Stef isn't a Mindspeaker but he and Vanyel have an agreement, he can let things drift up in his surface thoughts - it's a similar method to how he's learned the osanwë public-private distinction - and Vanyel can read them off him even at a distance. 

:Should I tell Jisa:  

:Sure. Remember that I don't know what the problem is - it could be minor–:

He does not have a good feeling about this, though. He heads to the other Gate-terminus and crosses. Looks for Fëanáro's mind. 

Working on an artifact.

Then which of Fëanáro's children present in Vinyamar seems the least occupied right now? 

Probably the twins! They are out fishing on Vinyamar's shore.

Then Vanyel will head that way. :Need to talk. We might have a problem. In Velgarth. Can't make contact and the Gate's down: 

Shoot. Maitimo and Leareth are there?

:Yes. At least I assume so, didn't hear word they were headed elsewhere. I haven't checked in with them since last week's chat. I don't know for sure it's a serious problem, but the fact that the Gate and the communications both aren't working...: 

:You should cast the communication spell directly: Yfandes sends to him. :Try for Leareth, try for Savil, then other people if you still can't. The Silmarils are here, you can use them: 

Right, good idea. :I can get in contact directly, without the artifact, it's just going to wear me out and I wanted to alert someone first. Your father wasn't that interruptible but if I can't reach Leareth either then I think this becomes an interruption-worthy emergency: 

Makes sense. We'll head in to shore.

And Vanyel will head for the Silmarils, the guards know him, and draw on them to cast the spell.

He can’t reach Savil. Or Leareth. Or Sandra, or Kilchas... He passes on each failure in Mindspeech. After those four it doesn’t seem worth trying for any of the other Herald-Mages, and he’s hitting exhaustion even with the power source. 

:This is officially an emergency: he admits, slumping down to sit on the nearest bench. :You need to inform your father:

- okay. 

Hey the interdimensional Gate-terminus is broken and Vanyel can't reach anyone in Valdemar and probably something bad happens.

He sets the artifact down. 

Vanyel, what might be going on.

:I have very little idea, but - remember we thought something got through the Gate? I'm worried it's related to that. That they waited - timed it like this...: 

To take out Leareth and Maitimo specifically, but not him? Vanyel isn't sure whether that makes sense. Also he's not, yet, ready to assume that Leareth and Maitimo are out, although he pretty much has to admit they're in trouble. 

He drags himself wearily to his feet. :Where should I meet you?: 

Are we safe here?

:...I don't know. I...should maybe shut down the terminus on our end, too. Maybe right now. Only downside is if: he swallows hard :if Leareth and Maitimo end up trying get home that way. But I think it's our safest bet if we want to make it harder for anything to get through:

Someone could still do it if they had Leareth, a mage who's been to Arda and can cast an unaided inter-world Gate. And Leareth is probably still rusty, which can't have been good if they came under attack, but might actually be of help here. Savil's visited Arda but not independently, and might or might not be capable of figuring it out...

Or if they have Maitimo, who can send places in Arda he's seen.

Damn it he should have thought of that right away - now he's heading for the Vinyamar Gate at a stumbling run. :I'm going to do it right now and - should I come back to Vinyamar after? Anyway I don't think just having Maitimo gets them here right away - Leareth couldn't get back, right, he needed months of research even though he'd lived in Velgarth his whole life - multiple lives–: His breath comes in pants. 

Anyone can smash the Gate, right, doesn't have to be you? Sit down, catch your breath, and then we can get out of the city. There are some places we didn't tell you about. Probably some of them Maitimo doesn't know of either though I'll have to ask people.

:–If we're just smashing it then sure: Vanyel had been thinking he could try to take it apart, but - smashing it is both faster and safer, the only downside is that it won't be repairable, and he built it in the first place – and can cast the spell unaided, if he decides he has to see what's going on.

He slows to a stop, bending over with his hands on his knees. Yfandes catches up, nuzzles him. :Oh. Stef's in Tol Eréssea. Jisa too. And Treven. If we're fleeing then I want them with us: Not to mention it's almost physically painful, being on opposite sides of the ocean from Stef - he hadn't thought it through, hadn't realized it would take this long either.

That makes sense. I will tell someone to go through and get them. 

:All right: Vanyel finds another bench and sits down, staring half-blindly at the sculpture across from him. 

He keeps remembering Haven the last time he saw it, only months ago. Imagines it on fire. Under attack by - what? Something. 

Stef? You and Jisa should come through to Vinyamar right away. We think Haven's been attacked and we're retreating until we know what's going on.

Oh. Right now - is there time to pack anything...? He's in Jisa's room with her. "Jisa, we have to go. Now." 

"But–"

"Something's really badly wrong, they think Haven's under attack–" He's already halfway to the door. "Where's Treven? I assume him too." 

If you're really going to need anything grab it but we can send people for other stuff later.

He's getting his lute, then, his room is on the way to the Vinyamar Gate anyway. "Jisa, meet you there, hurry." 

"I'm coming!" Jisa shoves a few books into her satchel and then runs. Spare clothes don't seem like the highest priority. :Treven. Where are you? You need to come right now, emergency - I don't care that you're in a meeting, did you hear 'emergency', I'll explain soon: 

Quendi destroy the Gate-terminal to Velgarth. They have a quick debate about whether to destroy the one between Vinyamar and Tol Eressëa, decide to leave it.

He meets them there, heads over to Vanyel with them.

"Stef, gods..." Vanyel hugs him briefly, reaches and squeezes Jisa's shoulder as well and exchanges a look with her, nods to Treven. :All right - where to?: 

He sends an image of a place. It's an island south of here.

Vanyel would really prefer longer to rest from the communications spell, but - no time. He pulls from the Silmarils again and raises the Gate and hauls Stef through, glances back and waits for everyone else to cross as well. 

They head through.

Vanyel takes the Gate down and then sits on the first available surface and drops his head into his hands. :I'm sorry, know we need to plan, just - need a minute, I'm tired: 

I predicted that you would be tired. Stef, Jisa, do you know anything about what might've gone wrong in Haven?

"Everything seemed fine last visit? Good diplomatic relations with all Valdemar's neighbours, Van and I didn't see any sign of, er, suspicious Maia-like activity. We went through Hardorn and Karse and Rethwellan. Checked with the Tayledras. We didn't physically go into Iftel, they don't allow Heralds, but they do have a giant shield-wall and I bet it'd block Maiar too." 

"My papa wasn't worried about anything when I left." She exchanges a look with Treven, who shakes his head as well. 

So probably it's something triggered by Maitimo and Leareth being there. Probably Leareth, we've sent Quendi before without problems. When Vanyel's rested it might be worth trying to contact some of them.

"But they'd been there for weeks," Jisa protests. "Why now?" 

"Maybe it took weeks to prepare whatever it was?" Shrug. "Contact some of the Quendi, you mean? Who's there right now?" 

"Several of the science and culture teams. Their names will probably be in Nelyafinwë's notes."

Vanyel lifts his head. :I'm not sure the communication-spell as is can reach them directly, it's meant for Velgarth mages, it doesn't go via osanwë. The obvious thing to do next is to try someone not in Valdemar, like Starwind or Moondance, see if they've heard anything: 

That makes sense. 

- should we be assuming Treven is the King of Valdemar, what implications would that have if it were true -

Everyone turns and looks at Treven. 

He swallows, straightens his shoulders. "If we can't get in contact by tomorrow, then probably. I'm not sure it has too many implications right now, because - well, obviously Vanyel's the one most qualified to deal with this, I shouldn't be giving him orders. If we do establish contact with anyone, in other countries I mean, then it'll matter – it'd mean I have the authority to promise things on behalf of Valdemar." He looks down. "If there's still a Valdemar left." 

"All right. I guess we might need to do some of that. Vanyel, do you have that magic Leareth had that let him watch things that happened in the past?"

"Gods. I know the spell, but I've only ever cast it once and that was in concert with Savil." There's pressure in his chest and heat in his throat, he doesn't have time to think about it right now but he can't reach Savil and - there's an implication, there. "In Velgarth it only goes back a day. Whatever happened over there could've been anytime between now and a week ago, already." 

Nod. "Then I guess talking to your acquaintances in neighboring countries sounds most promising. Should this change our lines of research - I'm still working on human aging -"

"Maybe. I don't really know to what, though, not knowing what actually happened. So, probably the next step is I'll try for - hmm, I know several of Queen Karis' mages, and Karse is a lot more likely to know if something happened in Valdemar. If I can't get through I'll attempt it with Starwind and Moondance. The last resort would be Gating myself in but - I can't risk going to Valdemar directly, and I'd rather have confirmation that the place I do aim for hasn't been hit." 

"That makes sense. - you could open a Gate and not go through, right, send someone we can more easily afford to lose -"

"I could. They'll be less mobile than me, which will be awkward if I have to drop them far away because I don't know where is safe - I could do as far south as the Dhorisha Plains, it seems pretty unlikely that something getting Haven would've hit them too, it's eight hundred miles away." 

"What was the area affected by the Cataclysm?"

