Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
I mean, technically Moridin-in-Rand's body was immolated at the end of the Last Battle.
Shards of Shadow [Parahumans/Wheel of Time]
- Thread starter Ellf
- Start date
- Crossover
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- Tags
- ward wheel of time worm
I mean, technically Moridin-in-Rand's body was immolated at the end of the Last Battle.
Windborne
Devourer of Stories
- Location
- Oregon
True, buuuuuut dying hasn't stopped him before. And he would be the kind of asshole to use a name to fuck with people, as again it's been something he's done in the past. I'll admit I'm not exactly happy he's shown back up, but I'm laying the blame for that at Elayne and Aviendha's feet. They could've Balefire'd the body once he was almost dead. I'm hoping that mistake is not repeated. Least Aran'gal, and Samael are super dead thanks to Balefire.
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Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
So, one theory about Balefire I read was that it basically makes it impossible for the Lord of the Graves to snag the soul before it gets punted into the reincarnation process. It does this by making them dead before the moment of their death. It does not permanently erase the soul from existence though. Which means that certain characters can get naturally reincarnated in the long run.
Windborne
Devourer of Stories
- Location
- Oregon
I'd have agreed with that theory if it wasn't explicitly stated by at least one person (Moiraine I think) that it permanently removes anything effected from the Wheel and that they can never be reborn. It's part of why Moiraine knowing how to do it was such a big deal during book 3. If I remember correctly there's this whole sub plot with Rand in TGS where I think Cadsuane and Nynaeve, are utterly horrified by him using Balefire against that one mansion Graendal was hiding in because he had just utterly destroyed hundreds of innocent people and now they can't even be reborn just to make sure he got her, which he ironically doesn't do. Or maybe it was Min who freaks out.
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- Location
- Boston
But something needs to be able to rebuild it, or the pattern would be gradually worn away and run out of souls. I'm assuming either the souls go back into the cycle, or the Flame if Tar Valon created new souls as a side effect.
Windborne
Devourer of Stories
- Location
- Oregon
Its heavily implied that heavy usage of Balefire in a single spot can destroy reality. As for the Flame making new souls I highly doubt it, it's something more like Kintsugi, a pottery technique that fills cracks with gold. It's not replacing what was lost, just filling the holes with something completely new and different.
actually, it was stated by RJ in an interview that balefired souls can be reborn. so we have WOG on that. it makes sense in the series. they are removed from the pattern, but like every other ending, within time they are restored, as the wheel has no ending. its all a cycle, and through it the destroyed souls are remade by the wheel, just like anything else. it just harder.
Windborne
Devourer of Stories
- Location
- Oregon
I'll admit I was completely unaware of that. Huh well guess thats something new to know about the series. That does kind of cheapen what occurs in the series but that's a happier outcome than I expected so I'm not too upset.
- Location
- Boston
It's outright stated that it can unravel the wheel. But RJ was good about having non omniscient characters - people assert things all the time that turn out not to be true, or are non falsifiable. Ishamael for one was convinced the Dark One's victory was inevitable, given infinite chances, but you can just as easily conclude that the Dark One's victory is impossible, given it already *had* infinite chances, and has never broken out. This is somewhat supported by the Dark One seeming much more focused on turning Rand than on actually breaking out.
Huh, I didn't know it had gotten WoG'd but yeah, if you take the conceit of the setting at face value, then permanent victories are just as impossible as permanent defeats. Which is also the reason I take issue with Rand's revelation on the Mountain Top, as being able to try again is kind of moot if we're never allowed to meaningfully learn from our failures. It's actually pretty existentially horrifying, and I would even agree with Ishamael if that wasn't clearly also never going to work combined with the need to be a megadick. Buddhism FTW.
Speaking of the cycle, it would be cool if, given the absence of the Dragon, Demandred had an opportunity to be on the side of light this go around. And maybe one or two of the "Heroes" from the Third age being seduced to Villany (I'm looking at you Fortuona 1.0, miss I'm only going to save the world if I get to keep my slaves and don't have to actually address the monstrous things my society does in the pursuit of order) would also offer some interesting counterpoints and narrative beats.
Oh, and to the OP - well done at integrating a fundamentally nonanthropocentric universe with a fundamentally anthropocentric one.
- Location
- Omniverse #1345
So balefire damages the Pattern because it works like you have a sewing machine - and balefire is someone taking a knife and cutting thread that you've already woven out of it.
This causes problems, nothing that can't be papered over in small amounts but in large amounts it starts causing the entire thing to fall apart because you can't reinforce the front fast enough as the area behind comes undone.
Similarly balefire prevents resurrection by killing them before they die, preventing the dark one from catching their soul in the short time frame he had to do so. It doesn't actually harm souls, though. Just causes him to miss his chance. (This is a paraphrasing of a word of god from Robert Jordan)
Al'thor is definitely someone who thinks they have a sense of humor, but I think only one of the old Forsaken was left, so perhaps not an old Forsaken but someone they told the story of how the world last almost fell to the shadow.
This causes problems, nothing that can't be papered over in small amounts but in large amounts it starts causing the entire thing to fall apart because you can't reinforce the front fast enough as the area behind comes undone.
