Aris spent another five minutes studying the map, then finally looked through the translucent image at the Chosen below.
"I just don't know," he said. "If I had to guess, I'd say it was inside the Palace Most High."
"That was our first thought too," Dove said, "but during the battle Galaeron described, the phaerimm were using magic. Unless they've learned to tap into the Shadow Weave-"
"We've seen no sign of that," said Laeral, who was standing with her sister Storm at Khelben's side, "but it still doesn't mean you don't have to go through the palace to reach it."
"Yes, it does," Storm said. The phaerimm got there."
"With the aid of a malaugrym," Dove pointed out. "It might have been able to sneak them through the palace."
"Would you trust your life to a Malaugrym?" Storm countered. Without waiting for a reply, she continued, "If the phaerimm can get there, so can we."
"If we can find it," Laeral said. "If Galaeron can't help us-"
"We'll have to ask Vala," Khelben finished.
"Her, I can help you find," said the giant.
Aris shifted his scrutiny to the great plaza of gloom sculptures that surrounded the Palace Most High, then slowly moved his gaze along the edge until he came to a huge, many-spired mansion with a procession of flying buttresses and a long tunnel of barrel vaults.
"You will find her here, somewhere inside Escanor's palace."
The Chosen studied the map from below for a moment then Khelben said, "It would be nice if any of us had actually met her. The Shadovar were obviously trying to lure
Galaeron back with all those rumors about her being Escanor's slave. What if they're just that — rumors?"
"A good point," Storm agreed. "Vala and her men were in service to Melegaunt, and I have it on good authority that she slew three phaerimm for them in Myth Drannor."
"Vala and her men served Melegaunt in order to keep an oath their ancestors had sworn," Aris said. "Their duty was discharged when Shade returned."
"But that does not mean she is Escanor's slave," Storm pressed. "Ruha said that it was her choice to remain with the prince."
"So Galaeron would escape before his shadow took him," Aris said. Storm's aspersions were beginning to irritate him, and he let it show. "She loves Galaeron as a crane loves its mate. If she is with Escanor now, it is not by her choice."
Storm raised her brow at his tone, but shrugged and gave a little nod.
"If you say so, Aris."
"I do," he said. "If you wish her help, all you need do is say you are friends of Galaeron's."
"Good," Khelben said. He began to fold the parchment, and the map went dark. That" s just what we'll do. My thanks for your help, Aris. We'll try to fetch you before the city falls, but that may be — "
"We are all risking much," Aris interrupted, "but only Galaeron's sacrifice is certain. If you value that, save Vala first The rest of us are here by choice."
"If that is what you wish, my friend." Khelben met his eye and nodded. "We will do what can be done."
Malik awoke to the sound of snakes hissing into both ears. Judging by how he felt, they had bitten him a dozen times, a hundred times. His head throbbed and his back ached. There were pins of light piercing his eyes and rivers of fire coursing through his veins, and he had a bladder that felt like two gallons of wine in one gallon of space. The snakes were about to draw him into quarters. They had him by each wrist and each ankle, and they were all pulling in opposite directions. His arms were ready to pop from his shoulders and his legs to divide what no man ever wished to have divided.
As Malik's head began to clear, the hissing grew softer and more distant, and he realized it was not snakes hissing into his ears. It was voices, the whispering voices that filled the throne room of Telamont Tanthul.
If he was in the presence of the Most High and in so much pain, there could only be one explanation.
Yder had beat him to the palace.
"It is not true!" Malik screamed. "Whatever the prince says, it is all a terrible lie!"
For once, his curse did not compel him to say more, and the whispering quieted. A strange sloshing sounded beside him. Malik opened his eyes and saw white fire in his brain. He closed them again, and the fire went away.
"Why do you torment me like this?"
He tried to turn toward the sloshing and found his head held motionless by a strap across his brow.
"I have done nothing wrong!"
"Oh, but you have, Seraph," hissed a cold voice-a familiar cold voice. "You have stolen from the Hidden One."
"Stolen?" Malik cried. "What have I stolen… aside from a few dozen coins from the pockets of worshipers in my own temple?"
"The worshipers themselves," the voice said. "You have stolen the Lady's faithful."
Malik was greatly relieved to recognize the voices as Prince Yder*s. If Yder was doing the speaking, then they would not be in the Palace Most High, and it could not be Telamont Tanthul who had ordered the terrible punishment
A pair of cold fingertips pulled Malik’s eyelids open. The brilliant fire returned, but this time the white fire was only a silver light as blinding as the sun, and there was a chasmal darkness in the center-with two blazing eyes and a heart of cooling embers.
"The Lady is angry, Malik."
As Yder spoke, Malik's eyes grew accustomed to the pain, and he discerned a pair of huge hooked horns crowning the head of the dark figure above him.
"In-d-deed," Malik stammered. "I can see that for myself… though in truth I must say she does not look very ladylike to me."
This caused a strange murmur of gasps and chuckles to spread outward behind Yder. There followed a moment of silence, and Malik had the sense that his captor had turned away to glare at his followers.
"Make a joke of your own god if you wish, little man," Yder said, "but when you make fun of the Hidden One, it is the Lady who laughs."
The prince's fingers pressed down until Malik thought his eyeballs would burst
"Who was joking?" Malik cried.
The murmur that followed this was even louder than the first. Yder*s hand came away from Malik's head.
"Silence!"
The command was muffled, as though the prince had turned his back when he spoke it. Malik blinked the spots from his eyes and again found himself staring at the dark figure overhead. It was a ghastly demon as large as Aris and as black as night itself, with long curving talons at the end of outstretched arms.
Yder returned his attention to Malik and said, "Mock the Hidden One again, and I shall pull your brains out by your own antlers."
The prince grabbed Malik by one of his horns, and a dark hand appeared on the hooked horn of the figure overhead.
Malik bit his own cheek, lest he cry out in astonishment and give the prince an excuse to do as he threatened. The monster above was certainly his own shadow, but that gave him no hint of relief. Melegaunt Tanthul had once summoned the wretched being to serve as a guard, and the accursed thing had made clear it would like nothing better than throttling Malik with its own hands.
"You are learning, Seraph," Yder said. "Perhaps this will not be as difficult as I feared."
"Not difficult would be good," Malik agreed. "I am a captive in the temple of Shar the Ni-?"
Yder struck him a blow that returned his thoughts to their muddled state.
"Do not speak the Hidden One's name!"
"I am only trying to be certain," Malik complained. "How do you expect to convert me, if you will not tell me who it is I am to worship?"
For the first time, Yder's face came into view. He was wearing the black skullcap and purple mask of the high priest.
"You would convert?" he asked.
Malik’s chest began to grow cold and tight, as it had when Fzoul Chembryl had asked a similar question in the hidden temple of Iyachtu Xvim. At the time, he had been weak from torture and assured only of a life of impoverishment in servitude to a mad god, and nothing would have pleased him more than to find protection in the church of some other deity. But that had been before he understood how impossible it was for him to betray the One, and before he had established what promised to be-in addition to the altar that would give Cyric control over the Shadow Weave-the wealthiest temple in all Faer?n.