"She's desperate Casp, I can feel it. All those years trapped, maybe she can still think and feel. Imagine it Casp ! It might have been us, trapped in the upper Dome by LLud. What might we have done to be free ?!"
Caspian had heard similar outbursts, Vella was becoming drawn into some kind of emotional hurricane by the statue and it worried him. He too felt a desire to solve the puzzle, but he could resist it, Vella could not. Caspian had hidden the puzzle pieces while he was certain that his wife was sleeping.
"We have the sword that can kill anything." Said Vella.
"So you really want us to go to Gorshan ?"
For a moment he saw the madness in Vella's eyes, saw her wanting to scream 'Yes.' Then sanity returned as quickly as it was gone and she was in his arms, her tears dampening his shirt.
"Of course not Casp, but can we at least do some research and see if there is any way we can help Inanna ?"
The City was unforgiving when it came to the insane, they were driven out onto the rifts to die of starvation or one of the other numerous ways the rifts could remove life from the unwary. Caspian thought about seeing Galla and obtaining one of her powders, but he really had no alternative, he had to do as his new wife asked.
"I will Vella," he said, "I'll get Torfi to help and we'll research everything the library has on Gorshan. It won't be quick though and you must give your word not to look for the puzzle."
She didn't look up at him, but her crying became more intense.
"So you've hidden it from me ?"
"It seemed to be for the best."
"Perhaps it is, I know I'd have to put the pieces together again, if I knew where it was."
Caspian walked over to the Genova and slapped the stone face.
"It's all your fault Inanna. I wish we'd never found you." He said.
Vella flew at him her nails reaching for his face. Caspian held her, allowing her to rake his chest with her sharp nails. Quite quickly she was calm again and sobbing, her head against his chest.
"I'm so sorry Caspian."
"You need to control yourself Vella. You know what Adamaz will do if he thinks you've been touched by chaos."
She knew well enough, everyone in the City knew that insanity was a sign of a person being touched by chaos. There was never any mercy, the insane were banished from the City and killed if they attempted to return. Caspian had always considered the practise as barbaric, a way for people to rid themselves of relatives who'd become a burden. Now though he wondered, perhaps sometimes people really were victims of some kind of possession.
"Don't worry Vella, I'll research Gorshan and if there is any way it can be done. We will turn Inanna back to being a creature of flesh again."
