In the centre of each was a blood-red disc - the mark of the Iron
Masters. The banners - which had been brought from Beth-Lem aboard one
of YamaShita's wheelboats - were to be fixed beneath the wings of the
arrowhead where they could be seen by people on the ground. To ensure
its safe reception, the craft was also required to give off a trail of
white smoke as soon as it reached Iron Master territory. Green rockets
- which Cadillac had seen fired into the sky on his last visit to the
trading post - would signal where he was to land.
So far so good. The Iron Masters appeared to have covered all the
angles. All except one - the possibility that Mr Snow might proceed to
embellish the agreed plan with a few details of his own. Cadillac was
to shed his body-paint and go disguised as a Tracker, wearing the
clothes of one of the fallen cloud warriors whose head was now staked
outside Clearwater's hut. With his clear skin, his newly acquired
knowledge and a short haircut, no one would suspect he was not a
Federation wingman. But there was more. The ribbon sewn above the
right-hand pocket of his tunic would identify him as '8902
BRICKMAN S.R."
The irony of the situation triggered a burst of shared laughter,
obliterating all thoughts of danger - and the equally daunting prospect
of losing his long black hair.
While Cadillac tried to strike a mental balance between the risks and
the benefits that might flow from accomplishing such a challenging
task, Mr Snow unveiled his final surprise. The craft Cadillac had
built would need an extra seat for his armed escort.
Clearwater.
Dressed as a She-Wolf, with her unblemished olive skin hidden under
swirling patterns of black and brown, Clearwater would pose as an
emissary from the clan M'CalI. Her real task was to provide moral
support and if the need arose - use her formidable powers as a summoner
to protect him and ensure their safe return.
Cadillac bit his lip, choosing not to speak of what he had seen in the
stones- that the bond between Clearwater and himself had been broken.
Despite the outward pretence, she was no longer his soul-mate. Her
thoughts and earth-longings were now centred on the cloud warrior; the
Death-Bringer who was fated to return and carry her away on a river of
blood.
The blood of the Plainfolk.
At the time when Cadillac had drawn this knowledge from the stones, he
