A New Player in the Game (Wheel of Time)

[Teebs]

As usual all speech in italics is in the Old Tongue.

Chapter XXX - An Unexpected Guest

After days of intense training Taija could see that the group were starting to flag, despite their rapid improvement, so she gave them a day off. The kind of training they were doing was exhausting and everyone needed rests sometimes.

The girls were off exploring Tear and Nynaeve had said something about finding a wisdom, whatever that was. Aleksi had also said he wanted to speak to a blacksmith and so only Rand was with Taija in one of the inn's private dining rooms when a serving girl opened the door looking slightly glassy eyed. "Mistress, you have a guest."

Before Taija could reply she stepped aside and Tel walked in, blue eyes coldly surveying the room. Taija was already moving, standing so fast that her chair was thrown over backwards, embracing saidar to the point of pain. Rand was a bit slower to react, looking between her and Tel in confusion.

Tel quickly held his hands out, palms out, "I'm just here to talk Taija, I don't want to fight."

She could blast him with everything she had, but she was in the middle of a city. Something he'd surely considered. Their last fight told her that even with her angreal she wouldn't have enough of an advantage in strength to quickly beat him and she didn't want to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds or thousands of innocent Tairens as they fought each other. Rand might be able to help, if he could actually get his channeling under control, but at that point he wasn't skilled or mobile enough to be anything more than a liability.

"What do you want Tel?" Taija's voice was flat, emotionless. She wouldn't, couldn't let him know how much it hurt to see him like this, but underneath that the yawning hole that had been ripped through her was bubbling with anger.

Rand took another second to work things out and then went for his sword, the idiot. Tel no more than glanced at him and he was frozen in place. Taija considered cutting him free, but Tel wasn't hurting him and she didn't want to trigger the fight unless she had to.

Tel's voice oozed contempt when he spoke to Rand. "I'm not here for you today Lews Therin. Count yourself lucky for that, now sit in the corner and keep quiet like a good boy."

"What do you want Tel?" Taija repeated herself, pulling his attention back to her. "I've got nothing to say to you."

Tel's eyes flicked back to Taija looking her in a strange mixture of possessiveness and contempt. Her stomach clenched, they were so cold and hard and that hideous scar sliced across his face… "I want to help you Taija, I'm sorry I ran away last time, but I was shocked, surprised when I should have been delighted." His voice was smooth, as powerful as it ever was, the same voice that had wowed fans and impressed TV hosts, but oddly emotionless. He certainly didn't sound delighted. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since then and I've been trying to find you. I'm worried about you and I want to help you."

"How can you possibly help me? You joined the Forsaken, you can't help anyone, not even yourself." What more could she say than that?

He shrugged, dismissing her words like they were nothing, "it was a different time. You don't understand how it was, you weren't there."

"No of course, it was so very difficult for you that you became a mass murderer and betrayed every principle we had. Sure." Taija didn't even try to keep the biting sarcasm out of her voice and it rose with anger as she went on. "Now what? You think you can come here and I'll fall over myself with delight at your presence? Give me a smile and I'll flutter my eye lashes and leap back into your arms?"

He looked a little shocked at her vehemence and then collected himself with a slight smirk. "You always were passionate Taija, it was one of the things I liked about you. But no, I don't expect you to do that. As I said, you don't understand how it was, but I want you to understand because then I can help you, give you the chance to survive."

She glanced over at Rand, he was still ok. "You want me to understand? Go ahead, explain the inexplicable. I've experienced enough 'miracles' since my alleged death," her tone made it clear how happy she felt about those miracles, "what's one more?"

Tel ignored Taija's sarcasm and started talking, suddenly he sounded almost earnest. She hated it. "Like I said, you don't understand, you weren't there. The Light was falling apart, you know that, but it only got worse after you were gone. Lews Therin was denying me at every turn. Hoarding troops to sate his own desire for glory, but that I could perhaps forgive. What I could never forgive was the way his behaviour got you killed, he ripped the only thing I truly cared about away from me with his gloryhounding."

Taija wanted to interrupt, to tell him how ridiculous he sounded, tell him that if he'd really cared about her he'd never have joined the Shadow. But he kept talking and she kept listening in fascinated horror to this man who she'd asked to marry her only months ago, who'd changed so much that she barely recognised him.

"I kept on fighting of course, giving everything for a dying cause. I kept on trying to fight for more unified command, for centralisation and efficiency and I was blocked at every turn. I led my armies, fought on the front lines and watched my men die. Die pointlessly just like you died, while others bickered and put all of their effort into avoiding making any personal sacrifice at all." The coldness in his eyes and earnestness in his voice had been replaced with anger, spittle flecking his lips. "Every day I fought and every day I was rejected. Lews Therin took resources, troops and glory. Bureaucrats and politicians who'd never even seen a shocklance hoarded whatever they could get their hands on. The system wasn't working and so few people could see it. Every action I took to fix it was stymied, Lews Therin was key to that, if he'd worked with me then perhaps it could have been saved, but he wouldn't." He shot a hate-filled glance at Rand. "And all the way through this I have to work with, to obey orders from, the man who's responsible for your death. Of course he didn't kill you himself, but he as good as, all so that he could preen for the cameras one more time!"

That was too much. "You sound like Mierin when she talks about me! You're obsessing over a fantasy version of a man who's been dead for three thousand years and his imagined slights to you, just like she does with me. I was there, I knew Lews Therin. Yes he was a pompous arse, but he was on the same side as you and he was a good man!"

Anger flashed into Tel's voice at her interruption. "My heart was ripped out the day you died and it was Lews Therin's fault! Him and Ishamael! You think I could keep going through that? I didn't think so, but I did. For two long years I did, watching everything just get worse and worse while I stood there alone, without you..." He seemed surprised at his words for a second before he gathered himself.

"That's when I started to think about how I could really make a difference. The Light rejected me, took away the thing I most cared about in the world and left me trying to save a fundamentally broken system. The Light was going to lose, that much was clear and the Shadow would remake the world in its own image."

He took a breath, returning to that strange, cold tone. "The world was falling apart. Balefire ripping holes in the pattern itself, vortexes of black nothingness tearing through our world. That was when I first spoke to the Shadow. Both sides were using it. Lews Therin and a full circle of 72 obliterated an entire army of shadowspawn with balefire using the Infinity Chalice. The retaliation from the Shadow burnt an entire city out of the pattern." He shook his head, "you can't imagine what it was like then. It was worse than anything we'd seen in the earlier days of the War, the very pattern unravelling around us. I knew it needed to stop or there'd be nothing at all left, Light or Shadow. So I made discrete contacts with some of the Chosen, exerted my own political power with the Light and we came to an agreement. It was never written down or even openly acknowledged, but both sides stopped using balefire. That was when I realised the truth, the Shadow promised a worse life than the Light, that was undeniable, but you could work with it, shape it."

Taija couldn't even muster a sarcastic comment to that. She was horrified by what he was telling her, but it wasn't the Tel she knew. How could he be so stupidly, blindly, wilfully ignorant? So horrible?

"By then it was clear that the Light was doomed and the choice was dying pointlessly or having the opportunity to make things better within the Shadow. Better to have some survive and work to rebuild a better system under me than to watch everything be extinguished by trolloc hordes. Oh I kept fighting for a while longer, but I already knew deep down what I had to do…" His eyes flashed and he glanced again at Rand. "It also offered me revenge. I could make Lews Therin pay for what he did to you, but just as importantly I could get access to Ishamael, make him pay for that too. Even Lanfear for what she did." A sneer twisted his face, accentuating that horrible scar. "Then I would become nae'blis and be able to preserve something of humanity so that it could be rebuilt and become something better than our failed system." His rant came to an end and he stood in front of her, painfully hard and emotionless.

"I can see you've had a great deal of success with those goals," Taija got her anger back under control enough to keep her voice dry. "The Light survived, so did Ishamael and now you're stuck here in a medieval shithole. I suppose you did at least help Lews Therin on his way, although I'm not sure the billions who died during the Breaking would thank you for it. Did you dance with trollocs in Adanza's ruins too? Or was that one of your friends amongst the 'Chosen' and you just took the time to spit on my empty grave afterwards?"

Her words must have hit home because rage flashed across his face. "I fought the Shadow in Adanza after everyone else had fled! I left that city exhausted, surrounded by walls of dead shadowspawn because I'd fought until I couldn't fight any more and fucking Lews Therin decided it wasn't a strategic priority!"

Taija furiously resisted the way her eyes wanted to fill with water at the thought of her home left in shadowspawn infested ruins. "And that convinced you the right thing to do was to go and do that to someone else's city? What was the Shadow's price? How many millions did you kill? How many other cities burnt? And for what? Nothing! Your own ridiculous delusions!"

He ignored her words. "Taija, join me. The Light is doomed. You've seen what this time's people are like, the jokes that they call aes sedai. Together we can replace the lunatics that make up the rest of the Chosen. Make sure that when the world is remade it's remade in our image, rule it together to preserve what we can. No more fighting, no more politics, just the two of us, together like we were always meant to be." He stretched out his hand to her. "Come with me Taija, be with me again."

Taija met his eyes, looking into their cold, dead blue. After a moment she laughed. It was a dead, empty, hollow sound completely lacking in humour. She wasn't even tempted. "Tel, you're pathetic. You come here saying you're giving me one last chance and then use it to try to justify yourself, justify why you've done things you know can't be justified. What do you want from me? For me to say I understand and it was the right thing to do?" She'd lost the struggle to keep her voice under control. "Well I don't and it wasn't and I never will!"

"Taija," he sounded resigned, "you do know what your future is if you don't come with me? Together we could save the world, apart… If you're lucky you'll be dead in months, if you're unlucky you'll end up as one of Graendal or Rahvin's playthings."

The boiling rage inside her flared ever brighter, "well I'm glad to see you have such respect for the woman you want to rule at your side's capabilities."

His voice softened, "come on Taija, if you want to live you need me. If you want anything of humanity to survive you need to work with me. It's inevitable otherwise. You're not equipped to survive in this Age. You're already making mistakes, Falme, me being able to find you here. Sooner or later you'll make one you can't fight your way out of." His eyes softened briefly, a tiny reminder of what she once had before the Creator cursed her to survive, then the cold hardness overwhelmed them again. "Join me and together we can make things better. Otherwise you'll be dead in six months, if you're lucky. I don't rejoice in it, that's not a threat. In honour of what we had I won't help them get to you, but I've known you for fifteen years. I know you too well, every weakness you have and you can't survive. Not here."

Taija looked up into those familiar, yet alien eyes. "You say you knew me that well after fifteen years. Are you sure? Because I thought the same and then I found I didn't know you at all. I arrived in this time with nothing but memories and now you come to spit on those too!"

"Taija please, be reasonable, you don't you understand…"

She cut him off staring straight at him, her words those of a judge pronouncing sentence. "Tel Janin Aellinsar is dead. I loved him and I will remember him. You are Sammael and I have no interest in speaking to a man who could never be loved and will soon be forgotten."

There was a moment of stunned silence. Sammael didn't seem to know what to say, his face completely expressionless.

Taija drew on saidar and started to spin balefire, making the web slow and obvious. She wasn't sure she could actually make herself kill him, but when Sammael saw the flickering light start to form his eyes widened and he opened a gateway, she didn't really care where to. A moment later he was gone.

Immediately Taija slumped, exhaustion hitting her. She wanted to cry, to rage, to destroy something, but inside she felt like a hollowed out shell. Nothing at all except a yawning pit of emptiness.

She looked dully at Rand and sliced the invisible web holding him, he'd be fine, Sammael hadn't hurt him. Not like he'd hurt her.

"T t that was Tel…" He wasn't really asking, but she nodded nevertheless.

"Yes it was Sammael." She was already heading for the door, right now she needed to be alone, she couldn't face talking to anyone. Everyone who could really understand had been dead for millennia, no doubt in part because of Sammael.

Then Rand spoke again, his voice somehow different, more pompous, smoother, "you should have never let him into your heart, the man was always going to betray you. From the very first time he set foot in the Hall of Servants all he wanted was power and glory."

It took Taija a second to fully process the words before she turned and look at Rand through dull eyes. "I thought you were a better man Rand. Not just a reflection of Lews Therin, but a kinder man who might be able to unify where he pushed people apart. But sometimes you're just as thoughtlessly cruel as he could be."

