Too bad, he thought. 'Who is looking for me, Weezel?'

Weezel coughed. Janus supposed he wanted money. It was his trade, after all, selling knowledge and people and things, a dodgy deal here, a friend handed over to the Arbites there. Janus wondered if it was worth handing over any ducats to find out who was supposed to be looking for him. It might be important. On the other hand it might just be a figment of Weezel's imagination. He was not above telling a few lies to support his habit. When the need for weirdroot was on a man, he did whatever was necessary.

'I said who, Weezel?'

'You're a friend of mine, captain, but one good turn deserves another. A man's got to eat—'

'I am no friend of yours, Weez. I know what happened to the last few who thought they were. I've no urge to end up in a slaver's hold, a skawy's belly or an Inquisition cell.'

'I wouldn't do that to you, captain.'

'That's because you would be very dead very quickly if you tried.'

'It's not just that, captain - I like you.'

'If you like me so much why don't you tell me who is looking for me, and how you came by this knowledge? Or have you been smoking 'root again? Too much makes a man see things, so they say.'

Janus took a sip of what was left in his goblet. Money was in short supply and golconda was too expensive to be wasted now. The drug tingled on his tongue and immediately he began to feel a bit better. Golconda in wine stilled the voices for a little while, and kept him from seeing the other things. Weezel watched him sip the stuff and licked his lips.

'I wouldn't lie to you, captain, and I ain't been at the root for weeks… well, days anyway,' he corrected himself, seeing Janus's cynical smile. 'There's strangers looking for you. I saw them myself down in Blind Bob's. They were asking for a captain, and they described you pretty exact: tall man, white streak down the middle of his hair, long red trench coat. How many men answering that description they gonna find in Medusa Freeport, I ask you?'

Janus considered this for a moment. He did not like the sound of it at all. Too many people wanted him found at the moment, a fair few even wanted him dead, for him to feel comfortable with Weezel's information.

He raised a finger and signalled to the bargirl, then jerked a thumb at Weezel, letting her know she should bring him a drink. Janus watched the wiggle of the girl's hips as she strode away - the long diaphanous skirt did nothing to conceal them - then gave his attention back to Weezel.

'By the Emperor, she's a pretty one, right enough,' said the informer, licking his lips again with more emphasis.

'They all are,' said Janus. 'That's why Justina hires them. That's why sailors come to the Palace of Pleasure. But it's not why you're sitting here. You're sitting here to tell me about these strangers you claim to have seen, the ones who are looking for me.'

Weezel nodded and looked contrite. 'Big men they were and not sailors, I could tell. I've seen their type before. Moved wrong, not with the bounce of men who hit grav-wells irregular like.