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"Lord Rand," Hurin said diffidently, "could we -- leave, now?"

The snifferover the wall first, with not knoas waiting outside, until Rand pointed out that he had the only weapon a Loial lift Rand to catch the top of the wall and pull hi and peering into the night For amove, heard a boot scrape on the brick walk, but neither was repeated, and he disht to be nervous He turned to help Hurin down

"Lord Rand," the sniffer said as soon as his feet were solidly on the ground, "how are we going to follow thes, the whole lot of them could be halfway across the world by now, in any direction"

"Verin will knoay" Rand suddenly wanted to laugh; to find the Horn and the dagger -- if they could be found, now -- he had to go back to the Aes Sedai They had let hio back "I won’t let Mat die without trying"

Loial joined them, and they went back toward the manor, to be met at the small door by Mat, who opened it just as Rand reached for the handle "Verin says you’re not to do anything If Hurin’s found where the Horn is kept, then she says that’s all we can do, now She says we’ll leave as soon as you coo running back and forth withto somebody, you can talk to them yourself from now on" Mat peered past them into the darkness "Is the Horn out there soer?"

Rand turned hiot hi, Mat I hope Verin has a good idea of what to do now; I don’t have any"

Mat looked as if he wanted to ask questions, but he let hi the dimly lit corridor He even remembered to limp as they started upstairs

When Rand and the others reentered the rooms filled with nobles, they received a nu of what had happened outside, or if he should have sent Hurin and Mat to the front hall to wait, but then he realized the looks were no different fro, wondering what the lord and the Ogier had been up to Servants were invisible to these people No one tried to approach theether It seemed there were protocols to conspiracy in the Great Gaht try to listen to a private conversation, but they would not intrude on it

Verin and Ingtar were standing together, and thus also alone Ingtar looked a little dazed Verin gave Rand and the other three a brief glance, frowned at their expressions, then resettled her shawl and started for the entry hall

As they reached it, Barthanes appeared as if soo so soon? Verin Sedai, can I not entreat you to stay longer?"

Verin shook her head "We o, Lord Barthanes I’ve not been in Cairhien in so Rand It has beeninteresting"

"Then Grace see you safely to your inn The Great Tree, is it not? Perhaps you will favor ain? You would honor tar, not to mention you, Loial, son of Arent son of Halan" His boas a little deeper for the Aes Sedai than for the others, but still no ht illumine you, Lord Barthanes" She turned for the doors

As Rand ht his sleeve with two fingers, holding hiht stay, too, until Hurin pulled him to join Verin and the rest

"You wade even deeper in the Gaht," Barthanes said softly "When I heard your name, I could not believe it, yet you cae for you I think I will deliver it after all"

Rand had felt a prickling along his backbone as Barthanes spoke, but at the last, he stared "A e? From whom? Lady Selene?"

"A es, but he hascertainclaiave no naarder Aaah! You know hie? Rand looked around the wide hall Mat and Verin and the others aiting by the doors Liveried servants stood stiffly along the walls, ready to leap at a co neither to hear nor see The sounds of the gathering floated from deeper in the ht attack "What e?"

"He says he ait for you on Toman Head He has what you seek, and if you want it, you must follow If you refuse to follow him, he says he will hound your blood, and your people, and those you love until you will face hi he will hound a lord, and yet, there was so about him I think he it mad -- he even denied you are a lord, as any eye can plainly see -- but there is still souard it? What is it you seek?" Barthanes seeht illus wobbled as he joined Verin and the others He wants me to follow? And he’ll hurt Emond’s Field, Tam, if I don’t He had no doubt Fain could do it, would do it At least Egwene is safe, in the White Tower He had sickening i in hordes on Ewene But how can I follow hi Red Verin and Ingtar and the others were all already on their horses, and the escort of Shienarans was closing round them

"What did you find?" Verin demanded "Where does he keep it?" Hurin cleared his throat loudly, and Loial shifted in his high saddle The Aes Sedai peered at theate," Rand said dully "By this ti there for me"

"We will speak of this later," Verin said, so firmly that no one spoke at all on the ride back to the city, to The Great Tree

Uno left the the soldiers back to their inn in the Foregate Hurin took one look at Verin’s set face by the light of the co about ale, and scurried to a table in a corner, alone The Aes Sedai brushed aside the innkeeper’s solicitous hopes that she had enjoyed herself, and silently led Rand and the rest t