Ukyou stood in a treasure house.  She was wearing an 
embarrassingly filmy dress which only qualified as decent in that 
it covered her naughty bits with cloth, although you could 
virtually see through it.  Not the outfit she would have picked for 
cooking.  She was standing by her grill, not sure how she had 
gotten there; the last she knew, she had been sleeping soundly in 
Cairhien.  

	People were fleeing everywhere, many of them more scantily 
clad than herself, which wasn't easy to do without being butt 
naked.  As she turned, she could see why they fled.  A woman lay 
dead on the floor, her body a limp and shattered rag of flesh.  Her 
arms had been broken multiple times, her rib cage caved in, and 
her face smashed.  Her body had been lush once, now it was dead 
meat held together by her own filmy dress, which was a 
shimmering black.  

	Another woman with red hair gathered into a braid stood 
over the corpse, howling in rage.  She was dressed in a red satin 
jacket and black pants.  It was Ranma-chan.  "YOU BITCH!  
DIE!  DIE!  DIE!"  She was jumping up and down on the corpse.

	Ukyou ran over and grabbed Ranma-chan.  "She's dead, 
Ranchan!  She's dead!"

	Ranma-chan calmed down for a few seconds then turned 
pale.  "I killed a woman."

	"Umm...yes."

	"I KILLED a woman."  Her rage had become horror.  "No!  I 
can't have killed her!"  She turned to the woman.  "I didn't need 
to...she was no fighter...I could have just knocked her out...but I...I 
killed her."  Ranma-chan began to cry.  "I KILLED HER!  I'm not 
worthy to call myself a man!"

	Ukyou wanted to comfort Ranma-chan but didn't even have a 
clue who the woman was or why she and Ranma-chan had been 
fighting.  Or how I got into this dress, she thought.  If you can call 
it clothing in more than an academic sense.  "You did what you 
had to."

	"I didn't have to!  I didn't!"  Ranma-chan pulled a sword out 
of her pocket.  It was Nodoka's katana, Ukyou realized.  "I have to 
die for not being manly!"

	She grabbed Ranma-chan's hands.  "No, Ranchan!  You are 
manly!"

	"A real man would never kill a woman!  Especially if he 
didn't NEED to!"  Ranma-chan struggled.  "I have to die for what 
I've done!"

	"Ranchan, no!  I love you!  Don't leave me!"

	"I must die."  Ranma-chan broke loose, raising the sword 
high.  "Ranma Saotome is not fit to live as a man for being 
unmanly.  Now he dies."

	"RANCHAN!"  

	The blade plunged and...

	Ukyou's eyes snapped open.  It had just been a nightmare.  
That was all.  A dream.  Not a foretelling dream like LINA had 
told her she might have.  It couldn't be.

	Ranma lay next to her, now half-awake.  "Huh...whu...you 
callin' me?"

	"Promise me you won't kill yourself for being unmanly, 
Ranchan."  She grabbed his hands and tried to stare into his eyes, 
which didn't work since they were half-closed.

	"Huh?"

	"Promise me!"  Ukyou was desperate.

	"I promise I ain't gonna kill myself."  Ranma shook his head.  
"Promise me you won't wake me up again for no reason."

	"Promise me you won't kill yourself for being unmanly."

	"Huh...you calling me unmanly?"  Ranma rubbed his eyes.  

	"You're very manly,"  Ukyou said, clutching Ranma to 
herself.  "I just...I dreamed you killed yourself for being unmanly 
and..."

	"I dreamed I was the Amyrlin Seat and I sentenced Dorine 
Sedai to be permanent Scullery Girl as a penance for being an 
idiot."  Ranma yawned.  "And I made you commander of the 
Tower Guards and put Nynaeve in charge of..."  Another yawn.  
"Tugging people's braids.  And I made Kunou Minister of Silly 
Walks and Lori was my Keeper of the Seals.  And I made Akane 
chief Cook."

	Ukyou laughed.  "So who was Minister of making sure 
Akane's cooking didn't kill you?"

	"Elaida got to test every meal, with Nynaeve standing by to 
bring her back before she died."  Ranma yawned and sank back 
onto his pillow.  "And Elaida died more often than Kenny."

	"Who is Elaida?"

	"This twit Red who thinks she's all knowing.  And now she 
thinks she's Amyrlin Seat.  But Egwene's going to run wild over 
her.  In a few months when her army gets to Tar Valon, anyway."  
Ranma closed his eyes.  "Egwene's gonna bring...you...down..."  
Ranma mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.  

	Ukyou wanted to meet Ranma's friends from the Tower, but 
at the same time, she was almost afraid to.  They were all 
channelers, and she couldn't channel.  And...it was strange.  
Ranma had made more friends here in this world than he had back 
in his own world.  Unlike Ukyou.  Not that Ukyou had made 
friends here, but...He had more ties than her to this world.  
Important people.  A future queen.  The most powerful female 
Aes Sedai.  The Amyrlin Seat.  

	She ran a finger across Ranma's cheek and he smiled, 
whether at her or a dream, she was not sure.  I won't let you die, 
she thought.  Manly or not, you're the one I love.

************

Parallel Lives #10:
Book One:  For Remembrance Lost

Bonds, Old and New

A Wheel of Time / Ranma 1 / 2  crossover, 

by John Biles

Other chapters available at
http://www.thekeep.org/~wombat/PL/


************

	Kasumi walked into the kitchen and was shocked.  Her father 
was...cooking.  All he knew how to make was boiled cabbage 
soup, but he was actually trying to make something fancier.  With 
some help from Genma, although Genma's idea of help seemed to 
be eating the ingredients.  

	She smiled.  This must be his way of trying to apologize for 
earlier.  Turning on one heel, she quietly slipped out to let them 
work in peace, only to see someone she hadn't expected to see.

	The woman lay a finger upon her own lips, a gesture of 
silence, and Kasumi nodded, smiling.  Stepping out of the way, 
she let the woman glide into the room, slippered feet leaving no 
tracks and making no sound.  Two hands wrapped around 
Genma's eyes.  "Guess who."

         Genma froze up as if she had hit a pressure point.  
"No...Nodoka?"

         She hugged him.  "Finally, you are here!  Where is our son?"

         Soun turned around and blinked.  "Down at Tofu's, I think."

        "What he said,"  Genma said.

        From the living room, Kasumi said, "In another world."

        Nodoka blinked.  "What?"

        This took a while to explain.

***********

	Jherod Cova was a hardworking blacksmith.  Jheri was a fair 
sized village of three hundred and hundreds more lived on the 
farms surrounding it.  They needed a lot of metal work, though 
nine out of ten jobs were either shoeing horses or fixing tools.  
Now, however, he was making something else.  Spearheads.  The 
town Elders had decided to arm everyone; the local lord had fled 
to Jehannah to escape the Whitecloaks, Aiel, Prophet's men, 
rampaging geese, and whatever else was wandering around loose 
these days.  The spears were almost done.  He had his son, Jarel, 
busy making arrowheads.  The town had an annual archery 
contest; they'd do better with bows than spears.  One of the Elders 
had gone to the Queen for help, but Jherod knew the Queen was 
likely to be less help than an angry butterfly.  There hadn't been a 
real monarch since the Prophet arrived.

	Jherod wiped the sweat from his brow.  At least the unnatural 
heat had stopped; it had made his forgework unbearable.  The 
bursts of torrential rain weren't too much better.  He plucked a 
grey hair and sighed at it.  I'm only forty three.  I'm too young for 
grey, he thought.  Most of his hair remained dark blonde, 
however.  His son had bright yellow hair like his mother and 
sister, but Jherod's hair was darker, though still yellowish.  Maybe 
this grey hair is just charred from the forge, he tried to tell 
himself.  

	Mari Haskell, an excitable young girl, the cooper's daughter, 
ran in.  She was only nine.  "The Queen has sent an army!"

	Jherod blinked.  No way.  "What?"

	"It's got to be the Queen's army!  It's not Whitecloaks or Aiel 
or Prophet men or Trollocs!"  She jumped up and down.  
"Hundreds and hundreds of them!"

	"Flying a red banner with silver stars?"  He was still dubious.  

         "Umm...two red flags.  One with a bird, and another one 
with a dog.  And a blue one with another bird.  That's good, 
right?"

	A dog?  He blinked.  Not Whitecloaks.  Not the Prophet.  Not 
the Aiel...they didn't even have banners or so he heard.  Maybe it 
was the Queen, but... "I have to see this.  Jeral.  Keep the forge 
going and make more arrowheads."

	Everyone was streaming towards the east of town, some 
clutching the new spears he had made.  The Chief Elder was 
trying desperately to get everyone to fall into ranks, but he wasn't 
having much luck.  Jherod clutched his hammer; he trusted it 
more than a spear he didn't know how to use.

         They could see the army marching across the fields.  It was 
the biggest one he had ever seen, although he had seen five 
hundred men march through town during Logain's rebellion.  
Luckily, the Prophet's hordes hadn't come anywhere near town, 
although he understood they usually numbered in the thousands.

          This force was close on a thousand men, or maybe more.  
The cavalry flew a gold fringed banner with a hawk.  The wolf 
head banner flew over the archers, along with another banner.  
The Red Eagle.  Manetheren.  Jheri Farseer, who had founded the 
town, had supposedly been a hero of Manetheren.  All of 
Ghealdan had once been part of it.  But that was nearly two 
thousand years ago.  For a moment, he wondered if someone had 
blown the Horn of Valere, if Jheri Farseer had returned to claim 
his native town.  

	The town militia, stiffened by men from the countryside, 
formed up.  About a hundred farmers and artisans with spears and 
another fifty or so archers.  About as much threat to this army as 
an ant is to a cow, he thought.  Then he spotted the Aiel.  Just 
shoot me, Jherod thought.  There weren't many, and some of them 
seemed to be unarmed old women.  A knot of people, both male 
and female, who looked like nobles, rode near the front of the 
horde.  One of them was the most beautiful woman Jherod had 
ever seen.  Another one looked familiar.  A blonde woman.  
Jherod tried to think of where he might have seen her.

	The army stopped five hundred paces away, and a blonde 
man, huge, yet remarkably lithe looking, rode forward, a woman 
with strange blue hair riding close by him, clutching the hilt of her 
sword nervously.  The man had an axe hanging from his belt.  
"Greetings people of Jheri!  I am Tyr, and I speak for the army of 
Lord Perrin.  We are marching west and mean you no harm.  We 
hope to purchase supplies here and continue our trip westward."  
He looked around.  "Is there a..."

	Elder Yama spoke up.  "Who is Lord Perrin?  We are loyal 
servants of the Queen here!"

	"Lord Perrin of the Two Rivers."

	Jherod saw a huge shaggy haired man at the front of the army 
wince, and a dark haired woman pat his arms.

	"He is the emmisary of the Lord Dragon."

	Dragonsworn, Jherod thought.  Oh joy.

	The shaggy man, probably Lord Perrin, slapped his forehead.  

	"We come in peace.  There is one among us who seeks a 
blacksmith named Jherod."

	He stepped forward.  "I am he."  How could they have heard 
of me?  I'm not THAT good.

	The blonde woman spurred her horse foward at a mad gallop.  
She looks a lot like Nina did at that age, Jherod thought.  Right 
around twenty or so.  The woman was crying and saying 
something, but he couldn't hear it.  And then the horse was in his 
face, and she was off it, arms wrapped around and crying, 
"Daddy, daddy, it's been so long."

	My daughter, he realized.  He had not seen Alyssa in seven 
years, nor had a letter from her for two years.  Not that any mail 
was delivered anymore since the Troubles began.  "Alyssa?"

	"Oh daddy, I've missed you so much."  She cried so much he 
feared he might melt.  

***********

	Nightmares stalked Ukyou's dreams.  And strange visions 
she could not understand.  A man in samurai armor battling an 
archer clothed in shadow.  A woman clutching a stick that gave 
off sparks at the end, trying to fend off some menace Ukyou could 
not see while a small ugly boy clung to her leg.  A handsome man 
leading an army while a woman held him by a leash made of 
human body parts.  A woman in red and a woman in black, 
grappling on a balcony, and then both plummeted over the edge 
into a sea of spears.  Ryouga, with flames in his mouth and black 
specks in his eyes, confronting Ranma, followed by an explosion 
that leveled a ruined city.  Shampoo speaking perfect Japanese, 
but with her voice strangely slurred.  

	One dream came every night.  Rand sat upon his great chair 
in Cairhien.  The court was gathered around him, and he gave 
orders, but the dream was silent, a mime-show.  A string was tied 
around each of his fingers.  Three red strings ran from his right 
hand, a green string, and a blue.   The red strings ran to Min, and 
to two women with reddish hair, one who carried a spear, the 
other who sat near Rand on the Sun Throne.  The green string ran 
to another redhead, who stood among the front ranks of those 
gathered in the court.  Ukyou vaguely recognized her.  Alanna 
Sedai.  Looking close, Ukyou could see a tiny Rand on her 
shoulder, whispering into her ear, and a tiny Alanna on Rand's 
shoulder.  Alanna had another man on her other shoulder and a 
green string from her other hand to his larger body as well.  The 
blue string ran to the woman who stood next to Alanna, a short 
black haired woman with her hair in a braid, her arms crossed 
under her breasts.  A red string ran from her hand to that of the 
tall, lean, dangerous man who stood by her.  Looking closer, she 
could see the red string was intertwined with a green one, 
wrapped together like threads in a rope.  Little versions of each 
other perched upon their shoulders.

