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Fal Dara welcomed the Amyrlin. The people cheered and the general mood was festive and expectant. But Siuan spoke the formal replies to Lord Agelmar's greetings only by rote. It took all of her considerable will power not to glance to the side. The bright halo hovered at the edge of her sight, tantalized her. The sign of a ta'veren stronger than she had thought possible marked the young man clearly. That he tried to be inconspicious mattered not. It scared and excited her at the same time. His light was so blinding that it almost hid the glow around two other young men in the crowd.
Her entourage filled the courtyard. Warders guarded their proud Aes Sedai. Neither gave attention to the young men so close by who would change the world. Why can't you see it? Siuan Sanche wanted to scream at them. How can you be so blind?
Siuan suppressed her shivers. She almost saw how these focal points of the Great Weave twisted and redirected around them the life threads of all these people, even her own, to a new muster. How would it look like?
***
She put up her harshest task mistress face when Leane announced Moiraine. Appearances were important as she must not be seen as lenient or even friendly toward the woman who was her closest friend and ally. Then she thought of the last message hinting of desaster and her expression hardened further. Moiraine deserved chastising. Burn this woman! Did their plans count nothing anymore? What had she let happen?
Moiraine appeared chagrined and meek during the audience. She gave her official report and defended in a small voice her decisions. When Siuan mentioned the hall's proposal of an 'extended retreat' for her, she seemed ready to aquiese to that on the spot. Siuan could see Leane frowning worriedly. This behaviour was wholly uncharacteristical. Her own concern grew.
"Leave us, Leane. I want to speak alone with my daughter Moiraine."
Leane didn't hesitate. Maybe she thought that the Amyrlin wanted to dig to the bottom of this matter in private. And she would be right, of course. As soon as the door closed, Moiraine's shoulder slumped further and Siuan hastened to weave the ward against listener.
"Tell me everything, Moiraine. What went wrong?"
"I found him, Siuan, him and two other ta'veren who are incidentally his closest friends. And there were two girls with the spark, the whole region is probably filled with potential channelers. But the Shadow was only one step behind me. So many died and they followed us even into Shadar Logoth..."
Siuan flinched as Moiraine mentioned this cursed place. "Stop! You are babbling!" She went around the table and hugged her friend. "I know it was bad, Moiraine. Or you were not in this state now. Let us sit down and start from the beginning. Slowly."
The words came haltingly, but more and more coherently. And finally the tears came too.
"I didn't protect him enough, Siuan. I couldn't, believe me, I tried. But he had to be there. He even won twice, against Aginor and then Ba'alzamon. He saved the Shienarans at Tarwin's Gap. But he drew too much of the Power, he burnt out. Light preserve us, everything is lost."
Siuan glared grimly at the broken cuendillar pieces, once a Seal to the Dark One's prison. That things looked bad was an understatement. Her troubles with the Sitters paled in comparison. Then she remembered the sun-like aura of the al'Thor boy and shook her head.
"No! Nothing is lost yet, Moiraine." She laughed suddenly, a harsh sound. "Even if it were so, neither of us would go down meekly, we would go fighting, screaming and kicking.
"But we aren't dead yet. He is not dead. We have to have faith in the Light. The Wheel weaves as it will. And he is still ta'veren, he and his friends. Three ta'veren at once, Moiraine, this is of importance. We will find a way."
The other woman looked up, unbelief and desperate hope warring on her face. "But he can't channel anymore. How could we win?"
"Tell me, where does the Prophecy say explicitly that he has to do anything specific with saidin himself? Except his ability to channel, of course. He had that."
"It was always assumed..." Moiraine sat a bit straighter, still doubtfull.
"Assumption doesn't mean much. The Prophecies do give us room, we will have to substitute for him." A wry smile appeared. "But I do assume that many Sisters will be relieved to know that they won't have to deal with a real channeler."
She paced around. Plans took form in her mind and were dismissed.
"This is for the future. For now we just have to make shure he survives. Good that he left the bed -"
"Only a few days ago, though," threw Moiraine in.
"A good sign nonetheless. Let Lan continue his sword training, Moiraine. He will need the skill. We will take all three boys with us back to Tar Valon."
