"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."