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"Well, perhaps we can get you an angreal once the Tower is whole again," Egwene said "We’ll be using everything we have e ride against the Shadow"

Siuan sru to deal with mynew situation It’s not so difficult to stowene frowned, as if trying to figure out what advantages there could be in lessened power Finally, she shook her head "Elayne once mentioned a room to me in the Tower, filled with objects of power I assume it really exists?"

"Of course," Siuan said "The basement storeroom It’s in the second level of the basement, on the northeast side Little room with a plain wooden door, but you can’t miss it It’s the only one in the hallway that is locked"

Egwene nodded to herself "Well, I can’t defeat Elaida through brute force Still, it is nice to know of that Is there anything else remarkable to report?"

"Not at the et sowene hesitated "And next time, we’ll h weout in the city I don’t trust this place If there was a Forsaken in our camp, I’d bet halfon the White Tower too"

Siuan nodded "Very well" She closed her eyes, and soon found herself blinking awake back in Bryne’s tent The candle was out, and she could hear Bryne breathing quietly from his pallet on the other side of the tent She sat up and looked across at hiabout Forsaken and Asha’eneral’s presence cowene? Siuan thought idly, rising to change out of her dress behind the screen and put on her sleeping gown / think I h? To her, it see cleansed or a wo saidin

Shaking her head, she tucked the drealed down beneath her blankets

She’d forgo theMaiden

A cool spring breeze tickled Perrin’s face Such a breeze should have carried with it the scents of pollen and crispinto the light, of new life and an earth reborn

This breeze carried with it only the scents of blood and death

Perrin turned his back to the breeze, knelt down and inspected the wagon’s wheels The vehicle was a sturdy construction of hickory, wood darkened with age It appeared to be in good repair, but Perrin had learned to be careful when dealing with equipons and oxen as they did horses, but they--like all Aiel-- believed in traveling light They hadn’t ons or carts, and Perrin had foundhis inspection

"Next!" he bellowed as he checked the first wheel’s hub The co to speak with hih, like wood scraping against wood Gerard Arganda, First Captain of Ghealdan His scent was of well-oiled armor "I must press the issue of our departure Allow me to ride ahead with Her Majesty"

The "Her Majesty" he referred to was Alliandre, Queen of Ghealdan Perrin continued working with the wheel; he wasn’t as fa, but his father had taught each of his sons to recognize signs of trouble in a wagon Better to fix the proble than to be stranded halfway to the destination Perrin ran his fingers across the srain was clearly visible, and he tested for cracks with questing fingers, searching each point of stress All four wheels looked good

"My Lord?" Arganda asked

"We all anda I won’t have the refugees thinking that we’re abandoning theees There were over a hundred thousand of those to care for A hundred thousand! Light, that was far more than lived in the entire Two Rivers And Perrin was in charge of feeding every one of theons Many on He lay down on his back, preparing to inspect the axles, and that gave him a view of the overcast sky, partially blocked by Maiden’s nearby city wall

The city was large for one this far north in Altara It was al walls and towers Until the day before, the land around this city had been hoone now, many killed, others fled, their captives freed by an alliance between Perrin’s forces and the Seanchan

The Shaido had left his: a scent of blood on the air and a hundred thousand refugees to care for Though he was happy to give the Maiden had been far different: the rescue of Faile

Another Aiel group had been advancing on his position, but they’d slowed, then ca toward Maiden Perhaps they’d been warned by Shaido fleeing the battle that they had a large army before them, one that had defeated the Shaido despite their channelers It seee hiave hi The captain wore his polished breastplate and had his slotted helmet under his arm The squat man wasn’t a puffed-up fluff of an officer, but a coht well and did as instructed Usually

"I’ hion

"Could we at least use gateways instead?" Arganda asked, kneeling down, graying hair--shorn short--nearly brushing the ground as he peeked under the wagon

"The Asha’ue," Perrin snapped "You know that"