Similarly balefire prevents resurrection by killing them before they die, preventing the dark one from catching their soul in the short time frame he had to do so. It doesn't actually harm souls, though. Just causes him to miss his chance. (This is a paraphrasing of a word of god from Robert Jordan)
Al'thor is definitely someone who thinks they have a sense of humor, but I think only one of the old Forsaken was left, so perhaps not an old Forsaken but someone they told the story of how the world last almost fell to the shadow.
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Althor seemed to lead the conversation, and Moghiedien seemed to somewhat defer to him. he also seemed philosophical, a thinker, not just power hungry. all this points to him being Ishamael. of course, Moridin died and Rand's body was burned, and the dark one was sealed at that time. which makes it difficult for him to return, especially in this body. perhaps the body is an illusion? mirror of mists, to take the form of his Nemesis old reincarnation? seems like something Moridin would do. still not explaining how he came back. something strange here.
or perhaps, actually, it is the dragon, who sided with the Dark One this time. this will explain calling himself Althor, and why everyone defer to him
or perhaps, actually, it is the dragon, who sided with the Dark One this time. this will explain calling himself Althor, and why everyone defer to him
Chapter Twenty-Two: Dreams of Ruin
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Chapter Twenty-Two: Dreams of Ruin
Wind blew through Taylor's hair as she looked down the sloped road leading to the city below. The smell of baking bread wafted up the road, and Taylor frowned. The city was supposed to be unoccupied. Why could she smell bread?
A weight weighed on her left hand's middle finger, and she brought her hand up. A ring, made of a golden metal, in the shape of a gold serpent eating its own tail sat prominently upon her finger. Oh. This wasn't real. Well, it wasn't the waking world, at least. Taylor started walking down the road toward the city, a sense of familiarity flashing over her. She felt she'd walked this path before, and she knew she would again when she woke up. Of course the former couldn't be true, not really. The etchings in the stones along the path seemed to light up with each step she took.
Dreams could be funny that way. As Taylor walked, a tiered tower loomed in the distance, made entirely of white stone. A nostalgic feeling welled up within her with every step, each step increasing the feeling, each step bringing a sense of familiarity, like she was returning to a home she had lived in, long ago. It was a home she'd never been to, yet she knew each stone along the path. It was a home she would return to once more, far into the future. As she closed in on the bridge that crossed the river, a standing stone stood not far off the path, intricately carved with a number of symbols. As she looked at it, the symbols shifted, reminding Taylor of something she'd seen in a museum once, but at the same time, it held little significance compared to the city ahead.
Banners and woven tapestries decorated the buildings, each lighting up with the ghostly images of people dressed in clothing Taylor would have expected to see at a Renaissance festival walking around, doing their daily lives. They seemed to recognize her presence, giving greetings that ranged from waves, to bows and curtsies, some going far lower than she would have expected. The words they spoke were quiet, barely out of reach of her hearing, but every so often, she'd get a hint of a turn of phrase. The most common seemed to be the word "Sedai", which had a stress on the second syllable. It almost certainly referred to her. Like they were calling her by name, being respectful. She didn't know why though.
Still she felt drawn further in, toward the white tower at the center of the city. She walked the streets with a familiarity she shouldn't have had, passing a smithy where she could hear the clanging of a hammer on metal, a bakery where she smelt freshly baked bread and pastries, and a tavern where the sounds of revelry echoed onto the street. The names of each of these places were known to her yet not, sitting there on the tip of her tongue.
Tar Valon,Malan had called this place, was a ruin in the waking world, untouched by human hands for the longest time. Here, in her dream, it was a bustling metropolis that bustled with the sense of others but not their physical presence. At one point, the city had been the seat of some power or another, a nation's capital, perhaps. But that time was long gone, relegated to a bygone Age before humanity nearly wiped itself out completely on Earth Gimel.
Lisa would have been in heaven, if saw what Taylor did. If she knew what Taylor knew. But her friend was on her way back to Perpetuity. For the briefest of seconds, Taylor felt she could reach out and touch Lisa, but a focus on the tower proper, kept her attention.
In a flicker of movement, she found herself at the base of the tower, standing before a massive door. The door was massive, standing nearly two stories tall in of itself, and it was intricately carved with a large circular design. The circle was divided similar to the way a yin-yang sign would be, though unlike that symbol, there were no eyes on it. It merely was black and white, with the white part being emphasized here.
Words written in the language taught to her in Stedding Tsaris were etched at the base of the door. "Enter, those who wish to serve. Enter those who serve all."
Taylor placed a hand on the door, and it opened inward. She took two steps through, finding herself in what looked like a throne room. A massive white chair was prominent at the center of the room, and the symbol carved on the door was also on the floor here. Sitting on the chair at the center of the room was a dark-haired woman dressed in red. Her features were sharp, striking,and she had one of those faces that could have been any age between thirty and fifty. The woman was better described as handsome than pretty, and the moment Taylor stepped completely into the center of the throne room, she sat up.
The woman said something in the same language Taylor had heard outside, the one the people she'd seen spoke.
"Sorry, I don't understand," Taylor said.
The woman narrowed her eyes and cleared her throat. "You stand in the audience of the Amyrlin Seat, girl, and you look as if you should be wearing Novice white. You clearly have not yet even begun your training."