"Originally, you mean? Everything from north of Valdemar to even further south than– Oh. I see your point. If the thing that happened was another Cataclysm then - it could well have hit everywhere I've been in my entire life." 

"I don't know something that bad could have happened but it seems like we shouldn't rule it out until we hear from your friends."

"If it is that then I wouldn't have to send anyone through a Gate, it'd be enough to look through. Gods, I wish I knew how to do scrying between worlds, just look around." 

"Can that be invented?"

"Probably! Not in a day. It'll be easier now that I've worked on the Gates and communications already, but - still months, I think." 

He nods. "Need anything from us -"

"For researching that? Um. It's generally helpful just to talk through things, you and Curufinwë have the most familiarity, and I've bounced you my mage-sight often enough. I'd need the usual materials. A Work Room, but I can set that up anywhere in a day. Other than that, no - I have to do all the actual casting myself." 

"All right. I'll go back to the endurance artifact improvements, if I don't think of anything better. Good skill. You can use that building." He gestures at one, goes to set up in a different one.

Vanyel has a look around the building, sits down and takes some notes on initial research directions, and then asks where he should sleep. He's going to save any heavy casting for after he's tried the communications spell as a first step. 

The building has some bedrooms. They are rather sparse for Quendi living spaces but some people are working on fixing that.

Sparse is fine, all he needs is a bed to collapse into for the next ten hours or so. 

Stef, less exhausted from magic, stays up a while longer talking to Jisa before crawling in with him. 

In the morning someone has left breakfast and added some flower vases and pretty bits of coral.

Stef appreciates this, but Vanyel, for once, is completely oblivious to his surroundings. He heads for the future Work Room, sits down. Draws on all the nearest magical artifacts and then casts the spell, trying for Queen Karis' senior mage, who generally accompanies her at all times. 

Nothing. The other mage who often acts as her bodyguard is unreachable too. 

He stretches out his Thoughtsensing; is Fëanáro interruptible? 

Yes, he's just writing some notes.

:Can't reach the relevant people in Karse. Maybe Queen Karis was visiting Haven for some reason - she does every so often. Or could be that Sunhame got hit too, but it's five hundred miles away so that's either two separate attacks or it's getting Cataclysm-sized. I'm going to rest for half an hour and then try the Tayledras: 

Sounds good.

Half an hour later he braces himself; if this is bad news too then he's going to need a little while to absorb it before he can do anything else. He casts the spell again and tries for Starwind. 

<Vanyel? What is wrong?> 

<Starwind!> Vanyel nearly falls out of his chair with sheer relief. <I don't know. Our permanent Gate is down, I can't get through to anyone in Haven - or Karis' mages - something's really wrong. Have you seen anything> 

<We have not. Savil?>

His eyes sting. <Tried for her. Can't get through. You can try after in case the local version is different?> He's not hopeful of that. <We're worried it's the - threat I asked you to keep an eye out for. Maybe timed now because Leareth was in Velgarth. I need to call in every favour I can, need you to scout for us...> 

<You need not ask it as a favour; of course we will help. I will try to reach my Wingsister. And then alert our scouts for a long-range mission> Brief pause. <I cannot cast it from my side, if you are in Arda still. Will you come here?> 

<Not yet. I'm the only mage left in Arda. Fëanáro may want to send someone else, if that's all right, I'll have to ask. I can contact you again tomorrow> 

<Of course. Wind to thy wings, brother>

Vanyel drops the connection, spends a moment catching his breath, and then conveys everything to Fëanáro. 

Well, that's good. What would he need you for, exactly?

:He shouldn't need me. If there ends up being a fight, I'm a lot more powerful than anyone in k'Treva, but that doesn't outweigh my irreplaceability here, I don't think. I think he was worried about not being able to contact me if something comes up, he has to wait for me to check in from my side and I can't do it too often because it's tiring. But having me there wouldn't really be better: 

Then stay. At least until we know a lot more. 

Good your friends are safe.

:It's really good!: This is the first piece of good news he's gotten. :I told them already I wasn't coming. They're sending scouts to the edge of Valdemar. I'll check in tomorrow. I said you might want to send someone else, but I'm not sure how necessary that is, k'Treva has lots of scouts and mages, and they're willing to help: 

That's a relief. I will expect an update tomorrow.

And Vanyel will finish the Work Room shielding and then see how much progress he can make on the scrying in what's left of the day, which is more than he expected but he's estimating it'll still take him a fortnight to finish. 

Quendi feed him and don't otherwise interrupt him.

The next morning, Vanyel casts the communication spell again, for about a minute's worth of conversation, and then reaches out to Fëanáro again. :Scouts reached the border. They don't see any signs of violence there, but - the vrondi are down. Part of our mage-protections. I'm not even sure how anyone except me could dismantle it...but a Maia could do it, if they got to the Web-focus room in Haven. And they can't reach any Heralds or Companions with Mindspeech, which - someone should be in range:

He takes a deep breath. :They want permission to enter Valdemar and try to learn more. I think we have to assume that's Treven's call: 

Makes sense. I'm sorry.

:I'm calling a meeting with him - probably don't need you there but I'd usually ask Maitimo, I suppose I can ask Macalaurë instead. Oh - if Maitimo died, in the attack, would we expect him to go to Mandos? Or any of the others. I don't think that's been, er, tested before. Does Mandos tell you which souls he has?: 

He doesn't, not usually. Souls have to travel to him, I would be very surprised if he could get them from another world. We could maybe get an answer from him on that even if he won't confirm he has Maitimo. If he does have Maitimo we'll probably have him back within a month, so I'd expect we'll know by then.

:Oh. Hmm - could we Gate him there so the souls can travel to him? If a Maia can go through a Gate then maybe a Vala can, and - it'd be valuable for informational purposes, right? Even if it takes a month: 

Might be a good idea! I'd expect him to agree, he considers it his job to collect all the souls of the dead.

:Then I'll consider it as soon as, er, we think it's safe to go anywhere and I know a place in Velgarth that's definitely safe. I'm going to call this meeting and - I'll get a decision on whether the Tayledras go into Valdemar, it's almost certainly 'yes, at their own risk' but...Treven is my King now and it's his call: He closes his eyes against the sting of tears. :And then - we might need some time to absorb this before we make other decisions: 

Jisa is going to be devastated, is what he's thinking. It's her parents over there. (Two of them. She's known he was her father since she was twelve, apparently, having guessed it on her own. Obviously. Because she's brilliant.) 

Sure. I don't know of any reasons you don't it'd be time-sensitive. 

And he gets back to work.

:Jisa, get Treven and come to my Work Room: Drop the connection and reach again. :Stef, meeting. See if Macalaurë is available, if not you probably know who else has context, Fëanáro is working: 

Macalaurë is available.

Then they can all sit down in the meeting-room he's half set up next to the Work Room, and Vanyel casts a privacy-barrier and goes over everything they know. He's been giving regular updates, so none of it is a shock except for the fact that the vrondi are gone, and everything that implies.

"The scouts from k'Treva want permission to cross the official Border and go see what's going on," he finishes. "I - think we ought to at least grant permission. While warning them it could be more dangerous than anything they've encountered before, of course, and that they're by no means obligated to." But they'll do it. If not as a favour to Vanyel and to Jisa, lifebonded to the King of Valdemar and a Wingsister, then to avenge Savil. 

–and presumably Shavri. No, he isn't going to think about that any more right now. He can grieve an hour from now, when they've decided and he's passed on the decision to Starwind. 

Treven takes it in silence, keeping his composure surprisingly well. His lip quivers a little. 

"...I need a minute to think," he says finally, reaching out to grip Jisa's hand. 

Stef doesn't say anything, just shifts his chair closer and puts his hand on Vanyel's knee. They normally avoid physical affection in front of the Quendi, even Fëanáro's children, but Vanyel is grateful for it right now. 

He sings, very quietly, and otherwise lets Treven think.

"I think we have to approve it," Treven says finally. "We need more information. I - gods - I need to know what's left of the country I'm provisionally ruler of." He closes his eyes. "And - maybe we'll find out we're wrong, maybe whatever it was, Randi got out. I'm not going to assume I'm definitely staying in charge, here. But...I know that's probably wishful thinking." He swallows. "Van, you think you can get scrying to work?" 

"Yes, but it'll ta– oh." He is officially an idiot. "I can't do it from here without inventing a new spell, but there's no reason Starwind or Moondance can't scry Haven from where they are, they've been there before. I'll request they do that too." 

"Thank you." Treven takes a slow deep breath, lets it out. "All right, I think that's our plan, then? Van gets in touch again, we wait a day, we check back for more information and - go from there." 

Are we missing anything obvious, Stef puts out in public thoughts for Macalaurë, rather than saying out loud in front of Treven. 

Doesn't sound like it to me. Will it be helpful if we do the mourning songs, this week -

Yes. Please. 

Nod. 

So the Quendi will all start singing, while they work on making this place habitable. The same song they sing for Tylendel once a year.

