4. Silvershield Estate

Aiwë moves very slowly to just in front of the tiger and sits down. "I said, I want you to take a deep breath, and talk to me." She gestures for him to sit where he is. "I told you this morning. I trust you, but I don't trust Rieltar. I trust you, but this has to be sorted out. So please. Talk to me."

Koveras takes a deep breath, but doesn't sit. "I don't know what's going on. The only person besides Rieltar who might is Winski. I need to talk to him and get some answers."

Aiwë folds her hands in her lap. "That works out, since we already plan on talking to him. There might be another way to get some information though. If you really do know something," she gestures to her head, "deep down or suppressed, I might be able to find it. If you'll let me look."

"You don't want to help me. You want to see if I'm a threat." Koveras shakes his head sadly. "You don't trust me."

He shifts his feet. Getting ready to run? "I'm going to the compound now. I'm done hiding from Rieltar. I'm done not having answers." He looks her in the eye. "I don't expect you to come running after me. But if there's one thing I can guarantee, Rieltar will be distracted. Maybe you can find a way to do some good with that."

Aiwë jumps to her feet in anger. "I am trying to help! I have only tried to help you from the moment we met!" She takes a breath and says more quietly. "You are Koveras Anchev and you have carried that weight. Who helped you carry it? Who advocated for you to everyone who looked at you askance? Who vouched for you at every meeting it was questioned you should be involved in?" She stares him down. "I will keep doing it as long as I can, but if you leave, I can't." She sits again and holds out her hands.

"I am trying to help you get answers, without you throwing yourself at a fortress. Haven't I earned your trust?"

Koveras slowly walks to Aiwe and slumps down to both knees in front of her. The tiger growls, but Koveras doesn't bat an eyelash.

"Okay," he says. "I trust you. With everything I am. Or anything I might be."

"Then let's see what we can see." Aiwë takes his face in her hands, already pulsing with magic in gentle vibrations. She speaks, more a command to Koveras' mind than to Koveras himself. "Show me what you know of Sarevok."

Aiwë casts Detect Thoughts.

The first thing Aiwe senses from Koveras is fear. He practically stinks of it. His focus seems to all be on trying to control it, keep it at bay. Keep himself open.

She gently presses more deeply into his mind... such as it is. Trauma. Fractures. Large chunks of him are sequestered and dark. It's like looking at architectural blueprints that have been crumpled, stained, burned. Mangled.

It's awful.

Questing after anything pertaining to "Sarevok", her mental view shifts to a colossal door. Shut and sealed. Impenetrable.

Aiwë aches to see what has become of his mind. It looks like a great winter storm has torn through his mind like the scrimshaw huts of the Dale. How can he feel anything other than fear? She sings a song to soothe him as much as she can.

"The wind is blowing loud and cold,
The Dale's deep crying unconsoled,
But you my dear are safe and warm,
Tucked safe and sheltered from the storm."

She mimics the sound of wind passing over, easing his fear, coaxing open the door of his mind.

"Wooshhhh, wooshhhh, wooshhh, it passes.
Wooshhhh, wooshhhh, wooshhh, it leaves.
Peace now, don't fear, my darling
You are here with me."

Aiwe's song is beautiful and comforting.

But the mental door remains shut.Her song and magic swell, not only trying to influence Koveras' broken mind to open further, but also harmonizing with it, becoming one with it. She shares in his pain and fear, stands shoulder-to-shoulder with him against them, and lifts.

The door rumbles and rises, opening to reveal...

Aiwe crumples to the grass, unconscious.

Stella is surprised by how calm she feels after engaging her powers through the divination. Could she study her star charts without writing utensils as well? Or would she just...claw blood from herself and scrawl with it? They could at least try it..

But Koveras spelled backwards...it was possible her mind came up with that...Aldous' suggestion is also possible—If Koveras acquired power over Rieltar within the next seven days, he could give orders. Koveras seemed genuinely shocked and frightened. But to have a different name implied a different identity. Was there...some kind of magic that possessed him, like how Stella's powers possessed her? Perhaps they could—

"Dieter!" Stella shouts when he tries to wrap rope around Koveras and he quickly bursts free and flees. "Wait!" she says, scrambling to her feet.

When Koveras starts to run, and Aiwë gives orders and starts running, Stella's mind races. He was fast, and if Aiwë needed to catch up she'd need help. Several ideas flash through her mind, but she quickly settles on summoning a tiger—the kind from back home—by tapping out a quick constellation.

Stella points to Aiwë and speaks to the beast in druidic. "She is your guide. Be her stride. Help pursue. Strike not unless stricken."

"Aldous, where is your father right now?" Once he replies, Stella gives a pointed look at Dieter, then races out of the room to go find the Duke.

Quote:

"Aldous, where is your father right now?"

"Um, uh, his study! Most likely!"

-------

"Aiwe? Aiwe!"

Aldous comes running out of the manor and across the grass to where fallen Aiwe lies. The conjured tiger waits patiently nearby. Koveras is nowhere to be seen.

He gently tries to shake her awake. "Aiwe! Are you alright? What happened? Where's Koveras?"

Aiwë sits up with a groan. "I'm alright. Just some magic rebounding." She puts her face in her hands. "Koveras is terrified. We couldn't figure out what's happening. He must have gone into hiding."

Aldous frowns sadly. "Oh poor Koveras. He should have stayed with us. How else are we supposed to help him?"

He offers a hand to help pull her to her feet. "We need to get back to the others. We're all scrambling about like chickens with our heads cut off."

"That's what I tried to tell him." Aiwë stands, passing a hand over her face. "I'm sure Stella's panicking and Dieter's looking for someone to stab. Let's get back. I think we all need a cup of calming tea or something."

Aldous nods in agreement. "I could use something for my nerves!"

He leads Aiwë back into the manor, keeping an eye on her in case she seems unwell.

Once inside, he calls for everyone to come into the dining room, including his father.

Aiwë paces as she waits, tapping frustratedly on her thigh.

Stella bursts into the study, not even pausing to knock.

OOC:

Or accidentally slams herself into the door if it's locked. I will assume he is actually in there.

"We need to halt our plans! Koveras may be compromised," Stella puffs, catching her breath, then pauses and grimaces, realizing how unhinged she must seem, bursting into the room like this, when the night before she suddenly declared she was going home then had a "druid moment" in his study. "...Aiwë asked me to tell you. Also, we can pay for window—not sure what happened there—and I'll pay for repairs if the tiger damages the floor."

Stella pauses again and groans internally. This was not helping.

Stella arrives in the dining hall, face as pink as her eye-stars. If she weren't so embarrassed, she might chew out Dieter for making such a brash decision, but she was hardly one to speak on brash decisions.

"What...happened? Is Koveras gone?" she asks.

Aiwë nods, teeth grit in frustration. "He's gone into hiding. He's determined not to let Rieltar use him." She sits at the table. "We can continue as planned, just... one man down." She taps the table with a frown.

Stella's eyes sadden and shift blue, her face growing cold. She never spent much time with him, but...well, she knew how he felt.

And Aiwë...seemed hurt.

"Any idea where he would go? I could scout after him before he gets too far. Locate Object on his armor or boots or something. Turn into a spider and summon Noctalia to fly me around," she suggests quickly. "Or...should we just leave him be?"