She had nothing else she wanted to hear or say from him right then. Taija channeled and stepped through a gateway straight to her room.

 

[Chloe Sullivan]

Pretty sure that was Lews speaking, there. But Taija was understandably in no mood to be charitable.

 

[TheBarrometer]

omg early Lews saying things through Rand??? The madness train starts!

 

[Darth-Vulturnus]

Welp, guess a potential Tel Janin redemption arc is off the table for now, but perhaps he'll come around as things continue.

Lews Therin continues to be an absolute jackass who's completely blind to his own faults and hypocrisies. Him possessing Rand continues to be my least favourite part of canon. Somehow, it's even worse than Rand's Elayne/Aviendha/Min harem, and that's its own travesty.

 

[Phyrexian]

Him possessing Rand continues to be my least favourite part of canon. Somehow, it's even worse than Rand's Elayne/Aviendha/Min harem, and that's its own travesty.

Click to shrink...

Spoiler: big Canon spoiler

Since getting healed from the madness immediately banished all thoughts and feelings of being Lews Therin, it was my impression that Rand was never possessed, but that the madness caused him to sometimes act and think as a person based on Lews Therin's inherited memories instead of his own. We've got Mat as a non-mad example of a reincarnation, and he never once had the impression he was (taken over by) another person that I recall.

 

[Darth-Vulturnus]

Spoiler: big Canon spoiler

Since getting healed from the madness immediately banished all thoughts and feelings of being Lews Therin, it was my impression that Rand was never possessed, but that the madness caused him to sometimes act and think as a person based on Lews Therin's inherited memories instead of his own. We've got Mat as a non-mad example of a reincarnation, and he never once had the impression he was (taken over by) another person that I recall.

Click to shrink...

I think you're technically correct on this one, but I'd also argue it's distinction without a difference when it comes to Rand. But that's just me and a word choice that perhaps had some unintended connotations.

 

[Phyrexian]

I think you're technically correct on this one, but I'd also argue it's distinction without a difference when it comes to Rand. But that's just me and a word choice that perhaps had some unintended connotations.

Click to shrink...

That's fair, I kinda focused on the wording seemingly as ascribing agency to a ghost of Lewis Therin, but you're correct that the effect on the story remains about the same.

 

[Teebs]

As usual all speech in italics is in the Old Tongue.

Interlude XI - A Decision

Tel was angry. No that wasn't true, he was more than angry. He was absolutely fucking livid. He turned on his heel and stalked back across his huge bedroom. That fucking bitch! He turned again. He'd been pacing all night, back and forth, his boots wearing a hole in the plush rug. How could she speak like that to him?!

He'd gone to her, risked himself to offer her a chance to live and she'd spat in his face. He couldn't stop striding back and forth. Whenever he stopped all he could see was her hard, empty eyes boring into his. He'd always loved the soft, deep dark pools of her eyes, but there'd been no softness there. He'd bared his heart, exposed himself to her and she'd thrown it back at him. He was Sammael, he justified himself to nobody!

Those final words echoed through his head "Tel Janin Aellinsar is dead. I have no interest in speaking to a man who could never be loved."

She was wrong! He'd seen what needed to be done and had acted when everyone else was too weak. It had been inevitable. He could remember Adanza, at the end. He'd been standing on a small hill in the centre of the People's Park, surrounded by the bodies of trollocs and myrddraal. Exhaustion nearly dragging him to his knees. His comrades either fled or dead. He'd already known the Light had lost by then.

He could remember Lews Therin telling him that he was letting Taija's death cloud his judgment. That Adanza wasn't a strategic priority and that he'd wasted forces defending it that were needed on other fronts. He'd thought of refusals from the south to even send reinforcements and wanted to burn the man out of existence, but he'd just stalked off then.

Focus on strategic reality. Said by a man who'd opposed his reforms at every turn. Don't let nostalgia cloud your judgment. Coming from a man who'd clung desperately to an outdated, failing system. The man who'd as good as killed Taija. He hadn't managed to kill Lews Therin back then, but he could still kill Lews Therin reborn.

The Light was doomed, she was tying herself to some foolish boy trying to claim the name of someone who, for all his faults, was more than some Third Age peasant could ever become.

Perhaps he should accelerate his plans. That would show her, show the world. He had contingency plans, he could kill Ishamael, any of the others that were capable of opposing him. In a week there'd be nobody left to oppose his rise to nae'blis! Then maybe he'd be able to stop seeing her disappointed face.

No, that was foolish. He had to admit, she'd gotten to him if he was even considering this. He ran his hand across his head. He needed to pull himself together. They called Be'lal the Netweaver, but he had his own nets to weave and he wasn't going to throw away years of work because that bitch had put him off balance.

He'd been shocked by how vehement her rejection had been. He hadn't really expected her to understand. He'd been telling the truth when he said if you weren't there you couldn't understand. She was never going to.

There was a niggling doubt bothering him though. One that he couldn't quite squash. Years spent together, she had a temper on her no question. When you pushed her far enough all the softness vanished, but he'd never seen her so angry, so devastated.

The utter disgust in her voice when she'd asked what he'd done to join the Shadow. It took his mind back to places he didn't like to go. The screams of his command staff, when he'd turned on them. The trollocs stacking corpses for the cookpots at Satelle afterwards. Armies of shadowspawn pillaging their way through cities as he stood above them.

But she didn't understand. Everything worthwhile had its price. He needed to preserve something, anything and she spat on the sacrifices that he'd made for the greater good.

The idiot woman didn't even care that she'd be dead in the next six months. He knew her well enough, for all her faults she was clever. She knew he was right. She was alone in the world, fighting desperately to save these barbarian peasants in a losing battle. The so-called aes sedai opposed her, because of course they did. She was left herding a bunch of children in some forlorn hope that they could win for the Light and she still threw his offer back in his face!

If she'd been there, had survived that townhall and he'd died she'd have done what he did. She'd have understood and made the journey to Shayol Ghul, she just got lucky!

No. He shook his head, his ever-moving strides still taking him back and forth across the room. He wasn't like some of the others, an idiot who'd tell himself comforting, arrogant lies. He knew his capabilities and those of his enemies. She'd have died spitting defiance, sooner or later, but she wouldn't have turned.

Maybe that would have been better, if he'd died and she'd lived? She'd have pushed on, fought on… It was ridiculous. Yes, she'd have done that and then she'd have died with honour, alone and pointlessly. He had survived and he would lead, he would preserve humanity under his leadership.

His boiling fury made him want to lash out, punish her, but he knew his limits. She clearly had an angreal and she was dangerous. She'd gotten under his skin. He needed to do something though, he couldn't let her get to him like this.

Fuck Ishamael and his plans. It was idiocy trying to turn the Dragon, it just gave the boy more time to become stronger.

That would do it. He would kill Lews Therin, burn him to ashes and then he would have had the first true step of his revenge.

She'd no doubt have moved them since his visit, but that was fine. He had his ways, unless she was a lot more on the ball than he expected, he'd have no trouble finding the boy.

She was right about one thing though. Tel Janin Aellinsar was dead. Sammael didn't smile, because Sammael never smiled. He did stop pacing though.

 

[Teebs]

As usual all speech in italics is in the Old Tongue.

Chapter XXXI - Thank the Light for Aleksi

When Taija woke up the next morning, all she could do for a while was stare at the wooden beamed ceiling. It felt too difficult to get out bed. She hadn't really felt ok since she worked out when she was, that she was three thousand years away from anything and anyone she'd known.

The crushing revelation of how Sammael had survived had ripped a hole through her psyche and his pathetic attempt at self-justification only widened it. How could she have been so stupid?! She couldn't even mourn what she'd lost now, he'd ruined that too. Everything was tainted. Every moment of love and joy.

Taija knew that she needed to keep going, but it was so hard. What was even the point? She didn't want to be looked up to by the girls. She was still furious with Rand even though really she knew he was just a kid. The aes sedai were a twisted perversion of her own beliefs. She was tired.

She needed equals, friends she could ask for help, who'd look after her just as much as she did them. Aleksi did his best, he really did, but the fact that she was relying on a twenty five year old farmer for emotional support, to hold herself together, illustrated the problem.

It would just be so much easier to just go and become a hermit in the mountains, or go to the Blight and kill shadowspawn until she couldn't fight anymore.

In the end what got Taija out of bed was the realisation that her thought processes were starting to sound like Sammel's 'explanations'. She'd die before she started to travel down his road.

So Taija hauled herself out of bed and achingly slowly got herself ready to go out. She'd thought she should keep training the others, but in the end she decided that she wasn't ready to face the girls or Rand. Not today. At least there was work she could set them to.

Taija grabbed Aleksi on her way out and told him that she needed to do some things outside Tear and that he and the others should arrange a move to a new inn with new names. If she'd been thinking straight she'd have moved last night as soon as Sammael left, but even if the best time to move was then, the second best time was now. She arranged to meet Aleksi later so he could tell her where they'd moved to.

Then Taija spun a gateway back to Falme. Sammael found her and she wasn't sure how. The most obvious explanation though is that he found out from someone in Falme. She wasn't likely to find any darkfriend spies, but it was possible that he got the information more directly. Taija didn't much like Moiraine, but she felt she needed to make sure that the woman was alright.

However, when Taija got to Falme Moiraine was nowhere to be found. In fact, the only people she recognised other than servants from the palace were some of the Shienarans that accompanied Rand from Cairhien. They were very respectful to her, but all they could tell her was that Moiraine left the day after she and the 'Dragon Reborn' did. If she had to guess, she'd probably either gone to Siuan or was looking for her in Tear. Either way a problem for another time. She'd check in on Siuan, but she and Moiraine had carefully not told her where the rebel aes sedai were based. Perhaps it was for the best.

=====

Back in Tear Taija met with Aleksi, changed her appearance and headed over to the new inn. Actually one of the girls had done a very solid job of spinning him a new identity, if she hadn't known he'd be there she'd never have recognised him. She'd have been proud if she had the mental energy for it.

Aleksi briefed Taija on her and the rest of the group's new identities on the way back to the inn. She took it in without saying much, just going through the motions.

By the time Taija got to the inn Aleksi was visibly worried about her. He was never great at hiding his feelings, but then neither was she.

Taija saw Rand, or at least someone who looked distinctly like his new disguise, in the common room when they entered the inn. As soon as he saw her with Aleksi he leapt to his feet. "Lady Gisel, I…"

Oh yes, that was her new name. At least he remembered that. Taija really couldn't face talking to Rand at that moment though so she just kept walking while Aleksi made an apologetic face at him.

When she'd been escorted to her room Taija thanked Aleksi, firmly shut the door and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling again. She knew she was being self-indulgent, that those kids needed leadership, but it was hard. She didn't want to be there, she didn't want to be in charge.

Around an hour later Taija heard a tentative knock on her door. She ignored it. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now, unfortunately whoever it was didn't seem to be going away. She heard another knock. A pause and then another, much less tentative.

When she didn't answer again the door handle rattled and the door swung open. Taija immediately embraced saidar, but released it when she saw it was just Aleksi. He stepped in past the threshold of the room, looking down at her. "Taija," his voice was gentle, "what's wrong?"

"Didn't Rand tell you?" She snapped. Unfairly defensive, but she couldn't help herself.

"No, he didn't. He's upset about something, but just told me it's none of my business." Aleksi came over to her bed, "now what's wrong? You look halfway between wanting to kill someone and wanting someone to kill you." He gave a weak chuckle at his own joke.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said. There was a tearing feeling in her chest where her heart should be, a painful tightness and suddenly she was twisting her mouth into a grimace as her eyes swam. She wouldn't cry, not over him and not in front of Aleksi. Taija forced a slow breath through a rib cage that didn't want to cooperate. "Please just… just leave me alone. I'll be fine in the morning Aleksi." She knew he could hear the roughness in her voice but forced a steady look at his face to convince him.

Aleksi sat down on the bed beside her. "Taija, I've known you longer than anyone else here. You are not fine." He enveloped her hand in his, calluses scraping her softer skin. "If you don't want to tell me then, don't tell me, but I'm your warder and you can trust me whatever happens."

