Vanyel hefts his pack and starts walking downstairs, glancing back to see if they're following. 

They are, yes.

All right. Yfandes is waiting, already saddled, she must've successfully indicated to the stablehands that she needed to go in a hurry. He fastens the saddlebags on, and hands DZ the letter he's written, more hastily than he hoped since he slept in for once. "This should cover the basics." He climbs up into the saddle, gestures that DZ can join him on the pillion-pad if she wants, probably that lets her save energy over walking? 

Deskyl helps her up, and they can be on their way. DZ attempts to read the letter as they go.

It's fairly short. It gives their names, phonetically in the Valdemaran alphabet, and explains that they ended up coming to Valdemar from another, very different world due to a power called the 'Force' which is something like a god and something like the laws of nature, and the Force had them turn up at exactly the right time to save the kidnapped children. He explains that the Force also gives Deskyl powers that are sort of like mage-gift and Thoughtsensing, but work differently and he doesn't know more details yet. He writes, vaguely, that due to 'all of this' (not specifying if it's the journey or the fight or something else), Deskyl is 'tired' and Savil has to make sure no one tries to send her to rescue more people until she's rested. He writes, underlining it, that they come from a different world with different customs and Savil should be mindful of that. 

Then he adds a brief and slightly garbled explanation of droids, and how Deskyl needs help getting the materials to make a device so that DZ can 'eat' before she runs out of energy, they'll need to talk to the artificers or a good jeweller and also any alchemy experts that Sandra knows of. 

They reach the temple. Vanyel already got their permission to use it when he returned the books; there's a young acolyte waiting for them. 

Vanyel is starting to worry that he should have contacted the Mindspeech relay after all. Gating to Haven with no warning is going to...alarm some people. His aunt in particular. Yfandes should be able to soothe everyone down, though. It'll be fine. Definitely. 

He dismounts and helps DZ down. 

Deskyl lets him, and she and DZ give him a bit of room to make the Gate.

"This is a complicated spell," Vanyel warns them. "Um, please let me concentrate. Once it's up – you'll know, it'll suddenly be a different place through the doorway – go through ahead of me." He doesn't know how long the Gate will stay up if he passes out. 

:Are you sure this is a good idea, Chosen?:

Ignoring Yfandes, he turns his back to them, which has the helpful side effect that they can't see his face, and raises his hands. Start laying the first threads of magic on the threshold – ow ow ow ow – he can do this – but he's never tried to Gate this far – but he can do it, power isn't the problem. 

- trapped in a tiny stone cottage - the screech of wyrsa outside as the light of the Gate begins to glow - drawing the strength from his blood - 

He yanks himself back to the present. Focus. Focus. 

Threshold complete. He bits down on a moan, it's even worse now, and holds onto the mental image of the Heralds' Temple. 

- blue-white fire filling the horizon on the other side of a Gate - 

Vanyel whimpers softly, but holds onto the spell, as it drains energy from him, searching. 

–And lands, the threshold flashing white and then clearing to show a courtyard and fields beyond. 

"Go," he pants between gritted teeth. "Go. Now." 

DZ goes, and Deskyl follows right behind, turning to check on him as soon as she's through.

Vanyel gives up on trying to hide the fact that he’s in agony, and just grips a handful of Yfandes’ mane to stay on his feet as he makes his way toward the Gate. 

Three steps away. Two. One. And - he sort of throws himself at it, because he can’t actually make himself take that final step, and cries out and then goes ragdoll-limp and falls facefirst towards the paving-stones.

She catches him, of course, darting forward Sith-fast to close the gap. :What-:

Vanyel...is not currently capable of answering her. He’s breathing in uneven gasps, eyes rolled back in his head. 

:Damn it, we have to get the Gate down: Yfandes sends to Deskyl. :I think help should be on its way:

She can do that. It's a little harder with her hands full but not substantially so.

Vanyel relaxes. He's still unconscious, pale and clammy, but he no longer looks like he's on the edge of having a seizure. 

:I forgot you could just - do that: Yfandes sends. :Thank you: 

And then there are shouting voices in the distance. 

"Mm." She lifts Van with telekinesis to get a better grip on him, and heads toward the voices, slowly enough for Yfandes to keep up if she cares to. DZ is quickly left behind.

Yfandes keeps up. She's not about to get any further away from Vanyel than she has to. 

And a white-haired woman at least sixty years old, clad in white, bursts around the corner at a sprint and, glimpsing Deskyl, flings up both hands. Energy moves, a barrier flashes into place around then. "Stop there!" she shouts. "Don't move–"

She stops short, leaping back from the barrier in a most implausible reversal of momentum. :Injured!: She shifts Van to be a little more visible in her arms.

Which is around the same moment that Yfandes' immediate message to the nearby Companions actually gets relayed, and that her urgent Mindspeech warning to Savil sinks in. She staggers to a halt, too out of breath to speak. Fortunately, she's a Mindspeaker. 

:You've got Van, what– Oh. I see: She straightens up, lifts a hand, and drops the barrier. :Sorry. Still catching up on the - what was he THINKING? Also, er, are you - all right...?: Deskyl isn't shielding. And Savil is a strong Thoughtsenser, and has all her magical senses on full alert. She's not trying to read her, it just...happened. 

:I'm fine, he's not.:

:No of course he isn't, this always happens when he tries to Gate. I've alerted the Healers, we need to get him to the House of Healing. This way: Savil turns and takes about three steps before a white stallion skids around the corner as well, and she scrambles up onto his back. :Follow me: 

She follows. :Someone needs to get my droid. The metal woman by the gate.:

:...Er, right. I've passed it on, one of the other Heralds will go pick her up and they'll catch up with us: Savil's mindvoice sounds like someone who is very confused but is keeping a lid on her many questions because there isn't. time.