I heard footsteps in a passage outside, and another man strode into the room. He was very tall and broad, with dark hair that fell to his broad shoulders, and an olive-skinned, Mediterranean face. His dark eyes stared into me, and I felt suddenly naked.
"This is him, Kirios," said the man who had let me in. "He says he wants a place to stay the night." Then he added to me, "Kirios is the head of our community. He makes all the decisions here."
Kirios stepped towards me, his eyes still burning into me. "Your name?" he asked me.
"Aston," I told him. It was a long time since I'd used my name.
"And you know what this place is?"
I looked uncertainly at the other man. "Well ... I didn't know this place was here. I just saw it, and I wanted a place to stay, out of the rain."
"You left the p
