'No one there,' Aris hissed, his whisper as loud as wind in trees. 'The last check was about an hour ago.'
'Confident in their dungeon craft, aren't these Cormyreans?' Galaeron said.
'They have every reason to be,' Ruha said, speaking from the corner of her cell. 'I don't hear you kicking any more, and the spell-guard has defeated everything I've tried.'
'Then we really don't have any choice, do we?' Galaeron stepped back from the door and, hoping the guards had missed a few strands of shadowsilk when they searched him, began to fish through his cloak pockets. 'I can get us out of here.' Aris's eyes grew round and alarmed. 'How?'
'Their spell-guard won't stop shadow magic,' he said, 'and since it didn't occur to Rivalen to erect his own-'
'Galaeron, no,' Ruha said. 'It is too risky for you to cast another shadow spell.'
'What's too risky is waiting here for Rivalen.' He found a strand of shadowsilk and began to tie it into a closed loop. 'I'll have us out of here with one spell.'
'And then what?' Aris demanded. 'Wait until we are counting on you again, then let your shadow get us ail killed?'
Galaeron stopped tying and looked across the chamber. 'I'm sorry about the Saiyaddar, Aris, I truly am. Had I let you drop the shadow blanket, you wouldn't have been so eager to reach water-'
'And you would have had nothing to show Storm,' Aris interrupted. 'It is not what you did, my friend, but why. When your shadow self takes control, you lose sight of what is right and think only of vengeance.'
'I'm entitled,' Galaeron said, growing irritated with the giant's lecturing. 'Telamont was trying to bring out my shadow, and Escanor… well, never mind Escanor.'
'You were going to say that Escanor stole Vala,' Aris said, 'but you know that isn't so. You know you drove her away.'
'You're right,' Galaeron replied, 'but I can see that now. I'm in control.'
Despite the admission, Galaeron began to knot the shadowsilk again. Aris exchanged concerned gazes with Ruha, and the witch pushed a hand through the bars to grab Galaeron's arm.
'You're not in control now, Galaeron,' Ruha said. 'Your shadow is trying to tempt you into another mistake.'
She slipped her hand down to his and tried, gently, to pluck the shadowsilk from his fingers. He held tight.
'Storm will send help,' Ruha said. 'I have told her of our troubles.'
Galaeron started to demand how she could get a message past the spell-guard but answered his own question when he recalled that the guard was fashioned of Weave magic. Because Storm was one of the Chosen, Ruha merely had to speak her name, and the Weave would carry the next few words directly to her ear-no spells required. What it would not do, however, was carry a reply.
'You know she is coming?' Galaeron asked. 'You know that for certain?'
Ruha's eyes remained locked with his. 'No, but it is wiser to trust in her than to believe you can control your shadow when it is so plainly controlling you. At the moment, I would rather place my life in Malik's hands.'
The witch's frank words were enough to remind Galaeron of his remorse after Aris was wounded and to make him see that he was only using their situation as an excuse to cast a spell and feel cool shadow magic rushing through his body. It was an almost physical sensation, like being thirsty and longing for water or being exhausted and yearning for sleep, and it was just as hard to deny. The Shadow Weave was always there, within easy reach, inviting him to reach out and touch it.
Galaeron released the strand of shadowsilk, then watched as Ruha rolled it into a tiny ball and flicked it toward a lamp flame. She missed, but the wad bounced off the wall, then landed in the murk and was lost.
'You know what will happen if Rivalen takes me back to Shade?' Galaeron asked, talking to both Ruha and Aris. 'I won't be able to stop Telamont from bringing out my shadow. It would be better to get us out of here and let it happen now, where you two can still do something about it.'
'Only a fool would think us capable,' Aris said. 'Your shadow is still tempting you, Galaeron. If you yield to it- even for a minute-we are lost.'
'Trust in Storm,' Ruha urged. 'I do, and I will die first if we are returned to the enclave.'
That much was true, Galaeron knew. Aris's talent would probably buy his life, at least if he could find it in himself to continue sculpting. Galaeron himself would be kept alive and corrupted and might eventually find a way to overcome his shadow, but Ruha had nothing to offer the Shadovar except trouble. The interrogation that followed the trio's return would reveal that she was an agent of the Chosen-if Telamont didn't know it already-and Galaeron didn't even want to contemplate the fate that awaited spies in Shade Enclave.
Galaeron nodded and said, 'Very well.' He stepped away from the bars, and sat on the stone bench that served as his cot. 'If you are willing to trust in Storm to save us, then I ought to be, too.'
'But are you?' demanded Aris. 'You must promise not to use shadow magic again, even if it means our deaths.' Galaeron shook his head. 'I can only promise to try.'
'That is no promise at all,' Ruha retorted. 'Trying is easy. Doing is hard.'
Galaeron looked away. He had already broken that promise once, so he knew how difficult it would be to keep-even harder than the last time, perhaps impossible- but Ruha was right. Trying was easy, and doing the easy thing had been leading him deeper into disaster from the beginning. He had breached the Sharn Wall and released the phaerimm when he ordered his patrol to attack with magic bolts instead of swords. He had allowed his shadow to sneak inside him when he ignored
Melegaunt's warning and used more shadow magic than he had the strength to control. He had loosed the Shadovar on Faerыn when he brought their flying city into the world to save Evereska from the phaerimm. He had lost Vala when he had been foolish enough to believe that Telamont Tanthul would teach him to control his shadow self. And he had nearly lost his closest friend in pursuit of an easy vengeance. The time had come to start doing the hard thing.
Galaeron looked across the interrogation chamber and said, 'You're right. On my word as a Tomb Guard, I promise never to use shadow magic again.'
Aris gave a curt nod. 'Good, then you have already defeated the Shadovar.'
'The defeat is in the keeping,' Ruha said, 'but it is a start.'
She returned to her own bench, and they fell into silence again. Aris went back to tugging at his chains and scratching at the mortar around the mountings. Ruha and Galaeron tried to think of some way to escape that didn't involve using shadow magic. A little later, two night sentries came in and sat down at the table at the guard station. Constant companions through this night and no doubt many others, they exchanged a few stale words in a half-hearted attempt to stay awake, then fell to snoring within a few moments of each other. Galaeron was not surprised. Boredom was ever the watchman's curse and one that would be especially potent in a dungeon where escape seemed such a remote possibility.
A quarter hour later, the snoring came to a gurgled end. A pair of armored bodies clanged to the floor, and Aris's eyes grew wide. Galaeron pressed himself to the bars and looked toward the guard station. The sentries lay with their feet in view, surrounded by a circle of murk that might have been blood or shadow-without dark-sight, it was impossible to tell which. Rivalen and half a dozen Shadovar lords were stepping out of the shadows behind them.
Galaeron's throat went dry. The moment had come sooner than expected, but he knew that his temptation would have been the same in the morning-or anytime. His body was fairly aching for him to cast a spell. He felt feverish and hollow and thirsty for the cool sensation of the Shadow Weave, but even aside from his promise, it was too late for that. He could never hope to best Rivalen in a duel of magic. Still, when their eyes met, Galaeron maintained a calm composure and gave a nonchalant tip of his head. 'Rather early, aren't we?' the elf said. 'I grew tired of waiting for you.'
Rivalen motioned a trio of warriors toward Aris and two more toward Ruha, then had the last one accompany him to Galaeron's cell.
'As a matter of fact,' the prince said, 'I was beginning to fear you had found some way other than shadow magic to leave the dungeon.'
Galaeron shook his head. 'No, just stopped using shadow magic.'
