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"I will not touch it!" Rand felt the void around him, felt saidin "I won’t"

"You cannot stop yourself"

"Leave--me--ALONE!"

"Power" Ba’alza "You can have power again, Lews Therin You are linked to it now, this moment I know it I can see it Feel it, Lews Therin Feel the glow inside you Feel the power that could be yours All you must do is reach out for it But the Shadow is there between you and it Madness and death You need not die, Lews Therin, not ever again"

"No," Rand said, but the voice went on, burrowing into him

"I can teach you to control that power so that it does not destroy you No one else lives who can teach you that The Great Lord of the Dark can shelter you from the madness The power can be yours, and you can live forever Forever! All you must do in return is serve Only serve Simple words -- I am yours, Great Lord -- and poill be yours Power beyond anything those women of Tar Valon dream of, and life eternal, if you will only offer yourself up and serve"

Rand licked his lips Not to go rated hoarsely, "and you can never touch me!"

"Touch you, Lews Therin? Touch you? I can consume you! Taste it and know, as I knew!"

Those dark eyes becarew until it seehter than a sulowed as if just drawn froe He cried out as the hilt burned his hands, screaht fire, fire that leaped, fire that burned everything

Yelling, Rand beat at his clothes as they smoked and charred and fell in ashes, beat with hands that blackened and shriveled as naked flesh cracked and peeled away in the flames He screamed Pain beat at the void inside hiloas there, the tainted light just out of sight Halfwhat it was, he reached for saidin, tried to wrap it around hi and the pain

As suddenly as the fire began, it was gone Rand stared wonderingly at his hand sticking out of the red sleeve of his coat There was not so ined it all Frantically, he looked around Ba’alzaone Hurin shifted in his sleep; the sniffer and Loial were still only two ine it

Before relief had a chance to grow, pain stabbed his right hand, and he turned it up to look There across the palm was branded a heron The heron frory and red, as neatly done as though draith an artist’s skill

Fu a kerchief from his coat pocket, he wrapped it around his hand The hand throbbed, now The void would help with that -- he are of pain in the void, but he did not feel it -- but he put the thought out of his head Twice now, unknowing -- and once on purpose; he could not forget that -- he had tried to channel the One Pohile he was in the void It ith that that Ba’alzamon wanted to tempt him It was that that Moiraine and the Amyrlin Seat wanted hi)