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"They had to learn sooner or later" was Elayne’s only coatched Elayne as she and the Wise Ones faded away -- to her it seeh Elayne and the Heart of the Stone becaave no sign as to whether she had understood the )

Dreawene floated in darkness She seemed to be darkness herself, without substance Whether her body lay up or down or sideways from her, she did not know -- there was no direction here -- but she knew that it was near, that she could step into it easily All around her in the blackness, fireflies seeinable distance Those were dreams, dreams of the Aiel in the camp, drealittering there

She could pick out so the nearer and name the dreamer, now In one way those sparkles were just as alike as fireflies -- that hat had given her so-- but in another, somehow, they now seemed as individual as faces Rand’s dreams, and Moiraine’s, appeared muted, dimmed by the wards they had woven Aular in their pulsing; they had taken their own advice, apparently Had she not seen those, she would have been into her body in an instant Those two could rove this darkness much more ably than she; she would not have known they were there until they pounced on her If she ever learned to recognize Elayne and Nynaeve in the sareat constellation wherever they were in the world But tonight she did not mean to observe anyone’s dreae in her mind, and she was back in Tel’aran’rhiod, inside the small, less room in the Tohere she had lived as a novice A narrow bed was built against one whitepainted wall A washstand and a threelegged stool stood opposite the door, and the current occupant’s dresses and shifts of white wool hung with a white cloak on pegs There could as easily have been none; the Tower had not been able to fill the novices’ quarters in many years The floor was almost as pale as walls and clothes Every day the novice who lived there would scrub that floor on hands and knees; Egwene had done so herself, and Elayne, in the next room If a queen came to train in the Tower, she would start in a rooed differently when she glanced at thenored that Ready to eh to stick her head out And drew a relieved breath when she found Elayne’s head cowene hoped she did not appear as wideeyed and uncertain She motioned hurriedly, and Elayne scurried across in novice white that becawene hated gray dresses; that hat damane wore

For an instant alleries of the novices’ quarters Layer on layer they rose, and fell as many levels to the Novices’ Court below Not that she really expected Liandrin or worse to be out there, but it never hurt to be careful

"I thought this hat you meant," Elayne said as she shut the door "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to remember what I can say in front of whom? So Let them knoe are only Accepted, and be done with it"

"You would be done with it," Egwene said fir not twenty paces from them"

Elayne shivered "That Bair She re I was not supposed to touch"

"You wait until I introduce you to Sorilea" Elayne gave her a doubtful look, but then, Egas not sure that she would have believed Sorilea herself until she met her There was no way to do this easily She shifted her shawl "Tell itte, wasn’t it?"

Elayne staggered as if hit in the stomach Her blue eyes closed for a moment, and she took a breath that must have filled her to the toes "I cannot talk to you about that"

"What do you itte?"

"I cannot, Egwene You must believe me I would if I could, but I cannot Perhaps I can ask" If Elayne had been the kind of wo it then Herout; her eyes darted around the roo a deep breath, she fixed an urgent blue gaze on Egwene "Anything I say violates confidences I prowene You must trust me And you wene forced the stern frown from her face "I will trust you" At least she kne for a fact that she had not been seeing things Birgitte? Light! "I hope that one day you will trusther head, Elayne sat down on the edge of the neatly wene, but sowene nodded and sat next to her "When you can," was all she said, but her friend gave her a relieved hug

"I told wene Just once I was not going to havedress becaown; Elayne could not possibly have been aware of how deeply the neckline swooped "But is Rand well?"

"He is alive and unharht he was hard in Tear, but today I heard hiainst his commands Not that they are bad orders -- he won’t let anyone take food without paying, or murder people -- but still They were the first to hail him as He Who Comes With the Dawn; they followed him out of the Waste without hesitation And he threatened thewene He is a king, whatever you or he or anyone else says, and a king or queen must dispense justice without fear of enemies or favor for friends Anyone who does that has to be hard Mother can make the city walls seeant about it," Egwene said levelly "Nynaeve said I should reured out how yet"

"He does have to reht to expect to be obeyed" There was solanced down at herself Then her face went criown suddenly had a lace neck under her chin "Are you sure you are not ance?" she fini