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Elayne spun, and the roo war! She was so stunned, she felt the Source slip away from her

Doilin Mellar stood behind her in the hallway, holding a bloodied knife in his right hand, hefting the medallion in his left His hatchetlike face was broken by a deep ss, he looked as self-assured as a king on his throne

Elayne hissed and reached for the Source But nothing happened She heard chuckling behind her She hadn’t tied off Chesmal’s shield! As soon as Elayne released the Source, the weaves would have vanished Sure enough, Elayne glanced and found weaves cutting her off from the Source

Chesht! There was blood pooling at Elayne’s feet So ainst the wall of the hallway, Mellar to one side, Chesmal the other

She couldn’t die Min had said…We could be itte’s voice returned to her Any nu

"Heal her," Mellar said

"What?" Ches herself off inside the cell doorway She’d fallen to the ground when Elayne’s weavings of Air dissipated, but her shield was still there That one Elayne had tied in place

Think, Elayne told herself, blood dribbling between her fingers There has to be a way out There has to be! Oh, Light! Birgitte, hurry!

"Heal her," Mellar said again "The knife wound was to make her drop you"

"Fool," Chesmal said "If the weaves had been tied off, a wound wouldn’t have released us!"

"Then she would have died," Mellar said, shrugging He eyed Elayne; those handsome eyes of his shone with lust "And that would have been a pity For she was proeon She doesn’t die until I have had time to…enjoy her" He looked at the Black sister "Besides, you think those e serve would be pleased if they knew you’d let the Queen of Andor die without yielding her secrets?"

Chesmal looked dissatisfied, but she apparently saw the wisdom in his words Behind the both ways--slunk down the hallway toward the steps and hurried up them Chesetting fuzzy-headed She rested her back against the wall, barely feeling the pain of her broken shoulder, and slid down until she was sitting

"Idiot girl," Ches you on, knowing that help was co for the benefit of the others The Healing Elayne needed…that…Healing HerShe held her hand to her side, terrified for herself, for her children

Her hand slipped She felt soh the fabric in the pocket of her dress The foxhead medallion copy