Taija sat silently and rigidly for a long moment, fighting herself and a rising swell of emotion that could drown her if she let it. A single tear broke past her control and ran down her face and she gasped silently for one last breath to try to hold it in.

In the end she told him everything.

======

Rand was not enjoying life. The last few months had been bad enough, but now things just seemed to be getting worse.

He'd fought the Forsaken before and every time it had been a terrifying experience he'd barely survived. He'd even spoken with Ishamael, although that was in dreams. What he hadn't been was utterly helpless at the hands of one of them.

When Sammael had walked into the dining room… He'd barely acknowledged him, a child facing an adult man. A mere glance and he'd been blocked from the Power and wrapped in air like a lamb for the butcher. If he was actually the Dragon Reborn, and he had his doubts about that, he'd need to fight these people, to beat them and yet there he was failing at the first hurdle.

He hadn't understood what Taija and Sammael were saying to each other, at times it had felt like he almost could, but he didn't know how to speak the Old Tongue. He could see the hate filled looks Sammael had shot at him though and Taija's own face had shown her emotions like an open book.

She really wasn't like Moiraine or the other aes sedai he'd met. She didn't hide her emotions well at all and what he'd seen made his heart break for her. Disgust and revulsion, absolute fury too, but dominating it all was just devastation and pain.

He knew that and yet he'd made that idiotic comment to her afterwards. He didn't know where it came from, he didn't even know anything about Sammael, but he'd said it nonetheless.

It felt true, somehow he knew that, but he couldn't get the dead look in her eyes when she'd looked at him out of his head. The sheer disappointment and hurt in her voice when she said she'd thought he was kinder than that.

Sometimes he felt like she was the only person who really believed in him as a person. The one person who didn't care that he could channel. Those long conversations telling him that he was who he was, not just the Kinslayer reborn, that he could make his own destiny. That even if he was the Dragon Reborn, he could still be a better person than the Dragon had been.

Then there were her words, comparing him to the one person he desperately wanted to avoid becoming. Words coming from someone who'd known Lews Therin personally. He knew he needed to be strong, so he hadn't fled, but the words had penetrated to his core.

It had made it still worse when she'd just walked past him this evening in the inn's common room, not even acknowledging him. Nynaeve and Egwene certainly knew how to snub a man, but he'd never seen her do that to anyone before.

How could he have been so stupid? Why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut?! She must be absolutely furious and he wasn't sure what he could do to fix it.

So he sat morosely in the common room, sipping at a mug of ale and wondering if he should just climb the walls of the Stone of Tear and try to reach Callandor that night. At least then he'd have an answer.

Rand had just about decided that he'd finish his drink and then head for the Stone when someone's hand descended onto his shoulder. He jumped, groping for his sword before he realised it was just Aleski.

He looked up at Taija's warder, the slightly older man normally looked relaxed and cheerful, but today he seemed to be doing his best imitation of Lan. "Walk with me," Rand could almost hear the 'sheepherder' at the end of the sentence.

It didn't matter that Aleksi was nearly as odd a warder as Taija was an aes sedai, it seemed he could still be intimidating when he wanted to be. Rand hurriedly got out of the seat and followed the man out of the inn. He wasn't sure what Aleksi wanted, but he was sure he'd never seen him looking so grimly serious before.

They walked in silence for a while, until Rand broke it. "Is Taija alright?"

Aleksi paused and then sighed, letting out a great huff of air, some of the tension leaving his body. "Yes, she'll be alright, she's sleeping now." He hesitated, "why in the Light did you say that to her though?"

Rand thought briefly about denying it and then gave a sigh of his own. "I don't know, it just came out. Like I knew something about him, even though I'd never seen him before. It felt true, but I wasn't thinking."

"Clearly," Aleksi's voice was dry.

"I wish I knew what he'd said to her though. I don't think I've ever seen her so angry or so hurt and then…" his voice dropped. "I know I hurt her more."

"Look Rand, you need to understand what's going on." Aleksi ran his hand over his face, Rand knew he was only in his mid twenties, but for a moment he looked much older. "Whatever you think, I believe you're the Dragon Reborn. More importantly, I like you and Taija likes you."

Aleksi hesitated, glancing up at the night sky, before seeming to come to a decision. "If she finds out I told you she'll kill me… well probably not literally she's too nice but she'll be very angry. Still, I think you need to know, so that you can understand what she's going through and why it was so stupid of you to say that. Maybe then next time you'll keep your mouth shut."

Rand couldn't say he liked being called stupid, but he could take it if he needed to and he knew he needed to hear this. He nodded his assent, "I won't breathe a word of it to anyone."

Aleksi thought for a second and then he began to speak. "You know she was betrothed to Sammael? Well to the man before he became Sammael anyway?" Without waiting for Rand to respond he continued, "whatever face she puts on for you or anyone else, she's deeply unhappy and lonely." He grimaced, "if you reveal I told you this, she won't need to kill you because I'll do it for her, but I'm fairly sure she cries herself to sleep many nights. She's not in a good place. Not at all… I think she's mostly keeping herself together out of a sense of duty to the Light and desire you to protect you, Egwene and Elayne. And Nynaeve too I suppose. Think about it, she was living in a paradise that we can only imagine, with friends, family, a home. Now she's here, with none of that, squabbling with aes sedai and with half the Forsaken desperate to kill her."

Rand winced, he'd had no idea about any of this. She always seemed so strong, so comfortable in herself whenever she spoke to him.

"Anyway," Aleski continued, not giving him the chance to say anything. "As you know, Sammael came to speak to her. He was… Well she's not quite sure, maybe halfway between trying to turn her to the Shadow and trying to convince her he'd done nothing wrong."

"But it's Sammael, one of the Forsaken! Why would she even listen to anything he said?" Rand protested.

Aleksi gave him a deeply unimpressed look. "Try to get some empathy into that thick skull of yours. She's alone here, with nothing except memories of the man she loved, who I'm fairly sure was a hero when she was in the Age of Legends." A look of distaste flashed across Aleksi's face. "She's already struggling and then the man she loves turns up and has committed crimes you and I can't even imagine. Except, believe me she can, because she's met the Forsaken she's seen what they did. How would you feel if you went home and found your father had murdered and raped everyone you knew?"

With a sinking feeling in his stomach Rand thought maybe he did understand why Taija had been so upset. "So what did Sammael say to her?"

======

The next day Taija was feeling more functional. She wasn't ok, she wasn't sure that she'd ever be ok again, but she could at least face speaking to people. Talking to Aleksi helped and not for the first time she thanked the Creator that he was the one that found her after the stasis box.

At breakfast she informed the others that they were all going to be heading out of Tear to train again. She'd decided, especially with the Black Ajah seemingly being aware of Egwene, that they needed to move against the Stone soon. No more than a week from now. However, she wanted them to be as ready as they could be when they did make their move. Be'lal would no doubt be expecting an attack, but hopefully he wouldn't be expecting all six of them working together.

In no time at all they were all back on the hill that they'd started the training on. This time Taija told them, they wouldn't be trying to beat her. Instead she wanted to work on tactics involving gateways.

So far only Egwene and Nynaeve were strong enough to open useful gateways, but that didn't matter. To be fair, Rand also thought he'd done it before, but he wasn't sure how and Elayne was getting close to strong enough.

"Today we're going to be practising using gateways as a mobility tool." She started her lecture. "Staying still in battle is making yourself a target, a slow fighter is a dead one. With gateways you're not limited to your own legs, you can disappear and reappear anywhere on the battlefield, or even flee if you need to."

Taija gestured across the field, "so we're going to play a game of tag." They didn't seem to understand what tag was so she took a moment to explain with a sigh. She quickly found out that they each had different names for the game. "Anyway…" Taija tried not to sound irritated by the diversion, "your objective is to 'survive'. You're not allowed to attack me, but I'll be spinning webs that cover an area that will sting you if you stay in them for too long. You'll be able to see them as they form to let you dodge. The rules are, if you're stung then you're dead, if you can dodge on foot or with gateways for long enough then you win. Got it?"

At their nods she clapped her hands together, "let's go."

It turned out the painful stinging sensation that came from being caught in Taija's colourful webs was a good incentive and they quickly improved. Not only did they get better at staying moving, but also at working together to Travel back and forth. At first the girls ignored the boys to keep themselves safe, but Taija quickly corrected that.

Interestingly, it was also exhausting work for the girls. Rand and Aleksi were very physically fit, probably from all the time they spent training with Lan, but the girls could definitely do with a bit more exercise. Taija wasn't sure how to discuss that with them though. She couldn't really see them running in the inconvenient dresses that they favoured. Even she'd had to be sneaking out by gateway at odd hours for runs in what everyone in that Light-forsaken time considered to be men's clothing and hence deeply inappropriate. There wasn't much she could do about it now, but she was going to have to put some thought into it after the Stone, assuming they survived.

Over the rest of the week Taija also took them through another two key uses of gateways in combat. The first was simply attack, using gateways to redirect your own attacks to hit an enemy from a different angle or bypass their defences. For that she split them into two teams. Egwene on one and Nynaeve on the other and had them compete with each other.

Second, she had them practicing using gateways to 'assault' somewhere. Rather than dodging through them, they used gateways to bypass defences and strong points and to support each other. Again Taija had them competing in teams against each other, with her running interference to keep things interesting.

It was all a very watered down version of the tactics Lightbringer teams used to use. She'd never truly been one of them, but she'd worked with them often enough when they needed more of a heavy hitter and trained with them occasionally.

Taija would never forget the terrifying efficiency with which those teams could fight their way through enemy channelers and if she could get even a fraction of that into the heads of her companions they'd be terrifying in modern times. If nothing else, their sheer combined strength in the Power would make up for a lot of deficiencies. Once they reached their full potential anyway.

Taija also took the time one evening to talk Egwene through what she knew of the Unseen World. Mostly she told her about the dangers to her, but she was at least able to explain the basics of how to manipulate the place. In particular that it was all a question of willpower and visualisation and that everything was malleable.

Taija made sure to tell her some of the horror stories that she'd heard in her time and how the Forsaken and other predators stalked through that place. In particular, emphasising how Egwene should avoid it at all possible. The girl looked suitably scared, but Taija still suspected that she was going to be ignoring much of her advice. It was the problem with teenagers.

=====

The whole group was getting better fast as they got towards the end of the week that Taija had given for preparation, they were all impressively talented youths and very willing to work hard. Back in her time Taija would never have even considered assaulting a member of the Forsaken on their home territory with a team like this, but nowadays… She might actually have a chance.

Working on training the others took up most of her time and that was good. Not having much time to think meant she was holding herself together better than she had any right to expect, but sometimes Taija just couldn't make herself face the world and she needed to be alone.

She wasn't sure what triggered it, but one morning when she got out of bed, going out suddenly felt unmanageable. The empty hole torn out of her heart by being in that time, by Sammael was just too big.

Eventually Aleksi came to Taija's room to find her curled up on the bed staring emptily at the wall.

"Taija…" His voice trailed off.

"I'll be fine, please…" she just wanted to be left alone for a while, "please just tell them I'm not feeling well. I'll look after myself, you all go and train, Nynaeve or Egwene can get you there fine without me."

Aleksi didn't want to go, but Taija insisted and eventually he left to marshal the others. She was left alone, with her thoughts.

======

Tel allowed himself a nod of satisfaction. He wasn't sure what she was doing instead, but she'd left Lews Therin unattended.

He didn't want to attack him inside the city, that would bring unwanted attention, but now the timing was perfect. He'd been watching and she hadn't left her room, so when the web he'd placed on Lews Therin's sword the last time he saw him told him that he had Traveled outside the city he knew his opportunity had come. He did briefly consider whether it might be a trap and then dismissed the idea. If she had any idea he was here she'd already have acted.

He'd give Lews Therin a little longer, just to make sure that Taija didn't show any signs of joining them and then he would strike.

Tel leant back in his chair and pretended to take another sip of ale. Everything was coming together nicely.

Another fifteen minutes passed and it was time to leave. Straightening his finely-cut coat he headed out of the inn to find somewhere discrete for his gateway. Better not to be seen in general, but particularly when he was working in a city claimed by one of his 'colleagues'. Be'lal certainly didn't scare him, but it could be inconvenient.

