"There's no reason not to be," Gabe said matter-of-factly. "All things must end, and that includes this. Something will happen, someone will find us or someone here will get out, and when they do it will leave a crack in Landel's defences." And then the rest of them could take advantage.

Oh, American music! Truthfully, once Gabe and Michael had started escorting the pilgrims West neither of them had really left America. Michael in particular--Gabriel still visited elsewhere, of course, but a great deal of his time was spent there, and the changing face of music had been one of his favourite parts. The Archangel beamed. "It was good, wasn't it? I always particularly liked Jimmie Rodgers, myself--I've always been fond of cowboys."

The last was said with a strain of impishness, as if there was an inside joke there no one else here knew.