Page 7 (1/1)

"There’s enough water to wash your face and hands, at least," she told Beldeine mildly "And if you wish, I will Heal you" Every sister she had interviewed had carried at least a feelts The Aiel did not beat the prisoners except for spilling water or balking at a task -- the haughtiest words of defiance earned only scornful laughter, if that -- but the blackrobed woo or turn or stop, and a harder tap if they did not obey quickly enough Healinglike a reed in the wind, Beldeine curled her lip "I would rather bleed to death than be Healed by you!" she spat "Maybe I should have expected to see you groveling to these wilders, these savages, but I never thought you would stoop to revealing Tower secrets! That ranks with treason, Verin! With rebellion!" She grunted contemptuously "I suppose if you didn’t shy at that, you’ll stop at nothing! What else have you and the others taught theue irritably, not bothering to set the young wo up at Aiel -- for that matter, even Beldeine stood a hand or , and entirely tooblind contempt and foolish pride at her today Who should know better than an Aes Sedai that a sister had to wear many faces in the world? You could not always overawe people, or bludgeon them, either Besides, far better to behave as a novice than be punished like one, especially when it earned you only pain and humiliation Even Kiruna had to see the sense of that eventually

"Sit down before you fall down," she said, suiting her oords "Lettoday By all that dirt, I’d say digging a hole With your bare hands, or did they let you use a spoon? When they decide it’s finished, they will just ain, you kno, let rubby, but that robe is clean, so I expect they had you digging in your skin Are you sure you don’t want Healing? Sunburn can be painful" She filled another cup ater and wafted it across the tent on a flow of Air to hover in front of Beldeine "Your throatGreen stared unsteadily at the cup for a ave way and she collapsed onto a cushion with a bitter laugh "They water h Verin could not see the joke "AsVerin angrily, she paused, then went on in a tight voice "That dress looks very nice on you They burnedexcept this" She touched the golden Great Serpent around her left forefinger, a bright golden gleah nerve for that I knohat they’re trying to do, Verin, and it won’t work Not with uard Verin set the cup down on the flowered carpet beside Beldeine, then took up her own and sipped before speaking "Oh? What are they trying to do?"

This tih was brittle as well as harsh "Break us, and you know it! Make us swear oaths to al’Thor, the way you did Oh, Verin, how could you? Swearing fealty! And worse, to a ainst the Aainst the White Tower " She made the two sound much the same " how could you do that!"

For a s would be better if the woht up as she had been, a woodchip in thefrom her mouth before they had time to form in her brain Not words she could never have said on her own -- that was not how ta’veren affected you -- but words she ht possibly have said one time in a thousand under those circuuiven in that way had to be kept; and the arguments over how to keep theered a hard shape inside her belt pouch, a small brooch, a translucent stone carved into what appeared to be a lily with too many petals She never wore it, but it had not been out of her reach in nearly fifty years

"You are da’tsang, Beldeine You must have heard that" She did not need Beldeine’s curt nod; telling the despised one was part of Aiel law, like pronouncing sentence That much she knew, if very littleelse that would burn, were put to the fire because no Aiel would own anything that once belonged to a da’tsang The rest was hacked to pieces or hammered into scrap, even the jewelry you had with you, and buried under a pit dug for a jakes"

"My? My horse?" Beldeine asked anxiously

"They didn’t kill the horses, but I don’t knohere yours is" Being ridden by soiven to an Asha’ood Verin see wos for horses "They let you keep the ring to remind you of who you were, and increase your shame I don’t knohether they would let you swear to Master al’Thor if you begged It would take so incredible on your part, I think"

"I won’t! Never!" The words rang hollow, though, and Beldeine’s shoulders slumped She was shaken, but not sufficiently

Verin put on a warm smile A fellow had once told her that her smile made hi about that, at least He had tried to slide a dagger between her ribs a little later, and her s he ever saw "I can’t think of the reason you would No, I fear what you have to look forward to is useless labor That’s sha Of course, if they realize you don’t see it that way Oh,without any clothes on, even with Maidens for guards, but think of, say, standing in a tent full of men that way?" Beldeine flinched Verin prattled on; she had developed prattling to so of a Talent "They’d onlyaren’t allowed to do anything useful unless there’s great need, and an Aiel carcass as Well, that’s not a pleasant thought, is it? In any case, that’s what you have to look forward to I know you’ll resist as long as you can, though I’et infor that people usually do with prisoners But they won’t let you go, not ever, until they’re sure the sha else left Not if it takes the