"They'll hold off the attack until they hear from me again. I'll try to keep them guessing as long as I can."
He was tired. He and Lauri had been walking the streets aimlessly for hours. At first there had been mobs after the mail delivery. Then the governor, conscious of what had happened in some Eastern cities, had declared martial law and only soldiers were supposed to be on the streets after sundown curfew. Already many people had fled the city in terror.
As he and Lauri walked side by side, Parr felt he had come to know her better than he had ever known anyone. He realized how strong his mind had grown under its month long test, and he knew that she had come to respect his strength, she who was so strong herself. But it was not her strength he respected. Strangely, it was her weakness—her compassion and her ability to forgive. An unknown thing, forgiveness, a beautiful thing.
She stood silently beside him. Then she said, "What time you gain won't matter."
"Maybe it will!" he said harshly, hating the Empire.
She stared into his face. She shook her head. "No," she said. She touched his cheek. "I ought to say something."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. That it's a brave thing you want to do...."
"After what I've done, I've got to do something to make up for my life."