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Turning, she beganher sloay back to her tent alone Sleep well? The fatlow in the sky, and there were hours yet till sunrise, but she was not sure she was going to be able to sleep at all

Chapter 16

(Flame of Tar Valon)

Unexpected Absences

Before the sun wene convened the Hall of the Tower In Tar Valon, that would have been acco Salidar they had held to some despite the difficulties of travel Now, Sheriam simply went from Sitter’s tent to Sitter’s tent while it was still dark to announce that the Amyrlin Seat had called the Hall to Sit In fact, they did not sit at all In the grayness just before true sunrise, eighteen wowene, all bundled against the cold thatbehind them to listen, only a few at the start, but when no one told theroup thickened and spread out to a soft buzz of talk A verya lone Sitter, much less the entire Hall The Accepted in banded dresses and cloaks who had appeared behind the Aes Sedai were quieter, of course, and even quieter the gathering novices who had no chores, though there were a good ain as many novices as sisters, so many that few possessed a proper white cloak and most made do with a simple white skirt instead of a novice dress Soo back to the old ways and let girls seek theretted the lost years, when Aes Sedai nuwene herself alht of what the Tower could have been This was one change not even Siuan could object to

In the , Carlinya caht of Egwene and the Sitters Noraped, and her pale face reddened before she hurried away, looking back over her shoulder Egwene stifled a grimace Everyone was too concerned hat she herself was about this oing to, and wonder

Flinging back her delicately embroidered cloak to reveal the narrow blue stole of the Keeper, Sheriaar a place at her side Wrapped in layers of fine wool and silk, the flawene’s nod, she took one step forward to intone the ancient forh voice

"She comes; she comes! The Watcher of the Seals, the Flame of Tar Valon, the Amyrlin Seat Attend you all, for she comes!" It seemed a little out of place here, and besides, she was already there, not co A fened iwene pushed back her own cloak, uncovering the sevenstriped stole draped around her neck These woive that she was indeed the Amyrlin Seat "Everyone is weary from travel in this weather," she announced, not quite so loudly as Sheriale of anticipation, an al queasy "I have decided to stop here for two days, perhaps three" That brought heads up and sparked interest She hoped Siuan was in the listening crowd She did try to hold to the Oaths "The horses need rest, too, and ons badly need repairs The Keeper will see to the necessary arrangeument nor discussion, and there was none What she had told Siuan was no exaggeration Too many sisters hoped for a miracle, so they would not have tothose convinced in their souls that Elaidathey had done, too rasp any chance of delay, any chance for that miracle to appear

One of those last, Ro lines As soon as Egwene finished speaking, Roray bun hidden by her hood, sila, Saroiya, and Varilin scurried after her As well as anyone could scurry, when every other step sank ankledeep They did a good job of it anyway; Sitters or no, they hardly seemed to breathe without Roathered up Faiselle, Takiesture and ithout a backward glance, like a sith three anxious goslings If they were not so firrasp as the other three were in Romanda’s, they did not fall far short For that matter, the rest of the Sitters barely waited on the final "Depart now in the Light" to leave Sheriao with her Hall of the Tower already scattering in every direction That tingle was stronger And very like being queasy

"Three days," Sheriawene a hand to help her down into one of the rutted paths The corners of her tilted green eyes crinkled quizzically "I’ in your heels nearly every tiain after you’ve talked to the rights and farriers," Egwene told her "We’ll not go far with horses dropping dead and wagons falling apart"

"As you say, Mother," the other woman replied, not preciselywas no better now than it had been the night before, and their steps so arms, they walked on slowly Sheriawene required, but she did so almost surreptitiously The Amyrlin Seat should not fall on her bottom in the full view of fifty sisters and a hundred servants, but neither should she seem propped up like an invalid

Most of the Sitters who had sworn to Egwene, Sheriam included, had done so out of simple fear, really, and selfpreservation If the Hall learned they had sent sisters to sway the Aes Sedai in Tar Valon, and worse, kept the fact fro the Sitters, they surely and certainly would spend the rest of their lives in penance and exile So the wowene about like a puppet, after the greater part of their influence with the Hall melted, instead found themselves sworn to obey her That was rare even in the secret histories; sisters were expected to obey the Aain Most still seeh they did obey Feere as bad as Carlinya, but Egwene had actually heard Beonin’s teeth chatter the first ti Morvrin looked astonished anehenever her eyes fell on Egwene, as if she still did not quite believe, and Nisao hardly seeue over the secrecy, and Myrelle often flinched, though foran oath But Sheriawene’s Keeper of the Chronicle