:This is Healer Shavri: Dara explains. And then adds, in private Mindspeech, :Randi’s lifebonded:

Aza's fine at talking to people who aren't Mindspeakers at all. :Hello, it's nice to meet you:

King Randale seems startled, but not displeased. After a moment he answers.

:I’m sorry about your situation. It must be - a lot to absorb. But we’re grateful for your help here, and - for the information you brought us about Ma’ar, whatever it means:

:I don't think it will be terribly useful, unfortunately:

:Maybe not: A sigh. :You’re a Mindhealer as well as a mage, no? I realize the language barrier will be difficult, but if you’re willing, I think the dean of our Mindhealers’ Collegium would be delighted to speak with you about your education and practices. We have very few Mindhealers in the Kingdom, and the Collegium was founded only a handful of years ago, so Melody definitely wants all the advice she can get:

:That sounds interesting!:

:I’m glad. Dara will organize something: 

Dara sighs slightly at the addition of another task, but makes a note on her slate.

:Should we arrange you some lessons on the language?: she adds. :Since we aren’t sure when or if you’ll be able to go home:

:I'd appreciate that. I don't mind Mindspeaking but I'd like to be able to read:

:Of course. We’ll sort something out: 

And she escorts Azabel away from the dying king’s bedside.

Aza follows along. :Is there anyone who speaks my language at all? You read the journals somehow, right?:

:It was a Shin’a’in historian who did the translation. We could potentially try to reach her? But the Dhorisha Plains and what’s left of Urtho’s Tower are pretty far away, and none of the mages here have a Gate-location there:

:Oh. Oh well:

:Sorry. I’ll let you know if anything changes there: 

Kilchas visits her again that afternoon to work together on the weather; it’s finally stopped snowing but a fresh storm-front is on its way.

Just before supper she’s introduced to Herald Sandra, a tall, scarred, blind woman, who wears some sort of odd magical artifact on a necklace. It’s not a shield; it seems to be...doing something to the air?

:Hi. You're going to teach me to fortify stone?:

:That's the plan! We can start out on the roof of the guest wing, it's overdue anyway. Lots of things are: 

:How come?:

:Well, we lost a lot of mages in the war with Karse. And, er, probably before that, since apparently Leareth was killing or kidnapping our mages for a while. I guess maybe we've been trying to figure out how to adapt the schedule we had twenty years ago, with fewer personnel, and - haven't actually gotten all the way to something that works: 

Twenty years is a long time to fail at that but Aza doesn't say anything, just learns the spell.

Sandra is a decent teacher, despite being tired and preoccupied, and they manage to finish the roof on the guest-wing and then head out for a late supper. 

At which point Dara joins up with them again. 

:Melody says she'd love to talk to you after breakfast tomorrow: 

:Sure, will she come get me?:

:Oh, right, you don't know where the House of Healing is. I'll tell her to do that: 

Aza works on the weather and eats and after breakfast expects a colleague.