"Hold still," Elandra said.

  "I'm trying," I said, "but you're tickling me."

  Elandra was drawing on my thigh. I looked down and saw a set of interlocked circles and lines covering my body from my chest on downwards. "What are those?" I asked.

  "Runes," Elandra said. "They help me focus on the specifics of the spell. And you are not helping. Please do not interrupt me.”

  I looked over at Kate. We were both naked, and her body was already marked with similar sigils. She was staring at my crotch with fascination. “Any questions about the equipment?” I asked.

  She had the grace to meet my eyes, "Guess I’ll have to figure it out myself,” she said.

  “It’s not that complicated.” I was starting to feel slightly nauseous. I looked down at Elandra. "How long will this take?" I asked.

  She shook her head, still focused on her rune making. "I don't know," she answered. "I've never done anything remotely like this before."

  "Well, that's not concerning at all," I said.

  "Try to focus on something else," said Kate.

  "Easy for you to say," I thought for a moment, “You know,” I said, “our names won't do.”

  “What do you mean?"

  “When we,” I hesitated, “switch bodies, then you are not going to look like a ‘Kate’.” I looked over at her, "And I don't think ‘Charlie’ will fit me.”

  “You're absolutely right," she said. "I will need a name that fits with a muscular, martial barbarian with dark hair and smoldering eyes." She was starting to grin, “A name that starts with a hard C-sound.”

  “You wouldn't dare," I said.

  "What about you?" she asked.

  "My mind's a blank.”

  Elandra sat up and rubbed her lower back. "I'm done," she said. "Are you ready?"

  I looked at Kate, and she nodded at me. "Sure," I said. "Let's go."

  Elandra nodded. "Remember.” she said. "When you wake up, do not let yourself be pulled back to your current body. Fight it! Focus on your partner." She gestured at Rory. “As soon as I tell you, pick up—that person—” she pointed at Kate, “and carry her back to your room. We need to separate them as quickly as possible.”

  Rory grunted in assent.

  Elandra closed her eyes and began to chant quietly to herself. Kate and I were unmoving. As I watched, blue strands slowly ascended from around my umbilicus, twisted to form a cord, and met a similar group of strands extending from Kate. The room seemed to tilt and rock, and the walls and ceiling grew dimmer. My vision began to fail, and all I could hear was the monotonous chanting until that too faded away.

  There was light in my eyes, and warmth on my body.

  I looked up to see an eggshell-blue sky. There was no sun; the light seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. I heard a soft susurration of waves on pebbles and looked to my left to see a deep turquoise sea lap against a beach a few meters away.

  I levered myself onto my elbows and sat up. My chest swayed slightly, and I looked down to see my breasts.

  I froze and stared. My nipples tingled slightly and as I watched, began to erect. I raised my right hand hesitantly and brushed my fingers over the left nipple. The sensation made me shiver, and I repeated the motion on the right side.

  My gaze dropped further to the swell of my hairless mons. My hand lowered of its own accord and stroked the folds between my legs. A jolt of pleasure ran from my crotch to my lower abdomen, and I gave an involuntary gasp.

  There was a soft laugh behind me, and I whirled around to see a woman walking towards me. She was as naked as was I, and her skin glowed a rich dark brown in the light. Silver hair flowed past her shoulders, reaching almost to her waist. Her eyes were violet and crinkled with amusement as I flushed. She came to a halt in front of me, our breasts almost touching.

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  “Oh good,” she said. “You’ll do just fine.”

  I stared at her. “Goddess?”

  She nodded approvingly. “Very good.” she said. “Most would be slower on the uptake.” She smiled. “But no need to be so formal. You may call me Hecate.” She waved her hand, and a table and chairs appeared. “Please be seated. Would you like some tea?”

  “Yes, please.” I sat down carefully, wondering if the chair would vanish as suddenly as it had appeared. A steaming pot and cups materialized. I reached over and poured for both of us. Hecate nodded in approval. I took a sip and raised my eyebrows at her.

  “Ask away.” She smiled.

  The beach ran for miles in both directions, and I could not see the other side of the water. I breathed in through my nose but could detect no scent of salt. Apart from us, there was no sign of life.

  “Where are we?”

  “In your mind.” She gestured at the surroundings. “All this is of your doing.” She pointed at the water. “And this is your mana pool.” She pointed at the sea and gave an almost feral grin. “I am most impressed.”

  “Wait.” I looked around. “None of this is real?”

  “It is as real as you wish.”

  I looked at the sea again. “Why are you impressed?”

