He got to his feet。 'That's enough for me。 I just wanted to be sure。 Your word has always been enough； and after all the years we've
been together； I was sure that you'd tell me if… even if it was…'
'Know this； old friend。 I would。 Even if I was the scum Osma believes me to be； and even if I could hide it from him… I couldn't lie to
a direct question from you。 Not you； Chastener Fischig。'
The guard rapped on the cell door。
'One minute more！' Fischig shouted。 'Eat your supper；' he said to me。
'Did Osma put you up to this？' I asked。
'Hell； no！' he snarled； offended。
'It's all right。 I didn't think so。'
The guard hammered again。
'All right； damn your eyes！' Fischig growled。
'I'll see you tomorrow；' I said。
'Yeah；' he replied。 'Do one thing for me。'
'Name it。'
'Eat your supper。'
THE CRAMPS BEGAN just after what I guessed was midnight。 They woke me from a bad sleep。 Pain surged through my body and my
mind was numb。 I hadn't felt this bad since Pye's handiwork on Lethe Eleven； during the Darknight almost two whole years before。
I tried to rise； and fell off the bunk。 Spasms wracked me； and I cried out。 I vomited up the dregs of the dire supper。 Bouts of fever…heat
and death…chill twitched through me。
I don't know how long it took for me to crawl to the cell door； or how long I lay there beating my fists against it until it opened。 Hours；
possibly。
Consciousness ebbed and flowed with the cramping and the rising agony。
'Holy Emperor！' the guard exclaimed as he opened the door and saw me by the light of his rush…lamp。
He called out and feet came beating down the cell way。
'He's sick；' I heard the guard say。
'Leave him till morning；' said another。
'He'll be dead；' the first guard answered nervously。
'Please…' I stammered； reaching out my hand。 It was frozen in a claw…shape； paralysed and ugly。
Others were arriving。 I heard Fischig's voice。
'He needs a doctor。 Trained medicae help；' Fischig said。
'It's not allowed；' complained a guard。
'Look at him； man！ He's dying！ An attack of some sort。'
'Let me through；' said another voice。
It was the prison medic； accompanied by Interrogator Riggre； who looked as if he had been roused from his bed。
'He's faking it； leave him！' Riggre said contemptuously。
'Shut up！' Fischig snarled。 'Look at him！ That's no act！'
'He's a master of deception；' Riggre returned。 'Maybe he's been licking the lead…paint off the door to aid his act； more fool him。 This is
a sham。 Leave him。'
'He's dying；' said Fischig。
'He looks bloody sick；' said a guard uncomfortably。
More cramping spasms twisted me involuntarily。
The doctor was hunched over me。 I could hear the beeping of the medicae auspex he'd taken from his pharmacopoeia。
'This is no act；' he muttered。 'His body's in seizure。 You can't fake muscle binding like that。 Blood…oxygen is down to thirty per cent
and his heart is defibrillating。 He'll be dead in less than an hour。'
'Give him a shot。 Fix him！' Riggre yelled。
'I can't； sir。 Not here。 We haven't got the facilities。 Ahh！ Emperor； look！ He's bleeding out now； from the eyes and nose。'
'Do something！' Riggre screamed。
'We have to get him to an infirmary。 Kasr Derth is the nearest。 We have to get him there quickly or he's dead！'
'That's ridiculous； doctor！' said Riggre。 'You must be able to do something…'
'Not here。'
'Call up a flight； Riggre；' Fischig said。
'He's a primary level prisoner of the Inquisition！ We can't just take him out of here！'
'Then get Osma—'
'He's gone back to the mainland for the night。'
Fischig's voice was low。 'Are you going to be the one to tell Osma you let his prize captive die on the floor of his cell？'
'N…no…'
'I'll tell him； then。 I'll tell Osma that his man Riggre cheated him of the greatest prosecution of his career because he couldn't be
bothered to authorise transport and thus let Eisenhorn die of toxic shock in this prison stack！'
'Call up transport！' Riggre shouted at the guards。 'Now！'
THEY CARRIED ME up to the stone…cut landing pad on a stretcher。 Voices yelled and argued in the biting wind and blizzard…filled
darkness。 The medic had fixed up an intravenous drip and was trying to slow my symptoms with a few drugs from his kit。
The pad lights flickered on； cold and white； and backlit the swirling snow into black dots。
A Cadian shuttle came in low； its attitude thrusters shaking the pad and swirling the snowfall in random directions。
They carried me into the green…lit interior； and the worst of the cold and weather was stolen away as the hatch shut。 I felt the sudden
yaw of the ship as we lifted up and turned away towards the mainland。 Fischig loomed over me； adjusting the restraining straps that
held me into the shuttle's cot。 Over the roar of the engines； I could hear Riggre shouting at the pilot。
Covertly； Fischig slid an injector vial from his coat and fixed it into the intravenous rig in place of the prison doctor's injector。
I began to feel better almost at once。
'Stay still； and breathe slowly；' Fischig whispered。 'And hold on tight。 Things are about to get… bumpy。'
'Contact！ Three kilometres and coming in hard！' I heard the co…pilot blurt。
'What the hell is that？' Riggre demanded。
There was a pinging sound from the shuttle's transponder。
'Throne of Earth！ They've got a target…lock on us！' exclaimed the pilot。
'Attention； shuttle；' a voice crackled over the open vox。 'Set down on the islet west five…two by three…six。 Now； or I will shoot you out
of the air！'
My vision was settling now。 I looked across the green…lit cabin and saw Riggre pull a laspistol。
'What treachery is this？' he asked； looking at Fischig。
