"I'm sorry we frightened you," the male said. "Clearly, your ordeal has taken more of a toll than we imagined."
Had Vala been able to talk, she would have suggested that they change places and see what kind of toll being a Shadovar slave took on him.
"Can you stop screaming?" asked one of the women. "We have some questions."
Vala grew aware of her aching jaw and realized that her mouth continued to gape open, that her throat was raw from screaming. She clamped her mouth shut and glared at the black-clad faeries beside her. They certainly looked solid enough.
The woman nodded, made a dismissive gesture, and a whimpering, rasping sound came to Vala's ears. It took a moment to identify the source as her own throat.
"Good," the man said. He held his hand out and moved it in a placating motion that made Vala want to kick him. "We're friends of Galaer-"
"Galaeron?" Vala finished for him.
She brought her breath under control. Phantasms or not, she could not have these faeries telling Galaeron that she had whimpered when they came for her.
"He sent you?" she asked.
The women looked at each other. They looked uncomfortable.
"What's wrong?" Vala demanded. "Is he hurt?"
"We wouldn't know," the man, whose manner was gruff, said.
One of the faerie women stepped in front of the male and said, "Galaeron is on a mission of the utmost importance to all of Faer?n."
"As are we," said the second woman, also stepping in front of the male. "Perhaps it would help if we introduced ourselves. I am Storm Silverhand."
"I'm Dove Falconhand," said the woman at the door.
"I am Alustriel Silverhand," said the woman who had cast the spells. She motioned at the last woman, who was still standing beside the black-bearded man. "This is our sister Laeral."
"And that would make me Khelben Arunsun." The faerie man pushed his way between the two women who had stepped in front of him. "Now that you're properly awed, maybe you'd care to answer a question or two and help us save the Heartlands."
Vala scowled down at the male, quite certain that she had lost her mind.
When she didn't say anything, Khelben rolled his eyes and turned to the one who had introduced herself as Alustriel.
"How can she not know who we are?" he asked. "Is Vaasa so backward?"
"We know of the Chosen even in Vaasa," Vala said. "We also know the difference between flesh and phantasm. Why would the five of you show up in my cell, the size of dolls, unless I were mad?"
"Because we need your help," Alustriel said. She stepped over and placed a hand on Vala's jaw. Her touch felt real enough, solid and warm. "We must find the mythallar, and you're the only one who can help."
"Trouble!" hissed the woman by the door. "The guard's coming."
The faeries vanished as quickly as they had appeared, leaving Vala alone in her cell.
"Wait!" She felt more isolated than ever-and more certain that she was losing her mind, more frightened. "Don't!"
The guard appeared in the doorway, a hulking shadow lord with ruby eyes and filed teeth. Vala thought he was Feslath, one of Escanor's favorites.
"Don't what?" Feslath demanded. "Who are you talking to?"
Though his Shadovar eyes could see in the dark as easily as Vala could see in daylight, he did not even bother glancing around the cell. He knew as well as she did that there was no one in the room, that her mind had finally snapped.
"I asked a question, slave."
Vala glared at him and refused to answer. She was not worried about revealing the presence of her visitors-the delusions were hidden safely inside her mind-but she could not obey, not even in this. Once she started to surrender, it would grow easier and easier, until she finally belonged to them in spirit as well as body.
"You defy me?"
Feslath grinned and took the whip off its hook. He did not even need to look to find it.
"As you like. Assume the position."
Vala was supposed to turn her back and bow her head so her eyes would be protected.
Instead, she glared straight into Feslath's eyes and said, "Go suckle a veserab."
The whip caught Vala across the chest almost before she had finished the curse. Refusing to give him the satisfaction of a scream, she clenched her jaw and took the next strike in silence as well, but the third caught her across the ribs and forced an involuntary gasp. Feslath, in particular, was a master of the technique and delighted in forcing her body to emit the sounds her mind held in check.
The next lash caught her across the previous one, and Vala began to grow dizzy. The assault would not end until she fell unconscious. Praying that he would keep landing his strikes on top of each other, she glared into his eyes and watched his arm draw back.
A dark-cloaked figure rose behind Feslath and caught his arm by the wrist. Feslath's eyes flared red, and he spun around to find the butt of a large black staff crashing into the side of his head. His knees buckled, and he melted to the floor like a suit of empty silks.
Khelben Arunsun, standing fully six feet tall, kicked the shadow lord in the ribs-hard-to make certain he was unconscious, then came to kneel beside Vala.
"You could have answered him," he said.
Vala shook her head, and vaguely aware of her gaping jaw, gasped, "You are real."
Khelben nodded, but made no move to undo her manacles.
"Does that mean you'll help us?" he asked.
Vala shook the chain by which she was attached to the wall.
"Does that mean you'll get me out of here?" she asked in return.
Khelben's face grew impatient.
"We'll come back for you, but our mission depends on secrecy and surprise. We can't take you along now without the risk of drawing attention to ourselves."
Vala considered this a moment then pointed her chin at Feslath's fallen figure.
"You're already running that risk," she said. "And no offense, but if you're going after the mythallar, I don't like your chances of getting back here to rescue me before this rock hits the ground."
"The fate of Faer?n itself hangs in the balance!" Khelben's voice was deep and righteous. "You would bargain for your own life?"
"I have a son who needs a mother." Vala didn't flinch at Khelben's angry scowl, but added, "I am not the one who is bargaining."
"She has a point, Khelben."
Dove and the other three Chosen appeared on the floor between them, still no more than a hand high.
Dove continued, "We promised Arts-'
"We will keep our promise," Khelben insisted, "without risking our mission."
"You're sure our mind wiping magic will work on a Shadovar?" Alustriel asked. "They are not beings of the Weave."
"Even if it does, there will still be the lump on the guard's head to explain," Storm said. "Hell wonder how he got it, and that in itself might give us away."
"I know a way it won't matter," Vala said, seeing her chance.
Khelben looked to her and raised his brow.
Vala explained her plan, and when she finished, Khelben continued to study her with narrowed eyes.
"This will work," Vala said. "It stands a better chance than your memory-stealing magic."
"Alustriel's memory-stealing magic," Khelben corrected. "That's not what worries me."
"Then what does?" Laeral asked.
"Vala," he said plainly. "It's not as though she's helping us out of the goodness of her heart. If Galaeron couldn't tell us where to find the mythallar, how do we know Vala can? She might be lying so we help her escape."
"Galaeron returned to the Palace Most High via Telamont’s magic," Vala said. "I walked home."