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who feel the same way? Like these renegades you've captured, for

instance."

The old wordsmith smiled distantly, his eyes half closed. 'Why should

you care about what happens to them? They tied you up to a corpse and

left you to die."

Steve lowered the pipe and placed a hand on top of his head in an

effort to hold his brain in place while he grappled with this totally

unexpected remark. 'Wait a minute, wait a minute . . . are you

telling me you saw what they were doing and did nothing about it - that

you left me tied up for two whole days while you sat around picking

your nose? Christopher Columbus! How could you ?"

'Whoa! Hold it!" Mr Snow made a soothing gesture.

'Slow down. I was miles away." He took the pipe back.

'Someone told me what happened. Anyway, what are you complaining

about? The girl left you a knife. By the time I arrived on the scene

you were up and running with your new friends. You certainly don't

waste time, Brickman.

What story did you tell them?"

Steve tried to collect his thoughts. Before his last-minute decision

to opt for a full confession he had been about to tell Mr Snow he had

become a fully-fledged breaker, running with the pack. Close! 'llh

...

they changed their mind about killing me. Going along with them was

the only chance I had of staying alive. I planned to break away at the

first good opportunity." He smiled. 'I had no idea you were going to

find me first."

It was Mr Snow's turn to shrug. 'Like I said, Cadillac saw it in the

stones."

Steve took another turn on the pipe. 'What else did he see?"

'Ohh... lots of things."

'Like what for instance?"

'Like the fact you would come back for Clearwater.

However..." Mr Snow took the offered pipe and drew deep. '... I'm

afraid you're in for a disappointment."

Steve blinked rapidly in an effort to overcome a sudden wave of

drowsiness. 'How do you mean?"

'Clearwater isn't here. Neither is Cadillac. They flew to BethLem."

? Steve felt his stomach turn to stone. 'Flew...?"

'Yes. Flew. After you took off with BlueBird, Cadillac built another

craft from the pieces we kept hidden from you."

'B-but how?"

'How?" Mr Snow laughed. 'You showed him how!

And in so doing, you allowed him to pick your brains.

Some wordsmiths - and I regret to say I am not one of them - have

special gifts when it comes to absorbing and transmitting knowledge.

When you gave him the chance to make the connection he just added the

totality of your knowledge to his."

'I don't believe it,' said Steve. His voice seemed to come from

outside himself. He tried to shake off the pleasantly numbing effect

of the grass.

'It's true nevertheless,' continued Mr Snow. 'Pity you didn't see

it.

It had a motor, seats for both of them. I must say, I was very

impressed. And I'm sure the Iron Masters were too."

Tills isn't really happening, Steve told himself. It's the grass. I'm

imagining all this. It can't be true. It can't be ?. . 'But why go

to the Iron Masters?" he heard himself say.

Mr Snow spread his hands. 'It was part of the deal. We agreed to

deliver an arrowhead and the secrets of flight and, in return, the Iron

Masters promised to give us new long sharp iron. Something that will

stop a wagon-train dead in its tracks." He leaned forward and patted

Steve on the knee. 'And it's all thanks to you."

Steve started to come down rapidly. He thought about what Karlstrom

had said about teaching Cadillac to fly.

If the First Family ever discovered that Cadillac had passed on the

whole goddam technology of flight to the Iron Masters then he,

Brickman, would be well and truly shafted.

'Wha-when did this happen? When did they, uh - go?"

'Last year. Before the White Death."

Steve swallowed hard. He could see that Mr Snow was enjoying himself

hugely. Bastard ... Six months . . .

'Are they coming back?"