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the only hope you or your wife have.” There. If only a few of the seeds she had planted

took root, they should be enough to turn him back.

“If Alliandre is in danger, Lord Perrin,” the Ghealdanin began, but Aybara stopped him

with a raised hand. That was all it took. The soldier’s jaw tightened till she thought she

might hear it creak, yet he remained silent.

“You’ve seen Faile?” the young man said, excitement touching his voice. “She’s well?

She hasn’t been harmed?” The fool seemed not to have a word she said beyond mention

of his wife.

“Well, and under my protection, Lord Perrin.” If this jumped-up country boy wanted to

call himself a lord, she would tolerate it for the moment. “She and Alliandre, both.” The

soldier glowered at Aybara, but he did not take the opportunity to speak. “You must

listen to me. The Shaido will kill you—”

“Come here and look at this,” Aybara broke in, turning to the table and drawing a large

page toward him.

“You must forgive his lack of manners, Aes Sedai,” Berelain murmured, handing her a

worked silver cup of dark wine. “He is under considerable strain, as you might

understand in the circumstances. I haven’t introduced myself. I am Berelain, the First of

Mayene.”

“I know. You may call me Alyse.”

The other woman smiled as though she knew that was a false name, yet accepting it. The

First of Mayene was far from unsophisticated. A pity she had to deal with the boy

instead; sophisticated people who thought they could dance with Aes Sedai were easily

led. Country folk could prove stubborn out of ignorance. But the fellow should know

something of Aes Sedai by now. Perhaps ignoring him would give him reason to think on

who and what she was.

The wine tasted like flowers on her tongue. “This is very good,” she said with genuine

gratitude. She had not tasted decent wine for weeks. Therava would not permit her a

pleasure the Wise One denied herself. If the woman learned that she had found several

barrels in Malden, she would not even have mediocre wine. And surely would be beaten

as well.

“There are other sisters in the camp, Alyse Sedai. Masuri Sokawa and Seonid Traighan,

and my own advisor, Annoura Larisen. Would you like to speak to them after you finish

with Perrin?”

With feigned casualness, Galina drew up her cowl till her face was shadowed and took

another swallow of wine for time to think. Annoura’s presence was understandable, given

Berelain’s, but what were the other two doing there? They had been among those who

fled the Tower after Siuan was deposed and Elaida raised. True, none of them would

know of her involvement in kidnapping the al’Thor boy for Elaida, but still….

“I think not,” she murmured. “Their business is theirs, and mine is mine.” She would

have given a great deal to know their business, but not at the cost of being recognized.

Any friend of the Dragon Reborn might have…notions…about a Red. “Help me

convince Aybara, Berelain. Your Winged Guards are no match for what the Shaido will

send against them. Whatever Ghealdanin you have with you won’t make a difference. An

army will make no difference. The Shaido are too many, and they have hundreds of Wise

Ones ready to use the One Power as a weapon. I have seen them do it. You may die, too,

and even if you are captured, I can’t promise I can make Sevanna release you when I

leave.”

Berelain laughed as though thousands of Shaido and hundreds of Wise Ones who could

channel were of no account. “Oh, have no fear they will find us. Their camp lies a good

three-day ride from here, perhaps four. The terrain turns rough not far from where we

are.”

Three days, perhaps four. Galina shivered. She should have put it together before this.

Three or four days of ground covered in less than an hour. Through a hole in the air

created with the male half of the Power. She had been near enough for saidin to touch

her. She kept her voice steady, though. “Even so, you must help me convince him not to

attack. It would be disastrous, for him, for his wife, for everyone involved. Beyond that,

what I am doing is important to the Tower. You have always been a strong supporter of

the Tower.” Flattery, for the ruler of a single city and a few hides of land, but flattery

oiled the insignificant as well as it did the mighty.

“Perrin is stubborn, Alyse Sedai. I doubt you’ll change his mind. That isn’t easy to do

once he has it set.” For some reason, the young woman smiled a smile mysterious enough

to credit a sister.

“Berelain, could you have your talk later?” Aybara said impatiently, and it was not a

suggestion. He tapped the sheet of paper with a thick finger. “Alyse, would you look at

this?” That was not a suggestion, either. Who did the man think he was, ordering an Aes

Sedai?

Still, moving to the table took her a little way from Neald. It brought her nearer the other

one, who was studying her intently, but he was on the other side of the table. A feeble

barrier, yet she could ignore him by looking at the sheet of paper under Aybara’s finger.

Keeping her eyebrows from rising was difficult. The town of Malden was outlined there,

complete with the aqueduct that brought water from a lake five miles away, and also a

rough outline of the Shaido camp surrounding the city. The real surprise was that

markings seemed to indicate the arrival of septs since the Shaido reached Malden, and the

number of those meant his men had been observing the camp for some time. Another

map, roughly sketched, seemed to show the city itself in some detail.

“I see you have learned how large their camp is,” she said. “You must know rescuing her

is hopeless. Even if you have a hundred of those men,” speaking of them was not easy,

and she could not entirely keep the contempt from her voice, “it isn’t enough. Those

Wise Ones will fight back. Hundreds of them. It would be a slaughter, thousands dead,

your wife perhaps among them. I have told you, she and Alliandre are under my

protection. When my business is finished, I will take them to safety. You have heard me

say it, so by the Three Oaths you know it is true. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that

your connection to Rand al’Thor will protect you if you interfere in what the White

Tower is doing. Yes, I know who you are. Did you think your wife wouldn’t tell me? She

trusts me, and if you want to keep her safe, you must trust me, too.”

