Hadrian wakes from fugue in unbearable heat, stench, and blinding light, coughing fluid from his lungs while an old woman and a young assistant tend him. The old woman tells Hadrian that boys found him abandoned in an alley near the starport, suffering from fugue blindness, and brought him to her poor clinic.

Hadrian asks if he has reached Teukros, but the old woman says he is on Emesh in the Veil. As Hadrian’s sight returns, Hadrian realizes he is naked, weak, and missing his possessions. The old woman explains that Free Trade ships often dump passengers, though Hadrian struggles to believe Demetri would abandon him before collecting payment.

Hadrian discovers that his ring is gone, along with his money, documents, and Tor Gibson’s letter of introduction to the scholiasts at Nov Senber. The loss destroys Hadrian’s immediate hope of entering the athenaeum, and the unfamiliar local dating system leaves Hadrian unsure how long he has been in fugue.

The old woman assumes Hadrian must have a noble account because of his appearance, but that frightens Hadrian. Hadrian realizes that using an account or submitting to any blood scan would reveal his genomic identity, alert his family on Delos, and likely lead to extradition. To protect himself and perhaps his mother from Lord Alistair’s retaliation, Hadrian decides that he must disappear.

During the night, Hadrian hears the old woman and Maris discussing whether he is a lord and how payment might be obtained. Knowing he cannot safely pay them, Hadrian rises despite his weakness, wraps himself in a sheet, steals ill-fitting clothes from a back room, and leaves the clinic. Maris catches him as he exits, and Hadrian runs into the humid city streets, overwhelmed by guilt, fear, and isolation until he realizes he is crying.