7

                                  INDOOR GAMES

               Six Serpent said to George Two Ways, "If you like, I 

          could give you a tour of the palace."

               She looked on the young man with young lust--perhaps 

          even love.  She was notorious for the scandal of her affairs, 

          yet still searched for love.  Love would take time; but Two 

          Ways was under house arrest, there would be time enough for 

          love--but lust:  That was here and now.  And lust was easier 

          to arouse and control in a man than love; love was dangerous, 

          though like forbidden fruit lust tempted her like the 

          red-apple lipstick and eyeshadow she wore, like a 

          whore--though with each new conquest she felt like a virgin.

               "You know, you're really cute," she said to George, 

          teasingly and coyly, when they were out of earshot of the 

          other guards.  Though they probably suspected what she was up 

          to; nearly everyone at some time or the other had dallied 

          with Six Serpent--it was fortunate that the alchemies the 

          Incas had learned from their European conquests and the Moors 

          were sufficient to conquer VD and AIDS.  Coyly fluttering her 

          eyelashes, she added, "I like you."

               "I have a girlfriend back home," George said.  "And I 

          really don't like to be teased."

               She sized him up, looking for a hint of unfaithfulness in his 

          eyes, thought she saw a sparkle there, and unbuttoned another 

          button on her green shirt so that more cleavage would show.

               "What's her name, George?" Six Serpent asked, curiously.  

          Although she really wasn't certain whether or not to believe 

          his stories of another world or not--

               George Two Ways said, in response to her question, and 

          with a little bit of a waver in his voice which indicated he 

          was now indecisive about his love:  "Sophia.  Sophia 

          Rosencruetz.  We call her Soph-kid.  She pretends to hate the 

          nickname; I think she's learned to love it.  I know I've 

          learned to love her--I suppose you're jealous?"

               "No," she lied.

               "Do you have a nickname?"  Two Ways said, reaching into 

          his shirt pocket for his packet of Marlboros, his next to 

          last cigarette.  The only comfort to him was that tobacco was as 

          sacred to the Indians here as back home, even though the 

          Incas hadn't started smoking it until they conquered the 

          Other America--the place where myth told them their people 

          had come from--after Spider-woman had cast them out from the 

          world below.

               But it was hardly hell.

               "I don't know.  What's a nickname?" Six Serpent asked; 

          he'd used the English word because he didn't know it in 

          Incan, though Four Feathers and the Ancient One both had 

          taught him plenty of the ancient language, as preparation for 

          this voyage.

               He was beginning to feel like an animal and knew he 

          could be one in bed with this woman--but did he want to 

          pollute himself like the Dawn he knew nothing about?

               Even as he struggled to control his erection, it 

          thrusting in his bluejeans very obviously and bringing a 

          delicious smile to her apple-wine lips, he told her, "A 

          nickname is a pet name; a..."

               "You mean something like what you'd call a dog or a cat?  I 

          am neither--I don't know if I like this nickname business--but I 

          like you!"

               "Thank you," Two Ways replied, now throbbing and aching, 

          "No, it's a name other than your real name.  Like Sophia 

          Rosencruetz is Sophia's real name, but we call her Soph-kid 

          to tease her; she loves being teased.  Do people ever call 

          you by a pet name, you know, what you aren't really called?"

               She replied, a little baffled, "I am called Six Serpent 

          because I was born on the Sixth day of the month of Serpent.  

          That is the day I was born, and that is what I am called.  I 

          don't have any other name, and I don't see why I should have 

          any other name, and I think it would get awful confusing if 

          anyone called me by anything other than the day of my birth.  

          Do you have any of these, how do you say it, neeka-nimes?"

               "It's pronounced 'nicknames.'  Nothing I'd want to 

          repeat in polite company," George said.  "Asshole is about 

          the politest one I've ever been called--forget it, it's too 

          complicated to explain: It's a common cuss word back where I 

          come from," he said, and finally yielding to a temptation 

          that was obvious to her as house whore, "Say, you're pretty 

          cute there yourself, Six Serpent.  Maybe--do you think?--you 

          could help get me out of this place...?"

