Nod. :The food and supply situation is...really not good. No one is literally starving yet, but - it is making my logistics people very nervous and I worry that increases the risk of misunderstandings. ...Also it is not going to be a one-to-one prisoner exchange anyway, they have far fewer of our people. I am not actually complaining, it works out better for us to hand all of them back, but - it might make things look more fair, to my side, if Tantara exchanged other goods for the excess prisoners: 

:I'll see what I can do.:

Ma'ar closes his eyes, for a moment. Tries to memorize the feeling that's sort of like being in Urtho's Tower and sort of like having solid ground under his feet for the first time in years. 

:My people can send word ahead and then Gate you to the border: Which means at least one extra hop, to get all the way back to Urtho, but they still really shouldn't be raising Gates directly into Tantaran territory. 

:Thank you. We'll speak again soon.:

And, after a message is passed and its receipt confirmed, Ma'ar's mages Gate her back to the border, where they can hand her off to the Tantaran escort. (Most of the Tantaran Healers are coming back as well; they really don't need twenty people around anymore.) 

Ma'ar's people are acting subtly differently toward her. There's less fear, and - kind of a lot of protectiveness, not so much in the sense that they seem worried anything will happen to her - though they're a little worried about Tantara, where the superweapons are - but in the sense that if someone did try to pick a fight with her they would be very offended on her behalf. 

It's hard to predict things like that, how you'll be parsed in a foreign country. She's relieved, though. It'll make everything much easier. 

She thanks them and then off she goes.

The fear effect is gone once she's out of range of Ma'ar, of course.

...He slightly wishes he had asked her to stay for thirty minutes so he could think through his next steps while less distracted.

It wouldn't have been actually worth the delay, not when she's been mostly out of contact with Urtho for a night and day. He probably wants the full night's rest anyway, before he throws himself fully back into his responsibilities; he's mostly clearheaded but he still doesn't have a lot of energy to spare, and his body hurts too much to move normally, which is the sort of thing people notice and react to. 

He'll make some notes, and check in with a few people via communication-spell, and then have a much harder time sleeping than he did when Iomedae was there. 

It's completely dark by the time Iomedae is actually back at Urtho's Tower. The hertasi who greet her inform her that Urtho is ready to meet whenever is convenient for her, and the senior priest of Vkandis would also like to see her whenever she can manage it. 

Now's good. (She looks almost entirely recovered, at this point, and isn't moving any slower than normal.)

Urtho will meet her in his office. He looks frazzled, and if anything less recovered from his poisoning adventure several days ago than she is from having all of her skin boiled off twelve hours ago. 

"Iomedae." He stands to greet her. "Are you actually all right - is Ma'ar all right, my people reported he was injured -"

She's pretty sure it's useful if rumor has it she's literally invincible. "He has some injuries. Not severe ones, but he Gated in to get me and Need out and was burned. I should have made plans to be Gated out after the weapon went off, among several other oversights in retrospect. How are you doing?"

He makes a vague hand gesture. "I am - not very good at this. I suppose I'm unlikely to be worse at negotiating a peace than I was at fighting a war, but - it feels so much more complicated." 

And he ducks his head. "....I owe you an apology for what happened. You deserved better of our world and its people." 

- nod. "Durable peace, in particular, is hard. Easier with people on both sides who are invested in maintaining it, but - still hard. You'd expect countries like Tantara and a prosperous, developed Predain to fight every few decades, if they weren't doing an unusually good job. That's what we have to beat - not just this war, but all the reasons for wars with a long border and different cultures and some mutual resentment and no shared church. I want to do a prisoner exchange -

- and maybe I can get you some details in the morning. You don't look good, and if I'm honest I too could use some sleep. I don't like being hit by superweapons.

You don't - owe me an apology. You might owe all of Velgarth an apology, I think Ma'ar would really benefit from an apology, but I had of Tantara the only thing I've ever wanted, which is - space to fix things. "

Apologizing to Ma'ar sounds so much worse than apologizing to Iomedae she does probably have a point. 

"- The girl is fine. The one you left with the temple of Bestet at very short notice. I have some of my hertasi on teaching her to read and she's apparently a very quick and eager student." 

" - thank you. Very much thank you."

"She's a good kid. Smart as a whip. I think she would like a longer explanation of what happened from you, but - it can wait for tomorrow." 

Need shuffles mentally at Iomedae's side. :And - I'd best get back to her before she finds a way into trouble. But that can wait for tomorrow as well. Reckon you could use one more night of Healing: 

"I probably could. I'll return Need and issue some of my own apologies - at dawn."



And she'll spend most of the night drafting the prisoner exchange agreements. Someone has to. Actually, specifically she has to.

Need can provide Healing, company, and snarky commentary. It's not that useful but it might help Iomedae stay focused, at least. 

At dawn she has several new messages, relayed by polite helpful hertasi. In addition to the priest of Vkandis, the priests of the Nameless God want to talk to her, and the shamans of the Star-Eyed Goddess, and Marlana hasn't specifically asked but she's still at the Tower and would probably find it a huge relief to see for herself that Iomedae is all right. 

Also the young girl from the River Kingdoms is in the library, but interruptible if Iomedae wants to talk to her first. 

- she'll take the other meetings first, actually, it doesn't seem fair to rush Need's reunion unless Need insists that's what they should do. She'll talk to the priest of Vkandis first. 

Nah, if Shayeen isn't currently setting anything on fire it can probably wait a few candlemarks. 

The hertasi will quickly usher her to a conference-room where the priest is waiting. 

He, too, rises immediately, though with some difficulty. He looks like if anything he's had an even worse last day than Urtho. 

She bows. She may not respect Vkandis at all but she does respect this man. He was trying to - do something better than everyone's worst option, and she always respects that.

"I heard the result of the council's negotiations. I was very glad to hear it."

"You have our deepest apologies that it went as far as it did. It - could have been so much worse, if not for your courage - nobody died and I cannot help but call that a miracle." 

His hands are shaking, though, and his eyes look haunted. 

"I," and he hesitates, ducks his head, "I have been trying to understand the true will of our Sunlord, here, and - the church of Vkandis is not your enemy, I swear, but..." Helpless shrug. "I am afraid."