Jisa goes back to her room with Treven, and cries while he holds her. Today isn't for accomplishing anything productive. That can be on tomorrow-Jisa. (Also it's not like she has much to do, here. She feels bad about abandoning her patients and hopes someone thought to explain why, she certainly didn't before their hasty departure.) 

Vanyel passes the message, and then sits with Stef for the rest of that day. They talk a little, in between the tears and hugs. Share memories of everyone back in Haven, who's almost certainly gone now. Randi. Shavri. Sandra and Kilchas. Dara. Even Tran, who never quite got over his awkwardness with Vanyel, but did eventually put aside their past disagreements in favour of present friendship. 

Savil. That part hurts the worst. His aunt, but in his heart she always felt closer to a mother than his actual mother by blood. 

...His parents, gods. Forst Reach may or may not be intact, with his siblings and cousins there, but Withen and Treesa were in Haven. 

Treven comes and finds him in the morning. "Have you checked back with them yet?" His eyes are a little red but he's otherwise composed. Jisa is with him, standing close but not touching. 

"Not yet. I just woke up." His sleep was troubled, plagued with nightmares of various possible horrors in the city he used to call home, despite Stef singing sleep songs for him and putting his Bardic Gift into it. "I'll do it now." 

He goes to the Work Room. <Starwind?> 

<The news is not good. I am sorry> A pause, as though Starwind is steeling himself for it. <Haven is in ruins. I did not see any Heralds at all. And - there appears to be an army camped there. Flying a flag I do not know - not Karse but reminiscent of it> He describes it, since the communication-spell doesn't have the bandwidth Mindspeech does, to pass along images directly.

<Iftel> Vanyel sends, flatly. <I - don't understand - we had an alliance with them...> He can analyze that later, though, no point going over it when he's casting a draining spell. <Your scouts?> 

<No particular news yet. Your peasant folk do not know anything. The scouts are looking for the nearest Guard-post but do not know where to search> 

Vanyel can ask for landmarks, guess where they are, and give some directions, and then drop the spell, exhausted. :Stef, find out when Fëanáro is available and call a meeting for everyone again, please. Bad news: 

Fëanáro is available and can head right over.

Vanyel waits until everyone is back in the meeting-room, now somewhat more thoroughly furnished and decorated.

"We sort of know what happened," he says. "The thing I have no idea of is why. It looks like - we got invaded. Haven's in ruins. There's a foreign army in place. Iftel - it's one of our neighbours, but we were allied with them. Queen Elspeth, Randi's grandmother, brokered an alliance, married one of their people." 

Something keeps tickling at his memory, something relevant, but it won't come into the light; the entire thing is so hard to think about. Probably just because he doesn't want to admit that the situation is real. 

"They've got gryphons," he adds. "Those are - a magically created species, Urtho's work before the Cataclysm. I found out about them in his Tower." He remembers the grief he felt, thinking that maybe they'd been wiped out in the Cataclysm. This is kind of the worst possible way to find out that in fact some survived. "Anyway. Conditions seem fine near the border, locals haven't seen any violence. The Tayledras scouts are headed for the nearest military posts around the Border, now that I've given them directions for it. They still haven't made contact with any Heralds." 

Treven just stares at him, lost for words. 

" - it seems implausible that the conquest of a country would happen too fast for anyone to get to the Gate and get you."

"I thought about that. I think - it almost has to be the case that this invasion started with Haven? That's the only way it could've happened fast enough to stop any of our mages getting to the Gate in time. Or maybe the first thing they did was infiltrate a small party to disable the Gate-threshold. Leareth is," was? "the only one over there who could've Gated over unaided, and - it wouldn't be that hard to keep him too busy to. Having done it, I can speak to it taking a lot of concentration." He closes his eyes. "I wouldn't have thought even an entire army could take Leareth down. But if he got out alive, he'd have found a way back here by now." 

"I mean, is it possible he wasn't in Haven?" Jisa offers. "They might've decided to do a diplomatic visit somewhere else." 

"I'd have heard last week if they were planning one. They were talking about doing some day trips just to see Valdemar a bit, but even if they were away from the city when it happened, I'm certain Leareth would've heard that something happened by now. And Gated back here. So...I don't think it can realistically be the case that his, er, current body survived." 

" - it seems like maybe the next group of people to get in touch with is the army that Leareth had assembled for invading Valdemar. Since we might need it after all."

"...I should've thought of that sooner. Right. Hmm. I have met a few of his mage-researchers, I should be able to direct the communication spell to one of them. Although I really need to rest for a bit before I try it, since it'll be kind of a long conversation to explain everything." 

"Will he have done so already? How long does it take him to get back on his feet when he dies?"

"You know, I'm not exactly sure. But - longer than this, I think, and he might come back really far away, especially if he's aiming to come back as soon as possible rather than in the most convenient location. And he comes back without most of his memories, so he wouldn't be able to Gate back to Valdemar or the north, he'll have to find his nearest records cache and then work his way back from there." 

Nod. "And we don't have a way to contact him?"

"The communication spell already failed. I don't have an alternate method to try although I'll keep thinking about it." 

"Okay. 

I'm so sorry. Obviously any help we can provide you is yours."

Vanyel ducks his head. "Thank you. I need to go - rest," cry for a few hours, "and then I'll try to reach Nayoki. It seems like probably whatever happened didn't hit places outside of Valdemar, since the peasantfolk on the Border are fine, it really does look like they started with Haven and went from there. I just wish I knew why–" And then it clicks. "Oh. Oh no." 

" - hmmm?"

"I don't know how I forgot, I'm an idiot. Iftel is ruled by a god. The entire country has a giant shield-barrier around it. That god is Vkandis. Who - doesn't like Leareth very much. And who apparently had an entire goddamned army in there that we didn't know about. Um. I'd been assuming this was related to whatever got through the Gate..." 

"Maybe it was. If one of Melkor's Maiar got through, don't you think they'd go try to ally with the nearest major power? And that'd explain how they could take out Leareth even though you don't think an army could." 

"And the delay," Stef adds. "Velgarth gods and Maiar are both slow." 

"I don't know." Vanyel twists his hands together in his lap. "I wouldn't have thought a Maia working for Melkor would've shared too many goals with Vkandis, but... I guess I don't really know what Vkandis' goals would be, here. I assumed He was fine with it since Karis didn't say anything against Arda. Maybe that wasn't a reasonable assumption." His eyes are stinging again. "I messed up. Should've been more careful." 

"We should maybe have not returned to Velgarth until we had the resources to help Leareth complete his plan there." Sigh. "...which is conceivably what we should be trying to do, in the medium term here, though I think short term we just need to get into contact with more people and gather more information."

"His plan to make a god, you mean? I - don't think we have an alternate power source, yet. The Silmarils won't do it for that." 

"Quendi and orcs are more power efficient than humans, and come back."

"...Right." Vanyel looks down at his lap. "All right. I need to rest and then I'll reach out and then we'll - know more - and we can plan." He feels like he still needs about a month to take in the enormity of it enough to actually be able to think straight. "Thank you. I really appreciate knowing that we have you and your people with us on this. I wish this wasn't happening but...wishing won't change it, will it." 

"Well, it's never worked for me. Take your time, I think thinking clearly is more important than moving quickly at this point. Because we're too late."

They're too late.

Those words are a refrain in Vanyel's head for the next several hours. He goes back to his room with Stef. Cuddles. Closes his eyes but can't quite sleep, despite his fatigue.

Stef sings to him, quietly, but has to stop because he's crying too. It hadn't seemed so final until now. 

When his reserves are slightly recovered, Vanyel gets up and goes back to the Work Room and casts the spell yet again. <Nayoki?>

<Herald Vanyel!> The spell, unlike true Mindspeech, doesn't convey any overtones of emotion, but there's still a franticness in the cadence of her words. <Valdemar - we don't know - Leareth - are you safe?>

<I'm safe. We think. In Arda, can't speak for long> He relays everything they've found, as tersely as he can manage it. <We think Leareth's dead. Can't contact him. You tried too?> 

<Yes. I had hoped...> Whatever her hope was, she doesn't say. <Vkandis. You are sure?>

<We're certain it was Iftel. Can't see why they'd attack if it wasn't at His bidding, they were our allies> That part still stings as well, more confusion than betrayal. <And - maybe the Maiar we think got through the Gate, before. But don't have direct evidence of that yet. Need to find out what the conditions are in Valdemar. Tayledras are scouting> 

<Will they work with us? The Star-Eyed and Leareth did not see eye to eye> 

<...I don't know> Vanyel had failed entirely to think of that, which is stupid of him. <They haven't mentioned any premonitions about it but I'll ask. And I don't need you to coordinate directly with them for right now. Just - try to get information, if you can. I'll be in touch>

He drops the connection, and relays the answer to Treven and Macalaurë, and Fëanáro if he's interruptible. 

- what does the part about the gods mean - is the Star-Eyed helping Vkandis, or not -

:It doesn't seem like it? But I need to pin Moondance down directly on that question. He gets premonitions from Her, sometimes, because of the kind of magic he has. And I think I would know if he was lying or being evasive about it: Starwind, he isn't sure, but Moondance is a terrible liar. 

All right.

