"It's vague, like I said, but I'm as sure as I can be under the
circumstances. I don't think it's possible to lie, mind to mind--could
be your truthsense is a special form of telepathy."
"Shayan helping us. That doesn't sound possible." Cortin paused,
still frowning. "I hate to ask, Mike, and I'll understand if you don't
want to--"
"But you'd like me to ask him directly." Odeon rubbed the back of his
neck, sighing. "Okay. Just don't be surprised if I go into another
funk." He turned his attention to the Hell-King. *You've been
listening; you know what I want.*
*You are quite correct about both the alliance and the reluctance,*
came the reply. *This, however, is not the time to go into that; the
discussion we need to have will take longer than Cortin should give her
prisoner to regroup. I am observing primarily so I will know when you
are free for that discussion; I will not continue it now. For the
moment, suffice it to say I will be pleased if her efforts to obtain
this one's repentance are successful, though I very much doubt that
will be the case.* With that, the direct contact broke, though Odeon
still sensed the observation.
"Are you okay, Mike?" Cortin asked anxiously. "You look pale."
"Yeah, just a little shaken. By what he said, not the contact itself
this time." Odeon repeated what he'd been told, seeing astonishment to
match his own on the women's faces.
"He'll be pleased if this one repents?" Cortin asked in disbelief.
"Uh-huh. And he doesn't want you giving him too much of a break."
"That doesn't sound like Larry, unless . . ." Blackfeather paused,
cocked her head. "He's got something to gain. Something that
outweighs all his other interests--so I'd recommend very strongly that
Your Excellency take his advice and return to your subject."
"Since it would seem what he has to gain coincides with our interests,
at least temporarily, that would seem to be the best, yes."
* * * * *
Cortin peeled off her coverall and went upstairs with the other two,
feeling a peculiar combination of satisfaction and disappointment. Her
subject had been punished as thoroughly as she could manage for nearly
ten hours--but he'd been as intransigent as Shayan had hinted, and he'd
died cursing the Protector.
That was a blow, though she'd known she couldn't possibly turn
all--maybe not even most--of her subjects to God. She'd tried her best
with this one, she reminded herself, and if she hadn't been able to
turn him, no one could have.
The odd part was that Shayan had wanted her to turn him, which she
still didn't understand. While most of her wanted to avoid any
possible contact with him, a small part was so curious about why he was
cooperating that she couldn't help wanting the discussion he'd
mentioned.