Nod. "That makes sense. Are you going to try to make your next body look very much like your current self except for the wings and tail? I think I would get used to it either way, but I suppose you might prefer your own face to stay the same as well." 

"Wings, tail, otherwise I like how I look fine and would sooner keep it."

"Fair enough." 

He goes back to his work. 

A few weeks later he comes to her with pages of notes in his hand. "It occurs to me that if we could get Valdemar on our side, they have a Heartstone. Which does not solve the problem of a power source in its entirety, but it does make it significantly easier." 

"Yeah. It does let on that we're looking for a power source and that might let them connect more dots unless there's something else you can do with Heartstones. Though if your diplomats finessed it especially well maybe whatever relationship let Valdemar get the one could get them another? If the Star-Eyed isn't too on her guard to let that work, at any rate."

"...I am somewhat concerned about that part. The Star-Eyed can work through a Heartstone if She chooses - it gives Her some territorial advantage in Haven. And I assume that She would want to disrupt our talks with Valdemar if we are making progress on convincing them of anything that helps us, whether or not we tell them the true reasons."  

"...if she can work through it why do you think you'll be able to use it at all instead of having it, uh, crumble to dust or zoom into the air and smack you in the face, or something?"

"It is a complication that makes the plan less feasible in general. Her power to work through it is not unlimited, though - I do not think she could crumble it into dust or turn it into other things, it simply gives Her more ability to nudge coincidences Her way, like in the Tayledras lands. Her attention is also not infinite - I do not think that She would necessarily know exactly what I was going to do. If I discussed it with the Senior Circle only somewhere outside Haven and came to an agreement, I do not think that She could, through the Heartstone alone in a different location, do anything to sabotage that." 

"So it might make sense to ask the diplomats to set up somewhere outside the probable range of the Heartstone effect, before anything more sensitive comes up."

"Yes. And on reflection, I should definitely not personally visit Haven, even if the rest of Valdemar seems fairly likely to be safe." 

"That makes sense, though nothing has actually happened to us in Haven."

"That is true, and I think it is unlikely anything would happen on a return visit, but still. It is not that costly to ask to do it elsewhere instead, if we do end up visiting." 

"It's probably costly enough to be apologetic about - makes it inconvenient for most of the people we're talking to to simultaneously do their normal jobs and access their normal lives, if nothing else."

"That is a fair point. Anyway, I am not sure things changes our immediate next actions. I will consider ways we could mention the usefulness of Heartstones without giving too many hints about the rest of the plan." 

"What are the Valdemarans using theirs for?"

"My understanding is that it is mainly a power source and spell-anchor for the Web, a preexisting set of wards and defences on the entire kingdom that Vanyel extended. It is also how they provide energy to bring in the vrondi - the same elementals that detect intent for Truth Spell, but they also detect magic and are set up throughout Valdemar to trigger a Web-alarm and then hang around and watch, which is also rather distracting for the poor foreign mage. I called a vrondi-alarm onto myself deliberately to attract the Heralds' attention, when I was trying to find you again. In hindsight it was a very reckless thing to do, and unlike me, but I was not thinking especially clearly at the time." 

Pat pat.

"It is a brilliant work by Vanyel but is rather overkill for the problem it is addressing; I could show Vanyel some non-god-reliant solutions that would serve the same functions, if we ended up wanting to take over the Heartstone." 

"I bet they'd like that."

"Well, hopefully someday we will get to that point." 

Leareth goes back to his other research, including a side project on alternate setups for the Web in Valdemar, if they end up negotiating to nab the Heartstone for other purposes. 

They are so busy and if they are having emotional phantom limb issues at least they are temporary and not enough to stop them in their tracks.

A month or so later, a letter arrives from Leareth's current ambassador in Haven. There's been a sudden, somewhat worrying increase in the amount of bickering amongst the Council. It seems to be mainly focused on the issue of King Randale not having an heir. (It hasn't even been announced publicly yet that, in addition to this, the King is terminally ill.) 

"I probably should not seriously pitch the 'suppose you make me Queen' thing because that would seriously complicate staying out of Haven. But it's sooooo tempting. Amshalan, do you get to know in advance who other Companions are going to Choose, is anyone related to him coming down the pike there?"

:Sometimes we know months in advance, usually not years? I hadn't heard anything. Not that I've been in Haven lately. I would expect the Groveborn to maybe see further but, um, who knows if Rolan's being helpful these days. –As far as I know he hasn't Chosen again, which given the givens is some amount helpful: 

:It's probably better than the alternative. I wonder how Dara's doing, was she ever sent her scholarship money? I think I remembered to send her letter of recommendation:

:I think Leareth took care of that, yes. Or someone on his staff at least, they're quite organized. Haven't heard what she's up to or anything, though: