第112节

Clearwater sang softly to herself as she worked the waterproof dye into

Cadillac's skin. It was one of the M'Call fire-songs they both knew

well. 'Are you sad?"

'No. What has happened is the will of Talisman."

Cadillac sighed. 'It is our present situation that concerns me."

'Do you fear something will happen to prevent our escape?"

Cadillac shrugged. 'If we are meant to, we will. What worries me is

that Brickman is no longer alone. Why are these Iron Masters helping

him? He tells me nothing. Has he spoken to you?"

How strange, thought Clearwater. As the dyes cover more and more of

his body, he speaks less and less with the voice of the cloud

warrior.

'He says we must trust him."

Cadillac gave a bitter laugh. 'What else - apart from the truth could

he say?"

'You have read his mind."

'Yes. But not his thoughts. You are closer to him than I will ever

be. You can read his heart and see into his soul."

'Sometimes..."

'And what do you see?"

Clearwater moved round on her knees and began to colour his face.

'Love. Death. Betrayal. A new beginning..."

'Are you to be taken from me?"

She traced a gentle line down his cheekbone and on to his neck. 'I

cannot tell. It is you who read the stones. But whatever happens,

part of me will always remain with you."

'But you won't."

Clearwater took hold of his chin. 'If you are to be the sword of

Talisman, your strength must not come from me but from within

yourself." She pressed a finger against his heart.

Easier said than done, thought Cadillac. Oh, Sweet Mother! Why did

life have to be so hard, and full of pain?

Dressed and tagged as a Mute, Cadillac was taken back with Clearwater

to join the others in the stockade. It was his first experience of

life in Ne-Issan as a grass-monkey: The place stank with the odour of

unemptied slopbuckets, and what little food there was was tasteless and

unappetising. Worst of all, there was no sake.

Later in the day, Side-Winder appeared outside the stockade. Steve

walked across and spoke to him through one of the gaps in the vertical

planking. 'How come they let you off the boat?"

'Another breakdown. Everybody got shore-leave except the engineers."

'You come to say goodbye?"

'No. I'm coming with you." The mexican's hard mouth split open in a

happy grin. 'How about that!'

Steve smiled back. 'You're going to miss those lumps." ?'You

kidding? Can't wait!" 'I can believe it. Listen. As you're here,

and since you'll be travelling back with us, there's something I've

been dying to ask you."

'Oh, yeah, what's that?"

'Well, I can't help noticing you've got a lot of slant-eyed friends.

How about filling me in on that?"

Side-Winder's sunny smile turned into a sly grin. 'No can do, amigo.

Try asking Mother when you get back to Rio Lobo."

'Do you think he'll tell me?" The idea of Karlstrom spilling the beans

on anything seemed an unlikely prospect.

'Can't say..."

'But you are going to tell me how we're getting out of here."

'Yeah. We leave tonight on a fishing-smack, then we transfer on to a

couple of power inflatables and cross over to a place called Long Point

on the other side of Lake Erie."

'Is Mother going to hook u