“I’ll leave you for a while,” she said. “But remember- whatever your choice, there can be no turning back.”
Theon followed her to the door but Alvin called after him. He looked enquiringly at his mother, who hesitated for a moment and then nodded her head. The door closed silently behind her, and Alvin knew that it would not open again without her consent.
Alvin waited until his racing thoughts were once more under control.
“Theon,” he began, “you’ll help me, won’t you?”
The other nodded but did not speak.
“Then tell me this-how could your people stop me if I tried to run away?”
“That would be easy. If you tried to escape, my mother would take control of your mind. Later, when you became one of us, you would not wish to leave.”
“I see. Can you tell if she is watching my mind now?”
Theon looked worried, but his protest answered the question.
“I shouldn’t tell you that!”