	Threads ran from Rand's left hand as well.  Blue threads 
twined with white, thick enough to be ropes themselves, ran from 
Rand's left hand to Perrin and to a handsome man wearing a hat 
and carrying a spear.  They both stood by Rand, Perrin to his left 
with two birds on his shoulder, and the spear carrier to his right, 
both slightly forward, forming a triangle.  A third blue thread 
twined with white, but also with yellow, this one not so large as 
the others, ran to Kaneda, who stood in the front rank of the 
gathered court as well.    Taim stood by Kaneda, connected to 
Rand by a yellow cord, and Alyssa stood next to Kaneda on the 
other side, connected to Kaneda by a red cord interlaced with a 
green one.  Red and white twined together connected Kaneda to 
Ranko, and red and green tied Ukyou herself to Ranko.  Kaneda 
and Alyssa had little versions of each other on their shoulders, as 
did Ukyou and Ranko.  A final cord, this one simply blue, trailed 
across the floor and out the door from Rand's left pinkie.  

	Rand continued to talk, discoursing on some subject, while 
everyone listened intently.  Many more people were there, 
everyone connected to one or more people by the brightly colored 
threads.  And then Ukyou saw Kodachi creeping in through the 
back door behind the throne.  No one else saw her, and she 
couldn't get anyone's attention, not even her own.  It was as if she 
was in two places at once; her spirit watching, her body 
unresponding, standing and listening to Rand.  Kodachi took a 
ribbon and throttled Alanna until she died.  

	The silence broke and Rand screamed.  He leaped from his 
throne and fled through the door and out howling into the palace, 
hurling lightning and dragging everyone behind him by the 
threads tied to him, until one by one, they died.  And then the sky 
cracked open and the heavens fell.

	And then, again, Ukyou would wake up screaming.  The only 
difference today, was that she had woken up remembering who 
had died.  The previous nights, she had been unable to remember 
who had been killed.  Even remembering, it made no sense.  Why 
would killing Alanna drive Rand mad?

	She had to find out.  The Wise Ones were little to no help in 
finding Alanna; not directly obstructing, they simply 'didn't know 
where she was'.

	Finally, she found Alanna, who was busy digging a hole for 
no apparent reason while a bored Wise One watched.  "Alanna," 
she said.

	Alanna ignored her.

	"Alanna, I HAVE to talk to you."

	Alanna ignored her and kept digging.

	"Alanna, this is IMPORTANT."

	Alanna paused, then moved the shovel and sliced a root with 
it that was in the way.  

	"She has been forbidden to speak to anyone until she 
finishes," the Wise One, Seanna, said.  Ukyou recognized her 
vaguely now.  A Dreamwalker.  

	"You're a dreamwalker, right?"

	"Yes."

	"I dreamed that someone was going to strangle Alanna to 
death."  That got Alanna to stop digging and listen.  "And then 
Rand went mad and...um...dragged everyone to their death by the 
strings tying them all together."  It sounded very silly in the 
sunlight.

	Seanna frowned.  "Alanna."

	Alanna gazed at Seanna silently.

   	"What have you done?"

          Silence.

          "You have permission to speak."

	"I have done nothing."

	Seanna looked dubious, then turned to Ukyou.  "Tell me 
exactly what you saw."

	"A green thread connected them.  It wasn't like the others, 
except for...All the other green cords were intertwined with Red.  
Me and Ranma.  Kaneda and Alyssa.  The...umm...the woman 
with the braid and the tall guy.  But this one was just green."

	"Perhaps because I am of the Green Ajah,"  Alanna said, 
looking thoughtful.  "Although Alyssa is no..."

	"A red thread means love in my homeland, and blue is 
friendship,"  Ukyou said, "But green...or yellow or white or..."  
What connection do Ranchan and I have besides Love...does it 
mean a formal engagement?  No, Alanna isn't going to marry 
Rand.  Wait...the little people...She's bonded him.  "You bonded 
him," she said flatly.

	Alanna blushed.  "He would be dead without it."

	Does he even...of course he knows, Ukyou thought.  No way 
he could not know.  She could sense Ranma was back in the 
palace, a mile or so away.  He was working up a sweat.  "What 
happens if you die?"

	Frowning, Alanna said, "Ideally, the Creator will gather my 
soul into his arms."

	Snappishly, Seanna said, "Answer the question, child."

	"When an Aes Sedai dies, her warders...tend to either lose 
the will to live or go into a homocidal rage.  Sometimes they 
simply seek out death taking ridiculous risks.  If a warder dies..."  
Alanna shuddered and hugged herself, whispering something.  
"The Aes Sedai is distraught and cries for weeks, sometimes 
months.  It's horrible."  She stared at the ground, still clutching 
herself.  "There's not much to be done for the Aes Sedai, except to 
wait for time to dull the blow,  but you can sometimes save the 
Warder by having someone else bond him and then work through 
various...things to help him get back to normal.  Myrelle is quite 
good at it."  She turned and looked at Seanna.  "Am I really going 
to die?"

	"Perhaps.  Foretellings cannot be avoided, but dreams...they 
are warnings, not certainties.  Often they cannot be avoided either, 
but usually because you cannot find the right person to warn in 
time,"  Seanna said.  "And they're not always literal, oor else I 
would have to worry about becoming three hundred feet tall."

	Alanna and Ukyou blinked and stared in unison.  "What?"

	"A long story."

	"Do you know...who..."  A realization stuck Ukyou.  The 
man with the spear  and the leashed man from the other dream 
were the same.  "A man who wears a hat and carries a spear with 
ravens and..."

	"Matrim Cauthon.  A boy from the Car'a'carn's home town.  
And leader of the band of the Red Hand."

	"Someone's going to leash him."

	Seanna frowned.  "Alanna, start digging.  Ukyou, come with 
me.  We must talk to the others."

**********

	Mat stared at the map and frowned.  Suroth sat nearby and 
Alwhin, and the woman Alwhin lead on a leash.  Tylin was there 
was well, clad a little more decently, but still not befitting a 
queen.  I feel like the damane, Mat thought.  Leashed.  It galled 
him, but he couldn't, wouldn't, send a woman to her death by bits 
and pieces.  He couldn't.  Even though he knew he should.  What 
was one woman's life if it cost thousands their life and freedom?  
But he couldn't do it.  Not even with Tylin urging him to refuse 
them.  He admired her bravery, but he couldn't let them cut her up 
bit by bit.  Maybe if they hadn't...he tried to not think about it.  
Mat would burn in the Dark One's grip before he let a woman who 
had shared his bed be cut to bits.  Even if she had forced him into 
it.  Sort of.  

	He could feel the Dark One's grip anyway.  His one 
advantage was that they didn't know he knew Rand's plans.  Well, 
Rand's plans to conquer Illian.  It had likely all changed since 
then.  He stared at the map.  Little counters marked the estimated 
site of armies.  Seanchan military intelligence impressed him.  If I 
had had this kind of knowledge of Sammael's armies...and if 
wishes were horses, I'd ride out of here, he thought. 

	Six thousand White Cloaks in Southern Ghealdan.  Four 
thousand Aiel.  The Prophet's horde of fifteen thousand.  Various 
small forces scattered about Ghealdan in disarray.  Four thousand 
more White Cloaks on Almoth plain, scattered about.  Ailron's 
two thousand Amadicians in the Mountains of Mist, trying to flee 
to Ghealdan.  Some ten thousand men moving through Murandy.  
Another ten thousand Andorans moving towards them.  Small 
bands of hundreds of men scattered around Murandy.  A good 
fifty thousand Aiel in Illian along with forces of mixed Illian, 
Cairhien, and Tairen troops numbering some forty to fifty 
thousand.  Vague counters without numbers in Cairhien, Tar 
Valon, Arad Doman, and beyond.  And one counter that seemed 
lost.  A thousand or so moving towards Jehennah, flying...the Red 
Eagle?  He stared at it.  "What in blazes is this?"

	"Some nine hundred cavalry, two hundred archers, possibly 
some Aiel.  Flying the banners of Mayene, a wolf's head, and the 
Red Eagle of Manetheren,"  Alwhin said.  "Which seems strange, 
as our records indicated that land has been dead for over two 
thousand years."

	I was there, Mat thought.  Wait...a wolf's head.  Perrin.  What 
the hell is Perrin doing leading Mayener troops across Ghealdan?  
Maybe Berelain somehow convinced him to marry her.  He 
laughed at the thought.  "How well secured is Amadicia?"

	"Most of its lords have sworn to us, glad to be delivered from 
the so called 'Children of the Light'.  In a week or so, we should 
have the entire country secured."  Alwhin said.  Suroth raised a 
finger, and Alwhin continued, "As you can see, the King himself 
has escaped into the mountains.  He seems to have holed up in a 
fortress in the mountains which was once the refuge of a False 
Dragon.  With the weather returning to normal, he will likely be 
trapped by the winter snows soon."

	Mat nodded.  "The Amadician army couldn't fight its way out 
of a wet paper sack, anyway.  However, he might be able to help 
the Whitecloaks on Almoth Plain to get across the mountains to 
Ghealdan.  Have you found me any Illuminators yet?"

        "A renegade.  Named Alludra.  We are bringing more, but 
most of them are in Tarabon, and many have died."

        Mat thought hard.  The name sounded familiar.  "Bring her 
as soon as you can."

        Alwhin frowned.  "Planning a victory celebration already?"

        I blasted my way into the Stone with fireworks, Mat thought.  
Five will get you ten I can blast my way out of this place with 
enough of them.  "Well, besides the fact that the coming of the 
Empress' daughter ought to be celebrated, I have some interesting 
ideas for their use in night battles I'd like to test."

	Suroth rose.  "I have matters to attend to.  Alwhin, see to his 
needs if they are reasonable."  Mat watched her go.  Not a bad 
looking woman, he thought, even if the Seanchan seem to delight 
in making themselves look ugly.  A pity she doesn't have a nicer 
personality to go with it.

*************

	Nina Cova bustled about her house, trying to simultaneously 
cook, clean, and perform adjustments on her dress.  Nothing this 
exciting had happened in her life since her family had fled Altara 
when she was two years old, during the Whitecloak War.  I'm 
going to feed Aes Sedai and a Queen and a Queen's neice and a 
Lord and Aes Sedai and my daughter and a Queen and...Her brain 
entered the spin cycle.  Jeral was underfoot, trying to help, and so 
were a good dozen of the daughters of her friends.  Stews and 
roasts and bread and anything else even vaguely edible was 
cooking in her kitchen and those of her three neighbors.  The 
Town elders would be here and...my daughter is an Aes Sedai.  
Hah.  Now Tasha won't be able to prattle about how well HER 
daughter is doing in the Tower.  The town of Jheri had an 
abnormal number of Aes Sedai that came from it; no one knew 
why.  Four Aes Sedai, five now, Nina thought, come from here, 
and there's at least two novices, and I think Angi's daughter made 
Accepted last year.  

	Still, they rarely came home.  Three...four Aes Sedai in my 
house, Nina thought.  She was so excited, she almost caught fire.  
And the First of Mayene!  I wonder how many queens they have 
that there's a 'first'.  Strange people out east, she thought.

	She brought a huge plate of bread out to the mob gathered 
around the tables she'd hastily erected in the yard.  She wished 
again that there was room inside for everyone, but the tables in the 
living room would only hold a dozen or so.  Herself, her husband, 
Alyssa, Lord Perrin and his wife, Queen Berelain, her Aes Sedai 
Advisor Annoura, three Wise Ones whose name she hadn't caught 
(the idea of eating with Aiel shocked and excited her) and two 
more Aes Sedai, whose name she also had not caught.  The Wise 
Ones had actually each given her a gift, a golden salt shaker, a 
bracelet of silver laurel leaves, and a silken blue scarf.  To think 
I've been given presents by an Aiel.  Three Aiel.  

	At least I don't have to feed the whole army, she thought.  
There were more Aiel in the yard, women with spears, which 
shocked her.  And a single male Aiel, who looked rather lost, 
along with several normal men and a woman with blue hair.  The 
rest of the force had camped outside town and was negotiating 
with the Elders for food; the town would likely be awash with 
gold after this.  

	Returning to the kitchen, she started directing hordes of 
children to serve those at the table, and finally sat down.  "Sorry 
this took so long.  We...um...weren't expecting guests."

        Lord Perrin's wife, a dark haired woman, smiled at Nina.  
"I'm impressed.  Your village seems to have done well despite the 
anarchy."

	"We're a day's ride from the nearest real road,"  Jherod said, 
"nestled in a little valley where no one ever bothers us.  The Hall 
of the Elders has stood since the War of the Hundred Years, it's 
said.  We grow wheat and rye and raise some sheep and that's 
about as exciting as it gets.  The last really exciting thing was 
when Nina's family came here from Altara nearly forty years ago.  
Well, not counting when the Aes Sedai come to visit."

	Faile blinked.  "This happens often?"

	Alyssa said, "Every two years, around three Aes Sedai come 
by and check the village for new novices.  Jheri seems to produce 
a lot of women who can channel."

