moment before the temple was filled with shouted commands and the chime of blades probing beneath black pews. Though Aris could not decide whether he was glad for Malik's escape or sorry for it, he was not worried about what happen to the little man once he was caught. The seraph had an uncanny-Ruha insisted god-given- ability to vanish the instant he was out of sight
Still trying to figure out why Yder was chasing Malik, Aris asked, 'You did not come here to convert?'
'Hardly.'
Finally paying attention to his injury, Yder grabbed his flopping hand and pressed it back to his wrist. The bleeding ceased immediately, and black shadows began to swirl over the wound.
Yder continued, 'It was bad enough when the worm stole the ear of the Most High, but this-' he rolled his eyes across the temple's vaulted ceiling-'this could not stand. It is good you were not a part of it.'
Aris glanced up at the relief he had been working on and wondered how much the prince really knew about what he had been doing.
'You're no Cyricist, I mean,' Yder said. 'Your disappearance would have been difficult to explain.'
Aris asked, 'And Malik's won't?'
'No one will notice. You will finish his temple, but Malik will become a recluse, never to be seen by anyone except his personal servants-personal servants who are loyal to the Hidden One.'
Aris did not have to ask who the Hidden One was. Though Shar had no temples in Shade-at least none he had ever noticed-the Mistress of the Night was popular enough in the city that Aris, gifted with the acute ears of most giants, seldom went more than a few hours without overhearing a whispered prayer to her.
At length, one of Yder's escorts emerged from the nave and dropped to a knee.
'High One, the blasphemer has vanished.'
'Vanished?'
Yder glanced over to Aris's guards, who, already trembling in fear of their own fates, could only shrug and shake their heads. His golden eyes deepened to stormy brown, and he looked back to his escort
'You have used the Hidden One's Gift?'
'We have, and still we could not find him,' the warrior said. 'He must have escaped.'
'Escaped?' Yder's voice was cold and level. 'How did you let that happen?'
The escort's gaze remained fixed on the floor.
'It is a mystery-' this was a favorite phrase of Shar's worshipers-'the exits remain blocked, and we've searched every vestibule and chapel.'
Yder cursed under his breath, and it dawned on Aris how much the prince was risking. Malik had bragged many times about his relationship with Telamont and how his strategy to lure Galaeron back to Shade had earned the Most High's undying gratitude. If only half of what the seraph claimed was true-and Aris knew that Mystra's curse prevented him from telling a He-then all Malik need do to save himself was reach the Palace Most High and report what had happened.
If Yder survived Telamont's wrath at all, his political base would be greatly weakened.
Having learned the hard way from Malik's treachery, Arts thought he saw a way to turn the situation to his advantage. He could not volunteer the information too readily. Malik had taught him that the surest way to manipulate someone was to remind him of his problem, then let him think you knew a way to solve it.
'I may know where he went,' Aris said.
Yder spun on him. 'And you remain silent?'
'It didn't occur to me that you would want the opinion of a slave.'
'You are a slave by the Most High's decree,' Yder said. 'There is nothing I can do about that.'
Aris shrugged. 'It was also his decree that Malik be my-'
In a movement as smooth as a sliding shadow, Yder leaped into Aris's lap and had the tip of a black sword pressed to his throat.
'If I am to be suffer once for defying the Most High, I may as well suffer twice.'
'There's a trapdoor under the altar.' Aris began to wonder if he had played the game a little too well, and added, 'Gelthez can show you.'
Yder turned his yellow eyes on the guard.
Gelthez's jaw fell. 'T-t-trapdoor?' He continued to stammer for a moment then finally seemed to understand what Aris was doing to him. 'He's lying!'
'Go look. You open it by pressing on the left corner of the base stone.'
Aris had no idea whether this was where Malik had fled, but having built the secret door himself, he did know that Yder would find the passage.
'If Gelthez refused to open it for you,' the giant added, 'perhaps it's because he has converted.'
'Converted?' Gelthez gasped. He reached for his sword and spat, 'Liar!'
Yder's escort caught the guard's arm before it could reach his scabbard, then slipped behind him and pressed a dagger to his back.
Gelthez turned to Yder with a look of desperation.
'You cannot listen to him, my prince. He is a murderer! He killed Karbe.'
Yder stepped off Aris's lap and said, 'I thought that was an accident.'
'No, it was-'
'I wasn't talking to you,' Yder said.
When he turned to Amararl, it was all Aris could do to keep from smiling. Amararl had no choice except to back up Aris or admit that he had lied earlier.
'The hammer was dropped, my prince,' he said. 'It did not look intentional to me.'
This was enough for Yder, who nodded to the escort and said, 'Take him and see. If he shows you how to open the door, spare his life.'
The escort bowed, and still holding his dagger at the man's back, turned to leave.
'Send a company to the temple treasure vault,' Yder said. 'I'll join you there after I see to the giant.'
'The treasure vault, my prince?' the escort asked.
'Where else would Malik lay a secret tunnel?' Yder said.
Aris's heart fell. He had Amararl in his hold just as Malik had taught him, but that would do him no good with a prince of Shade standing there.
Yder glared at Amararl and said, 'Why did you not tell me about this trapdoor, guard? Are you also a Cyric-worshiper?'
'Never, my prince!' Amararl spat on the floor and said, 'That is all I have for the Mad One.'
Yder remained silent, awaiting his answer.
'I–I knew nothing about the door,' Amararl said. 'I was not guarding the giant when he built the altar.'
The prince looked to Aris, who confirmed the claim with a nod.
'Gelthez was with a different group that day,' Aris lied. He was beginning to think he had spent too much time in Malik's temple; the lies were beginning come as easily as his own breath. 'That was when Malik converted them.'
'You will give me these names, giant.'
Aris shrugged noncommittally, then finally saw how he was going to get what he wanted.
'If you like, but they will be no good to you if you do not beat Malik to his treasure vault.'
Yder's eyes brightened in alarm.
'He has escape magic there?'
'He doesn't need it,' Aris said. 'He has a blessing from his god that helps him hide. That's how he-
Aris had no need to finish. Yder was already rushing into the nave, calling back over his shoulder for Amararl to stand watch on the slave.
No sooner was the prince out of sight than Amararl braced himself against a black column and sank to the floor, his legs trembling and his brow dripping with sweat.
'Well done, giant,' he said. 'What is it you want?'
'Nothing that will get you in trouble,' the giant replied. Feeling nearly as relieved as the guard, Aris started for a dark corner. 'Only a few minutes alone.'