I think next time you talk with her you should ask how close Leareth's project is.

:I would be pretty nervous about trying it without Leareth around, honestly, but - hopefully he'll find his way back north. I'll ask her next time, which should be after I check with Moondance. I'll do that tomorrow so I can get more news at the same time: And because he can't handle any more conversations today. 

Jisa comes over to his room once he's back there. Sits next to him on the bed. :I'm sorry: 

:I know, pet: Vanyel hasn't called her by that nickname in a long time but it just slips out. He puts his arm around her shoulders. :I'm so, so grateful you were here and not there. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you as well: 

:Do you think Melody...: Jisa doesn't finish. 

Vanyel has no answer for her. Melody probably wasn't in Haven, but he's also pretty sure it isn't just Haven that was lost. He hugs her in silence while Stef sings, quietly, in harmony with the Quendi mourning song still in refrain outside. 

And the next day he reaches out to Moondance again first. <Moondance. I need you to tell me everything you can infer about what the Star-Eyed feels about this. This is really, really important> 

<Oh> And there's a long silence, which is frustrating because the spell is still draining Vanyel, but also it's understandable that Moondance needs time to think. <I am not sure. It - felt right, to do as you requested and scout the border. And also it felt right to send our parties in. We have news for you–>

<Good. Tell me in a moment. Need this first> 

<I know little else> Moondance admits. <I think She wants me to help you, but that is a guess> 

<Can you confirm> Of course, Vanyel can't perfectly trust Moondance's answer. Moondance is pact-bound to serve a goddess. But - it's still information. Worth having. He can figure out what to do with it on his side. 

<I might petition to speak to Her directly, I suppose> 

<Do that immediately after this. Please> Vanyel takes a deep breath. <News?> 

<We lost a scout-party. But they were able to send a report in Mindspeech first. Guard-post destroyed. Army with the same flag camped there. Gryphons> 

So it's not just Haven. Really this isn't surprising at all. 

<I think we need to know conditions in Rethwellan> he sends. <And Hardorn, if you can get there. I - wouldn't go via Karse> 

<Anything you need, Wingbrother> 

And Vanyel drops the link and then thinks for a bit on his own before reaching out to Fëanáro again and briefly covering everything they discussed. :I don't think the Goddess is working with Vkandis on this. Moondance is going to try to speak to Her directly, I guess he can do that? The difficulty is that I can't fully trust his answer, since, well, if She is working with Vkandis then She'd want to give us false information, right? But I wasn't sure what else to do. We'll see what his answer is: 

It seems promising that they're in communications with you, and haven't, say, tried to lure you to Gate there?

:I think so, yes. I'm going to try for Nayoki in a couple of hours and I'll ask about the plan: 

Vanyel rests and then he does so, and then contacts Fëanáro again. :They're not far off in theory. Getting the population for powering it was going to be the hard part. But - she seemed pretty nervous about doing it without Leareth. Plus I get the sense they were sort of hoping to use that century to double check a lot of the details, since making an evil god by accident would be, er, pretty bad. Maybe you can lend them some people with the relevant expertise? Math in particular: 

Huh. We can probably lend them people. A more specific problem description might be helpful for picking out who'd be good.

:I thought you might want that and I told her. I couldn't hold the communications open any longer today, but she can have something succinct by tomorrow. And maybe more news for us: 

Thank you.

Are you pushing yourself to the point of being too tired to Gate out if you need to because that's probably not worth it.

:No, I could Gate out in an emergency. It'd give me backlash but - well, emergency: 

Okay, good. I will wait for information about what to ask the mathematicians for, then.

Vanyel spends the rest of that day thinking about inter-world scrying, because he might as well, in between bouts where the grief hits him hard and he has to sit down and hug himself and try not to weep. 

The next day he tries for Moondance again. It's a short conversation, and after it he sits down on his bed and puts his face in his hands and shakes for a while. 

:Fëanáro?: he sends finally. 

Yes?

:Bad news. And good, I guess. The good news is that I think the Star-Eyed Goddess might actually be on our side? The bad news is why. We'd made a Heartstone in Haven - er, can explain more what that is later. Important part is that it's Tayledras magic and the Star-Eyed gave it to them. Anyway, the Web was running off that. And it's gone. That wasn't visible on scrying, but the Star-Eyed just directly told Moondance that some kind of non-Velgarth magical attack shut it down. And that he should give us any help we need in destroying said foreign magic. Which I assume is the Maia we had suspicions about. She didn't say anything about Vkandis but it definitely looks like He decided to ally with said Maia: 

Okay. So the Maia is working with Vkandis and the Star-Eyed - and presumably Valdemar's own god - are with us?

:I guess? At least, it seems like the Star-Eyed thinks we're Her best bet to accomplish what She wants, here: 

I don't like gods. 

:Neither do I! I'm not exactly comfortable counting on Her being on our side. But - I do trust Starwind and Moondance. They've been some of my closest friends for decades. I think it would take Her directly possessing one of them for them to do anything to hurt me, and - it sounds like at the very least, that isn't in Her interests at all: 

All right. 

What other information do we need right now?

:Hmm. Conditions in Valdemar - strength of the Iftel forces, where they're stationed, whether there's any resistance left. We have a lot of local Guard posts and they won't back down without a fight. Nayoki may have some of that, I asked her to arrange for scouting as well. Where the Maia is - I'd guess Haven but that may not be scryable if it's not embodied: 

He closes his eyes. :And, I suppose what happened to your diplomats, and to Maitimo. It might be a good time to Gate Mandos out, if he's willing. ...Doesn't have to be to k'Treva, in fact it might be better not to risk upsetting the Star-Eyed. I could do it to some wilderness spot in Jkatha, that's far enough south that it seems nearly impossible for anyone in the Valdemar region to hear about it: 

It seems like a good idea to scoop up our dead, and I would expect that if they had no fault in their death Mandos won't hold them long.

:What, and he would if it had been their fault?: 

- well, yes, he delays reembodying people if they won't agree to whatever changes to their character he thinks are necessary or if they haven't yet accepted responsibility for whatever he thinks they're responsible for. Figuring out how to reembody Quendi myself is on the to-do list but - this is an emergency. And he can't possibly take issue with Maitimo, who is very boring as a person.

:You know: Vanyel says, wearily, :I really don't like gods. But - you're right, emergency. I guess we need to send someone to ask him? And presumably have him either agree to allow Gating in Valinor for that duration, or go to Tol Eréssea or something: 

We should send someone to Tol Eressëa who can then go to the Halls and petition him. We can ask about the Gates but we've been asking about the Gates, without any luck, for a couple years.

:This does seem like a different scale of emergency, but, yes. We should pass that on now since it sounds like it'll take weeks: At least the Vinyamar Gate-terminus doesn't need him to operate it. :And I'm talking to Nayoki soon, I'll get a problem description from her and maybe news. And then I'll update Treven, since...at some point we're going to have to make some actual military decisions, here: 

It's hard to imagine successfully taking back Valdemar from a god and an evil Maia, but it's not like they can just give up. 

Yes. You should also get from Nayoki a description of their forces, if we might be using those to take Valdemar back.

:Right. She started giving that to me yesterday but I told her I was too tired. It's not like we're planning an invasion for tomorrow: 

That wouldn’t be a good idea, no.

:I'm going to rest longer first, so I have the energy to cover everything without risking being too tired to Gate. I'll tell you when I know more: 

All right.

It's almost nightfall by the time Vanyel is confident he has enough in his reserves to manage a five-minute conversation. <Nayoki?>

<Bad news. Most of Valdemar is under hostile control. Guard-posts fought back, but - many dead. Some resistance still in the southwest, near Rethwellan. Should we try to offer them aid?> 

Good news, an unexpected tiny sliver of it. <Yes. If any Heralds are alive please Gate them to safety, that's more important than another body in the fight, since - well, we basically lost that fight the day Haven went down. I need the problem description for the god research, and I need to know your forces and numbers> 

<You wish to take back the country> 

<Not yet. We can't until we know more and have a plan. But I'm not giving up this easily> 

<All right> And she gives him both.

It takes a bit longer than five minutes total and Vanyel has to sit down on the floor for a while before he's ready to move.

:Stef: he sends when he's feeling strong enough to stand up. :Please tell everyone we're meeting in an hour. I need to go eat something and lie down first: 

Everyone can be assembled an hour later.

"First," Vanyel says, "we have a tiny bit of actually-good news. The southwest of Valdemar is still holding off the army. I doubt they can for much longer, but Leareth's organization can get some people out. Heralds if there are any, and as much of the Guard and surviving civilians as possible. It doesn't look like Iftel has been slaughtering noncombatants wholesale but there'll definitely be casualties otherwise, if they get in the way. We should know more by tomorrow." 

Treven lights up, though his smile fades quickly to a more subdued one. "That's very good." 

Vanyel waits to see if anyone else has additions, then properly goes through the news from k'Treva, for Treven and Jisa's benefit since he only gave them a very quick Mindspeech update earlier. He briefly describes the god research that Nayoki wants help checking, and gives Fëanáro the notes he took at the time; it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to follow although Yfandes thinks she got all of it. 