	Masuri nodded.  "The old blood is strong in this town.  It 
rarely produces strong Aes Sedai, but almost every girl who 
comes from here makes the Shawl.  The actual record, however, is 
Ebou Dar.  There's a good fifteen in the Tower from there, but 
given Ebou Dar is so much larger..."  She trailed off as one of the 
Wise Ones stared at her.  "Ever since a hundred years ago, when 
two wilders arrived at the Tower in the same year from here, the 
various Amyrlins have sent people to check periodically.  If we 
did this more methodically, we'd likely have...anyway."  She 
stared at her food.

	"So...where are you the Lord of, Lord Perrin?"  Jherod asked.  

	Perrin had to speak a little louder over the eating noises, and 
he sounded embarrassed for some reason.  "The Two Rivers."

	"So the Red Eagle is for the Two Rivers?"  Jherod asked.  
"Or is that the Wolf Head?"

	"The Wolf Head is his personal banner,"  Faile interrupted.  
"And the Red Eagle of Manetheren for the Two Rivers."

	Berelain smiled at Nina, who nearly fainted.  "Your daughter 
is Lord Perrin's Aes Sedai advisor."  Annoura, Seonid, and Masuri 
sniffed in unison, while the Wise Ones looked faintly amused.  
"As every monarch needs."

	Nina blushed.  "My daughter the advisor of a lord.  Why, the 
time I had to spank her for hiding from me for three days, I never 
would have guessed."  Several people laughed, and Alyssa 
blushed.  "She'd stolen a pie I'd baked for one of the elders, and I 
yelled at her so hard, she tried to run away to Jehennah."

	"But she got lost from trying to follow the sun when it kept 
moving, so every day, she ended up back where she started,"  
Jherod said, chortling.  "Don't let her read your maps for you, 
Lord Perrin."

	"FATHER!"  Alyssa shouted, then collapsed in on herself 
when the three Aes Sedai all stared at her.  Then he told the story 
about the time she put her brother's clothing inside the forge the 
night before the Feast of Lights when she was eleven.  And what 
he had done as revenge.  That was enough to make her wish she 
knew a trick for shrinking down to an inch high and sneaking 
away.

*************

	The story was over.  Nodoka nodded her head, and thought a 
moment.  "You have one of these dimensional travel things?"

	Kasumi nodded.  "Two, but one of them needs new 
batteries."

	"Should have used Everready,"  Genma said.

	"Very good,"  Nodoka said.  "We're going to go see Ranma 
now."

	"Now as in right this minute?"   Genma looked nervous.  
Nodoka had gotten the abbreviated version of the story that 
DIDN'T mention Ranma's curse.  

	"Hmm.  This would keep Kodachi from getting it."  Kasumi 
headed for the door.  "I'll go get them.  And lots of batteries."

	Genma could hear dice rolling in his head.  Or perhaps it was 
the sound of a sword being sharpened.

***********

	Sorilea sat quietly on a rock and watched one of the Aes 
Sedai who had tried to kidnap the Car'a'carn.  We will never 
shame them like this, she thought.  She had thought differently 
before she had passed through the doorway, but now she saw 
things in a new light.  Greater understanding sometimes could 
bring only greater frustration.  Break them, yes.  Reduce them to 
rubble, yes.  Render them useless for any purpose, yes.  But it 
would not shame them, though it might kill them.  They had done 
what they thought was right, and though a few of them felt some 
guilt for the worst of it, most of them would do it again.  Do what 
you must and pay for it, she thought.  They might not say that, but 
they understood it.  

	Dorine.  That was her name.  A Green, with long black hair 
and gray eyes.  Her two warders worked nearby, filling up the 
hole she tried to dig as fast, no faster than she could fill it.  It 
frustrated all of them, but shame...no, it would not shame her.  She 
believed she had been right as much as the Wise Ones felt right in 
sending male Aiel channelers to hunt the Dark One.  She was 
Saldean.  Sorilea knew about Saldeans now.  And Cairhienin 
and...It wasn't helping.  Too many Wetlanders were madmen by 
Aiel standards.  Knowing they were madmen merely confirmed 
her suspicions.  

	Still, the most important thing had been to understand the 
Car'a'carn.  What drove him.  She understood that.  Only one thing 
fully eluded her.  What had driven him to choose the maidens to 
carry his honor when he could not bear to see women fight or 
hurt?  That was their job.  I should have asked to understand him 
specifically, she thought.  I was greedy.  

	The information would be of some use.  At least it was clear 
and comprehensible, unlike the riddle that part of her mind turned 
over and over.  Who followed a cloud?  What was the hunter's 
tale?  How could a little longsword find someone?  Not to 
mention the intertwined vines.  She had assumed they had to be 
Mat and Perrin, but no...three vines.  He couldn't be one of 
them...or maybe he was.  It made her head hurt.  

	Someone was standing near her.  She turned and saw Verin. 
"I see you, Verin."

	"I see you, Sorilea.  I am continuing my research.  I have 
found something you might find useful, although it would help if 
you gave me more of an idea why I was looking for these things."

	"What have you found?"  

	"Well, I'm quite sure the Hunter's tale must be part of the 
cycle of stories about the Great Hunt of the Horn.  Unfortunately, 
the full account takes days to tell and there's so many different 
stories..."  She paused expectantly, but there was only silence.  "I 
tried translating 'Those who follow the Cloud' into the Old 
Tongue, but there is no group by that name in any books I could 
find, although my hunt continues.  As for the Little Longsword, I 
suppose it could be some sort of odd reference to 
Callandor...hmm."

         "What?"

         "The sort of...meeting place of the Aes Sedai opposed to 
Elaida was called the 'Little Tower' by them.  Perhaps the 'Little 
Longsword' is opposed to a group that uses some kind of 
Longsword as a symbol."  She drew a longsword in the dirt with a 
stick, and looked at it contemplatively.  "Or maybe a dagger.  
Let's see...Galad of House Damodred uses a winged sword.  
Perhaps some kind of Altaran marriage knife...Arad Doman uses a 
sword held by a hand, both silver...could be some kind of Domani 
rebel or assassin... Arafellin warriors carry two swords."  She 
looked up at Sorilea.  "And this Little Longsword wants what?  To 
rule the world?  To kill the Dragon?  Maybe it's some kind of 
obscure reference to one of the Forsaken."

	"They seek 'Those who follow the cloud'."  Sorilea said.  

	"Hmm.  Maybe...it's some kind of weird way to refer to the 
Tinkers."  Verin shook her head.  "I'm reaching.  Well, back to my 
books."

	Sorilea watched her go, then went back to her thoughts.

***********

	"Take me with you!"  Ranma insisted.  "Thom knows me!  
He'll trust me.  I'm sure he barely remembers you."

	Akane shook her head.  "No female channelers."

	"I am NOT a woman!  You don't have to protect me!"

	"Oh yes, let's take you to be leashed.  I think not,"  Akane 
said.  "I'm only taking a few people, and none of the women are 
going to be channelers.  I wouldn't even take Alyssa.  It's too 
risky."

	"I can go in boyform!"

	"Ranma, you know how it goes.  It'll rain without stopping 
the whole time.  You'll fall in the harbor every three seconds.  A 
passing aquarium will burst.  Some damane will use you to test 
her skill with flows of water.  You'll end up female, you'll 
channel, the damane will swarm us like flies."  Akane scribbled 
more names on a list, then scratched off half of them.  "Besides, 
Rand wants you for the embassy to Egwene's camp."

	"Me?"

	"You know her.  Who better?  That he can spare, anyway.  
You and Lori and Ukyou and Merana and Amys and a few Aiel 
bodyguards.  I think he'd send Rhuarc if he didn't need him in 
Cairhien hunting the Shaido, who seem to have vanished."  Akane 
shrugged.  "I'd send Alain too, but he's going with me to Ebou 
Dar."  

	"Just Alain?"

	"And some non-channelers.  Like Vanin.  Everyone else is 
staying here to continue the classes and teach our apprentices."  
She smiled faintly.  "They're a lot easier to deal with than the Aes 
Sedai."

	"You can say that again.  How soon do I leave?"

	"Tomorrow.  I leave today if I can get everything organized 
in time."

************

	"How soon can you begin production?"  Mat asked Alludra.

	"I need chemicals and they're not easily come by.  Although 
with the Chapterhouse in your hands, that will probably help.  
Once I have them, it simply depends on how fast you can make 
them."

	"And your firesticks?"  Mat remembered her now.

	She stared at him.  "You...know of them?  I can make many, 
but I would not think you need them with so many..."  She looked 
over at the damane.  "Of them."

	"Answer the question,"  Alwhin said flatly.

	"I can start making them while I wait for the materials for the 
fireworks."

	"Get started.  Make sure she gets what she needs,"  Mat said.  
And let's hope she gets them done quickly.  

****************

	Min put down 'Strength Through Paradox', which she had 
been reading, along with several other books that had been lying 
around Herid Fel's desk when he died.  She felt compelled to try 
to piece together what he had been thinking when he died.  He had 
made some kind of breakthrough, she was sure.  There were other 
books as well.  'The Disassembly of Reason' by Elan Morin 
Tedronai, an incredibly ancient crumbling tome.  'A Brief History 
of the Breaking'.  'The Kaerethon Cycle'.  'Out of the Silent 
Planet'.  'The Mirror of the Wheel'.  'A Dialogue Between Ishar 
Ahmid Cho and Elan Morin Tedronai' by Ishar Ahmid Cho.  
Another book by him:  'Parallel, Oblique, and Tangential Lives'.   
'A Journey to the Eye of the World'.  'Leaves of Avendesora'.  
'Tree and Leaf'.  'Farmer Giles of Ham'.    'The Eight Fold Path'.  
'A Critique of Pure Reason'.  That was just on his reading table.  
Dozens more were scattered about the room.  Whoever had killed 
him had done nothing about the books, although his notes were 
gone.  

	She got up and answered the door.  It was Ranma.  "Got a 
minute?"

	"Yeah."  She pulled out a chair.  "Not much for me to do 
except try to reconstruct what Herid Fel was working on when he 
died."

	"You should get Ukyou to help you.  She's been doing 
research and stuff in the library.  I'm not much good at this kinda 
thing, but maybe she can puzzle it out.  Although with both of us 
leaving soon..."

	"Well, you won't be gone forever,"  she said.  "Any help 
would be appreciated, though.  I can puzzle through this, but 
there's so much to work from and I have so few clues."  She 
sighed.  "Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"

	"Akane's being stubborn."  Ranma sat down on the chair.

	Min laughed, sitting down on another chair.  "While you, of 
course, are being the voice of reason."

	"Yeah.  What you said.  I mean...I don't mind going to see 
my old friends and stuff, but...she's going to be just about shoving 
her head down a lion's mouth and pulling it shut on herself.  It's 
like crazy."  Ranma leaned forward.  "She needs someone who 
can fight better than those people she's been training.  They're not 
bad, but..."

       "But you're better."  You just don't know how to let go, Min 
thought.  "Have you asked her about it?"

	"Yeah."  He sighed.  "If she does this, I'm gonna spend all 
my time wondering when I'm gonna have to come pull her out of 
the fire.  It always happens.  She gets in over her head, then I gotta 
go save her.  I've finally reached the point where I actually notice 
this so I can think of skipping the part where she gets in too deep."

	Min shook her head.  "I know the feeling, but sometimes you 
just..."  She tried to figure out how to say it.  Like Rand, you 
couldn't MAKE Ranma see things.  You had to nudge and not 
shove.  Otherwise, he got his back up and it didn't matter how 
right you were and how wrong he was.  He wouldn't listen.  
"Sometimes you have to let people stick their head in the lion's 
mouth.  I wish I could be with Rand right now, but..."

	"Yeah, but Akane thinks she's invincible, and then gets in 
trouble 'cause she isn't."

	The pot calls the kettle black, Min thought.

	"The other things is that...uhh..."  Ranma looked very 
nervous and stared staring at the wardrobe instead of Min.  "For 
this embassy, I'm gonna need to...uh...Well, I like don't have much 
in the way of different clothing and...well..."

	Min laughed.  "So I get to play dress up with you?"

	Ranma winced like she had hacked off his legs.  "I guess you 
could...call it that."

*************

	Eventually, the feast was over.  Perrin had decided to stay at 
the town for the rest of the day while they made preparations for 
the approach to Jehennah and bought supplies.  The various town 
elders would be putting up the main guests for the night, but 
Alyssa stayed with her family.  Cleaning up the mess with the 
Power was easy.  Incredibly easy.  Where once she could manage 
at best two separate flows at once, six to eight came easily to her 
now.  Her mother watched in awe, then said, "Now THAT would 
be handy to learn how to do."  

	Alyssa laughed.  "I wish I'd known how while I wasstill 
living at home."

	She sat down with her parents and started telling them all 
about her stay in the Tower.  This took the rest of the day, and it 
was dark by the time she got to her stay in Castle Mist.  She had 
decided to not tell them the entire story; not until Kaneda could 
actually meet them.  As it was, they clearly didn't know what to 
make of it.  Her mother was pleased her daughter had found 
someone, and horrified it was a channeler.  Her father didn't say 
anything, although he looked like he wanted to; he looked like he 
was on the verge of one of his explosions, but was choking it 
back, which was rare.  She concluded with, "I hope you get to 
meet him soon, but...it could be a long time.  We're all so busy."

	Her mother nodded quietly.  "I just...are you sure this is a 
good idea, Alyssa?  He's going to die, you know."

	Her father muttered something about breaking the world.  
Alyssa winced.  "I love him, mother.  He's the best man I've ever 
had.  And likely many of us will die soon anyway.  Tarmon 
Gai'don is coming.  The Dragon is reborn."

