:I - think so? Usually better. To - be able to think about things. But. Scared: 

Yeah. Sorry. We're looking after Van. 

I wish you could think about it without that being dangerous.

:So do I. Maybe. I think: She looks over at him. :Not going to repudiate him. I can't - come back - right now. But. Won't, can't, do that to him. I don't know - if it'd help - to know that: 

I think it will, yeah. I'll tell him. Thank you. 

Are you safe here, have you got food and water -

:I'm all right. You should look - after Van: Bitterness, pain. :Since I can't: 

Okay. I'm sorry. We'll keep him safe. 

And he Teleports back. Finds them on the beach. "I talked to Yfandes."

“How did it go?”

"Okay. Uh, she said she is definitely not going to repudiate Vanyel. She said she really really wants to come back, she felt awful about - what it'd be doing to him - but she couldn't, right now. Because of the block on thinking about fighting gods. She didn't exactly answer whether we should wish it away but when I said I wished she could safely think about things she agreed."

Vanyel shivers and doesn't say anything. 

...Does he want a hug. 

That's probably an improvement on the situation over 'no Yfandes and also no hugs'. 

Hug. "All right. What do we think the next step is, there?" 

"Sort of think we should try to source a Wish. We need a Wish-grade diamond - same size as other stuff that requires big diamonds - and a ninth-circle arcane caster, which is going to be tough, there are, like, ten of those in the known world. - or a genie,  instead of a ninth-circle caster we could try to negotiate with a genie.

Wish is a dangerous spell because it can do things you haven't fully specified how to do at all, it's calling on some alien intelligence, and if you specify it carelessly you might get something that isn't at all what you wanted. But - breaking powerful spells is one of the safer uses."

Leareth goes very still. "That does not sound safe at all. Do you have data on how often it gives a misspecified outcome for various types of usage?" 

"I probably have a book on it, offhand I only know the list of Wishes that have known, entirely-safe wordings: duplicating any arcane spell of eighth circle or lower, duplicating any divine spell of seventh circle or lower, undoing various specific other spells including geas and insanity, permanently enhancing intelligence, wisdom, or charisma in the fashion of the spell we did yesterday, transporting people between locations regardless of their protections or the plane, undoing an effect that happened in the last minute."

"If we could draw error bounds on how unwanted an outcome might result from poor specification, but I imagine that is difficult. I suppose we can see how closely specified we can make it by adding more conditions - that we wish her to keep the bond with Vanyel, for example..." 

"Yeah, that's how you're supposed to do it. This Wish will have no direct effects on the world except on Yfandes. This Wish will not affect Yfandes's values, thoughts, memories or priorities except insofar as necessary to fulfill the Wish at all. This Wish will not affect Yfandes's bond with Vanyel. If these conditions cannot be satisfied this Wish will have no effect. I Wish that Yfandes could think about the world without magical prohibitions on certain thoughts or associated conclusions. - uh, except I'd have spent a day and some intelligence spells actually thinking about it, but that's the general approach you're supposed to take. The stories about horrible things happening are all about morons who went "I wish I were a King" or something." 

"A person would have to be so stupid– I suppose you did just say 'morons'." Sigh. "This sounds very risky. I suppose waiting to see is also risky, though." 

"I mean, waiting's less risky given that she's sure she won't repudiate him?" Shrug. "If I thought it'd only be a week or two I'd be inclined to wait. - sorry, Van. But if she's just going to be stuck forever then at some point we should do something."

"I can handle a week or two." Shiver. "I think." 

"We will do everything we can to make it easier for you," Leareth assures him. (Despite not having that clear of an idea of how.) 

"Is there anything we can usefully do for Valdemar before Yfandes is back, are they going to - invade Leareth's territory or something -"

Leareth has to stifle a chuckle. "I doubt it." 

"Valdemar has never invaded another country's territory. They're not going to start now - even if they knew where to go, which they don't, Leareth's army is on the other side of the mountains north of our border."