"And Leareth has an army of thirty thousand," he finishes. "Three hundred combat mages - about another hundred mages who aren't combat trained, mostly working on the god aspect. I am so glad we didn't end up going to war with him because we would have lost in about two days." 

"Is it enough to win now, though? _ I guess we'd need to know a lot more about what the Maia's capable of and what Vkandis is directly doing."

“It’s - not obvious, that it’s enough to win now,” Vanyel admits. “Then again, we have Maiar too. And your world’s magic. I think it’s not impossible to win. We just have to be very smart about it.”

"Well, we can probably manage that."

"I hope so." 

Treven takes a deep breath. Squares his shoulders. "Tomorrow you'll check about survivors they rescued from the southwest?" 

"Yes." Vanyel starts to stand. 

Treven stands as well, reaches out to grip his arm. "Van? Take care of yourself, all right? We've got exactly one of you and this - isn't going to be over soon." 

It probably will, as the Quendi count things, but he manages not to say this. 

"I asked Maitimo's staff to be ready to come over next time we Gate to Vinyamar in case they're any use," he says. "I will have some mathematicians join them."

"Thank you." Sigh. "I think I should take a day off the scrying thing - it'll still be good to have but it's less urgent now that we have eyes on the ground in Velgarth - and make a communication-spell artifact and do at least a tiny Gate to drop it off in k'Treva. Harder to get one to Nayoki because I don't know where she is, but it'll cut down on how tiring it is to contact the Tayledras, and it'll let them contact us with urgent news." 

"Sounds good."

Vanyel does this, and actually gets most of one artifact done by bedtime, minus the part he needs Curufinwë for. The next morning, again, he checks with Starwind first. No notable news; it's a short conversation. Then he swaps to Nayoki. 

:We have some really good news!: he announces to Fëanáro and Stef, who are both in range. :Survivors! Herald Dara got out with Rolan, the Groveborn. Katha knew about an underground passage, apparently. Randi and Shavri didn't make it - the King's suite was targeted directly - and, um, we have confirmation of a lot of suspected deaths. Including every single mage working for Valdemar. But a few Heralds, and...Queen Karis got out with them. She didn't know anything about the plan. Er, she's being kept under guard in a separate location up north, now, in case Vkandis tries anything, but she definitely wasn't on board with this and given the enormous crisis of faith she's apparently having over it, I'm not sure Vkandis could possess her anymore, her theological belief is that someone has to be willing: 

Is she still in charge of Karse? What's the news from there?

:No, she's not. And, confusing! We don't have communications with anyone officially in charge, but Nayoki's people picked up some rumours in Rethwellan - Leareth's spy network is remarkable. It sounds like there was a coup by the priesthood. Again: His throat tightens. :Karis...has a daughter. Who was in Sunhame, the capital, she didn't come along when Karis made a state vision to meet Leareth and Maitimo. Last time there was a coup, the entire royal family was killed, including the children, Karis was the only one who got out alive. I - don't know...:

He's never told anyone in Arda about this, but it's hardly worth keeping the secrets of a dead man who used to rule a lost country - although probably Fëanáro is going to be very horrified about it, given how Quendi feel about this particular matter. :Randi couldn't have children, probably due to his illness. Shavri was desperate for a baby. I, er, did them a favour. I'm Jisa's father by blood. And when Karis needed an heir, and the world needed to believe her child was Randi's...: 

Oh, Vanyel. I'm so sorry. Is it worth checking - is there a good way to check - even if it's insane for you to go to Karse right now some of Leareth's people could do it -

:Nayoki already offered - she doesn't even know that part about Arven, but obviously Karis is terrified for her daughter, and they're sending agents in. Even if Arven's alive and they can find her, I'm not hopeful about them getting out again, but...maybe I can at least know one way or another...: 

Yes. 

Leareth believed his god project might be able to raise the dead.

:I know. He told me: Vanyel is starting to wonder desperately when Fëanáro is going to be ready to leave the subject alone, it's very sweet of him and a lot better than him being angry or disturbed about the parenting situation there, but it's hard enough not to cry already. 

This seems to be everything he has to say on the topic.

Vanyel thanks him and goes off to find Stef. There's a lot to do, but - he needs a break from it, right now. 

The ensuring days start to fall into a routine, hard to believe as that is. His country is lost and nearly everyone he's ever cared about is dead and - life goes on, one step after another. 

He makes an artifact and drops it off with a tiny Gate in k'Treva; un-scaffolded, it's still tiring enough that he needs a rest afterward before he can keep working, but he's averse to building any kind of Gate-scaffolding on this side again, in the remote case that it makes it easier to Gate back from the other side, and that the enemy has Leareth again. (Which hurts to think about, and seems unlikely, there should have been time for him to at the very worst call down a Final Strike, and Vanyel can't imagine that he would have hesitated. The scrying done by Leareth's organization, which has much better techniques for it than the Tayledras, even shows an area of slagged and then scorched earth that looks very much like the aftermath of an Adept's Final Strike, though it could have been Savil.) 

They get word from Karse. Arven is alive - it seems that the new leadership is using that to claim continuity with the old, though it's a slim excuse. She's well-guarded and there's little hope of getting her out, and a rescue attempt risks killing her in the struggle, so best to leave it alone and hope they don't change their minds. 

They hear back from Mandos. He grudgingly agrees to travel to Tol Eréssea, and Vanyel can briefly Gate there, rest, and then cast an exhausting inter-world Gate to a random patch of jungle in Jkatha where he and Dara camped once. He isn't going to cross himself, and Mandos thinks it could take weeks. So Vanyel will leave him there and check back a fortnight later. 

The mathematicians get to work on trying to understand the problem statements Leareth's people sent over. Fëanáro comes up with another artifact upgrade so Vanyel can do magic a little longer without getting tired. It's not very good. He thinks he also has a modification of a Silmaril that would make for a vastly more powerful one but that needs to be an absolute last resort because the Silmaril in enemy hands would be disastrous. 

Vanyel agrees. That would be terrifying. The current modification is helpful; it gets his tenable conversation time without an artifact up to ten minutes, leaving enough reserves to Gate in an emergency, and it means that if he does have to Gate to Velgarth in an emergency he won't be utterly drained from it. 

They get more updates. All the remaining resistance in the south of Valdemar has been crushed. Word from Leareth's spy network: Rethwellan has militarized their border and is refusing all talks of alliance with the new occupying forces. It seems awfully helpful for Vkandis that Valdemar is sandwiched in between Karse and Iftel, though, both of which He already controls. 

Five days in, late in the afternoon when he's resting after poking at his nearly-complete scrying artifact, Vanyel feels the communication-spell reach out to him. <Wingbrother?>

<Starwind! What>

<The scouts have Prince Nelyafinwë. He is badly hurt> 

<What> Fortunately k'Treva has the artifact and that means he can hold the link without exhausting himself, and Mindspeak at the same time. :Fëanáro, come right now. They have Maitimo: 

<Starwind, tell me more - we thought he was dead...> 

He heads over. 

Could be a trap. 

:I know. I'm getting more information: 

<He escaped Haven in the attack. Says Leareth called a Final Strike to cover him. He was injured then but still made it nearly to the Border on foot. Came under pursuit by occupying troops. Our people were near enough to hear a call for help. They fought them off and Gated him to the Pelagirs. Not k'Treva, we know it could be a trap, but - he is not in good shape, he might have died if the scouts had not had a Healer with them, so it would be a risky trap>

Vanyel relays all of this to Fëanáro. It could be a trap anyway, of course, but...what are they going to do, not help him? 

Can we talk with him?

:Not directly with the spell, he's not a mage. I suppose one of the Tayledras could relay, but he's not in k'Treva and I don't know the scouts who are with him right now: He frowns. :If I Gate to k'Treva I could speak with him over osanwë range: 

We'd be gambling a lot on the Star-Eyed in fact not being on Vkandis's side. But - we notably wouldn't be gambling on Maitimo's presence not being some kind of trick, he could only talk to you at that range if it were really him -

:That makes sense. Just a moment: 

<Where is he? We're concerned this is a trick and I need to talk to him directly, but I - have hesitations about Gating straight to k'Treva. I need to speak to him and I can do that from a distance, is there a place in the regular scout range that's within fifty miles?> He thinks he has a hundred with Maitimo but fifty seems like enough and he's not wanting to strain his Mindspeech range excessively. 

<Just a moment> Pause. <The silver rock crossing is sixty miles, does that work>

<It should, yes. A moment> 

:Fëanáro, I can Gate to a place that's a good distance from the Vale - I'm less worried about the Star-Eyed being able to intervene drastically if I'm not near a Heartstone. Sixty miles. It's within our range: 

All right. - probably commit now not to be persuadable to go get him.

:I agree: He’s not delighted about it, but it sounds like Maitimo isn’t imminently dying, there’s a Healer with him - k’Treva can get more Healers to him - and Vanyel can’t help on that front anyway. :Hmm. I don’t want to wait too long but we can spare five minutes. What other precautions should I be taking? I won’t be able to talk to you while I’m there:

Don't tell him where you are, obviously - and that means keeping senses private, you know how to do that? Don't tell him what we're planning, or who is alive, or whether we're in contact with Leareth. 

