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“They have chained Wise Ones,” Edarra said, her too-young face growing dark. She smelled dangerous. Angry but cold, like the smell before a person planned to kill. “Not just Shaido, who deserve their fate. If there is an alliance with the Seanchan, it will end as soon as the Car’a’carn’s work is finished. Already, many of my people speak of a blood feud with these invaders.”

“I doubt Rand wants a war between you,” Perrin said.Advertisement

“A year and a day,” Edarra said simply. “Wise Ones cannot be taken gai’shain, but perhaps the Seanchan ways are different. Regardless, we will give them a year and a day. If they do not release their captives when we demand them after that time, they will know our spears. The Car’a’carn cannot demand any more from us.”

The pavilion grew still.

“Anyway,” Seonid said, clearing her throat. “Once finished with Cairhien, we met up with those who had gone to Andor to check on rumors there.”

“Wait,” Perrin said. “Andor?”

“The Wise Ones decided to send Maidens there.”

“That wasn’t the plan,” Perrin growled, looking at the Wise Ones.

“You don’t control us, Perrin Aybara,” Edarra said calmly. “We needed to know if there were still Aiel in the city or not, and if the Car’a’carn was there. Your Asha’man complied when we asked them for the gateway.”

“The Maidens could have been seen,” he grumbled. Well, he had told Grady to do the gateways as the Aiel asked him, though he’d been referring to the timing of the departure and the return. He should have been more precise.

“Well, they weren’t seen,” Seonid sounded exasperated, like one talking with a foolish child. “At least not by anyone they didn’t intend to speak with.” Light! Was it him, or was she beginning to seem a lot like a Wise One? Was that what Seonid and the others were doing in the Aiel camp? Learning to become more stubborn? Light help them all.

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“Regardless,” Seonid continued, “it was wise of us to visit Caemlyn. Rumor cannot be trusted, particularly not when one of the Forsaken was said to be operating in the area.”

“One of the Forsaken?” Gallenne asked. “In Andor?”

Perrin nodded, waving for another cup of warmed tea. “Rand said it was Rahvin, though I was in the Two Rivers when the battle happened.” The colors swirled in Perrin’s head. “Rahvin was impersonating one of the local noblemen, a man named Gabral or Gabil or some such. He used the Queen—made her fall in love with him, or something—and then killed her.”

A serving tray hit the ground with a muted peal.

Porcelain cups shattered, tea spraying into the air. Perrin spun, cursing, and several of the Maidens leaped to their feet, clutching belt knives.

Maighdin stood, looking stunned, arms at her sides. The fallen tray lay on the ground before her.

“Maighdin!” Faile said. “Are you all right?”

The sun-haired serving woman turned to Perrin, looking dazed. “If you please, my Lord, will you repeat what you said?”

“What?” Perrin asked. “Woman, what’s wrong?”

“You said one of the Forsaken had taken up residence in Andor,” Maighdin said, voice calm. She gave him as sharp a look as he’d gotten from any Aes Sedai. “Are you certain of what you heard?”

Perrin settled back on his cushion, scratching his chin. “Sure as I can be. It’s been some time, now, but I know Rand was convinced. He fought someone with the One Power in the Andoran palace.”

“His name was Gaebril,” Sulin said. “I was there. Lightning struck from an open sky, and there was no doubt it was the One Power. It was one of the Shadowsouled.”

“There were some in Andor who claimed the Car’a’carn spoke of this,” Edarra added. “He said that this Gaebril had been using forbidden weaves on wetlanders in the palace, twisting their minds, making them think and do as he wished.”

“Maighdin, what’s wrong?” Perrin asked. “Light, woman, he’s dead now! You needn’t fear.”

“I must be excused,” Maighdin said. She walked from the pavilion, leaving the tray and broken porcelain, bone white, scattered on the ground.

“I will see to her later,” Faile said, embarrassed. “She is distraught to find that she’d lived so close to one of the Forsaken. Perhaps she has family in Caemlyn.”

The others nodded, and other servants moved forward to clean up the mess. Perrin realized he wasn’t going to be getting any more tea. Fool man, he thought. You lived most your life without being able to order tea on command. You won’t die now that you can’t get a refill by waving your hand.

“Let’s move on,” he said, settling on his cushions. He could never quite get comfortable on the blasted things.

“My report is finished,” Seonid said, pointedly ignoring the servant who was cleaning up porcelain shards in front of her.

“I stand by my earlier decision,” Perrin said. “Dealing with the Whitecloaks is important. After that we’ll go to Andor, and I’ll talk to Elayne. Grady, how are you managing?”

The weathered Asha’man looked up from where he sat in his black coat. “I’m fully recovered from my sickness, my Lord, and Neald almost is as well.”

“You still look tired,” Perrin said.

“I am,” Grady said, “but burn me, I’m better than I was many a day in the field before I went to the Black Tower.”

“It’s time to start sending some of these refugees where they belong,” Perrin said. “With those circles, you can keep a gateway open longer?”

“I’m not right sure. Being in a circle is still tiring. Maybe more so. But I can make much larger gateways with the help of the women, wide enough to drive two wagons through.”

“Good. We’ll start by sending the ordinary folk home. Each person we see back where they belong will be a stone off my back.”

“And if they don’t want to go?” Tam asked. “A lot of them have started the training, Perrin. They know what’s coming, and they’d rather face it here—with you—than cower in their homes.”

Light! Were there no people in this camp who wanted to go back to their families? “Surely there are some of them wh pqdm.com