Page 167 (1/1)

His instructions had been clear Stabling his horse at The Red Bull, in the New City, he walked a mile to a tall stone house on a side street, the house of a wealthy old, il on the doors, a red heart on a golden hand The hulking felloho let him in was no merchant’s servant, with his sunken knuckles and sullen eyes Without a word, the huge man led him deeper into the house, then down, toward the bases he had seen were men and women, failures, led to their own very elaborate executions He did not think he had failed, but then again, he had hardly succeeded He had followed orders, though Which was not always enough

In the rough stone baseilded lamps set all around, his eyes went first to a pretty woht in frothy lace net He did not knoho this Lady Shiaine was, but his orders had been to obey her HeShe si for him to notice what else the basement held

He could hardly have missed it, since except for a few casks the rooe fashion Two ovals had been cut in the tabletop, and from one stuck the head and shoulders of a ainst the wooden surface and held there by means of leather straps nailed to the tabletop and fastened to a block of wood jammed between his teeth A woman, prepared the same, provided the other decoration Beneath the table, they knelt rists tied to ankles Quite securely held for any sort of pleasure The ray in his hair and the face of a lord, but unsurprisingly, his deepset eyes rolled wildly The wolossy, but her face was a little long for Hanlon’s taste

Suddenly he really saw her face, and his hand leaped to his sword before he could stop it Releasing the hilt took some effort, which he made pains to hide An Aes Sedai’s face, but an Aes Sedai who let herself be fastened like that was no threat

"So you have some brains," Shiaine said By her accents, she was a noble, and she certainly had the co around the table to peer down into the bound man’s face "I asked the Great Master Moridin to send me a man with brains Poor Jaichim here has very few"

Hanlon frowned, and shedien herself Who in the Pit of Doohedien; that was enough

The hulking fellow handed Shiaine a funnel, which she fitted into a hole bored through the block of wood between this Jaichim’s teeth The man’s eyes seemed ready to leap from his head "Poor Jaichi like a fox looking at a chicken "Moridin wishes him punished Poor Jaichim does like his brandy"

She stepped back, not so far that she could not see clearly, and Hanlon gave a start as the hulking man came to the table with one of the casks Hanlon did think he could have lifted the thing unaided, but the big man tipped it easily The bound man shrieked once, and then a strea fro The rough smell of crude brandy filled the air Secured as he was, theto heave the table sideways, but the brandy kept pouring Bubbles rose in the funnel as he tried to shout or scream, but the steady strea slowed and stopped Wide, glazing eyes stared up the ceiling, and brandy trickled fro fellow still did not stop until the last drops fell froh brandy," Shiaine said, and laughed in delight

Hanlon nodded He supposed the man had, at that He wondered who he had been

Shiaine was not quite finished At a gesture fro the Aes Sedai’s gag off of its nail Hanlon thought the wooden blockout of her an babbling before the fellow let go of the strap

"I will obey you!" she howled "I will obey, as the Great Master commanded! He set the shield on me to dissolve so I could obey! He told me so! Let me prove myself! I will crawl! I am a worm, and you are the sun! Oh, please! Please! Please!"

Shiaine stifled words if not whi a hand over the Aes Sedai’s ain, Falion? You have failed before, and Moridin left your punishive you a second chance to plead your case, Falion -- perhaps -- but if I do, you will have to convincepleas again, ant proh she was reduced to wordless shrieks and tears as the gag was replaced, the nail driven through the strap again, and Jaichi man stood another cask on the table beside her head The Aes Sedai see herself about below the table till it trembled

Hanlon was impressed An Aes Sedai must be harder to break than a pluhter Still, she had had the help of one of the Chosen, it see at hi down at Falion His first rule in life was never to offend those the Chosen set above him

"Tell me, Hanlon," Shiaine said, "hoould you like to put your hands on a queen?"

He licked his lips in spite of hion)

A Cup of Sleep

"Don’t be an utter woolhead, Rand," Min said Making herself res and kicked her foot idly, but she could not keep exasperation out of her voice "Go to her! Speak to her!"

"Why?" he snapped "I knohich letter to believe, now It’s better this way She’s safe, now From anyone ants to strike at me Safe from me! It’s better!" But he stalked up and down in his shirtsleeves between the ts of chairs in front of the Dragon Throne, his fists whiteknuckle hard, glaring to beat the black clouds beyond the case a new blanket of snow on Cairhien

Min exchanged looks with Fedwin Morr, who stood by the suncarved doors The Maidens now let anyone as not an obvious threat walk in unannounced, but those Rand did not want to see thiswould be turned away by the husky boy He wore the Dragon and Sword on his black collar, and Min knew he had already seen more battles -- e, yet he was a boy Today, casting uneasy glances at Rand, he seeer than ever The sword on his hip still lo