:I think I know how to do it - check if I’m doing it now?:

- yep, you got it.

:All right. I’ll wear my shield-talisman but won’t bring anything fancier, just on the principle that we don’t want our maybe-still-secret techniques in enemy hands and that includes the Star-Eyed in the unlikely event where She betrays us. And I’ll come back in exactly an hour, or sooner. If I’m not back in that time, then even if I make it back later, you should assume you - might not be able to trust me fully: 

He isn’t sure what options the Star-Eyed has for acting through him but is reluctant to assume they don’t exist; he’s not exactly Tayledras but he is a Wingbrother to k’Treva.

All right.

If they can't trust Vanyel they are pretty much out of options. But he doesn't say that.

:I'm going to be extremely careful. I won't stay any longer than I have to, to confirm it's him and find out what happened: 

Vanyel waits for Stef to catch up. Hugs him. "I'm sorry, love. I know it's going to hurt, us being in different worlds, but you really can't come." 

"I know. Just - don't be an idiot, all right? No heroics. Promise?" 

"I promise I won't do anything heroic and dumb." 

<Starwind. I'm meeting at the location you named - is someone going to be there?>

<I will be. Five minutes> 

Then Vanyel will take five minutes to catch his breath. He's taking his endurance artifact too; he'll need it if he ends up in a fight.

When the five minutes have dripped past, he hugs Stef a final time, nods to Fëanáro, takes a deep breath, draws in all the power he can, and casts an inter-world Gate from the doorway of his Work Room to a lonely patch of forest a world away. As usual, he can't see the other side, only a milky film. Annoying, but he has to cross and hope that if he walks into an ambush he has time to leap back. 

:An hour: he sends again, and steps across into Velgarth. 

"Wingbrother." Starwind is in fact there, along with half a dozen other scouts. Moondance isn't present, maybe because he's a Healing-Adept, with a more direct link to the Goddess. 

Vanyel doesn't move closer. "It's really, really good to see you. I wish - Savil..." His voices cracks, and he has to take a deep breath and blink hard and remind himself that they have a time limit. 

"I know. I am so, so sorry." Starwind bows his head for a moment, then points. "He is that way." 

So Vanyel taps a node briefly to renew his reserves, and then stretches out with Thoughtsensing, looking for Maitimo. 

- Vanyel?

Vanyel is keeping his senses blocked from osanwë, and his shields as tight as he can, and - trying not to rejoice too much, but that feels like Maitimo, and Fëanáro's right, it would be nearly impossible for an imposter to replicate osanwë and at this range. 

:I can't come to you: he sends. :Or tell you anything. I hope you understand. But - are you all right? They said you were injured: 

I'll live. Leareth - did a Final Strike, to get me out. And also Sandra and Keiran but they didn't make it. I don't think many people did, I'm so sorry. Vkandis is working with a Maia of Melkor. Sauron. Leareth didn't have time to tell me much of anything about him. Under the circumstances I'm sure he'd be fine with it if you read his notes. 

:What– Oh, right. Leareth would've met him: Presumably in some extremely horrifying context that Vanyel really would prefer not to know the details of, but. :Notes back in Arda, you mean?: 

Yes. I'm sorry, it'll probably suck, but there might be something important in there and Leareth might not remember. Maybe have Larya do it and send you a summary. - also you shouldn't be in Valdemar, don't tell me if you are, but they've got all kinds of forms of surveillance up within the borders now, I think. Shouldn't have been able to find me and they kept being able to find me. - and maybe don't go to K'Treva either, we think the Star-Eyed isn't uncomplicatedly on board but we don't think she's uncomplicatedly opposed either. - why don't we not converse for one minute so that if you need to relocate you can do that without me having the information that you needed to relocate.

Huh. :All right: He drops the connection. Nods to Starwind with a curt smile. Waits exactly a minute. :Still there?: Osanwë isn't directional, Maitimo shouldn't be able to tell that he hasn't moved. 

Yeah. - most of this is probably out of date but don't cut me off if you know better - Leareth and I were on a day trip in the mountains up north. They attacked right after we got back. Lots of gryphons. Karis didn't know anything about it but her Suncat was gone. Leareth was tired, he'd just Gated. He is planning to come and find us as soon as he can but it'll take a while, he will be a teenager and might not remember much and will have to work his way back from his supply caches. And the Enemy's probably looking for him. His army might still work with you, I'd think, but I haven't met anyone I can send you an impression to work off. 

They were aiming to destroy the Gate. I don't know if it was just a practical thing because if we'd made it to the Gate we could've made it to you or if it was the whole point. We were speculating maybe Vkandis took issue with the world getting better, the way the gods take issue every time Leareth tries to make things better, but we didn't have much time to speculate. 

And to someone else - is that enough to triangulate?

Yes. Just keep him there.

Savil is dead. I'm very sorry. She was - very impressive - I can send it, if you want, but maybe not right now.

:No, not right now, but - thank you...: Vanyel blinks away tears, now is not the time. Maitimo sounds like himself. He doesn't sound like someone under the number of compulsions it would take to make him act against them. Everything he's said so far fits, except that Vanyel doesn't specifically know anything about surveillance in Haven - but the Web was possible, Vkandis might have an alternative. 

He wants to say that Karis and Dara and Katha got out alive, but he can't afford even that much. I'm sorry, he thinks behind the privacy of his shields. :I want to ask you some more questions: He has a series he can go through, poke further at the compulsion question - Maitimo is smart, he would notice a compulsion making him act uncharacteristically even if it was subtly done, and Vanyel bets he could find ways to sneak around it.

He can go through the questions. He does not seem like someone who is desperately trying to get a different message out the sides of the main message. 

Really what you should do is get a Mindhealer out to look, though. Gods might be able to be more subtle than mages. - I guess it might be safe to just fish me back and have Jisa look, we shouldn't assume the Enemy isn't reading me and we shouldn't assume my advice is good advice but I am not actually dangerous to be around. - don't decide that now, go discuss it with some people. I am not going to die on you. I might offend our allies by finding their hideout ugly, I guess. 

Vanyel is very tentatively starting to feel - relieved, even hopeful. :Maitimo, I can't tell you now if that's something we could consider. And - please tell the Tayledras anything you need, including for things to be prettier, if that means you can recover faster from your injuries or something. They won't be offended: He swallows. :I'm really, really glad you made it out alive. And I'm sorry about Leareth. I know he's not gone-gone, but - still: 

He was hoping to never have to do it again. Sigh. We'll figure things out. You'll figure things out, I'll work on stitching these bones back up.

:We will: It hasn’t been an hour yet but there’s no point lingering now that he’s asked all the useful questions and gotten answers. Still, he doesn’t want to go just yet. He can’t think of anything concretely reassuring that he can safely tell Maitimo, but- :It’s going to be all right:

I hope you're right about that. I have some things I'd like to convey to people back in Vinyamar, but, uh, probably use your judgment about whether to actually convey it -

And then the connection breaks because Vanyel is no longer a Mindspeaker. 

Also? Gryphons.

Vanyel isn't much good in a fight without magic, but he's with half a dozen Tayledras scouts, four of them aren't mages and even the mages among them are skilled in non-magical combat. They circle up around him, bows come out, arrows fly at the gryphons, spears and daggers are at the ready for hand-to-hand fighting if the enemies get closer. 

And suddenly it is impossible to see anything. 

This makes it really hard to aim arrows! Someone shoves Vanyel to the ground, he can't even tell which of the scouts it is - they can't even get a message out to call for help - he can still hear the thud of a spear, the swish of a blade aimed blindly–

- a sensation like a sudden cold wind that stops just as abruptly, claws slashing, cries of pain -

And someone grabs him, he's not sure who, maybe Starwind, maybe one of the others, scoops him up and runs - Vanyel is already pretty sure this isn't going to work, the panic is fading into an oddly peaceful resignation, like he felt once in the ice dream, one irrecoverable mistake and they've already lost–

The cold wind keeps up with them, and then some gryphons catch up too. 

And then there is pain, but only briefly before there's nothing at all. 

(Cold wind darts back towards the main group, some of which might've noticed their magic working again. Before it abruptly stops working, again.)

Someone is shouting at him but the words slide past Moondance's ears–

–someone is shouting at him in Mindspeech, now, :stop it is a trap you must not–:

But Moondance k'Treva is not currently in a place where those words are anything near as real as the screaming panic that fills his mind, StarwindStarwindStarwind, he can barely feel him at all now and he hasn't been able to reach him with Mindspeech even though they should be in range but for a brief, awful, soul-shattering moment he could feel Starwind's pain through the lifebond, and - lifebond - their minds are tied together in a place outside material reality - he knows where he is–

Moondance is a Healing-Adept who has spent the last three decades fighting Pelagirs monsters, he's fast, and versatile - he doesn't need a threshold for a Gate, anymore, he got some ideas talking to Vanyel and to Maitimo on their visit to Arda, the kinds of Gate that Leareth could do...

