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better to remain in the cab, let the slipstream blow in through the window,
and fiddle with the air-conditioning controls.
So neither Ra  Na was aware of the humans who had boarded the train about ten
miles outside of Hilmer, Washington, roped themselves to a pair of hopper
cars, and were along for the ride. Ivory, along with Marta, rode the rear of
one, while Parker, along with Boner, occupied the front of the next unit back.
All four were exhausted. Ivory, who had the watch, sat with his back to hard
steel. The defeat had been hard to take, especially against the backdrop of
his fantasies, nearly all of which centered around a victorious return to
Racehome.
But now, rather than the recognition he craved, he was going back to Hell
Hill. The fact that he wanted to succeed so badly that he would voluntarily
return there was something of a surprise. But that s how it was, and nothing
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less would do. When had he changed? At what point had he crossed the line from
cynical member to fanatical leader? He supposed it made no difference. The
problem was that time continued to pass and opportunity with it.
The plan to kill Alexander Franklin was correct. Ivory felt certain of that.
The problem was how.
The train pushed its way into a curve. Ivory allowed the rope to take his
weight and let his eyes drift with the clouds. What was the old saying?  Where
there s a will, there s a way ? Well, hehad the will, so where was the way?
ABOARD THE SAURON DREADNOUGHTHOK NOR AH
Fra Pol stopped his headlong flight, listened for the rasp of harakna claws
against steel, and heard nothing beyond his own labored breathing. Had he lost
the ravenous creatures? Or never heard them in the first the place? Anything
was possible within the steel capillaries that crisscrossed below the surface
of the ship s skin.
He had made progress, though goodprogress, given where he had started. He was
close to the flight deck. In fact, judging from the coordinates engraved on
the metal plate opposite his nose, only one layer of metal separated him from
the cavernous space he so wanted to reach.
But it might as well have been twenty layers, given all the good it would do
him. Given the fact that Pol was no longer allowed to access public
thoroughfares, access to the flight deck and the shuttles there was completely
out of the question.
A wave of self-pity swept over him. The future seemed clear. He would run for
as long as he could. Then, weakened by hunger, and cornered by the harakna, he
would die a lonely death. Later, while performing a routine maintenance check,
a work party would find a scattering of bones.His bones, which they would
sweep up, dump into a trash bag, and carry to the garbage disposal center.
The disposal center! Would the ship s security system allow him to access
that? Maybe, just maybe it would. After all, why protect garbage? It wouldn t
make sense, not to the cost-conscious merchant for whom the vessel had been
built, which meant the facility might be open to everyone. Including him!
Filled with a sudden sense of hope, Pol returned to the last intersection and
took the passageway to the left. A long line of blue lights curved with the
contour of the ship s hull.
All he could hear was the rumble of the ship s life support system, the
steady thump, thump, thump made by his feet, and the rasp of his own
breathing. Then there was a shout, a powerful light threw his shadow forward,
and a dart buzzed past his head.
Kan! Pol glanced over his shoulder, confirmed his hypothesis, and ran even
faster. Though dangerous, the Kan were slow, especially in tunnels, where it
was impossible to jump. The key was to take advantage of the hull s curvature,
push his way beyond the area the Kan could actually see, and find a place to
hide. To do otherwise was to lead them to the very place he wanted to go.
Pol spotted an intersection ahead, looked back to ensure that the Kan
wouldn t be able to see him, and fumbled for the amulet he wore around his
neck. His mother had given it to him, but he knew she would forgive him. He
pulled the object over his head.
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Skidding to a halt at the center of the intersection, the initiate threw the
amulet down the passageway to the left, whirled, and continued along the path
he had followed before.
He passed a set of small oval-shaped holes cut into an overarching girder and
stopped. Then, using the foot- and handholds to climb as far as he could, the
Ra  Na swung onto the top of a duct, and lay flat.
Pol couldn t see from his hiding place, not without revealing himself, but he
could hear. There was a shuffling sound as the Kan arrived, followed by muted
conversation, and audible commands:  Check the side tunnel! Look for signs of
passage.
Pol listened to the warriors shuffle away and prayed the ruse would work. It
took fewer than twenty heartbeats for the Kan to locate the amulet, shout his
victory, and summon his companions.
He waited, heard no more, and looked to make sure. The intersection was
clear. He swung his feet over, felt for a foothold, and lowered himself to the
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