Vanyel clears his throat. :All right. We - I think you're right, this is enough evidence that - negotiations with Leareth won't go disastrously - that I think we should probably warn him about Iftel as soon as possible. And I would love to tell Randi to keep them out of the loop as much as possible, assuming they were already contacted, which I think they probably were so it's too late to not call them for help. And Randi might not - be willing to act on that anyway. The vision doesn't sound incredibly promising on that front.: 

:It also doesn't make it look like sending a message via Brightstar is a disaster, though? Iftel's army attacking us is a Vkandis intervention, not the Star-Eyed. So - probably the worst that happens is he doesn't get it, but we can send a redundant message with the kyree, and a letter once the weather clears and we're relocating anyway...: 

:I don't know how fast the kyree can get to Haven, probably not before tomorrow morning if I'm only calling them now? But they could drop off a letter in Waymeet for us, I think they should be able to travel fine even in a blizzard.: 

:Blai, do you think that's enough redundancy?: 

:An elemental to send to Brightstar and a kyree to drop off a letter in Waymeet? Well, it's any redundancy, I don't know if it's enough, especially if any of the people who are meant to hear the message may be unconvinced. You thought I might be enchanted, will they think you are?:

:They might? I don't expect to convince Randi to entirely call off the war, this way, just - sending a message seems better than not sending a message. I don't want to go back to Haven.: 

:They're probably going to be moving more people to Waymeet, you could arrange to meet someone there and have them confirm you're not under compulsions? Not right now, I mean, but before we actually go talk to Leareth.: 

Nod. :That might help. ...I don't think Randi is going to attack Leareth before we can talk, if only because I don't think he can actually find Leareth's army if they're not coming south of the mountains. So - I think as long as we can find a way to convince the Heralds afterward, it'll be all right.: 

:Could you send them Leareth's messenger?:

:...That does seem like it should be more convincing than a letter. And she was expecting to be sent to Haven in the first place, so I'm pretty sure she would agree to it.: He's going to feel terrible if he gets Leareth's messenger killed via something going wrong in Haven, but - probably still worth it, if it gets Randi to be unsure enough to wait. 

:The kyree can probably bring her to Waymeet too. Though I - don't know what the odds are that one of Leareth's people showing up with a giant Mindspeaking wolf is going to make someone panic just as much as a Gate would. I think probably no one in Waymeet is cleared to know about the kyree, so they wouldn't know that they're on our side.: 

Vanyel grits his teeth. 

:I think I should probably go. They'll recognize me: everyone knows his face because of the stupid songs, even if they've never met him, maybe that can finally be a good thing, :and hopefully someone can check that I'm not under compulsions before I leave. I'm not delighted about leaving you here, but - the prophecy does kind of make it seem like we have more to worry about from our own side panicking than from Leareth.: 

:Should I finish the quinzee if there's a risk the heat spell won't hold in your absence?:

:I should be able to hold it - I actually know a better one, from White Winds - but having a backup is probably good.: The weather on the other side of the mage-barrier added to his weather-barrier as a wind-and-snow-block looks horrific. Jisa is taking Stef's word for it that the kyree can travel fine in this and apparently even bring people with them, but wow she's glad she's not going to be one of them. 

Should he wait for two-way communication with Leareth before sending the messenger away? It's possible Leareth's nalaar can't actually get here through a blizzard, and she's already used her message-artifact to convey that they want to talk. 

...It should be all right. He's not going to let anything happen to her, and Jisa can receive messages as well. 

He's going to actually run the idea by her while they wait for the kyree, how about that. 

That sounds terrifying, of course, but she agreed to this mission and knows it might be the most important thing she ever does, and it does - feel more like accomplishing something - to go be interrogated in Haven rather than spending the rest of the night parked behind a weather-barrier being left out a Mindspeech conversation and trying not to stare at Herald Vanyel. 

Also she agreed to do anything he asks for, so of course she's going to say yes. 

:All right, we'll go once the kyree get here.: Hopefully they are on their way. If it turns out that Stef's talisman doesn't even work, they're going to have to try the Gate way after all. 

He spent some time already poking at the wards on the undergrounds records cache while they were waiting for Jisa, but he didn't get everything down and it's going to work better as a backup refuge from the weather if they can safely go in. 

Jisa will go ahead and cast the summoning spell to give a message to an elemental. Probably they don't need to but what if there's some kind of complication in Waymeet and it takes ages for them to decide to pass on a letter and in the meantime someone notices she's gone without having explained herself and panics. 

(...In hindsight there might be some downside to having gone without explaining herself.) 

Stef will play some more music to keep himself amused. 

Blai will duck in and out of the weather barrier to finish the quinzee, trying to get it big enough to fit all the humans who are planning to stay even if there's nothing doing for the quadrupeds.

It's really pretty unpleasant outside the weather-barrier but if he's only spending short periods outside it then he should be fine. 

After almost a candlemark, the kyree do turn up! Aroon is accompanied by half a dozen other scouts. They look fairly terrifying, padding out of the darkness into the radius of Vanyel's mage-light. 

They look kind of like somebody's gigantified animal companion but that's not not terrifying. However, nobody asked! Blai nods politely to the dire wolves!

:Singer.: The Mindspeech overtones are relieved and also very confused. :What brings you here? Miles from the nearest town, in the midst of this storm -: 

"It's a really long story. But, er, we need a favor. Urgently - Van can explain on the way - but we need you to bring him and this woman to Waymeet. Can you do that?" 

:Your need is that great? It will be much more comfortable to travel after the storm is over.: