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The three groups were supposedly together, under the saht them in from the south late the day before -- but the two camps of horsemen watched each other nearly as warily as they did the Aiel on the surrounding hills, the Tairens with a dose of conte the third, which in turn eyed the others sullenly Rand’s followers, his allies, and as ready to fight each other as anyone else

Still pretending to study the caht nearby Two younger h Lord’s heels, dark beards trimmed and oiled in perfect iray, and their breastplates, worn over brightly striped coats, bore goldwork only a touch less ornate than his Aloof, apart from everyone else on the hilltop yet close to Rand, they could have been waiting for some martial cere down their faces They ignored that as well, though

The High Lord’s sigil lacked only a few stars to duplicate Lanfear’s, but the longnosed felloas not her in disguise, with his ray hair oiled like his beard and combed in a vain atte north with reinforce the city of Cairhien itself Instead of turning back or sitting still, he continued north as hard as his horses could stand, gathering what forces he found along the way

That was the good news of Weiramon The bad was that he had fully expected to dispel the Shaido around Cairhien hat he had brought He still did And he was none too happy that Rand would not let him be about it or that he was surrounded by Aiel One Aiel was no different from another to Weira lords pointedly sniffed a scented silk handkerchief whenever he looked at an Aiel Rand wondered how long the felloould survive And what Rand would have to do about it when he died

Weira, and cleared his throat "My Lord Dragon," he began in a gravelly bark, "one good charge will scatter theainst his palm loudly "Foot never stands up to horse I will send in the Cairhienin to flush them, then folloith my --"

Rand cut him off Could the ive hiht be around the city? It did not matter Rand had heard as much of this as he could sto froon? What--? Oh, that Burnto that Illianer pirates often try to raid along the coast" They were , by what the man had said when he arrived

"And the attacks on the Plains of Maredo? Do they often do that, as well?"

"Why, burn ands" It was more statement of fact than protest "Perhaps not Illianers at all, but certainly not soldiers The ju or Asseiven day, yet if they do decide toat Tear under the Golden Bees, not raiders burning ons and border farms You can mark me on that"

"If you wish it," Rand replied, as politely as he could Whatever power the Assear had, it hat Sammael chose to leave them But relatively fe that the Forsaken were loose already Sonored it -- as if that would o away -- or seeue and preferably distant future There was no point in trying to convince Weiraed in The h Lord scowled at the holloeen the hills More specifically, at the two Cairhienin camps "With no proper rule here as yet, who can say what riffraff have drifted south?" Gri back to Rand "Well, ill bring theon If you will only give the order, I can drive"

Rand brushed past hi authority to attack, the other two trailing him like heelhounds The man was a stoneblind fool

They were not alone, of course The hilltop was crowded, really Sulin had a hundred Far Dareis Mai arrayed around the peak, for one thing, every last one looking even more ready to don her veil than Aiel usually did It was not only the nearness of the Shaido that had Sulin on edge In mockery of Rand’s contempt for the suspicions in the camps below, Enaila and two Maidens were never far fros, and the closer they stood to Rand, the more the three Maidens looked about to don veils

Not far off, Aviendha stood talking with a dozen or more Wise Ones, shawls looped over their elbows, all but she decked in bracelets and necklaces Surprisingly, it was a bony whitehaired wo the lead Rand would have expected Amys or Bair, but even they shut up as soon as Sorilea spoke Melaine ith Bael, halfway between the other Wise Ones and the other clan chiefs She kept adjusting the coat of Bael’s cadin’sor as if he did not kno to dress hi hiht be personal, but Rand suspected the Wise Ones were trying to influence the chiefs again If that was the case, he would learn the particulars soon enough

It was Aviendha who held Rand’s eye, though She s to Sorilea A friendly s, he supposed She had not lashed out at him once since what had happened between them, and if she sometiht have expected froain; then she had scorched his ears so thoroughly that he had left it alone thereafter But friendly was as far as it went, though she was soht She still insisted on sleeping no more than three paces from him

The Maidens, at any rate, seemed sure that there was a lot less than three paces between their blankets, and he kept expecting that certainty to spread, but so far it had not Egould co tree if she even suspected soh for her to talk of Elayne, but he could not even puzzle out Aviendha, and she was right there in front of him All in all, he was tenser than ever when he as much as looked at Aviendha, but she seemed more relaxed than he had ever seen her Somehow or other, that seemed the opposite of how it should be It all seemed topsyturvy with her But then, Min was the only wo