Blai quite contentedly makes up figurines representing all the important features of a Herald and a circular tray that is different colors to represent different eight-hour periods of day during each of which in which an average of one third of these people should be asleep and arranges them looking for efficiencies. How fast do Companions go - can he rummage enough to get a map to place his figures on - are they camping or is there lodging -

There's a map of Valdemar in Seldan's saddlebags because he thought to ask someone to put, you know, Some Of The Standard Things For Going On Circuit, but it's not a great map for detail on the Iftel-Valdemar border, much of which is very rural, but there's time to harass that Herald-trainee and get a better map and indeed one is delivered within ten minutes - NOBODY SHOULD BE CAMPING the conditions are awful for it, but Seldan can mark out the Heralds' Waystations that are still intact - Companions can move yea fast on cleared paved roads but those are almost never the conditions, they're sending people riding circuit on hunting trails looking for survivors but to get from one spot to another more than, say, ten miles away, they'll nearly always want to instead wait for a Gate or travel to the closest place with a planned Gate, because ten miles overland on hunting trails in winter can take an entire day - 

With that occupation they can easily pass the time for forty minutes until the Herald-trainee arrives and lets them know that a Gate is now convenient. 

Blai dismisses his flimsy little Prestidigitation-things and climbs aboard Seldan to go to wherever they're doing that.

It'll be from the storage building over thataway, they're mostly using the Gate to move supplies so that they'll be in Gate-range for several of the weaker Herald-Mages. The weather is miserable but Blai still has an Endure Elements up and it's not a long wait. 

Haven is quiet and peaceful. It's not even snowing. The destination Gate was also on a storage building, so it'll be a bit of a ride to the House of Healing, but the path is clear and Seldan doesn't mind. 

As long as they don't have to go over any bridges.

No bridges! 

(How likely does Blai seem to get stressed about Seldan being outside while he goes in? Seldan himself is somewhat-surprisingly calmed down from the Blai Nearly Dying incident, because it turns out it's very reassuring to have fourteen clerics bouncing around and the knowledge that they can, in an emergency, do another Gate. But if Blai is going to find it stressful then that's totally worth being mildly annoying to whichever Healing-trainee has to mop the floor later.) 

(Why are they making Healing-trainees do that instead of hiring unpowered servants who do not have more valuable things to do with their time and energy?) Blai can go in and have a conversation with Leareth and cast a spell without Seldan being physically present and be fine about this, he is pretty sure.

(Seldan's not in charge of trainee assignments but his suspicion is that someone thinks it's good for the Healing-trainees on night duty to be kept busy so they don't get in trouble.) 

In that case Seldan will wait outside and avoid mildly inconveniencing any Healing staff. 

Blai does encounter a Healer parked at the center station who either hasn't seen him before or doesn't recognize him as the same person as the horribly ill patient from earlier. She gives him a suspicious look and asks who he's here to see, which seems like some evidence of an incremental improvement in the Healers' attempt to do something like security. (There is, also, someone from Leareth's organization parked outside the room at the end of the hall, but he has seen Blai in passing before and will recognize him.)

Do both of these people have Mindspeech, because if they don't he needs Seldan to present his credentials and explanation.

The Healer has (single-room-range) Mindspeech and will think to try it after several seconds of Blai not speaking Valdemaran.

Seldan is also paying enough attention to interject that this is his Herald, who is authorized to and supposed to be here to see Leareth. 

Okay, word from a Companion is convincing enough, Blai can go right on ahead, it’s that way. 

The Horse Conspiracy security protocol... probably actually just works basically all the time, they're not dealing with succubi or anything, but it still feels manifestly deficient to Blai's instincts. Anyway. Hello Leareth's guy. :Would you kindly find for me if Leareth is able to receive a brief visit to cast a Minor Prophecy on him to know what if anything of significance may be approaching in his future?:

:Yes, of course.: He's a Mindspeaker and can do that easily. :Van, it's Select Artigas, he's here to cast a prophecy spell, is it a good time?: 

...Leareth will probably be uncomfortable about Blai coming in and finding them hugging. 

:Leareth, Blai wants to use the Minor Prophecy spell on you, all right? It's a good idea, we can catch it now if there's anything you're going to notice tomorrow that we're missing.: 

:All right.: Blai isn't terrifying. ...Or, well, he probably should be terrifying, to his enemies, but Leareth isn't afraid of him. 

Vanyel lets go of Leareth and stands. :We're ready.: 

The guard at the door lets Blai in. 

In goes Blai, who produces acknowledging nods and then the spell. "Minor Prophecy."

He sees Leareth in a stone-walled Work Room with Vanyel!

They're standing around some kind of magical apparatus, a whole bunch of quartz focuses supported on wire to form a vaguely spherical scaffold, and from which Vanyel is directing energy inward. A ball of bright densely-woven mage-energy rests in a bowl raised on its own support, and steadily shrinks, squeezing down - something. The energy flares, a moment of imbalance, the ball starts to bulge a little on one side, and Leareth starts to raise a hand but Vanyel is already steadying it. Grimacing, eyes squeezed shut in intense concentration, Vanyel pushes, crushing the sphere smaller and smaller, just barely holding the enormous forces in balance - 

- and then Leareth nods and lifts a hand again, and Vanyel starts carefully pulling the energy back instead, unweaving the layers and layers of mage-barrier, until it's gone and he sags in exhaustion and - there, in the bowl, sitting in a rime of black soot, is a rather impressively large diamond. 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOLY SEVEN LAYERS OF HEAVEN

Vanyel had, for whatever reason - probably mostly exhaustion - not actually thought to read Blai's mind while he cast the prophecy. However, Blai's face is - well, he had an entire facial expression! Which for him is saying something!

:What is it - is it good news -: It seems hard to believe, there is a very strong association in Vanyel's mind between a prophecy spell and a SURPRISE CRISIS, but that wasn't a 'bad news' facial expression - 

:Yes! It's good news! The vision showed Leareth assisting you in a working to CREATE A DIAMOND: