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ble - any more than he is. Okay,

yeah - I did see a lot of blood, sweat and tears in the stone. Death

and destruction too. Mr Snow was in there somewhere, but so was the

rest of the clan. And you put in an appearance too. But I may have

mixed up two separate events - and the timing could be way out. It

could be this year, or nextor ten years from now. Not that it makes

any difference."

'What makes you say that?"

Cadillac drained the bowl. 'Because that part of my life's over. And

soon there'll be nothing left to go back to.

They're finished." He picked up the bottle and sat down at the low

table, plonking the sake down in front of him.

Steve cast his eyes over the sketches and drawings on the drafting

table, then lowered himself on to the mat facing the young wordsmith.

'Who are finished - the M'Calls? The Plainfolk?"

'I don't want to talk about it."

Steve pushed his bowl forward for a refill. He didn't really want any

more, but it meant there would be less for Cadillac to pour down his

throat. So far, apart from the slurring voice, he was holding up

well.

But Steve had the feeling that the Mute might go out like a light at

any minute. And he didn't want that to happen just yet. They still

had a lot more ground to cover.

Steve raised his second helping to Cadillac's fourth, took a sip, and

let it slide down gently. However well Cadillac thought he was doing,

Steve knew he must be feeling threatened by his sudden arrival on the

scene.

And he knew the next bit would be like walking on thin ice. 'I'm

sorry. I really messed things up for you."

On the contrary. Things couldn't have turned out better. If it wasn't

for you, I wouldn't be here."

'I wasn't talking about picking my brains. You're welcome to

whatever's in there. I meant Clearwater."

Steve paused, hoping for some reaction. Cadillac's face gave nothing

away. He tried again. 'I feel bad about what happened. You saved my

life, offered me your friendship and... I betrayed you. It wasn't a

deliberate act, but - ' He gave a helpless shrug. 'That's why I had to

cut and run. There was no way I could hide my feelings for her,

and...

I was too ashamed by what I'd done to face you and Mr Snow."

'It was meant to be. It was the Will of Talisman. He who seeks to be

a true warrior must find the inner strength to accept these things."

'All the same, it must have hurt."

'For a while,' said Cadillac. 'But now I don't feel a thing."

Yes, it shows .... Steve watched Cadillac knock back some more sake.

'Is that why she's no longer with you?"

'No. The Iron Masters separated us soon after we arrived."

'Doesn't that bother you?"

'Why should it? I'm not in any danger, and as long as she can call on

the power of Talisman neither is she."

'Do you know where she is now?"

'Yes. She was handed over to your present employer."

Cadillac saw Steve's reaction and smiled. 'Amazing, isn't it? All

three of us together again. So close - and yet so far." He topped up

his bowl of sake, but this time he spilt some on the table. 'One might

almost think it was meant to be."

'Yeah,' said Steve. 'Amazing..." He got up and wandered over to the

drafting board and took a closer look at what Cadillac was working

on.

Everything had been painstakingly drawn out by hand with the aid of

straight-sided wooden shapes.

In the Federation, drawings like this were stored in COLUMBUS. The

central computer that served the Federation had a vast library of

drawings for every part of every machine that had ever been built.

People with access to the right level could call up stored images and

incorporate them in new designs right there on the screen, then