	"And you can see what he's done to Ghealdan."  Her father's 
voice was rumbling.  She could tell the explosion was coming.  
"They've torn our country apart, these lunatic Dragonsworn and 
the crazy prophet and now Aiel are rampaging everywhere and I 
know the Dragon brought them across the Dragonwall and now 
you're mixed up with one of his lunatic channelers and even 
though this group you're with seem pretty nice, they're serving 
someone who's going to BREAK THE WORLD AGAIN!"  He 
was turning red now.  Nina was trying to soothe him, but when 
Jherod ranted, there was no stopping him.  "I've heard he's 
recruiting an army of channelers, and all these Aiel and 
everything...."  He frowned as his wife put a hand on his shoulder.  
"I can't approve of this.  Not you and some...lunatic!  What if he 
hurts you?  I couldn't bear it!"

	"Kaneda is NOT a lunatic!  And he's not going to go mad!  I 
told you, he went to the Foxes and..."

	"I don't believe in children's faerie tales!"

	Alyssa turned red now.  "I am NOT lying!  I went to them 
too!"

	Jherod spluttered.  "Prove it!"

	I wanted to avoid this, she thought.  Weaves of air brought a 
bucket of water from the kitchen.  She dumped it on her head.  
"This wasn't something I wanted, but I got it anyway."  She 
transformed.

	Alyssa had never seen her father faint before.

**********

         Ukyou finished bathing after the day's fighting lessons, then 
headed back to her rooms.  No Ranma.  A servant found her 
shortly thereafter and informed her that 'Lady Min' wished to see 
her in her quarters.  From the way the servant spoke the request, 
he clearly seemed to think that SOMETHING was going on.  She 
frowned and headed for Min's rooms.

	The impish grin on Min's face warned her of trouble to come.  
"I need you to see what you think about this outfit I picked out for 
someone for the embassy to the Aes Sedai."

	Ukyou blinked and came in.  "I'm not exactly the best choice 
for a fashion consultant."

	Min simply grinned, led Ukyou into the room, then shouted, 
"She's here."

	There were rustling noises, then the large wardrobe began to 
shake.  "Ack!  I can't get the door open!"  It was Ranma-chan's 
voice.

	Ukyou ran over.  "Ranchan, why are you inside Min's 
wardrobe?"

	"Because I thought I could open it from the inside."  Ukyou 
opened the door for Ranma-chan, then stared in surprise.

	The earrings were the first things she noticed, two small 
beads and loops of gold with inset emeralds.  The golden serpent 
ring sat prominently on Ranma-chan's right hand, and a silver 
bracelet of intertwined vines and leaves circled that hand's wrist.  
A matching bracelet was on her left wrist, while her forearms 
were bare.  It was the dress that really made Ukyou stare, 
however.  It was green satin, with short tightly pleated sleeves to 
just above the elbow, cut low in a square in front, with the 
neckline fringed with red and blue triangles forming a rectangular 
border, low enough to show off some, but not most of Ranma-
chan's cleavage.  The top was tight to the waist, then tied off with 
a belt, flowing out into a huge loose skirt wide enough to hide a 
small army under it, down to about a palm's length above her 
ankles.  Several layers of skirts could be just barely seen 
underneath the outer skirt.  Only her black slippers were part of 
her usual way of dressing.  Ranma-chan had her eyes screwed 
shut tightly.  "Wh...what do you think?"

	"Good thing Kunou isn't here, or he'd glue himself to your 
body."

	"Do you think...it'll...impress them?  I mean, if I'm going to 
be part of an embassy I ought to look...umm..."  She stared at 
Ukyou's feet.

	"As long as you don't talk like that and stare at the ground, I 
think you'll impress a lot of people."  Mostly male, Ukyou 
thought.  "I suppose I should dress up a bit too."  She flexed.  "So 
everyone will know what a buff warder you have."  Ukyou 
laughed.  "Just try not to run off with some guy who is swept 
away by your beauty, okay?"

	Ranma-chan tensed, then relaxed, finally looking up.  "I 
just...I mean, you know I wouldn't do this if it wasn't important."

       "I know, Ranchan."  She turned to Min.  "So what do Warders 
dress like?"

        "Well, you really need some fancloth..."

	Ranma-chan grinned.  "I'll go get Alya and Mai."  She ran for 
the door, snagged her own skirt, and fell down.  "Ack."

************

        Ukyou wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to take advice from 
Tomas; he made Happousai look handsome and he slouched.  But 
he was the handiest warder; he didn't have much to do anyway 
except follow Else around and hand her books.  Else was there 
too, watching how fancloth was made, while Basel and Mai and 
Alya made fancloth and Cerise was making boots; she had been a 
tanner and maker of leather goods, once upon a time.  "Stand like 
this,"  Tomas said.  His pose shifted.   He still slouched, but it was 
a different kind of slouch.  A more dangerous looking one.  A 
ready position.

         Ukyou caught on fast enough to surprise him.  "Like this?"

        "Keep in mind that you're expected to obey your Sedai but 
also to have enough sense to know when she does something 
stupid which you'll have to adjust for."

        Ranma-chan and Else sniffed in unison.  Min laughed at that, 
and Tomas simply grinned.  "Walk with confidence and it will 
carry you far.  And remember, you have limits.  We're stronger, 
faster, more endurant, but we're not invincible.  But I think you 
know that already; I've watched you fight."

        "Ranchan's the one who thinks he's invincible."  Ukyou said, 
grinning.

        "HEY!"  Ranma-chan gestured and a little storm formed, 
raining on Ukyou, who transformed.  The water soon ran off and 
evaporated.  Ukyou shivered.  The Power disturbed him 
sometimes.  

        "Good idea,"  Alya said.  "We're going to have to fit him for 
his boyform, anyway."

        Else shook her head.  "Watching that...it's just 
so...impossible.  Even in the Age of Legends, they couldn't do 
something like that with the Power.  Changing your sex like that."

         "Happens all the time back home,"  Ukyou said, shrugging.  
"But it's not infectious.  Don't worry."

        Joan and Wil stuck their heads in through the door.  "Ahh, 
here's the party,"  Wil said.  Wil Vanden was a farmer from 
Ghealdan, short with black hair and hazel eyes, dressed in rough 
wools that made him look out of place in the palace, but which he 
seemed to prefer over fancier clothing.  He was one of the 
weakest members of the Hall of the Servants, far below the 
strength of the average Aes Sedai, his head full of knowledge he 
could hardly use; he was one of their best teachers, however, 
patient and friendly.  

        "I brought the wine!"  Joan held up three bottles.

        Very soon, they proved that channelers shouldn't be allowed 
to drink.

***************

        Kaneda shook Ranma-chan awake.  She moaned and 
clutched her head; it was the headache that ate New York.  
"Ugh..."  She tried to heal herself and failed; sadly, it just wasn't 
possible.  

        Kaneda frowned at the unconscious people scattered through 
the room.  "Let me guess.  Hangover?"

        "Heal me..." Joan moaned from the floor.  "Or kill me.  Make 
it stop."

        "Great.  Looks like you're going to go see the Amyrlin with a 
headache."  He sighed.  "This was a bad night to have a party."  
And I can tell Alyssa's been unhappy since some time yesterday, 
but I don't know why.  I suppose I should call her before we head 
to Ebou Dar, but...first I have to deal with these morons.

        "Didn't plan it that way," she mumbled.  "C'mon, Akane, heal 
me."

        "Physician, heal thyself."  Ranma no baka, Kaneda thought.

**********

        Alyssa woke to the sound of forgework.  Her mother was in 
the kitchen, cooking.  Her brother and father were gone, hard at 
work already.  "The almighty Aes Sedai slept in, I see,"  her 
mother said with just a hint of acid in her voice.

        Sniffing the air, Alyssa said, "Pumpkin bread."

         Nina turned and smiled just a bit.  "I see you haven't 
forgotten everything."

        The rythym of hammers wasn't quite right.  "Sounds like 
three people in the forge."

         Nina nodded.  "Lord Perrin...it seems strange to think of a 
lord working a forge, but he insisted as a way of repaying us for 
yesterday's meal.  Your Lord is a good man, Alyssa."

         "Yes," she said quietly.  "Anything I can do to help."

         "Your father isn't very happy with you,"  Nina said.

         "I'm not very happy with him,"  Alyssa said.  "I love Kaneda 
and I'm going to marry him.  And that's it."  She tried to keep her 
voice from rising.  "I'm not a child.  I'm an Aes Sedai."  Her 
determination wavered.  "I just...I didn't want it to be like this."

         "Neither did I, child.  You scared him.  With all of it.  
Especially..."  She turned back to the oven, checking inside it.  
"You can start by slicing some fruit."

         Alyssa went to it.  "And it scares you too."

         Silence, and then, "Yes."  The smell of baking bread filled 
the room, and then Nina shut the oven door.  "I don't suppose you 
know any Aes Sedai tricks for making this bake faster?"

        "I could try, but you might end up with some new bricks."  
Alyssa laughed.  "Did Father ever get that hole in the roof fixed?"

        "I think he's waiting until after Tarmon Gai'don," she said.  
"You should apologize to him."

        Alyssa frowned, almost cutting herself instead of the apple.  
"For what?  Chosing someone he doesn't like even though he's 
never met him?  For not cowering at his feet?  I won't.  I have 
nothing to apologize for.  I'm not a little girl anymore."  She let 
out a deep breath.  

         She chopped in silence, then revealed her mother was 
staring at her.  "What?"

        "I never thought you'd grow a spine.  I'd given up waiting for 
it."

         Alyssa nearly cut off a finger again.  "What?"

         "You scared your father.  You never defied him in your life 
before," her mother said quietly.  "You've gotten other people to 
defy him for you, and you've done stuff behind his back, but you 
never done it to his face."  She walked over to Alyssa and touched 
her cheek.  "Are you really my daughter?"

         Alyssa shivered.  "What?"

         "Maybe it's just the Tower; everyone who goes to it seems to 
come back either stronger or shattered.  I remember they almost 
had to tie you in a sack to get you to go.  You ran and hid in 
Connie's house for four hours.  Then your father told you you had 
to, and you simply bowed your head and went.  And now...I'm 
proud of you, Alyssa."

         "What?"

         "Your father will come around.  I can't say I like any of this, 
but I learned long ago that you can't make what is be something 
else just by shouting at it.  Not that your father doesn't need a 
shouting at, at times."  She took Alyssa's hand and squeezed it.  "I 
think the bread's ready.  Finish the fruit, and then we'll eat."

*************

        Ranma-chan sat next to Lori on a large travel chest.  She 
wasn't sure what was in it;  it belonged to Merana.  Two dozen 
Aiel were scattered about, acting casual in a dangerous way, and 
Amys stood a few feet away, talking quietly to Merana, who 
alternated between frozen calm and nervousness.  She could feel 
Ukyou coming.  "You ready, Lori?"

        "Just trying to figure out why Kaneda sent me with you; I've 
had little past dealing with Aes Sedai, although I..."  She turned 
and looked at Ranma-chan.  "Hmm.  Maybe you would know."
        
        "What?"

         "You and your warder feel what each other feel, right?"

         "She feels what I feel; I feel it in a more muted way."  

         "That must feel really strange during sex."

          Ranma-chan blushed.  "Usually I'm too distracted to notice, 
really."

         Lori laughed.  "I suppose that's what that fellow meant that 
time."  She giggled.  "So do you two ever..."

         "No!"  Ranma-chan shouted.  Merana and Amys both looked 
over, raising eyebrows in unison.  Ranma-chan did her best to pull 
herself together.  

         Ukyou walked in in boy form.  He had pulled his hair back 
into two long braids in the Arafel style.  Tight black leather pants 
with a metal guard from hip to knee ran down to his ankles, 
running down inside shiny black leather boots.  His bandolier of 
spatulas ran across the brown leather jacket studded with metal 
circles he wore over a purple shirt embroidered with golden 
spatulas.  He wore a hooded cloak of shimmering ever-changing 
fancloth pinned to his coat with two small silver brooches, simple 
half-moons.  The hood was down, and he wore a black hat with a 
blue feather stuck in the band around the brim.  "Ta da!  How do I 
look, Ranchan?"  He twirled his mega-spatula around and struck a 
pose.

      Lori wolf-whistled.  "I never thought someone could look that 
good with clothing on."  She smiled at Ukyou and Ranma-chan 
could feel Ukyou getting a bit hot under the collar.

       Merana said, "If everyone is done with the fashion show, we 
can get moving."

       Lori nodded.  "If you will, Ranko."

       Ranko linked with Lori, and slashed the air open.  A glowing 
line became a circle big enough for them to all easily ride through.  
On the far side was a forest.  They had decided it was best to not 
drop down in the middle by surprise.

       The group quickly scooted through, and began riding (or 
walking in the case of the Aiel) through the forest.  Within a few 
minutes, they reached Salidar.  This would have been good, 
except...it was empty.  Only a few pigeons gave any evidence that 
anyone had ever been here.

       Merana blinked.  "No sign of a struggle."

       Amys nodded to a dozen Aiel who fanned out.  "I believe the 
Amyrlin has moved her army out."

       Merana frowned.  "You could have told us that."

       "Yes."

************

       "I can't believe you've gone over to them,"  Tylin said to Mat, 
frowning.  They had given her to him as his own da'covale, as 
long as he did what they wanted.  Right now, what he wanted and 
was doing was to eat breakfast.

