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Quickly she caani south In the distance she could make out to’raken, each one croith a dozen Fists of Heaven over this short distance, Fists of Heaven and sul’da her report in her head; there was certainly no one else to make one Everyone said this was a land full ofto be collared, but with this neeapon, these woer So decisive Perhaps, if the High Lady Suroth was on her way to Ebou Dar, she would see the need, too

Chapter 7

(Wolf)

A Goatpen

The Ghealdanin sky was cloudless, the forested hills ha sun Even short of midday, the land sweltered Pines and leatherleaf were yellowing in the drought, and others Perrin suspected also were evergreens Not a whisper of air stirred Sweat dripped down his face, ran into his short beard His curly hair was ht he heard thunder so it would ever rain again You ha about working silver

Froe, he studied the walled town of Bethal through a brassbound looking glass Even his eyes could use help over this distance It was a goodsized town of slateroofed buildings, with half a dozen tall stone structures that ht have been minor nobles’ palaces or the homes of welltodoliest palace, the only flag in sight, but he kneho it belonged to Alliandre Maritha Kigarin, Queen of Ghealdan, far froates stood open, with a good twenty guards at each, yet no one came out, and the roads he could see were e hard toward Bethal fro pikes or bows at sight of the horse sword More soldiers on watch crowded the wall towers or marched the walls between Plenty of nocked arrows up there, too, and raised crossbows Plenty of fear

A storm had swept over this part of Ghealdan It still did The Prophet’s bands created chaos, bandits took advantage, and Whitecloaks raiding across the border froht easily strike this far A few scattered colu farms, Whitecloak work or the Prophet’s Bandits seldo, and the other two left little for thee he had passed the last few days said that Amador had fallen, to the Prophet or Taraboners or Aes Sedai, depending on who told the tale So to defend the city All in all, reason enough for a queen to be concerned for her own safety Or the soldiers could be down there because of hione unnoticed

He scratched his beard, considering A pity the wolves in the surrounding hills could not tell his except to stay clear of the any ht be best after all if he rode in alone, with just a few of the Two Rivers men

He often thought Faile could read his mind, usually when he least wanted her to, and she proved it now, heeling her nightblackdress was nearly as dark as thethe heat better than he She smelled faintly of herbal soap and clean perspiration, of herself Of determination Her tilted eyes were very determined, and with her bold nose, she was very much her namesake falcon

"I would not like to see holes in that fine blue coat, husband," she said softly, for his ears alone, "and those fellows look as if theywho they are Besides, hoill you reach Alliandre without announcing your name to the world? This must be done quietly, reo, that the gate guards would take a woee fro hertoo much comment, but she did not need to He had had all that andGhealdan He was here in part because of Alliandre’s cautious letter to Rand, offering Support? Allegiance? Her desire for secrecy had been para his leggy gray a few paces behind them, could have heard a word Faile said, yet before she finished speaking, Berelain brought her whiteon her cheeks She also sh a cloud of rose perfu dress showed no more flesh than it had to

Berelain’s two coh Annoura, her Aes Sedai advisor, studied him with an unreadable expression fro beaded braids Not him and the tomen at his sides; hih to smell the beaknosed Gray sister; unlike the other Aes Sedai, she had made no promises to anyone For whatever those proed Guards, was seelass raised to his one eye, and fiddling with his reins in a way Perrin had come to know meant that he was deep in calculations Probably how to take Bethal by force; Gallenne always saw the worst possibility first

"I still think I should be the one to approach Alliandre," Berelain said This, too, Perrin had heard every day "It is why I came, after all" That was one of the reasons "Annoura will be granted an audience at once, and take me in with none the wiser save Alliandre" A second wonder There had not been a hint of flirtation in her voice She see her red leather gloves as to him

Which one? The trouble was, he did not want to choose either

Seonid, the second Aes Sedai who had co a little way off, near a tall droughtwithered blackwood, looking not at Bethal but the sky The two paleeyed Wise Ones with her made a sharp contrast, faces sundark to her pale complexion, fairhaired to her dark, tall to her short, not toto her fine blue wool Necklaces and bracelets of gold and silver and ivory draped Edarra and Nevarin, while Seonid wore only her Great Serpent ring They were young to her ageless The Wise Ones h, and they w