Fred Saberhagen The Book of the Gods 01 The Face of Apollo

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Fred Saberhagen - The Book of the Gods 1 - The Face of Apollo
There was a slight sound behind Apollo/Jeremy, and he/they spun around, both
startled. The doors of a closet-size cabinet, previously locked, had opened,
and from inside two life-size golden maidens had emerged, walking in the
manner of obedient servants.
From the first look it was obvious that the pair were not real women, let
alone goddesses, for there was no glow of life about them. Rather, they were
marvelous machines. Their beautifully shaped bodies were nude, but no more
erotic than metal candlesticks. Jeremy was sure they would be hard as hammers
to the touch.
They spoke, when questioned, in golden voices, assuring the Lord Hephaestus
and the Lord Apollo that there was no Silver Bow here in the workshop now, nor
were there any Arrows. New weapons would have to be manufactured.
Ferrante's eyes were open now, and he regarded the maidens with a thoughtful,
proprietary air. Jeremy's left eye could already read the subtle beginnings of
a tremendous transformation in the young soldier's face and body. Of course it
would take him weeks, months, perhaps even years to grow into the part as
Jeremy had grown into his.
Then Ferrante suddenly clutched his right leg. "Ouch! What the hell ?"
"What is it?" asked Jeremy although Apollo already knew.
"Like a goddam stabbing pain " Within a minute the pain had abated, but
Ferrante was left limping.
Jeremy spent the next few minutes reassuring his friend about the various
strangeness of the transformation. Each individual who underwent the
transformation was affected differently; Katy hadn't needed nearly so much
help, and he himself had muddled through unaided.
"Everything looks different," Ferrante murmured.
"Sure it does. I just hope you can see how to make the things we need."
"Let me think a minute. Let me look around." The new avatar of Hephaestus
hardly had time to catch his breath before he was required to get busy making
weapons in particular the Silver Bow and its complement of arrows.
When Ferrante hesitated and fretted, Jeremy told him, "Don't ask me how to do
things; look into your memory. You'll find more things in your mind, more
plans, more schemes, than you know what to do with."
The young man turned away, staring numbly at the pair of golden women, who
looked back solemnly with yellow eyes. Slowly Andy nodded. The expression on
his face was now that of an old man.
Even as the new Hephaestus began preparing to produce a Bow, Apollo wanted
some questions answered about the business of making Faces. Whether or not
some previous avatar of the Artisan had manufactured the current supply,
Ferrante said he could find no clue in memory as to how the feat had been
accomplished. Making more god Faces wasn't going to be immediately possible.
He paused in his labor, looking at Jeremy out of an altered face, speaking in
an altered rumble of a voice.
"Anyway, I don't see how I how Vulcan could have made the original batch. That
would mean he somehow manufactured his own memory. In effect, that he created
himself. No, I don't think so.
"Some great mystery's involved here. I can't remember the beginning of
Vulcan's life if it ever had a beginning no more than Andy Ferrante can
remember Andy Ferrante being born."
Jeremy/Apollo couldn't argue with that. "That's about how things stand with
me."
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Fred Saberhagen - The Book of the Gods 1 - The Face of Apollo
Ferrante raised his hands (did they already look bigger, with gnarled fingers?
in Apollo's eye they had acquired that kind of ghostly image) to his head.
"Jer, I'm not gonna dig into memory anymore. Not now.
It could show me some terrible things . . . if I let it. But just like you say
it is with you, there are holes in my new memory. Huge gaps."
"All right. We can't take the time now to go looking for ultimate answers. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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