"Elayne . . ". Aviendha said. "I cannot leave my people. I am a Wise One now".
"You went to Rhuidean?" Elayne asked.
"Yes", Aviendha said. Though it pained her to keep secrets, she said nothing of her visions there.
"Excellent. I—" Elayne began, but was cut off.
"My Queen?" the tent guard called from outside. "Messenger for you".
"Let them in".
The guard opened the flaps for a young Guardswoman with a messenger’s ribbon on her coat. She performed an ornate bow, one hand removing her hat as the other held out a letter.
Elayne took the letter but didn’t open it. The messenger retreated. "Perhaps we can still fight together, Aviendha", Elayne said. "If I have my way, I will have Aiel at my side as I reclaim Andor. The Trollocs in Caemlyn present a serious threat to all of us; even if I draw their main force out, the Shadow can continue to pour Shadowspawn through that Waygate.
"I’m thinking that while my armies fight the main body of Trollocs outside of Caemlyn—I will have to make the city inhospitable to the Shadowspawn somehow—I will send a smaller force through a gateway to seize the Waygate. If I could gain the aid of Aiel for that . . . "
As she spoke, she embraced the Source—Aviendha could see the glow—and absently sliced the letter open, breaking the seal with a ribbon of Air. Aviendha raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry", Elayne said, "I've reached the point in my pregnancy where I can channel again reliably, and I keep finding excuses . . ".
"Do not endanger the babes", Aviendha said.
"I’m not going to endanger them", Elayne said. "You’re as bad as Birgitte. At least no one has any goat’s milk here. Min says . . ". She trailed off, eyes flickering back and forth as she read the letter. Elayne’s expression darkened, and Aviendha prepared herself for a shock.
"Oh, that man . . ". Elayne said.
"Rand?"
"I think I may strangle him one of these days".
Aviendha set her jaw. "If he’s offended—"
Elayne turned the letter around. "He insists that I return to Caemlyn to see to my people. He gives a dozen reasons why, going so far as to release me from my obligation’ to meet with him tomorrow".
"He should not be insisting on anything with you".
"Particularly not so forcefully", Elayne said. "Light, this is clever. He’s obviously trying to bully me into staying. There’s a touch of Daes Dae’mar in this".
Aviendha hesitated. "You seem proud. Yet I gather this letter is only one step away from being insulting!"
"I am proud", Elayne said. "And angry at him. But proud because he knew to make me angry like that. Light! We’ll make a king out of you yet, Rand. Why does he want me at the meeting so badly? Does he think I’ll support his side just because of my affection for him?"
"You don’t know what his plan is, then?"
"No. It obviously involves all of the rulers. But I will attend, even though I’m likely to do so without having had any sleep tonight. I am meeting with Birgitte and my other commanders in an hour to go over plans for drawing out, then destroying, the Trollocs". A fire still burned behind those eyes of hers. Elayne was a warrior, as true a one as Aviendha had ever known.
"I must go to him", Aviendha said.
"Tonight?"
"Tonight. The Last Battle will soon begin".
"As far as I’m concerned, it started the moment those bloody Trollocs set foot in Caemlyn", Elayne said. "May the Light favor us. It is here".
"Then the day of dying will come", Aviendha said. "Many of us will soon wake from this dream. There may not be another night for Rand and myself. I came to you, in part, to ask you about this".
"You have my blessing", Elayne said softly. "You are my first-sister. Have you spent time with Min?"
"Not enough, and under other circumstances I would remedy that lack immediately. There is no time".
Elayne nodded.
"I do think she feels better about me", Aviendha said. "She did me a great honor in helping me understand the last step to becoming a Wise One. It may be appropriate to bend some of the customs. We have done well, under the circumstances. I would speak to her together with you, if there is time".
Elayne nodded. "I can spare a moment or two between meetings. I’ll send for her".
CHAPTER 3
A Dangerous Place
"Lord Logain and Taim have indeed patched up their differences", Welyn said, sitting inside the common room of The Great Gathering. He wore bells in his dark braids, and he smiled widely. He always had smiled too much. "Both were worried about the division we’ve been suffering and agree it isn’t good for morale. We need to be focused on the Last Battle. This isn’t a time for squabbling".
Androl stood just inside the door, Pevara beside him. It was surprising, how quickly this building—a former warehouse—had been transformed into a tavern. Lind had done her work well. There were a respectable bar and stools, and though the tables and chairs spread through the room didn’t match yet, the place could seat dozens. She also had a library with a considerable number of books, although she was very particular about who she allowed to use it. On the second floor, she planned private dining chambers and sleeping rooms for visitors to the Black Tower. Assuming Taim started letting visitors in again.
The room was quite packed, and the crowd included a large number of newer recruits, men who didn’t yet fall on either side of the growing dispute—either with Taim and his men, or with those loyal to Logain.