"Training?" Taylor asked, glancing at the woman. "In what, exactly? And what's the Amyrlin Seat?"
Clearly she was talking about a person, likely herself, but for all Taylor knew, she could have been a crazy woman speaking about the chair she sat in.
Then she felt it. She saw it. A nimbus of serene power flowed into the woman before her. The woman stood, and Taylor noticed a multihued stole with six colors represented: green, red, yellow, brown, gray, and white, hanging around her shoulders. For some reason, Taylor felt like something was missing, but why would she know that? Still, the woman, this possibly Amyrlin Seat, whatever that meant, was holding the very power that she had used.
"Yes, daughter, training. You have come to the White Tower, where Aes Sedai are trained, is this not something that you know?" The woman asked.
"Trained in what, exactly?" Taylor asked. She thought for a second. "How to use that power?"
The woman smiled. "Perhaps you are smarter than you originally let on, daughter. Yes, your training in Saidar would be done here."
Well, at least now she had a name for the power rather than just calling it "power," or "passenger," especially since unlike her old power, this power didn't seem to have an animus behind it. "I don't think that this place is going to be able to train me. I'm not awake at the moment."
Taylor knew that much. She certainly was dreaming, but she wasn't entirely sure if she was dreaming the way she had before, or if this was something else.
"If this is your dream, daughter, than so be it," said the woman.
"Sorry, but you don't look anything like my mother," Taylor said. "Please stop calling me that."
"It is the customary way to address the subordinate Aes Sedai, Accepted and Novices from the Amyrlin Seat, just as the custom is to address the Amyrlin Seat as 'Mother'."
"I don't care. My name is Taylor. Call me that," she said. "And you are?"
"The Watcher of the Seals, The Flame of Tar Valon, The Amyrlin Seat, Elaida do Avriny a'Roihan," said Elaida with a quirking of her lips. She gave Taylor another once-over. "It is not often that I get to introduce a new Novice to what it means to be an Aes Sedai these days."
Taylor shrugged. Given that this was a dream, she wasn't entirely sure where this information was coming from. Was Elaida really here? The woman seemed real enough, but many things can seem real in dreams. It was possible that she was making the whole thing up. "I don't think the Aes Sedai really exist these days."
"They did, Taylor," said Elaida. "Perhaps you should consider whether you are truly ready to learn. Down in the Tower's below-ground levels, you will find a set of interconnected silver archways. As a test for yourself, you will figure a way to activate them, then go through each one and come back. But there is something you will need to remember as you go through each archway."
"Oh?" Whatever this was had Taylor even more curious. It wasn't like these archways were even likely to be there in the waking world. If there were even remnants of them there, odds were they were far too broken up to be anything of any sort of use. Who knew what they would find in the waking version of this tower.
"The way back comes but once. Be steadfast," Elaida said. "Keep that in mind as you go through this trial. Normally, the trial determines if you are ready to advance onward to the rank of Accepted, but if, as you say, Tar Valon is not fully operational, I rather suspect that there will be information to guide you."
Taylor frowned. Something about this woman felt off to her. Of course, given this was a dream of sorts, there were reasons to believe that she might not even exist. Perhaps she did at one time, and this was a memory that was long forgotten, linked to this place. Malan spoke of reincarnation, and while she wasn't sure she believed in that sort of thing, it certainly could have been true. People had been brought back from the dead before. Why wouldn't it be possible for those souls to be recycled into the world?
And if they were waiting in the world of dreams for it, as Swansong and Silverbow had been, was this Elaida, Amyrlin Seat, one of them? Or was she a creation of Taylor's own mind?
"What exactly is an Aes Sedai?" Taylor asked. "Here is the first time I've heard that term, but it sounds like a phrase from the Ogier language. Servant?"
"The classic translation from Old Tongue is…" Elaida said something in the language that Taylor had heard the apparitions in town speaking. Perhaps remnants, memories of the Tar Valon residents. Long forgotten dreams? "In your tongue, I suppose it would be Servants of All. The Aes Sedai were advisors to royalty, a guide to those in power and those who would stand against the Shadow. They were channelers of Saidar, the female half of the One Power. The Power meant specifically for women."
Taylor narrowed her eyes. Female half. "That implies there is a male half of this so-called One Power."
Elaida frowned. "Yes. Saidin. It is not to be borne. If you ever run into a male channeler, daughter, untrained as you are, I suggest you run. Once you have gotten more training, learned how to shield against their power use, how to gentle them, then you can do more than that."
"Why are you being so helpful?" Taylor asked. Was this her dream for certain?
Elaida gave a sickly smile, and the power she held spread out from her in multihued strands, each strand settling around Taylor, giving a sense of warmth. "Because, daughter, I failed my people once due to arrogance in my life. I will not fail you again."
Then Taylor felt a light push, and she fell backward, the world shattering around her. The white stone of Tar Valon's tower broke apart like glass, revealing the wide landscape of crystal structures below her. Each crystalline island was a power. Taylor knew that, and… the one that had been her power had its avatar standing there, arms outstretched. The Queen Administrator wanted her back.
Taylor felt a shaking in her shoulder, and she forced herself to open her eyes.
