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Tai’daishar frisked a few steps on the hilltop before Rand settled hi if a sul’dam spotted his h to hide nize a one of theon Scepter into his saddlebags, just the carved buttend sticking out, to free both hands in case the gelding was not satisfied He could have taken weariness from the horse with saidin, but he kneay to elding retained enough energy Saidin filled hi eariness Part of that was the sheer amount of the Power he had handled today Part was the strain of fighting saidin to make it do what he wanted Always, saidin had to be conquered, forced, but never before like today The halfhealed, neverhealing wounds in his left side were agony, the older an auger trying to drill through the Void, the newer a blaze of raw flaon," Adley said suddenly "I swear it was!"

"Shut up and watch!" Rand told him harshly Adley’s eyes sank to his hands on his own reins for a moment, then he raked damp hair out of his face and jerked his head up obediently

Today, here, controlling saidin was harder than ever, but letting it slip anytime, anywhere, could kill you Adley had let it slip, and men had died in uncontrolled bursts of fire, not just the A at, but near thirty of Ailil’s armsmen and almost as many of Anaiyella’s

Except for his slip, Adley would have been with Morr, with the Companions in the woods half a mile to the south Narishma and Hopith the Defenders, to the north Rand wanted Adley under his eye Had any other "accidents" happened, out of his sight? He could not watch everyone, all the tiriue, see with concentration He still muttered to himself under his breath, so low Rand could not hear even with the Power in him, but the man ed linen handkerchief that had grown rimy as the day wore on Rand did not think they had slipped In any case, neither they nor Adley held the Power now Nor would until he instructed them to seize it

"Is it done?" Anaiyella asked behind hi out there, Rand wheeled Tai’daishar around to face her The Tairen woman started back in her saddle, the hood of her richly elaborate rain cape falling to her shoulders Her cheek gave a twitch Her eyes ered her reins calloved hands

"What more can you want?" the s polite to a menial Barely "If the size of a victory is accounted by dead enemies, I think today alone will put your name in the histories"

"I ht, he had to finish theht the Seanchan and the Forsaken and the Light alone kneho or what else, all at the saain!"

Do you have the Horn of Valere hidden in your pocket this time? Lews Therin asked slyly Rand snarled at him silently

"There’s so up this way Froionh that he seldoht of a blue coat None of the

Bashere’s bay trotted up the slope al from his saddle, and the man himself looked tired Without preamble, he spoke in a flat voice "We’re finished, here Part of fighting is knohen to go, and it’s tih, and two of your Soldiers for salt I sent three orin and Weiramon and tell them to rally on you I doubt they’re in any better condition than I anored the question His own dead topped Bashere’s by close to two hundred "You had no right sending orders to the others So long as there are half a dozen Asha’h! I mean to find the rest of the Seanchan army and destroy it, Bashere I won’t let them add Altara to Tarabon and Amadicia"

Bashere knuckled his thick h "You want to find theauntleted hand across the hills to the west "I can’t point to a particular spot, but there are ten, h to see from here, if those trees weren’t in the way I danced with the Dark One getting through them unseen to reach you Maybe a hundred da, for sure, and eneral has decided to concentrate on you I suppose it isn’t always cheese and ale being ta’veren"

"If they’re out there " Rand scanned the hills The rain fell ht, he was tired Saidin hammered at him Unconsciously he touched the wrapped bundled beneath his stirrup leather His hand jerked away of its own accord Ten thousand, even fifteen Once Seorin, and Weiramon More important, once the rest of the Asha’man did "If they’re out there, that’s where I’ll destroy them, Bashere I’ll hit them from all sides, the e intended in the first place"

Frowning, Bashere reined his horse closer, until his knee almost touched Rand’s Flinnthrough the rain to notice anything so near, and Dashiva, still wiping his face incessantly, stared with open interest Bashere lowered his voice to a ood plan, in the beginning, but their general thinks fast He spread out to blunt our attacks before we could fall on hi We’ve cost hiether You won’t catch him by surprise He wants us to co for it Asha’man or no Asha’man, if we stand nosetonose with this fellow, I think row fat and nobody rides away"

"Nobody stands nosetonose with the Dragon Reborn," Rand growled "The Forsaken could tell hiht, Flinn? Dashiva?" Flinn nodded uncertainly Dashiva flinched "You think I can’t surprise hi bundle loose, he stripped away the cloth covering, and Rand heard gasps as raindrops glistened on a sword seely made of crystal The Sword That Is Not a Sword "Let’s see if he’s surprised by Callandor in the hands of the Drag