"They've got Melody! I, um, I guess they had someone who could tell she was a Mindhealer, and – what? – she used Mindhealing offensively on the gryphons? And, um, they snatched her and knocked her out and they've... I don't know what they were thinking, it's not like they can use her as a hostage to fix the gryphons, they might've just been scared she would keep doing it." 

"...okay. I should get Melody. Leareth, how many people do you have for me to tap."

"Four hundred at the post thirty miles from here. If Rastan Gates all of them here it will be extremely crowded, but I suppose somebody else could Gate them right back out again. How many do you need?" 

"About fifteen people gets me one summon. I don't know how hard it is to hold the gate, they could maybe just all walk by it while I tap them through it?"

"Rastan would have no difficulty holding it for five minutes or ten. Half a candlemark would be a strain." 

"I can tap pretty fast, so if they're well organized I can tap them all while they just walk by. I might have to cast some spells at the same time because I can't hold four hundred nonwizards' mana at once, but that doesn't add a lot of time, only the question of who to get. Melody and Yfandes and Sayshen, I guess."

"I'll keep trying to find out if anyone else is in a tight spot," Shavri offers. "...I mean, a lot of people are, really, but most of them probably wouldn't thank you for snatching them here." 

"They are not going to be well organized now but can be if you think you can wait ten minutes," Leareth offers. "Or we could have fifteen now, since Melody is actively in danger, and Rastan can hold the Gate a little longer. There will be other mages who can come through to replace him if he tires himself." 

"That sounds good, thank you."

"Follow me. Nayoki, stay with Vanyel, please." Leareth gets up and heads back toward the library at a fast walk. 

Bella looks worriedly over her shoulder at Van but follows.

Shavri notices. :Bella, should I stay with him?: 

Bella nods.

:I guess you can't answer, if you're out of arts, but I'll Mindspeak you if I hear anything more?: 

"Thank you."

Shavri takes the chair Leareth was using and pulls it to the side of the bed opposite where Nayoki is sitting. After a moment, she reaches out and takes Vanyel's hand. 

And Bella goes to where the Gate is to be.

Leareth shuts the door of the library behind them. "Good, there ought be enough shielding between us that Vanyel will not feel the Gate at all. Rastan?"

The man uses a stone archway in the corner. He's a lot slower at it than Leareth, but the Gate is up within a minute, and there are maybe twenty people lined up in a large drafty room on the other side, roof supported by age-blackened wooden beams. 

Bella stands close to the gate and taps them all one at a time, occasionally motioning one closer. Then she steps back and poofs Melody into place.

And now Melody is sprawled on the floor of the library. She's tied up and gagged, which seems redundant because she isn't moving and the purpling lump on her forehead makes the cause obvious. 

Bella has enough left over from the excess people she's just tapped to do a healing spell while she sets about untying her.

Melody wakes up with a gasp and starts flailing wildly at Bella her for about two seconds before recognizing her. "...Bella? Oh gods did they get you too I thought you got out–" She cuts off as her eyes focus on the surroundings. "Wait. Where are we?" 

"I gated out; this is where. It's safe. I'm really sorry."

"Oh." Melody sits up and starts getting the ropes tying her ankles. "That's, um... Thank you. Is Vanyel all right–" Her mind finally seems to catch up. "How long has it been? Are the others– it looked bad, when they - got me, it didn't look like they were backing down..." 

"Vanyel's okay; I held the painblock as long as I could and then a Mindhealer here took over. It hasn't been long, I think less than a candlemark. I can summon more people - there are lots of people, other side of that gate, they're going to file past for me to tap, I just need to know who. And it has to be fewer than about twenty-five of them I guess, especially if I'm going to have to do lots of healing spells."