Telamont remained just beyond his peripheral vision.
Galaeron had to settle for speaking into the shadow.
'At least there's that,' he said.
'Oh, there is more,' Telamont said. 'Much more. My son Escanor is dead.'
Galaeron started to say something spiteful then realized that to express such malice to a grieving father- even this grieving father-would be to invite his shadow in.
'I'm sorry to hear that.'
A deep chuckle sounded beside Galaeron's ear.
'Lies are of the shadow, too, elf.'
'It was compassion-not a lie.'
Galaeron's thoughts were racing. Had the city fallen and Telamont come to take vengeance? Did he see a way to use his son's death to force Galaeron completely into shadow? Or was he simply there to take out his anger on Galaeron?
'Whatever I may have thought of Escanor,' the elf said, 'whatever I would have liked to do to him myself- I'm sure you loved him.'
Telamont was quiet for a moment, not using his will to press for an answer as usual when he fell silent, but genuinely seeming to contemplate Galaeron's words.
'Perhaps I did, at that,' the Most High said. 'What a pity Vala was not so charitable as you.'
A cold knot formed in Galaeron's stomach. Telamont's cold presence pressed closer to him.
'She escaped her cell,' the Shadovar said. 'She killed him in his sick bed.'
The knot in Galaeron's stomach grew as heavy as lead.
'Did his guards…?' He could barely bring himself to voice the question, 'Is she dead?'
'That would make you angry, would it not?'
A cloaked form coalesced in the murk before Galaeron. With the Most High already whispering into his ear, it took Galaeron a moment to realize that the figure in front of him also belonged to Telamont.
'I could tell you she is, and you would fly into a rage.' Telamont's eyes grew bright and angry, but his voice continued to whisper into Galaeron's ear, 'And with rage would come your shadow. It would claim you for all time.'
'Then she's not dead.' Nor had the mythallar been destroyed, Galaeron realized. Had Shade fallen, Telamont would be more interested in killing him than claiming him. 'You don't know where she is.'
'And with hope comes strength,' hissed the disembodied voice. 'The strength to defy me. What am I to do?'
He fell silent, and the air grew heavy with expectation.
Fearing that one answer would lead to another and another until he betrayed their plan, Galaeron tried not to answer. Telamont remained silent, and his will pressed down on Galaeron all the more fiercely. Eventually, he could resist no more, and the words tumbled out of their own accord.
Tell me the truth.'
The purple crescent of a smile appeared in the hood beneath Telamont’s s eyes.
'The truth? What is 'truth,' really?' Telamont's voice whispered into Galaeron's other ear. 'The truth is that she will be.'
The lump in Galaeron's stomach began to grow lighter. Vala was still alive.
'If you catch her.'
'When we catch her,' Telamont corrected. 'Where can she go? It's a thousand feet to the ground.'
He paused, and Galaeron feared for a moment that Telamont meant to force an answer that would betray the attack on the mythallar, but Telamont had something else in mind.
'She will be caught. My other sons are tracking her even now.'
Galaeron fought not to smile. He had said nothing about the Chosen yet, and if the princes were busy searching for Vala, they would not be watching the mythallar. Perhaps they had even helped her escape to create a diversion. That would be just like those cowards, to sacrifice a helpless woman so they wouldn't have to risk their own lives. It occurred to Galaeron that he might save Vala's life by warning Telamont about their plan. That was what those traitors deserved.
'You do not care?' Telamont asked. 'I thought you loved this woman. I thought she was the reason you betrayed us.'
Telamont grew quiet, and again the weight of his will slowly crushed Galaeron's resolve.
At last, Galaeron admitted, 'That's true. I do love her.'
'A pity, then,' Telamont said. 'The things that will happen when we recapture her…'
He fell silent, leaving Galaeron to imagine the horrors that would be visited on her. Given the punishment Vala had suffered just for aiding in his escape, he could not bear to think of the death she would meet after killing a prince of Shade. He began to feel Telamont's will pressing down on him, compelling him to speak what he was thinking. Time and again, Galaeron found himself ready to blurt out his plan, to reveal how he had tricked Telamont into bringing the Chosen into Shade.
Somehow, he resisted. Deep down inside, part of him wanted to believe it was honor that stopped him, that something inside him was strong enough to resist the will of the Most High of Shade. But the truth was that he had again fallen into the grasp of his shadow self, and it simply did not believe Telamont could be trusted.
Every time Galaeron started to say he would trade Shade's life for Vala's, or that he could deliver five Chosen in exchange for her freedom, his shadow refused. It reminded him that Telamont had once offered to teach him how to control his shadow-as if that could be done-and of how badly that bargain had turned out. It reminded him of how powerful the Most High was. Galaeron had only to hint at the attack on the mythallar and Telamont would begin to pressure him for answers. The Shadovar would know everything within minutes, Vala would be condemned to a lingering death anyway, and Galaeron would be left with nothing for his betrayal.
For once, Galaeron's shadow self was right. Telamont had done nothing but betray him. Telamont deserved what was going to happen to his city. All of the Shadovar did. And Vala? He wanted to save Vala, but he could not do it by yielding to Telamont.
Finally, Telamont said, 'Love is not as strong as I imagined.' The pressure did not relent, but his voice came from the hooded shape before Galaeron's eyes. 'You do not wish to save Vala?'
'I would do anything to save Vala,' Galaeron said, 'but I am no fool.'
'No?' Telamont's voice sounded like cracking ice. 'Then you know she will not escape.'
'And you know I can help you.'
A dark voice inside Galaeron screamed for him to hold his tongue, that he was a fool if he thought he could bargain with Telamont Tanthul.
Galaeron ignored the voice and continued, 'The phaerimm continue to trouble you. Take me to the world- window. When I see her at home in Vaasa, I'll help you with them again.'
Telamont drifted closer, until Galaeron could see nothing in front of his face but two platinum eyes. He forced himself to hold the gaze, and eventually he saw that the eyes were silver coronas burning around two disks of shadow blacker than darkness. The pressure of his will grew crushing, and still Galaeron did not look away. Finally, the shining coronas flickered with something like amusement, and Telamont drew back a little.
'Love is not as strong as I imagined.'
The Most High's eyes resolved themselves back into disks, and his dark form began to melt back into the darkness.
'But hope…' the shade said. 'That is so much stronger.'
The crushing burden of his will remained. Galaeron waited, expecting the compulsion to answer some unspoken question to arise inside him at any moment. There was only the intangible weight-and a different pressure, rising from inside, a feeling that was closer to fear and uncertainty, perhaps grief. Finally, when the shape of Telamont's body had dissolved back into the darkness and there was only the pale light of his fading eyes, it was this pressure that forced Galaeron to break his silence.
'Wait!' Galaeron said. 'What about Vala?'
'I accept.' The eyes vanished, but Telamont's voice hissed from the darkness all around, 'If you wish to save her, you have only to grasp the shadows and free yourself.'
Before Galaeron could object, voices began to hiss again in the distant gloom, and the crushing weight of
