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The dress changed completely, became white wool, soft but not of a particularly fine quality, and banded at the hem with seven colored stripes, one for each Ajah If she saw anyone who did not vanish after a few moments, she would take herself back to Sienda, and they would think she was only one of the Accepted, touching Tel’aran’rhiod in her dreams No Not the inn, but Sheriam’s study Anyone like that would have to be Black Ajah, and after all, she was supposed to be hunting theold braid and grimaced at Melaine’s face in the mirror Now, there was a woman she would like to hand over to Sheriam

The study of the Mistress of Novices was near the novices’ quarters, and the wide, tiled hallways flickered with occasional s and unlit standlaood nored the enough to see her, or if they did they would simply think her part of their own dream

It was only a short climb up broad stairs to the Amyrlin’s study As she approached, suddenly Elaida was in front of her, sweatyfaced in a bloodred gown, the stole of the Amyrlin Seat around her shoulders Or almost the Amyrlin’s stole; it had no blue stripe

Those stern dark eyes focused on Nynaeve "I airl! Do you not kno to show respect? I will have yo--" In edly Elaida as Ahtht wryly It will snow in Tear before she ever rises that high

The anteroom was much as she remembered it, with one wide table and a chair behind it for the Keeper of the Chronicles A few chairs sat against the wall for Aes Sedai waiting to speak with the Amyrlin; novices and Accepted stood The neat array of papers on the table, bound scrolls and large parchh Not that she was untidy, quite the reverse, yet Nynaeve had always thought she would put everything away at night

She pushed open the door to the inner room, but her step slowed as she entered No wonder she had not been able to drea like what she remembered That heavily carved table and tall, thronelike chair The vinecarved stools arranged in a perfect curve in front of the table, not one so much as an inch out of place Siuan Sanche affected si she was still only a fisherhter, and she kept only one extra chair, which she did not always let visitors use And that white vase full of red roses, rigidly arranged on a pedestal like a monument Siuan enjoyed flowers, but she preferred a bouquet of colors, like a field of wildflowers inof fishing boats in tall reeds Now there were two paintings, one of which Nynaeve recognized Rand, battling the Forsaken who had called himself Ba’alzamon, in the clouds above Falme The other, on three wooden panels, portrayed scenes that linked to nothing she could pull out of her memory

The door opened, and Nynaeve’s heart leaped into her throat A redhaired Accepted she had never seen before stepped into the room and stared at her She did not wink out of existence Just as Nynaeve was preparing to leap back to Sheriam’s study, the redhaired wo her face, she’d do more than put you in a child’s dress" And just that suddenly she was Egwene, in her Aiel garb

"You nearly frightened ten years out of me," Nynaeve muttered "So the Wise Ones have finally decided to let you coo as you please? Or is Melaine behind--"

"You should be frightened," Egwene snapped, color rising in her cheeks "You are a fool, Nynaeve A child playing in the barn with a candle"

Nynaeve gaped Egwene berating her? "You listen to wene al’Vere I’ll not take that from Melaine, and I won’t take it --"

"You had best take it froht to take that stone ring away froiven it to Elayne and told her not to let you use it at all"

"Told her not --!"

"Do you think Melaine was exaggerating?" Egwene said sternly, shaking her finger almost exactly like Melaine "She was not, Nynaeve The Wise Ones have told you the siain, but you seeh wind You are supposed to be a grooman, not a silly little child I vohatever sense you once had in your head seems to have vanished like a puff of s the shawl on her shoulders "Right now you are trying to play with the pretty flaht fall in"

Nynaeve stared in awene had never ever tried to dress her down like a girl caught with her fingers in the honey jar Never! The dress It was the Accepted’s dress she earing, and soed herself back to herself, in a good blue wool that she had often worn for Circle ht She felt robed in all her old authority as Wisdom "I am well aware of how much I don’t know," she said levelly, "but those Aiel --"

"Do you realize you could dreaet out of? Dreams are real here If you let yourself drift into a fond dream, it could trap you You’d trap yourself Until you died"

"Will you --?"

"There are night Tel’aran’rhiod, Nynaeve"

"Will you let me speak?" Nynaeve barked Or rather, she tried to bark it; there was rather tooin there to suit her Any at all would have been too wene said fir to I said nighthtmare while in Tel’aran’rhiod, it is real too And soone You just don’t realize, do you?"

Suddenly rough hands enveloped Nynaeve’s are, ragged men lifted her into the air, faces half mouths full of sharp, yellowed teeth She tried to make them vanish -- if a Wise One dreamwalker could, so could she -- and one of them ripped her dress open down the front like parchment The other seized her chin in a horny, callused hand and twisted her face toward hi Whether to kiss or bite, she did not know, but she would rather die than allow either She flailed for saidar and found nothing; it was horror filling her, not anger Thick fingernails dug into her cheeks, holding her head steady Egwene had done this, sowene!" It was a squeal, and she was too terrified to c