He flings up a Gate-threshold on the usual archway, and anchors the other end on Starwind, he doesn't need any clearer of a destination than that, he tells the Gate-spell that it needs to be under Starwind, his shay'kreth'ashke, Starwind is there and he needs to be here–

And a broken body falls through the Gate. 

–with his arms still loosely around a smaller figure, Vanyel isn't conscious, isn't moving or breathing, he lands in a heap on the flagstones of the courtyard, there's already blood everywhere–

Moondance yanks down the Gate in a fraction of a second, the others catch up, Moondance screams in Mindspeech to the entire Vale, :need a Healer NOW: and pulls Starwind's limp form into his arms.

 - elsewhere, a furious scream - YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE PERMITTED THAT -

- they're dead, it's fine - 

- THE ELF WAS DEAD - 

- they're more dead than that, it's fine -

Nothing hurts.

Vanyel opens his eyes to formless white.

"Herald Vanyel." 

Oh, gods, this again. Vanyel can't muster much emotion about it.

"Do I still have a choice," he says flatly. He doubts it. The fight that this was all about, originally, never ended up happening at all, and all of that is half a decade old at this point. Not to mention he can't imagine the gryphons left enough of his body intact for him to have anywhere to go back to. 

"Do you wish to?" 

"Um, obviously?" Vanyel stops. "Actually, hmm. I have no idea what information you're allowed to give me this time around, but - it might be better for the war for me to be dead, than Sauron's prisoner."

If that even is the Maia's name, after what just happened he is no longer inclined to trust anything Maitimo just told him - damn it, he would swear Maitimo wasn't under any compulsions, his thinking was too obviously himself, which means that - all of that was his own choice... The betrayal stings, but distantly, it's not just physical pain he can't feel in the Shadow-Lover's realm. 

"You are not. That is information you must have." 

"Huh." Vanyel looks around, sits down on a piece of white mist slightly denser than the rest. "...Is it better for Valdemar if I go back?" 

The Shadow-Lover bows his head, blue eyes somehow still visible even though his face is, as always, hidden in the shadow of his cloak. "That, I do not know. What I can see of the future is - limited, now. There is an alien force at work." A soft sound, almost a sigh. "If you do go back, you may, again, regret it in the short run, and your power to act will be limited." 

"Sauron messed me up pretty badly, huh? I'm surprised he would've left the body," bodies? but he can't think about that right now, "rather than, I don't know, burning it just to be thorough." 

"There are generally more options open when one is alive rather than dead." 

"That's true. Also - oh, gods, Stef." He must be panicking right now. Vanyel remembers how it felt from his end when Stef was just non-critically injured. "I have to go back. Even if there's no hope of helping with the war, I - I can't do that to him." 

Respectful silence. The Shadow-Lover has no further information to add, it seems. 

"I'm going back," Vanyel says quietly. "But - not yet. I have a lot of thinking to do and this is the best place for it. And...whatever you can tell me, would be helpful." 

"I am not going to conceal anything from you, Herald Vanyel. The time for that is done. This entire world is in danger, and - Vkandis Sunlord is making a terrible mistake, but I do not think He is likely to realize this in time to make any difference." 

"Right. Er, can you tell me anything about how Sauron managed to convince Vkandis that they were on the same side..." 

A world away, Stef is abruptly screaming. 

:Fëanáro, I need you here right now - something's really badly wrong–:

Can you be more specific than that, he says, heading towards her.

:Not really! Stef is–: She just sends a sense-impression of him rather than try to explain. His eyes are wild, he doesn't seem to be seeing her at all, he won't stop screaming even as she reaches him and wraps her arms around him and tries to ask him, out loud and in Mindspeech, he's not a Mindspeaker but she's strong enough to speak to the un-Gifted and maybe that will get through to him–

–and it's good she's holding him, because a few seconds later his eyes roll back in his head and he goes completely limp in her arms. 

Vanyel.

:He's in trouble - maybe dead - it was a trap after all–: Jisa lowers Stef to the ground with shaking hands. He's not moving at all but he is still breathing. :Need Macalaurë, Healing song - if Van's dead I don't know if we can save him but we have to try...:

:I don't think he's dead: Yfandes' mindvoice is toneless, empty. :I - he was, for a moment? But - I can't feel him but our bond isn't broken. Kernos' balls, I should've made him take me too: 

:No. Then whatever happened would've gotten you too. It's better that you're safe here: 

I told Macalaurë to come. Do Leareth's people know how to get to Arda. 

:I - don't think so? Not without the Gate setup on this side, and - we don't have any mages to fix it, now: In hindsight there are several enormous oversights involved, there. :Some of them have visited, though, and they might have Leareth's research notes, maybe eventually they can figure out the unaided version of the Gate...: 

Maybe. 

We should move again.

:Probably. We can't Gate though. I'm worried about moving Stef while he's still - like this - but you're right, we can't stay here: 

We should go back to Valinor. It doesn't even have its main disadvantage when we can't Gate anyway. I'll ask Círdan for a ship. 

Macalaurë arrives and starts singing to Stef.  - does Yfandes need it too -

:Yfandes, are you–:

She Mindspeaks all of them in reply. :I'm - not doing great, but I think it hit Stef harder. Companions are tougher than humans. As long as you don't need me to gallop anywhere in the next five minutes, focus on him: 

:Where are you right now, I'm coming out to you...?: Stef's in good hands now, she can go. 

Yfandes flashes a location. She's lying on the ground. :I sprained my hock a bit - it startled me, I tripped: Rising fear in her mindvoice. :Oh, gods, Van... He's alone over there: 

:But you think he's still alive?: 

:Trust me. I would know if he wasn't: A mental snort. :He's friends with the Shadow-Lover. Bet he had a nice little chat with his old pal and got sent back again. This is the - sixth time, I think?: 

I think there is very little we can do about the situation in Velgarth at this point, he tells Macalaurë. In a generation, maybe, when our humans can be mages. But probably either Leareth or Vanyel will figure out how to reach us before that. And the Enemy might, too. So -

Valinor?

I think Jisa and Treven and Stef and Yfandes should be there. I want to work with the Silmarils, so I want to stay in Vinyamar. 

You could take them to Valinor too. 

Yes, but that constrains our research to things the Valar won't be tempted to intervene in.

I expect they'll be on our side, when it comes to the war in Velgarth. 

I think we may need to build Leareth's god.

I guess I could imagine the Valar taking away your Silmarils over that.

I could too. Go to Valinor. Keep them all alive. 

I'll do my best.

Stef starts to wake up a few minutes later. He's very disoriented and - something hurts - but not in the awful soul-destroying way he vaguely remembers feeling before everything went away.

Someone is singing. He recognizes Macalaurë's voice. Tries to speak but it's not really working. "Hnng?"

Vanyel was injured. We don't know more right now.

"...He's alive. Can't feel him but - I'd know - if he were dead..." Stef tries to drag his mind toward having any useful thoughts. "What are we doing now?" 

Getting out of here. Going back to Valinor, except for research projects that can't proceed there. We'll leave some information he can find if he comes back here.

"Oh. All right." 

All Stef can think, right now, is that it sounds like they've already lost. But Vanyel is alive and as long as that's true he's not, quite, willing to give up hope. 

Starwind is dead. 

Moondance can barely think through the screaming in his mind. Starwind is dead and it's his fault, he should have been faster - he should have been there but they didn't trust him because he's too closely connected to a Goddess who may or may not be on Vanyel's side. 

Starwind is dead but Vanyel isn't. Nobody's sure how Vanyel is alive, his injuries - weren't survivable - but he is. Moondance remembers Riverstorm whispering about divine intervention. Presumably not the Star-Eyed but Moondance doesn't understand anything anymore. 

Starwind is dead and the world no longer makes sense but he sits at his Wingbrother's bedside anyway. Vanyel survived a broken lifebond for decades. If he could do that, Moondance can hold it together long enough that Vanyel can wake up to a familiar face. 

Riverstorm is there. "He is stable," Moondance hears her say, as though from a great distance. "I am not sure when he will awaken. If he will. He took a blow to the head, his skull was cracked, there was bleeding inside... We can Heal the rest, eventually, but that is harder." 

Moondance nods without making eye contact. Reaches for Vanyel's limp hand. Starwind survived it once, he thinks - even recovered partially - but that was with Shavri and Jisa's aid, and eventually Lórien. Shavri is dead and Jisa is in another world. Trapped, now, because Vanyel was the last mage left in Arda. They can't get to Lórien. Moondance doesn't know the unaided inter-world Gate spell. Maybe nobody in Velgarth does. 

...It's too hard to plan for the future, right now. There's only the present, grey and hopeless and empty. 

The streets start getting loud long before the sun is up; the hours before dawn are actually the busiest time of the day, because if you can avoid being out of doors once the sun is up you will.

On the ground floor of an inn a family of four sleeps under insect-nets which deter only most of the insects, and wake up to pots clanging and animals braying and voices haggling. It is hot. It is humid. A fifteen-year-old boy is sleeping as far away from his brother as he can get while sharing the same narrow bed.

