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"The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills Perhaps it will not onwall I doubt that Elaida has continued to approach rulers, even if she knows that Siuan was doing so"

"Is that all you can say? I think Siuan was your friend once, Moiraine Can’t you shed a tear for her?"

The Aes Sedai looked at her, and that cool, serene gaze told her how far she had to go before she could use that title herself Sitting, Egas nearly a head taller, and she was stronger in the Power besides, but there was th "I have no tionwall is not uenya Siuan and I were friends, once In a few an the search for the Dragon Reborn Only the two of us, newly raised Aes Sedai Sierin Vayu was raised Amyrlin shortly after, a Gray with more than a touch of Red in her Had she learned e intended, ould have spent the rest of our lives doing penance with Red sisters watching us even while we slept There is a saying in Cairhien, though I have heard it as far away as Tarabon and Saldaea ’Take what you want, and pay for it’ Siuan and I took the path anted, and we kneould have to pay for it eventually"

"I do not see how you can be so calm Siuan could be dead, or even stilled Elaida will either oppose Rand altogether or try to hold him somewhere until Tarmon Gai’don; you know she’ll never let a man who can channel run free At least not everyone is behind Elaida So somewhere -- I don’t knohere yet -- and I think others have left the Tower, too Nynaeve said that she was given awelcome to return to the Tower by an eyesandears of the Yellow If Blues and Yellows have both gone, others must have And if they oppose Elaida, they hed, a soft sound "Do you expect me to be happy that the White Tower has split apart? I a before I ever suspected the Dragon would be Reborn in ainst the Shadow for three thousand years It has guided rulers to wise decisions, stopped wars before they began, halted wars that did begin That humankind even remembers that the Dark One waits to escape, that the Last Battle will come, is because of the Tower The Tohole and united I could almost wish that every sister had sworn to Elaida, whatever happened to Siuan"

"And Rand?" Egwene kept her voice just as steady, just as s to put a little warmth into the air, but Moiraine had just added her own chill "The Dragon Reborn You yourself said that he cannot be ready for Tarmon Gai’don unless he is allowed his freedom, both to learn and to affect the world The Tower united could take him prisoner despite all the Aiel in the Waste"

Moiraine smiled a small smile "You learn Cool reason is always better than hot words But you forget that only thirteen sisters linked can shield any man fro flows, fewer can hold that shield"

"I know you are not giving up, Moiraine What do you mean to do?"

"Ias I can At least Rand will be -- easier to be around -- now that I no longer need try to turn him from what he wants I suppose I should be happy that he does not make me fetch his wine He does listen n what he thinks of what I tell him"

"I will leave you to tell him about Siuan and the Tower" That would avoid aard questions; with Rand as bigheaded as he was, hethan she could invent "There’s so else Nynaeve has seen Forsaken in Tel’aran’rhiod She hedien Including Lanfear She thinks they are plotting soether"

"Lanfear," Moiraine said after a moment

They both knew that Lanfear had visited Rand in Tear, and maybe other tie of the Forsaken except the Forsaken thements remained in the Tower -- but it was known that Lanfear had loved Lews Therin Telamon They two, and Rand, knew that she still did

"With luck," the Aes Sedai went on, "ill not have to worry about Lanfear The others Nynaeve saw are another matter You and I must keep as close a watch as we can I wish h "But I ht as ish they were all Tower trained while I a inin others"

"A watch is all very well, but what else? If six Forsaken coive him"

Moiraine leaned over to put a hand on her arm, a look of affection on her face "We cannot hold his hand forever, Egwene He has learned to walk He is learning to run We can only hope he learns before his eneuide hi, she stretched, and stifled a swene And I expect that Rand will have us breaking caets no sleep at all I, however, would like to take what rest I can before facing o, but first she had a question "Moiraine, why have you started doing everything Rand tells you to? Even Nynaeve doesn’t think it is right"

"She does not, does she?" Moiraine murmured "She will be Aes Sedai yet, whatever she wishes Why? Because I rewene nodded To control saidar, first you had to surrender to it

It was not until she was shivering her way back to her own tent that she realized Moiraine had spoken to her the whole ti ready to choose her Ajah than she thought

Chapter 16

(Sunburst)

An Unexpected Offer

Sunlight creeping through the oke Nynaeve For a moment she lay sprawled atop the striped coverlet Elayne lay sleeping in the other bed The early ht had not been much better, but that was not the reason Nynaeve’s shift isted and sweaty Her drea what she had seen with Elayne had not been good In ed before the Ahedien In so table like a dog, collared and leashed and wene had been as bad in a way; boiled catfern and powdered mavinsleaf tasted just as bad in