Velentham stood staring in anger at his father. Gilean Eosos, known throughout the Celestial realm as a traitor to his race, was in their plane. Gilean, who had said their race was full of haughty, arrogant, hard beings. Of all the people who could have gotten hold of the portal rose that he had given Sanria, it had to be Eosos. "This is ill boding, my son," Telfenham said. At times like these, his father looked his eons of age. The elder Celestial stared into the flames, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I should have known better than permit such a thing. I could not have forseen the harm."
"Well, Eosos is here, Father." Velentham knelt by the chair of the elder and looked up at him. "If the tribunal discovers that we are harboring him, we're going to be put to blame."
"If we are found not to have turned him over we will certainly be outcast ourselves, my son." Telfenham turned to his son and sighed deeply. "Do you see why getting involved in mortal affairs are perilous?"
Velentham stood up, his fists held at his sides. He looked down his nose at his father. "You continue to say that, but you yourself took a mortal woman ages ago."
"Indeed, and her death and refusal to ascend rended my heart." Telfenham stood up, eye to eye with his son, his white hair spiraling down to his shoulders. "I wish to save you that pain. Our problem now is Eosos. Even if he dies, he will return to Elysium, and when he does, he will tell them what we've done."
"We can keep him here."
"It does naught to solve our problem, my son. Time may have meaning elsewhere and to other beings, but it is an afterthought to us. Eosos will die, and we will be made to pay."
Velentham looked to the perpetually burning flames of the fireplace. He glanced over at his father. "No. He wants to return to that woman and his child. I will ensure that he understands that to return to her means his agreement for eternity."
