Joeyn withdrew a chisel from a loop of his belt, placed it carefully in the vein and gave a gentle tap, then another. Tiaan watched him work, nibbling her celery. She felt more at home here than anywhere, but only because of him. 'How do you tell which are the right crystals?'

'Don't know! When I touch one I get a warm, flowering feeling above my eyes, like a waterlily opening in a pond.'

She wondered where he got that image from. It was too cold here for waterlilies, or even down the mountain at Tiksi. 'Were you always like that?'

'Nope! Happened about ten years ago. I'd just turned sixty-six. Got sick one night after dinner; nearly died. Turned out it was the pork. Been eating it all my life, but since then, even if I just touch a bit of bacon rind, throat swells up and I can hardly breathe. Next time I was down here, mining the silver, I touched a crystal and a flower opened inside my head. Happened every time I touched that crystal, so I took it home and kept it beside my bed.'

'Why?'

'I liked the feeling it gave me; sort of warm and comforting. Both my boys were killed in the war, and my wife died of grief…'

'I'm sorry. I didn't know.'

'Why would you? She's been dead thirty-one years, and the boys more than that. Such a long time ago. Life was so lonely.'

'Why didn't you take another wife? I would have thought… Well, I'm in trouble because I haven't mated…'

'Never met a woman I liked enough.'

Tiaan considered the old man thoughtfully. They had been friends from the day they'd met. 'I don't suppose you'd consider -'

'Don't be silly, Tiaan,' he said gruffly. 'Anyway, as I was saying, my crystal came along and I wasn't so lonely after all. Felt I was a bit special. One day I happened to mention it to old Crafter Barkus. He was a widower too; we used to share a jar or two some evenings. He came and looked at it. Next I knew, I wasn't a silver miner any more – I was paid twice as much to sense out crystal and send the good ones to him. Been doing it ever since.'