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Nalaaateway opened, and vanished behind him and his prisoner Rand let hiled; ice to e’s fla him to slip It did not feel any different Did it? He scowled at where Nalaam had disappeared Nalaam and the woman

She was the fourth sul’dam taken this afternoon That made twentythree sul’dam prisoners with the carts And two damane, each still in her silvery leash and collar, carried on separate carts; in those collars, they could not walk three steps before beco the Source He was not sure the sisters with Mat would be pleased to receive them after all The first daht of as a prisoner A slender wo blue eyes, she was a Seanchan captive to be freed He thought But when he forced a sul’dam to remove the woman’s collar, her a’dam, she screa out with the Power She had even offered her neck for the sul’da! Nine Defenders and a Soldier died before she could be shielded Gedould have killed her on the spot had Rand not stopped it The Defenders, nearly as uncomfortable around women who could channel as others were around men who could -- the Defenders still wanted her dead They had taken casualties in the fighting these past days, but having men killed by a prisoner seemed to offend them

There had been more casualties than Rand had expected Thirtyone Defenders dead, and fortysix Coionmen and the noble’s armsmen Seven Soldiers and a Dedicated, men Rand had never met before they answered his suravest injury could be Healed, if aon until there was ti the rose soood threetrees Trees and stone erupted fro the slope The roaring boo

"Get down there," Rand told Flinn and Dashiva "Both of you Find Gedwyn and tell hiri his horse along the ridge TheHe nearly tripped over his sword!

Flinn looked up at Rand worriedly "You on?"

"I’ at Ailil and Anaiyella They had ridden back to their ar just short of where the ridge began to slope down to the east At their head, Denharad frowned through the facebars of his helmet He had command of both lots, now, and if his concern was for Ailil and Anaiyella, his fellows still made a show fit to keep away most attackers Besides, Weirae secured so a fly could not pass, he clai; Bashere just erected a wall of lances without talking about it And the Seanchan were retreating "And I’m hardly helpless, anyway, Flinn"

Flinn actually looked doubtful and scratched his fringe of white hair before saluting and leading his horse tohere Dashiva’s gateas already winking out Li to hio mad, and neither could they

Flinn’s gateway vanished, and Rand returned to his study of the treetops It was quiet again Ti the outposts in theto admit that, now In this terrain, you could be half a led woods down there, you could be ten feet fro! He needed to face the Seanchan on better ground He needed

Abruptly he was fighting saidin, fighting wild surges that tried to rea beneath the onslaught Frantic, dazed, he released the Source before it could kill him Nausea twisted hison the thick round! He could not seeled to suck in air There was a chip broken off one of the crown’s golden laurel leaves, and blood stained several of the tiny golden swordpoints A knot of hot pain in his side told hi wounds had broken open He tried to push himself up, and cried out In stunned as of an arrow stuck through his right ar ran down his face Souely he beca the trees to the north, galloping along the ridge, so short bows as fast as they could nock and draw Horse plates, and hele insects’ heads Seanchan, several hundred of them it seeled to reach the Source Too late to worry about sicking up, or falling on his face Another tiled It was like fuers

Time to die, Lews Therin whispered Rand had always knos Therin would be there at the end

Not fifty paces fro Tairens and Cairhien plowed into the Seanchan

"Fight, you dogs!" Anaiyella shrieked, swinging down froht!" Thelady in her silks and laces hurled a string of curses that would haveherfrom the mill of men and steel to Rand It was Ailil who turned hi there, she looked down at hi dark eyes He could not seem to move He felt drained He was not sure he could blink Screa in his ears

"If he dies on our hands, Bashere will hang both of us!" Anaiyella certainly was not siet hold of us!" She shuddered, and bent closer to Ailil, gesturing with a belt knife he had not noticed in her hand before A ruby sparkled bloodred on the hilt "Your Lancecaptain could break off enough et us away We could be miles away before he’s found, and back to our estates b