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Tho batons made a perfect circle: then suddenly he had four in each hand, one sticking up fro end into his mouth in turn, he appeared to s, and took the tasty Nynaeve could not fathom how he did not scorch his mustaches off, much less burn his throat A twist of his wrists, and the unlit batons folded into the lit like fans Atwo interlinked circles above his head He wore the saiven him a red one seith sequins From the way Thom’s bushy eyebrows rose as she stalked past, he did not understand why she glared at him His own coat, indeed!

She hurried on toward the thick, i crowd circled around the two tall poles with the rope stretched tightly between She had to use her elbows to reach the front row, though tolare and snatch their lared back had she not been so busy blushing and covering herself Luca was there, frowning as anxiously as a husband outside a birthing roorizzled topknot She slipped in on the other side of Luca The shavenheadedscar sliced down his left cheek, and a patch over that eye was painted with a scowling red replacement Few of the men she had seen here were armed with more than a belt knife, but he wore a sword strapped to his back, the long hilt rising above his right shoulder He looked vaguely fahrope Luca frowned at the shawl, smiled at her, and tried to put an ar to catch his breath fro her shawl decently back in place, Juilin ca out of the crowd on the other side, conical red hat tilted jauntily, coat half off one shoulder and a woodenover the rim With the overcareful steps of a man whose head containsup to one of the high platforms and stared at it

"Go on!" someone shouted "Break your fool neck!"

"Wait, friend," Luca called, starting forith smiles and flourishes of his cloak "That is no place for a round, Juilin sca on the platforhts, and well he should after a life of chasing thieves across the rooftops of Tear, but still

Juilin turned as if lost; he appeared too drunk to see or remember the ladder His eyes fixed on the rope Tentatively, he put one foot onto the narrow span, then drew it back Pushing the hat back to scratch his head, he studied the taut rope, and abruptly brightened visibly Slowly he got down on hands and knees and craobbling out onto the rope Luca shouted for hihter

Halfway across, Juilin stopped, swaying aardly, and peered back, his eyes latching onto thehow to get back to it Sloith exceeding care, he stood, facing the way he had coasp rose fro himself with one hand and a knee hooked around the rope Luca caught the Taraboner hat as it fell, shouting to everyone that the man was mad, and whatever happened was no responsibility of his Nynaeve pressed both hands tight against herup there, and even that was enough to oose fool!

With an obvious effort, Juilin ed to catch the rope with his other hand, and pulled hi froht and succeeded only in changing which shoulder hung down -- and spotted his leefully, he stepped out onto the rope again

This tio back, shouted that there was a ladder behind hi for him to break his neck He walked across smoothly, slid down the rope ladder with his hands and feet on the outside, and snatched up the woodento take a deep drink Not until Luca clapped the red hat on Juilin’s head and they both bowed -- Luca flourishing his cloak in such a way that Juilin was behind it half the time -- did the watchers realize that it had all been part of the show A moment of silence, and then they exploded with applause and cheers and laughter Nynaeve had half thought theyduped The felloith the topknot looked villainous even while laughing

Leaving Juilin standing beside the ladder, Luca came back to stand between, Nynaeve and the o well" He sounded incredibly selfsatisfied, and he made little bows to the crowd as if he had been the one up on the rope

Giving him a sour frown, she had no tiue, because Elayne cah the crowd to stand beside Juilin with her arhtened, and she shifted her shawl irritably Whatever she thought of the red dress that she had found herself wearing without really knowing how, she was not sure that Elayne’s costuhterHeir of Andor was all in snohite, with a scattering of white sequins sparkling on her short coat and snug breeches Nynaeve had not really believed that Elayne would actually appear in the clothes in public, but she had been too concerned over her own attire to give her opinion The coat and breechesboy’s clothes, but the color and spangles rant

Juilin held the rope ladder for Elayne to clih there was no need She went up as adeptly as he could have He vanished into the crowd as soon as she reached the top, where she posed again, bea at the thunderous applause as if at the adulation of her subjects As she stepped out onto the rope -- somehow it seemed even thinner than when Juilin had been on it -- Nynaeve all but ceased breathing, and she stopped thinking of Elayne’s clothes, or her own, at all

Elayne made her way out onto the rope, ar a platform of Air Slowly she stepped her way across, one foot in front of the other, never wavering, supported only by the rope Channeling would be far too dangerous if Moghedien had even a clue to where they were; the Forsaken or Black sisters could be in Samara, and they would be able to feel the weave And if they were not in Saht be soon On the far platform, Elayne paused to considerably more applause than Juilin had received -- Nynaeve could not understand that -- and started back Almost to the end, she pivoted sain And wobbled, just catching herself Nynaeve felt as though a hand had her by the throat At a slow steady pace, Elayne highwalked to the platfor to thund