In Faith's suite, minus Faith ...

[antarianmax]

In Faith's suite, minus Faith, Isabel Meers rests on a couch, unconscious, nearly comatose.

Max Evans, still in royal garb with his circlet upon his head, hands faintly glowing, sits beside her, holding her hand.

"Moiraine," he says weakly, "Moiraine, if you can hear from the Dreaming, I need you."

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[blue_ajah]

Need is the key, in Tel'aran'rhiod. Some moments later, the air seems almost to shiver and light to bend around the forming figure of a dark-haired woman, dressed in blue.

Moiraine glances around the room as she steps forth from the Dreaming, and her gaze goes quickly to Max.

"I am here." Serenely.

[antarianmax]

Max is about to stand, but as he goes to do so, he stops, and simply bows his head. He doesn't want to let go of Isabel, and he knows, somehow, that Moiraine will understand this.

"Vilandra," he says, "like Zan, gets a little controlling sometimes. But unlike Zan, Vilandra's -- she's mad. Power mad and mad in general. She's taken over Isabel and she won't let go ... we can't get her out of whatever she's in."

Blurting it all out at once makes it easier, somehow, and his frightened face relaxes quite a bit - telling Moiraine makes him feel better, as her presence does alone.

[blue_ajah]

"I see." She studies the young woman lying on the bed very carefully. "Madness makes the matter more difficult, I am afraid, for insofar as I am able -- madness cannot be Healed."

There is a flicker of something in the dark eyes as she says this.

"But there may be something to be done, despite that. Can you tell me what happened, and about Vilandra herself?"

[antarianmax]

"She is my sister, still. She's Isabel like Zan's me. But Zan -- he's more me, we're actually alike."

Max reaches out and brushes his hand across Isabel's forehead, hoping that what she hears of this conversation, wherever she is, doesn't make it all the way through to her.

"Vilandra cannot be Isabel anymore. They've split, there's no way to make them one again the way it worked with the rest of us. We all speak to our inner selves, but Vilandra is violent. She's the one who ... she cheated on Rath and lead Kivar to power ... then he killed her, but she's power-mad, and she wants the body, and she wants Antar."

Silence.

"... and, Moiraine, I'm scared."