               He could play a game of treachery as well as she could; 

          it might pay to use her obvious lust and longing--

               She replied, with yet another look of sensuous craving 

          that sent bolts of lightning through his soul like the first 

          time he'd ever been with a woman--her name had been Tina, 

          like his sister:  Tina Eagleman:  "The King will decide when 

          you are to be released, I am merely your humble woman servant 

          until that date.  Now these are the palace bedrooms; they 

          sleep several hundred, including the King's guards and 

          houseguests; beyond them we have the kitchens...."  

               She thought, And I must hide my love--yes, I think for 

          once I and at last I am in love instead of playing the 

          whore--for some strange reason I'm starting to believe his 

          story about coming from a parallel universe; his clothes, his 

          heavy accent--this is not a man of this world....This is an 

          eldritch creature, a ghost-man.  He has no one--I would be 

          the one for him...if only he didn't have another girlfriend 

          in a different world.  But who cares?  He's in this world 

          now, and he's fair game as long as he's mine to look 

          after--and I've had to deal with plenty of heavy competition 

          in seducing other men--

               Continuing her tour, she said, "These are the military 

          installations, we--or the King, at least--doesn't want you to 

          get too close to our arsenal because he thinks you could be a 

          security risk--it's puzzling why you don't have any ID in 

          cyberspace, but I can tell you what the general public knows:  

          five thousand flying shields, each armed with fifty mind-lasers; 

          several ICBM's carrying thermonuclear warheads and..."

               Two Ways objected, "You mix magic and science in the 

          same sentence:  mind-lasers sound like magic to me, something 

          occult, eldritch, not of the real world; thermonuclear 

          weapons are part of my world's technology which was built on 

          science after the White man thought they had debunked magic--but I 

          have been to the peyote rituals, I know the spirits our ancestors 

          spoke of are real:  but I thought my world is a world of 

          science and yours is a world of magic, sort of like in a Zelazny 

          novel, I don't see how it's possible for--"

               She replied, quite intelligently for someone Two Ways 

          suspected was merely a sex serpent, as he was beginning to 

          think of her even though the pun didn't translate, "According 

          to astrophysics, there are countless parallel universes, each 

          with its own laws:  as you move farther toward one pole, you 

          move closer to magic; the opposite direction and you have 

          science.  Ours is a mixed world.  I'd suspect yours is, too.  

          Aren't there magicians in your world?"

               Two Ways proudly replied, "My teacher, the medicine man 

          of our tribe, Jerome Four Feathers, is a mighty sorcerer; and 

          the Ancient One too--"  At this Six Serpent's heart skipped a 

          beat, for she'd heard rumors of the Ancient One, in smoky 

          nightclub situations even as Two Ways continued, "He can fly 

          the astral plane like an eagle or a raven with the help of 

          peyote; he can--"

               "They say that in the early days of the Roman Empire 

          there was a magical religion based on the sacred mushroom," 

          Six Serpent replied.  "It was called Christianity.  But it is 

          extinct now."

               "Christianity was a sacred mushroom cult?  I wouldn't 

          have expected that of the Christians; in my world they are 

          trying to destroy the peyote religion because they think that 

          drugs are sinful, all except for alcohol, which they even 

          tried to make illegal once and--"

               "El-kool-hall?"

               "Beer.  Wine."

               Six Serpent smiled, knowing she had at last found a way to 

          seduce the handsome young stranger who was beyond cyberspace, 

          said into her comm-link, "Send a couple of bottles of our 

          finest wine to George Two Ways' quarters."

               Two Ways tousled her hair, saying, "Sex Serpent--"

               Giggling, she said, "I don't get it, but I like it."

               Two Ways explained, "It's a pun in my language.  'Six' 

          and 'Sex' are our words for 'Six' and 'Sex'--I think you're a 

          sexy serpent indeed..."

               "And this is your bedroom," Six Serpent triumphantly 

          concluded, deliberately having ended the tour there.  She 

          said, "And here is our bottle of wine.  And your dinner.  

          Come on, drink up--feel free to take advantage of all 

          the...comforts--" and now she ran her hands across his chest, 

          "Of the King's palace.  Just think of me as your slave:  your 

          sex slave."  She lay on the bed invitingly, being too anxious 

          to wait out her ploy and wait until he was drunk before  

          trying to seduce him, while Two Ways pondered what to do next.

