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Perrin looked up from The Travels of Jain Farstrider when they walked in, and frohen he saw their faces "It didn’t go well, did it?" he said, closing the leatherbound book Laht; Mistress Tiedra charged heavily, but she did not stint

Verin carefully folded her shawl and laid it across the back of a chair "Tell ate? At Barthanes’s rove," Loial explained "When we built " His voice trailed off and his ears wilted under her look

"Hurin followed theht to it" Rand wearily threw himself into a chair I have to follow more than ever, now But how? "I opened it to show him he could still follow the trail wherever they went, and the Black Wind was there It tried to reach us, but Loial ates before it could come all the way out" He colored a little at that, but Loial had closed the gates, and for all he knew Machin Shin uard"

"The Black Wind," Mat breathed, frozen halfway into a chair Perrin was staring at Rand, too So were Verin and Ingtar Mat dropped into the chair with a thump

"You must be mistaken," Verin said at last "Machin Shin could not be used as a guard No one can constrain the Black Wind to do anything"

"It’s a creature of the Dark One," Mat said numbly "They’re Darkfriends Maybe they kne to ask it for help, or make it help"

"No one knows exactly what Machin Shin is," Verin said, "unless, perhaps, it is the essence of ained with, or talked to It cannot even be forced, not by any Aes Sedai living today, and perhaps not by any who ever lived Do you really think Padan Fain could do what ten Aes Sedai could not?" Mat shook his head

There was an air of despair in the rooht had vanished, and even Verin’s face wore a floundering expression

"I’d never have thought Fain had the courage for the Ways" Ingtar sounded alainst the wall "I do not care how, or even if, Machin Shin works on Fain’s behalf They have taken the Horn of Valere into the Ways, Aes Sedai By now they could be in the Blight, or halfway to Tear or Tanchico, or the other side of the Aiel Waste The Horn is lost I am lost" His hands dropped to his sides, and his shoulders slu it to Toman Head," Rand said, and was iain

Verin studied him narrowly "You said that before How do you know?"

"He left a tar sneered "He’d not tell us where to follow"

"I don’t knohat the rest of you are going to do," Rand said, "but I aht"