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Morgase drew breath, then nodded her acceptance The woranted in any case A fine seed for the ar soldier who scowled at her as often as not, a balding innkeeper who looked as if he had not been on a horse in twenty years, a street tough who appeared ee Cairhienin noblewoman who had h And Lini, of course Lini, who treated her as though she were still in the nursery Oh, yes, a very fine seed
"Where do we go,already saddled horses out of their stalls Lahcantled saddle on a horse for Lini
Morgase realized that she had not considered that Light, Gaebril can’t still be foggingrooetting out of the Palace and reaching here Once she would have gone to Ellorien first, but Pelivar or Arathelle would do Once she had reasoned out how to explain away their exiles
Before she could open her mouth, Tallanvor said, "It ainst you a you, they will reswear allegiance, if only because they knoin every battle"
She clamped her teeth shut to hold back instant refusal Bryne was a traitor But he was also one of the finest generals alive His presence would be a convincing arguet that she had exiled them Very well No doubt he would leap at the chance to be CaptainGeneral of the Queen’s Guards once h without him
When the sun touched the horizon, they were five ht hen Padan Fain felt h the tapestrybedecked corridors of the White Tower, it seeh the darkness outside made a cloak to hide hiilded and , he knew; his eneht thathour, he could feel Rand al’Thor Not where he was, but that he was still alive, soift received at Shayol Ghul, in the Pit of Doom, that awareness of al’Thor
His mind skittered away from memories of what had been done to him in the Pit He had been distilled there, remade But later, in Aridhol, he had been reborn Reborn to s else as he stalked the e that was his, stolen froing for al’Thor’s death, or the Tower’s destruction, or even revenge against his ancient foe A hunger to be whole
The heavy paneled door had thick hinges and iron straps, and a black iron lock set in it as big as his head Few doors in the Toere ever locked -- ould dare steal in the s the Tower accounted too dangerous to be easily accessible The uarded by a stout lock
Giggling softly, he took two thin, curved metal rods fro and pressing, twisting With a slow snap, the bolt ca hoarsely Guarded by a stout lock Surrounded by Aes Sedai power, and guarded by simple metal Even the servants and novices should be done with their chores at this hour, but soht just wander by Occasional ripples of mirth still shook him as he replaced the lockpicks in his pocket and took out a fat beeswax candle, lighting the wick at a nearby standlah as he closed the door behind hi plain boxes and inlaid chests of various sizes and shapes, ss of ht Nothing that appeared dangerous Dust covered everything; even the Aes Sedai came here seldo pulled hih shelf stood a darklead walls two inches thick, with just enough space inside for a curved dagger in a golden sheath, a large ruby set in its hilt Neither the gold nor the ruby, glittering dark as blood, interested him Hastily he spilled a little wax to hold the candle beside the box and snatched up the dagger
He sighed as soon as he touched it, stretched languorously He hole again, one hat had bound hiiven hies creaked faintly, and he darted for the door, baring the curved blade The pale young woape, to try to leap back, before he slashed her cheek; in the same motion he dropped the sheath and seized her ar his head out, he peered up and down the hallway Still e his head back and shutting the door again He knehat he would find
The young wo to scream Her hands clawed at a face already black and bloated beyond recognition, the dark swelling oozing down onto her shoulders like thick oil Her snowy skirts, banded in colors at the hem, flailed as her feet scrabbled uselessly He licked at a splash of blood on his hand and giggled as he picked up the sheath
"You are a fool"
He spun, dagger reaching, but the air around hi hi there, on the balls of his feet, dagger extended to stab, staring at Alviarin as she shut the door behind her and leaned against it to study hi of the dying girl’s slippers on the floorstones could never havehis eyes
"Did you really think," the Aes Sedai went on, "that there would be no guard on this roo fool’s task tonight was to monitor it Had she done as she was supposed to, you would find a dozen Warders and asthe price of her stupidity"
The thrashing behind him stilled, and his eyes narrowed Alviarin was not Yellow Ajah, but even so she could havewoman And she had not raised the alarm the Accepted should have, either, or she would not now be here alone "You are Black