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The bundle in Rand’s arht, she could be a hundred leagues off, and she still reaches out and tugs the leash This way, Rand That way You’re the Dragon Reborn, Rand "I don’t want the duty, Ingtar I will not take it Light, I’m just a shepherd! Why won’t anybody believe that?"

"You will do your duty, Rand When thebelow hi apart Too much already Peace favor your sword, Rand al’Thor"

"Ingtar, I -- " But Ingtar alking away, calling to see if Uno had the scouts out yet

Rand stared at the bundle in his arms and licked his lips He was afraid he kneas in it He wanted to look, yet he wanted to throw it in a fire without opening it; he thought heas inside, if he could be sure as inside would burn at all But he could not look there, where other eyes than his lanced around the ca the pack ani out a cold supper of dried meat and flatbread Mat and Perrin tended their horses, and Loial sat on a stone reading a book, with his longstemmed pipe clenched between his teeth and a wisp of s the bundle as if afraid he ht drop it, Rand sneaked into the trees

He knelt in a sed branches and set the bundle on the ground For a time he just stared at it She wouldn’t have She couldn’t A small voice answered, Oh, yes, she could She could and would Finally he set about untying the small knots in the cords that bound it Neat knots, tied with a precision that spoke loudly of Moiraine’s own hand; no servant had done this for her She would not have dared let any servant see

When he had the last cord unfastened, he opened out as folded inside with hands that felt numb, then stared at it, his mouth full of dust It was all of one piece, neither woven, nor dyed, nor painted A banner, white as snow, big enough to be seen the length of a field of battle And across it old and cris, each tipped with five golden claws, a serpent with eyes like the sun and a golden lion’s mane He had seen it once before, and Moiraine had told him what it was The banner of Lews Therin Telamon, Lews Therin Kinslayer, in the War of the Shadow The banner of the Dragon

"Look at that! Look what he’s got, now!" Mat burst into the clearing Perrin came after him more slowly "First fancy coats," Mat snarled, "and now a banner! We’ll hear no end of lording it noith -- " Mat got close enough to see the banner clearly, and his jaw dropped "Light!" He stumbled back a step "Burn me!" He had been there, too, when Moiraine naer at Moiraine and the A him He snatched up the banner in both hands and shook it at Mat, words boiling out uncontrollably "That’s right! The Dragon’s banner!" Mat took another step back "Moiraine wants on for the Aes Sedai She’s going to push it down my throat whatever I want But--I--will --not--be--used!"

Mat had backed up against a tree trunk "A false Dragon?" He sed "You? Thatthat’s crazy"

Perrin had not retreated He squatted doith his thick arolden eyes In the evening shadows they seeon " He paused, frowning, thinking things through Finally, he said quietly, "Rand, can you channel?" Mat gave a strangled gasp

Rand let the banner drop; he hesitated only awearily "I did not ask for it I don’t want it ButBut I do not think I kno to stop it" The room with the flies came back unbidden to his mind "I don’t think they’ll let me stop"

"Burn me!" Mat breathed "Blood and bloody ashes! They’ll kill us, you know All of us Perrin and tar and the others find out, they will cut our bloody throats for Darkfriends Light, they’ll probably think ere part of stealing the Horn, and killing those people in Fal Dara"

"Shut up, Mat," Perrin said caltar doesn’t kill us, Rand will go mad and do it for hiround "Why didn’t they gentle you? If the Aes Sedai knohy didn’t they gentle you? I never heard of the a man who can wield the Power just walk away"

"They don’t all know," Rand sighed "The Aht, no wonder she looked at on Reborn, and then they said I could go wherever I wanted Don’t you see, Mat? They are trying to useable to channel," Mat muttered "If I were you, I’d be halfway to the Aryth Ocean by now And I would not stop until I found someplace where there were no Aes Sedai, and never likely to be any And no people I meanwell "

"Shut up, Mat," Perrin said "Why are you here, Rand? The longer you stay around people, the more likely it is somebody will find out and send for Aes Sedai Aes Sedai on’t tell you to go on about your business" He paused, scratching his head over that "And Mat’s right about Ingtar I don’t doubt he would name you Darkfriend and kill you Kill all of us, maybe He seems to like you, but he’d still do it, I think A false Dragon? So would the others Masema wouldn’t need that one?"

Rand shrugged "I was going, but first the Aer, and Moiraine said Mat was dying, andLight, I thought I could stay with you until we found the dagger, at least; I thought I could help with that Maybe I rong"

"You caer?" Mat said quietly He rubbed his nose and griht you wanted toAaaah! Are you feeling all right? Ia pebble out of the groun