Tarek is having a perfectly normal dream about that nice girl at the inn back in Petras, Neeva, it's really unfair how his father doesn't just travel constantly to horrible countries with insects everywhere but also makes him come along. 

Meanwhile, somewhere else that isn't precisely in the ordinary world–

Something that isn't quite a person looks out at chaotic swirls in a void, from the vantage point of a pocket of even deeper nothing. Somewhere else, time passes, but time does not precisely exist, here. 

There are no thoughts except, wait. watch. not yet.

Tarek wakes up. Gods, stupid bugs. The stupid stick of incense they bought at the market, which is theoretically supposed to dissuade insects, has gone out. Father is asleep. There's a flint-and-steel but lighting the goddamned incense from the spark never works for him, and lighting the firepit appeals even less, it's already hot and the sun's not even up. 

...He could try his new power. Tarek hasn't told his parents, yet, he isn't sure, but he's been able to make odd things happen for a month, now, and is pretty sure he's not imagining it. It's awakening late, his sister is a Healer and got her Gift at twelve, when he was tested a year ago his Gift was still dormant, potential only, and the priest said he wasn't likely to be a mage if it hadn't woken by now. Apparently he was wrong.

So far he's only been able to move small objects and make a flickery light, but mages can light fires, he's read that. Tarek concentrates very hard–

In another place, a tendril of power twangs, and the ancient spell-web echoes. Now?

The hollow nothingness turns inside out, and the everything-else rushes in. The thing-that-watches – he had a name, before, what was it – he unfolds, stretches out, grasps at his new surroundings, instinctively crushes all resistance. Where am I? What– 

Leareth. That was his name, before. And - the memories are fragmented, confusing, he remembers dying in a storm of fire, remembers a voice that wasn't Mindspeech. Love you. Stars, but - clearer, more vivid, than human eyes should be able to see...

Leareth wrestles his new body to lie down and then stay perfectly still, breathing evenly, which is hard because his control of it is still iffy, and riffles through the memory-traces present in his newly inherited brain. Tarek. Fifteen years old. Son of a merchant-trader from Rethwellan, currently in...Velvar? Younger brother. Late-awakening mage-gift that no one knows about yet.

There's some particularly heated shouting outside, and his father gets up. Sighs. "Boys, the day's not getting any younger."

Leareth tries to reach out and– damn it, how inconvenient, his new body doesn't have Thoughtsensing. He doesn't think it's even there in potential - no, searching the memories again, priest testing the children, he's got Healing in potential and a just-starting-to-awaken, not yet very strong mage-gift and that's it. 

He gets up and does his best to look sleepy and teenaged and grumpy about it, hoping no one tries to talk to him before he finds a way to get away from here and find some peace and quiet where he can sort through the mess of memories he brought with him. He knows from experience that he has about a day to do so, and - even as disoriented as he is, something tells him that this time it's especially critical.

No one else seems in a talkative mood either, at this hour. His father tells him to straighten out his shirt and look more alive without particular conviction, and then leads them out into the streets of Velvar's capital, Ashuel. 

It's much denser than Rethwellan. The streets are a sea of people and animals, densely packed. The buildings are five, six stories tall with no breathing room between them at all. The bugs go after them with renewed enthusiasm.

...Leareth has presumably been to Jkatha ever, but he has no intact memories of it at all and also this is very overwhelming and reminds him of–

–why in all hells is one of the few dozen or so fragmentary memories he's dragged along from his previous life of literally being tortured, for one that's the least useful memory ever and he is absolutely not going to keep it, two, what happened, he is so incredibly confused right now. 

He watches for an opportunity to slip away without it being noticed. 

It is not too hard to slip away in one of these large crowds of people and goats and dogs.

Then he will do so, get as much distance between himself and his family the former family of his host body, his distant descendants, and - pang of grief, this is upsetting and right now he can't trace down the memory of why, or of whether it's hurt this much every single time. 

Once he's fairly sure of not being found, his next item is to find somewhere quiet. Unfortunately renting a room at an inn is going to be hard because he's fifteen and his pockets prove to contain a few coppers and some string and nothing else. 

The city of Ashuel is not quiet. It has temples that are, or he could keep wandering all the way to the edges of the city and wander into a flooded field of rice.

Then he will end up by the flooded rice field, and look around for a place to sit - his minimum criteria are that it be in the shade, and offer some cover so no one will see him and try to talk to him for the next few hours. 

He can sit in the shade of a tree growing at the edge of the rice field, and if he's sitting on the ground he'll be hard to see through all the rice.

Then he'll do that. He keeps part of his attention on listening for noises in his surroundings, but mostly focuses inward. 

...First, he pieces together all the critical memories of who Tarek was, because for some reason this feels very important - get him back someday - he isn't sure why he believes this is even possible, yet, but he drags together some basic mnemonic techniques, half-reinventing them on the spot, and memorizes the key facts about Tarek that would let him pick the youngster out from a lineup of all the humans who ever lived in Velgarth–

–there are worlds other than Velgarth, because he remembers being in one. Tarek spoke Rethwellani and trade-tongue; Leareth can piggyback on that. The language he remembers at all from his previous life is - probably from the other world? It's very pretty. 

He remembers a Herald of Valdemar whose name is Vanyel, standing in a frozen pass - a dream - and talking to him. Also the torture memory has Vanyel in it, which doesn't make sense. It wasn't really Vanyel, though? He's pretty confident of that, it was a trick somehow, but he'll have to wait until he's fit together more of the loose puzzle-pieces to see the full picture. 

He remembers a man who doesn't quite look human - what was his name - at least ten of the most central memories of his last life are of him, actually. The one with the stars, seen through eyes that weren't his. Having his hair elaborately braided, which for some reason feels very significant and meaningful. The man standing in the ruins of a fortress, briefly making eye contact before gesturing for someone else to club Leareth in the head. 

He remembers facing a - god? No, there are two memories there, actually. A man ten feet tall, standing by a forge, handling the red-hot metal barehanded. YOU WANT TO BUILD SOMETHING. I CAN TELL WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO BUILD SOMETHING. PEOPLE WHO WANT TO BUILD SOMETHING AS INTENSELY AS YOU ARE RARE. I WISH YOU GOOD SKILL. 

And a different time. Eru likes beautiful stories, and Eru thinks that the most beautiful stories are the stories of how people are utterly destroyed by what should have been their greatest strengths. I am not the enemy of the peoples of Arda except incidentally. I am the enemy of their god.

Leareth knows that in the second memory, he was about to make a terrible mistake. It's frustrating that he isn't sure what the mistake was. They were - at war? With an evil god. Probably this is related to the part where he was being tortured at some point. 

He remembers watching the first sunset in a new world that never had a sun until now, with the man whose name he still can't remember. The man was so happy. 

He remembers the man holding him, singing a mourning song for - what? It was for him, he thinks, but that's very confusing. Leareth is pretty sure that waking up in a new body is not always this confusing. 

–And he remembers telling the man to put him down. I will not forget you and I will come looking. I promise. And the man answering, Love you, and - walking out toward an army, gryphons bearing Vkandis' standard, and going out in a blaze of fire, and how in that moment he wasn't afraid. 

He is so incredibly confused, still, but he can already tell, as he pieces the fragments of himself together, that the current situation is very bad. 

The sun rises in the sky. It's very hot. No one comes out to the rice fields; it's not the season for that. 

It's unreasonably hard to think in the heat, but he pushes through it, and by noon has managed to fit together the core of himself, built around one blazingly clear memory of the stars, seen through mountain air and the alien eyes of someone he loved - still loves, someone he promised to go back and find. And a second memory, speaking to Vanyel. I look at the stars, and I remember that there are so many lights in the world, who are worth saving, and we cannot save all of them – from the very beginning, it was too late to save all of them – but we can still save some. It is never too late for that.

Except maybe it's not too late after all, because there are other worlds, there are always more than two, and someday, somehow, they're going to fix it, they're going to go back and save everyone. Including the child he just murdered. No matter how long it takes.

...He needs to give himself a new name, traditionally he does that in each new body, it helps keep track. 'Leareth' means the night sky, in ancient Kaled'a'in. And there are fragments of a different language in his head, still. The language spoken by - Maitimo, that was his name. Nelyafinwë Maitimo, who he is headed to find. Vanyel is still in Arda, hopefully, and safe - he needs to find out how long it's been–

Telumë. A word that means the sky, in Quenya. That can be his name. 

The boat moves over choppy waves. 

Jisa stands by the railing, staring out at the water. Treven is sitting a few yards back, eyes silently on her. Stef is huddled up with Yfandes, further back on the deck. 

Van is still alive. He hasn't contacted them but it's not clear how he would. According to the best of their knowledge, nothing has come through from Velgarth to kill everyone. 

Now what? 

They have to hope it takes their enemies longer to rederive how to find them than it takes them to be ready. And they can't count on mages, so that means local magic, which is slow. This is not what the Silmarils were meant for but he can't think of anything else that could do it even in principle. 

He sits on the deck, scribbling notes.