She awoke in the bed to Victoria Dallon's blue eyes staring blurrily into her own. Well, Taylor assumed it was Victoria, given she wasn't wearing her glasses. The blonde placed Taylor's glasses on her face, before making a shushing motion, and gesturing for Taylor to follow her.
Taylor extricated herself from the bed, carefully avoiding stepping on any of the dogs or Rachel as she followed Victoria. Unlike Victoria, Taylor had to be careful how she stepped if she wanted to be quiet, but she was able to follow the floating woman out of the sleeping area and into the central area of the Dragoncraft. Victoria took a seat at a table and gestured for Taylor to do the same.
After Taylor followed the gesture, Victoria gave a small smile to Taylor. "Sorry for waking you up, but I felt we needed to talk."
Taylor nodded, and at an equal volume, responded, "Without interruption, I suppose."
"Something like that," Victoria said. "You also looked like you were having a rough dream, and I was hoping that you would wake up. Rain doesn't until he's been in his dream long enough."
"I don't think my dream thing works like that," Taylor said. "What'd you want to talk about?"
"Just… well," Victoria waved a hand. "All of this. The Trollocs, Fades, this whole thing with the Dark One and ta'veren. I'm not sure what to believe about all of it. That wasn't a normal set of things from Dinah Alcott."
"Prophecy," Taylor said. "Her precognition is accurate to a point, but just because something is nominally likely to happen, it doesn't mean that it will. But you're right. This isn't normal precog from her. It was almost a poem, not a percentage chance."
Victoria nodded. "And this whole ta'veren thing… Affecting the world like that, Malan's pattern thing? I mean, I suppose I could see something like that with you. You managed to become the team leader of the Undersiders, and then after killing Alexandria, you joined the Wardens. There was a weight to your actions back on Earth Bet, and it culminated in--"
"Khepri," Taylor said with a sigh. "What about you? The team you guided, the bits with Teacher, the Titans… Neither one of us individually were the strongest around. Well, you kind of are a lot stronger than most people, but neither of us is Alexandria. And even she had her own weaknesses. We accomplished most things by working with others. We both had a huge effect on how our friends and teams worked." Taylor chuckled shortly. "And we both did what we needed to in order to save the world. I'm not sure I would have been able to convince Contessa of anything."
Victoria shook her head. "It wasn't really me, anyway. Tristan is the one who managed to pull that off."
"Under your guidance, while dead," Taylor said. "Lookout is a bit of a motormouth when talking about how awesome her friends are."
Victoria shook her head with a small smile. "She can be, yes."
Taylor smiled. It warmed her heart to see how much Victoria cared about her former teammate, and it was kind of nice how she got along with Rachel and Lisa. Still, that sort of story could come out later. "Honestly, the ta'veren thing is strange. We both already did something huge, and now we're… somehow going to be involved with something world-shaking again? Clearly whoever this Dark One is, he doesn't really see us as a major threat. Or he's biding his time, testing us."
Victoria nodded. "The only thing that even had a chance against us was the Fade that Defiant fought. I wonder if he'll end up using stronger minions."
"I can't see why he wouldn't," Taylor said. "The issue is, we don't know what these minions are or if there's a special way to kill them the way there is with the Fades. Yeah, we could ask Malan for more of his people's legends, but even with Ogier memories going back that far, they'll still just be legends."
"So, we're hoping whatever we find in Tar Valon will be something that gives us a map forward," Victoria said. "I just hope we don't have to scour the whole city."
"The tower at the center of it, the White Tower," Taylor said. "It's probably the best place to start looking."
And the Silver Arches might be there. If Taylor could figure out how they worked, maybe they would be helpful.
Elaida had told her that "the way back will come but once, be steadfast."
Victoria nodded again. She agreed about the Tower as the first place to look. Of course, she didn't know what Taylor did. So Taylor told her.
In return, Victoria told some stories from when she was in Breakthrough. The two of them swapped stories of the more positive moments with their teams.
They spoke for hours as the sun began to rise, both knowing that as they headed into Tar Valon, neither knew exactly what they were going into. The city could have truly been long abandoned, but the Dark One was active.
Steadfast indeed.
- Location
- Omniverse #1345
Well, she did seem to actually be trying to help. I suppose she was always loyal to the light, if blind to her own failings.
That even in the Dream she lacks Blue is telling, really.
The advice about male channelers is outdated, or at least it should be. Saidin was cleansed, and Rand did not re-taint it during the sealing. But that does fit what Elaida would say. she was never willing to accept when she was wrong.
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Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Quite possible, yes.
Elaida is an interesting character, and I'm looking forward to seeing her in the TV series.
Windborne
Devourer of Stories
- Location
- Oregon
Elaida trying to be helpful has never really worked, nor did she really ever try that hard from what I remember. She was a bitch from the beginning to end. She's not as purely spiteful as Umbridge, but she comes very fucking close. Of the many, many characters of WoT, Elaida is easily one of my most hated. I prefer Moghedin over Elaida as a person. Sure Moghedin is a coward, and a manipulative bitch, but even she's not as fervent a zealot as Elaida.
That's good, probably. I hope.
