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Uno shook his head "Well, if I’m to be cozened, I suppose I’ll be cozened But mark this Mase like -- not an hour after it docked, but Whitecloaks seized it That’s what started this little row The bad news is the Whitecloaks still hold the docks The worse is, Maseotten the ship -- I went to see him, and he wouldn’t hear of ships; all he can talk about is hanging Whitecloaks, and on if he has to put the whole land to the torch -- but he hasn’t bothered to tell all of his people There’s been fighting near the river, and h, but if there’s a battle at the docks, I make no promises And how I’in to know" Letting out a long breath, he scrubbed sweat from his forehead with the back of a scarred hand The strain of so long a speech without cursing was plain on his face

Nynaeve e at that moment if she had not been too stunned to speak It had to be coincidence Light, I said anything for a ship, but I didn’t itte were staring at her with such blank expressions They had known everything she had, and neither had brought up this possibility The threeon and just as obviously unahat it was, for which thank the Light Much better when they did not know everything It just had to be coincidence

In one way, she was h the wagons; it gave an excuse to pull her eyes away froht of Galad ht to her shoes

He wore plain brown and a flat velvet cap instead of his white cloak and burnished mail, but his sword still rested on his hip He had not been to the wagons before, and the effect of his face was dramatic Muelin took an unconscious step toward him, and the two slender acrobats leaned forward,for it Even Clarine smoothed her dress as she watched hi Then she went over to where he sat, laughing, and snuggled his face to her plump bosom But her eyes still followed Galad over her husband’s head

Nynaeve was in no mood to be affected by a handsome face; her breath hardly quickened at all "It was you, wasn’t it?" she demanded before he even reached her "You seized the Riversnake, didn’t you? Why?"

"Riverserpent," he corrected, eyeing her incredulously "You did ask e"

"I didn’t ask you to start a riot!"

"A riot?" Elayne put in "A war An invasion All begun over this vessel"

Galad answered calave Nynaeve my word, sister My first duty is to see you safely on your way to Caemlyn And Nynaeve, of course The Children would have had to fight this Prophet soon or late"

"Couldn’t you simply have let us know the ship was here?" Nynaeve asked wearily Men and their word It was all very admirable, sometimes, but she should have listened when Elayne said he did what he saw as right no matter as hurt

"I don’t knohat the Prophet wanted the ship for, but I doubt it was so you could take passage downriver" Nynaeve flinched "Besides which, I paid the captain your passage while he was still unloading his cargo An hour later, one of the two men I left to make sure he did not sail without you came to tell me the other man was dead and the Prophet had taken the ship I don’t understand what you are so upset about You wanted a ship, needed a ship, and I got you one" Frowning, Galad addressed Thom and Juilin "What is theat one another?"

"Woot slapped on the back of the head by Birgitte for his trouble He glared at her

"Horseflies have a nasty bite," she grinned, and his glower faded into uncertainty as he readjusted his cap

"We can sit here all day discussing right and wrong," Thoe has been paid, and there’s no getting the price back now"

Nynaeve flinched again However he meant it, she kne she heard it

"Therethe river," Galad said "I donned this clothing because the Children are not popular in Samara at the moment, but the mobs can set on anyone" He eyed Tho white mustaches, and Juilin a little less so -- even disheveled, the Tairen looked hard enough to pound posts -- then turned to Uno "Where is your friend? Another sword ht be useful until we reach my men"

Uno’s smile was villainous Clearly, there was no"He’s about And maybe one or two more I’ll see them to the ship, if your Whitecloaks can hold on to it Or if they can’t"

Elayne opened her h, both of you!" Elayne would just have tried honeyed words again They , anything "We need totwo ht happen if they both hit at once "Uno, gather the rest of your men, as fast as you can" He tried to tell her they were already waiting on the other side of the erie, but she plowed on They were madmen, both of them All men were! "Galad, you --"

"Rouse and rise!" Luca’s shout cut into her words as he trotted between the wagons, li the side of his face His scarlet cape was soiled and torn It seemed Thom and Juilin were not the only ones to have entered the town "Brugh, go tell the horse handlers to hitch the tearimaced at the words, "but I mean to be on the road in under an hour! Andaya, Kuan, pull your sisters out! Wake anybody still asleep, and if they’re washing, tell them to dress dirty or come naked! Hurry, unless you’re ready to proclaim the Prophet and march to A with half his perfored for being too slow! Move!" By that tion were at the run

Luca’s li Galad warily And Uno, for that h he had seen the oneeyed man twice before "Nana, I want to talk to you," he said, qui