by Mike Resnick
"What time does he want to meet me?" asked Santiago.
"Nine o'clock."
"You're not seriously considering meeting with him?" demanded Cain.
"I haven't decided yet," said Santiago.
"It's a setup," said Cain.
"Perhaps," agreed Santiago.
"Then don't go. Make him come out here."
"And kill ten or twelve of my men?" said Santiago with a smile. "I can't spare them."
"They can't spare you!" snapped Cain.
"Possibly the Angel really wants to make a deal," said Santiago. "After all, twenty-three million credits is better than twenty."
Cain shook his head vigorously. "He'll have to go into the Democracy to collect it—and they won't give a damn if he's the Angel or God Himself. They're going to want proof."
"How soon does he need an answer?" Santiago asked Virtue.
"I'm supposed to contact him tonight and let him know your decision," she replied.
"And if I decide against meeting with him?"
She shrugged. "Then I suppose he'll come out here and kill you."
"What do you get out of all this?" asked Jacinto.
"I'm a journalist. I get a story." She turned to Santiago. "Perhaps you'd like to give me an interview right now?" she suggested.
Santiago chuckled. "I admire your dedication."
"Then you'll do it?" she persisted.
He shook his head. "I'm afraid not."
"If you'll give me an interview, I'll tell the Angel you're not here."
"She's lying," said Cain.
"The hell I am!" snapped Virtue irately.
Cain turned to her. "Come on," he said. "You tell him that, and the second the interview appears, he'll come after you and hunt you down."
"He'll never find me."
"If he could find Santiago, he can find a journalist who'll be making the most of her publicity."
"I'll take my chances," replied Virtue.
"No you won't. You'll take your interview, and then you'll tell the Angel everything you saw and heard."
Santiago cleared his throat.
"I'm going to take a little walk," he announced, "and consider the Angel's proposition. I'll give you my answer when I return."
"I'll go with you," said Silent Annie.
He shook his head. "I'd rather go alone. I'll be back in a few minutes."
He walked out the door.
"Where is he going?" asked Gain.
"Down to the dell," answered Jacinto. "He always goes there when he wants to think."
"What the hell is there to think about?" said Cain, puzzled. "He can't actually be considering going through with this!"
Jacinto shrugged. "Who knows?"
Cain walked over to Virtue, grabbed her by the wrist, and yanked her to her feet.
"Come on," he said.
"Where are you taking her?" demanded Jacinto.
"Out to the veranda," said Cain. "I want to talk to her."
"You can talk to her right here."
"Alone," said Cain.
Jacinto stared at Cain for a moment, then nodded his head.
Cain led Virtue through the dining room and out onto the veranda, then commanded the door to close behind him.
"I can't believe it!" she said, her face flushed with excitement. "I've finally found him!"
"And now you're going to kill him," said Cain.
"I'm not killing anyone," she said. "I'm just a journalist." She look at him sharply. "But while we're on the subject, how come you haven't killed him?"
"The situation has changed," said Cain. "I've joined him."
"How much is he paying you?" she asked, curious.
"Nothing."
She stared at him disbelievingly. "Are you going to give me all that crap I heard from Silent Annie about what a great man he is?"
"I don't know if he's a great man," said Cain slowly. "But he's a good man—better than I'll ever be, anyway. And he's working for a good cause."
"He's a goddamned outlaw."
"He's a good man," repeated Cain. "And I'm not going to let him be killed."
"I seem to remember that we made a deal back on Pegasus," said Virtue.
"You broke it when you joined the Angel."
"Didn't you get Terwilliger's message?"
Cain nodded. "Was it sent before or after ManMountain Bates killed him?" he asked sardonically.
She glared at him. "It was the truth!"
"Then why are you running the Angel's errands?" he shot back.
"Because he got Dimitri Sokol to take the hit off me," she replied.
"And when do you stop working for him? When he kills Santiago?"
"He's just going to talk to him."
"That's a bunch of shit and you know it," said Cain. "This thing's got trap written all over it."
"What difference does it make?" demanded Virtue defiantly. "I've got a story to get, and you've sold out to the enemy. If I can't get an interview, I'll cover his death."
"The enemy isn't Santiago," said Cain. "It's the Angel."
"The Angel is a bounty hunter who's working within the Democracy's law. Santiago is a criminal who's broken it time and again."
"It's not that simple," said Cain.
"It's precisely that simple," she said triumphantly. "You've joined a gang of killers and bandits, and you're castigating me for working with the man who's trying to bring their leader to justice."
"You never gave a damn about justice in your life!" snarled Cain. "All you care about is your goddamned story and what you think it will do for you."
"Don't you go getting high and mighty with me, Cain!" she snapped back at him. "I know how many men you've killed—and not just as a bounty hunter, either. There's still a price on your head back on Sylaria." She paused to catch her breath. "We both set out to find Santiago. You were going to kill him, and I was going to get my story. It's hardly my fault that you've forgotten what you're supposed to be doing here!"
"I'll give you a story to take home with you," he said savagely. "You can cover the death of the Angel."
She glared at him, and then her expression changed as all the rage seemed to drain from her.
