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It was tiwene asked,the woman’s eyes "What then?"

"You will kneel, one way or another," Elaida growled, ewene asked calmly "Do you have to resort to that? Have you no authority without channeling?"

Elaida paused "It is withinproper respect"

"And so you will wene said "Is this what you will do to everyone in the Tower, Elaida? An Ajah opposes you, and it is disbanded Soht to be Aes Sedai You will have every sister bowing down before you by the end of this"

"Nonsense!"

"Oh?" Egwene asked "And have you told them about your idea for a new oath? Sworn on the Oath Rod by every sister, an oath to obey the Awene said "Deny that you made the statement Will the Oaths let you?"

Elaida froze If she were Black, she could deny it, Oath Rod or not But either way, Meidani could substantiate what Egwene had said

"It was idle talk," Elaida said "Just speculation, thoughts spoken out loud"

"There is often truth in speculation," Egwene said "You locked the Dragon Reborn himself in a box; you just threatened to do the same to me, in front of all of these witnesses People call hi by fear"

Elaida’s eyes opened wide, her anger visible She seemedshocked As if she couldn’t understand how she’d gone frowene saw the woin to weave a thread of Air That had to be stopped A gag of Air would end this debate

"Go ahead," Egwene said calmly "Use the Power to silence me As Amyrlin, shouldn’t you be able to talk an opponent into obedience, rather than resorting to force?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Egwene saw diminutive Yukiri, of the Gray, nod at that coer as she dropped the thread of Air "I don’t need to rebut a mere novice," Elaida snapped "The Amyrlin doesn’t explain herself to one such as you"

" ’The Amyrlin understands the wene said, quoting from memory " ’Yet in the end, she is the servant of all, even the lowest of laborers’" That had been said by Bal-ladare Arandaille, the first Amyrlin to be raised fros before her death; those writings had been an explanation of her reign and what she had done during the Kavarthen wars Arandaille had felt that once a crisis was passed, it was the moral duty of an A beside Elaida, Shevan nodded appreciatively The quote was so in the wisdom of the former Amyrlins Much of what she’d said had come froets from women such as Balladare as well

"What is this nonsense you’re sputtering?" Elaida spat

"What did you intend to do with Rand al’Thor once you captured hi the cowene said, nodding to the table of women, "but them Have you explained yourself, Elaida? What were your plans? Or will you dodge this question just as you have the others I’ve asked?"

Elaida’s face was turning red, but she calmed herself with some effort "I would have kept him secure, and well shielded, here in the Tower until it was time for the Last Battle That would have prevented hi and chaos he’s created inhim"

" ’As the plow breaks the earth shall he break the lives of men, and all that was shall be consuwene said " ’The trumpets of war shall sound at his footsteps, the ravens feed at his voice, and he shall wear a crown of swords’ "

Elaida frowned, taken aback

"The Karaethon Cycle, Elaida," Egwene said "When you had Rand locked away to be kept ’secure,’ had he yet taken Illian? Had he yet hat he was to name the Crown of Swords?"

"Well, no"

"And how did you expect him to fulfill the prophecies if he was hidden away in the White Tower?" Egwene said "Hoas he to cause war, as the prophecies say he must? Hoas he to break the nations and bind them to him? How could he ’slay his people with the sword of peace’ or ’bind the nine moons to serve him’ if he was locked away? Do the prophecies say that he will be ’unfettered’? Do they not speak of the ’chaos of his passing?’ How can anything pass at all if he is kept in chains?"

"I___"

"Your logic is astounding, Elaida," Egwene said coldly At that, Fer-ane sould fit well in the White Ajah

"Bah," Elaida said, "you ask less questions The prophecies would have to have been fulfilled There was no other way"

"So you’re saying that your attempt to bind him was destined to fail"

"No, not at all," Elaida said, red-faced again "We shouldn’t be bothering with this--it’s not for you to decide upon No, we should be talking about your rebels, and what they’ve done to the White Tower!"

A good turn of the conversation, an attewene on the defensive Elaida wasn’t co to heal the rift between us," Egwene said "We cannot change what has happened We can’t change what you did to Siuan, even if those withWe can only move forward and try our best to s talks, trying to bully the Sitters into withdrawing? Insulting Ajahs tha