She was as stubborn as a mule, and the only way to truly get her to let go of something was to make her think she'd won. It was too much like lying, and he could not do it. As well tell her that Eragos Feareborne had grown wings, tied directly to the vengeful spirit of the gods, and was soon to rain death upon all who opposed him. She might believe that before she believed that he'd acquiesced. Time would tell whether or not it was the right thing to do. All that Eragos could hope was simple. That somehow, in some way, she managed to forgive herself for the nightmare that was unfolding around them. It did not seem that anger at the late High Lord Arand was going to be an issue.
"My father told me, once," and Eragos raised his arms over his head; the resulting pops from his back and shoulders were enough to make him wince. "That we cast long shadows on history. That our actions, and inaction, define not just ourselves but people we have never met and will never meet. I thought that he was being arrogant, once. I thought that he was simply trying to make me believe in something greater than... an oath I would never see. Talon always wanted to hear more about history, and long shadows. In some secret place I think he wanted, even then, to control the fates of anyone he could."
Eragos' head leaned side to side, with agonizing slowness. Normally the sounds that were coming from his body were the sounds reserved for the dead. A pop. A crack. Several of them, in quick succession. Still he stared at the wall. Still he was waiting for the bland, near-invisible pattern of stone to tell him what he should do.
There were no answers.
"We can all become slaves to ideas of our own importance," Eragos went on as he swiveled his hips. "But in your case, it's true. The Captain has not forgotten that I violated his orders, leaving Oisea as I did. If he did not send someone for me, it is only because he knew what was happening here and did not want to risk someone else. I fully expect to be confined to Simanel upon my return, if not expelled entirely, and I will accept that fate if it comes for me. I must do this first. If you come with me, you risk your own future, and that I will not see. I know what this uniform means to you, and what you mean to the uniform."