               Just as he was about to throw himself into her arms 

          Thirteen Alligator entered from the rear--there were doors at 

          both ends of the bedroom--and said, "You are relieved of 

          guard duty, Six Serpent.  You are now to go practice on the 

          mind-laser field."

               Six Serpent saluted, though not without a certain amount 

          of resentment and anger at her superior for breaking up what 

          could've turned into an all-night party...she didn't know it, 

          but the King had been spying on her with his divining 

          crystal, had hesitated for a minute between playing the 

          voyeur and interrupting her, then had chosen the latter 

          course of action because the telepathic monitors on the 

          mystical pyramid had told him that Six Serpent was falling in 

          love with the man.  And love blurs judgment--

               Not knowing about any of this, she marched briskly off 

          like a good soldier, then, when she was certain no one was 

          looking slipped into a more feminine stroll that would've 

          been considered improper for one of the King's guards.

               But then, she was a Sex Serpent.  She was beginning to 

          like the nickname.  She was starting to like this nickname 

          business, after all.

               She sauntered up to the mind-laser field, a flat clearing 

          among the Andean peaks.  She took her crystal pyramid from 

          its holster; it was affixed to a stock like a gun.  

               She fired off into the maze of moving targets....

               Hold!

               Strike!

               It was a mental strike, an effort of the will.  The 

          psionic circuitry of the mind-laser was activated by that 

          effort of will, and the accuracy of the aim and the force 

          emitted was determined by the strength of her will.

               Toy soldiers exploded.

               The final test given by her instructor, whose name was 

          Seven Serpent, was to ask her, "Can you melt through a 

          six-inch thick slab of steel...?"

               "Did it last week," Six Serpent said proudly, chewing 

          chicle.  

               Seven Serpent said, "But can you do it with the mind 

          laser separated from your hand?  Remember, your mind-laser is 

          programmed to your specific astral-harmonics, so that it can 

          be operated from any distance.  All you have to do is 

          concentrate--"

               And he took the mind-laser from her, held it in his own hand.

               "Concentrate," he said, sternly.

               Images of white light and white heat filled Six Serpents 

          mind.  Suddenly a bolt of fire leaped from the mind-laser, 

          touched the block of steel.

               But it did not saw through it.  It only touched the 

          surface, then fizzled out; faded away.

               Six Serpent felt impotent, like a man who is about to have an 

          ejaculation, then feels the moment slipping away from him--

               "Concentrate!" he barked the command.

               She saw molten magma.  She saw the center of the earth 

          where fluid rock is formed.  Suddenly a frenzied burst of 

          white light shot from the mind-laser and blew the steel slab 

          to smithereens.

               "Good, good!" the Arms-master shouted.  "I've never seen 

          anyone with such control!  This is truly astonishing!"

               Six Serpent beamed in pride.  Even while she was trying 

          to think of a way to get back to the mysterious stranger....

               She took the mind-laser back from him, put it in her 

          holster, and went off to relieve Nine Jaguar, as he 

          instructed her, after the King's voice came through Seven 

          Serpent's comm-link...when she got to the palace Nine Jaguar 

          said, "How'd you do on target practice?"

               "Blew the block to smithereens.  The Arms-master said he 

          never saw such control.  God, I'm so excited!"  She didn't 

          add that she was excited because she'd finally found somebody 

          to love.  And not merely a sex play-toy.

               "I'm impressed," Nine Jaguar said.  He looked jealous.

               "How's the prisoner doing?" Six Serpent asked, trying 

          not to show her personal interest.

               "He was reading the last time I saw him," Nine Jaguar 

          said.  "And getting thoroughly blasted on a bottle of 

          wine--I'm sure I can guess why you ordered it for him."

               "Well--there's no harm in it," Six Serpent said, her 

          heart dancing, "I'm going to go talk to him for awhile.  Will 

          you lend me your cloaker so I can sneak off and see him?"

               "Feel free," Nine Jaguar said, after taking a few 

          minutes to think.  "He's under house arrest; this is just as 

          much his house as it is ours.  Make sure he doesn't try any 

          funny stuff, though.  And don't you, either--beyond sex.  If 

          you're caught with my cloaker I'll be in big..."

               "I know, I know," she said, then turned herself invisible.

