第57节

ks for helping me out,' he mumbled. 'If it

hadn't been for that Dream Cap..."

Cadillac pointed to Mr Snow. 'It was his idea."

Mr Snow waved dismissively.

'I don't know how you guys managed without it."

Mr Snow began to smile but it hurt too much. 'The Mutes have learned

to get used to pain." He leaned forward and gripped Steve's wrist.

'Congratulations. You did well.

Everybody was very impressed."

'Aww, come on,' said Steve. 'It was a total cop-out. I'm a fraud."

'True,' replied Mr Snow lightly. 'But only the three of us know

that."

He saw Steve's face fall. 'Don't run yourself down too much. Not

everyone could have gone through with it - even with the help you

had."

'So welcome to warriorhood." Cadillac extended his palm.

Steve gave Cadillac's hand the traditional downward slap then offered

his palm in return. 'Laying on the hand of friendship' was the Mute

equivalent of the Tracker handshake - but was not lightly bestowed on

strangers.

'That bit with the hammer,' began Steve. 'The way it exploded just as

Motor-Head was about to knock my brains out. You ran things a mite too

close for comfort but it was great timing. How'd you rig that?"

Mr Snow exchanged a look with Cadillac before replying.

'We didn't rig anything. These things happen."

'You mean -' Steve laughed woodenly. Like the others, his face was too

painfully stiff to open his mouth properly.

'- that stuff about me being in Talisman's shadows was for real? Does

this guy actually exist?"

'Talisman has always existed,' said Mr Snow quietly.

'You mean he lives somewhere."

'Talisman lives everywhere."

'Wait a minute,' said Steve. 'Let me get this straight. Are we

talking about a real live person?"

'Now and then, yes."

'What does that mean?"

Mr Snow sighed patiently. 'When the time comes for him to walk the

earth, Talisman will manifest himself as a human being."

'Okay,' nodded Steve. 'Where is he now?"

The old wordsmith threw up his hands. 'What a dumb question! What

does it matter where he is? He's around!" 'Around?"

'Yes! The way the sky is around the earth. The way heaven is around

the stars!" Steve considered this abstraction, trying to make some

sense of it. 'I see. He's like the other, uhh - person you say lives

in the sky - Mo-Town."

'He is greater than Mo-Town. She is the mother of the Plainfolk.

Talisman is Ruler of All."

Steve nodded again. 'Got it. Are they, uhh - related?"

'Yes,' said Mr Snow. 'Talisman is both the son and the father of

Mo-Town."

Steve frowned. 'But that doesn't make sense."

'Not to you,' said Mr Snow. 'Not now, anyway. But before you laugh

off the whole idea just remember he saved your ass. Think about

that."

'I will,' said Steve, with as much sincerity as his wounded face would

allow. He had already earmarked the conversation as eminently

forgettable. How sad, he reflected that two such amiable ostensibly

bright guys could cherish such batty notions. On the other hand, it

made life a whole lot easier for the Federation. While the Plainfolk

were waiting for their great mother and father in the sky to come to

their aid on wings of thunder, the Trail-Blazers would proceed to take

them apart with the aid of some good old-fashioned firepower. Still,

it was odd about the way that stone hammer had exploded...

Steve mentally pigeonholed the problem and tuned back onto the two

wordsmiths. 'Does the fact that I've got this, uhh, Talisman rooting

for me mean that your friend Motor-Head will be off my back from now

on?"