Turning into an alleyway, he spun an inverted web, opening a gateway to a hilly area somewhere to the north-west. Then he hesitated, caught in a rare moment of indecision.

No. He would have his revenge on Lews Therin and nothing would stand in the way of that. A moment and he'd spun a web of illusion over himself. An outside observer would have seen him ripple until he seemed to be replaced by a much shorter, slim, brown-skinned woman. He ignored the moment of discomfort he felt at his choice, really he should be enjoying the dark irony of taking on this appearance.

Given how much bigger he was than her, he didn't expect the illusion to hold up to close scrutiny, but it would let him get nearer to the unsuspecting Third Agers.

Seconds later he was striding through the grass towards them, Tear left far behind. His steps were those of a grim executioner, a job to be done. Finally he would get his revenge and then he'd be able to continue with his plans, undistracted by the doubts that had been cropping up more and more over the last few days.

As Tel got closer, he could see that they had stopped whatever they were doing, apparently taking a break. Lews Therin and that boy that followed Taija around were lazing on the grass while the girls were standing over them. They looked tired and sweaty, but seemed to be happily talking to each other, laughing at some joke, which was something of a surprise. He'd thought that Lews Therin was surlier than that in his current incarnation. Still, no matter. It would be a pity to kill them while they were unsuspecting, but victory came before honour.

As he got closer they looked up and saw him, so he waved and kept walking forward, preparing several inverted webs for when he felt he was close enough to ensure a quick victory. It was easy enough to spin a web to change his voice too, especially when he was so familiar with hers. "Hello!" He called out, making his voice enthusiastic.

The boys got up and Lews Therin waved back at him, taking a step forward before the other one stopped him with a hand across his body. "Taija sedai," he shouted back. "It's good to see you on your feet, has your stomach improved?"

Internally Tel scowled, the boy might well be on to him. He was fairly sure this was a trap of some kind, but there was still a chance and either way he'd get closer if he could keep them talking. "Yes, must have been something I ate, I'm feeling much better now, so I thought I'd come to supervise your training."

There it was. Just a glance from the boy and fire was erupting around Tel. It was impressive coordination, saidar of course, he doubted Lews Therin had learnt how to invert his webs. It was actually admirable how well they worked together. If only the forces of the Shadow could do the same.

Contemptuously he sliced the webs assailing him and let loose with his own inverted webs.

They would die, five children one of whom couldn't even channel were no match for him. Fire sprang forth from him, shrieking through the air to engulf the five of them. At the same time, lightning bolts struck down dragged by him from a clear sky.

Irritatingly they all shattered against a barrier and finally Lews Therin seized saidin. Far too slow, he really was just a boy still. Killing him would hardly be a challenge. A pity, but Tel knew victory was more important than glory. He wanted his revenge. Idly he spun more webs bringing together the elements to send huge balls of fire mixed with whirling, razor-sharp blades of air, this time focusing them all straight towards Lews Therin.

A gateway snapped open beside Lews Therin and he dived through, escaping Tel's attack. He hadn't felt saidin in that, so it must be the girls. He was already starting to get irritated by them. Without thinking he fended off a web of saidin that Lews Therin had sent his way. Powerful for someone as inexperienced as he was, but crudely spun.

With an irritated grunt Tel began to bombard the girls with lightning and fire while absently slicing anything that came from Lews Therin. Even together they wouldn't be able to stand up to him and he could take his time.

His bombardment came to a sudden end when his instincts screamed and he threw himself to the ground, just dodging the end of a staff as it whistled through the space his head had been occupying a moment ago.

What the fuck just happened? He scrambled back franticly fending off the sudden flurry of webs thrown at him while also trying to get away from the swiping staff. Of course. The boy had come through another gateway behind him. Impressive for untrained peasants. Taija had clearly been busy.

He rolled sideways to dodge the whirling and jabbing end of the staff. No time to get distracted by thoughts of the time they'd spent training together.

There, the boy came too close and he hooked a foot behind his ankle. A quick grab, push with the other foot and he was down, Sammael jumping to his feet over him, fending off webs of saidar and saidin as he moved.

Air to seize the boy. He needed to change position before the others battered down his defences. It was quickly becoming clear that much as he could dominate any of them one on one, he couldn't quickly win a contest of brute strength against the four of them.

He spun a gateway and leapt through it, bringing the boy with him. He'd make him pay for nearly killing one of the Chosen, but he deserved an honourable death, not just to be obliterated by a channeler. Tel glanced towards the girls and sent a series of webs of fire and earth their way. He'd get back to them.

Drawing his sword he turned towards the boy, lining it up, level with his exposed neck. Above him lightning detonated futilely against his wall of air. The boy's eyes widened, fear painted across his face as he realised what was about to happen.

Tel swung only for his sword to slam into solid air with a clang. Another web of air sprang up between them, too close and unexpected for him to stop it, picking him up and throwing him away from the boy in a tumbling heap.

Ever-present anger surged in him. He treated them with honour and this is what he got in return. Fine, he would show them why he was known as the destroyer of hope. He channeled, forcing saidin into a series of complex webs. Fire erupted around the girls as the earth exploded under them, lightning struck down towards the boy. Only Lews Therin was already there. Poorly spun, but powerful, a web of air shattering his lightning bolts with deafening roars.

"Why?!" He didn't sound much like Lews Therin. "Why are you doing this?! Haven't you done enough? You walk around trying to justify your crimes while every day you add to them." Fire burst from Lews Therin's hands, a stone was ripped from the ground and spun through the space Tel would have been in if he hadn't stepped through a gateway.

"You speak of crimes Lews Therin, what about your crimes?" Tel sliced a web from one of the girls and casually flung her backwards with his counterstroke. "Opposing me, for glory, letting the Light wither, refusing to do what needed to be done." Lews Therin staggered backwards under the onslaught of saidin that Sammael threw at him. "You want to talk about crimes, you killed everyone you love and everyone that I loved too!"

"You Light-blasted hypocrite! Everyone you loved? I look into Taija's eyes every day and see what you did to her." Tel dived to the side as fire streaked at him out of a gateway from an unexpected angle. "How can you talk about love when you treated her like that. She lost everything and then you came in and somehow managed to make it worse!" Fury twisted Lews Therin's face and Tel staggered backwards barely deflecting the flurry of fire, air and earth bombarding him.

"You don't understand! How can you? You're just a farmer, some boy from this Light-forsaken age!" He channeled and Lews Therin was thrown off his feet, barely rolling out of the way of a blade of air that would have cut him in half. "You ask me what I did to her? I did what needed to be done, if she can't see that then that's her fault! It's nothing but her own weakness showing through. She never deserved me!" His voice rose to a scream, his killing stroke sliding off a barrier of saidar.

Lews Therin climbed to his feet again, "if you truly believe that then she's right. Tel Janin is dead." Suddenly attacks were coming at Tel from three different angles, the girls had clearly repositioned themselves while he was focused on Lews Therin. "You had your friends, your allies, your whole world and yet you still turned to the Shadow. Taija has nothing, she cries herself to sleep and then gets up to help us like nothing ever went wrong because unlike you she's strong. All she had was memories and now you're turning even those to ashes. Someone like you could never truly understand love, loyalty, friendship. That's why the Shadow will lose!"

"The Shadow's victory is inevitable." Tel Traveled out from between the girls and flung a blossom of fire at them, only to see them step through gateways of their own. "I gave everything I had for the Light and it wasn't enough." He staggered as a web of air clipped him. His own fire came close to incinerating Lews Therin and the boy before it was sliced. "You stand there judging me when you can never understand. With your friends, allies working together," he deflected a gigantic fireball into the sky, "how could you understand."

His voice trailed off. Tel didn't know how it was happening, but combined they were holding him off. He'd taken their measure, they weren't that good, yet he was struggling. Suddenly he just felt tired. This had been a mistake, four of them, maybe even five, together, maybe another time. Too much strength, too much talent, even if undeveloped.

Lews Therin shouted to one of the girls and more gateways opened. Fury surged in him. He wasn't going to lose to a gang of barely trained children. With a snarl he started to spin balefire, he wasn't going to end his journey at hands of half-trained children.

Yet he didn't finish the web. For a long second he held it and then finally he let it dissipate with a grunt of frustration. His first contact with the Shadow, the start of his fall, no ascension, had been with the aim of stopping the use of balefire. What was he even thinking? What was the point of this?

With a roar of frustration he channeled and a gateway opened behind him. A second later he was back in Illian. There would be better opportunities, Lews Therin would be alone sooner or later.

====

At the end of the day Taija was feeling a little more functional. She'd managed to make her way down to the inn's common room for a light dinner and she thought she could just about face seeing the others.

However, when Aleksi and Rand came in they were grim faced. They quickly spotted her and hurried over to her table.

"Taija!" Rand jumped at his own indiscretion and looked around to see if anyone heard before dropping his voice to a whisper, "Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne, they've been taken!"

"What do you mean they've been taken!?" In a flash Taija went from dull apathy to fully awake, sitting up straight and adrenaline shooting through her.

"Aes sedai. The Black Ajah it must have been," Aleksi jumped in. "There were lots of them, at least ten, and they surrounded the girls out of nowhere. We were walking a bit behind them and I don't think they realised we were together."

Rand interjected, "I thought the girls were going to channel, blow them away, but then they just stood there. They looked so scared. I was going to try to help them, but Aleksi stopped me and said we needed to get help first, he said there were too many." He sounded half apologetic, half accusatory.

Taija stood, mind whirling, "Aleksi was right, you did the right thing. You couldn't have taken on that many 'aes sedai'." Light everything was falling apart, but at the same time she felt more alive than she had all week. At least here she had a purpose. "Did you see where they took them?"

"Yes," Aleksi nodded, "we followed at a safe distance, they were taken straight to the Stone."

"Fuck." So they were almost certainly working with Be'lal. Taija remembered Siuan's list of black aes sedai. Thirteen darkfriend channelers… She tried to suppress her shudder. "Alright, fine. We need to move. Fast." She stopped and took a closer look at them. "Why do you smell burnt? Have you been ignoring what I said about safety."

Rand and Aleksi looked at each other, but Rand spoke first, "Tel… he…"

Aleksi followed right behind, speaking over him, "Sammael, he attacked us. We fought him off." There was something more going on there, Taija knew him well enough, there was something bothering him. A lot.

"Sammael attacked you?" She felt a spike of pain in her heart and ruthlessly suppressed it, she didn't have time for that. "Are you hurt? What about the girls?"

"No, we fought him off!" Rand answered looking proud, "we worked together just like you taught us, all of us together and we were beating him!"

Taija gave him a flat look. "The five of you beat Sammael?"

Rand's nod was enthusiastic, Aleksi's was slower, more thoughtful.

Taija shook her head, "no… No, I don't think so. I'm sorry Rand, but the five of you can't beat me yet and…" memories of long training sessions together flashed through her head. "And Sammael is at least as good as me, he's stronger in the Power and he's a skilled soldier, he must have had some sort of scheme."

They clearly wanted to argue, but kept their mouths shut. Then Rand glanced nervously at Aleksi who winced. "There's something else too," he said slowly.

Taija was too busy trying to think through the consequences of everything and work out how Sammael found them and absently asked, "what's that?"

"I can channel."

Oh. Taija looked up and actually focused on him. She nearly said 'congratulations', but just caught herself. His face told her everything she needed to know about how he felt. "Oh Aleksi, I'm so sorry." When she thought about it, even without this 'taint' and the bigotry, it was deeply worrying. Without a teacher his odds were poor and she didn't think Rand was anywhere near being able to realistically teach someone how to channel. That was a problem for tomorrow though. "I'm so sorry Aleksi," she repeated and reached out to give his arm a squeeze. "We'll talk more and work out what we're going to do, but that can wait. It has to wait. For now we need to move on the Stone. The girls need us and we need to get Rand in there before Sammael tries again."

Aleksi steeled himself and nodded although she could still see the worry in his eyes, "you're right. What do we need to do?"

They were both looking to her for leadership that she wasn't sure she could provide. She needed to try though, to live up to their expectations, not to live down to Sammael's example. "Alright, here's what…"

Taija stopped when the two of them suddenly lost focus. A moment later she turned to see what they were staring at behind her. Moiraine. Gliding into the common room like she owned it, Lan stalking behind her looking as dangerous as ever and finally Perrin trailing awkwardly after them.

