Part 20 (1/2)

'Yes. How did you know? And why are you whispering?”

She raised her voice slightly. 'I felt your presence near by soon after I came ash.o.r.e.”

'You - you were on one of the boats?” stammered Steve. 'You actually came to the trading post?!” 'Did Mr Snow not tell you? Did he not show you the box?”

'What box?”

'The box with the hidden pictures that were to guide you to the place where Cadillac and I are held. I gave it to him the night before we sailed back to Ne-Issan.”

Steve began to understand. 'When he came out to Yama-s.h.i.+ta's vessel .

'Yes - with Rolling-Stone and Mack-Truck.”

Steve responded with a dry, sighing laugh. 'So that's what he was up to. Trust me to do things the hard way.

When I saw him go by I was already on board one of the other wheelboats. I found a place to hide and stayed out of sight until we docked at Pi-saba.” Steve didn't volunteer any further details. 'Did the Old One know he was coming to see you?”

'No. He seemed taken aback. Perhaps because I was unskinned.”

'llnskinned' was the term Mr Snow had used to describe the true appearance of Clearwater and Cadillac in the brief period between was.h.i.+ng off their camouflage and applying a fresh coat of paint.

'Yeah, I wanted to ask you about -' Clearwater cut in quickly.

'Yama-s.h.i.+ta was present.

We were not free to say what we wished, but his hidden words told me you had returned and would try to rescue us. He did not say how or when.”

'I was going to travel with the M'Call journeymen but Mr Snow wouldn't let me take any weapons on board. So I made my own travel arrangements. There was no way I was going to leave my quarterstaff behind - not after what you'd done to it.”

'Did it help?”

'Are you kidding? If it wasn't for your magic act, I wouldn't be here.

You've saved my life several times over.”

'Not I, golden one. The power was given to me by Talisman.”

'Maybe. You I know, him I don't.” Steve's voice lightened.

'If he's so keen on helping me he could at least have arranged for us to be on the same boat. We could have spent some time together. Would have made the trip a lot more enjoyable.”

'It would have been utter madness. What you did was dangerous enough.”

She sounded concerned- and a touch severe.

Steve kept it casual. 'No worse than the jam I'm in now.

But - on the other hand - here you are. Fate, I guess.”