Hanse swallowed, blinked. Sitting stiffly on a divan in the luxurious apartment,he put it all through his mind again and chased its tail. He came to his ownconclusion.

I have been a fool. I did all this for my pride, to be such a clever fellow. Iam a clever thief, but a stupid fellow! Being here thus when he comes in couldgain me another signature on another document from him - this time my deathorder! Oh damn plague and pox, what have I done!?

Nothing, he thought as he rose with a great sigh, that could not be undone... hehoped. All he had to do was betake himself from here so that neither Kadakithisnor anyone else would ever know he had broken in. He glanced around andswallowed hard. It certainly was hard and against the grain not to stealsomething!

And so Shadowspawn went to the window, and wearily began the process of breakingout of the Governor's Palace and its grounds.

2

'It develops that I need help,' Prince-Governor Kadakithis said, 'and I cannotsee a way to threaten it out of anyone.'

'Including me?'

'Including you, Hanse. Furthermore, if you won't help, I can't see how I canpunish you either.'

'I'm glad to hear it. But I didn't know there were things a governor couldn'tdo, much less a prince.'

'Well, Shadowspawn, now you know. Even Kitty-Kat isn't all powerful.'

'You need help and the Hell Hounds can't provide it?'

'That is close, Hanse. The Imperial Elite Guardsmen cannot help me with this. Orso I perceive it.'

'I sure do wish you would sit down. Highness, so I can.'

Kadakithis walked across the rich carpet of his privatemost chamber and sat onthe edge of the peacock spread of his bed. He gestured. 'Do take that divan,Hanse, or those cushions as it pleases you.'

Hanse nodded his thanks. He sank among the cushions, curbing a grin at theirluxury. Last night he had sat on the divan, and only he knew it. This day hechose the luxury of the jumble of stuffed Aurveshan silk. (Quag the Hell Houndhad been on duty at the gate. He had recognized the hooded blind beggar, whowinked at him. Having been secretly apprised that Hanse was invited. Quagconducted the blind beggar to His Highness. The hooded robe lay on the bedbeside the prince now, who had congratulated Hanse on the cleverness of hisentry. Hanse forbore to tell him how much more clever he had been last night.)

Now he decided that he could afford a modicum of daring: 'Either I'm hearingsideways or you just told me you need me for something the Hell Hounds, I meanImperial Elites, can't do. Or that your Highness can't trust them with? Or thatyou don't want them to know about.' Revelation: 'Or ... something illegal?'

'I will not affirm or deny anything that you have said.' That said, the princemerely gazed at him. The boy did a good job of looking enigmatic, Hanse mused,overlooking the fact that they were about the same age.

'If the prince will forgive me saying it... his Chief of Security is surely notone to baulk at such a ... mission.'

The prince continued to stare. One pale eyebrow rose slightly under thatdisgustingly handsome shock of yellow hair. And then Hanse was staring.

Tempus! It's about Tempus, isn't afl I haven't sees him for weeks.'

'Kadakithis turned his gaze on an ornate Yenizedish tapestry. 'Hanse: neitherhave I.'

'He is not on a mission for your Highness?'

'Just use the pronoun for me, Hanse, and we can save whole days of our lives.No. He is not. He is missing. Who might wish him to be missing?'

Hanse was wary of being used as informant, but saw no reason not to answer thatone. 'Oh, half the people in town. Maybe more. About the same number that wouldwish the governor to be missing. Your pardon of course. Governor. Or theEmperor. Or Ranke.'

'Hmm. Well, Empire is built on conquest, not love, however often they are thesame. But I have striven to be decent here. Fair.'

Hanse considered. 'It is possible that you have been fairer than we might haveexpected.'

'Nicely put. Carefully chosen words. You may well become a diplomat yet,Shadowspawn. And the Hell Hounds'! What of them?'

Hanse smiled briefly at the slim noble's calling his elite guards by thepeople's name for them; indeed, even the Hell Hounds called themselves HellHounds these days. It was a dramatic name with a romantic and rather sinistersound that appealed to their sort.

'Shall I answer that, to one from Ranke, with all the power there is? What powerhave I?' .

'You have influence with the Prince-Governor, Hanse, and with his Chief ofSecurity. You uncovered the plot against me and helped break it up. You regainedthat awful fear-rod, and it cost you. Recently you helped Tempus in a matter,too. Now we are even in one area at least, aren't we?'

'Even? I? Me? Hanse of Sanctuary and the Emperor's brother?'

'Stepbrother,' the prince corrected, and fixed Hanse with a wide-eyed gaze, allblue. It reminded Hanse of his own ingenuous pose. 'Yes. Now we have bothkilled. I, Bourne. You... the night Tempus lost his horse.'

'The Prince-Governor is not without knowledge,' Hanse observed.

'Another careful, diplomat's phrasing! Now: Tempus set himself to destroying theminions of that Jubal fellow. Do you know why?'

'Maybe Tempus is a racist,' Hanse said, trying to look wide-eyed and ingenuous.

It didn't appear to be working. Damn. This golden-locked boy was smarter thanMoonflower, despite her extra-human ability. Hanse sighed. 'You know. Jubal is aslaver and those weird-masked employees of his are feared. He has respect, andpower. Tempus works for you, for Ranke's power.'

'Let's don't go making wagers on that. Would you say his killing of those in theblue birdmasks might be called murder, Hanse?'

'It might if it was one of us,' Hanse said, to the gleaming top of a low table.'Surely not for him that calls us Wrigglies, though.'

The prince failed to disguise his little start. 'Strong words, Hanse ofSanctuary. And to one who does not call the Children of Ils "Wrigglies"!'

'Yes, and I really wish I hadn't said it. As a matter of fact I wish I wasn'there at all. How can I share confidences here? How can I say my mind to you,when you aren't a you, but both prince and governor?'

'Hanse: we have been through some things together.' In a manner of speaking,Hanse thought. You weren 't poked with

that damned terror-stick, and you didn't spend half the night down a well andthe other on a torturer's table!

'I might even consider myself in your debt,' Kadakithis went on.

'I am getting awfully uncomfortable, my lord ofRanke,' Hanse said elaborately.'Will my lord Prince tell me why I am here?'

'Damn!' Kadakithis regarded the carpet and heaved a great sigh. 'I've an idea itwould be a waste of time to offer you wine, my friend. So I -'

'Friend!'

'Why yes, Hanse,' Kadakithis said, all large of eye and open-looking. 'I callyou friend. We are even of an age.'

Hanse erupted to his feet in a jerk that was still admirably sinuous. He paced.'Oh,' he said, and paced. 'Oh gods. Prince -don't call me friend! Don't letanyone else hear that!'

The prince looked very much as if he wanted to touch him, and was sure thatHanse would shrink away. 'How lonely we both are, Hanse. You won't have anyfriends, and I can't! I dare trust no one, and you who could trust - you rejecteven an extended hand.'

Hanse was almost stricken. Friends? He thought of Cudget, dead Cudget.OfMoonflower. OfTempus. Was Tempus a friend? Who could trust Tempus? Who couldtrust anyone wearing the title 'governor'?