We all hate her, I don't think anyone liked Elaida. But she was loyal to the light, and her knowledge js important and indeed helpful. One can't says she is not knowledgable.
Were Moiraine or Siuan better for Taylor? Sure. But the wheel weaves as the wheel wills
Her knowledge is only helpful if it's correct, and in this case some of what she's said is not.
Of course. But its still better than anything else we gave. And in terms if basic knowledge Elaida is rather rekaible. Just don't ask her for her opinion or advice
Chapter Twenty-Three: Ruined Explorations
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Chapter Twenty-Three: Ruined Explorations
The Dragoncraft circled the ruins of Tar Valon, its occupants looking for a safe place to land. The river once known as Erinin ran clear, brushing past stone pillars that had once held a bridge, long-since crumbled years before humanity had returned to Earth Gimel. Looking out the craft's windows at the remains of the ancient stone buildings nearly took Victoria's breath away. Who knew that Earth Gimel had ruins like this, as developed as this? At its peak, the city likely housed more people than Brockton Bay could have, perhaps as many as Manhattan back on Bet.
The white stone buildings, showing little erosion or loss to the annals of time, were a testament to the Ogier that had built them God-knows how many years ago. Nature had made its attempts at retaking the city, only to climb the stone walls, taking anchor in the few cracks and crevices there were in the stone architecture. Small mammals, mostly rodents and lapines, fed upon the plants, and Victoria caught a glimpse of a fox dashing between the open spaces in what once may have been a market on the projected image. It was even kind of cute.
"Before we land," Colin said, looking back at them from the cockpit. "Do we even know what it is we're looking for?"
"I'm not sure," Taylor said, shaking her head. "Something related to this Dark One from that prophecy… God… That's just weird to say. Some sort of ancient evil or… I don't know."
"We'll fuck it up," said Rachel, placing a hand on Taylor's shoulder. Her dogs barked an affirmative alongside her, and for the briefest of moments, Victoria swore the girl's eyes were a different color. "Whatever it is."
It probably wouldn't be that simple. Few things were, and the prophecy seemed to indicate that the information they sought would come from beyond the grave. Yes, Kenzie was capable of reaching into the Firmament and seeking out those who had powers and had died, but the people who would have information relating to this were from far before Scion and his partner had chosen Earth. There were no powers that could have linked to them.
"Perhaps we might be looking for an artifact of sorts," said Malan. "One from the last time the Dark One was active."
"Maybe," Victoria said, a contemplative look on her face. "I'm not sure. But I think whatever we're looking for, we'll find it there."
She pointed at the partially collapsed tower at the center of the ruined city. Taylor's nod assured her that her gut was correct. The city seemed designed around the tower at its center, and it likely was some sort of seat of power during the city's heyday. While the city outside the tower, Tar Valon proper, would have some sort of intriguing archaeological significance, Victoria was much more interested in any sort of potential parahuman information. From what Taylor had spoke of the night before, the tower at the center was a training center of sorts, and perhaps they would have information there. Judging from the importance her dream seemed to place on it, it had to be.
If it still existed.
"The White Tower," Taylor said, and the capitals could practically be heard in her emphasis. "Victoria and I spoke about it this morning. It's the best place to start. We should be able to land nearby. There's certainly enough space."
"Hopefully, we'll know what we're looking for when we find it," Victoria said. "But, no guarantees."
Colin nodded. "I'll set us down close by."
He landed smoothly in an open area near the walls surrounding the tower, and the lot of them stepped out of the Dragoncraft. Well, Victoria didn't step so much as float, but the sentiment was the same, placing them in the middle of the ancient ruins.
A strange sense of deja vu overcame Victoria, as she set her feet down on the white stone material that somehow was still pristine on the ground. For a second, she could see a marketplace, hustling and bustling with people, trading food, cloth, with gold coins changing hands. She shook her head, and the images faded. If she hadn't looked at just the right moment, she might have missed Taylor doing the same.
"Huh," Colin said, as he looked around. "The material here… I haven't seen stone like this before."
"I have," Taylor said. "The few buildings in Stedding Tsaris are like it, aren't they Malan?"
"The masonry of the tower itself, and some of the surrounding buildings certainly are Ogier-make," Malan said. "And there might be a chance that a grove would still be here. Though it likely isn't as well-tended as it could be."
"Without your people to tend it, likely not," Taylor said, and she started toward what might have once been a gateway. Rachel followed behind her, dogs at her side.
Victoria matched her speed, cheating a little by hovering partly off the ground. Taylor Hebert was a tall woman, after all. She kept glancing up at the tower as they approached. Yes, she'd seen taller buildings, when she'd been to New York, Chicago, and other cities, but the tower was made primarily of stone, not concrete. Something told her the construction of the building was a much longer affair than normal, given its size, but even in its current state, with cracks lining parts of the exterior, it seemed more solid, almost like the Pyramids of Giza, though she was certain the Great Pyramid was at least one hundred feet shorter.
"The whole grounds here were part of it," said Taylor quietly. "At least, that was the impression I got last night."
"During the dream," Victoria said. After Taylor nodded, Victoria continued. "And the woman you met, she implied there was something inside?"
