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"I can’t get away from them," Rand said, "can I?" He balanced the sword in front of him on scabbard point; it looked no different than it had before he knew "Aes Sedai work" But Taave it to me He refused to think of hoo Rivers shepherd had coerous currents in such thoughts, deeps he did not want to explore

"Do you really want to get away, sheepherder? I’ll ask again Why are you not gone, then? The sword? In five years I could make you worthy of it, ood balance, and you don’t ive over to teaching you, and you do not have five years for learning You have not even one year, and you know it As it is, you will not stab yourself in the foot You hold yourself as if the sword belongs at your waist, sheepherder, and e bullies will sense it But you’ve had that much almost since the day you put it on So why are you still here?"

"Mat and Perrin are still here," Rand mumbled "I don’t want to leave before they do I won’t ever -- I ain for -- for years, ainst the wall "Blood and ashes! At least they just think I’o home with them Half the time Nynaeve looks at me like I’oing toa stranger One she ht offend if she looks too closely, at that She’s a Wisdom, and besides that, I don’t think she’s ever been afraid of anything, but she " He shook his head "And Egwene Burn o, but every time I mention it she looks atthe sword hilt against his forehead as if he could press what he was thinking out of existence "I wishI wish "

"You wish everything could be the way it was, sheepherder? Or you wish the girl would go with you instead of to Tar Valon? You think she’ll give up beco? With you? If you put it to her in the right way, she " Lan sounded suddenly weary "As odd a thing as there is"

"No" It hat he had been wishing, that she would want to go with him He opened his eyes and squared his back and made his voice firm "No, I wouldn’t let her come with ht, wouldn’t it he sweet, just for a etsto tell her what to do, but I can still protect her from that" He wished she were back hoone the day Moiraine came to the Two Rivers "Even if it means she does becoht Lan’s raised eyebrow, and he flushed

"And that is all the reason? You want to spend as o? That’s why you’re dragging your feet? You knohat’s sniffing at your heels"

Rand surged angrily to his feet "All right, it’s Moiraine! I wouldn’t even be here if not for her, and she won’t as much as talk to me"

"You’d be dead if not for her, sheepherder," Lan said flatly, but Rand rushed on

"She tells s about oing to go mad and die!--"and then suddenly she won’t even say tords to me She acts as if I’m no different than the day she found , too"

"You want her to treat you like what you are?"

"No! I don’t mean that Burn me, I don’t knohat I mean half the time I don’t want that, and I’one off somewhere, vanished"

"I told you she needs to be alone sometimes It isn’t for you, or anyone else, to question her actions"

" without telling anybody where she was going, or when she’d be back, or even if she would be back She has to be able to tellShe has to If she ever coht But I think she has told you all she can Be satisfied You’ve learned what you can from her" With a shake of his head, Lan’s voice beca there Tiinning fro in the Rushes Re balance Anywhere but doing forms, it leaves you wide open; you can strike home from it, if you wait for the other man to move first, but you’ll never avoid his blade"

"She has to be able to tell , Lan That wind It wasn’t natural, and I don’t care how close to the Blight we are"

"Heron Wading in the Rushes, sheepherder And mind your wrists"

Fro fanfare slowly growing louder, accompanied by the steady thrumthrumTHRUMthrum of drums For a moment Rand and Lan stared at each other, then the drums drew them to the toall to stare southward

The city stood on high hills, the land around the city walls cleared to ankle height for a full hest hill of all From the tower top, Rand had a clear view across the chimneys and roofs to the forest The drummers appeared first fro as they stepped to their own beat,horns raised, still calling the flourish At that distance Rand could notin the wind behind thele

Rand glanced at hi, his eyes intent on the colu from the forest Mounted men in armor rode out of the trees, and women on horseback, too Then a palanquin borne by horses, one before and one behind, its curtains down, andabove the thorns, and archers with their bows held slanted across their chests, all stepping to the dru serpent the column wound its way toward Fal Dara

The wind flapped the banner, taller than aas it was, it was close enough now for Rand to see clearly A swirl of colors thatto him, but at the heart of it, a shape like a pure white teardrop His breath froze in his throa