"Finished," Nayoki says finally, it feels like an eternity later to her too. "Leareth, you can move now." 

Leareth sits up. He's holding off on having a panic attack but it's taking effort. 

He looks around. "Promise. What happened." 

"They had Sunspring compulsioned. She did some set-commands but they didn't know I can issue orders in writing or that I had her name so that was wide open and the order to ignore the compulsions worked fine. Most of the army couldn't attack me but they could attack you so for a while after I was done with her I sat on you but they could still zap your feet. I healed you till I'd gotten all their names and could order them all down. They're all sitting up there with contingency orders if I don't go back and clarify matters, now. Sunspring gated us here."

"Oh." Blink. "You got her name - it sounds like that was very lucky." He's trying to think of what to do next, he should be able to think of what to do next, he can be traumatized about the nearly-dying part, and the being set-commanded into helplessness by someone on his own side, later. 

Leareth takes a deep breath. "All right. We need a - plan for our approach, here. Vkandis is out of commission, the army here mostly is, we could - order them to Gate home? Vkandis would not be able to order them back, at this point, I assume." His eyes narrow. "I wonder if Iftel's shield-wall came down." 

"Iftel's shield-wall?"

"The entire country of Iftel has, for the last couple thousand years, been protected by a massive miraculous shield-barrier all the way around, which allows only approved people to cross. It - is why apparently I never knew that Vkandis had a secret army in there." He sounds very slightly sheepish about it. 

"Well, that'll be down if he needs to maintain it constantly and up if he doesn't."

Nod. Leareth spends thirty seconds checking something. "...Out of my scrying range. At least while I am - this distracted." Deep breath. "It...is maybe mostly that I am distracted - that was a singularly unpleasant experience. Promise, I - owe you deep gratitude for healing me." 

"You're welcome."

"All right. I think - probably we have time to wait until I can scry Iftel and learn more." Think. Focus. "We should perhaps consider trying to open communications with an agent of the Star-Eyed, to negotiate with Her and figure out Her current stance?" 

"Yes, probably. It could be they're planning to lure me into an ambush but hopefully now they have some information on how well that worked out for Vkandis - does he not have a nickname, it's weird using his real one -"

"Sunlord?" Leareth suggests. "That is His second moniker, often." 

"Sunlord, all right. Anyway. Should I go alone - the trouble is I don't have a way to get into any of your places - Sunspring, did they capture anyone besides you, I didn't see anyone else but -"

"I am not sure, I was unconscious until shortly before you two arrived." 

"I did not Gate anyone out except for myself and you." Leareth takes a deep breath. "...Would it help if you knew their names." 

"It could help. But on the other hand it could also make things worse if someone hostile and clever gets ahold of me."

"That makes sense. I will hold off for now. Anyway, my thought initially was to bring you to the Moonpaths and have you order the Star-Eyed to send a leshya'e Kal'enedral with instructions not to harm either of us - I am capable of defending both of us, but nonetheless." 

"What's the - deal with the Moonpaths -"

"It is another plane, accessible here for mortals with Gifts and training, who can learn to project their minds there. Dead spirits probably reside there, and the Velgarth gods have substantially more power and can more cheaply have avatars there. The 'Moonpaths' themselves are routes that are safe for mortals, which I believe the Star-Eyed's avatars set up." 

"Okay. If you think that's the best plan I don't have a reason to contradict you."

"I am not sure if it is the best plan! The alternative would be - hmm, we could attempt to speak with one of the Tayledras, if they are still around, they may have Gated out by now after surrendering. I do not really want to enter the Pelagirs to find them. I - can theoretically Gate to the Dhorisha Plains, where Her other people are based, but it is a very long way. And then we would be even more going through intermediaries." 

"Can you look and see if they Gated out?"

Leareth lifts a hand to rub his temple. "I can scry the bunker they destroyed. I - am not sure I can remember where the second group of them was, when they peeled off from Vkandis' people." It's been an incredibly distracting last candlemark. 

"We could ask Sunlord's people."

"We would need to Gate to them, right? I will try scrying first." 

It takes Leareth nearly thirty seconds of trying to properly centre and ground before he succeeds at scrying the ruins of his facility. "...That was my favourite library," he mutters under his breath. 

He shows Promise. No Ifteli uniforms are in evidence. There are some Tayledras, fewer than before; they've excavated a lot of the rubble and seem to be treating injured casualties. At least some of whom are Leareth's people, presumably rescued from the wreckage.