"In the base of the Tower itself," Taylor said. "If you were going to store something to protect it from the ravages of time…"
"Not that the building needed it," Victoria said. She glanced up at the tower as they entered the gate. If the top weren't partially collapsed, it probably would be nearly six hundred feet tall, easily topping most of the buildings in Perpetuity. The deja vu she felt only grew stronger as they approached. She could hear Colin and Malan speaking behind them, about the stonework, and about the white stones that weren't Ogier make. It didn't matter.
A glance at Taylor told her that the woman likely felt the same. Something about this place, even what must have been centuries or even millennia after it had been abandoned, its people lost to time, something felt like she was returning home. Neither Victoria nor Taylor had been to Tar Valon, and neither of them had been to the White Tower. The familiarity was strong, as if something was plucking at her mind.
When they got to the old stone staircase leading up to the tower entrance, Taylor paused, forcing the rest of them to do so. She traced her hands along the front of the railing, brushing dust and some grime out of words engraved on the pillar. "Entnen Aes Sedai…"
They weren't in any language that Victoria recognized. The letters might have been some sort of Cyrilic-Latin hybrid but she couldn't quite puzzle out what each of the letters were on first glance.
"Enter, Servants of All," translated the Ogier as he stepped up to them. "It's a welcome message."
"Maybe," Colin said. "Who was doing the welcoming? And whom were they welcoming?"
"Their people, perhaps," Malan said. "The stories have Tar Valon as a bustling capital, where people who were capable of great things came to learn and to teach. I am curious as to what must have happened to all of them."
"I doubt we'll ever know," Victoria said. "Bones, unless well-preserved, tend to turn to dust over time, and given that Earth Gimel had nearly no human inhabitants prior to us finding it… that sort of record is likely lost to time itself."
"Are we going in or not?" Rachel asked. She seemed slightly agitated, more than Victoria would have expected. She was looking back toward the Dragoncraft and beyond, frowning. Her dogs silently sat with her, but both had their ears sharply up, swerving back and forth. Something was up.
"What's wrong?" Victoria asked. She'd found it best to be straightforward with Rachel. The woman didn't mince words, and she didn't bother to try.
"Something's out there," Rachel said. "Watching. Waiting. We should go inside."
"What is it?" Taylor asked, and Victoria felt a brushing across her senses as she looked at her, a faint aura of something overlaying her. Taylor must have been using her power for some reason, and the Fragile One was likely helping her notice it. Taylor frowned. "She's not wrong…"
"It feels off," Rachel said, her voice tinged with what might have been a mix of worry and anger. "But the tower seems safe."
"Then we should go in," Colin said, and the five of them rushed the stairs, dogs accompanying them.
The doors to the Tower were shut, and a thick layer of dust built up from years of disuse ran through the outline, nearly sealing the building shut. Victoria grabbed at where a handle would be, if the door still had one, but time had not been the door's friend. "Anyone care if I make the door work properly?"
"Go ahead," Taylor said.
Victoria had learned long ago how to control her strength, and in the beginning, the less said about the door handles, alarm clocks, and occasional doors themselves, the better. Turns out, having superstrength wasn't easy, even if you could turn it off. Yes, until she figured out how to dial it in properly, she accidentally broke some things, but there was nothing like being able to break something on purpose. Or, in this case, fixing something with her strength.
She brought up her force field, and she didn't just grab the door with two hands. One of the Fragile One's hands dug into the space between the doors, another dug into the door itself, and still another helped each of the other hands while she gripped onto the handle that she'd made. Together, they pulled, ripping the door past the millennia of build-up, causing a loud screeching, scratching sound as ancient hinges were forced to do their work with no oiling. Oddly, there was no sound of cracking, not beyond the calcified dust, anyway.
The doors opened, revealing the interior of the White Tower, and Taylor led the way once more, likely following the instructions she was given in her dream. Bits of conversation continued, mostly between Malan and Colin, but Taylor and Victoria were walking along, paying attention as they passed.
Dust and decay littered the interior of the White Tower, leaving only the inbuilt architectural features, stone furniture, and bits of stained stone mosaic on the walls rather than any sort of paper or wood based art. Given the amount of time it must have been since the last time any humans set foot in this place, it was almost surprising that even that remained. Dust-covered mosaics stained in seven colors lined the ground they walked on, built from the same base stone that neither Malan nor Colin could identify.
Colin managed to carefully pry a piece up for closer examination, and it came off as a singular, solid piece rather than cracking under the pressure he applied to pull it. He pocketed the stone to better study later as Taylor continued to lead.
"Do you know exactly where we're headed?" Colin asked.
"Elaida said down in the basement," Taylor said, but then she shook her head. "Well, not exactly that, but it was close enough."
Malan made a comment in his native tongue, and Taylor responded in kind. Victoria assumed it was something humorous from the way the Ogier chuckled afterward, but it didn't matter. Instead, she focused more on the room at hand, figuring which way to go.
"I wonder how many people were here, when this place was at its peak," she murmured, running a hand along the wall. She could almost imagine men and women here, walking these halls. Perhaps the women would be wearing colored dresses, with younger girls in less vibrant ones. Of course, they easily could be wearing pants, but who knew what the people who built this place were like? She could easily have been projecting biases based upon what Taylor mentioned about Elaida and the woman's apparent hatred of men who could use the same power.
