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y, a one-night stand but it appears to have left its

mark. It's not clear from Brickman's "confession'' whether the young

wordsmith is aware of this."

The P-G nodded. 'I guess it depends which stones he's been sitting

on."

Fran laughed. Her relationship to the P-G was close enough to permit a

certain measure of informality. 'Yes.

But don't let me give you the wrong impression. It's not as bad as it

sounds. Brickman may - as Trail-Blazers say - have "bounced beaver"

but he hasn't gone native. Mr Snow is a true lumphead but both

Cadillac and Clearwater are straights. More than that. They are - to

use Brickman's own words - "superstraights". Not only are they

straight-boned and smooth-skinned - they are also clear-skinned, bright

and gifted. Ideal candidates for the Talisman target-list."

'Incredible..." mused the P-G. 'Did Brickman say anything while he

was under the truth drug as to why he concealed all this from the

Assessors?"

'Yes. A misplaced sense of loyalty. He felt he owed his life on more

than one occasion to Mr Snow. He gave the old man his word never to

reveal the clan's big secret that not only are Cadillac and Clearwater

gifted but that, bodywise, they're indistinguishable from Trackers."

Fran paused. 'Add in this Mr Snow and you're looking at a lot of power

packed into one clan."

'Too much,' said the President-General.

'There were two other reasons why Brickman kept quiet. He happens to

be somewhat smitten with this...

young lady. Given his background it's not surprising there was some

reaction. And also, being a well-trained, ambitious young man, he

didn't want to damage his career prospects by talking about magic."

The P-G nodded. 'Why did they keep him alive?

That's what really intrigues me. Did he throw any daylight on that?"

'yes, sir, he did. The clan wanted to show him - and for him to tell

us - what the Plainfolk were capable of.

They also gave him something else to bring back. The Talisman

Prophecy. It seems to have made a deep impression on him."

'It impressed me too, Fran. Still does ... after all these years."

The P-G swung his chair round to the right and gazed reflectively out

of the windows for a moment then turned back to Fran. 'Is that it?"

'Yes, sir - apart from a couple of footnotes. The M'Calls - the

Plainfolk clan that held him captive apparently told Brickman that he

was linked to the Talisman."

The P-G's interest quickened. 'You call that a footnote?

What else did he say."

Fran spread her palms. 'Q-6 did their best but there was no further

clarification. The actual phrases Brickman used were "linked to" and

"under his protection". It appears that Cadillac and Clearwater also

come into this category. That might be more interesting. As

"super-straights" they make an ideal breeding pair."

'Yes..." The P-G's eyes narrowed as he mulled over what Fran had

said.

'And there are also other permutations..."

Fran didn't understand what he was getting at but chose to remain

silent. She saw the P-G look at her expectantly.

'llh - the, uh - second item is from Brickman's statement to the Board

of Assessors. It concerns the people who supply the Plainfolk with

their cross bows ' The P-G cut her short with a wave of his hand.

'Yes, the Iron Masters. I know about them. At the moment, we have

that particular problem on the back burner."

Fran inclined her head respectfully. 'I understand, sir.

The fine print of what we've discussed is in his statement to the

Assessors and the Q-6 report. Both are attached to the summaries of

his bio-file that you now have onscreen."

The P-G ignored the material displayed on his video. 'I prefer to

listen. In my experience I've found that, with an oral briefing, you

not only acquire information, you also learn a great deal about the

person who's presenting it."