Kirlian Quest by Piers Anthony Page A

pierce the breast of Psyche with his arrow of love, and make her love the most vile and miserable creature available. This was the goddess's way of punishing the mortal girl whose only fault was beauty. But when Cupid saw Psyche, he was as it were scratched by his own arrow and stricken by love himself.
    "Psyche's mortal family knew nothing of this. But somehow no offers for her hand in marriage were made. When the king consulted an oracle to determine whom his daughter should marry, he was told—"
    "The Scion of Skot?" Psyche inquired with a twinkle.
    But Hweeh was deep in his narrative and did not heed the interjection. "He was told to dress her in clothing of mourning and leave her on a mountain, where a fierce winged serpent would claim her for his bride. So with much regret the king did this. But Psyche was transported from the mountain to a pleasant valley where there was a magnificent palace. Here invisible servants catered to her every whim. But at night when she went to her bridal bed, it was dark and she could not see her husband at all. He did not feel like a winged snake—not in his entirety, at any rate—but as he departed before dawn, she could not be sure ."
    "But it was Cupid!" Psyche said. "Not a dragon, not a monster, not an amoeba, but the God of Love!"
    "Yes," Hweeh agreed. "It—she—@@@@—" He slumped.
    Herald launched himself at the bowl, trying to bring his aura into play before the Weew faded out, but he was too late.
    "I did what he asked—and it sent him back into shock," Psyche said, the fingers of one hand touching her mouth. "I'm sorry."
    "You did very well," Herald assured her. "You caught us all by surprise. I did not realize what you had said until he reacted. Now we know that it is the single word 'amoeba' that sets him off. That's progress."
    "But will he be hurt?"
    "No, this merely delays us again. I think it was inevitable. And we are learning. His mind is whole; it is only this one thing that knocks him out. When he wakes, he has sealed it off again, until a direct reference sends him back into shock. A highly specific complaint."
    "What does it mean?" Psyche asked.
    "I wish I knew," Herald admitted. "It is hard to avoid the suspicion that we are all in deadly danger from the Space Amoeba. Yet this is hardly credible."
    "I do love a mystery!" Psyche said. "I used to wish Kastle Kade had a ghost or something."
    "It has one," Whirl said.
    She shrugged that off. "I hope I can hear the rest of the story of my name."
    "You could look it up in one of your references," Herald pointed out. "An excellent library like the one you have should certainly have—"
    "No, that would not be fair. It is his story."
    Herald shrugged at this new girlishness. They left the room.
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    * * *
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    In the afternoon the Duke took them on a hunt. "One of the animals has gone berserk," he explained. "It has ravaged the demesnes of the Baron of Magnet, my vassal, and killed several of his servitors. It behooves me to rid my environs of this menace. I caution you not to seek participatory action, as the beast is imbued with Transfer aura and is dangerous."
    One of the prisoners of Keep, Herald realized, thus an animal with sapient cunning and criminal intent. Just the thing to lend adventure to this situation. Probably the nobles of the planet valued such prey, as it justified their position. If there were never any crises, there might cease to be any need for this feudal society and its warrior class.
    They mounted steeds. The upper wheels of the Sador horses were shaped into seats, with holes for human legs, and the outer rim served as a rail to contain the upper body and provide handholds.
    Psyche looked very refined in her riding habit, with its red jacket and white tight trousers. Her legs showed beneath the saddle wheel, extremely well formed. Herald was beginning to realize how much a simple tunic masked. Her fair hair was tied back in the fashion called a ponytail, changing the