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"Rand," she said, touching his ar Iat her

"Think about it some more," Min said "At least take some advice We can ask Cadsuane, or--"

"Cadsuane held me in a box, Min," he said very softly His face was clasped in shadow, but as he turned toward her, his eyes reflected the light froer to his tone / shouldn’t have mentioned Cadsuane, she realized The woet eh Cadsuane’s box had walls that were invisible, it was as binding as any that ever held ue was far more painful a rod than any that was taken to my skin I see that now"

Rand pulled away from Min’s touch

"What is the purpose of all this?" Nynaeve de what it would do to him? I won’t watch another man squirm and die because of this! Whatever she has compelled him to do, I won’t res your death"

"My Lord?" Rae

The sun set; Rand was now just a silhouette The fortress was only a black profile with lanterns lighting the holes in its walls Rand stepped up to the lip of the ridge, relow just faintly, a red light co from its very heart Nynaeve inhaled sharply

"Neither of you were there when Callandor failed ht "It happened twice Once I tried to use it to raise the dead, but I got only a puppeted body Once I tried to use it to destroy the Seanchan, but I caused astheirs

"Cadsuane told me that the second failure came from a flaw in Callandor itself It cannot be controlled by a lone man, you see It only works if he’s in a box Callandor is a carefully enticing leash, intended to lobe burst alight with a ht within was scarlet, the core brilliant and bright As if so rock into a pool of blood

"I see a different answer to my problems," Rand said, voice still al reckless with my eer, Min I have to keep that anger inside; I must channel it as I channel the One Power Each death must be deliberate Intentional"

Min couldn’t speak Couldn’t phrase her fears, couldn’t find the words to make him stop His eyes reht he held before hiure, as if he was the point of a silent explosion Min turned to Nynaeve; the Aes Sedai watched ide eyes, htly open She couldn’t find words either

Min turned back to Rand When he’d been close to killing her with his own hand, she hadn’t feared hi her, but See

But this Rand--hand aflame, eyes so intent yet so dispassionate-- terrified her

"I’ve done it before," he whispered "I once said that I didn’t kill wo before I faced Seoth I struck her down, and I called it ive me," he said, but it didn’t see this ht for away The air itself see away froround in a circle around hiht, the pine needles rattling like a hundred thousand insects scraer ht Pure power, gathered,the hairs on her ary In that moment, she felt as if she could understand what the One Poas It was there, before her, made incarnate in the h, he released it A column of pure whiteness exploded fro the trees below it in a wave Itthe wall of the distant fortress The stones cay The entire fortress glowed, transfor, spectacular palace of unadulterated energy It was beautiful

And then it was gone Burned from the landscape--and the Pattern-- as if it had never been there The entire fortress, hundreds of feet of stone and everyone who had lived in it

So wave in the air It wasn’t a physical blast, and it didn’t make her stumble, but it twisted her insides about The forest around the access key in Rand’s hands--seeroaning in agony

It snapped back, but Min could still feel that tension In that instant, it seemed as if the very substance of world had been near to breaking

"What have you done?" Nynaeve whispered

Rand didn’t reply Min could see his face again, now that the enor behind only the glowing access key He was in ecstasy, ape, and he held the access key aloft before hiritted his teeth, eyes opening wide, lips parted as if he were under great pressure The light flashed once, then immediately vanished All becaet her eyes to adjust The powerful ie of Rand seeht he had? Had he burned away an entire fortress with balefire?

All those people Men returning fro watersoldiers on the wallsthe grooone Burned from the Pattern Killed Dead forever The horror of it ainst a tree to keep herself upright

So many lives, ended in an instant Dead Destroyed By Rand

A light appeared fro the Aes Sedai illulobe above her hand Her eyes seeht of their own "You are out of control, Rand al’Thor," she declared

"I do whatnow from the shadows He sounded exhausted "Test him, Nynaeve"

"What?"

"The fool," Rand said "Is her Coone?"

"I hate what you just did, Rand," Nynaeve snarled "No ’Hate’ isn’t strong enough I loathe what you’ve done What has happened to you?"

"Test hibeyon