Leareth chuckles. "No, not the monkey. Mostly just mean you. Having the book next to our bed seems adequate for the highly improbable scenario where something finds us and can break through this building's considerable defences before morning." 

"I am in even less danger than I was yesterday," she points out.

"That is true." 

"But don't let that stop you from holding me all night."

Leareth does not let it stop him. 

Oh good.

In the morning he puts more shielding on the book, spends a moment smiling gleefully about their long-awaited success with this project, and then is serious again, reviewing the logistics for their planned move on the Heartstone and his mages' readiness. 

"A week, I think," he tells Belrun. 

"How long will the whole thing take once it's underway?"

"Something in the vicinity of ten, twelve candlemarks. And I will be very tired at the end, especially since I am directing it from out of Heartstone range. Fortunately not all of my mages need to be channeling energy at once for all of it, so some of them can provide defence if - something untoward happens." 

"And I'm waiting back here, right, and they can Gate you up after? Or me down, I suppose."

"I think that is the best plan. It will be somewhat distracting having you that far away, the lifebond will be under strain, but - on balance it is probably still be a better idea than staging you at the northern border or somewhere in Valdemar." 

"You don't think being distracted will make you relevantly worse at implementing the plan?"

"I think it will make it somewhat harder, but that I have enough practice and comfort with the material to compensate for that. And notes to cheat from. I...would of course find it easier if you were closer, but it would add the additional distraction of worrying about your safety while able to do nothing about it - I will absolutely not be interruptible in the middle of it." 

"Okay. I assume you'll have people assigned to keep distractions off you."

"Yes, I will have a substantial guard. I will take most of the mages who are not sufficiently trained on murdering microbes for that purpose instead." 

"You should make sure Van has a good view of what-all's going on in case, uh, he dies and gets a chance to request a timely intervention."

"...Yes, I had been considering that." 

"It's so weird to think about! Why would They make the avatar work that way?"

"I had wondered if it was related to the setup for Heralds and Companions, since Companions are based on reincarnated humans, so possibly this god setting that up needed a more reliably system for handling reincarnations? I am not really sure, though." 

"I guess that would make sense but... well, I guess we can ask it when we give it a new one."

Nod. "...I am worried there will be a lot of interference, and I am going to be rather vulnerable during it. Obviously I will take all the reasonable precautions, and - I think it is worth doing anyway - but I will be very glad when all this is over." 

"Yeah. Me too. I assume you don't want to hook up to a monkey at this time or you would've said something?"

"...Hmm. I - am more worried than I was with you that some god will throw a lot at sabotaging it, and also there was not really a downside to your doing it, only upside. I suppose it might not be impossible to do it without touching my existing setup, and just attempt to make it the first-line option? And then if and when I have confirmed that it works, I can disable the backup." 

"I wasn't pushing for disabling the backup, but I can make a you-monkey if you'd take it."

Leareth takes a deep breath. "The fact that it went smoothly with you is an update, I think, and - given that it seems worth doing for myself as well. I - think I have some anxiety around poking this, but it should not in fact give the Star-Eyed or other gods any more information on how to disable my backup method."