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She rubbed the sot back on her hands and knees, and crawled farther into the fireplace Using a small wooden scrape, she worked cluathered it up and deposited it in brass buckets, the riray with ash Her first task had been to dig out all of the loose soot and pile it into the buckets Her hands were so blackened fro wouldn’t get thee counterpart to her backside, which still stung fro with her scrape at a blackened section of brick, di in a corner inside the fireplace She itched to use the One Power; but the Reds outside would sense her channeling, and she’d discovered that her afternoon dose of forkroot had been uncharacteristically strong, leaving her unable to channel as h to leave her drohich made the work even harder

Was this to be her life? Trapped inside a fireplace, scrubbing at bricks nobody saw, locked away from the world? She couldn’t stand up to Elaida if everyone forgot about her She coughed quietly, the sound echoing against the inside of the fireplace

She needed a plan Her only recourse see to root out the Black Ajah But how to visit the trained by sisters, she had no way to escape her Red handlers by entering the do labor? If her absence were discovered, she’d probably end up in an even worse situation

But she couldn’t let her life be do, the Dragon Reborn ran free, and the A fireplaces! She gritted her teeth, scrubbing furiously The soot had been baked on for so long that it foret it all off She just needed to h that none would break free

Reflected in that glossy patina, she saw a shadow wene immediately reached for the Source--but, of course, she found nothing Not with forkroot clouding her mind But there was definitely so quietly

Egwene gripped the scrape in one hand, slowly reaching doith the other to grab the brush she’d been using to scoop up ash Then she spun

Laras froze, peeking into the fireplace The Mistress of Kitchens wore a large white apron, stained with a few soot y round face had seen its share of winters; her hair was starting to gray, and lines creased the sides of her eyes Leaning over as she was, her jowls forripped the side of the fireplace opening with a thick-fingered hand

Egwene relaxed Why had she been so certain that so to check on her

Yet why had the wolanced to the side, eyes narrowing Then she raised a finger to her lips Egwene felt herself tense again What was going on?

Laras backed out of the fireplace, waving for Egwene to follow The Mistress of Kitchens ht possible Assistant cooks and scullions clanged away in other parts of the kitchen, but none were directly visible Egwene crept free of the fireplace, tucking the scrape into her belt and wiping her hands on her dress She pulled the cloth free fro sweet, soot-free air She took a deep breath, and received a harsh glare frowene nodded, following Laras through the kitchens In a few wene stood in a pantry, thick with the scent of dried grains and aging cheeses The tiles gave way to more durable brickwork here Laras shoved aside a few sacks, then pulled open a piece of the floor It was a wooden trapdoor, capped with shaved brickwork on the top to make it seem part of the floor It revealed a sh to hold a person, though a tall ht," Laras said in a low voice "I can’t get you out right now, not with the Tower fluttery as a yard full of hens when the fox is about But the garbage goes out late at night, and I’ll hide you airls who unload it A dockworker will take you to a small boat and row you across the river I have souard; they’ll turn the other way Once you reach the other side, it’s up to you what you do I’d advise against going back to those fools who made you their puppet Find some place to lie low until this all blows over, then coe will take you in Isn’t likely it will be Elaida, the way things are going"

Egwene blinked in surprise

"Well," the heavyset wo!" Laras said, as if she weren’t the one doing all of the talking She was obviously nervous, the way she kept glancing about and tapping her foot But she’d obviously also done this sort of thing before Why was the si, so handy with a plan to get Egwene out of the fortified and besieged city? And why did she have a bolt-hole in the kitchens in the first place? Light! How had she created it?

"Don’t worry about wene "I can handle myself I’ll keep all of the kitchen servants away fro Those Aes Sedai only check on you every half-hour or so--and since they just checked a ain When they do check, I can plead ignorance and everyone will assume you slipped out of the kitchens We’ll soon have you out of the city and nobody will be the wiser"

"Yes," Egwene said, finally finding her tongue, "but why?" She had assu Min and Siuan, Laras wouldn’t be eager to help another fugitive

Laras looked back at her, in the woman’s eyes a deterwene certainly had overlooked this woman! Who was she really?

"I won’t be a party to the breaking of a girl’s spirit," Laras said sternly "Those beatings are shameful! Fool Aes Sedai I’ve served loyally these years, I have, but now they’ve told me that you’re to be worked as hard as I can push you, indefinitely Well, I can see when a girl hasbeaten down I won’t have it, not inshe could do such a thing! Execute you oris unacceptable!"

The wo fro the offer She’d denied Siuan s offer to save her, but if she fled now, she would return to the rebel ca rescued She could get away froery

To do what? To sit on the outside and watch the Tower collapse?

"No," she said to Laras "Your offer is very kind, but I can’t take it I’wene interrupted, "one does not take that tone with an Aes Sedai, no matter that one is the Mistress of Kitchens"