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"She seems so much more human than I had anticipated," Sorilea said to Bair "Her expressions, her tone, her accent, while strange, are easy to understand I had not expected that"

See’s eyes narrowed for just a er reaction than virtually any of the punishht and sound proht involuntary twitches This coe on an emotional level Would the Wise Ones actually succeed so easily where Cadsuane had long failed?

"I think this is e need to remember," Bair said "A woman is just a woman, no matter how old, no matter what secrets she remembers Flesh can be cut, blood can be spilled, bones can be broken"

"In truth, I feel al a white-haired head "This e reacted no further Her control was back, her face serene, her eyes imperious "I have heard some little of you new, oathless Aiel and your interpretations of honor I will veryit will require before members of your clans will shame themselves Tell me, how far do you think I would have to push before one of you would kill a blacksmith and dine on his flesh?"

She knew more than "some little" if she understood the near-sacred nature of blacks the Aiel Sorilea stiffened at the co, then paused, and placed the globes of light in front of See’s eyes as well Yes, she eak in the Power, but she was a very quick learner

"Is it wise to keep her like this?" Sorilea asked, her tone i that of any other she would have made a demand For Cadsuane, she softened her words, and it alht a sed hawks, Sorilea and she, accustohboring trees Deference did not come easily to either one of them

"If I were to choose," Sorilea continued, "I think that I would have her throat slit and her corpse laid out on the dust to dry Keeping her alive is like keeping a snapwood blacklance as a pet"

"Phaw!" Cadsuane said, gri her noould be worse Al’Thor cannot--or will not--give me an accurate count of the number of Forsaken he has slain, but he implies that at least half of theht at the Last Battle, and each weave we learn froe is one fewer they can use to surprise us"

Sorilea did not seem convinced, but she pressed the issue no further "And the item?" she asked "May I see it?"

Cadsuane alht Cadsuane Traveling, an incredibly powerful tool That had been an offering, a hand extended Cadsuane needed to ith these woer project than one wo the wooden room The Wise Ones followed Outside, Cadsuane instructed the sisters--Daigian and Sarene--to e was kept awake, eyes open It was unlikely to work, but it was the best strategy Cadsuane had at the e’s er, displayed at Sorilea’s coer, you could control their other emotions as well That hy she had focused so hard on teaching al’Thor to rein in his teer What was it that Sorilea had said to get the reaction? That Sely hu one of the Forsaken to be as twisted as a Myrddraal or Draghkar And why not? The Forsaken had been figures of legend for three thousand years, loo shadows of darkness andto discover that they were, in many ways, the most human of the Dark One’s followers: petty, destructive and argumentative At least, that was how al’Thor claiely fae saw herself as h That poise, that control of her surroundings, was a source of strength for her

Cadsuane shook her head Too many problems and far too little time

The wooden hallway itself was another reminder of the al’Thor boy’s foolishness; Cadsuane could still s hole in the front of thethe spring nights They should have moved, but he claimed that he would not be chased away

Al’Thor seened To get there he felt he had to force his way through the petty squabbles of people like a h banks of snow to arrive at the inn The problem was, al’Thor wasn’t ready for the Last Battle Cadsuane could feel it in the way he spoke, the way he acted The way he regarded the world with that dark, nearly dazed expression If the man he was now faced the Dark One to decide the fate of the world, Cadsuane feared for all people

Cadsuane and the two Wise Ones reached her chaood view of the trareen and camp out front She made few demands in the way of decoration: a stout bed, a lockable trunk, a mirror and stand She was too old and i else

The trunk was a decoy; she kept soold and other relatively worthless items in it Her most precious possessions she either wore--in the fory-looking document box that sat on her h dings and dents to look used--but wasn’t so shabby as to be out of place with her other things As Sorilea closed the door behind the three of thee to her ho Aes Sedai learned to innovate with the One Power They ave barely a thought for what else they could do True, experi with the One Power could be disastrous, but er Her weave for this box was one such Until recently, she’d used a standard weave of Fire, Spirit and Air to destroy any documents in the box if an intruder opened it Effective, if a bit uniinative

Her neeave was much more versatile It didn’t destroy the items in the box--Cadsuane wasn’t certain if they could be destroyed Instead, the weaves--inverted to be invisible--sprang out in twisting threads of Air and captured anyone in the rooe sound, ihts flashed in the air to give the alaro off if anyone opened the box, moved it, or barely touched it with the most delicate thread of the One Power

Cadsuane flipped up the lid The extreme precaution was necessary For inside this box were two iteer

Sorilea walked over, looking in at the contents One was a figurine of a wise, beardedaloft a sphere, about a foot tall The other was a a black metallic collar and two bracelets: an a’dareal, a woman could turn ahis ability to touch the One Power Perhaps controlling him completely They had not tested the collar Al’Thor had forbidden it