"You can't kill him," she said, shaking her head slowly. "Don't throw your life away trying."
"I won't let him kill Santiago," said Cain doggedly.
"Nobody can stop him. Believe me, Cain—I've seen him in action. I know what he can do." She suppressed a shudder. "He's inhuman!"
Cain stared at her. "If you're that afraid of him, why are you working for him?"
"Because he can get what I need," she said with a tight smile. "And because I'm that afraid of him." She stared directly into Cain's eyes. "Have you got anything else to say, or can I have another drink?"
He stared back at her, seemed about to speak, thought better of it, and led her back inside. Jacinto and Silent Annie were still in the living room, waiting for them.
"Is he on his way back yet?" asked Jacinto.
"I didn't see him," said Cain. "What's he doing out there, anyway—communing with the dead?"
"That's in very bad taste, Mr. Cain," said Jacinto. "The men in those graves were fine men."
"Then maybe they'll talk a little sense to him," said Cain. "He's got to know this is a trap."
"He knows."
"Then what's the problem?"
Jacinto sighed wearily. "Billions of people in the Democracy may fear his name, but there are tens of thousands out here who practically worship it, who know that he's the only thing that stands between them and their oppressors. He's all they've got, he and the myth that has grown up around him—and he doesn't want them to think that he's betrayed their faith in him by becoming a coward."
"There's nothing cowardly about running away from a fight you can't win," said Cain.
"When you're Santiago, there is."
"No one will ever know."
Jacinto nodded toward Virtue. "We'd have to kill her to keep the story from spread
ing, and he won't do it."
"Then you and I will have to stop him," said Cain decisively.
"How?"
"By force, if necessary."
"You'll do whatever Santiago tells you to do," interrupted Silent Annie. "He's your leader."
"We're trying to keep him our leader," answered Cain.
She stared harshly at him. "When you make a commitment to follow a man, you make a total commitment. You don't just obey those orders you approve of, and disregard the rest." She paused for emphasis. "Whatever he decides, we'll support it."
"We'll see," said Cain noncommittally.
There was an uneasy silence which Virtue finally broke.
"Does anyone mind if I pour myself a drink?"
Jacinto gestured toward the bar. "Fix it yourself."
She walked over and began inspecting the rows of bottles. "This is a pretty well-stocked little bar," she said, impressed. She noticed one bottle in particular and picked it up. "Korbellian whiskey!" she exclaimed. "I haven't had any of this in, oh, it must be five years!" She poured herself a glass and took a quick swallow. "He's got good taste, I'll give him that."
"I consider that a great compliment," said a voice from the dining room doorway, and they all turned to see Santiago standing there.
"Well?" said Cain, looking at him.
Santiago walked across the room to where Virtue was standing, glass in hand.
"Tell the Angel I'll be there." he said.
"You're crazy!" exploded Cain.
"Nevertheless, that's my decision." He turned back to Virtue. "If you'll wait in the vehicle that brought you, I'll have one of my men take you back to town. I'm sorry, but I'll have to tell him to blindfold you again."
"And my camera?"
"It will be returned to you after we've destroyed whatever it recorded here."
Virtue finished her whiskey and walked to the door. "Cain's right, you know."
"Thank you for your opinion," said Santiago, dismissing her.
She shrugged and left the house. Santiago nodded to Silent Annie, who went off to find a driver.
"You can't do it!" said Cain.
Santiago smiled. "Are you giving me orders, Sebastian?"
"She as much as said that the whole thing is a setup," continued Cain. "If you really feel you've got to give the Angel a crack at you, stay here at the house, and at least make him work for it."
"To what purpose?" asked Santiago. "If he truly intends to kill me, why let him kill all of you as well? He's good enough to do just that, you know."
"He won't kill me," promised Cain.
"Even you, Sebastian," said Santiago. "I've followed his career as closely as I have your own. I don't mean to hurt your pride, but you haven't got a chance against him."
"If that's true, then you've got even less of a chance," said Cain as Silent Annie rejoined them.
"If he wants to kill me," said Santiago. "There's a chance that he only wants to talk."
"There's two chances—slim and none."
"Then," said Santiago calmly, "perhaps he'll discover that it's harder to kill me than he thinks."
"You're just flesh and blood like anyone else," said Cain.
"No, Sebastian," said Santiago. "I may be flesh and blood, but I am also myth and mystery and legend."
"It won't do you any good."
"It has before."
"You've never faced anyone like the Angel before," said Cain.
"If it ends, it ends," said Santiago. "I've led a satisfying life. I've seen hundreds of worlds, I've had the pleasure of owning this farm—and, in some small way, I've made a difference." He shrugged and forced a smile to his lips. "And before you go writing my epitaph, I wish at least one of you would consider the possibility that I might not die."
"I beg you not to do this," said Jacinto earnestly.
"I appreciate your concern," replied Santiago, "but my decision has been made."
"Then let me go in your place," said Cain suddenly. "The Angel has never seen either of us. At least I'll have a chance against him."
"I thought we decided that you didn't want to become Sydney Carton," noted Santiago.
