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Fenoglio’s head drooped as if Capricorn had broken his neck with nothing but a few softly spoken words When he looked up again, fear showed in every wrinkle of his face

With a satisfied smile, Capricorn put his hands in his trouser pockets ‘Yes, you all love sorandchildren, brothers and sisters, parents, dogs, cats, canary birds … There are no exceptions: farmers, shopkeepers, even police You have only to look at her father!’ Capricorn pointed at Meggie so suddenly, she juo again, any o He’ll co place?’

‘Alio, and for the first time he looked at his creation with revulsion rather than admiration Capricorn see him Basta strolled over deliberately slowly He was still looking sulky ‘Take the old man to the room where we once locked Darius,’ Capricorn ordered ‘And post a guard outside the door’

‘You want me to take him into your house?’ Basta sounded surprised

‘Yes, why not? After all, he claims to be almost like a father to ed and grasped Fenoglio’s arie looked at the oldbut the less walls and a locked door But Fenoglio reached for her hand before Basta could haul hiirl with me,’ he said to Capricorn ‘You can’t shut her up in that hole again all by herself And I promised her father I’d look after her’

Capricorn turned his back, looking indifferent ‘As you like Her father will be here soon in any case’

Yes, Mo would colio led her aith him, his arm round her shoulders as if he really could protect her from Capricorn and Basta and all the others But he couldn’t Would Mo be able to protect her? Of course not He ht Please Perhaps he won’t be able to find the way again! Hein the whole orld

35

Different Aims

Faber sniffed the book ‘Do you know that books sn land? I loved to smell them when I was a boy’

Ray Bradbury,

Fahrenheit 451

It was Farid who saw the car Dustfinger was lying under the trees as it ca to think clearly, but since learning that Capricorn was back he couldn’t pull his thoughts together He still didn’t knohere to look for the book The leaves of the trees cast shadows on his face, the sun sent white-hot needles down through the branches, and his forehead felt feverish Basta and Flatnose were back too, of course What had he expected? Had he thought they’d stay away for ever? ‘Why get so agitated, Dustfinger?’ he whispered up at the leaves ‘You didn’t have to coerous’ Then he heard footsteps approaching, rapidly