Idly, she tugged at her braid as she looked around. "Down that hall. It's slightly sloped."
Taylor nodded. "Feels right," she said, frowning. Once more that nimbus briefly surrounded her, and she nodded again. "I'm not sure why though."
"Taylor, Victoria," Colin said. "We can cover more ground if we split up. We each do have our comm links. While you may find what you're looking for down below, we should do some above ground searching as well."
"Right," Victoria said. She frowned. As much as splitting up didn't seem like the best idea, everyone there was experienced save for perhaps the nearly hundred-year-old Ogier. Everyone did have a weapon on them, even her, in case they ran into trouble, but something about his suggestion didn't quite sit right.
"Victoria with Taylor," Rachel said, to the surprise of both of them. Given the relationship Rachel and Taylor shared, she would have been certain that she wanted to watch her back. Yes, she'd earned Rachel's trust, but Victoria didn't think that decision would have come easy. "Yips, Smokey and I will keep watch."
"Why don't you want to come with us?" Taylor asked.
Rachel shrugged. "Smells wrong. Not sure what it is, but…"
"You want to be ready," Victoria said. If this place had information about the Dark One, somehow, perhaps a way to bring the fight to it… why wouldn't it be wrong in some fashion?
"Something out there," Rachel said. "I'm not sure if it's in here too. Be careful."
"We'll check out the upper floors," Colin said. "Starting with this level. I have some tech that will help with the higher levels, but I'll need some time to set it up."
"We'll head below, then," Taylor said, nodding to Victoria. "Keep in contact, every half hour?"
"I'll keep the time," said Colin. "Good luck."
Malan echoed the sentiments, and the men split off to search the upper floors as Taylor and Victoria headed for the lower.
As the two of them made their way further into the Tower, down winding hallways in far better condition than either expected, they traveled mostly in silence. What else was there to say, really? Yes, Taylor wasn't quite as Victoria had expected from any sort of metric, other than the drive she seemed to have to find this, whatever this was. The woman wasn't anywhere near the boogeyman she'd been made out to be, but then again, she lacked the powers of Khepri. Hell, she lacked the powers of Skitter.
Yes, she had a new power, but she hadn't quite learned to wield it properly yet beyond whatever basic thing she was doing. And Victoria could tell when she was doing it, which was more than she could say for some powers.
"What does it feel like?" Victoria asked.
"Hmm?" Taylor answered as they paused near the end of a corridor. For some reason, Victoria felt there should be stairs at that point, perhaps it was the way the wall was partly separated.
"Your new power, I mean," Victoria said. "Using it. It's not like…"
"Oh, not really like controlling bugs… or people," Taylor said. "Nothing like that at all. It's… different, like an additional sense, opening myself to something warm and smooth. But if I try to grab at it… it goes away. It flows around my fingers. It's…" she chuckled. "Honestly, kind of hard to figure out. I've been trying on and off all day to use it. When we were fighting the Trollocs, it was easier, like my hand was being guided."
"Like your power knew what to do?" Victoria asked.
Taylor shook her head. "No. The power doesn't know what to do. It kind of just is. Elaida called it saidar, said that it was something that Aes Sedai used. When she was… alive, I guess?"
"Dinah's prophecy mentioned something about graves in the same breath as information," Victoria said, frowning. "Somehow we're supposed to talk to the dead?"
Taylor shrugged, and as she glanced at the wall, looking at the same spot Victoria had noticed, she frowned as well. She placed a hand there and pressed on the spot. It depressed inward, and they heard a clicking sound. The wall seemed to pop outward partially, but no further movement happened.
"Victoria, do you mind?" Taylor asked, gesturing with her good hand. "I'd do it myself, but you have the strength."
"Stand back," Victoria said as she stepped up and brought up her force field. She pulled at the part of the wall sticking out, and between her own arms and those of Fragile One, they managed to get the hidden door open. "Secret passageways. Now I really wish I knew what this place was like when it was open."
"You knew it was there," Taylor said.
"I suspected," Victoria said, shaking her head. "Sometimes… I think my power figures things out and gives me hints. Fragile One guides me as I guide her."
Taylor laughed wryly. "I think Queen Administrator was the same… sort of. Except it… she… had further goals once in control. Saidar is much more peaceful."
"But you said your hand was guided," Victoria said as she pulled a glowstick from her bag and cracked it, casting light down the newly exposed staircase downward. "How so?"
"Something guided my guidance of the power, weaving the threads," Taylor said. "It was almost like remembering how to do it, but I doubt that I could do it again as easily. Maybe it's related to that ta'veren thing. Might even explain why the Tower--"
"Feels so familiar?" Victoria asked, floating toward the stairwell. "I've been getting that feeling since we got here. I know I haven't been here before, but…"
"Yeah," Taylor said as the two of them descended the stairwell. "It's funny. I can almost picture the people here. The descent of this very staircase, to come across…"
She gestured ahead as they got to the bottom, to what appeared to be a solid metal wall. She blinked, confusion clear on her features.
