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When her howls died and her head fell forward, Belinde and the Maidens were on their feet, and Sevanna ith theoldenhaired woman, but she could as soon have plucked the sun froers

"Listen to her whine and snivel," Sevanna sneered, co to look up at her Galina tried to put an equal conteh jewelry for ten women! She wore her blouse unlaced to nearly bare her bosom, except for all those mismatched necklaces, and breathed deep when men looked at her! Galina tried, but conte down her cheeks along with her sweat She shook eeping, h as an old ewe," Belinde cackled, "but I always found even the toughest old eas ht herbs When I was a Maiden, I softened Stone Dogs with enough cooking" Galina closed her eyes Oceans of blood, to pay for!

The sack lurched, and Galina’s eyes popped open as it began to settle The Maidens had undone the rope running over the li her slowly Frantically she thrashed about, trying to look down, and al aneith relief, when she saw that the brazier had beenThat would be Belinde’s fate, Galina decided Tied to a spit and turned over a fire until her juices dripped! That to begin!

With a thud that round and toppled over As unconcerned as if they were handling a sack of potatoes, the Maidens tumbled her out onto the broeeds, sliced the cords that held her thu from between her teeth Dirt and dead leaves stuck to the sweat coating her

She very lare Instead, she rose only as far as hands and knees, then dug her fingers into theher toes in Any further, and she would not be able to stop her hands fro skin Her sweat felt like the juice of ice peppers All she could do was crouch there and quiver, try to work some moisture back into her es

"I believed you were stronger than this," Sevanna said above her in thoughtful tones, "but perhaps Belinde is right Perhaps you are soft enough, now If you swear to obeyPerhaps you will not even have to be gai’shain Will you swear to obey s?"

"Yes!" The hoarse word flew froh she had to s before speaking more "I will obey you! I swear it!" And so she would obey Until they gave the opening she needed Was this all that had been necessary? An oath she would have made the first day? Sevanna would learn what it was like to hang over hot coals Oh, yes, she

"Then you will not object to swearing your oath on this," Sevanna said, tossing so down in front of her

Galina’s scalp crawled as she stared at it A white rod like polished ivory, a foot long and no thicker than her wrist Then she saw the flowing e of Legends One hundred eleven She had thought it was the Oath Rod, somehow stolen from the White Tower That also was ht stood for the Three Oaths Maybe this was not what it seemed Maybe Yet no hooded viper from the Drowned Lands coiled there could have frozen her so still

"A fine oath, Sevanna When did you intend to tell the rest of us?"

That voice jerked Galina’s head up It could have pulled her eyes away fro the trees leading a dozen coldfaced Wise Ones When they stopped behind her, confronting Sevanna, every woman present except for the Maidens had been there when Galina was sentenced to wear the black robe A word from Therava, a short nod from Sevanna, and the Maidens departed swiftly Sweat still oozed frolanced at Belinde, who avoided her eye Sevanna’s lip curled, half sneer, half snarl, and she planted fists on hips Galina did not understand where she found the nerve, a woman who could not channel at all Soth No, she could not afford to think of thee Therava and Soer than any woman in the Tower, and any of them could have been Aes Sedai easily

But Sevanna faced them defiantly "It seems you rendered justice quickly," she said in a voice dry as dust

"The matter was simple," Tion replied calmly "The Mera’din received the justice they deserved"

"And they were told they received it in spite of your attempt to sway us," Rhiale added with some heat Sevanna nearly did snarl at that

Therava would not be diverted froripped a handful of her hair and jerked her up to her knees, bent her head back Therava was not the tallest of these women by at least a head, yet she loo doith a hawk’s eyes, driving away every thought of revenge or defiance The white streaks touching her dark red hair onlyGalina’s hands clenched into fists on her thighs, nails digging into her pal of her skin paled under that stare She had daydrea the About every one except Therava At night, Therava filled her dreams and all Galina could do was try to flee; the only escape was to wake screa women, but she stared up at Therava wideeyed and whined

"This one has no honor to shame" Therava almost spat the words "If you want her broken, Sevanna, let me have her When I am done, she will obey without the need for your friend Caddar’s toy"

Sevanna spoke up heatedly, denying friendship with this Caddar, whoever he was, and Rhiale barked that Sevanna had brought hi about whether the "binder" would work any better than the "traveling box"

A s box She had heard it spoken of before, longed to lay hands on it if only for a real that enabled her to Travel, however imperfectly it seemed to work, she would be able to Even hope of escape could not stand against thoughts of what Therava would do to her if the others decided to give in to the woman’s request When the hawkeyed Wise One loosed her hair to join the argu flat on her belly Anything, even having to obey Sevanna, was better than being handed over to Therava If she had not been shielded, she would have channeled t