The Warlock Wandering by Christopher Stasheff

synthetic ones. What do you think, Major?"
    "I think they're male," Rod answered, "and I think Chornoi knows just how much of a woman she is, regardless of what she said about their standards of beauty."
    "There's truth in that," Gwen agreed, "and I doubt not she could lay low any warrior who sought to best her."
    "Well, it'd be an even match, at least."
    "No, not really," Yorick disagreed. "After all, she is a professional."
    Gwen turned back for a last look, concern furrowing her brow—and froze, with a gasp.
    Yorick and Rod turned back to look.
    Chomoi stood at the top of the rise, stripped naked and glowing in the moonlight. As they watched, she scooped her fingers into a flat roundel and rubbed them over her arm. The skin darkened.
    "Body-paint," Yorick murmured. "Betcha it's purple, Major."
    "And I'll bet we'll find out tomorrow." Rod turned away, shaking his head. "Come on, troops. Somehow, I just became sure she'll be safe."
    "As the mercury said to the water, 'Pardon my density.'" Yorick's gaze swiveled from Rod to Gwen and back. "But if we can do it this way, why that charade with the sentry on the way out?"
    "Why, for that Chomoi did not know we were witchfolk." Gwen tucked her arm more tightly into Yorick's.
    "Yeah—you know what we are," Rod reminded him,
    "but Chomoi probably doesn't even believe in ESP, let alone know we've got it."
    "I see." Yorick nodded. "Mustn't shock the poor thing, must we? After all, she might decide she's on the other side."
    "Well, her volunteering was an enormous stroke of luck..."
    "Sure. Now I get it. Oh, I'm quick."
    "Indeed thou art, in regard to most matters," Gwen assured him.
    "Yeah, we all have our blind spots," Rod agreed. "Now, as one agent to another—do you really think Chomoi will learn anything more than we already found out?" Yorick shrugged. "Hard to say. I don't really think there was any more evidence up there at the murder site, but you never know, do you?"
    "True, true." Rod gazed steadily at the top of the wall.
    "On the other hand, she was pretty obviously planning to interrogate some Wolmen."
    "Well, at least Hwun," Yorick qualified. "I mean, he does have to come up to greet the sun tomorrow morning, doesn't he?"
    Rod shuddered. "That guy gives me the creeping chillies."
    "In truth, he is cold," Gwen agreed.
    "Not what you'd expect, in a Gestalt culture," Yorick agreed. "Not quite human, y'know?"
    "Look who's talking," Rod grunted.
    "Could we hold down on the racial slurs, "here?" Yorick had the rare case of using the term correctly. "Besides, even if he is Mr. Fishface, I'll bet Chornoi will get every ounce of information that he's got. I mean, male is male." 80 Christopher Stasheff
    "I know what you mean," Rod agreed, "and I don't doubt it for a second. It's just that I don't expect there to be a hell of a lot of information for her to get."
    "True, true." Yorick looked towards the Wall. "The really important information is likely to be in there—if we can just figure out where to look for it. Now, let us think. Major, milady—who, besides you two, might have reason to want a Wolman dead?"
    "Well, we don't have any reason to," Rod snorted. "But the obvious answer is VETO... or SPITE,"
    "Or both of them," Yorick grunted.
    "Futurians of some kind. They tried to assassinate Gwen and me and, when we turned out to be a little too lethal, kidnapped us back in time as a second choice."
    "Not too bad, either. I mean, without help, your chances of getting back to the future are very slender."
    "Nay! Rather, we would surely have returned, sooner or later, to the year from which we left," Gwen objected. " 'Tis simply that, when we did, we'd have been five hundred years dead...."
    "That is a problem, I think you'll admit. There's a definite limit on how much fun you can have in that condition. But it does bring up the question of why they sent you to this particular here and now."
    "Wolmar." Rod frowned. "Right after the PEST coup d'etat." His eyes lost focus as he