               Six Serpent entered Two Ways' room and uncloaked, startling 

          him.  She pressed her fingers to warn him not to cry out, then 

          said, "It's only a cloaker, more magical technology.  But George?  

          What are you reading?"

               "A history book.  A world where the Indians conquered 

          the White man and put them all on reservations!  This is 

          something we can only dream of back home--a world of the 

          oppressed, the downtrodden, finally liberated!"

               "Hold it, hold it!" Six Serpent ejaculated.  "This 

          parallel universe of yours--I'm not so certain it really 

          exists.  This azot you told the King about--where does it 

          come from?"

               "It grows in only one place in the world, the abandoned 

          city where the Ancient One has his home.  There is a spirit 

          in the drug, a magical spirit, just as there is a spirit in 

          peyote--"

               "Now you're talking like a White man," she said.  "They 

          eat mushrooms, looking for a god who is fiction.  Christ, 

          they called him.  I know, I had a few credits of White 

          Studies in college.  There are no spirits in mushrooms, only 

          weird chemicals!"

               "Then how do you explain me?" Two Ways said.  "If I'm 

          not from a parallel universe, how did I get into a missile 

          silo in Macchu Picchu with no ID?  So how did I do it?  Now 

          tell me I'm not a dimension-traveler!"

               She said in her most enticing whisper, "I'll go out and 

          gather some azot for you, Two Ways, if you'll just make love 

          to me!"

               Yet, in spite of her efforts at seduction, Two Ways was 

          adamant:  "I can't.  I have a girlfriend back home."

               She threw off her green shirt, traditional outfit of a 

          warrior-woman, revealing two large, sexy breasts, round and 

          brown.

               Suddenly aroused, Two Ways was upon her like a 

          barbarian.

               "Yes, that's it--take off my dress; take off my 

          underwear...yes...yes...yes!  Forget your old girlfriend in 

          the parallel universe, George Two Ways.  Invisible City; 

          forget.  Try to forget.  Learn to forget."

               In just a few minutes it was over--and she kept her 

          promise to him.  Now more than half-convinced by the secrets 

          they had shared, her free time meant time to collect the 

          azot.  George had described the herb to her; it grew in small 

          clumps along the ground with waxy leaves like buttons.  

               She took her private aircraft to the mountain, here the 

          azot grew close to the ground.  Nearly extinct, in this world 

          as on Two Ways' world, except for this one peak, she gathered 

          the fragrant, bright green herb.

               It had to be dried in the sun; that much Two Ways had 

          told her--it drew its magic from the sun.  Oven drying would 

          desiccate the herb, drive out the spirit it contained, break 

          down its chemical composition-- 

               She built a drying rack of wood from the instructions 

          that George Two Ways had given her.  For her, science was 

          magic; she understood much about the principles of magic--the 

          drying rack had to be made of native wood, from Azot Crag, in 

          order to assure that the drying would succeed.  It had to be 

          made using traditional stone tools, from prehistory, or else 

          the magic would be driven away.  And it had to spend exactly 

          an hour in the sun....

               Her wristwatch beeped.

               Exactly an hour.

               Now to take--do I want to take this to Two Ways? she 

          thought.  No--I'll tease him; tell him I couldn't find the 

          crag--I'll let our love linger on.  And then when I'm sure 

          he's in love with me...I'll transfer to the other side with 

          him, and I'll be his girlfriend, what he calls an Indian--the 

          way it was meant to be, not some White whore social worker on 

          a reservation Indians were never meant to live on.

               Her aircar was waiting for her.  The flying shield took 

          her back to the palace, where she madeup her eyes and rouged 

          her cheeks with yet another of her arsenal of seduction 

          equipment and slipped into her sexiest dress, braless, and 

          went to see Two Ways.

               Lying, she said, "I couldn't find the place you described.  

          Maybe it doesn't exist in this world.  Come here, make more 

          love to me, make mad and abandoned love to me--I won't try to 

          find it again if you refuse.  And just think of how much 

          you'll enjoy it!  Come on, you big strong macho man--I want 

          it!  Don't you know that women get horny, too?" 

               And George wanted it too, so at last he let her 

          half-rape him, if rape is possible for a woman, even as in 

          the back of his mind a warning bell went off.

               She was a tease and a flirt, he decided.

               And her green shirt was lying on the floor.

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