"How the fuck is everyone fucking finding me?! For fuck's sake!" Taija wanted to scream the words, but kept her voice low. It was getting ridiculous. "Right! You two, upstairs. Now. We'll continue this in my room." She caught Moiraine's eye and gestured with a jerk of her chin before following after the boys.

In her room Taija waited for the arrival of Moiraine and her party. When they came in she stood and gave her a shallow bow, "Moiraine sedai, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Taija sedai," she gave her a tiny nod of acknowledgment, "I go where the Light needs me and that is currently at the Dragon Reborn's side." She shot a glance at Rand.

Great, if she wasn't going to bring up Taija's disappearance with Rand and the girls, then neither was Taija. She was sure she'd be hearing about it at length later.

"Well it's good to see you Moiraine sedai," Taija was only half lying, her strength in the Power wasn't insignificant and she had no doubt Lan was deadly with his blade. "We have several problems and we were just discussing what action to take."

Taija quickly updated her on the day's events.

"Given this, we need to act immediately, I plan to enter the Stone tonight with Rand and Aleksi. We will rescue the girls and then take Callandor if Rand can, so we can settle this whole Dragon Reborn thing once and for all. Of course your help would be invaluable if you're willing."

Moiraine gazed at her with infuriating serenity. "Well, it seems you have placed yourself and your charges in a difficult position." The worst thing was Taija couldn't even argue. She wanted to protest that Moiraine didn't understand, but she couldn't bring yourself to use the same words as Sammael. When Taija kept quiet Moiraine gave a small, satisfied nod. "Of course I will assist you, we work towards the same goals. Perhaps this time you will listen to my advice though. What is your plan?"

Taija quickly descended into the nitty gritty of planning with Moiraine and the others. Much as she disliked the woman, she had to admit she knew what she was talking about and actually gave useful advice. The biggest surprise though was her revelation that Callandor was a male sa'angreal. With that Rand would be unbeatable, as would any of the Forsaken, if they could get their hands on it. Taija thought she was starting to see at least the outline of the net that Be'lal was weaving…

 

[EmperorArthur]

All sorts of revelations here.

Really glad to see a slow build with Aleksi. Rebound relationships are a terrible idea, but the slow friendship is great. Him being able to channel changes things, but not too much right now.

I also have a feeling Taija underestimates herself some. Which is saying something. To be fair Sammael did decide to leave some tools untouched, but he was still trying to kill those five. She's also more familiar with Fallen tactics than anyone else. Which gives any assault a massive edge.

The girls getting taken was unexpected, bit I can see it. Unfortunately, that number of channelers when they weren't prepared meant the girls really didn't have much of a chance. Especially if they didn't want to kill innocents. On the other hand, if they can be freed for just a second the sister's don't stand a chance.

Of course, idiots abound. Multiple times in the books the bad guys got the drop on someone supremely dangerous and promptly decided that winning a sneak attack meant the person wasn't that tough.

 

[Teebs]

Content warning: This interlude includes Graendal with all that entails (slavery, nudity, compulsion, but no explicit sexual activity).

As usual all speech in italics is in the Old Tongue.

Interlude XII - Are We The Bad Guys?

Tel finished changing out of his ruined clothes into clean ones of equally fine cut and make. He was sore and aching in various places and if he hadn't run a cleansing web over himself he'd smell faintly of smoke. However, his body's aches and pains were nothing compared to the anger burning inside him. Beaten off by a bunch of children. What was wrong with him? He was the Destroyer of Hope!

He needed to get his head back in the game. He had plans that needed to be pushed forward, things to do. If he kept letting himself be distracted he'd be easy meat for the rest of the Chosen. They could sense weakness and they wouldn't hesitate to turn on him, any more than he wouldn't hesitate to turn on them. Well, most of them anyway.

He began the web for a gateway, altering it slightly to send the polite chime that warned anyone at the other end that he was coming. After a suitable pause the gateway opened and he stepped through.

In an instant he was in an expansive atrium, sunlight shining down onto marble columns and gushing fountains while stunningly attractive, completely naked men and women cavorted around him.

With long practice he ignored them, focusing his attention on the full-figured woman in front of him. Again he ignored the way her dress clung to her curves, showing more than it concealed, instead looking straight into her eyes.

"Graendal," he nodded to her.

She smiled widely, "Sammael, how lovely to see you, to what do I owe the pleasure? A drink?" She gestured and a naked girl who couldn't have been far out of her teens immediately hurried over to offer him a glass of wine.

He glanced at the girl before dismissing her from his mind. "No, thank you."

"Oh Sammael, you should relax more," Graendal laughed. She shot a glance to her left and a handsome young man scrambled to get on his hands and knees while another knelt beside him holding a cup of wine up as if he was praying to her. They certainly both thought of her as a goddess.

Graendal settled down onto her human chair and gave Sammael a smile that would make lesser men go weak at the knees. "Since you don't want to take the time for small talk, tell me, what is it you want Sammael?"

Sammael ignored the slaves, they weren't important. "I have a proposal for you." Graendal leant forward, interested, and not at all coincidentally exposed yet more of her expansive cleavage to him. Typical. "I have plans that will elevate us in the Great Lord's regard and secure our positions as first among the Chosen."

"Go on," Graendal was polite as ever, her voice smooth, encouraging.

"I want to kill Lews Therin, Ishamael is losing his grip, wasting time trying to turn him. We both know the Great Lord's interests will be better served by having him dead. For that I need your help." He hated having to admit that he couldn't do something alone.

Graendal raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow shifting on her living chair to get more comfortable, before clasping her hands in her lap and looking straight into his eyes. "Are you sure you're not letting your judgment be clouded by your hate for the man?"

"No!" Sammael scowled and moderated his tone, "you know perfectly well how I feel about Lews Therin, you also know I'm nothing like Demandred, I don't let my emotions rule me."

"Mmm, no of course not." Graendal reached out and took her glass from the hands of her slave before sipping from it. "So what does this have to do with me?"

Sammael knew she was trying to needle him, she always liked to provoke people to say more than they meant to. "Lews Therin has found himself allies, allies who'll be significant opponents of the Great Lord themselves one day." He met Graendal's eyes, intensity burning in his voice. "They cannot be allowed to survive and neither can he, but alone I'm out matched by weight of numbers," he didn't try to hide the grimace at that admission. "However, together we could overwhelm them with ease, removing what are potentially the greatest opponents of the Shadow at a single stroke, or possibly compelling them to our side. We would reduce the other Chosen to insignificance in the face of our victory."

"Hmm," Graendal glanced at one of her performing slaves and the girl hurried over to prostrate herself in front of her before starting to massage her ankles and calves while staring adoringly up at her. "I can see the appeal of what you propose, but there are significant risks. Have you considered…"

Graendal was cut off by the entrance of a finely dressed, man with grey streaked through the brown of his thick beard and hair. A beautiful, young, pale-skinned brunette trailing behind him clutching nervously at the sides of her elegantly tailored, silk dress. Graendal looked over to them a flash of annoyance passing across her face before she smiled and clapped her hands together in apparent delight.

Sammael took a step to the side as the man hustled up to Graendal, he had eyes only for her and he suspected that the man would have just walked through him if he hadn't moved. Normally he'd have considered burning the man to ashes for the insult, but today the ever present anger didn't flare. It just seemed… unnecessary. Trivial perhaps.

Reaching the nude slave massaging Graendals legs the man immediately knelt, his knees hitting the floor with a thump. "My lady, I have come as you requested and I have brought my daughter and heir. As I told you, her beauty is spoken of widely." He didn't seem to see the slaves cavorting around the room, his eyes were completely fixated on Graendal. His daughter however did. She was staring wide eyed at her surroundings, confusion warring with awkward disgust and fear.

Tel shifted uncomfortably, he'd seen this play out before. Graendal had her predilections, he knew that well enough.

"Father, what's going on, what are we doing here?" She was refusing to give in to her fear, a brave one then, but he could hear the tremor in her voice.

Graendal rose from her human chair, "you have done well Lord Ponin." She eyed the girl, her gaze roving up and down, eyes coldly analytical before she smiled beatifically. "Yes you did not exaggerate at all. Your daughter is a beauty, she will do well."

"Thank you my lady!" Lord Ponin sounded delighted to have pleased her, ecstatic even.

"What are you talking about? Father? What is wrong with you?" The girl looked like she was about to try to run, not that that would do her much good. Tel could see the rising panic in her body language. She tried to shake her father's shoulder and he roughly brushed her off without taking his eyes off Graendal. "What have you done to my father?!"

Graendal just smiled lazily, looking down at her, a predatory gleam in her eyes. Despite being no taller than the girl she somehow seemed to loom over her. "Oh I would not worry about him my dear girl, he has served me well. Just as you will." The way she looked around the room at her slaves said everything. Tel could see that she was relishing this. Was she putting on a display just for his benefit? Surely not, she knew he was made of sterner stuff than that. Wastefully distasteful as he found it, this was nothing he hadn't seen before.

The girl was backing away from Graendal, retreating from her father too. Her eyes franticly looking for anything that might help until they settled on Tel. The only other person in the room wearing clothes, the only one who wasn't gazing adoringly at Graendal.

"Sir, please, help me! I don't know what she's done to my father, I think she must be an aes sedai. Please!" Tel could see the desperate hope in her face as she begged, but she must know that he wasn't going to do anything to save her.

The goosebumps on his skin hadn't gone away since he arrived, but Tel could still identify the exact moment Graendal placed her web on the girl. The sharpness in her deep brown eyes suddenly faded. Her gaze on him became unfocused as terror, hope, alertness even life dimmed in them.

He grimaced, Graendal's methods were crude, wasteful.

The girl looked away from him, towards Graendal now, tension leaving her body.

Tel tried very hard not to think of Taija's companions, a similar age to this girl. So full of passion, working together to fight him, just as it should be. Loyal, competent servants of the Light. The way they were so relaxed when he arrived, able to share hopes and dreams before he'd descended on them. He absolutely did not think about how another pair of dark brown eyes would look as life faded from them to be replaced by perverse worship. He was Sammael, greatest of the Chosen, not some weakling who couldn't make the choices that needed to be made!

The girl stumbled to her knees in front of Graendal, mumbling words of adoration, her eyes shining with nothing but empty devotion for the woman in front of her while her father looked benevolently on, a vacant smile on his face.

Graendal seemed to have forgotten Tel was there, smiling happily down at her newest slave. "Wonderful, simply wonderful. You will start off serving me food and drink and I shall then consider how best to employ you. Now strip, take that dress to be disposed of and go to the kitchens."

Long forgotten sensations were welling up inside Tel as the girl hurried to disrobe, previous awkwardness and fear entirely forgotten. Was this really what he had sworn himself to? He'd seen it or things like it happen so many times before though. Sacrifices needed to be made for victory, he knew that. Yet some things were… He did what he had to do and that was that.

Her business done, Graendal turned her attention back to Tel, "I do apologise for the distraction, but you know how it is, there is always business to be done." She seemed to have forgotten the bearded father kneeling in front of her, not that he objected in his delight at being so close to her. "Now back to your suggestion. The honest answer is, it seems like a risk. Now I am not saying no. We have worked together ever so well since the first time I brought you to Shayol Ghul," she gave him an almost fond smile, "I know that you do not jump precipitously into action and I am inclined to put my trust in that, but like you I am cautious. I will need time to consider it further. These half-trained children can wait a week. I shall have my answer for you then."

Did he even want this? Was she like this even back then? For some reason the idea of unleashing this… woman on anything felt far less appealing than it had when he first arrived. Was revenge really so important that he could subject someone to her simply for having had the bravery and ability to fight him? "Thank you Graendal, I'll return for your answer in a week." Tel gave her a shallow bow, forcing the words out.

Graendal clapped her hands together, "well, now that that is settled, are you sure I cannot persuade you to join me for a drink? Conversation here is always a little dull," she laughed and glanced across the exposed flesh of her devoted slaves. "You do know how I like to reminisce about the good old days and there are so few of us left."

Tel shook his head immediately. "I have too much that I need to get on with, but thank you for your kind hospitality." The polite words were ashes in his mouth. "One week." He channeled and stepped through a gateway back to Illian without another word.

