Anxia’s fears, as strong as they were, washed over Callidus as if they were his own. For an unsteady moment, the melding of their minds became an undertow, pulling eagerly at the psyche of both Sith. I will be replaced. I am not strong enough. I can never do enough. I will be revealed. I will be forgotten. With a growl, Callidus forced clarity into his thoughts, the Dark Side searing through and burning away the fog of confusion.

He strode forward a step and his mask rippled as if he were stepping through it. The skeletal face became translucent, Salem’s sharp features visible beneath the mask yet distorted by it.

“Why would I betray you?”