The idiot looked at her as though her words had flown over his head without touching his

ears. Those eyes were truly unsettling. “Where does she sleep? Her, and everyone else

who was captured with her. Show me.”

“I cannot,” she replied levelly. “Gai’shain seldom sleep in the same place two nights

running.” With that lie vanished the last chance that she could leave Faile and the others

alive. Oh, she had never intended to increase the risk of her own escape by aiding them,

but that could always have been explained later by some change in circumstances. She

could not hazard the possibility that they might actually escape one day and uncover her

direct lie, however.

“I will get her free,” he growled, almost too softly for her to hear. “Whatever it takes.”

Her thoughts raced. There seemed no way to divert him from it, but perhaps she could

delay him. She had to do at least that. “Will you at least hold off your attack? I may be

able to conclude my affairs in a few more days, perhaps a week.” A deadline should

sharpen Faile’s efforts. Before, it would have been dangerous; a threat not carried out lost

all force, and the chance had been too great that the woman might be unable to get the

rod in time. Now, the chance became necessary. “If I can do that, and bring your wife and

others out, there will be no reason for you to die needlessly. One week.”

Frustration painting his face, Aybara thumped his fist on the table hard enough to make it

bounce. “You can have a few days,” he growled, “maybe even a week or more, if—” He

bit off whatever he had been about to say. Those strange eyes centered on her face. “But I

can’t promise how many days,” he went on. “If I had my druthers, I’d be attacking now. I

won’t leave Faile a prisoner a day longer than I have to while I wait on Aes Sedai

schemes for the Shaido to bear fruit. You say she’s under your protection, but how great a

protection can you really give, wearing that robe? There are signs of drunkenness in the

camp. Even some of their sentries drink. Are the Wise Ones given to it as well?”

The sudden shift nearly made her blink. “The Wise Ones drink only water, so you

needn’t think you can find them all in a stupor,” she told him dryly. And quite truthfully.

It always amused her when the truth served her purposes. Not that the Wise Ones’

example was bearing much fruit. Drunkenness was rife among the Shaido. Every raid

brought back all the wine that could be found. Dozens and dozens of small stills produced

vile brews from grains, and every time the Wise Ones destroyed a still, two sprang up in

its place. Letting him know that would only encourage him, though. “As for the others, I

have been with armies before this and seen more drinking than I have among the Shaido.

If a hundred are drunk among tens of thousands, what gain is there for you? Really, it

will be better if you promise me a week. Two would be better still.”

His eyes flashed to the map, and his right hand made a fist again, but there was no anger

in his voice. “Do the Shaido go inside the town walls very often?”

She set the winecup down on the table and drew herself up. Meeting that yellow-eyed

gaze required effort, yet she managed without a falter. “I think it’s past time you showed

proper respect. I am an Aes Sedai, not a servant.”

“Do the Shaido go inside the town walls very often?” he repeated in exactly the same

even tone. She wanted to grind her teeth.

“No,” she snapped. “They’ve looted everything worth stealing and some things that

aren’t.” She regretted the words as soon as they left her tongue. They had seemed safe,

until she remembered men who could leap through holes in the air. “That isn’t to say they

never enter. Most days, a few go in. There might be twenty or thirty at any time, more on

occasion, in groups of two or three.” Did he have the wit to see what that would mean?

Best to make sure he saw. “You could not secure them all. Inevitably, some will escape

to warn the camp.”

Aybara only nodded. “When you see Faile, tell her that on the day she sees fog on the

ridges and hears wolves howl by daylight, she and the others must go to Lady Cairen’s

fortress at the north end of the city and hide there. Tell her I love her. Tell her I’m

coming for her.” Wolves? Was the man demented? How could he ensure that wolves

would…? Suddenly, with those wolf’s eyes on her, she was not sure she wanted to know.

“I will tell her,” she lied. Perhaps he only meant to use the men in black coats to grab his

wife? But why wait at all, in that case? Those yellow eyes hid secrets she wished she

knew. Who was he trying to meet? Clearly not Sevanna. She would have thanked the

Light for that if she had not abandoned that foolishness long since. Who was ready to

come to him right away? One man had been mentioned, but that might mean a king with

an army. Or al’Thor himself? Him, she prayed never to see again.

Her promise seemed to release something in the young man. He exhaled slowly, and a

tension she had not noticed left his face. “The trouble with a blacksmith’s puzzle,” he

said softly, tapping the outline of Malden, “is always getting the key piece into place.

Well, that’s done. Or soon will be.”

“Will you stay for supper?” Berelain asked. “The hour is near.”

The light was dimming in the open doorway. A lean serving woman in dark wool, her

white hair in a bun on the back of her head, entered and began lighting the lamps.

“Will you promise me at least a week?” Galina demanded, but Aybara shook his head.

“In that case, every hour is important.” She had never intended staying a moment longer

than necessary, but she had to force her next words out. “Will you have one of

your…men…take me back to as near the camp as possible?”

“Do it, Neald,” Aybara commanded. “And at least try to be polite.” He said that!

She drew a deep breath and pushed her cowl back. “I want you to hit me, here.” She

touched her cheek. “Hard enough to bruise.”

Finally she had said something that got through to the man. Those yellow eyes widened,

and he tucked his thumbs behind his belt as though securing his hands. “I will not,” he