       "Do you WANT to be tortured?"

       "You can't help them conquer the world for my sake!  Not the 
way they enslave people and..." She shuddered.  "Aes Sedai on a 
leash.  It's not right."

        "I've got a clever plan."

         I seem to remember that being my father's last words, Tylin 
thought.

***********

        Corwin's wagon rolled through the gates into Ebou Dar 
without any trouble.  Kaneda rode next to him on a horse, as did 
Vanin, while Alain rode next to Corwin in the driving seat.  
Kaneda wished Alain could have done the riding.  He wasn't used 
to it, and it was making his butt hurt.  "Take us to The Wandering 
Woman,  Corwin."  Of them all, only Corwin and Alain had been 
here, and it had been years ago for Alain.  

         "No problem, Lord Kaneda,"  Corwin said.  "It's awfully 
close to the palace, though."

         Vanin frowned.  "We haven't much choice.  Given Balin and 
Dor have less sense between them...why did you send them here?"

         "They're natives.  And they haven't been caught yet."  I 
hope.

*************

         Myrelle Sedai stepped out of a slash in the air.  "Ahh, you 
are here."

         I guess we're not the only ones to learn a few new tricks 
lately, Ranma-chan thought.  "Egwene sent you?"

        Myrelle smiled.  "Yes, the Amyrlin sent me.  She knew you 
were coming, which is good, as otherwise you'd be waiting here a 
long time."  Then she blinked and looked at Ranma-chan.  
"Ranko?"

        "Yes."  Ranma-chan stood up and gave Myrelle her best 
smile. "And this is my fiancee, Ukyou Kuonji."  She pointed to 
Ukyou.  "And this is Lori of the Hall of the Servants."  Myrelle 
quirked an eyebrow.  "Which I also belong to, now."

        Myrelle glanced over at Merana, who said, "This is Amys, 
Wise One of Cold Rocks Hold of the Nine Valeys Sept of the 
Taardad Aiel."  She pointed to Amys.  "Amys, this is Myrelle 
Sedai of the Green Ajah.  The Hall of the Servants, Myrelle, is a 
group of channelers of both sexes."  Myrelle's eyes flared widely.  
"They know how to link men and women together."  Merana 
smiled.  "I know as well, now.  See the cloak that Ukyou is 
wearing?  They made it.  Without a ter'angreal."  Myrelle's eyes 
widened further.  "And they know how to make a variety of 
ter'angreals."  If Myrelle's eyes got any wider, they would fall out.  
Merana grasped the Source, and weaved something.  The Mind 
Touch.  Ranma-chan could see it.  Myrelle's eyes shrunk back to 
normal, but she still looked surprised.  "And many other things.  
They're led by a male channeler named Kaneda and by...you won't 
believe this."

       "I don't have much choice,"  Myrelle said dryly.  "Let me 
guess...Cadsuane?  Corianin Nedeal returned from the grave?  
Queen Eldrene of Manrethen, perhaps?"

        "Alyssa Cova."

        Myrelle boggled.  "The girl who refused the Accepted test 
three times and was thrown out?"

        "Times change.  He breaks all our certainties, Myrelle," 
Merana said.  There was no need to specify who 'he' was.  "We 
are ready to face the Amyrlin Seat."

         "Let it be done."  The air ripped open and they soon found 
themselves in the mobile camp of the White Tower in Exile.

***********

	Jherod watched Perrin work with Jeral assisting him.  
"You're good.  Very good.  I've never heard of a lord who was 
good at smith work, but...you're good."  

        Perrin put the final touches on the shovel head.  "Thank you.  
I don't get to do this as often as I would like."

        "Pardon me for asking, but...how did you learn to be a smith?  
I mean...being a lord and all."

         Perrin laughed.  "My father apprenticed me to one."

        Jeral said, "He didn't teach you to be a Lord?"

        Laughing harder, Perrin said, "My father wasn't aware I was 
going to be one.  I suppose your daughter never thought she 
would be Aes Sedai, Master Cova."

        "I had to practically kick her in the head to get her to go."  
He frowned.  "Have you met this...Kaneda person?"

        "Kaneda Tendo?  He's a nice guy.  Bit of a temper."  Perrin 
plunged the shovel head into a barrel and watched it cool.  I 
wonder how much she told them.  "Not too tall, black hair, fairly 
well muscled.  Incredible fighter."

        "Who channels,"  Jherod growled, starting to work on 
another shovel head himself while Jeral helped Perrin pick out a 
good wooden shaft for the new shovel head.

         "I can't say I'm entirely comfortable, but then...one of my 
closest friends from childhood is a channeler now."  Perrin said.  
The shovelhead fit snugly onto the shaft, then he drove a small 
spike through to nail it in place.

         "We had a boy from our village channel once.  He burned 
down eight houses before the Reds got him and killed his own 
brother."  Jherod frowned.  "I don't want someone going nuts and 
killing my daughter.  The Dragon killed his own FAMILY.  
Back...in the Breaking."  Blows against the metal pounded out his 
irritation.  "What guarantee do I have that I won't find out he blew 
her head off one day?"

        "Tarmon Gai'don is coming.  We have no guarantees of 
anything."  Perrin's voice was rather uncomfortable.

        "I can guarantee that if you aren't ready to go in half an hour, 
I'll put YOU on that forge,"  Faile said from the doorway.  "Come 
and eat, and then we need to get going."

        "I'll be in in a minute,"  Perrin said.

        "As you like, but I'll send Bain to pull you by the ear if you 
don't come soon,"  Faile said, spinning on her heel and leaving.

        "Your wife's a feisty woman,"  Jherod said.

        "You don't know the half of it."

***************

       Thom sat in the common room of the Wandering Woman, 
trying to decide if he was suicidally crazy enough to try to carry 
out the plan that he and Julin had put together.  I'm getting too old 
for this, he thought.  Then again, if Mat and Julin could break into 
the Stone by themselves...

       "Master Merrilin?"  someone asked.  The voice sounded 
vaguely familiar.  Tanchico.  Someone in Tanchico.

       He looked up at the four men.  A battered old soldier; the man 
wasn't dressed as one, but Thom had seen enough of them to 
know a soldier trying to pass as not one.  A veilless Taraboner; the 
man kept plucking at something that didn't exist, likely a nervous 
habit acquired long ago.  A young teamster, still carrying his 
whip.  And the youngest of all of them, dressed like a nobleman, 
but unarmed, with short black hair and grey eyes.  He looked the 
most lethal of the four, for he carried himself with the grace of a 
warder.  I've seen him before, Thom thought.  Tanchico.  He was 
part of those people who came looking for Ranko.  "Kaneda?"

        Kaneda shrank two inches; Thom hadn't realized how tense 
the boy was before.  "You remember me."  He looked around, 
then leaned forward.  "Rand sent me to help you find Mat."

        Thom blinked.  "How did Rand...well, well.  Is your Sedai 
here?"  He must be her warder, Thom thought.  Much as I never 
thought that girl would take one...or need one, for that matter.  
Acted like a man in a woman's body, she did.  

        "She's in Ghealdan with...oh, you mean Ranko.  She's on 
another mission.  Too dangerous for her to come here with 
them...leashing people."  Kaneda shuddered.  "Anyway, we're 
here to help you.  I've got two agents of mine here already; 
assuming they haven't gotten drunk and passed out somewhere."  
He clenched his fist and muttered to himself.  There was a flicker, 
and for a few seconds, Thom could see a little image of Kaneda 
chasing a bunch of people around with a hammer on the table.

        "Interesting, but dangerous," he said, pointing to the little 
show.  Kaneda blushed and it vanished.  "The Seanchan have Mat.  
Apparently, he's being blackmailed into serving them as a general.  
Plus, some sort of important person is supposed to arrive soon; 
they're gearing up for a festival to celebrate her arrival.  It won't 
be for a few days, but we think it would be a perfect time to try 
and stage a rescue, since the whole city will be in an uproar and 
they'll have their minds elsewhere than guarding Mat."

       "Sounds good to me.  Let me introduce you to my associates."

*************

       Mattin Stephaeos was not a happy man.  If you had been the 
King of Illian, then first shoved aside by one of the Lords of the 
Council of Nine, then kidnapped by Aes Sedai and kept in a roll 
of carpet most of the time for weeks, you wouldn't be happy 
either.  Especially after having Hirine Sedai taunt him all day, 
every day about how pathetic he and his entire country was.  
There were three more Aes Sedai; he hadn't bothered to learn their 
names since they usually ignored him.  

        By this point, he'd given up trying to be defiant.  He wasn't 
even sure why they had kidnapped him, unless maybe it had to do 
with his efforts to approach the Dragon Reborn.  He would have 
made a deal with Ba'alzemon himself to get out from under the 
thumb of the Council and avoid a suicidal war with the Dragon.  

        They'd finally let him out of the carpet at least, and let him 
have a room to himself; he was starting to feel like a human being 
again.  Then the screaming started.  

         There was shouting and the sound of swordplay, 
counterpointed by explosions.  Then a final cry, and silence.  
Footsteps approached.  Mattin dove under the bed, humiliated that 
he was hiding, but afraid of whatever could beat Aes Sedai like 
that.

        The door opened.  It was a tall, handsome man, well built 
with deeply bronzed Domani skin , short brown hair, and bright 
green eyes.  The eyes fixed Mattin like a fly flocking to a lamp.  
He came out from under the bed and walked towards the man.  
The fellow was dressed in a simple white linen shirt, black leather 
pants, and a black jacket with pins on each collar; a sword and a 
dragon.  He held a finely crafted sword in one hand, a heron 
blade.  For a moment, Mattin thought it might be the Dragon 
himself, come to rescue him, unlikely as that was; the man had 
enough presence to do the job.  He said, "I am Haldane.  You are 
Mattin Stepaneos?"

        "In the flesh," he said.  "Should I thank you or be more 
afraid?"

        The man stared at him for a moment, then laughed heartily.  
"Both perhaps.  I''d rather take you alive thandead, but take you I 
must and I shall."

        "Then I'll go with you.  Better life than death."

        "Definitely."

*************

        Breakfast was over soon, far more quickly than Alyssa had 
wanted it to be.  Her father hadn't said anything to her, letting 
their guests fill the gap.  Finally, it was time to go.  She hugged 
her mother, then turned to her father, who glowered at her.  The 
air was thick with silence.  She turned to go, but then her father 
put a hand on her shoulder.  "Thank you for coming to see us, 
Alyssa.  I've missed you."

        "I've missed you too, daddy," she said quietly, then stepped 
forward and hugged him.  "Wish us luck."

        "You've chosen a good lord to help, Alyssa," he said.  
"You're...umm...welcome to come work with me any time you 
like, Lord Perrin."

        Perrin laughed.  "I wish I could.  Thank you, for letting me 
use your forge.  I feel much better."  

         Jherod beamed.  "A pleasure to serve."

         There were more goodbyes, and then they rejoined the army, 
which started on its way.  

***************

        Ranko walked through a sea of white dresses.  The camp was 
huge and there were more novices than she remembered.  Way 
more novices.  More novices than she remembered there being 
Aes Sedai in the entire Tower.  Warders everywhere.  A handful 
of harried Accepteds desperately trying to keep Novices under 
control.  Even the Aes Sedai looked a little overrun.  And off in 
the distance, she could see a camp of hundreds, maybe thousands 
of soldiers.  Two camps, in fact.  Elaida's gonna get crushed, 
Ranko thought.  Egwene's going to run wild over her.

         Some stared at the small band that Myrelle was leading to 
the great pavillion tent that housed the Amyrlin.  Others stared at 
specific members of it.  Ranko could tell Ukyou was getting a lot 
of looks, and not just for his spatula.  She smiled faintly and took 
Ukyou's hand; a lot of the looks turned jealous.  A few looked 
shocked.  Lori smiled and waved at everyone, soaking up the 
attention like a cat.  The Aiel got a vast number of stares as well.  

        Sheriam stood outside Egwene's tent.  "Hello, Merana.  
Hello, Ranko.  Where is the rest of your embassy?"

         Merana blushed.  "I shall tell all to the Amyrlin seat, 
Sheriam."

         After another round of introductions, they were ushered into 
the Amyrlin's tent.  Ukyou got stuck waiting outside with the Aiel.  
He couldn't remember any of their names, but the three women 
who confronted him soon kept him busy enough that he wouldn't 
be bored.  The tallest had hair like Ukyou's, black and long in two 
braids, with soft grey eyes.  The middle in height had a book 
under one arm, 'An Anatomy of Knowledge'.  She was also black 
haired, but with green eyes and a fuller figure than the tall one.  
The third was black haired as well, but with blue eyes.  All three 
wore the white dress fringed with multiple colored stripes that 
marked them as Accepted along with the Golden Serpent Ring, 
and their names were Malinda, Olwen, and Anya.  

	Anya spoke first, "Who are you?  We saw you holding 
Ranko's hand.  I thought she only liked men for beating up."  She 
glanced over at Malinda.  "But every time she saw a woman 
naked, she'd stare just like a man, then pretend she hadn't been 
staring.  Though not half as much as Malinda stares."

     "I do not stare!"  Malinda shouted, causing several people to 
stare.

      "Are you the fiancee she used to mention when she was 
drunk?"  Olwen asked.

      "One of them,"  Ukyou said.  "The only one, now."

