:I cannot imagine so. She was among the best-protected and also the least-informed of the people here, unless her knowledge of other worlds was relevant, in which case you were surely more accessible: Shrug. :It - seems likely it was the other me, it is less surprising he could penetrate my security. I do wish I could confirm it, though. There is even less magic to trace than there was from your arrival: 

:Well, the King of Cheliax would have a lot of options if he were trying to kidnap someone. Rescue someone, I guess, since she's his kid.

I don't like not understanding what's going on.:

Sigh. :Trust me, neither do I: 

:Did you get in touch with Valdemar?:

:I did. They are - a reasonable amount of worried and suspicious, I think, but we appear to still be on speaking, well, exchanging-messages terms: 

:They seem like - like they're trying. They're not very loyal to their god, it's odd. I do not particularly know that I advanced your goals.:

:- Huh. I had not expected them to consider themselves loyal to any gods, especially since no one knows which one created the Companions, and Valdemar is officially a country where any god can be worshipped: 

:That's what I mean. Their country is - it is obviously much like Cheliax? There's a god, who selects its leadership, among people with the attributes the god wants. But they don't think of it that way, they just think that they serve Good itself sort of. And don't think of it as an agent with goals.:

:- Do you think that god's goals particularly resemble what the Heralds think of as their mission? Because I somewhat doubt it: 

:I don't really have even the slightest guess what the Good gods actually want. I doubt it's - the stuff they set their people to. And - what they did to Vanyel - I'd do it, if I absolutely had to, for some reason. But I'm not Good.:

:Nayoki told me. Broken lifebond. I - did not know until now. I am surprised he is alive at all, much less - as functional as he manages to be: 

:He gets upset a lot. I - know it's something that was done to him but it's very disconcerting.:

:I can imagine. In Cheliax it would make him very vulnerable, no?: 

:Yeah. And - dangerous to associate with. Smart people don't let anyone know how they feel.:

:I suspect that is related to Cheliax being Asmodean, and I predict the Heralds feel differently, and are motivated to help him. It is still incredibly tragic, though. I wish I could do something to fix it, but...: He trails off. 

:Building the god will help, right? If the souls are - there, and it's just that no one does anything with them...:

:I could retrieve a fragment of him. Maybe. If They have not already shoved his soul into use somewhere else. Souls here are...not all that make up a person, and - I think that could be changed, but not retroactively, it would require new infrastructure: 

Nod. Shiver. :And there's not magic that can be done to - untear his soul?:

:Not that I know of, no, and - I know of most magics in this world: 

Leareth falls silent. His eyes rest on her, unreadable as always; it seems like he might be considering whether or not to say something but it's not clear. 

He's very confusing and it's probably not worth an elaborate espionage plot to make sense of him though only because she can't think how to make it work.

:I have not mentioned this to anyone else yet: Leareth sends after a moment, :but - I want to figure out precautions I could set up so that: another hesitation, :so that if anything happens to you we can - get you back: 

:You can do that? For other people, I mean? The ways we know mostly don't - scale.:

:Neither do any of the options here, short of creating a friendly god. I have not succeeded at setting it up for anyone else, but - this seems important. You are unusually indispensable: 

Is she?

She cannot really make herself argue, though. 

:I - 

- thank you.:

:It seems premature to thank me when I am not even sure it is possible. But you are welcome:

And he gets up and heads out of the dining hall, presumably on some other important business.