  “How big do you think most Mages’ mana pools are?” She waved her hand. “Oh, you have no way of knowing.” She held her hands apart at her waist. “Perhaps thus, for most. A powerful Mage—” she spread her arms wide. “—so. And an Archmage? Well, as large as a garden pool. Yours is on the order of a God’s.”

  “Wasn’t that already the case with Kate?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. Hers was decent, but nothing like this.”

  “What happened?”

  “I have no clue, dear. Even the Goddesses have our limits. Though I suspect it had something to do with that trick you pulled with a spell when you were still a male.” She rested her chin on her hand, considering. “For some reason it…reset things.”

  I cocked my head to the side and considered. “On the face of it,” I said, “that sounds positive. But doesn’t this put a target on my back?”

  Hecate smiled. “Indeed. Be most careful with whom you share this information.”

  “Also,” I said, “what use is raw power without the ability to use it?”

  For the first time she frowned. “Correct. You need to learn magic, and quickly.”

  “Second question,” I said. “Who created the collared, and where did they come from?”

  Hecate sipped her tea and stared out over the sea. “You know nothing of the Goddesses, I assume.”

  “Only what Elandra has let slip, and she was frustratingly vague.”

  “Where to start?” She spread her arms. “There are many worlds in the universe.”

  “Uncountable,” I said.

  “Yes. Some are dead. Others bear life, but the inhabitants lack sentience. And some possess thinking beings, including humans and the other races. Of these, most have gods, who were appointed by our parents to serve as protectors. Nah’Nua is one such.”

  “And its protector is you?”

  “And my sister, Athena. She is the Goddess of war and wisdom. I am the Goddess of magic, and—” she grinned, “—love.”

  I eyed her body and nodded.

  She continued: “But between the worlds lies darkness. In the shadows roam predators, who seek to consume life wherever it rises. One of these creatures has now set its sight on Nah’Nua.”

  “So, it has come to this planet?”

  “No,” she shook her head. “Neither we the protectors nor our enemies may set foot on this world. Rather, we elect champions to fight for us.”

  “That seems—”, I tried to choose my words carefully, so as not to insult a Goddess.

  “Cowardly? Irresponsible?”

  “Your words, not mine.”

  She nodded. “I can understand your reaction. But—”, she sighed, “Were we and our counterparts to take the field directly, no world would survive.”

  “Armageddon?”

  “Rather worse. Perhaps a nova. The entire planet would burn.”

  I winced. “What can you tell me about my opponents?”

  “Very little,” said Hecate. “My goals are masked from my enemies, and so are theirs from me. But I can tell you that any action on their part grants me a corresponding opening. Hence, when they entered Nah’Nua I was able in turn to call you and your companion from your world.”

  “Then,” I focused on framing my next question, “what are the consequences of this latest spell?” I gestured at myself. “And—” I hesitated again, then threw up my hands in frustration, “why did we end up in the wrong roles in the first place?”

  Hecate glared at me, and I wondered if I’d pushed things too far. Then she burst into laughter.

  “I do get tired of obsequious worshipers. The truth is—” she grimaced, “—I assumed that what was true in this world would be true in yours. That only women could be Mages. That only men are warriors.” She fixed me with a gimlet eye. “I would prefer that this confession did not become general knowledge.”

  “What confession?” I asked.

  “Good girl. As to the reaction. Well, I truly do not know how the universe will interpret my intervention. But I can say this; a spell so powerful will not go unnoticed. Be on guard.”

  “Not ominous at all,” I said. “Another thing: can I release the collared?”

  “No.” She shook her head sadly. “Once the collar is closed, the host dies. There is no chance of recovery. The collar is—” she paused, “—more of a gateway than a leash. The entity puppets the body through a portal.”

  I considered her statement. It was as if she was giving me a clue.

  “Our time is not infinite. Do you have a last question?”

  “Many,” I said. “But—” I squirmed in my seat. “—what I would like to ask…”

  Her smile softened. “Realize this, child. When you agreed to take the body of a female, you also took onto yourself my aspects. Not just the magic. But also, a woman’s desires.” Her smile broadened. “In all things.”

  “Yeah,” I said. My face flushed. “That was the question.”

  “You also have control of your fertility. You will only conceive when you will it.”

  “Oh,” I said. “That is…most welcome. Well, no further questions, I guess, but I do have one request.”

  She raised her eyebrows.

  “I need a name.”

  “You must choose that yourself.”

  “I would like to be called Circe,” I said.

  She looked at me and beamed. “That suits you, daughter.” She nodded as if to herself. “I believe I chose you well.”

  The world vanished.