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Lelaine dodged back, barely avoiding the splash "Te permission than Romanda had, she e what she had to say Where Romanda had been in a fury, Lelaine appeared pleased with herself, rubbing her gloved hands and s

"I don’t suppose I need tell you your little secret is out Very bad of Lord Bryne, but I think he’s too valuable to kill A good thing for him I do Let me see I suppose Ro with Pelivar and Arathelle, but you are to let her do all the talking Awene stirred, but Lelaine waved a hand at her "No need to answer I know Romanda Unfortunately for her, I learned about this before she did, and instead of running to you straight away, I’ve been polling the other Sitters Do you want to knohat they think?"

Egwene balled her fists in her lap, where she hoped they would not be noticed "I expect you’re going to tell me"

"You are in no position to take that tone with me," Lelaine said sharply, but the next instant, her smile returned "The Hall is displeased with you Very displeased Whatever Roine -- I can deliver Romanda, on the other hand, has upset a nu So, unless you want to find yourself with less authority than the little you have now, Ro to be surprised tomorrohen you name me to speak for you It’s hard to believe Arathelle and Pelivar were foolish enough to put a thing like this in motion, but they’ll slink aith their tails between their legs once I’m done with them"

"How do I know you won’t carry out those threats anyway?" Egwene hoped her angry ht, but she was tired of this!

"Because I say I won’t," Lelaine snapped "Don’t you know by now that you aren’t really in charge of anything? The Hall is, and that is between Rorow into the stole, but for now, sit quietly, fold your hands, and let so Elaida down"

After Lelaine left, Egwene once er boil YouRomanda had said So herself? A child, ruining what a woman with experience could handle easily?

Siuan slipped into the tent and stood looking worried "Gareth Bryne just came to tellabout his shirts Hi is set for tomorrow, at a lake about five hours to the north Pelivar and Arathelle are already on the way Ae House"

"That’s wene said, just as dryly No A hundred years of being led by the hand, pushed by the scruff of her neck, or fifty years, or five, and she would be fit for nothing ro

"Oh, blood and bloody ashes," Siuan groaned "I can’t stand it! What did they say? How did it go?"

"About as we expected" Egwene smiled with a wonder that touched her voice, too "Siuan, they couldn’t have handed me the Hall better if I had told the as Sheriawene’s If she had not been Keeper, she would have had to share Ducking inside, she had only time to realize she was not alone when she was shielded and flung facedown on her cot Stunned, she tried to cry out, but a corner of one of her blankets wadded itself into her mouth Dress and shift burst away from her body like a pricked bubble

A hand stroked her head "You were supposed to keep , and I want to knohat"

It took a long time to convince her questioner that she had already told all she knew, that she would never hold back a word, not a whisper When she was left alone at last, it was to lie curled up and whi that she had never in her life spoken to a single sister in the Hall

Chapter 17

(Fla, a column rode north from the Aes Sedai camp well before dawn, near silent except for the creak of saddles and the crunch of hooves breaking through the snow’s crisp crust Occasionally a horse snorted, or led and was quicklywith stars, but the pale blanket lying over everything below lightened the darkness When the first gliood hour or more Which was not to say they had traveled far Over soo at a slow canter that sprayed white like splashing water, but for the h sparse forest where the snowto branches overhead Oak and pine, sourgunize all looked even ht Today was the Feast of Abraht send soh

The sun rose and cliave no warmth Every breath still bit the throat and produced a puff of , and to the west dark clouds rolled north on their way to Andor She felt a touch of pity for whoever would know the burden of those clouds And relief that they were heading away Waiting another day would have been ety restlessness, not headaches Restlessness, and tendrils of fear that had crept in like cold air under the edges of the tent She was not tired, though She felt like a coy that wanted desperately to find release Light, everything could still go horribly wrong

It was an impressive column, behind the standard of the White Tower, the white Flame of Tar Valon centered on a spiral of seven colors, one for each Ajah Sewn secretly in Salidar, it had lain in the botto of the Hall She did not think they would have produced it except for this ’s need for pomp A thousand heavy cavalry in plateandmail provided a close escort, a panoply of lances, swords, maces and axes seldom seen south of the Borderlands Their commander was a oneeyed Shienaran with a vividly painted eyepatch, a lared at the trees through the steel bars of his heluard as if he expected every last one to hide an ambush, and his men seemed nearly as watchfu