Kire and Gavin glanced at Rab, then both turned towards the commotion as Ysaryn and Zeke’s argument reached them. Kire frowned when Zeke leveled his accusations at her, while Gavin looked at Rab, wondering what he was here for. When Ysaryn gestured for Kire to take Rab with her, hinting at his blood, the Empress looked to Gavin, who nodded. “It’s possible,” he murmured, before turning to Rab, speaking to him in a soft voice to explain that they were going to Amria and would need his help with something important. 

“We will take him, then. And if he grants us permission, we will use it,” Kire said to Ysaryn and Zeke, though the latter wasn’t listening. “Ysaryn, I trust you. Uvano is not my city, I am not its ruler, so what is best for it, I will leave in the hands of those trusted with its care. But don’t keep anyone in the dark for too long. It’s best he knows as soon as possible,” she added, turning to Zeke. “Seems nothing will change your mind about me, Zeke,” she said, her blue eyes trained on his angry stare. “Blame me all you want if that makes you feel better. For as long as you work together to keep Úvano safe, it doesn’t matter; I intend to keep my promises, and my fealty to this city.” 
She looked to Rab next. “I’m sorry if this is confusing, but we’ll explain everything when we’re on the other side.” 

After a few moments for Gavin to explain to Rab how the gate worked and what he would feel passing through it, all three of them crossed over. Kire gave Rab time to get his bearings back, standing in the Seer’s chamber, looking out the other windows, a thoughtful frown on her face.
“Wait here for a moment. I need to talk to Ed and Jan first,” she said to them, disappearing into her portal. Several minutes later, she reappeared. 
“What was that about?” Gavin asked. 
“Told them to prepare for an urgent meeting later.” Kire rubbed her face. “Alright, let’s go.” She gave a small smile to Rab. “Sorry for yanking you around like this. One more trip.” 

The three of them stepped out of Kire’s portal and into the edge of the forest, near where she had seen Ruli last. “Hey. Ysaryn suggested Rab might be able to help with the search,” Kire said as soon as she neared Ruli. 
“It’s possible, right?” Gavin put in, trying not to sound too hopeful. “Or at least we could try it.”
Kire nodded. “It’s worth a shot, I think. I just spoke with a priestess for the Goddess, and I’m hoping the gamble we’re about to try will get Solaralai to cooperate. The local lords will not be happy, but…” She frowned, her voice trailing off as she anticipated their reactions. Especially not too long after just retaking the Capital and consolidating her rule, stirring up possible conflict like this was a delicate matter. [i]And if they refuse? It’s one thing to build alliances when it comes to a common enemy, but when it comes to worship…[/i]  

“You might wanna sit down for this one, Rab,” Gavin said. “There’s something you should know.” As Gavin gave Rab more details about what it was they were trying to do and why he was needed here, Kire looked at Ruli, trying to gauge the state of his mind at the moment and hoping he could see she wanted Envy back, too. 
“What do you need for this to work? Just say the word.” She reached for him with her scarred hand and squeezed his gently.