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Elayne hardly heard That was not the way to end a circle When Caire let go in that way, the Power disappeared from every woman simultaneously Elayne’s eyes popped For one instant, it was as though she stood atop the highest tower in the world, and suddenly the toas not there anymore! Just an instant, yet hardly pleasant She felt tired, if not anywhere near what she would have had she actually done anything beyond serve as a conduit, but what she feltit si about

Others had suffered far worse than she As the glow joining the circle winked out, Nynaeve sat down right where she stood as though her legs hadat it and panting Sweat rolled down her face "I feel like a kitchen sieve that just had the wholethat , even with an angreal

Talaan wavered, a reed in the wind, casting surreptitious glances at her ht, her fixed expression saying that willpower had as ht sesture in Maiden handtalk -- worth the price -- and then another -- ht behind More than worth the price Everyone looked weary, if not so real The Bowl of the Winds went quiet at last, just a wide bowl of clear crystal, but decorated noith towering waves Saidar still see wielded by anyone, not visible, but in dimly felt flashes like those that had played around the Bowl at the end

Nynaeve raised her head to glower at the cloudless sky, then lowered her gaze to Caire "All that, for what? Did we do anything, or not?" A breath of air stirred across the hilltop, warled her feet "Do you think Weaving the Winds is like throwing the helm over on a darter?" she demanded contemptuously "I just moved the rudder on a skimmer with a beam as broad as the world! He will take time to turn, time to know he is supposed to turn That he must turn But when he does, not the Father of Storms himself will be able to stand in his way I have done it, Aes Sedai, and the Bowl of the Winds is ours!"

Renailebeside the Bowl Carefully she began folding the white silk around it "I will take this to the Mistress of the Ships," she said to Nynaeve "We have fulfilled our part of the bargain Now, you Aes Sedai must fulfill the rest of yours" Merilille lanced at her, the Gray appeared a study in co unsteadily "Maybe We’ll see when this this skimmer of yours turns If it turns!" Renaile stared hard at her across the Bowl, but Nynaeve ignored her "Strange," she ht in her hair, and she grimaced "I can al!"

"No," Elayne said slowly "I can feel it, too" Not just the di in the air, and not an echo, exactly More the shadow of an echo, so faint that it was as if she were feeling someone use saidar at a She turned On the horizon to the south, lightning flashed, dozens of bolts vivid silverblue against the afternoon sky Very near to Ebou Dar

"A rainstor itself already" But there were no clouds in the sky even where the lightning forked and fell Sareitha was not strong enough to sense saidar being wielded at that distance

Elayne shivered She was not strong enough Unless so as much as they had on this hilltop Fifty or even a hundred Aes Sedai, all channeling at once Or "Not one of the Forsaken," she murmured Soreed quietly "Maybe they didn’t feel us the e do them, maybe, but they’ll have seen, unless they’re all blind The Light burn our luck!" Quiet or not, she was agitated; she often called Elayne down for using language like that "Take everyone ill go to Andor with you, Elayne I’ll I’ll o back for him Burn the boy; he came for me, and I have to"

Elayne wrapped her arms around herself and drew a deep breath Queen Tylin she left to the ht; Tylin would survive if it was possible But Mat Cauthon, her very strange, very instructive subject; her most unlikely rescuer He had come for her, too, and offered more And Thom Merrilin; dear Thom, who she sometimes still wished would turn out to be her real father, and the Light burn what that would make of her mother And the boy, Olver, and Chel Vanin, and She had to think like a queen The Rose Crown is heavier than a mountain, her mother had told her, and duty will make you weep, but you must bear and do what must be done

"No," she said, then more firmly, "No Look at you, Nynaeve; you can hardly stand Even if we all went, what could we do? How ain The Forsaken have no reason to look for Mat or the others It’s us they will be after"

Nynaeve gaped at her, stubborn Nynaeve with sweat running down her face and her legs unsteady Wonderful, gallant, foolish Nynaeve "You’re saying leave him, Elayne? Aviendha, talk to her Tell her about that honor you’re always going on about!"

Aviendha hesitated, then shook her head She was almost as sweaty as Nynaeve, and froht without hope, Nynaeve, but Elayne is right The Shadowsouled will not be looking for Mat Cauthon; they will be after us, and the Bowl Hethem what can undo e have done Wherever we send the Bowl, they will be able to make us tell them e sent it with and where"

Nynaeve’s face crumpled in pain Elayne reached to put her arms around her

"Shadon!" so saidar all over the hilltop Balls of fire shot up from Merilille’s hands, froe winged shape enveloped in fla just beyond the cliff

"There’s another one!" Kirstian shouted, pointing A second winged creature dove away fro thirty paces orbehind Two figures crouched low on its back A storm of fire rained after it, quickest of all froesture as part of their weaving A hail of fire so thick it see itself out of the air, and the thing dodged behind the hill on the other side of the fa