He saw the weakness and strengthened it. With her helping, he found the range less high, and he could almost relax under it. And their minds were very close together, and their thoughts were completely alone. "We're safe here," she whispered.
He listened to his own far away breathing, and heard hers, too, softer but labored.
They crouched, waiting, and the street before them was quiet in the sunlight, for the mail trucks were out, and no taxis moved. The city—for the moment—was deathly still and waiting uneasily. The high air was sharp in his lungs.
"They've missed us," she said at length. "Wait! They're.... They're after ... it's another Knoug. They think we've separated, and they think it's you."
"That would be Kal," Parr said. "He must have been waiting nearby." He brought out the comset. "He must have seen us come out together."
He flicked open the comset, heard, "... joined with the Oholos. Parr and the other just left the hotel together."
"He's told the Advanceship," Parr said to the girl.
"It doesn't make any difference," Lauri replied wearily.
And Parr breathed a nervous sigh, for the hate had found its channel. The Empire had made him unclean and debased him, and he had to cleanse himself. His vast reserve of hate shrieked out against the Empire; their own weapon turned against them.
"I'd like to get back to the Advanceship," Parr said. "If I could get back, I could smash in their faces!"