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Nynaeve took a firled herself against his arht, Tho theh not to bring his horse close enough to becoo of her braid before she pulled it out by the roots, Nynaeve adjusted her hat and sat staring straight ahead over the horses Whatever had gotten into the girl, it was high tiain

Only a tall stone pillar to each side of the road marked the border between Tarabon and Amadicia There was no traffic on the road but theher, but otherwise the land rereen leaves except on pine or leatherleaf or other evergreens Stonefenced fields and thatchroofed stone farmhouses dotted the slopes and dells, but they had a look of abandon crops, no sheep or cows Sometimes a few chickens scratched in a farone feral, at the wagon’s approach Whitecloak garrison or no, apparently no one illing to risk Taraboner brigands this close to the border

When Mardecin appeared, fro way to cli for the naed stream between two hills, with as many slate roofs as thatched, and considerable bustle in the wide streets

"We need to buy supplies," Nynaeve said, "but ant to be quick about it We can cover a lot of ground yet before nightfall"

"We are wearing out, Nynaeve," Thoht every day for nearly awill notTar Valon" He did not sound tired More likely he was looking forward to playing his harp or his flute in one of the taverns and getting ht his on, and he added, "I could do with a day on on seat is worse"

"I think we should find an inn," Elayne said, looking up at Thoon, and I would like to listen to you tell stories in the coon merchants are little more than peddlers," Nynaeve said sharply "They cannot afford inns in a town like this"

She did not knohether that was true or not, but despite her own desire for a bath and clean sheets, she was not going to let the girl get aith directing the suggestion at Thom It was not until the words were out of her iven in to Tho way to Tar Valon yet

She wished she had insisted on a ship With a fast ship, a Sea Folk raker, they could have gotten to Tear in a third of what it had taken theood winds, and with the right Atha’an Miere Windfinder that would have been no problem; she or Elayne could have handled it, for that matter The Tairens knew that she and Elayne were friends of Rand’s, and she expected that they still sweated buckets for fear of offending the Dragon Reborn; they would have provided a carriage and escort for the journey up to Tar Valon

"Find us a place to camp," she said reluctantly She should have insisted on a ship They ht have been back in the Tower by now

Chapter 9

(Leaf)

A Signal

Nynaeve had to adood ca on an eastern slope, covered with dead leaves, a scant ums and soon from the road and the town, and a twofootwide rivulet ran from a stone outcrop near the top of the rise, down a bed of dried h water for their purposes It was even a little cooler under the trees, with a small and welcome breeze

Once the two men had watered the tearass upslope, they tossed a coin to decide which should take the lanky gelding into Mardecin to purchase what they needed The coin flipping was a ritual that they had developed Thohtofhand, never lost when he flipped the coin, so Juilin always did it now

Tho the saddle froon seat and levered up a floorboard with her belt knife Besides two s Aing with coin lay in the recess The panarch had been enerous in her desire to see their backs The other things looked trifling by comparison; a small dark wooden box, polished but plain and uncarved, and a washleather purse lying flat and showing the ireal they had recovered from the Black Ajah, both linked to dreams, and the purse That was their prize from Tanchico One of the seals on the Dark One’s prison

As much as she wanted to find out where Siuan Sanche wanted them to chase the Black Ajah next, the seal was the source of her haste to reach Tar Valon Digging coins fro the flat purse; the longer it remained in her possession, the more she wanted to hand it to the Aht she could feel the Dark One, trying to break through, when she was near the thing

She saw Tho adetables; eitherbut meat and beans, left to himself Thom’s liri to be done for it now, so Moiraine said That rankled asto be done

When she had left the Two Rivers, it had been to protect young people froht by an Aes Sedai She had gone to the Tower still with the hope that she could so down Moiraine for what she had done The world had changed since then Or maybe she only saw the world differently No, it is notelse that’s different

Noas all she could do to protect herself Rand hat he was, and no turning back, and Egwene eagerly went her oay, not letting anyone or anything hold her back even if her way led over a cliff, and Mat had learned to think of nothing but wo She even found herself syust At least Perrin had gone back howene, secondhand from Rand