gai’shain in silk and jewels, and
out riding?” a man said, and Therava stiffened. That was no Aielman. Those were the
accents of Murandy! “Sure and that’s none of your ways, is it?”
“Shaido.” The word was spat out like a curse.
“Well, we still need to find a few more if he’s to learn anything useful. Maybe more than
a few. There are tens of thousands of folks in white down there, and she could be
anywhere among them.”
“I think maybe this one can tell Perrin Aybara what he needs to know, Fager Neald.”
If she had stiffened before, now she froze. Ice seemed to form in her stomach, and in her
heart. Perrin Aybara had sent these men? If he attacked the Shaido trying to rescue his
wife, he would be killed, destroying her leverage with Faile. The woman would not care
what was revealed, with her man dead, and the others had no secrets they feared having
known. In horror, Galina saw her hopes of obtaining the rod melting away. She had to
stop him. But how?
“And why would be you thinking that, Gaul?”
“She is Aes Sedai. And a friend of Sevanna, it seems.”
“Is she, now?” the Murandian said in a thoughtful tone. “Is she that?”
Strangely, neither man sounded the least uneasy over laying hands on an Aes Sedai. And
the Aielman apparently had done so fully aware of what she was. Even if he was a
renegade Shaido, he had to be ignorant of the fact that she could not channel without
permission. Only Sevanna and a handful of the Wise Ones knew that. This was all
growing more confusing by the moment.
Suddenly she was lifted into the air and laid on her belly. Across her own saddle, she
realized, and the next moment she was bouncing on the hard leather, one of the men
using a hand to keep her from falling as the mare began to trot.
“Let us go to where you can make us one of your holes, Fager Neald.”
“Just the other side of the slope, Gaul. Why, I’ve been here so often, I can make a
gateway nearly anywhere at all. Do you Aiel run everywhere?”
A gateway? What was the man blathering about? Dismissing his nonsense, she
considered her options, and found none good. Bound like a lamb for market, gagged so
she would not be heard ten paces away if she shrieked her lungs out, her chances of
escape were nonexistent unless some of the Shaido sentries intercepted her captors. But
did she want them to? Unless she reached Aybara, she had no way to stop him from
ruining everything. On the other hand, how many days off did his camp lie? He could not
be very near, or the Shaido would have found him by now. She knew scouts had been
making sweeps as far as ten miles from the camp. However many days were required to
reach him, it would take as many to return. Not merely minutes late, but days late.
Therava would not kill her for it. Just make her wish she were dead. She could explain. A
tale of being captured by brigands. No, just a pair; it was hard enough to believe two men
had gotten this near the encampment, much less a band of brigands. Unable to channel,
she had needed time to escape. She could make the tale convincing. It might persuade
Therava. If she said…. It was useless. The first time Therava had punished her for being
late, it had been because her cinch broke and she had had to walk back leading her horse.
The woman had not accepted that excuse, and she would not accept being kidnapped,
either. Galina wanted to weep. In fact, she realized that she was weeping, hopeless tears
she was helpless to stop.
The horse halted, and before she could think, she convulsed wildly, trying to fling herself
off the saddle, screaming as loudly as her gag permitted. They had to be trying to avoid
sentries. Surely Therava would understand if the sentries returned with her and her
captors, even if she was late. Surely she could find a way to handle Faile even with her
husband dead.
A hard hand smacked her rudely. “Be silent,” the Aielman said, and they began to
out riding?” a man said, and Therava stiffened. That was no Aielman. Those were the
accents of Murandy! “Sure and that’s none of your ways, is it?”
“Shaido.” The word was spat out like a curse.
“Well, we still need to find a few more if he’s to learn anything useful. Maybe more than
a few. There are tens of thousands of folks in white down there, and she could be
anywhere among them.”
“I think maybe this one can tell Perrin Aybara what he needs to know, Fager Neald.”
If she had stiffened before, now she froze. Ice seemed to form in her stomach, and in her
heart. Perrin Aybara had sent these men? If he attacked the Shaido trying to rescue his
wife, he would be killed, destroying her leverage with Faile. The woman would not care
what was revealed, with her man dead, and the others had no secrets they feared having
known. In horror, Galina saw her hopes of obtaining the rod melting away. She had to
stop him. But how?
“And why would be you thinking that, Gaul?”
“She is Aes Sedai. And a friend of Sevanna, it seems.”
“Is she, now?” the Murandian said in a thoughtful tone. “Is she that?”
Strangely, neither man sounded the least uneasy over laying hands on an Aes Sedai. And
the Aielman apparently had done so fully aware of what she was. Even if he was a
renegade Shaido, he had to be ignorant of the fact that she could not channel without
permission. Only Sevanna and a handful of the Wise Ones knew that. This was all
growing more confusing by the moment.
Suddenly she was lifted into the air and laid on her belly. Across her own saddle, she
realized, and the next moment she was bouncing on the hard leather, one of the men
using a hand to keep her from falling as the mare began to trot.
“Let us go to where you can make us one of your holes, Fager Neald.”
“Just the other side of the slope, Gaul. Why, I’ve been here so often, I can make a
gateway nearly anywhere at all. Do you Aiel run everywhere?”
A gateway? What was the man blathering about? Dismissing his nonsense, she
considered her options, and found none good. Bound like a lamb for market, gagged so
she would not be heard ten paces away if she shrieked her lungs out, her chances of
escape were nonexistent unless some of the Shaido sentries intercepted her captors. But
did she want them to? Unless she reached Aybara, she had no way to stop him from
ruining everything. On the other hand, how many days off did his camp lie? He could not
be very near, or the Shaido would have found him by now. She knew scouts had been
making sweeps as far as ten miles from the camp. However many days were required to
reach him, it would take as many to return. Not merely minutes late, but days late.
Therava would not kill her for it. Just make her wish she were dead. She could explain. A
tale of being captured by brigands. No, just a pair; it was hard enough to believe two men
had gotten this near the encampment, much less a band of brigands. Unable to channel,
she had needed time to escape. She could make the tale convincing. It might persuade
Therava. If she said…. It was useless. The first time Therava had punished her for being
late, it had been because her cinch broke and she had had to walk back leading her horse.
The woman had not accepted that excuse, and she would not accept being kidnapped,
either. Galina wanted to weep. In fact, she realized that she was weeping, hopeless tears
she was helpless to stop.
The horse halted, and before she could think, she convulsed wildly, trying to fling herself
off the saddle, screaming as loudly as her gag permitted. They had to be trying to avoid
sentries. Surely Therava would understand if the sentries returned with her and her
captors, even if she was late. Surely she could find a way to handle Faile even with her
husband dead.
A hard hand smacked her rudely. “Be silent,” the Aielman said, and they began to
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