“But you’d better be on your ship five minutes after we kill the Angel, or you’re a dead man.” He paused. “Santiago wasn’t born on Safe Harbor; he doesn’t have to live out his life here, either. If I were you, I’d keep that in mind before I did anything rash.”

“Well,” said the Swagman, getting to his feet, “I hate to drink and run, but I think I’d better arrange for my accommodations.” He turned to Cain. “Once you’ve calmed down, I trust that you’ll reconsider my offer.”

“I wasn’t excited the first time I heard it,” said Cain.

“Think about it.” urged the Swagman, walking to the doorway. “Fifty percent.”

“Go away.” said Cain, turning his back on him.

The Swagman shrugged and walked out the door.

“Well, Sebastian,” said Father William, leaning back on his chair. “I must say that I’m proud of you.”

“Oh?”

“You looked into the face of the enemy and didn’t blink.”

“He’s not the enemy.” said Cain. “He’s what you’re fighting to protect.”

“A sobering thought,” admitted Father William with a grim smile.

“How much worse can the Democracy be?” mused Cain.

“It’s not how much worse.” replied the preacher. “It’s how much more powerful—and hence, how much more capacity for harm?”

Cain nodded. “I know.”

“Things aren’t as clear-cut as they were when you were a young man, are they?” chuckled Father William.

“No, they’re not.”

“It’s easy to decide to remake a world.” said the preacher. “It’s more difficult to choose between evils.”

Cain sighed. “It is that,” he agreed. He paused. “How did you meet him?”

“Santiago?”

“Yes.”

“He recruited me, just like he recruited you.”

“You knew that was why I was here, didn’t you?” asked Cain.

Father William nodded. “I knew almost a year ago that he had decided he wanted you.” He chuckled again. “I’ll confess I had my doubts when I learned that you were hooked up with the Swagman and that young woman.”

“Virtue?”

“That’s the one.”

“She’s an interesting lady,” said Cain. “Sometimes I have the feeling that she’s going to come out of this better off than anybody.”

“She knows how to get what she wants, I’ll grant her that,” said the preacher.

“And now she’s got the Angel,” said Cain.

“I have a feeling that she’s going to learn that he’s a little more than she wants,” said Father William, not without a note of satisfaction.

“Tell me something,” said Cain.

“If I can.”

“Who’s buried in those two graves?”

“Two men who gave their lives to Santiago’s cause.”

“The Swagman said they were bounty hunters.”

“Once upon a time they may have been. I really couldn’t say.”