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The Great Trees were now visible beyond the rooftops, their spreading tops a hundred spans andoaks and elms, leatherleafs and firs, were dwarfed beneath theood twostone arches, each five spans high and twice as wide By the outer side of the wall, carriages, carts, and people bustled along a street, while inside lay a wilderness of sorts The grove had neither the tame look of a park nor the complete haphazardness of the forest depths Rather, it seemed to be the ideal of nature, as if this were the perfect woods, the most beautiful forest that could be Soun to turn, and even the sreen seee should look
A few people strolled just inside the open arches, and no one looked then the four women rode in under the trees The city was quickly lost to view, even the sounds of it softened, then blocked, by the grove In the space of ten strides they seee of the grove, she said," Nynaevearound "There isn’t any point of it further north than --" She cut off as two horses burst frolossy htly laden packhorse
The darkthe air, as Liandrin reined her harshly The Aes Sedai’s face wore fury like a wene noticed polelanterns on the packhorse, and thought it odd
"These are friends," Nynaeve began, her back stiffening, but Elayne broke in on her
"Forgive us, Liandrin Sedai They did not tell us; we overheard We did notwe should not have, but we did overhear And ant to help Rand al’Thor, too And the other boys, of course," she added quickly
Liandrin peered at Elayne and Min The late afternoon sunlight, slanting through the branches, shadowed their faces beneath the hoods of their cloaks "So," she said finally, still watching those two "I had ements for you to be taken care of, but as you are here, you are here Four can make this journey as well as two"
"Taken care of, Liandrin Sedai?" Elayne said "I do not understand"
"Child, you and that other are known as friends of these two Do you not think there are those ould question you when they are found to be gone? Do you believe the Black Ajah would be gentle with you just because you are heir to a throne? Had you reht" That silenced them all for a moment, but Liandrin wheeled her horse and called, "Follow rove, until they cae of razorsharp spikes Curving slightly, as if it enclosed a large area, the fence ran out of sight aate in the fence, secured with a big lock Liandrin unfastened this with a large key she produced froh, then relocked it behind them and rode on ahead immediately A squirrel chittered at them from a branch overhead, and fro of a woodpecker
"Where are we going?" Nynaeve derily at the others "Why are we just riding deeper into these woods? We have to cross a bridge, or else take ship, if we’re going to leave Tar Valon, and there isn’t any bridge or ship in--"
"There is this," Liandrin announced "The fence, it keeps away those who ht harestured to was a tall, thick slab of what seee, one side carved intricately in vines and leaves
Egwene’s throat tightened; suddenly she knehy Liandrin had brought lanterns, and she did not like what she knew She heard Nynaeve whisper, "A Waygate" They both remembered the Ways all too well
"We did it once," she told herself as ain" If Rand and the others need us, we have to help them That’s all there is to it
"Is that really ?" Min began in a choked voice and could not finish
"A Waygate," Elayne breathed "I did not think the Ways could be used any longer At least, I did not think their use was allowed"
Liandrin had already dismounted and plucked the trefoil Avendesora leaf out of the carving; like two huge doors woven of living vines, the gates were swinging open, revealing what appeared to be a dull, silvery ave their reflections back dimly
"You do not have to come," Liandrin said "You can wait here for me, safely enclosed by the fence until I come for you Or perhaps the Black Ajah will find you before anyone else" Her sate came open to its fullest and stopped
"I did not say I wouldn’t co look
"If we are going to do this," Min said hoarsely, "then let’s do it" She was staring at the Waygate, and Egwene thought she heard her o last," Liandrin said "All of you, in I will follow" She was eyeing the woods now, too, as if she thought sowene did not knohat Liandrin expected to see, but if anyone at all caate Rand, you woolheaded idiot, she thought, why can’t you just once get yourself into some kind of trouble that doesn’t forceher heels into Bela’s flanks, and the shaggy mare, restive from too much time in a stable, leaped forward
"Slowly!" Nynaeve shouted, but it was too late
Egwene and Bela surged toward their own dull reflections; two shaggy horses touched noses, appeared to flow into each other Then Egas e with an icy shock Time seemed to stretch out, as if the cold crept over her by the width of one hair at a ti in pitchblackness,so fast the ht herself and stood tre the s in the dark to see if she had been hurt She was allad of the dark, to hide her crimson face She knew that tiate; she