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Rand wished that there was so to see, but to his surprise, neither went running to e of the sort froh, and dealt it out, too, and her face remained expressionless But he had not expected the pure pity in Egwene’s eyes as she gazed at the bloated dead co down

She drew Mist over to Jeade’en and leaned to put a hand on his arm "I am so sorry, Rand There was no way you could have stopped this"

"I know," he told her He had not even known there was a town here until Rhuarc o -- his councils with the chiefs had all been on whether they could cover round in a day, and what Couladin would do when he cleared the Jangai -- and by that tione He had done with cursing himself for a fool then

"Well, just you rean talking to Aviendha before she was out of earshot "I auilty over things he cannot control"

"Men always believe they are in control of everything around them," Aviendha replied "When they find out they are not, they think they have failed, instead of learning a siled "That is the siht ould find hi somewhere"

"Is his stomach so tender? I"

Their voices faded away as the ht in the saddle, flushing Trying to eavesdrop on the like an idiot That did not stop hi backs He only took responsibility for what he was accountable for, if only to hi about And what he should have done so about hiht only knehat they were saying

Dis, he led Jeade’en in search of Asmodean, who seemed to have wandered off After so ood to walk Various clusters of tents were springing up along the pass; the mountain slopes and cliffs ed themselves as if they could expect attack fro with the Aiel, but half a day was enough to put hih to keep up with them mounted; they could wear out horses when they pressed

Mat was down, too, squatting with his reins in one hand and that blackhafted spear across his knees, peering at the gaping gates, studying the town andto himself while Pips tried to nibble at a thornbush Mat was studying, not just staring Where had that res at times now, since their first visit to Rhuidean Rand wished that he illing to talk about what had happened, but he still denied that anything had, despite the foxhead medallion, the spear, and that scar around his neck Melindhra, the Shaido Maiden that Mat had taken up with, was off to one side, watching Mat, until Sulin came and chased her away on so bets on whether Melindhra would give up the spear for hih they only laughed when Rand asked what that meant

The sound of ranite outcrop with his harp on his knee The crimson banner’s staff had been twisted into the rocky soil, and the on," he said cheerfully, "your bannerman keeps loyally to his duties" His voice and expression changed, and he said, "If you , why not let Mat carry it, or Lan? Or Moiraine, for that lad to carry your banner, and clean your boots Be careful of her She is a devious woman When a woman says she will obey you, of her oill, it is tihtly and watch your back"

"You carry it because you were chosen, Master Jasin Natael" Ash everyone else was too far away, and too busy, to be listening None but they tould have understood, anyway "What do you know about those ruins up near the snow line? They lance up the ed from the world I went to sleep in" He sounded weary, and he shivered slightly "What I knohat lies where, I have learned since waking" The mournful sounds of "The March of Death" rose from his harp "That could be what is left of the city where I was born, for all I know Shorelle was a port"

The sun had maybe an hour before the Spine of the World hid it; this close to high ht caht" That hat they called Asmodean’s lessons in public, even when no one was around Added to practice sessions with Lan or Rhuarc, those lessons had left hi Rhuidean "You take to your tent when you’re ready, and I will see you in theWith the banner" There was no one else to carry the bloody thing Maybe he could find so away, As nets woven around in to trust me?"

Rand looked back over his shoulder "I trust you like a brother Until the day you betray me You have a parole for what you’ve done, in return for your teaching, and a better bargain than you deserve, but the day you turn against me, I will tear it up and bury it with you" Asmodean opened his , Natael Rand al’Thor Two Rivers folk don’t like people who try to stab them in the back"

Irritably, he pulled at the dapple’s reins and went on before the otherHe was not sure whether As to take hiive the h already that his was a helpless cause; if he began to think that Rand was not in full control of his ownmad, the Forsaken would abandon him in a heartbeat, and there was too ai’shain were erecting his tent under Aviendha’s direction, well into the pass ai’shain had their own tents, but those would be the last erected, of course Adelin and a dozen or so Maidens squatted nearby, watching, waiting to guard his sleep Even with over a thousand Maidens encaht, they stil