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Where was the source of that cough? Few of the refugees spoke to her, and they were hesitant to answer her questions When she finally found the boy, she was more than a little annoyed His parents had made their beds in a holloeen tooden shops, and as Nynaeve approached, the father stood up to confront her He was a scruffy Doht have once been trimmed to Domani fashion He wore no coat, and his shirt was nearly in tatters
Nynaeve stared hi before her days as an Aes Sedai Honestly, , and yet he confronted one of the few people in the city who could help The wife had more sense, which was usually the case She laid a hand on her husband’s leg, causing hilance down He finally turned aith a quiet mutter
The wife’s features were difficult to see through the grime on her face The dirt was streaked with tear lines on her cheeks; she had obviously had a difficult couple of nights
Nynaeve knelt--ignoring the loo father--then pulled back the blanket froh, he was gaunt and pale, and his eyes fluttered open in so?" Nynaeve said, pulling a few packets of herbs out of the pouch at her side She didn’t have much, but they would have to do
"A week now, Lady," the wo toward a nearby tin cup "Fill that," she snapped at the father "You are lucky the boy has survived this long with the white shakes; he likely wouldn’t live the night without intervention"
Despite his earlier reluctance, the father hastened to obey, filling the cup from a nearby barrel At least there wasn’t a lack of water here, with the frequent rains
Nynaeve took the cup and mixed the acem and feverbane in it, then wove a thread of Fire and heated the water It started stea faintly, and the father muttered some more Nynaeve shook her head; she’d always heard that the Domatic people when it came to use of the One Power The unrest in the cityto the all five Powers in a co that she used instinctively Her ability had awed some of the other Aes Sedai, but had earned her scorn from others Either way, her method worked, even if she couldn’t explain how she did what she did That was one of the blessings and the curses of being a wilder; she could do things by instinct that other Aes Sedai struggled to learn However, it was difficult for Nynaeve to unlearn soh dazed, responded to the cup pressed to his lips Her Healing weave lay across hi sharply The herbs weren’t needed, but they would help give hiotten over her habit of always using herbs when Healing, but she still felt they had their place and usefulness
The father knelt down threateningly, but Nynaeve pressed the tips of her fingers to his chest and forced him back "Give the child air"
The boy blinked, and Nynaeve could see sense flood back into his eyes He shivered weakly Nynaeve Delved hi had worked "The fever has broken," she said with a nod, standing and releasing the One Power "He will need to eat well over the next few days; I will give your descriptions to the dockmasters, and you will receive extra rations Do not sell the food, or I will find out, and I will be angry Do you understand?"
The woman looked down, asha for granted anymore," Nynaeve said "Anyway, he should live, if you do as I say Feed hiht, by sips if you have to If the fever starts again, bring hion’s palace"
"Yes,the boy and s
Nynaeve picked up her lantern and rose
"Lady," the woman said "Thank you"
Nynaeve turned back "You should have brought hio I don’t care what foolish superstitions people are spreading, the Aes Sedai are not your enee them to visit us"
The woman nodded, and the husband seemed cowed Nynaeve stalked out of the alleyway and back onto the dark street, passing folk atched her with a mixture of awe and horror Foolish people! Would they let their own children die rather than get them Healed?
Back on the street, Nynaeve calmed herself The diversion really hadn’t taken ht at least--tis she had plenty of She wasn’t havingwith Rand Her only consolation was that Cadsuane had done worse as his advisor
How did one handle a creature like the Dragon Reborn? Nynaeve knew that the old Rand was there, within him somewhere He had sione into hiding, letting this harsher version rule As oing to work But hoas she to get him to do what he should, since he was too bullheaded to respond to ordinary prodding?
Nynaeve halted, lantern light illu an eed to ith Rand while at the sa him It hadn’t been Cadsuane, nor had it been any of the Aes Sedai who tried to capture him, trick him or bully him
It had been Moiraine
Nynaeve continued on her way During the last months of her life, the Blue had all but fawned over Rand In order to get hireed to obey his coood was advice when it was given only when it anted? People needed most to hear the advice they didn’t want!
But Moiraine had been successful Through her, Rand had begun to overcome his aversion to Aes Sedai Without Rand’s eventual acceptance for Moiraine, it was doubtful that Cadsuane would ever havehis counselor
Well, Nynaeve wasn’t about to act the same way for Rand al’Thor, no matter howto learn from Moraine’s success Perhaps Rand had listened to Moiraine because her subservience had flattered hi hi to control him They must frustrate him, and they made Nynaeve’s own job a lot more difficult, since she was the one that he actually needed to listen to
Did he, perhaps, see her simply as another of those irrelevant manipulators? She wouldn’t put it past hi for the saoals She didn’t want tell hi like a fool And, beyond that, she just wanted him to be safe She’d also like him to be a leader that people respected, not one that people feared He see that the path he was on was that of a tyrant