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"Foot," Weiraauntleted hand "Burn ood, foot They’ll scatter at the first charge Before" The first of the column strode off the causeway They had helped take Illian, and they had not scattered

Semaradrid shook his head "No pikes," he muttered "I have seen wellled foot hold, with pikes, but without " He orin Panar, the thirdhis saddle near Rand to watch the new arrivals, said nothing Perhaps he had no prejudice against infantry -- though if he did not, he would be one of only a handful of noblemen Rand had met without it -- but he tried hard not to frown and almost succeeded Everyone knew by now that the on on their chests bore arms because they had chosen to follow Rand, chosen to follow the Dragon Reborn, for no other reason than that they wanted to The Illianer had to be wondering where they were going that Rand wanted the Legion and the Council of Nine was not trusted to know For that matter, Semaradrid eyed Rand sideways Only Weiramon was too stupid to think

Rand turned Tai’daishar away Narishe had been rewrapped, into a thinner bundle, and tied beneath his left stirrup leather "Strike the ca," he told the three nobles

This tiateway to take them all away The plainfaced felloned at him and mumbled to himself -- Dashiva actually seemed affronted, for some reason! -- and Gedwyn and Rochaid, their horses shoulderbyshoulder, watched with sardonic sht rotated into a hole in nothing Watched Rand more than Dashiva Well, let the dizzily on his face before he really did fall? It could not be where they could see

This tih the low, brushy foothills of mountains to the west The Nemarellin Mountains Not the equals of the Mountain of Mist, and not a patch on the Spine of the World, but they rose dark and severe against the sky, sharp peaks that walled the west coast of Illian Beyond thenize the peaks soon enough Gregorin Panar took one look around and nodded in sudden satisfaction The other three Councilors and Marcolin reined close to hiateway Seer to puzzle it out, and Tihera, and they also looked as if they understood now

The Silver Road ran froard, and carried all of the inland trade for the west There was a Gold Road, too, that led to Far Madding Roads and names alike dated froon wheels, hooves and boots had beaten them hard, and the ce the few reliable highways in Illian for roups of men in winter Everyone knew about the Seanchan in Ebou Dar by this ti the armsmen made the invaders seem Trollocs’ meaner cousins If the Seanchan intended to strike into Illian, the Silver Road was a good place to gather for defense

Seht they knehat he planned: he , and the Asha’man were there to destroy them when they did Given the stories about the Seanchan, no one seemed too upset that that left little for them to do Of course, Weiramon had to have it explained to hih he tried to rand speech about the wisdoenius of the Lord of the Morning, along with how he, personally, would lead the first charge against these Seanchan A pure bullgoose fool With luck, anyone else who learned of a gathering on the Silver Road would at least not be too orin With luck, no one who mattered would learn before it was too late

Settling in to wait, Rand thought it would only be another day or so, but as the days stretched out, he began to wonder whether hea fool as Weira across Illian and Tear and the Plains of Maredo for the rest of those Rand wanted Searching through the ce were all very well, but even Asha’ht when downpours hid anything fifty paces away and quag Asha’norance, and turned only to learn thepeople not necessarily eager to be found Days passed before the first brought news

The High Lord Sunamon joined Weiramon, a fat man with an unctuous manner -- toward Rand, at least S, he was voluble in his declarations of loyalty, but he had plotted against Rand so long that he probably did so in his sleep The High Lord Torean came, with his lu about the honor of riding once on’s side Gold concerned Torean es Rand had taken away from the nobles in Tear He seeirls in the cairls ainst Rand every bit as often as Sunamon Maybe even more than Gueyam, or Maraconn, or Aracohan, a short, ruggedly handsome man with the front of his head shaved He supposedly did not reatly, both because that han and because rumor said Rand had executed her Or murdered her Bertome bowed and smiled, and his smile never reached his dark eyes Some said he had been very fond of his cousin Ailil Riatin ca but quite pretty, protesting that she had a Lancecaptain to lead her ar her loyalty for the Lord Dragon, too But her brother Toram claimed the throne Rand meant for Elayne, and it hispered that she would do anything for Tora at all Even join with his enemies; to hamper or to spy or both, of course Dalthanes Annallin came, and Amondrid Osiellin, and Doressin Chuliandred, lords who had supported Colavaere’s seizure of the Sun Throne when they thought Rand would never return to Cairhien

Cairhienin and Tairen, they were brought in one by one, with fifty retainers, or at most a hundred Men and woorin or Seht the wo a fool; a woman would kill you twice as fast as a man, and usually for half the reason! -- but because he could not bring hierous, where he was going Ailil could smile warmly while she calculated where to plant the knife in your ribs Anaiyella, a y sioosebrain, had returned to Tear fro of herself for the asyetnonexistent throne of Tear Perhaps she was a fool, but she had