Androl listened to Welyn, feeling chilled. Welyn’s Aes Sedai, Jenare, sat beside him, hand resting fondly on his arm. Androl didn’t know her well, but he did know Welyn. And this thing with Welyn’s face and voice was not the same man.
We met with the Lord Dragon", Welyn continued. "Surveying the Borderlands, preparing for humankind’s assault against the Shadow. He has rallied the armies of all nations to his banner. There are none who do not support him, other than the Seanchan, of course—but they have been driven back.
This is the time, and we will soon be called upon to strike. We need to focus one last time on our skills. The Sword and Dragon will be awarded liberally in the next two weeks. Work hard, and we will be the weapons that break the Dark One’s hold upon this land".
"You say Logain is coming", a voice demanded. "Why isn’t he back yet?" Androl turned. Jonneth Dowtry stood near Welyn's table. With his arms folded, glowering at Welyn, Jonneth was an intimidating sight. The Two Rivers man often had a friendly way about him, and it was easy to forget that he stood a head taller than you and had arms like those of a bear. He wore his black Asha’man coat, though it had no pins on the high collar—despite the fact that he was as strong in the One Power as any Dedicated.
‘Why isn’t he here?" Jonneth demanded. "You said that you returned with him, that he and Taim have spoken. Well, where is he?"
Don’t push, lad, Androl thought. Let him think we believe his lies!
"He took the M’Hael to visit the Lord Dragon", Welyn said. "Both should be back on the morrow, the day after at the latest".
"Why did Taim need Logain to show him the way?" Jonneth said stubbornly. "He could have gone on his own".
"That boy is a fool", Pevara hissed.
"He’s honest", Androl replied quietly, "and he wants honest answers". These Two Rivers lads were a good lot—straightforward and loyal. They weren’t particularly practiced in subterfuge, however.
Pevara fell silent, but Androl could feel her as she considered channeling and hushing Jonneth with some bindings of Air. They weren’t serious thoughts, just idle fancies, but Androl could sense them. Light! What had they done to one another?
She’s in my head, he thought. There’s an Aes Sedai, inside my head.
Pevara froze, then glanced at him.
Androl sought the void, that old soldier’s trick to help him seek clarity before a battle. Saidin was there, too, of course. He didn’t reach for it.
"What did you do?" Pevara whispered. "I can feel you there, but sensing your thoughts is harder".
Well, that was something at least.
"Jonneth", Lind called across the common room, interrupting the lad’s next question to Welyn. "Didn’t you hear the man saying how much traveling he’s been doing? He’s exhausted. Let him drink his ale and rest a spell before you pry stories out of him".
Jonneth glanced at her, looking hurt. Welyn smiled deeply as the lad withdrew, pushing his way out of the common room. Welyn continued talking about how well the Lord Dragon was doing, and about how much each of them would be needed.
Androl released the void, feeling more relaxed. He looked around the room, trying to judge who in here he could rely upon. He liked many of these men, and many weren’t completely for Taim, yet he still couldn’t trust them. Taim had complete control of the Tower now, and private lessons with him and his chosen were coveted by the newcomers. Only the Two Rivers lads could be counted on to give any sort of support to Androl’s cause—and most of them other than Jonneth were too unpracticed to be of use.
Evin had joined Nalaam on the other side of the room, and Androl nodded his head to him, sending him out to follow Jonneth into the storm. Nobody was to be alone. That done, Androl listened to Welyn’s boasting, and noticed Lind picking her way through the crowd toward him.
Lind Taglien was a short, dark-haired woman; her dress was covered in lovely embroidery. She had always seemed to him a model of what the Black Tower could be. Civilized. Educated. Important.
Men made way for her; they knew not to spill their drinks or start fights in her inn. Lind’s anger was not something a wise man ever wanted to know. It was a good thing she ran the place so tightly. In a city full of male channelers, a simple tavern brawl could potentially go very, very wrong.
"Does this bother you as much as it does me?" Lind asked softly as she stepped up beside him. "Wasn’t he the one who, just a few weeks back, was talking about how Taim should be tried and executed for some of the things he’d done?"
Androl didn’t reply. What could he say? That he suspected that the man they’d known as Welyn was dead? That the entire Black Tower would soon be nothing but these monsters with the wrong eyes, the false smiles, the dead souls?
"I don’t believe him about Logain", Lind said. "Something’s going on here, Androl. I’m going to have Frask follow him tonight, see where he—"
"No", Androl said. "No. Don’t". Frask was her husband, a man who had been hired to help Henre Haslin teach swordsmanship in the Black Tower. Taim thought that swordfighting was useless for Asha’man, but the Lord Dragon had insisted that the men be taught.
She eyed him. "You’re not saying you believe—"
"I’m saying that were in great danger right now, Lind, and I don’t want Frask making it worse. Do me a favor. Take note of what else Welyn says tonight. Maybe some of it will be useful for me to know".