      "One of them?"  Anya asked.  "What, she had several?"

      "Yes.  Thanks to her idiot father.  But we settled all that."

      "No wonder she jumped the time I faked that foretelling about 
engagements,"  Malinda muttered.  "I thought she didn't like men, 
though."

       Ukyou grinned.  "Ranko has interesting tastes in men, to say 
the least."

       "Fairly good taste, I'd say,"  Anya said.  She turned to the 
others.  "I bet even Olwen would sleep with you if you asked."

       Olwen frowned, "I am not planning to be a Red.  I like men.  I 
just have other priorities."

       "Just ask me nicely,"  Malinda said, winking.

        Ukyou flushed slightly, partly from embarrassment, partly 
because he felt his body responding to their presence now that the 
talk was drifting towards such matters.  They were all attractive, if 
not beautiful, and Olwen had very pretty green eyes.  "Ummm..."  
It was tempting him, which scared him.  His brain was starting to 
construct very ecchi scenarios.  "Not while I'm on duty."

         "I'll send Olwen by tonight, then,"  Anya said.

         "Hey!"  Olwen said.  "I wouldn't poach on someone's 
fiancee, even if he is cute."  She paused.  "Anyway, so where has 
Ranko been?  We haven't seen her since she ran off with the 
Amyrlin and Elayne and Nynaeve just before the coup."

         "She went home and got me, then we went looking for 
Kaneda and..."  It took a while to tell the whole story.

***********

       "You've done WHAT?"  Egwene said.  She was not amused.

       "Sworn fealty to the Dragon Reborn,"  Merana said weakly.  
"After what Elaida's people did to him, it's the only way he will 
trust us."

         Ranko could see Egwene's face turning red.  He knew the 
signs; a storm was coming.  "He's not demanding all Aes Sedai 
swear to him," she cut in.  "Only those who...um..."  She wasn't 
quite sure why they had sworn.  "Who couldn't handle not 
swearing."

        Amys laughed faintly.  "Well put.  The captives are in our 
care.  I assure you we have not mistreated them any more than 
they deserve.  And those who have sworn have been apprenticed 
to us like you were, Egwene."

        Merana frowned.  "I will submit to any penance you see fit, 
MOTHER," she emphasized the word, glancing at Amys.  "But I 
believe I can do more good this way.  I botched up the Embassy.  
We all did, but I could have done better.  I think I understand how 
to approach Rand now.  We never should have sent so many Aes 
Sedai.  All it did was make him fear we sought to cage him."  She 
got down on her knees.  "I beg you, Mother, to let me stay with 
him and try to guide him, and be your representative to him.  He is 
stubborn and hard headed and doesn't easily listen to advice, 
but..."

       "Merana Sedai speaks true.  He has grown even more 
stubborn, but he is, slowly, starting to trust at least a few of your 
'sisters'."  She looked over at Ranko.  "And they have learned 
much from Ranko Sedai and her sisters and brothers of the Hall."

       Egwene's eyes narrowed.  "What is this Hall?"

       Ranma-chan gulped.  "You know about the Snakes and the 
Foxes, right?"

       "Yes."  A little, she thought.

       "Kaneda, my...ex-fiancee," it was hard for her to say that, 
"our leader," which was also hard to say, "made a deal with the 
Foxes.  Each of us possesses the full training of an Aes Sedai of 
the Age of Legends."

        Egwene's eyes flared.  "What?"

        "She speaks the truth,"  Merana said.  "There are nineteen of 
them.  Nine male channelers," she shuddered, "and ten females.  
The strongest of them could match Nynaeve stroke for stroke.  
They've made farspeakers and other ter'angreal.  And...they 
possess a form of protection against the Taint."

         Egwene stared.  Sheriam nearly fainted.  "That's not 
possible."

         "It is so.  I have linked with one so protected and one not 
protected to see the difference.  As nearly as I can tell, it is true."  
Merana said.  Amys nodded.  

         Lori said, "We would be happy to teach you how it is done,  
Mother."  She paused.  "The linking.  Only Kaneda can do the 
protection."

         Egwene frowned.  "How do you know he is not a..."

        "He's not a Darkfriend!"  Ranko said forcefully.  "It's from 
the Foxes.  But he can only help twenty people."  She sighed.  
"The Foxes can only do so much."

         Sheriam said, "I find this hard to believe, Mother."

        "So do I."  Egwene said.  "But I do not believe Ranko Sedai 
would lie to me."  She frowned.  "You have given me much to 
think about.  Sheriam, take Merana and the others to a tent they 
can stay in.  Merana, speak to no one until I send for you again."

        "Yes, mother."

        "We can continue this after dinner.  I have much business to 
attend to.  I will send for you in private, Merana."  Glancing over 
at Amys, she said, "It is good to see you again, Amys."

         "It is good to see you, Egwene Al'vere," Amys replied, 
smiling.  "May you always find water and shade."

          As Sheriam led them out, Egwene grabbed Ranko's 
shoulder.  "I wish to talk to Ranko in private briefly."

         "As you wish, Mother,"  Sheriam said, leading the others 
away.

         Once everyone was gone, Egwene hugged Ranma-chan 
tightly.  "I'm glad you finally came back, Ranko.  I need as many 
friends I can trust as I can get."

         "You can trust me, Mother,"  Ranma-chan said, hugging her 
back.  "I've missed you."

         "In private, call me Egwene," she said.  "And thank you 
for..."  She laughed.  "I remember all the times you got sent to the 
kitchen for calling the Amyrlin Siuan to her face."

        Ranma-chan laughed.  "I'm one of about five people who call 
the Dragon Rand.  There's me, his girlfriend, Perrin, Cadsuane 
called him that one time, and Akane, sometimes."

        "Girlfriend?"

        "Min.  She's been shacked up with him for a while."  Ranma-
chan saw Egwene start.  "You didn't know she liked him?"

        "What about...Elayne won't be pleased."

        "Yeah, I guess not,"  Ranma-chan said.  "She'll really blow 
her top when she finds out Alanna bonded him."

         Egwene stared.  "She WHAT?"

        "She didn't ask, either."

         "That's a crime."

         "Yep.  It kept him alive when Elaida kidnapped him, 
though."

          Egwene growled.  "Damn Elaida.  Rand's enough of a 
woolheaded sheepherder without that fool putting his back up.  It's 
going to be hard enough getting the Hall to cooperate with him 
without him...blast it."

         "Look, he really is starting to trust Merana.  I think you can 
trust her to at least communicate your messages to him correctly.  
As long as you don't send a bunch of idiots with her like happened 
last time."

        "I wasn't in charge then,"  Egwene said, then sighed.   "I'm 
hardly in charge now, it seems sometimes."

        "You need some asses kicked?"  Ranma-chan said.  "I'm your 
man.  Woman.  Whatever."

         Egwene smiled at Ranma-chan.  "I was hoping you would 
say that.  Welcome to my army.  Now, here's what I need you to 
do..."

*************

        Ranma-chan got mobbed the second she stepped out.  Anya, 
Olwen, and Malinda dragged her off, sending Ukyou off with the 
instructions to 'go do Warder stuff while we talk'.  She found 
herself in a crowded tent a few minutes later.  "So, like, when did 
you start sleeping with men?"  Anya asked.  

	Ranma-chan stared at her, then blushed.  "I...uhh..."  Stupid, 
stupid Snakes, she thought.  

       "What a way you have of saying hello,"  Olwen said.  "It's 
good to see you again, Ranko."

        "Yeah.  So which Ajah are you in now?"

        "Um, I guess I technically have to appeal to one.  Green, I 
think."  

        "I can't believe you made it so fast!"  Anya said.  "I mean, I 
was a novice for twelve years and then...you do it all in 
like...what, two years?"

        "She doesn't have a big mouth like you,"  Malinda said.  
"Telling Sheriam she looks fat in that one dress probably got you 
an extra year."

         "So, like, where did you find your cute warder and does he 
have a brother?"  Anya asked.  

        "He has a sister, not a  brother.  They're twins,"  Ranma-chan 
said, being glad she hadn't ever even seen the Oath Rod.  "We've 
been engaged since age six, but we only decided to formalize it a 
few weeks ago."

         "I admit I'm surprised,"  Olwen said.  "You always said 
you'd rather die than even kiss a man."

         "Even though you always got on well with the Warders,"  
Malinda said.  "I mean, there's nothing wrong with liking women 
or men or whatever, but..."

        Ranma-chan blushed.  "He's always been my best friend.  
Now, he's just...more."

        "Oooh, oooh...Malinda had a real foretelling!"  Anya said.  
"Tell her, Olwen."

        Ranma-chan  looked extremely dubious.  "I see.  So Ishmael 
will be carrying off green eyed girls?  You're in trouble, Olwen."

       "Dubious as I find it, Nene Sedai and the Amyrlin are 
convinced it is real.  I'll repeat it for you.  "CAN DARKNESS 
SAVE THE LIGHT?  ASK THE PLACE WHERE THE 
SHADOW WAITS.  WHEN THE VICTORY OF THE LIGHT IS 
ALL, IT BECOMES DEFEAT.  DENY WHAT YOU ARE AND 
YOU BECOME WHAT YOU ARE NOT.   VEILED HEARTS 
TURN TO STONE.  ONLY IN MADNESS CAN SANITY BE 
FOUND.  ONLY IN SANITY CAN MADNESS BE THROWN 
DOWN."  

	She took a deep breath.  "THE PLAY'S THE THING, 
WHEREIN TO PRICK THE CONSCIENCE OF THE KING.  
LET THE HORSE AND THE CLOUD BESEECH THE 
HUNTER.  LET EVENING'S LADY PLAY FOR THE LORD 
OF THE MORNING, FOR NONE MAY SING TO THE 
MORNING WHO HAVE NOT PASSED THROUGH THE 
NIGHT.  THEN THE SHAMROCK MAY SHATTER THE 
STONE."   Olwen sighed.  "Sorry for shouting.  I'm just...sick of 
repeating it, and Malinda CLAIMS she doesn't remember it."  
Malinda shrugged at Olwen and grinned.

        "Well, a shamrock is a kind of small clover.  And 
...conscience of the king.  Some play or something.  I think.  The 
Stone is that big fortress thing.  Dunno how you'd smash it with a 
clover, though."  Ranma-chan shook her head.  "These prophecies 
are your job, Olwen.  You're the brain here."

        "Not smart enough.  I can't even figure out how a horse could 
beseech anyone of anything."

        "Maybe it's Mr. Ed,"  Ranma-chan suggested.  Blank looks 
greeted him.  "A talking horse in a story of my homeland.   Are 
you sure you didn't make this up, Malinda?"

        "Not THIS time."  She shrugged.  "So tell us about all your 
adventures you've been having!"

         This took a while.  

**********

       Ukyou drifted through the camp, trying to pretend he had any 
idea what was going on.  The camp was a flurry of activity, but at 
the same time, nothing was happening.  People ran hither and yon, 
classes were taught, but it was just a sea of chaos to his sight.  
Warders flitted about, following Aes Sedai or clustering in small 
groups.  

       A tap on his shoulder got his attention; it was a woman in a 
simple brown wool dress with firey red hair and bright green eyes.  
"I understand you are Ranko Sedai's warder," the woman said.  "I 
am Nene Sedai."

        "Um, nice to meet you,"  Ukyou said.  "Are you the one who 
got chased through the Tower with a stick?"

        Nene laughed.  "Yes.  I deserved it, I suppose.  I don't 
suppose you've studied herb lore?"

        "Not really, except for spices.  I like to cook."  He spun his 
mega-spatula around.   "As you might see."

       "Would you happen to know what a shamrock is?  I've been 
going around asking everyone, but no one..."

        "Yeah.  It's a sort of clover with three leaves."  She drew a 
crude picture in the dirt.  "Like that."

         Nene Sedai's eyes lit up.  "Ahah!  Come with me, I think 
you may be able to help me with something..."

         Most Warders learn to run when they hear a Brown say that; 
unfortunately, Ukyou had never had formal Warder training.

************

        "No way,"  Anya said to Ranma-chan.  "You can't just get all 
that knowledge by wishing for it!"

         Ranma-chan grinned.  They saw her grab the Source and 
weave something complex.  "Try and sense how strong a 
channeler I am."

        Olwen was the fastest.  "You...you can't...How did you do 
that?"

        Ranma-chan demonstrated the weave more slowly.  "Here's a 
REALLY cool one."  She wove three weaves of spirit, then more, 
forming a complex web of spirit in the air among them.  [The 
Mind Touch], she thought to them.  [Now we can talk by thoughts 
and no one can hear.  It only has a range of a few hundred feet at 
this level and even if I went all out, it would only go a mile or so, 
so it's not much use for long range, but shortrange...it's great.]

        [Wow]  Anya thought.  [It looks sort of like a warder bond, 
but different.  The weave.]

        [It's sort of similar, but it's not permanent and it doesn't send 
any thoughts or feelings unless you want it to.  But it will even go 
through walls and stuff.]  Ranma-chan smiled.  [And it doesn't 
take much power, so even Olwen can do it.]

       [Hey!  I have as much strength as most Aes Sedai.  Just 
because the rest of you are stronger than me...]  Olwen frowned.  
[But in the White Ajah, which I'm going to be, being smart is 
more important than being strong, and in a battle of wits, you'd be 
unarmed, Ranko.]

