'No. No one knows I'm here. That's one of the reasons I came/
'Are you sure?'
I nodded. 'Someone raided my residence last night. Razed it. Murdered my staff/
'I don't want to hear this!'
4Ve barely got out alive. I needed sanctuary and medical help for Medea. I needed to find somewhere I knew would be safe/
'I don't want to hear any more!' she snarled. 'I don't want to be tangled up in your battles. I don't want to be involved! I have a nice life here and-'
"You do need to hear it. You need to know what's going on/
'Why? I'm not going to get involved! Why the hell didn't you go to the arbites?'
'I can't trust anyone. Not even the authorities, right now/
'Damnation, Eisenhorn! Why me? Why here?'
'Because I trust you. Because my enemies may have every known associate of mine on the planet under observation, every arbites precinct, every office of the Ministorum and the Imperial Administratum. But our relationship is secret. Even my closest friends don't know we were ever associated/
'Associated? Associated? You know how to flatter, you pig!'
'Please, Crezia. There a few things I need to do. A few things I need to arrange. A little help I need to ask of you. Then we'll be gone and you'll never have to worry about this again.'
She sat down on a chaise and rubbed her hands together anxiously.
'What do you need?'
'To begin with, your forbearance. After that… access to a private vox-link. I'll need you to summon an astropath, if that's in any way possible, and also have your man purchase clothes and other items for us.'
'The town tailors will be closed today'
'I can wait.'
There may be clothes here.'
'Very well.'
There's a vox-link in my study.'
I went то look in on Medea, who was sleeping peacefully in the scrubbed medical suite built into the basement of Crezia's town house, and then retired to the room Phabes had prepared for me. Eleena and Aemos were in adjoining rooms, resting.
1 bathed and shaved, doing both activities on automatic as my mind worked things through. I discovered my body had acquired several new bruises since the day before and a las-graze across the thigh I hadn't even noticed. My clothes were dirty, torn and smoke-damaged, and the breeches were covered in burrs and sticky grass seeds.
Phabes had laid some clothes out in my room, several changes of male attire. I recognised they were my own. I'd kept clothes here over the years, mostly soft, informal wear to change into when I visited. Crezia had stored them. I didn't know whether to be delighted or alarmed. All these years, and she hadn't thrown out the possessions I'd left in her territory. They were fresh too, as if aired or laundered regularly. I realised that Crezia Berschilde had always expected me to return one day.