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He was still going to lose He faced a numberless host of foes, Dreadlords by the dozen and even soht his force into this dead-end valley, seizing the jewel of the Dark One’s lands--his very footstool, the black h the Aes Sedai said that would pass

Ituralde puffed on his pipe as he rode his horse along the ridge that edged the valley to the north Yes, he was going to lose But with these resources, he’d do it with style

He followed along the ridge, reaching a point above the pass into Thakan’dar The valley, deep in the heart of the Blasted Lands, ran east to west, with Shayol Ghul at the western side and the pass on the east One could reach this vantage only after hours of very hard cliateway Handy, that It was perfect for surveying his defenses

The pass into Shayol Ghul was like a large slot canyon, the top coateway With a gateway, he could reach the top and look down into the canyon, which was perhaps wide enough to march fifty men down shoulder-to-shoulder A perfect bottleneck And he could position archers up top here, to fire down on those coh the pass

The sun finally burned out from behind the blackness above, like a drop of ht Still, those swirling black thunderheads spun back, as if to consume all the sky

Since Shayol Ghul lay in the Blasted Lands, the air was chill enough that Ituralde wore a woolen winter cloak and his breath hite in front of hi over the valley, thinner than it had been when the forges worked

He left the canyon roup of people that had co Sea Folk stood in long coats that they had--hawkishly, of course--traded for before co peeked out beneath It, and the e contrast to the dull brown coats

Ituralde was Dos with the Sea Folk; if they proved half as tenacious in battle as they were in negotiations, he was happy indeed to have thee so they could survey the valley below and the pass into it

The woman at their front was the Mistress of the Ships herself, Zaida din Parede Blackwing A short woh her short black hair "The Windfinders send word to you, Rodel Ituralde", she said "The attack has begun"

"The attack?"

"The Bringer of Gales", Zaida said, looking toward the sky, where the dark clouds rumbled and churned "The Father of Storms He would destroy you with the force of his ire"