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The fires had retreated; only the tarrya powerful heat The wall near it and the entryway inside had beco, blackened hole Aviendha continued to pull water and du to feel extre so much water required her to channel al Aviendha slacked her flow, then let it dribble to a stop The ground around her was a wet, blackened disarray that sy ash Bits of wood and char floated in the muddy water, and the holes where she had ripped up earth were filled,the lulassy and black, like obsidian, and it sparkled wetly She picked up a length of singed wood-- broken from the wall by the force of her water column--and poked at the mass It was hard and firm

"Burn you!" a voice bellowed Aviendha looked up Rand al’Thor strode through the broken hole that now for his fist "I ah!"

"Rand," Aviendha said hesitantly Soldiers werea battle Bewildered servants peeked out of rooms inside the manor The entire episode with the flames had taken less than fivecalls of fright fro for you! Don’t waste your power! You will need it against me!"

"Rand!" Aviendha called

He froze, then looked down at her, dazed She er, almost as she’d felt the intense flames just a short ti back into the building and up the blackened wooden steps

"Light!" an anxious voice asked "Does this sort of thing happen often when he is near?"

Aviendha turned to see a youngHe was lanky, with light brown hair and coppery skin--she didn’t remember his name, but she was fairly certain he was one of the officers Rand had brought back afterwith Rodel Ituralde

She turned back to theto soldiers call orders in the distance Bashere had arrived and was taking coh he was likely just giving the of an attack It was just another of the Dark One’s touches on the world, like , and e diseases

"Yes," Aviendha said in response to the man’s question, "it happens often More often around the Car’a’carn than in other places, at least You have had si your own men?"

"I have heard stories," he said "Only I diserations," she said, looking at the blackened remains of the soldier "The Dark One’s prison is weak"

"Bloody ashes," the young otten us into, Rodel?" The man shook his head and stalked off

Bashere’s officers began calling orders, organizing the men to clean up Would Rand move out of the manor, now? When pockets of evil appeared, people often wanted to leave And yet, through her bond with Rand, she felt no urgency In factit seeone back to rest! Thatas erratic as Elayne’s during her pregnancy

Aviendha shook her head and started gathering burned chunks of wood to help clean As she worked, several Aes Sedai cae The entire front of the manor was scored with black marks, and the hole where the entry way had been was at least fifteen feet across One of the women, Merise, eyed Aviendha appreciatively "A sha a piece of charred wood, her clothing still soaked With those clouds covering the sun, it would be long before she was dry "A shame?" she asked "About the manor?" The portly Lord Tellaen, owner of the place, moaned to hi his brow and shaking his head

"No," Merise said "A shame about you, child Your skill eaves, it is impressive If we had you in the White Tower, you’d have been an Aes Sedai by now Your weaving, it has sohness to it, but you’d learn to fix that quickly if taught by sisters"

There was an audible sniff, and Aviendha spun Melaine stood behind her The golden-haired Wise One had her ar to bulge with child Her face was not amused How had Aviendha let the wo her fatigue make her careless

Melaine and Merise stared at each other for a long reen skirts and moved off to speak with the servants who had been trapped by the fla Melaine watched her go, then shook her head "Insufferable woarded theer than er than I a of weaves that puts le to learn what cohness to your weaves,’ she says! I doubt any of the Aes Sedai, save perhaps Cadsuane Sedai, could havewater that far required you to use the river’s own flow and pressure"

"Is that what I did?" Aviendha asked, blinking

Melaine eyed her, then snorted again, softly to herself "Yes, that is what you did You have such great talent, child"

Aviendha swelled with the praise; from Wise Ones, it was rare, but always sincere

"But you refuse to learn," Melaine continued "There isn’t much time! Here, I have another question for you What do you think of Rand al’Thor’s plan to kidnap these Doain, so tired it was hard to think It defied reason that the Domani used merchants as leaders in the first place How could a merchant lead people? Did not merchants have to focus on their wares? It was ridiculous Would the wetlanders ever stop shocking her with their strange ways?

And as Melaine asking her about this now of all tiood one, Wise One," Aviendha said "Yet the spears do not like being used for kidnapping I think the Car’a’carn should have spoken in ter protection--forced protection-- for thetold they were protecting rather than kidnapping"

"They would be doing the very sa, nois important," Aviendha said "It is not dishonest if both definitions are true"

Melaine’s eyes twinkled, and Aviendha caught a hint of a s?"

"Rand al’Thor still seems to think that the Car’a’carn canThis is ht way"