Sanria sent the missive to Kineada and Vorcet, then sat back in her chair. Nioma cooed contentedly on the floor, a rather quiet child by all measures. She closed her eyes. She had to talk to someone, and Enmach was far from helpful in matters where emotions were at stake. The silvery woman was so stoic as to be nearly useless when discussing matters close to the heart. Sanria did the best she could on her own, but nothing was working. Things at her home were falling apart, and if things fell apart there, they'd soon follow her to the castle. A situation she couldn't afford. "Fenlauch," she called in her mind, "Might I see you?"
The tall Rilmani entered her office with a friendly smile, his bright eyes shining from within as he looked at her. "I was very close, in case you were wondering."
Sanria managed a smile. She talked to Fenlauch at length about Colin and the black makou within him. "We've not found a way to clear it from his blood without killing him, and the one hope I thought we might have had has..." Sanria glanced at Nioma and back to Fenlauch. "Well, he's been absent for a long time now. I'm suffocating beneath Colin's fears and his insecurities to the point I'm lying to him to get away. I can't deal with it anymore."
"It makes sense, but the lies?"
"I really don't want to go into detail, but they're horrible."
"I see."
"Please tell me there's something you or your people can do. Anything."
She held her breath as Fenlauch put a hand to his chin. He looked at Sanria for a long time, as though sizing her up from the inside. She couldn't help but feel that he was measuring her worth, making some type of calculation as to how much he could truly trust her. At long last he spoke. "I can escort him to our home plane. We have brilliant minds that could look at him and perhaps determine a solution."
"Your... home plane? You mean he'd have to leave here?"
"It would appear that given your story, it's the only hope he has."
"Yes, but I don't know that he'll do it. He's..." Sanria sighed deeply.
"I believe if he is told what is at stake, he will go willingly. It sounds as though he cares deeply for his family."
"Obsessively so."
"Then he will have no other option but to see his last resort."
Sanria appeared in the large cavern opening to her home with Fenlauch at her side. The Rilmani took a moment to look around, nodding to himself.
"Pretty."
"I think so," she replied, opening the front door to bring them both inside. She gave a small smile as Fenlauch attempted to duck and squeeze through the doorways. While he could stand perfectly well within the home, doorways were far from nine-foot tall entrances. "If you don't mind waiting until I call for you, I think it would go over better," Sanria said, leading Fenlauch to the library. "Of course."
Sanria walked into the bedroom where Colin lay on the bed, sweating and turning in his sleep. He jerked awake as Sanria shook him lightly. He seemed utterly exhausted - she knew he would be. He always was when the darkness used him. She felt horrible. This particular episode was her fault entirely, but she couldn't carry the guilt. She had reached her breaking point as well. She could no longer live with Colin as he was. Something had to give, and it did.
At her call, Fenlauch walked in and Sanria watched the light scowl form on Colin's face. The black makou was already driving him once more to anger -Colin blamed Fenlauch for her desire to heal Westbridge. And once more, tiringly so, she had to beg him to stop. Miraculously, Colin did quiet his anger.
Fenlauch hadn't been told anything about her plans for Westbridge, but he refrained from saying anything more. He told Colin that they might be able to help him, and at Sanria's urgings, Colin finally chose to go. It took only moments for Fenlauch to cast an unintelligible spell and vanish through the fabric of reality with Colin behind him.
Sanria sat for a long moment on the bed where Colin had just lain. She knew she might never see him again. Though she had tired completely of the smothering black makou, all the anger, the outbursts, the distrust of everyone, she still loved Colin. If he could come back to her, without the other piece that she had grown to loathe, there would be hope for them. Still, if he never came back, she would be alone. She looked to her lap and finally let herself cry.
