time, numb as I was, it seemed a tiny thing. "I promise."
"Thank you." She jerked, a broken motion that was not her own. I held her close. "A three day poison," she mused, taking a shuddering breath. "Just long enough . . . the enemy . . . how did he know?"
An ambulance slid to a stop beside us, and two men leaped out to carry her away. I stared in amazed horror. "We've been on call," the medic explained as they pulled her from me and put her in the back. They left me alone.
Glitter came into sight; I boarded her.
On my first sip of Aldebarone wine I choked. Furious at my weakness, I forced the whole glassful down in one gulp and refilled it.
On my next sip I choked again. In helpless fury I hurled the glass against the wall. The glass didn't even give me the satisfaction of breaking. A robot scurried in to clean up; in minutes, all sign of my anger had disappeared into time's passage.
Karmel, the heiress to the Grantship of Summerform, had ruined my one path to ruination. I couldn't even escape into a drunken stupor any more. I was trapped with my memories.
With a deep breath I swore revenge, again. And again I remembered the promise I had made, to save Forma first.
I laughed, maliciously. It would be ridiculously easy to save Forma. The Playmaster had made a terrible mistake setting me up as the murderer, because he had also set me up as the invincible power behind the murders. The whole planet trembled at my touch, the touch of the assassin.
When I had announced from Glitter that I was
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