'I think you should do as you were asked and set down right now；' said Fischig calmly。
Riggre made to fire the pistol； but there was a searing flash of light。 Fischig burned Riggre with a blast from the digi…weapon built into
the jokaero…made ring on his right index finger。 An item of Maxilla's jewellery； I realised。
Fischig fired another shot that vaporised the vox…system。
'Down！' he ordered the pilot； pointing the ring at him。
THE SHUTTLE MADE emergency groundfall in a snowstorm on the rocky beach of the uninhabited islet。
'Hands on your heads！' Fischig ordered the crewmen as he bundled me out of the hatch and into the blizzard。
I could barely walk and he had to support me。
'You poisoned me；' I gasped。
'I had to make it convincing。 Aemos prepared a dose that would reactivate the binary poison in your body。 Pye's poison。'
'You bastards！'
'Hah！ A man who can curse is far from dead。 Come on！'
He half…carried me across the shingle into the oceanic gale； snowflakes stinging our faces。 Lights swooped down ahead of us as the
gun…cutter came in； executing a perfect； Betancore…style landing on the icy shingle。
Fischig bundled me up the landing ramp into the arms of Bequin and Inshabel。
'Dear lord； have you thought this through？' I wheezed。
'Of course we have！' Bequin snapped。 'Nathun！ Get a booster shot of antivenin！'
FOR THE SECOND time in under two years； I was dead。 From binary poison at the hands of Beldame Sadia's henchmen on Lethe； and
now； dead in a shuttle…crash； brought down in a winter…storm over the Caducades on Cadia。
The gun…cutter lofted from the beach； ran the length of it； and then came back towards the downed shuttle。
May the Emperor forgive me and my staff for the deaths of Riggre and the two flight crew。 Their deaths were the only way I could
maintain my security。
'Fire；' I heard Nayl tell Medea。
The gun…cutter's ordnance strafed the Cadian shuttle and blew it apart。 By dawn； the jetsam along the remote islet's shore would
suggest nothing but a tragic crash caused by the hellish storms。
WE BANKED UP through the cover of the storms towards orbital space。 Though no one told me； I knew our flight plan was covered by
someone else's authority code。
Neve's was my guess。 Probably with her permission。
The Essene was waiting for us。
'Now what？' I asked Fischig hoarsely。
'Dammit； I've risked everything I count dear to get you this far；' he replied。 'I was kind of hoping you'd know what to do now。'
'Cinchare；' I said。 'Tell Maxilla to get us to Cinchare。'
THERE ARE SOME secrets that are worth keeping。
'What's at Cinchare？' Bequin asked。
'An old friend；' I said。
'Not a friend； exactly；' added Aemos。
'No。 Aemos is right。 An old associate。'
'Two old associates； to be specific；' Aemos added。
'Bequin pulled a particularly angry face。 'You pair and your old intimacies。 Why don't you ever give a straight answer？'
'Because the less you kno you if we're caught；' I said。
'THE NEW LEAN you；' syruped Maxilla as I walked onto the Essene's bridge。
I had shaved away my beard； had my ragged hair clipped back； and dressed in a suit of black linen after my shower。 I was still terribly
weak on my feet and in no mind for Maxilla's foolery。
'Course is set for Cinchare；' Maxilla said stiffly； apparently recognising my mood。 His gold…masked servitors chimed in agreement。
His hooded navigator； all senses fixed on some different； quite other place； said nothing。
'I have a question；' said Inshabel。 He was seated at secondary navigation position； reviewing the star…maps。 'Why Cinchare？ A mining
world out in the edges of the Segmentum； almost a Halo Star。 I thought we'd be trying to find Quixos。'
'There's no point。'
'What？' Maxilla and Inshabel asked； almost in unison。
I sat down on a padded leather seat。 'Why make the endeavour to find Quixos when he would surely kill us at a stroke？ We've barely
survived individual encounters with two of his daemonhosts。 We haven't the strength to fight him。'
'So？' asked Inshabel。
'So the first thing we do is find the strength。 Prepare。 Arm ourselves。 Make ourselves ready to take down one of the most powerful
evils in the Imperium。'
'And for that we need to go to Cinchare？' Inshabel whispered。
'Cinchare's the start； Nathun；' I said。 'Trust me。'
SEVENTEEN
ROGUE STAR。
DOCTOR SAVINE； CORA AND MR HORN。
IN THE ANNEX。
EVEN AT FULL warp； it took the Essene thirty weeks to reach Cinchare。
True； we took a circuitous route； avoiding all possible encounters with the forces of the Imperium。 I hated that。 For once； I hated the
subterfuge。
We learned； indirectly； a few weeks into the voyage； that my escape from Cadia had been discovered。 The Inquisition … and other
agencies … were hunting me。 I had been formally declared Heretic and Extremis Diabolus。 Lord Rorken had finally counter…signed
Osma's carta。
I was now something I had never been before。
A fugitive。 A renegade。 And in aiding me； my band of comrades had made themselves fugitives too。
We had a few scrapes。 Refuelling at Mallid； we were discovered and pursued by an unidentified warship which we lost in the
empyrean。 At Avignor； a squadron of Ecclesiarchy battle…boats； standing picket watch along the border of the diocese； tried to run us
to ground。 We only escaped that one thanks to a combination of Maxilla's shipcraft and Medea's fighting nous。
On Trexia Beta； Nayl and Fischig ran across a band of arbites hunters while they were trying to hire an astropath。 They never told me
how many they had been forced to kill； but it sat badly with them for weeks。
On Anemae Gulfward； Bequin succeeded in obtaining the services of an astropath； a sickly female called Tasaera Ungish。 When
Ung