John smiled. 'Delegating responsibility, as a good mistress should.'

She paused; then said: 'Was it all necessary ~ joining up with these people, making ourselves into an army?'

He shook his head. 'No, not all. The Blennitts certainly not - but you wanted them, didn't you?'

'I didn't want them. It was just horrible, leaving the children. And I didn't mean them -I meant the others.'

'With the Blennitts - just the Blennitts - the odds would have tipped further against our getting through to the valley. With these others, we're going to make it easily.'

'Led by General Custance. And with the able assistance of his chief killer, Pirrie.'

'You underestimate Pirrie if you think he's just a killer.'

'No. I don't care how wonderful he is. He is a killer, and I don't like him.'

'I'm a killer, too.' He glanced at her. 'A lot of people are, who never thought they would be.'

'I don't need reminding. Pirrie's different.'

John shrugged. 'We need him - until we get to Blind GUI.'

'Don't keep saying that!'

'It's true.'

'John.' Their eyes met. 'It's the way he's changing you that's so dreadful. Making you into a kind of gangster boss - the children are beginning to be scared of you.'

He said grimly: 'If anything has changed me, it's been something more impersonal than Pirrie - the kind of life we have to lead. I'm going to get us to safety, all of us, and nothing is going to stop me. I wonder if you realise how well we've done to get as far as this? This afternoon, with the valley like a battlefield - that's only a skirmish compared to what's happening in the south.

We've come so far, and we can see the rest of the way