======

As soon as Sammael was gone the smile vanished from Graendal's face. There was something going on with the man. He was absolutely not himself. If she did not know any better she would think he was in the early stages of a breakdown.

Of course he projected his usual cold certainty, hard eyes and aggressive body language. Standard for the man. So much tension and so many useful buttons and levers to press if you knew what to look for.

She could remember all those years ago, the culmination of months of careful work when he had finally agreed to turn to the Shadow. In hindsight it had been almost laughably easy. A broken man standing on the precipice, just waiting for someone who could understand what he was thinking and feeling and then give him a small nudge. Really they had been kindred spirits, both dedicated in their own ways before being failed by those around them, allowing them to forge their own paths to greatness.

The Chosen were always on guard around her for compulsion, checking their servants for her webs and protecting themselves. Yet they always seemed to forget that she had earned her third name for her understanding of the human psyche and if you knew how to repair something then you also knew how to break it. They really were all fools, seeing the obvious, crude tools and neglecting to look for the subtle and invisible. The Power was not everything.

As for Sammael, well it was obvious what was bothering him. That girl he had been involved with. The Great Lord only knew how she had survived, that was certainly an unpleasant shock. She was not even sure what had attracted Sammael to her. Perhaps he just liked mild women that would just do as he told them, she supposed it would fit with him. He did so hate anyone questioning him.

Regardless, one day Taija would make a fascinating addition to Graendal's collection. Admittedly she did not meet Graendal's normal aesthetic standards, but that did not mean Graendal would not make an exception for someone like her. The last true aes sedai, perhaps as a footrest, it would be delightful. She allowed herself a little shiver of pleasure.

Sammael though, well he was clearly going to be off his game for at least a little while.

Graendal briefly considered taking advantage of that, removing him from the competition while he was distracted, but then dismissed the idea. It would be easy, a few words in Ishamael's ear, a stealthy strike in the night. But she had no doubt that he would pull himself together soon enough, if there was one thread that ran deeply through Sammael's psyche it was his sense of certainty and that would not be swayed, not after he had gone so far. He'd continue to come up with justifications for everything he had done because he'd never be able to accept anything else.

Anyway, she was actually fond of the man. Well as fond as she could be of any of the Chosen. He really was one of her greatest works, the culmination of years of subtle conversions of flawed men and women of the Light. When she became nae'blis there would be a place for him too. Under her obviously.

Perhaps she should help him get back to normal sooner. It would be simple enough to remove Taija and return matters to the status quo. But no, that also carried with it significant risks. Not least that he might try to take revenge on whoever he blamed for it. She had put some thought into whether she could frame another of the Chosen, but for now the idea would go on the back burner. Better to let him think think he was the one dictating events.

As for Sammael's proposal that they disobey Ishamael and work together to eliminate Lews Therin and his companions, well if he was thinking normally he would never have suggested it. Whatever she said, she had no intention of doing anything to help him with that.

She would do as she always did, watch and wait from the sidelines as she maneuvered the rest of them around the board like the unwitting fools that they were.

 

[TheBarrometer]

Well, my prediction based on the previous cycles of interludes is that Sammy will come out of his next confrontation with the plot even more disgusted with The Shadow and maybe finally this time pull his head out of his arse

 

[Teebs]

Well, my prediction based on the previous cycles of interludes is that Sammy will come out of his next confrontation with the plot even more disgusted with The Shadow and maybe finally this time pull his head out of his arse

Click to shrink...

My prediction is that he'll kill Lews Therin, Taija will realise as a result that she's in love with him after all and lust over his manly forearms before he carries her away to kill Mierin for what she did to Nerina.

Edit: spoiler warning on what I just posted

 

[TheBarrometer]

My prediction is that he'll kill Lews Therin, Taija will realise as a result that she's in love with him after all and lust over his manly forearms before he carries her away to kill Mierin for what she did to Nerina

Click to shrink...

Alas, the true power madness has afflicted him. And robbed him of basic pattern recognition

 

[Darth-Vulturnus]

With Asmodean out of the picture and Aleksi also apparently a channeler, saidin mentors for him and Rand are few and far between. Sammael turning back to the Light, Rand digging deeper into Lews Therin's memories or Ishamael attempting 5d chess in his quest to turn Rand to the dark side seem about their only options for a competent mentor left.

This is an interesting situation to say the least.

 

[Teebs]

With Asmodean out of the picture and Aleksi also apparently a channeler, saidin mentors for him and Rand are few and far between. Sammael turning back to the Light, Rand digging deeper into Lews Therin's memories or Ishamael attempting 5d chess in his quest to turn Rand to the dark side seem about their only options for a competent mentor left.

This is an interesting situation to say the least.

Click to shrink...

There's always Mazrim Taim too. I think it would be plausible that Taija could go and make him an offer he couldn't refuse. It's the sort of thing that would make sense in her head anyway.

"So those aes sedai I just freed you from, when they wake up there are two options. One is you're lying there shielded and bound in air, the other is that you're gone and they have no idea where because you're teaching the real Dragon Reborn."

 

[TheBarrometer]

There's always Mazrim Taim too

Click to shrink...

Now obviously prophecies are bullshit, but Taim is not yet forsaken. I've forgotten the wording of the prophecy around binding Asmodean to himself as a tutor, but would Taim count if he becomes forsaken in the future?

 

[Darth-Vulturnus]

There's always Mazrim Taim too. I think it would be plausible that Taija could go and make him an offer he couldn't refuse. It's the sort of thing that would make sense in her head anyway.

Click to shrink...

Would Taja even know about the false dragons yet? I don't recall that coming up, but I might have just forgotten.

 

[Teebs]

Would Taja even know about the false dragons yet? I don't recall that coming up, but I might have just forgotten.

Click to shrink...

She's vaguely aware of them from general learning and conversation.

 

[Teebs]

As usual all speech in italics is in the Old Tongue

Chapter XXXII - I Have A Very Particular Set of Skills

After some discussion with Moiraine and the others, they all agreed on a plan. The first step would be sneaking in and freeing the girls. Then they'd move on Callandor.

Stealth would be key to success. Taija knew it wouldn't last forever, but the longer they could keep the defenders, and more importantly Be'lal and the Black Ajah, ignorant of their presence the better.

They all took a couple of hours of rest to prepare themselves and then made their way to the Stone. Moiraine's presence was actually a blessing from the Creator. Taija had thought disabling and replacing some of the Defenders of the Stone would be the best approach, Moiraine convinced her otherwise. Instead they rode on a fine carriage that she somehow obtained. Rand, Aleksi, Lan and Perrin were under inverted webs of illusion making them look like house-guards, Moiraine was playing the role of a Tairen high lady.

Moiraine had assured Taija that the real high lady would not be around to contradict their story and so she'd also altered the appearance of the carriage to match the house colours Moiraine told her it needed.

Moiraine's plan was definitely better than hers, but still, the woman hadn't needed to make a snippy comment about not everything needing to involve hitting someone over the head.

With Moiraine's help, their entrance into the Stone was anti-climactic. The Defenders at the outer gate made a perfunctory check of the carriage, urged on by the High Lady Melassa's impatience and they were through. Taija supposed a noblewoman and a few guards were hardly going to be a threat to a fortress like that.

In no time at all they were disembarking from the carriage and passing off the horses to a simpering stable boy. Moiraine contemptuously ignored him, her nose high in the air as she swept into the Stone, trailed by the rest of them.

Somehow she seemed to know where to go, heading unerringly towards what must have been the Stone's dungeons. Taija noticed that there seemed to be a lot of Defenders of the Stone running around, mostly heading upwards, but more importantly, completely uninterested in bothering a high lady and her guards.

=======

Mat breathed a sigh of relief as another group of Defenders ran past him without stopping. This day was turning out even worse than he'd expected and he'd known it was going to be a bloody terrible one ever since he'd seen Elayne, Egwene and Nynaeve being dragged into a waiting carriage.

Those flaming dice had been rattling in his head the whole time since he'd overheard Lord Gaebril's conversation in Caemlyn. Only to come to a crashing stop when he finally found the girls, only minutes too late it seemed. They'd been in disguise of course, but he was no fool, unlike them. What in the Light possessed Nynaeve and Egwene to take on the appearance of members of the Women's Circle he didn't know. Still, at least it allowed him to recognise them and Elayne had had enough sense not to go around looking like Queen bloody Morgase.

As soon as the Defenders had passed he continued making his way down towards the cells. Scurrying round corners or behind columns when it looked like he might spotted.

He'd already had to fight a number of Defenders when he blew his way into the Stone and hadn't that been a surprise. Who'd have thought that fireworks could do so much damage, he'd just meant to distract the Defenders. Well it had certainly done that! Then again the Aiel he'd encountered up there were probably doing an even better job of it.

It wasn't long before Mat reached the cells, which seemed suspiciously empty of both guards and prisoners. He quickly started making his way past them, searching for the girls. He needed to find them and then be out of there before the bloody aes sedai caught up with them! Aes sedai were bad enough when they weren't actively looking for you.

Eventually he turned a corner and froze when he saw a woman sitting outside a cell, looking like she was mostly asleep. After a moment he started moving again, but much more slowly and quietly.

He expected to be seen at any moment as he snuck up on the woman, but he had no choice, Light he wished he'd just turned around and gone home. It was what any sensible man would do. He recognised her from when the girls had been captured, another bloody aes sedai.

Yet she stayed dozing, never even looking up as he approached her. In for a penny, in for a crown, when he was in reach he swung his staff, clipping her across the side of her head. The thunk made him wince, he didn't know why she'd taken the girls prisoner. He could certainly think of a few reasons someone might want to and do worse too, but hopefully she'd have no more than a headache when she woke. Not that he planned to be in the same city as her when that happened.

Bending down he rummaged in the aes sedai's belt pouch and pulled out a likely looking key to insert into the cell door. Luckily it turned easily and the door swung open with a long creak which ended with his gasp at what he saw.

Inside Egwene was lying asleep on a bed, while Nynaeve and Elayne faced the door. That wasn't what shocked him though. All three of them looked like they'd been in a common room brawl and came off the worse for it. Their dresses were torn and purple bruises marred their faces and arms. What had those aes sedai done to them?

Nynaeve and Elayne seemed just as stunned to see him and there was a long pause. Then Elayne leapt into his arms giving him a tight hug. "Mat!"

At the same time, Nynaeve spoke sounding shocked, "Matrim Cauthon, what under the Light are you doing here?"

"I came to bloody rescue you," he said. Burn him, he wasn't sure why he'd bothered, of course she'd be like this, she was always like this.

Nynaeve hurriedly nodded flushing slightly. "And I thank you for it Mat," why wasn't she telling him off? Had she been beaten too hard? "There's no time for talking, we need to be moving. I'll wake Egwene."

Mat looked Elayne over, she really didn't look good, "what happened to you, was it that aes sedai, I thought they weren't allowed to hurt people?" Perhaps he should have hit her harder.

"It is fine Mat, I've had worse." He bloody well doubted that. She turned her nose up the way she always did when she was irritated by something. "We were captured by the Black Ajah, do you think they treated us like valued guests?"

The Black Ajah?! Mat winced. Burn him, what was he doing there? "I suppose they wouldn't at that," he laughed nervously. "Blood and bloody ashes, the Black Ajah." A quick shake of his head, "are you alright? They didn't hurt you too much?"

Elayne shook her head, her lovely tresses bouncing with the motion, briefly hiding the bruises on her face. "No, I will be fine, once we are out of the Stone anyway." She put her hand on his arm and smiled prettily at him, "thank you Mat. However, I thought you were in Caemlyn, not that I am ungrateful, but why are you here?"

He groaned internally, this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. Being a princess and all Elayne could get very worked up about certain things and this was something that could get anyone into a snit. "Could we perhaps leave it until we're out of the Stone. We're going to be knee deep in flaming Defenders soon, or worse."

"Yes, Mat's quite right," Nynaeve interjected, again not commenting on his swearing, perhaps that aes sedai had hit her one too many times. "We need to get going before we're caught again or that mad-woman decides to do something insane like blow up the whole Stone to free us."

"Which mad-woman would that be?" Mat span at the sudden, terrifyingly familiar, feminine voice behind him, to see a short, bearded man in the uniform of one of the Defenders of the Stone. He goggled for a second at the incongruous sight before it clicked. It was that bloody mad-woman.

