Telfenham's soul was tired and even moreso as he tried desperately to keep Gilean and Velentham from destroying one another. The sooner they could get underway, the better. Unfortunately, that meant passing through the bowels of hell to get Gilean home. And predictably, the lesser celestial didn't seem at all plussed by the situation. What was the worse, Telfenham knew what was to happen. There would be no chance of Velentham staying behind.
"I don't know why I do this," Telfenham said, "but you do understand, that if we undertake this journey - there is no way I can let my son straggle behind. I know he will follow us, and I won't chance him dying as he attempts it."
"Then he shouldn't straggle behind at all, he should be staying here! If you didn't make the allowance for him to come, maybe he would actually think better of it."
"You speak as one who has forgotten what it means to have a willfully ignorant child." Telfenham looked to Gilean. The shared memories of Gilean's daughter, Bloodmaiden, stood in painful relief. "Should I refresh your memory of your daughter?"
"I had a child who made mistakes... and she paid for them. I couldn't intervene in all matters of her life. Your son must grow up at some point."
"At some point, yes, but it is also my task, as it was yours, to know my child. I know my child. Do you understand?"
"I understand all too well... that you don't particularly care if he comes or not. That you are willing to sacrifice the happiness of others to enable your child to act like a spoiled little brat who wants another child's toy."
Telfenham barely cooled the ire that rose within him. This child had no idea. "I will attempt a final time to explain this to you. My son is the reason I created this place, to try - desperately - to tame him. To teach him. We are across the entirety of the planes from our homeland. Perhaps that means little to you in your form, but if you recall anything, you should know what that separation means. If I leave here with you, he will follow. And most likely, he will die. Perhaps that means little to you and you wish for it, in fact, but I do not. I am his father and I will protect my son."
"No, I wish nothing of the sort, even if he wishes it of me. I just give your son more credit that he's not as foolhardy as you think. He cannot be so blind to his own safety."
Telfenham paused for a moment and sighed deeply. "You do not know my son."
"As we descend into that place, you understand that we will lose more of ourselves." Telfenham looked at Gilean. "We are Guardinals... and the longer we surround ourselves with evil... the harder it will become for us to act with clear minds."
"I have dedicated my life to pacifism, and I am only a part of what I once was... it is you I am more concerned about in that regard."
Telfenham chuckled. Already he could foresee the problems that a pacifist would have in the hells. "If you are even a tenth Celestial, the nine hells will bring it rushing like boiling water to the surface. Velentham and I will feel it first, but feel it - you will." Telfenham nodded. "I will fashion a few trinkets for us to take, essences of this place to hold us as long as can be expected, but if we find ourselves sidetracked for any reason, we may well find ourselves dead."
"Very well then. I am ready as soon as your trinkets have been fashioned."
"When we get into the hells," Telfenham began, "you will see that there is no time for consideration. There is no room for time at all - for the beings there will slaughter you as soon as they get whiff of your scent. I hope, for your sake, you can draw upon what you are, for we will need your blade, not your healing touch."
"You may not have noticed, I do not even carry a blade... but I will defend myself when needed."
"We will remedy that. And I hope you understand it is not only your self that you will need to defend." Telfenham looked at Gilean intently.
"Of course, without you I stand little chance of arriving home," Gilean said with a smirk.
Telfenham let out a sigh. He knew that his knowledge would have to come out. He gave another attempt to avoid speaking what he knew. "No matter what our disagreements are, once we enter the hells, we are family. Without that mindset, we stand little chance at all."
"While we may disagree on several things," Gilean said, "I do have respect for you Telfenham. Do not mistake my disapproval for malice."
"I worry not on your respect for me. But the respect between you and my son."
"If your son chooses to come that is your charge, not mine." Gilean frowned. "I cannot be responsible for his actions, and I fear he would be the most dangerous member of the journey. He doesn't seem exactly stable, even in this place."
"Eosos, yet again your mouth precedes your mind." Telfenham lowered his head into his hand. "For all your bickering, you two are so much alike."
Telfenham continued, ignoring Gilean's scoff. "I take no charges or wards into the hells, but brothers who will defend one another to the death. Do you understand?"
"And you think he thinks that of me?"
"He thinks just as you do now. He hears me just as you do now. He abhors the idea and finds it disgustingly sweet. But he will obey, as will you."
"Telfenham, stop enabling his behavior! You created this whole place just to accommodate him. How will he ever change if you keep making allowances for him?"
Telfenham stared at Gilean with a long sigh. "We are doomed."
Telfenham turned away, the secret he had kept from both Gilean and Velentham weighing him down. "You said you would talk to him... what of that?" Gilean said from behind. The shorter celestial quickened his pace to keep up with Telfenham.
"Do you think I did not? We will see if you arrive home to your family, Eosos, and if either my son or I make it out alive. With the division you two create between one another, we'll be fortunate if we make it out at all - let alone through all nine levels."
"Velentham is willing to trek through the nine hells to speak once more with a woman he barely knows?"
Telfenham stopped at this. He suddenly realized that Gilean had no truly deep understanding of what had transpired between Velentham and Sanria. The man could not comprehend. Even then, through helping Gilean obtain his memories, Telfenham had seen much, too. "You say this, yet you are willing to trek through the hells to get back to a woman you've known for nearing two months? You are not the only one who had gained your memories, Eosos. You should know, in the fact of things, that my son just by touching her has gained more of her than the mere passage of time allowed. Both he and I had every reason to believe she would be returning. It appears her death prevented that."
Gilean looked down and Telfenham had a shred of hope. "I will do whatever I can to ensure the success of our journey, I just fear for what may become of his actions. It seems I am helpless in that regard."
"I cannot claim I know what he will do. I intend fully to try to speak to him as we move through our journey. If he can be dissuaded, I will do what I can... but you do not wish to wait for me to continue trying here, do you?"
"Do what you can in the time it takes for the preparations to be complete. We will begin as soon as all is ready."
"I will handle my son - in the meantime, dwell upon what I've said. Distaste will have to be put aside. We are going to be in far too much danger for anything to take that focus."
Telfenham watched as Gilean nodded, his face somber. He knew they wouldn't survive the trip if he left it merely to his words. He had to let Gilean understand. He lifted his hand to Gilean's temple, revealing a memory to him. A girl with the features of Gilean's mother playing with a boy holding Telfenham's features. He watched with sad eyes as reality sank into Gilean. "I'll do whatever I can to ensure we succeed," Gilean said quietly.
With that, Gilean's uncle turned and walked sullenly into the fields beyond.
