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Elayne She was distant, far to the east, but he could still feel her bundle of emotions in his head At such a distance, it was difficult to tell ht she wasrelieved Did thatwell? What of the ared her? And ere those Borderlanders up to? They had left their posts, joining together andno explanation of what they wanted of him They were some of the best soldiers west of the Spine of the World Their help would be invaluable at the Last Battle But they had left the northlands Why?

He was loath to confront theht One he couldn’t afford at the ht that, of all people, he could have depended on the Border-landers to support hiainst the Shadow

Noclose to it, in most of the land He tried not to think about the recently placated rebellion against him in Tear or the volatility of the borders with Sean-chan lands, or the plottings of the nobility in Cairhien Every tiht he had a nation secure, it see peace to a people who refused to accept it?

Min’s fingers tightened on his arm, and he took a deep breath He did what he could, and for now, he had two goals Peace in Arad Doman and a truce with the Seanchan The words he’d received beyond the doorere now clear: He could not fight both the Seanchan and the Dark One He had to keep the Seanchan fro until the Last Battle was over After that, the Light could burn thenored his requests for a e? He had let the ood faith? Arad Doht in Almoth Plain, he could show the Seanchan that he was serious in his suits for peace He wouldout theBashere’s eight thousand soldiers were erecting peaked tents and digging an earthenbulwark of deep brown contrasted with the white tents Rand had ordered the Asha’h he doubted they enjoyed the hureatly Besides, Rand suspected that they--like he himself--secretly savored any excuse to hold saidin He could see a s around theround There were ten of theh only Flinn, Naeff and Narishma were full Asha’ their short coats as they cared for their mounts and set pickets Others took shovelfuls of dirt from the Asha’man mound and used it to pack into the bulwark Rand could see there was that displeasure on the faces ofcamp in a wooded area, even one as sparsely flecked with pine as this hillside Trees es difficult and could hide enemies as they approached

Davra orders through that thick mustache of his Beside hi coat and wearing a thin Domani mustache He was an acquaintance of Bashere’s

Lord Tellaen put hi the troops of the Dragon Reborn could be seen as treason But as there to punish him? Arad Doman was in chaos, the throne under threat froreat Doly effective war against the Seanchan to the south

Like his men, Bashere went about unary trousers that he favored, the bottoh boots What did Bashere think of being caught in Rand’s ta’veren web? In being, if not in direct opposition to the will of his queen, at least unco had it been since he had reported to his rightful ruler? Hadn’t he promised Rand that his queen’s support would be speedy in coon Reborn, Rand thought I break all covenants and vows Old allegiances are unimportant Only Tarmon Gai’don matters Tarmon Gai’don, and the servants of the Shadow

"I wonder if we’ll find Graendal here," Rand said thoughtfully

"Graendal?" Min asked "What ht be?"

Rand shook his head Ash that had been o Was she still here? It seemed plausible; it was one of the few major nations where she could be Graendal liked to have a hidden base of power far from where the other Forsaken lurked; she wouldn’t have set up in Andor, Tear or Illian Nor would she have been caught in the lands to the southwest, not with the Seanchan invasion

She would have a hidden retreat somewhere That was how she operated Probably in the mountains, secluded, somewhere here in the north He couldn’t be sure she was in Arad Doht to him, from what he knew of her From what Lews Therin knew of her

But it was only a possibility He would be careful, watching for her Each of the Forsaken that he reht It would--

Soft footsteps approached his closed door

Rand released Min and they both spun, Rand reaching for his sword-- a useless gesture, now The loss of his hand, though it wasn’t his primary sword hand, would leave him vulnerable if he were to face a skilled opponent Even with saidin to provide a far more potent weapon, his first instinct was for the sword He’d have to change that It et him killed someday

The door opened and Cadsuane strode in, as confident as any queen at court She was a handsoray hair was up in a bun, a dozen tiny golden orna in their places atop it Her dress was of a simple, thick wool, tied at the waist with a yellow belt, with more yellow ereen, which was not uncommon, as that was her Ajah Rand soeless, like that of any Aes Sedai who had worked long enough with the Poould have fit better in the Red Ajah

He relaxed his hand on his sword, though he did not release it He fingered the cloth-tied hilt The weapon was long, slightly curved, and the lacquered scabbard was painted with a long, sinuous dragon of red and gold It looked as if it had been designed specifically for Rand-- and yet it was centuries old, unearthed only recently How odd, that they should find this now, he thought, and ift of it to

He had taken to wearing the sword iers He had told no one, not even Min, that he had recognized the weapon And not, oddly, from Lews Therin’s memories--but Rand’s own

Cadsuane was accompanied by several others Nynaeve was expected; she often followed Cadsuane these days, like a rival cat she found encroaching on her territory She did it for hiiven up being Wisdoave no quarter to anyone she thought was abusing one under her protection Unless, of course, Nynaeve herself was the one doing the abusing

Today, she wore a dress of gray with a yellow sash at the waist over her belt--a new Domani fashion, he had heard--and had the custoold necklace and slis, both studded with large red, green and blue gereal--or, rather, several of thereal too--comparable to what Cadsuane wore Rand had occasionally heard Nynaeve e

Where Nynaeve wasn’t a surprise, Alivia was Rand hadn’t been aware that the forathering Still, she was supposed to be even stronger than Nynaeve in the One Power, so perhaps she had been brought for support One could never be too careful where the