Well he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of seeing how much he wanted to be anywhere else. "Taija sedai, it is nice that you have finally arrived. You will see that I have already rescued the ladies." He gave her a bow with a flourish. There, not even Nynaeve could accuse him of being rude.

"Ah Mat, what a pleasant surprise. It seems we were barely needed at all." The voice was distinctly odd coming from a man's face. Why were the girls all staring at him instead of her? "Girls, you look terrible. Nynaeve, heal the other two. Moiraine sedai, would you mind healing Nynaeve?"

Moiraine was here too? Of course she bloody was. Mat edged away as he saw Nynaeve lay her hands on Egwene and Elayne, their bruises vanishing quickly. It was bad enough that Elayne was becoming an aes sedai, but at least she could have a laugh. Now he was faced with Moiraine who was the epitome of aes sedainess and Taija who, well he wasn't quite sure what she was, but frankly she terrified him whatever Elayne said about her.

A richly dressed noblewoman swept into the room, Taija standing aside for her. That would be Moiraine then. A second later Nynaeve also looked healthy again. Moiraine moved towards him and he leapt back, he wasn't having any of that, he'd bloody well be fine thank you very much.

"Right, now that that's done, can you fight?" Taija's voice cut through his thoughts and he found himself nodding with the girls. Her voice seemed different to usual, harder, more sure of herself. "Excellent, then we move out. We're going for the Heart of the Stone. We avoid fighting for as long as possible, but once we're discovered we move as fast as we can. Anyone gets in our way, don't hesitate. Knock them out if you can, kill them if you have to. The four of you are now servants, follow behind us and keep your eyes down."

Mat winced, he'd already fought his way in here to rescue the girls and now she wanted him to join them? Not bloody likely! Yet when they started moving he found himself following.

Outside the cell Taija suddenly stopped and turned to the unconscious aes sedai lying on the stone floor. "Black Ajah?" Her voice was cold.

"Yes, Berylla Naron." Egwene answered looking angrily down at the unconscious woman. A moment later Mat heard all three girls gasp and a glance at Moiraine told him even she looked perturbed. It must be some kind of aes sedai thing, the woman was still breathing and he couldn't see that anything had happened.

=======

Taija had been surprised to find Mat had already freed the girls when she arrived. He clearly had even more hidden depths than she'd thought, she'd have to really try to pin him down for a proper chat at some point. She did still owe him an apology too.

For now though, they all needed to keep moving. It seemed like something else was going on in the Stone. Taija was sure that their stealthy entrance had been helped by whatever was drawing the Defenders of the Stone up towards the upper reaches of the Stone. It couldn't last forever, but the further they could get undetected the better.

They all made their way through the surprisingly wide corridors of the Stone. Many Defenders and servants went by, some giving them odd looks, but it seemed their disguises as guards plus Moiraine's haughty false identity were enough in the current chaos for them to get by.

That came to a crashing end when they entered a large chamber, arches lining alcoves in its sides.

As soon as Taija walked in she felt saidar being channeled from around the room. Then glowing women step out from the shadows all around them. Twelve of them.

Moiraine failed to suppress a wince, her voice tight. "I am shielded." Shields also slammed into place on Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne. Rand looked like he was about to do something precipitous and Taija grabbed his arm before his did.

She assessed them with a glance. Two circles of six, enough to shield any of them if given the chance, well except her with her angreal.

The aes sedai weren't even looking at her. They had no idea she could even channel. To them she was just another guard, at worst an irritation. Idiots. Nevertheless, they weren't completely stupid, Taija felt the air around her harden into place.

One of the aes sedai, Taija thought it was Falion stepped forward. "So it seems our trap has caught somebody, although I do wonder where the Dragon is hiding himself?" She glanced over Taija and the immobilised men. When she was met with defiant silence she stalked closer. "Perhaps a little pain might loosen your tongues? Yes?"

Taija's willingness to let her monologue ended at the mention of torture. She was already embracing saidar right up to her limits through her angreal. It only took a thought to unleash it.

Fire, spirit and water split three ways and inverted. Three of the aes sedai, including Falion, exploded into torches of flame, their brief shrieks cut off almost instantly.

The moment of distraction was all Taija need, razor sharp webs of spirit and fire lashed out all around her. Air softened to nothing and shields withered away and she was already moving.

A gateway sprang open in front of Taija mid-step and by the time her foot hit the floor she was through it. Two of the black aes sedai were in front of her, turning too slowly to face her. She grabbed them with overpowered webs of air and slammed them into the ceiling hard enough that it probably broke every bone in their bodies.

An aes sedai across the room recovered from her shock long enough to pull her hand back making a throwing gesture. Taija saw the web of fire forming and cut it with barely a thought, at the same time her own web of earth and fire ripped the flagstone under the aes sedai's feet upwards into a storm of razor sharp shards of rock.

Various webs flashed back and forth across the chamber, it seemed the girls and Moiraine had joined in. A bit slow, she'd have to get the girls to work on that.

A pair of blacks were franticly fending off Moiraine and the girls' webs. It was barely a challenge to spin her own sweeping one of them's feet from under her, sending her briefly airborne. Someone, Taija thought it was Moiraine, hit her with a fireball before she hit the ground.

Only five left, Taija could take them single handed even in this confined space. Webs flashed back and forth and she was almost tempted to see how the girls handled it. But no, this was a fight to the death, imagine if one of them got hurt because she was just trying to make it a teaching moment!

Taija spun earth and fire and discs of rock span out of the walls at blinding speed, passing straight through a pair of aes sedai leaving their bisected corpses to collapse.

Then she had to duck, almost instantly spinning a barrier of air around herself as something seemed to shake the whole chamber. Maybe the whole Stone. Rubble fell from the ceiling, huge lumps of rock that could crush a man, and a couple of archways simply crumbled into dust.

She didn't feel any webs, was it Be'lal? Taija was spinning a nasty surprise for him when she saw Rand looking mortified. Ah, he lost control. She ignored the sound of Mat swearing, she wasn't sure what was wrong with milk in a cup, but it wasn't important.

When the dust cleared the remaining three black sisters seemed to have vanished, presumably fleeing for their lives.

Something really needed to be done to help Rand, but Taija didn't know what. She'd told him everything she could about channeling saidin, beyond that he needed a teacher before he accidentally killed himself or someone else.

By the time everyone had pulled themselves together there wasn't much point in pursuing the Black Ajah. Taija suspected that, like most darkfriends when faced with overwhelming force, they'd keep running, but if they didn't then so be it. Now what they all needed to do was move as fast as possible. There was no way that Be'lal was unaware of their presence by then, even with all the chaos going on. Rand had just channeled a large amount of saidin and, even if he hadn't, the whole fortress probably shook.

"Everyone alright? Good." Taija raised her voice, "Be'lal will certainly know we're here now, so no more hiding. Now we move fast for the Heart of the Stone. If anyone tries to slow us down, we remove them." She quickly reached out with the Power and unraveled the webs of illusion disguising them all. "We can't afford mistaken identity now, strike fast and strike hard. If you can avoid killing guards, fine, but don't put yourself at risk. Now let's go, don't slow down!"

Following her own instructions, Taija broke into a fast jog. The kind of loping pace that, after years of practice, she could keep up almost indefinitely. Aleksi and the boys quickly matched her pace, the girls and Moiraine seemed to be struggling more so she slowed herself down slightly. They really shouldn't have been wearing those stupid, heavy dresses.

Jogging through the huge fortress, the corridors seemed oddly empty. A finely dressed man demanded that they stopped and was rewarded with a clip around the head from Aleksi's staff. A couple of times groups of Defenders ran through cross corridors ahead of them without even looking.

The first opposition they met was a squad of twenty Defenders of the Stone forming a block across the corridor, a wall of spears pointing at them. Taija spun faster than anyone else. Fire, air and spirit in a ball flung down the corridor at the Defenders. Then an opaque wall of air, earth and spirit blocking sight and sound, only briefly coming together to hide the blinding flash of light and deafening crash of the explosion for her side.

The Defenders were already disoriented and she Traveled, stepping through a gateway behind them even as Lan, Perrin, Rand, Aleksi and Mat crashed into them. Taija was spinning webs of air, tied to fade after a couple of hours, pinning them to walls. The others rampaged through them cracking skulls with staffs, hafts or hilts. By the time the girls reached them they were all incapacitated. Hopefully they'd live.

A couple more times Taija saw groups of Defenders fighting figures wearing grey-brown coats and breeches. It almost looked like camouflage, which wasn't something she'd seen in this time. Regardless, they didn't interfere with her progress, so she didn't do anything to them.

It wasn't long before Taija saw the great doors that she thought must be the entrance to the Heart of the Stone. The place where Callandor apparently awaited Rand. She reached out with tendrils of spirit as she jogged towards them. Surely there were traps there. Things had been oddly easy so far.

Yes, there was something. Taija stopped and held out a hand to halt the others. "This is almost certainly a trap, just give me a second, I need to focus."

 

[EmperorArthur]

Ahh, Mat being Mat is always good to see. It's also really nice seeing Taija's instruction paying off. Not just in combat, but in not berating someone who is helping.

I also can't argue with him being scared of Taija. His random memories mean he knows just how dangerous people like her are. Everyone else gets to see why she and the forsaken are so feared.

With the exception of those Taija freed, this was probably the first time the rest have seen her in true combat, and she very obviously could have handled those 12 sisters on her own. She also probably stilled the Black Ajah member, and her ability to do that and do it without a second thought is shocking to people not used to a war with darkfiends.

Now she's either disarming a trap or setting one of her own. Her even being there is going to be a very large surprise, and I have a feeling someone is going to not be happy next chapter!

 

[Teebs]

Ahh, Mat being Mat is always good to see. It's also really nice seeing Taija's instruction paying off. Not just in combat, but in not berating someone who is helping.

Click to shrink...

The way that the characters behave to each other can be one of the most annoying things in the books. Birgitte called it out in the books. Here their wise(ish) mentor figure has already made it very clear that she's tired of their shit and made the men and women train together. Nothing better for bonding and overcoming bigotry than being forced to cooperate in a harsh training regime.

I also can't argue with him being scared of Taija. His random memories mean he knows just how dangerous people like her are. Everyone else gets to see why she and the forsaken are so feared.

With the exception of those Taija freed, this was probably the first time the rest have seen her in true combat, and she very obviously could have handled those 12 sisters on her own.

Click to shrink...

To be fair, Mat has also had the experience of her trying to drag him off to kill Sammael while drunk off her face.

The Black Ajah sisters were a speed bump for Taija. The only way they would have beaten someone of her calibre with an angreal was if they'd been linked in a single circle *and* had managed to take her by surprise. As it was they had no idea what they were even dealing with. Sooner or later people will stop underestimating her. Through natural selection if nothing else.

She also probably stilled the Black Ajah member, and her ability to do that and do it without a second thought is shocking to people not used to a war with darkfiends.

Click to shrink...

That's exactly what she did, well done for working it out. It'll be added to the list of things about her that disturb the girls and Moiraine, along with her execution of Egwene's sul'dam. She's spent the last five years fighting in a civilisation-ending war where the other side literally feed prisoners to their troops. I enjoy writing the contrast between her much more civilised/modern view of how allies should interact and her far more brutal/cold view on how to deal with darkfriends. Her reactions are definitely shaped by the long-term trauma she's been exposed to.

It's not that Moiraine wouldn't be willing to do it or even think she was wrong (the girls might, in the books when Egwene was rescued she was told not to make herself as bad as the sul'dam), it's the sheer casualness with which she'd do it that would disturb her.

 

[ClawClawBite]

As it was they had no idea what they were even dealing with. Sooner or later people will stop underestimating her. Through natural selection if nothing else.

Click to shrink...

Her habit of hiding her ability to channel, while bad for Aes Sadai political posturing, has really shown its benefit in this kind of thing. Unless you are in a warded space or trying to break weaves on everyone present, she could be any random person.

It will also be interesting when she meets the Aiel. She remembers who they were. The tinkers too, she likely has even heard the song.

