"I cannot do that."
The words left my mouth smoothly before I even realized I'd said them.
Avelora didn't look surprised. But she rarely seemed to be. She stood near the edge of her desk, half-lit by the amber glow of the lamp, her long white robe brushing the floor. Her expression was perfectly calm, like she'd already anticipated my refusal.
"You can, Maeve," she said softly. "It has already been three days since he came here and he hasn't even uttered a single word. We've tried every way possible."
"I understand…but there has to be another way."
She smiled, that maddening, serene smile that could pass for kindness until I almost wanted to give in. "Maeve, you know as well as I do that this silence between the two of you can't last. We need information about Parthenn. The Commander won't speak to me. He won't speak to anyone. But he might speak to you."
