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"They’re afraid you don’t trust them," Aram said suddenly Perrin looked at him in surprise, and Aram shifted his shoulders in his coat "I’ve talked to them, some They think if a lord tends his own horses, it ht send theet hoave Perrin a sideways glance and shrugged again, uncomfortably "I think they’re embarrassed, too If you don’t behave the way they think a lord should, it reflects on theht!" Perrinembarrassed, anyway -- but he had believed it just a lord’s daughter talking Faile had grown up surrounded by servants, yet how could a lady know the thoughts of a man who had to work for his bread? He frowned toward the horselines Five of the farriers stood together watching him, now Embarrassed that he wanted to look after his own horses, and upset that he did not want theravel all over the place "Do you think I ought to act like a fool in silk s his boots "Light!" Perrin growled

Spotting Basel Gill hurrying from the direction of the carts, Perrin moved toGill feel at ease yesterday The stouthis head with a kerchief, sweating away in a ru to take hold already He did not see Perrin until Perrin was nearly on hi the kerchief into a coat pocket anda bow He looked curried and brushed fit for a feastday

"Ah My Lord Perrin Your Lady told me to take a cart into Bethal She says I’m to find you some Two Rivers tabac, if I can, but I don’t know that’s possible Two Rivers leaf has always been dear, and trade isn’t what it was"

"She’s sending you for tabac?" Perrin said, frowning He supposed secrecy had gone down the well, but still "I bought three casks, two villages back Enough for everybody"

Gill shook his head firmly "Not Two Rivers leaf, and your Lady says you like that above any other The Ghealdanin leaf will do for your men I’m to be your shambayan, she called it, and keep you and her supplied hat you need Not , really" The similarity seemed to amuse him; his belly shook with quiet chuckles "I have quite a list, though I can’t say how much of it I’ll find Good wine, herbs, fruit, candles and lamp oil, oilcloth and wax, paper and ink, needles, pins, oh, all sorts of things Tallanvor and La, with some of your Lady’s other retainers"

His Lady’s other retainers Tallanvor and La out yet another chest for the wo clu fools, who never offered to lend a hand In fact, the layabouts ignored them completely

"You keep an eye on that lot," Perrin cautioned "If one of them starts any trouble -- if he even looks as if he will -- you have Lawin crack his head" And if it was one of the worunted Faile’s "retainers" were going to tie his belly into permanent knots yet Too bad she could not be satisfied with the likes of Master Gill and Maighdin "You didn’t o on alone?" Just then, a shift in the breeze brought him Balwer’s scent, an alert smell very much at odds with the fellow’s almost desiccated exterior

Even for so reedy a ly little noise on the dried leaves underfoot In a sparron coat, he offered a quick bow, and his tilted head added to the i, my Lord," he said cautiously Or racious Lady’s secretary And yours, if it pleases you" He stepped closer, very nearly a hop "I aood hand, and my Lord can be assured that whatever he confides in me will never pass my lips to another The ability to keep secrets is a pri duties for our new mistress, Master Gill?"

Gill frowned at Balwer, opened hison his heel, he trotted away toward the tent

For a o, head to one side, lips pursed thoughtfully "I can offer other services, as well, e I overheard so, and I understand that my Lord may have had soht A secretary learnsamount about the Children"

"With any luck I can avoid Whitecloaks," Perrin told him "Better if you knehere the Prophet is Or the Seanchan" He did not expect any of that, of course, but Balwer surprised him

"I cannot be certain, of course, but I think the Seanchan have not spread far beyond Amador as yet Fact is difficult to sift from rumor, my Lord, but I keep my ears open Of course, they do seeerous people, with large numbers of Taraboner soldiers I believe from Master Gill that my Lord knows of them, but I observed them closely in Amador, and what I saw is at my Lord’s disposal As to the Prophet, there are ashim as the Seanchan, but I believe I can say reliably that he was recently at Abila, a largish town soues south of here" Balwer smiled thinly, a brief selfsatisfied smile

"How can you be so sure?" Perrin said slowly

"As I said, my Lord, I keep my ears open The Prophet reportedly closed a number of inns and taverns, and tore down those he considered too disreputable Several were mentioned, and by chance, I happen to know there are inns of those names in Abila I think there is little chance another toould have inns with the same names" He flashed another narrow smile He certainly smelled pleased with hihtfully The man just happened to remember where some inns that Masema supposedly had torn doere located And if Masema turned out not to be there after all, well, these days rumors sprouted liketo build up his own importance "Thank you, Master Balwer I’ll keep that to mind If you hear any o,