 

[Teebs]

Her habit of hiding her ability to channel, while bad for Aes Sadai political posturing, has really shown its benefit in this kind of thing. Unless you are in a warded space or trying to break weaves on everyone present, she could be any random person.

It will also be interesting when she meets the Aiel. She remembers who they were. The tinkers too, she likely has even heard the song.

Click to shrink...

Yep and it will continue to help and hinder depending on the circumstances.

I can promise that there is going to be confusion with the Aiel. On the song, I think it was actually a combination of Aiel, Ogier, Nym and channeling, so while she's definitely heard it, I don't think it can actually be replicated anymore.

 

[Teebs]

Chapter XXXIII - The Dragon Reborn
Taija's tiny flows of spirit extended along the great doors, gently probing and exploring. It was soon clear that there were a number of wards spun into them. She wasn't sure what they all did, but she was also sure she didn't want to find out. If her suspicions were correct, Be'lal wanted Rand to go into that room, but not to have anyone else to support him. So presumably something that would incapacitate anyone that wasn't Rand or possibly something aimed at female channelers. She could think of a few ways she might do it and Be'lal probably had more ideas than she did.

Unfortunately for Be'lal Taija didn't intend to go along with his plan.

Eyes half-closed she spun spirit into various minuscule nooks and crannies in the wards. She wasn't going to be at all subtle about this. There was no time, but then he already knew they were there. Well maybe not her personally, but Rand and at least a few others.

Hooks of spirit inserted Taija pulled deeply on saidar, as much as she could take through the angreal, and channeled it down her webs of spirit. Then, for lack of a better word, she flexed the webs.

What had been delicate flows were now iron-hard bands of power and after a brief moment of resistance, whatever wards Be'lal placed over the doors shattered. Taija didn't see his webs of course, but fire engulfed the door and the whole stone shook around her.

Before the dust had settled she was waving the others forward through the now gaping doorway, Rand in the lead. She on the other hand, hung back slightly.

The Heart of the Stone was a huge circular chamber, a multitude of columns towering up to a vaulted ceiling. It was undoubtedly impressive. However, everyone's eyes were drawn to what was floating in the centre of the chamber, a crystal sword hanging suspended in webs of saidar and saidin. Callandor. If Moiraine was right and it was a sa'angreal then it would make Rand unstoppable.

He hesitated at the sight of it, standing unmoving until after a second Egwene gave him a little push. He started towards it, tentative at first, but then visibly gathering himself. The others followed a little behind him. Entranced by the sword as they were, they didn't notice Taija sidling off behind the columns rather than following.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Be'lal stepped out from behind a column on the other side of the room. She immediately knew something was wrong. A faint smirk was visible behind his short, neat, silver beard. He was confident. Far too confident for a man faced with what he must have known was at least five hostile channelers.

Rand stopped dead, "who are you?" He asked, there was a slight tremor in his voice. Taija thought he already knew the answer. She was slowly making her way round the outside of the chamber.

The man's smirk grew, "I am Be'lal, do you not remember me Lews Therin? The good old days, when we sported together, those times when we turned swords from a bloodless bit of fun into a way of warfare? Don't you remember meeting me on the battlefield?" If Taija remembered correctly from what she'd heard about him in the past, he liked the sound of his own voice a bit too much. She was relying on that to some degree.

Rand shrugged, "not really, should I?" Taija allowed herself a small smile at the snarky nonchalance he managed to put into his voice. It certainly wiped the amused smirk off Be'lal's face.

"So be it." He glanced at the others. "I see that you still let your heart rule you and stopped to rescue your women. Still, I will make time for them afterwards, do not worry, I will make sure they are properly looked after. In memory of you." His eyes promised a horrible ending for them. "However, we both know what you are really here for," he gestured grandly at Callandor, "take it. Strike me down. Otherwise I will kill you and your friends."

Taija saw the girls and Moiraine starting to spin webs, ready to strike as soon as they got a sign from Rand, then the light of saidar winked out from around them in quick succession.

Fuck. Her mind came to a grinding halt for a moment.

He must have had an angreal. Taija didn't know exactly how strong Be'lal was, but he wasn't among the strongest of the surviving Forsaken and there was no way he could have shielded all four women just like that while they held the Power. If he had a strong one…

Lan took a stride forward and then stopped abruptly as the air solidified around him and the others. Taija suspected Be'lal had tied off the webs. Even with an angreal, holding four women, all those webs of air and fighting Rand all at the same time would be a strain.

She was still moving, slowly, quietly. She didn't think he'd seen her. If he had there'd be fire in the air.

"Go on Lews Therin, take it, perhaps it will be enough to allow you to survive, to allow you to save your friends. I will give you this chance in memory of the friendship we once had." Be'lal's confident smirk was back, his cold eyes told Taija what he really thought of that friendship.

She was going to have to spend some time teaching the girls how to undo tied off shields if they survived this.

Be'lal didn't seem to be inclined to kill Rand, there was no sign of a battle with the Power going on. They might have been channeling spirit at each other, she couldn't tell, but Be'lal would surely overwhelm Rand if they were.

"I had thought that you might have Taija Kosola with you, I heard she survived." Be'lal looked pleased, "this might have been more of a challenge if she had been here. As it is, if you will not defend yourself, I will kill you." He didn't hesitate after those words, drawing his sword and throwing himself at Rand in one smooth movement.

Rand drew his sword almost as fast, but he was immediately on the back foot, fending off lightning-fast slashes from Be'lal's weapon. However, he quickly recovered. Their swords flashing together meeting again and again, the loud clangs of their impacts ringing out. They were impressively fast. Taija once saw Duram Laddel compete with… him… and it had been an exciting match even for someone like her who wasn't all that interested in sword fighting.

One thing was quickly clear though, Rand was severely outmatched. Taija thought he was pretty good, but he was clearly not a master on the level of Be'lal.

They moved around the chamber as they fought, Rand constantly giving ground to stay alive. Be'lal moving with smooth confidence, never in danger himself. His sword flicking in and out, barely deflected by Rand. It was quickly clear to Taija that Be'lal was deliberately letting Rand retreat, but making sure that his steps were taking him in a closing spiral towards Callandor. Presumably he intended to strike the killing blow a moment after Rand touched the sa'angreal.

By then Taija had maneuvered herself round far enough that she was confident that she wouldn't hit any of the others in the cross fire. She briefly considered just hitting Be'lal with balefire while he was completely unaware. It would be a fittingly simple end for someone who took such pride in his complex schemes.

However, after a moment's thought she dismissed the idea. He had a male angreal and Taija wanted that angreal for Rand. Or she supposed if Rand had a sa'angreal, then she wanted the angreal for Aleksi. Either way, she wanted it and she was prepared to take a risk to get it. Balefire would mean destroying it along with Be'lal.

So Taija paused for a second, spinning an array of webs that taxed her even with her angreal. A moment's wait for the right angle and… There!

Taija completed her webs, hurling saidar away from her. Four webs of razor sharp spirit and fire sliced the webs shielding Moiraine and the girls. They could look after themselves now. At the same time she opened a pair of gateways, sending webs of air through them to hit Be'lal from behind and flung fire straight at his face.

Taija didn't wait to see whether she'd got him or not, she was already opening a gateway to the far side of the chamber and flinging herself through, out of the way of any retaliation.

He survived.

Without thinking Taija spun a complex web of fire and air, tens of explosive darts forming themselves above her and then flying towards Be'lal. Explosions ripped along the floor as they bombarded him, sending red hot shards of rock flying where they weren't sliced or blocked by him. She spun a hammer blow of air from above and swept another web along the ground at foot level, not to pull his feet from under him, this one was a blade.

Both were sliced, but Taija could see he was reeling, staggering backwards, putting everything he had into fending off her flurry of webs. The stone of the floor reached up to envelop his leg before bursting into dust. Wire thin strands of air enveloped him and vanished. She sent fire at him from above, whirling blades of razor sharp air from the side. He was going to crack any second, miss something and then he'd be done.

Then suddenly, Be'lal gasped and Taija franticly pulled back on her webs, bringing her attacks to a sudden halt as a sword appeared through his chest. For a second he groped at it, trying to say something, then he slumped to his knees to reveal Rand standing behind him, the life leaving Be'lal's eyes even as he fell.

It took Taija a second to realise what had happened. That was incredibly stupid of Rand, if she'd attacked Be'lal from behind through a gateway she might have hit Rand without even realising. Still, she couldn't argue with the result. She'd be able to factor some of this into his training later, for the moment it was time to celebrate.

Taija smiled widely and went towards him. "Well done Rand, it looks like…"

Her words were cut off by sudden pain. It hurt! She was flying through the air and she didn't know how she get there and she was screaming. Taija hit the ground curled into a ball around herself trying to stop the pain.

As suddenly as it came the pain vanished, leaving her lying on the ground, still twitching. She didn't think she'd broken anything, but she wasn't totally sure she could stand up right then. She did manage to prop herself up on her elbow to see a bearded man, his normally kindly face twisted with rage, step out of a cloud of darkness. Ishamael.

Taija felt saidar being channeled and webs of fire and air flashed across the chamber towards him. Moiraine and the girls.

He didn't even look at them, webs vanished, cut or blocked, Taija didn't know. Black lightning shot out from him and they collapsed with their own agonised cries.

But he only had eyes for Rand. "I offered you the chance to serve the Great Lord twice Lews Therin and you spurned me. Well this time I will kill you and you can serve the Lord of the Grave in death instead."

"Rand!" Taija shrieked, "Callandor!"

He hesitated for the briefest moment and then dived for the floating sword just as Ishamael spun that black lightning. Taija heard Rand scream with pain for the moment it took for his hand to close on the crystal sword. Then there was only blinding light.

======

As soon as his hand touched Callandor the agony vanished and saidin surged through Rand, torrents of it beyond anything he had ever imagined. He teetered on the brink, fighting the deluge with everything he had, clinging on with his fingertips. Barely resisting being swept away. It felt like it took agonisingly slow minutes even if it was probably less than a second, but eventually he brought it under control. Standing on the precipice of a waterfall, feeling the raging flow of saidin hurtle through him, but he had balance for now. The taint washed over him too, oozing waves of it flooding his senses with filth.

Slowly he turned towards Ishamael. "This time I'll kill you once and for all." It felt like more than words, a pronouncement of the way the world would be. With this much Power he knew it would be true.

The Forsaken hesitated and then channeled, seeming to tear a hole in space and diving through it. It was like Taija's gateways, but different.

He was going to end this. A thought and flows of saidin shot out from him, mirroring Ishamael's web.

When he stepped through the gateway he found himself right where he started, in the Heart of the Stone. Except there was no one else there, everything was strange and… a bar of liquid fire streaked through the dim light straight for him.

A thought and he brought Callandor between them saidin hurtling through it, through him. The bar split in two and obliterated columns behind him, bringing them tumbling down.

He heard a curse and copied Ishamael's web, sending a thick bar of blinding light back at him, carving through columns, bringing yet more destruction to the Heart of the Stone.

Ishamael fled and Rand followed.

Traps were thrown in his way. Webs he didn't understand. Trollocs. Barriers. Monsters he'd never seen before. Each he obliterated with Callandor in ways he couldn't fully comprehend until eventually they found themselves back in the Heart of the Stone.

He was a butterfly tossed around in a hurricane of saidin, but with this much of the Power he could do anything.

Rand focused the flows and threw them at Ishamael in a wall of white hot fire that obliterated everything it passed over. Yet somehow the man survived, staggering backwards, clothes smoking and one of his arms hanging at an odd angle.

For the first time Rand saw true fear in his eyes. He raised Callandor spinning a huge web something momentous something he knew would permanently end the man. The web came together, an intricate pattern of doom, but before he could bring it together, Ishamael spun another gateway, fleeing through it. This time Rand felt nothing from Ishamael's channeling, he couldn't follow.

After a moment he channeled, instinctively replicating the gateway he'd made earlier and stepped back into the Stone. There seemed to be a lot more people now, Defenders of the Stone and the strangely clad people who'd been fighting them. They weren't fighting now, but rather standing uneasily eyeing each other under the eyes of a glaring Taija, Moiraine and Nynaeve.

As soon as he stepped out of his gateway every eye in the room snapped to him and the glowing sword in his hands.

For a moment there was silence and then Moiraine's voice rang out, "all hail Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn!"