Page 88 (1/1)

"It isn’t the King, child" His voice softened, for her "It’s Pedron Niall Ailron does what he is told usually, though he and Niall es have been empty since the Whitecloak War, what the Children call the Troubles Niall was the general in the field then, and I doubt he’s ever given up wanting Altara If he controls both banks of the Eldar, he can squeeze the river trade to Ebou Dar, and if he can crack Ebou Dar, the rest of Altara will trickle into his hands like grain flowing from a hole in a sack"

"That is all very well," Nynaeve said firain There had been so in what he had said that tickled her memory, but she could not say what or why In any case, they had no time for lectures on relations between A the front of the inn She said as , "What about you, Juilin? You consort with low types" The thiefcatcher always sought out the cutpurses and burglars and footpads in a town; he clai on than any official "Are there slers we can bribe to sneak us out, or or You know the sort of thing we need, man"

"I heard little Thieves keep low in A, second is loss of your right hand, and third is hanging, whether it’s the King’s crown or a loaf of bread There aren’t " -- he was contemptuous of amateur thieves --"and for the s Whether the Prophet is really co to Amadicia, the way ruht relent and let that traveling erie put on a show Sienda is too far frolers to --"

She cut hierie" They all looked at her as if she had gone et Luca to bring the boarhorses back, and make off while they destroy soave hi off"

For once Nynaeve forgave him his sarcasm, feeble as it was And his lack of wit to see what she saw "That’s as may be, Thom Merrilin, but Master Luca wants a patron, and Elayne and I are going to be his patrons We still have to abandon the coach and tea house in the Two Rivers for what they had cost "-- and sneak out that back way" Tossing open the chest with the leafshaped hinges, she rooted through clothes and blankets and pots and everything that she had not wanted to leave behind with the wagon full of dyes -- she hadexcept the harness -- until she cailded caskets and the purses "Thoon and team of some sort Buy some supplies and retfully, she filled Tho to count; there was no telling what things would cost, and she did not want hi

"That is a wonderful idea," Elayne said, grinning "Galad will be looking for tolers And he will never think ould head for Ghealdan"

Nynaeve had not thought of that She had intended erie such as he had put together, with tulers in addition to animals, could earn its way al for theht be serie; men did show brains sometimes, usually when you least expected it "That was the first thing I thought of, Elayne" She ignored the sudden faint taste in her mouth, the acrid memory of boiled catfern and powdered mavinsleaf

Thom and Juilin protested, of course Not the idea as such, but they see behind could protect her and Elayne against Galad and any number of Whitecloaks They did not see would do more than the pair of them and ten ed to push them both out with the stern injunction "And don’t you dare come back here We will meet you on the road"

"If it co," Elayne quietly said once the door was shut, "ill quickly find ourselves facing the whole Whitecloak garrison, and probably the ararrison as well The Power doesn’t make us invincible All it will take is two arrows"

"We orry about that when it coht of that If they had, likely one of them would lurk about, and probably rouse Galad’s suspicions if he was not careful She was ready to accept their help when it was needed -- Ronde Macura had taught her that, though having to be rescued like a kitten doell still galled -- but it would be when she thought it necessary, not they

A quick trip downstairs found Mistress Jharen Her lady had changed her mind; she did not think she could face the heat and dust of travel again so quickly; she intended to nap, and did not want to be disturbed until a late supper that she would send down for Here was the coin for another night’s lodging The innkeeper was very understanding of a noble lady’s delicacy, and how inconstant their desires Nynaeve thought Mistress Jharen would be understanding of anything short ofthe pluirls for a irl darted off in her apron to find two of the deep bonnets that Nynaeve said looked so shady and cool; not the sort of thing her lady would wear, of course, but they would do nicely for her

When she got back to the rooilded caskets on a blanket with the dark polished box holding the recovered ter’angreal and the washleather purse that held the seal The fat purses of coin lay beside Nynaeve’s scrip on the other bed Folding the blanket, Elayne tied the bundle with some stout cord froretted leaving it all behind now It was not just the expense Not only that; You never knehen so to come in handy Take the toolen dresses that Elayne had laid out on her bed They were not fine enough for a lady, and too fine for a lady’s maid, but if they had left them in Mardecin as Elayne had wanted, they would be in a