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"Yes, cautious You were right before, too We will not do theht as well" Elayne was silent for a moment "Do you think it was all lies, Nynaeve? What Liandrin told us about Rand being in danger? And the others? Aes Sedai do not lie"

It was Nynaeve’s turn to be silent, re her of the oaths a wo raised to full sisterhood, oaths spoken inside a ter’angreal that bound her to keep them To speak no word that is not true That was one, but everyone knew that the truth an Aes Sedai said ht you heard "I expect Rand is warelmar’s fire in Fal Dara this minute," she said I can’t worry about hiwene and Min

"I suppose he is," Elayne said with a sigh She shifted behind the saddle "If it is very far to Falme, Nynaeve, I expect to ride in the saddle half the time This is not a very comfortable seat We will never reach Falme at all if you let this horse set her own pace the whole way"

Nynaeve booted the ht at her cloak Nynaeve told herself that she would take a turn riding behind and not coallop, but for thebehind her She was too busy hoping that by the ti afraid and start being angry

The breeze freshened, cool and brisk with a hint of cold yet to coreements

Thunder rumbled across the slatedark afternoon sky Rand pulled the hood of his cloak further up, hoping to keep at least sogedly The hood hung sodden around Rand’s head, as the rest of the cloak did around his shoulders, and his fine black coat was just as wet, and as cold The temperature would not have far to drop before snow or sleet caain; the people in the village they had passed through said two snows had already co Then, at least, he would not be soaked to the skin

The colu country Ingtar’s Gray Owl hung heavily even when the wind gusted Hurin sometimes pulled his cowl back to sniff the air; he said neither rain nor cold had any effect on a trail, certainly not on the kind of trail he was seeking, but so far the sniffer had found nothing Behind hi his saddlebags; he did not see wet himself, but he worried continually about his books Everyone was ht to even notice that her hood had slid back, exposing her face to the rain

"Can’t you do so about this?" Rand demanded of her A small voice in the back of his head told him he could do it himself All he need do was embrace saidin So sweet, the call of saidin To be filled with the One Power, to be one with the stored, whip it to fury and scour Toman Head clean froing ruthlessly

The Aes Sedai gave a start "What? Oh I suppose A little I couldn’t stop a stor, not by myself -- it covers too much area -- but I could lessen it some Where we are, at least" She wiped rain from her face, seemed to realize for the first time that her hood had slipped, and pulled it back up absently

"Then why don’t you?" Mat said The shivering face peering out from under his hood looked at death’s door, but his voice was vigorous

"Because if I used that much of the One Power, any Aes Sedai closer than ten miles would know so these Seanchan down on us with sorily

They had learned a little of the invaders in that village, called Atuan’s Mill, though most of what they had heard hatched more questions than it answered The people had babbled oneand looking over their shoulders They all shook with fear that the Seanchan would return with their monsters and their damane That women who should have been Aes Sedai were instead leashed like anie creatures the Seanchan cos the folk of Atuan’s Mill could only describe in whispers as cohtmares And worst of all, the exa still chilled the people to their marrow They had buried their dead, but they feared to clean away the large charred patch in the village square None of them would say what had happened there, but Hurin had voo near the blackened ground

Atuan’s Mill had been half deserted So the Seanchan would not be so harsh in a town they held fast, and others had gone east More had said they were thinking of it There was fighting on Al Domani it was said, but such houses and barns as were burned there were kindled by torches in the hands of men Even a as easier to face than what the Seanchan had done, what theythe Horn here?" Perrin muttered The question had been asked by each of them at one time or another, and no one had an answer "There’s war, and these Seanchan, and their tar turned in his saddle to look back at theard as Mat’s "There are always e in the confusion of war Fain is one like that No doubt he thinks to steal the Horn again, from the Dark One this time, and use it for his own profit"

"The Father of Lies never lays simple plans," Verin said "Itthe Horn here for some reason known only in Shayol Ghul"

"Monsters," Mat snorted His cheeks were sunken, now, his eyes hollow That he sounded healthy only made it worse "They saw some Trollocs, or a Fade, if you askfor the at him and flinched "Well, they are, on leashes or not They can channel, and that ed laugh "That alloping froh the e ahead, tar His eyes only swept past Rand, but they tightened, and he did not look at Rand again "It’s eers, no Seanchan, nobody at all The houses all look sound, though, except for two or three thatwell, they aren’t ther