Siuan stopped before Moiraine and slipped into her role as Amyrlin.
"You, daughter, will come too. For now I command you to rest. Go walk in the gardens, socialize with your sisters, renew friendships! We will need allies soon. Now that we have the boy we must bring the Hall on our side. We can't survive a war with two fronts."
Moiraine rose and sank in a deep curtsy. "As you command me, Mother, I will obey." As she left her stride looked more forceful, not unlike a soldier, Siuan thought, who marched into a battle he intends to win. It pleased her.
***
Rand panted, his lungs burned, the legs had turned to lead. He listened for the footsteps behind him and desperately tried to stay ahead of them. He could not outrun them. Before him the gateway appeared, if he could reach it first...
He stumble to a halt and leaned against the cool stone. Besides him Lan appeared, slowing gracefully from run to a walk.
"Better than the last time, Rand. But you ran like panic-stricken before a fist of trollocs. You must preserve your strength while you are running."
Still breathless Rand only nodded.
"The trollocs would have eaten him by now," joked Mat from a nearby bench. Perrin elbowed him in the ribs. Both often watched Rand's training. Perrin was usually silent, only offering encouragement every now and then. Mat was far more vocal though his jokes usually both annoyed and amused Rand at the same time.
"Ah, master Cauthon, you want to show me how much better you do. Please accompany me for the next round."
Mat's eyes grew wide and he started to protest. But Perrin smiled and pushed him off the bench.
"You deserve it. Now go!"
While Lan started his second round with Mat grudgingly in tow Rand began the stretching exercises that the Warder had shown him. As for now his training consisted mostly of runs around and through the keep, up the staircases and down, jumping over fences as well as exercises for balance and agility. Lan had told him more than once that he still lacked endurance and stamina.
Rand knew that as true, though this wasn't what he had in mind when he asked Lan to teach him. Light, I don't even know why I asked him. Spur of the moment, I suppose. So why do I continue with it?
"Why do you continue with it?"
Rand started. His friend regarded him with these unsettling golden eyes. Rand raked a hand through his hair and shrugged.
"I wonder," Perrin insisted, "first you behaves like you are already dead, Egwene and Nynaeve are besides themselves from worry, even Moiraine sm... seems desperate, and suddenly you pop out off the bed and announces that you will become a Swordmaster. Why?"
Rand snatched his shirt and the sword from the bench and turned to leave the garden. Perrin's hand on his shoulder stopped him. He took a deep breath and released it slowly, buying himself a bit time. Then he met his friend's gaze.
"I have no good answer to that, Perrin. I'm asking myself the same. For a time I thought that I didn't care anymore. But this wasn't true. I just had to do something. Learning how to wield the sword was the first thing that came to my mind." He touched the heron marked hilt. "When I travelled with Mat I got into trouble sometimes because the people thought I were a Swordmaster."
That seemed enough for Perrin. When a short time later an exhausted Mat Cauthon returned from his run Rand didn't hide his grin. Mat scowled half-heartedly back. Lan was merciless in his lections.
They were returning to their quarters when they started passing Aes Sedai. It seemed that everyone of them was on the move, alone or in groups of two or three, and thanks to the Dark One's own luck always crossing their path. And every time they met more or less open scrutinity from these ageless faces. It raised Rand's hackles. How much did they know? They had almost reached their destination when they saw her.
A blond Aes Sedai stood in the corridor that lead to their quarters. Her pretty, doll-like face was marred by a scowl. She ignored the servants who had to press themselves at the walls to get past her. She had not seen them yet.
Rand's breatch catched for a moment. Then he ducked around a corner into a passageway leading into the general direction of the kitchens. "I need something to eat after the whole running around this morning." The fringes of her stola had been red.
His friends followed his lead. Neither Mat nor Perrin were eager to meet her. Perrin growled quietly. "This morning I overheard an Aes Sedai talking. She said that all three ta'veren will accompany the Amyrlin when she returns to Tar Valon."
"Blood and ashes, they are already making plans for us. I don't like it," grumbled Mat darkly.
"What did you expect? We are only pawns to them." Rand looked around, afraid that they would run into another Aes Sedai. Half under his breath, he added: "But the sword training I have chosen myself."
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