Page 224 (1/1)

With a wry grin, as if she knew exactly how difficult those words had been, Birgitte set about recovering her arrows Nynaeve shuddered and tried not to watch

Most of the Shienarans had wounds, and Thom and Juilin both wore their own blood in places -- miraculously, Galad was untouched; or perhaps not sohow he had handled his sword -- but, manlike to the bitter end, every one of them insisted that his hurts were not serious Even Uno said they had to keep ash down the side of his face whose scar would nearly mirror the first if it was not Healed soon

In truth, she was not reluctant to go, despite telling herself that she should be seeing to injuries Elayne put a supporting arinning to recite a tale in High Chant, so flowery it was difficult to recognize the story of Kirukan, the beautiful soldier queen of the Trolloc Wars

"She had a teitte said softly to no one in particular "Not at all like anyone close by"

Nynaeve ground her teeth Catch her coain, no matter what she did Come to think of it, any e Any boy

Rumbles followed them, distant roars fro of eyes watching frolassless s But word must have spread, or else the watchers had seen what happened, because they saw no one else living until suddenly two dozen Whitecloaks stepped into the street in front of them, half with dras, the rest with bared blades The Shienarans’ blades were up in a heartbeat

Quick words between Galad and a felloith a grizzled face beneath his conical helh the man did eye the Shienarans doubtfully, and Thoh to rankle Nynaeve All very well for Elayne tothe Whitecloaks as though they were servants, but Nynaeve did not like being taken for granted,

The river was not far Beyond a few small stone warehouses under slate roofs, the town’s three stone docks barely reached water over the dried mud A fat vessel with two masts sat low at the end of one Nynaeve hoped there would be no proble separate cabins She hoped it would not heave too badly

A small crowd huddled twenty paces frouards; nearly a dozen ed and bruised, and twice asto them, soht at the dock The children hid their faces in their ly at the ship The sight wrenched at Nynaeve’s heart; she reazes,for a way to safety She had not been able to do anything for those

Before she could do anything for these, Galad had seized her and Elayne by the arplank Six more sternfaced men in white cloaks and burnisheda cluster of barefoot andin the bluff bows It was close whether the captain at the foot of the plank gazed at the Whitecloaks more sourly or at the ni Neres was a tall, bony man in a dark coat, with ears that stood out and a dour cast to his narrow face He paid no e for tomen I suppose you want itte eyed hierously, but he seeood captain," Elayne told hi as it’s reasonable," Nynaeve said, and ignored Elayne’s sharp glance

Neres’ h it hardly seeain "Then if you’ll get your ht now less than ever"

"As soon as you take your other passengers on," Nynaeve said, nodding to the people huddled ashore

Neres looked for Galad only to find that he had moved away to speak with the other Whitecloaks, then eyed the folk ashore and spoke at the air above Nynaeve’s head "Any who can pay Not many in that lot look like they can And I could not take the lot if they could"

She raised herself on tiptoe, so he could not possibly miss her smile It snapped his chin down into his collar "Every last one of them, Captain Else I’ll shave your ears off for you"

The rily; then abruptly his eyes widened, staring past her "All right," he said quickly "But I expect soive al back to the deck, she looked over her shoulder suspiciously Tho her and Neres As blandly as they could e with Uno’s features, and blood all over their faces Far too blandly

With a sharp sniff, she said, "I will see them all aboard before anybody touches a rope," and went in search of Galad She supposed he deserved soht thing That was the trouble with the best ofStill, whatever the three had done, they had saved argument

She found him with Elayne, that handsoht of her "Nynaeve, I’ve paid your way as far as Boannda That’s only halfway to Altara, where the Boern runs into the Eldar, but I could not afford to pay further Captain Neres took every copper in es ten prices I’m afraid you will have to make your oay to Caemlyn froh already," Elayne put in, her eyes drifting toward the pluave nation Plainly they had had the saed to offer her thanks, which he disraciously, but with a look as if she, too, did not understand And she was more than ready to admit as ht about that; it would be a war, if it was not already -- yet, with hisNeres’ ship, he would not demand a better price It was Neres’ ship, and Neres could charge as he chose As long as he took Elayne and Nynaeve It was true: Galad never counted the cost of doing right, not to hi at the town as if seeing the future "Stay clear of Rand al’Thor," he said bleakly "He brings destruction He will break the world again before he is done Stay clear of hi up to the dock, alre