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something of a feminist commune. They'd picked it because the Hawaiian
religions were generally close to nature, and also because she had read that
no woman was ever sacrificed to a volcano only men. Of course, women in the
old Hawaiian culture were strictly subordinate; that was why it was the
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"Neo-Primitive" church. As a church with a physical building, they generally
avoided taxes and had a certain freedom in what they did.
As for the Baron, she thought of him as a "creepy kind of preacher; you know,
like Jim Jones used to be," but handsome and charming on TV or in the few
early times before he'd sealed himself off from all but the media, which he
carefully controlled. His cultist group, which perhaps numbered several
thousand, was totally dedi-
cated and quite dangerous and ruthless, but beyond his
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ods%203%20-%20Vengeance%20of%20the%20Danc.txt small domain, she thought he was
overestimated.
"In two or three years he might be powerful enough to influence some votes in
the legislature or go national, but right now, even as these things go in the
West, he's strictly small potatoes," she assured them. "Now, that don't mean
that he's not strong that new preacher he's got is supposed to be dynamite but
just that his strength don't even extend to outside the county, like here.
Folks around here don't like or trust him, and there's enough people and towns
in this county that he won't find it as easy to take over."
Finally, there was some time for her to satisfy her own curiosity. "This place
you come from this somewhere else? It's like in the books, huh? Dragons and
unicorns and all that?"
"Yes, all that," Tiana assured her. "But no machines, no electricity, none of
the modern conveniences. It sounds romantic, but actually can be quite dull,
or quite danger-
214
JACK L. CHALKER 215
VENGEANCE OF THE DANCING GODS
ous, or back-breaking work, depending on who and where you are."
"Yeah, well, ain't that just like anyplace else?" She paused a moment. "If you
get by the Baron and go back, can you take passengers?"
"Not really," Joe told her. "It's not up to us or anything we control. But if
anybody would like it over there, I
think you might. I'll put in a good word for you, but don't get your hopes
up."
That seemed to satisfy her, and they left the little church and walked into a
cold, damp, misty rain. They got into the van and started off.
"Joe I like her. She seems more of Husaquahr than of Earth."
He chuckled. "Maybe, but I'd like to see her when she's straight first. If
she's ever straight."
"Uh it is still early and it is not far to the ocean, is it?"
"About ten miles. Why?"
"If we are about to go full into the Baron's lair, I would like one chance to
swim in the ocean. I do not know if I
will get another chance."
"You're thinking of the 'pickled fish' line." He tried to sound casual, but
he'd been thinking of it as well and he
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file:///F|/rah/Jack%20L.%20Chalker/Chalker,%20Jack%20L%20-%20The%20Dancing%20G
ods%203%20-%20Vengeance%20of%20the%20Danc.txt couldn't see a good outcome.
"It's pretty messy out
the ocean will be choppy and the shoreline around here is pretty rough with
sharp rocks and the like."
"Joe it is this body's natural element. I will be all right."
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He hesitated, weighing anxiety now versus never hear-
ing the end of this later, and finally gave in. When they came out on US-101,
he went down a bit and then took a road toward the sea.
The weather was bad enough, and his concern over
Tiana real enough, that he never gave a thought that the two small headlights
far in back of him might be following him.
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