"I've changed my mind."
"Well, I haven't changed mine," said Santiago. "I appreciate your offer, Sebastian, but I have more important things in mind for you."
"What could be more important than saving your life?" demanded Cain.
"There's still work to be done, whether I'm here or not," said Santiago gently. "And now, if no one minds, I think I'd like to have dinner."
Cain and Jacinto spent the entire meal trying to argue Santiago out of his position, but he remained adamant. When he had finished eating he went out to the dell by himself and returned at about midnight, seemingly content. He invited Silent Annie to spend the night in one of the guest rooms, bade the three of them good night, and went off to bed.
Cain retired to his room, pulled two pistols out of his luggage, and spent the next hour oiling and cleaning them. He set his alarm for twenty minutes before sunrise and was totally dressed and checking his ammunition when he heard a knock at the door.
"Open," he commanded in a low voice, and Santiago and Silent Annie entered the room.
"I was afraid of this," said Santiago, staring at the pistols that Cain had laid out on the dresser. "Sebastian, what are you doing?"
"I'm going into town," replied Cain, making no attempt to hide his weapons.
"I've told you not to."
"I know what you told me," said Cain. "I'm going anyway."
"Annie?" said Santiago, stepping aside, and suddenly Cain was looking down the barrel of a sonic pistol.
"What the hell is this?" demanded Cain.
"I appreciate what you want to do, Sebastian," said Santiago, "but I can't allow it." He turned to Silent Annie. "I'm leaving in ten minutes. You'll keep him here?"
She nodded.
"Good-bye, Sebastian," said Santiago.
He walked down the hall, and the door slid shut.
"You know he's going off to get killed, don't you?" said Cain bitterly.
She stared unblinking at him. "Santiago can't be killed."
"Santiago could do with a few more realists in his organization, and a few less fanatics." He got to his feet. "If you let me pass, I can still stop him."
"Stay where you are," she warned him.
"You're letting him drive off to his death!" snapped Cain. "Why?"
"Because it's his decision, and I plan to abide by it."
"Why the hell is he doing it?" said Cain, still mystified.
"To save the lives of everyone here," she replied. "If the Angel wants to kill him, he'll kill him wherever he is."
"We could have tightened our security."
"In one night?" said Silent Annie, shaking her head and smiling sadly.
"We could have laid a trap for him." He glanced desperately at the door. "We still can."
"The die has been cast."
"That's a feeble thing to say," replied Cain. "He's going off to face the Angel, and all I get from you is platitudes!"
She stared at him. "He rescued me from a life of despair, and gave meaning to it. I love him more than you ever could. If I can let him do what he has to do, then so can you."
Cain heard the sound of Santiago's vehicle starting off down the farm's long, twisting driveway.
"He's gone," he said, his emotions draining away. "And you've helped to kill him."
"I told you: Santiago cannot die."
"Be sure you write that on his tombstone!"
"Why are you so enraged?" she asked, honestly curious. "You've only known him for two days."
"I've been searching for him all my life," said Cain bitterly. "And now, thanks to you, I've lost him."
She smiled. "He would approve of that answer."
"He's not going to be around to approve of anything much longer."
They sat there in silence for the next five minutes, Cain glaring at her with a growing sense of fut
ility and frustration, Silent Annie watching his every movement with a fanatical intensity.
Suddenly there were footsteps in the hall, and then they heard Jacinto's voice.
"Are you in there, Annie?"
Silent Annie turned her head toward the door for just an instant—and in that instant Cain dove across the room and sent the pistol flying against a wall. She leaped toward it, but he was faster, grabbing her and hurling her roughly onto the bed.
"What's going on in there?" demanded Jacinto, pounding on the door.
Cain picked up the sonic pistol, disconnected the charge, and tossed it onto the dresser. Then he picked up his own guns and loaded his pockets with ammunition, never taking his eyes off her. Finally he walked to the door and commanded it to open, only to find himself confronted by Jacinto, whose face was streaked by tears.
"I'm going into town," Cain announced.
"I know," said Jacinto. He took a step forward, and Cain saw that he held a wicked-looking knife in his hands.
"Don't try to stop me," Cain growled ominously.
"That was never my intention."
"Then let me pass."
"There is one thing that I must do first," said Jacinto, still approaching him.
27.
There are those who will say he's a sinner,
There are those who will say he's a saint;
There are those who will swear he's as strong as a bear,
But whatever they tell you—he ain't!
* * * *
Black Orpheus wasn't so much prophetic as he was just plain lucky. He wrote that verse for pretty much the same reason that he wrote Silent Annie's—because he had a feeling that there was a lot more to his subject than met the eye.
He never knew just how right he was.
Virtue MacKenzie was already seated in the tavern when Father William and the Swagman showed up. The preacher greeted her coldly, then sat down at his usual table and asked Moonripple to prepare some breakfast for him, while the Swagman walked over and joined her.
"Good morning, my love," he said. "I knew we were destined to meet again."
"It's a little early in the day for you, isn't it?" she responded, setting her 360-degree holographic camera on the table and checking her microphone.