         [Hey!  I was just teasing!]  Ranma-chan frowned.  Olwen 
wasn't noted for her sense of humor, but she wasn't usually this 
touchy.  [I'm sorry, Olwen.]  

        [Apology accepted.]  Olwen broke the silence by actually 
using her voice.  "You will teach us as much as you can, won't 
you?"

        Ranma-chan grinned.  "Of course.  Learned any good tricks 
recently?"

       "Nynaeve the Wonder Girl figured out how to cure stilling,"  
Malinda said.

       "Yeah, so did Rand's boys in the Black Tower,"  Ranma-chan 
said.  "One less worry for us, eh?"

       Anya shuddered.  "Men who can channel.  Being brought into 
an army.  Fifty or more."

        "Hundreds,"  Ranma-chan said.  "They're really not so bad, 
although I got totally wiped out when I tried to teach some of 
them to play poker."  She shook her head.  "They'd never even 
played poker and they wiped me out.  I think they must have 
cheated somehow."

       "You...played a game with them?"  Anya said, eyes wide.  

       "You went to the Black Tower?"  Malinda said.  "And got out 
alive?"

        "They're not evil!  And Rand has ten or so of them at the 
Palace as bodyguards and stuff.  And some more with his army.  
Anyway, we gotta work with them if we're ever gonna beat the 
Dark One.  A lot of the really cool stuff, ya gotta link with a guy 
or forget about it.  And I think Samitsu's gonna like marry one of 
them."

        Malinda boggled.  "You're joking."

        "Well, it is mostly a joke, but...he like saved the Dragon's life 
by  healing him when all she could do was stand around and look 
ominious.  This guy, Damer Flinn.  Anyway, they've been going 
around experimenting with healing techniques, and stuff.  
Together."

        Olwen nodded.  "Indeed.  So why did the Amyrlin keep you 
longer than she did the rest?"

         Ranma-chan frowned.  I want to tell them, but I can't.  Not 
without Egwene's permission.  She didn't like keeping things 
back, though.  "I can't talk about most of it.  Some of it was just 
catching up on what each other has been doing all this time; We 
hadn't seen each other since Tear.  I wish Elayne and Nynaeve 
were here, though.  I was hoping to see them."

        "They went to Ebou Dar."

        "But the Seanchan are in Ebou Dar!"

         Anya paled.  "In Ebou Dar?  I'm glad we left Altara!  With 
what they...do to women who channel."  She shuddered.

        "My damn fool f...Kaneda's gone there."  She frowned.  "He 
wouldn't take me with him, as if I couldn't protect myself."

        Malinda patted Ranma-chan on the shoulder.  "Men can be 
idiots like that, thinking they have to protect you.  I'm sure you'll 
have the same problem with your warder."

         Ranma-chan fumed.  Men are not idiots.  I'm one of them, 
dammit.  But I can't tell you that either.  "Not yet."

         "You will.  Trust me."

*************

         Egwene and Merana pretended to read while sitting in 
separate tents, but actually, they were communicating using the 
Mind Touch.  [So the Wise Ones have been pretty rough on the 
Aes Sedai who kidnapped Rand?]

        [What they have done with us, the ones who have sworn to 
him, has been harsh at times, but no worse than how they treat any 
other apprentice.  I think we deserve better treatment, but it 
is...evenhanded.  Predictable.  One can stay out of trouble.]  Far 
off in her tent, Merana frowned.  [But for the unfortunates who 
have been made da'tsang...unending punishment without purpose 
or ceasing.  They are punished for being punished.  Something 
must be done.]

         Egwene nodded, then remembered Merana couldn't see it.  [I 
will do something.  I'll talk to Amys about it.  I should be able to 
get them to hand them over to us.  They are our problem, our 
people.]  She paused.  [Are you sure that...]

        [He is ta'veren, but we were not compelled.  We have agreed 
of our own free wills to serve him.  Even Bera and Kiruna agreed 
our oath was binding.  Regardless of the circumstances.  We must 
keep him alive, even though I think he no longer desires to live.]

        [WHAT?]

        Merana nodded to the air, then was glad she had a small tent 
to herself.  [I have seen men brought to the Tower and gentled.  
They had more joy in life than he does.  Never have I seen a man 
so grim and unhappy.  Only when the woman, Min, is with him 
does he seem to soften at all, to have any life to him.  He is 
miserable, and I don't know what to do about it, what anyone can 
do about it.  He is hard and bitter and headstrong.  And so lonely.  
And if Alanna dies...]

        Egwene blinked.  [What does Alanna have to do with it?  No, 
don't answer that.  She bonded him, and if a warder's Aes Sedai 
dies...]  She crumpled the piece of paper she had been pretending 
to read.  [He'll probably just curl up and die.  Or possibly balefire 
an entire city trying to bring her back.  She must pass the bond.  
She will.  And soon.]

        [To who?]

        [Elayne.]  Egwene ripped the paper apart, not even thinking 
about what her hands were doing.  [Then I will set Alanna 
to...something.  Something horrible.  Has Rand been told of the 
danger?]

        [She will not listen to us, and Rand hasn't done anything 
about it.]

        [Does he actually KNOW the danger?]  Little bits of paper 
rained to the ground.  Egwene felt a stab of pain in her head.  
Another damnable headache, she thought.  

        [He hasn't made her...Umm...good question.]

        Egwene would have smashed something if anything had been 
handy.  "Chesa."  [As soon as you return, you must tell him.  I 
will contact Elayne.  We must do this as soon as possible.  Now, 
we must plan what to tell the Hall.]

        Chesa stuck her head in the door.  "Yes, Mother?"

        "Find Halima.  I have another headache coming on."

        "Yes, Mother."  She darted off.

**********

        "I'm not exactly an expert at prophecies,"  Ukyou said to 
Nene Sedai.  

        Nene shrugged.  "You knew what a shamrock was.  That's 
more than any of us did.  Even wild guesses might set me down a 
new track."

        Ukyou nodded and leaned back in the chair.  "Well, the first 
part is pretty obvious.  You can't do good by evil means.  
Otherwise, you 're not any better than whoever you're fighting.  
And I know too much about veiled hearts turning to stone.  But 
that's another story.  Dunno about the madness, stuff, though.  
Maybe the male Aes Sedai all have to go mad before you can cure 
the Taint or something."

        Nene shuddered.  "I hope not."

        "Now, the next bit, that's Shakespeare.  Although what 
Hamlet has to do with anything, I dunno."

        "Shakespeare?"

        "He's a playwright."

        "A what?"

         Ukyou boggled.  "Don't you know what a play is?"

         "A what?"

         "I thought you people knew stuff."

         Nene's voice was a touch frosty.  "If I knew everything, I 
wouldn't have any questions about this prophecy, now would I?"

         "A play is like a script for a group of actors to perform a 
play.  Okay, that was recursive.  A play is when people act out a 
story, taking on the roles and acting like the characters in it."

        "I've heard vaguely of such things, but never seen one."

        "Anyway, this Shakespeare guy, he wrote a play called 
Hamlet where this prince's dad gets waxed by this dude who 
marries his mother.  Or something like that.  Anyway, he isn't sure 
the guy really killed his father, so he stages a play to see how the 
King reacts to a situation similar to what he thinks has happened.  
And he pretends to be mad so no one will realize what he's up to.  
Hey, maybe that's the madness thing?"

        "The Horse, the Cloud and the Hunter?"

        "Umm..."  Ukyou frowned, feeling like she was missing 
something obvious.  "The Hunter..you should ask a gleeman.  
He'd probably know."

         "And Evening's Lady?"

         "Well, a lady of the evening is a whore, but I doubt that's 
what they mean."

          Nene laughed faintly.  "Probably not.  It would be rather 
undignified."

         "Now the bit about having to pass through the night...maybe 
Evening's Lady had a really lousy life.  So she knows something 
he needs to hear.  Or something.  Or maybe she's supposed to 
stage a play for him.  Whoever she is."

         Nene nodded.

         Ukyou leaned forward, thinking.  "Now, I'm gonna bet that 
the Stone is a Veiled Heart.  The one the Shamrock shatters.  
Yeah.  So, like the Evening's Lady has to put on some play the 
Hunter knows for the Lord of the Morning, whoever the hell that 
is, so that some...only how would a plant shatter a heart...ahh, the 
Shamrock has to like be a symbol of some person.  Maybe they 
use a leaf as their heraldic sign?"

        "The Lord of the Morning is one of the titles of the Dragon 
Reborn,"  Nene said quietly.  "This could be a warning he is in 
danger of sinking into darkness."

         Ukyou really didn't like the sound of that.  Calm, she 
thought.  Don't panic.  I made that wish to think clearly; let's think 
clearly.  "Right.  Then the Shamrock is Min."

         "Who?"

         "His girlfriend.  Has to be.  And...aha!  The Cloud and the 
Horse are Akane and Ranm...Ranko!  Akane's family name means 
'Cloud' and Ranko's name means 'Crazy Horse'.  More or less.  
But I still have no idea who the Hunter is."

        "We draw closer, yet we still lack several keys."

        "Wait...Shamrocks are green...that might have some 
relevance.  A member of the...no, it has to be Min.  I think."

        "I will send for food.  I know several other prophecies; 
perhaps you can puzzle out some meanings as well."
 
**********

       That night, Ukyou took herself to Tel'aran'rhiod to make an 
experiment.  She could hear an argument going on, which startled 
her; she was used to being all alone.  Two people were arguing in 
the Amyrlin's tent.  She decided not to spy; this was more 
important.

       Take me to the shamrock, she thought, closing her eyes.  
When she opened them, she was standing in a field of them.  
Taking a few seconds to bang her head against a tree, she thought, 
take me to the Hunter.  

        The world flickered, and she found herself in a huge camp.  
Hundreds of people must have been camped there.  It was hard to 
tell because the tents kept appearing and vanishing.  According to 
what LINA had taught her, it mean that whatever was there, it 
wasn't very permanent; things took a while to really solidify in 
Tel'aran'rhiod.

      The Hunter must be camped here with some people, she 
thought.  Probably on his way somewhere.  They were in 
farmlands in gentle hills; it could have been virtually anywhere.  
This was only marginally more useful than snorting beans through 
her nose.  

      "Halt.  Who are you?"  a female voice said from behind her.

      She started in shock, then stared at the trio of women 
confronting her.  They looked vaguely familiar.  Two were garbed 
as Aes Sedai, and the third was dressed as an Aiel; two red heads 
and one with long black hair in a braid.  A braid.  Memories of a 
visited dream filled her mind.  "You're Nynaeve," she said, 
looking at the short dark haired woman.  "And you're Elayne."  
She said, pointing to the woman in a dress.  "And you're..."  She 
thought hard.  "Big spear...killed Trollocs..."

         The Aiel woman blinked.  "What?"

         "Aviendha.  That's what Rand called you.  After you killed 
all the Trollocs."

         The confusion level was mounting among the trio 
confronting her.  "I killed all the Trollocs?"

         "So, like, do Aiel really let a man have multiple wives?"

         "Sometimes two women who have become first-sisters,"  
Aviendha glanced over at Elayne, "decide to share a man, rather 
than let him come between them.  But who are you?"

        Lights went on in Ukyou's head now that she was thinking 
through all this.  "Ahah!  So like, you're the Elayne that 
Ranm...Ranko knew in the Tower."  She paused.  "I knew that.  
Really."  She turned to Nynaeve.  "So did you really...oh.  Who I 
am.  I'm Ukyou Kuonji, Ranko's Warder and Fiancee."

        It was mass boggle time.  Their clothing all flickered briefly, 
before settling back into the outfits they had been wearing on 
arrival.  Finally, Elayne said, "The fiancee she used to talk about 
when she got drunk?"

        "The other fiancee,"  Ukyou said, laughing.  "The only one, 
now."  

        "I thought she went back to her...her world,"  Elayne said.

        "We accidentally left someone behind who we had to come 
back for.  Okay, here's the whole story."

**********

        "Anyway, so after talking to Nene Sedai about this prophecy, 
I decided to check out some stuff.  The Shamrock idea didn't 
work, so I tried the Hunter and ended up here.  Got any hunters 
with you?"

        The trio looked at each other, then Aviendha said, "I've done 
a lot of hunting.  I doubt anyone else except the Warders has 
hunted."

       Nynaeve looked over at Elayne questioningly, and Elayne 
said, "Maybe my warder.  Birgette.  Yes, she's named after the 
heroine of the story."

        What story?  Ukyou wondered.  "I can't think of what Ranko 
and Akane would ask anyone in this camp, though.  She was 
pretty disappointed she wouldn't get to see you, though."

        "I'm sure we'll meet again,"  Elayne said.  "And if she knows 
how to Travel, she can easily come visit me."

        "Yeah, she does.  All I do is walk around in T'A'R and have 
these weird dreams that don't make any sense.  And wander into 
people's dreams, but I'm getting better at not doing that.  I 
wandered into this REALLY weird dream of Ranko's you three 
were in.  And Min too.  That's where you killed ALL the Trollocs, 
Aviendha, with one spear thrust."

       Aviendha laughed.  "I scarcely know her, but I see I made a 
good impression."

       "I'm still trying to figure out this shamrock thing, though."

       "Sham...oh, the prophecy, you mean?"

       "Yeah.  It's like got to be Min, but...I can't see why.  I mean, 
it's like not a very good symbol for her.  Unless maybe she's 
Irish."

