When he awoke, Eusev found that Medeana was lying in bed with him, still asleep. She was still wearing the yellow dress from yesterday, badly wrinkled now, and ridden up around her waist, enough that he could see that she wore nothing underneath. The bed was large enough that their bodies were not touching, except for her hair, warm and alive, which was draped lightly over both of them like a blanket. At that moment, he wanted her so badly that, had he but the strength to do so, he would have rolled over on top of her and taken her then and there. As it was, he could only groan in frustration, not sure whether to curse his lameness or give thanks for it.

His groan must have awoken her, for her eyes opened and she gracefully sat up in bed, so gracefully that Eusev wondered if she had only been shamming sleep. She smoothed down her dress with a blush, saying "Please forgive my immodesty. I hope you slept well. How are you feeling?"

"I slept, and I trust it is perfectly obvious to you how I am feeling. You ask forgiveness for your immodesty, which even you must confess is odd coming from a worshiper of Slaanesh, especially considering the circumstances of our first meeting."

"Eusev, do you think that worshipers of Slaanesh spend all our lives in orgiastic rites? That because we seek to experience the ecstasy that comes with shrugging off the constraints of modesty, we place no value on modesty itself? Do you really believe that modesty is without its own pleasures, as great in their way as the pleasures of immodesty?"

"You seem to take a great pleasure in informing me just how little I know about Chaos and its worshipers."

"I would think you would be grateful for the opportunity to learn so much about that which you've sworn to oppose. Although perhaps that's the problem: learn too much and you might realize that Chaos is not your enemy at all."

"Medeana, enough," he sighed. "I would have an end of this. Our bargain was that I would listen to you until I was fully healed. You told me that you could use sorcery to heal me instantly. Do so then." He took no small pleasure in the expression on her face just then.

"If that is truly what you desire, then I shall do so. May I ask if you still intend to kill me once I have done so?"

"What do you think?"

"Why?" and for the first time, her composure broke. "You said yesterday that you believed me, that you thought my story was true! So why kill me?"

"I do believe your story, but I don't think it matters. Guilliman, Russ, and Sanguinius may have been the real traitors, but so what? They're all dead, or missing and presumed dead, or in a death-like stasis. They are beyond punishment, at least in this life. And perhaps the Chaos marines were the true loyalists, ages ago. That doesn't change the fact that the Imperium, for all it may be founded on a lie, for all it may be oppressive and tyrannical, is still all that stands between humanity and annihilation, and that they, the Chaos marines, have become the enemies of the Imperium now, in the present."

"But they aren't! They want to liberate the Imperium, not destroy it! Yes, not all of them are good. I know that many followers of the True Way do evil things. I've already admitted as much. The Night Lords are little better than common thugs. But they are not all like that! The Word Bearers fight only to defend themselves and their fellow worshipers. Their Primarch, Lorgar is a holy man, who preaches and practices peace! Magnus the Red is a scholar and teacher, who shares his knowledge with all who would learn! If only you would meet them and talk to them yourself, you would—"

"Wait, you have met Lorgar and Magnus yourself? In the Eye of Terror?"

"Yes, of course I have. As could you, if you wanted. There is no massive bureaucracy forcing sincere worshippers to spend their whole lifetimes in a pilgrimage. Why won't you come with me, we could—"

"Medeana, you are stalling."

"You are right. Forgive me." With that, she closed her eyes and laid her hands upon his chest.

For a moment, nothing happened, then Eusev felt a shock through his whole body, bitter cold and burning heat all at once, and for a moment he wondered if she had not unleashed her warpcraft against him to kill, not heal, but even before the thought had led to the fear of betrayal, it was over. He felt better than he recalled feeling in years. Not only the pain and weakness of his recent injury were gone, but aches he had lived with so long he had forgotten them had vanished too. He felt life and power coursing through his whole being.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Better than ever."

"Let me unwrap your bandages." When she had done so, he saw that all that was left of his wounds were pink scars, already fading, and the stitches that had held him together, still embedded in what was now unhurt flesh. "I'll go get some scissors and tweezers to remove those stitches."

"There'll be plenty of time for that later. You don't need to worry about it."

"Will you at least let me say my prayers first?"

"Medeana…."

"As you command," she said, her voice cracking. She lay down, arms splayed and legs spread, her hair spreading out across the mattress in an iridescent spray. He straddled her and wrapped his hands around her slender, perfect neck. He looked down into her face and saw that she was failing to hold back tears, although she kept silent.

He did not kill her. He kissed her instead. She responded as only one who loved life and loved him could. Their joining was frenzied, and though Eusev had certainly been a man of the galaxy up to this point, he had never been with a woman like Medeana before, nor known the ecstasy that she gave him then.

When it was over, she lay in his arms, her hair wrapping around them both in a living blanket. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he answered without even thinking about it, only to realize after he said it that it was true. "Do priestesses of Chaos Undivided marry?"

"There is no happiness forbidden to us, and there is no joy I would ever deny you. I shall marry you whenever you wish, and count myself thrice-blessed for it."

"It is not an easy life, to be married to an Inquisitor."

"You will remain an Inquisitor? But surely—"

He silenced her with a kiss, then said, "You have opened my eyes, and I will never forget what you have taught me, but you said it yourself: not all the followers of Chaos are good. Those who are, who do not threaten the peace and safety of the Imperium, I shall leave in peace, and even warn them when other Inquisitors are on their trail. But the ones who seek to harm others must be stopped. And besides, there are also threats from genestealer cults and other xenos sects and more, and humanity must be prot—"

Now it was her turn to silence him with a kiss, and as the kiss lingered, he felt himself grow aroused again. She broke off the kiss and said, "Then I shall be honored to be by your side through all your sojourns. Now come, it is a Nergalite custom that a bride should be gravid at her wedding, and I would that we honor that custom."

The End.