        "Why would it be Min?"  Elayne asked.

         "'Cause she's his girlfriend."  They stared blankly at her.  
"His lover.  I mean, if ANYONE would be able to get through to 
his heart, it would have to be her.  Hmm...the club suit looks like a 
shamrock...no, that makes no sense."

         Elayne and Aviendha's faces both flushed and their eyes 
widened.  "She...what?"

        "Oh, you didn't know?  Yeah, she and Rand have been 
like...well, together all the time I've been around.  Although he's 
gone a lot, but she's been using the time to figure out how to stop 
the Dark One."

         They all stared at her.

        "This philosopher guy, he got waxed because he was trying 
to figure out how to stop the Dark One, and now she's trying to 
put his research together.  She's pretty smart.  It's too bad she can't 
channel, although Galina and her crew probably would have done 
something pretty horrible to her if she could when they kidnapped 
her and Rand."

        "They what?"  All three of them were staring at her.

        "Didn't you hear?  Some of Elaida's Aes Sedai locked Rand 
in a box and tortured him and Min every day for a week and tried 
to take them to the White Tower to kill him.  Or maybe just still 
him.  Anyway, Perrin and his army and the Ash'aman blew them 
to bits and killed a bunch of Shaido along the way."  She trailed 
off when she realized they all looked horrified, especially Elayne.  
"So I'm not surprised Rand's kinda paranoid.  He's got good 
reason.  I'd probably be exploding the head of every Aes Sedai in 
sight if I'd been through that.  Not that I could."

        "They put him in a BOX and tortured him?  But...the 
Oaths..."  Elayne was twitching in the chair she had made for 
herself and her clothing kept flickering into being armor.  
Aviendha looked enraged.  Nynaeve was frowning fit to kill and 
tugging her braid so hard she looked like she might pull it off.  

        "Won't stop you tying someone up and beating them with a 
stick.  I guess they used a stick.  I wasn't there,"  Ukyou said 
quietly.

        "They have NO HONOR!"  Aviendha shouted, then looked a 
little embarrassed at her loss of control.  "How did they capture 
him?"

        "I'm not sure, but now Rand won't hardly let any Aes Sedai 
near him who isn't sworn to obey him.  There's a dozen or so of 
those.   One of them bonded him at some point...what's her name.  
Alanna."

         Elayne nearly exploded.  "SHE WHAT?"  For a moment, 
she was clad all in yellow leather, looking a bit like a female 
Robin Hood, complete with bow.  "I'll...I'll...HOW DARE SHE?"

        Ukyou gulped.  "I dunno when it happened.  Her name is 
Alanna."

        Elayne was briefly limned in fire, which quickly went out.  
Then she began to shine to Ukyou's attuned sight.  Her chi flared 
brightly with her rage.  Ukyou dove instinctively; it looked way 
too much like the build up to the Shishi Hokodan or some other 
nasty attack.  "I'll KILL HER!"  She vanished.

        Ukyou sprung to her feet.  "Why is she freaking so badly?"  
Her brain filled in the gaps a few seconds later.  "Oh.  I'll get her."

        It was easy to find Elayne with T'A'R.  She was in Cairhien, 
in a room that was probably Alanna's quarters, Ukyou guessed.  
She was busily reducing a bed to flinders and sobbing.  Ukyou 
said quietly, "You love him."

         "The Dark One's Liver and Bloody Ashes!"  She screamed a 
bunch more strange things Ukyou guessed were efforts at cursing, 
but sounded a lot like she was randomly connecting adjectives and 
nouns.  "How could he let her do this?"

         She walked over to Elayne.  "Maybe he didn't have a choice.  
I mean, I let Ranko bond me, but I couldn't have stopped her.  
And it's not like he's with her.  He's Min's boyfriend."  That was 
not the ideal way to comfort her, Ukyou realized a few seconds 
later. 

          "I'll make her pass the bond to me!  And then I'll have 
Gareth Bryne EXECUTE HER!"  Her fists were clenching and 
unclenching.  

         Ukyou felt a presence.  They followed, she thought.  
Glancing, she saw it was Aviendha and Nynaeve.  Nynaeve drew 
Ukyou aside, while Aviendha knelt down and began whispering 
quietly to her.  Ukyou took Nynaeve by the hand and jumped 
them both to what had been his quarters at Cairhien.  "I'm sorry.  I 
didn't realize she...I mean, Ranko never really flat out said she...I 
thought she was the one who gave up on him."

         "That was Egwene, the Amyrlin."  Nynaeve frowned.  "Does 
no one from your world have any tact?"

        "So, like, if she loves him, why doesn't she ever come see 
him?  He needs all the love he can get,"  Ukyou said.  "I mean, he 
could give Ryouga lessons in how to be depressed some days." 

         "She's been busy,"  Nynaeve said, frowning.  "We have 
more things to do than to hare after fool men.  We are Aes Sedai."

        "She can cross a continent in five seconds and she can't spare 
a half hour a night?  I mean...she's gonna lose him to Min if she 
hasn't already if she doesn't, like...see him."  He stared at the 
ground.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to cause trouble, I just...I 
wanted to fill you all in on what was going on."  She thought a 
moment.  "Oh, I know something I bet will cheer her up."

        "What?"

        Ukyou smiled.  "Just follow me."

        They soon reached the room.  Elayne had finished crying and 
was trying to pull herself together.  Aviendha sat by her, talking 
quietly.  They both looked up.  Ukyou said, "Well, I see I could 
have handled that a little more subtly.  But I do have one piece of 
good news.  Moiraine is alive."

        Aviendha's eyes widened.  "But she...we saw her die."

        "But her bond to Lan was severed!"  Nynaeve said.  "She had 
to die for that to happen.  Or be stilled."

        "Dunno about that, but Alyssa saw her.  When she went to 
bargain with the Foxes.  If we can figure out some way to get an 
actual rescue team in there to get her out, we're gonna, but since 
the door separates everyone who goes in, it's kinda on the back 
burner.  Rand's been thinking about it."

         "That's wonderful,"  Elayne said, perking up.

         "I have toh to her,"  Aviendha said quietly.  "I will help her."

        "I gotta help her,"  Ukyou said.  "The Snakes told me I gotta 
learn some game from her to stop Mesaana."

         Nynaeve stared.  "Mesaana is after you?"

         "Not yet, but the Snakes told me that I'm gonna have to play 
her to save a bunch of people from being kidnapped."  She 
slapped her forehead.  "Geez, I feel like a moron.  They told me 
how to get in to find her!  I gotta go to the Tower of Ghenji.  
Wherever...hmm.  I suppose it would be easy to find it here by 
just thinking about it.  I've gotten so distracted with other things, I 
forgot."

        Aviendha nodded.  "The night is still young.  We should get 
Egwene.  She will want to join the hunt."

        "We should scout tonight.  I think Ranko will want to come."

        "Is she a Dreamer too?"  Elayne asked.  "Wait...how are you 
here?"

       "I just have the knack,"  Ukyou said.  "But...oh bugger.  
Alyssa and Kaneda took the two ter'angreal for entering T'A'R.  
Ranko needs one, and...how are we gonna get Moiraine out once 
we get into the Tower?"

        Nynaeve said quietly, "There are weaves which will open a 
portal from here to the real world allowing passage in the flesh.  
The Wise Ones say it is evil, but I do not see that we have a 
choice.  I am never sure how much to really believe of what they 
say."

        "I can ask LINA.  And Amys is at the camp with us.  She 
may be able to tell me.  Now, the Snakes said we need music, 
iron, and fire to defeat the Foxes.  I can handle the iron," she 
brandished her spatula, "and you people can do fire, but I dunno 
where we would get music...oh wait, Lori can play the flute."

        "Thom,"  Elayne said.  "I wish he wasn't still in Ebou Dar.  I 
hope he and Mat are okay."

        "And Olvar,"  Aviendha said.  "Poor boy."

        "No good way to get ahold of them,"  Nynaeve said.  "This 
Lori person...is she a gleeman?"

        "No, she's a member of the Hall.  Ranko says she is almost as 
strong as Egwene and you, Elayne.  But not quite.  But she plays 
the flute pretty well."  

        "Ask her if she will help,"  Aviendha said.  "And ask Egwene 
for us.  And now...let's go scout."  

       Ukyou wrapped his color changing cloak around himself.  
"Let's."  They joined hands and travelled as one.  

        They stood amongst barren hills, staring at a huge spire that 
rose up from the ground, smooth granite without an entrance.  It 
rose into the dark clouds far above which obscured much of the 
sky.  It was huge, hundreds of feet across, and there was simply 
no way into it they could see.

        "No door,"  Elayne said.

        "What brilliant powers of observation you have,"  Nynaeve 
said, tugging her braid.  "What sort of idiot builds a building with 
no doors?"

        "Maybe they don't feel the need to leave,"  Ukyou said.  "Or 
maybe the door is just hidden.  Can you like do some Aes Sedai 
Dispel Invisibility spell?"

       "Egwene has an affinity for Earth,"  Elayne said.  "She could 
tell more than I."

        Ukyou could tell from the look on Nynaeve's face that she 
was either channeling or having an LSD flashback.  "It's resisting 
my probe.  The flows just flow off it like it was..."  She frowned.  
"It would be an awfully small stedding...maybe it's heartstone?"

         "It can't be a stedding; people channel inside it."  Ukyou 
said.  

         Ukyou felt his arms prickle.  Something was coming.  
"Trouble," she said.  "Big trouble.  Incoming!"  He spun to look 
across the countryside, whipping his mega-spatula off his back.  
Chink.  The arrow was fast, but he was faster.

         It was a man, far off across the hills.  More arrows came.  
Chink.  Chink.  Chink.  Then he was behind the archer with a 
thought.  The man vanished, and Ukyou gave chase.  Across a 
dozen spots, most of them wilderness, they flitted, until finally, 
the man vanished completely.  Ukyou frowned and returned to the 
Aes Sedai, who were standing in a triangle watching all 
directions.  "Dammit, he got away.  Must have woken up."

        Nynaeve frowned.  "Next time, we'll be ready."

        "You saved us from those arrows.  He was shooting at us, not 
you,"  Aviendha said.  "I have toh to you."

        "I SHOULD have caught him.  I didn't really do much,"  
Ukyou said, frowning out across the hills.  "What's 'toh', 
anyway?"

        "A debt of honor,"  Elayne said.  "We should go get some 
sleep now, but tomorrow, we will meet again and make more 
plans.  I will think on this."

        Ukyou stared out across the hills.  "I sure hope this guy was 
NOT the Hunter from the prophecy."

        "I doubt it,"  Nynaeve said.  "If Elayne can make another 
ter'angreal fast enough, we will see about bringing her warder.  
She knows...She is useful for this sort of thing."

         Ukyou nodded.  "See you tomorrow."  

**********

       Egwene was not a happy camper the next morning.  Amys 
had not been open to the suggestion that the da'tsang be handed 
over to the Tower.  The entire conversation had turned into a 
disaster; Amys had gotten mad as soon as she learned that 
Egwene knew; she had a bad feeling that Merana was going to 
suffer for this.  She was tempted to forestall that by keeping 
Merana here, but Merana would do the Tower more good with 
Rand than here.  I just wish the Mind Touch could reach all the 
way to Cairhein, she thought.  I need a means of faster 
communications; I need to get one of those farspeakers.  Several, 
really.

       Irritation contorted her face into a hideous mask.  Why was 
Amys being so stubborn?  How could Rand let Aes Sedai be 
tortured?  Was he that angry with...she remembered Merana's 
words.  He was a man with no joy, no apparent reason to live but 
duty.  If only I could talk to Min, to him, to... It was not possible.  
She was shackled in place; he could not come to her; she could 
not come to him.  Why was he so miserable?  Rand had never 
been a light hearted scamp like Mat, but he had never been sunk 
in misery, either.  How many men could rule four countries and be 
miserable, she thought.  When so many men spend all their time 
seeking more power.  Then she thought about her own position 
and it made a little more sense.  Still, I'm not miserable.  
Desperate sometimes, and I have days where I feel like a hunted 
badger, but still...

       Looking back, she could see some of it.  He had become 
increasingly grim during the whole trip to the Waste, the conquest 
of Cairhien, all of it.  Before that, even, but still...If Mat could 
take the pressure and still be happy, he ought to.  She laughed.  I 
never thought I'd hold up Mat as a model of behavior to someone.

       Sheriam stuck her head in the door.  "May I ask what is so 
funny, Mother?"

       "I was just thinking about a friend."

       Sheriam nodded.  "I suppose you and Ranko had a nice chat?"

       "I can't believe she actually fell in love with a guy.  After all 
her talk of how she would never fall in love with one."  Egwene 
laughed.  "Hmm.  Now there's an interesting puzzle.  If someone 
who has sworn the Oaths said that 'I will never love again', would 
the Oath against lying prevent them from ever loving again?"

       "Good question.  The Hall is waiting to receive the Embassy, 
Mother.  Are you ready?"

       "If Chesa ever comes back with my clean shawls, yes.  I 
should have done it myself with the Power."  She sighed.  "At 
least she didn't run off like the others."

        Chesa ran in with an armload of shawls, breathing heavily.  
"I'm sorry, Mother.  I had them cleaned last night, but somehow 
they got dirty again.  My apologies, Mother."  She grabbed one 
off the top.  "And then I couldn't...anyway, let's get you ready."

**********

End Part Ten