To be fair, it wasn't like Victoria felt any differently. The solid wall, made of some sort of metal that hadn't oxidized at all, given the ravages of time, clearly felt out of place. It was almost like a vault door, minus the part where the door would slide inward, outward, or to the sides. The wall appeared flush with the corridor extending from the bottom of the stairs, but there was no way it should have been there at all.
"There should have been a room," Taylor said. "With… something in it."
"Maybe Elaida's information was out of date," Victoria said. "She's… well, not a living person anymore, right?"
Taylor walked up to the wall, and she ran her good hand along it, clearly trying to find some sort of seam, break or anything in the wall that might indicate how it should be moved. Victoria helped, taking the upper part of the wall that Taylor couldn't reach without help. There was nothing. Even where the wall intersected the stone parts of the corridor was completely flush, not even any sort of fastener could be seen. It was as if the stone and metal had been completely fused, bonded together somehow in a way that had nothing to do with welding.
Like someone had used a power to do it.
Wait.
"Taylor," Victoria said. "You said that Elaida told you this place was where people learned to become Aes Sedai, learned to use saidar, right?"
"Yes," Taylor said. "She called me a novice, even. Said the test here was to become accepted into their ranks or something."
"Which implies it has something to do with saidar," Victoria said. "When you use your power, there's a little nimbus of light that surrounds you. Maybe they might have something that detects that."
"I'm surprised you don't want to just punch down the wall," said Taylor. "It certainly came down hard at the bank."
"One, that was Kid Win, with his untested gun, I came in through the window," Victoria said. "And two, I don't like to just break things that are in my way if I can avoid it. Especially in a place like this. I don't want to risk bringing part of the Tower down on our heads."
Taylor smirked. "Fine. I'll try using saidar. But if this doesn't work…"
"I'll punch through the wall, or rip it out or something," Victoria said.
Taylor nodded, and she closed her eyes. Victoria turned to watch her. Flares of that nimbus appeared, briefly flickering into existence before winking out.
"You told me that just grabbing on didn't work," Victoria said. "Relax. We have time…"
Taylor breathed out through her nose sharply, and the nimbus around her seemed to form. It grew brighter and brighter as she took more of that power in, and Victoria could almost feel the serene reflection of it, a flowing river, nigh infinite. Victoria glanced back at the wall, trying to figure out what likely was next. Just detecting that someone was using this power probably wasn't enough. Maybe Taylor had to do something with it.
"Okay, now try reaching out with the power," Victoria said. "Maybe don't force it, guide it the way your hand was guided."
Taylor nodded, opening her eyes, and ribbons of light flowed from the nimbus. White, blue, and green ribbons wrapped around each other, extending outward as Taylor outstretched her hand toward the wall. When those strands of ribbon touched the wall, a circular diagram formed on the wall, with a white teardrop in its center, glowing almost as if it were a flame. Then a white line made its way down the center of the wall as it separated,revealing the room beyond, a room lined with bookcases made of white stone. The room was lit by glowing stones that felt somewhat similar to the power Taylor wielded, at least in Victoria's eyes.
Each bookcase had several rows of what appeared to be leatherbound books, whose contents, they had yet to be able to check. The room also held the glint of gold and silver, artifacts of sorts made from the metals, found near the base of the bookcases. Additionally, on top of a bookcase was a well-preserved sword, metal exposed with a scabbard below it. It resembled a katana, albeit with a European hilt, and a heron marking etched on its base. A closer look had the blade not on the bookcase proper, but its stand stood on some sort of case.
"I think we found the jackpot," Victoria said as she floated into the room.
"I'd say so," Taylor said, stepping inside, but her eyes were on something other than the bookcases.
Victoria followed her gaze, to what she'd initially overlooked in the room but now seemed to be the most prominent feature. A set of three interconnected circular pedestals, which on each one had a single archway made of silver. A feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach as she looked at them. Sure, she could see through each arch easily, but that didn't make them any less unsettling.
"I suppose that's them," Victoria said.
"Yes," said Taylor. "But I don't really see a switch or anything to try and turn them on."
"That would be because historically, it would take three Sisters to activate the archways," said an elderly feminine voice with an accent they didn't recognize, sending both women into a defensive stance, back to back. They looked around the room, noting that nobody was there.
"Who's there?" Taylor asked. "Show yourself."
"Such feisty novices these days," said the voice again, and the stones that lined the room flickered for a second. An older woman, dressed in a blue shawl, wearing a gold ring in the shape of a serpent around her finger, mostly translucent, materialized in the room with them. "But then, it has been a number of years since the last ones."
"Who are you?" Victoria asked. "What are you?"
"Both good questions, Novice," said the projection. "The answer to both are the same. I am the record of the Mistress of Novices. My creator called me Sheriam, after a historical Mistress."
"How are you speaking to us in English?" Taylor asked. "If you were created by people here, shouldn't you speak their language?"
"You were speaking in this language when I was activated," said Sheriam. "Should I not be communicative with Novices?"
"What can you tell us about the Dark One?" Victoria asked, getting straight to the point.
"I am sorry, much of my information is inaccessible to Novices," said Sheriam. "But I can tell you that he was defeated at the Last Battle by the Dragon. Stopped then. It has been approximately… error. Amount of time since his defeat."
"What about those accepted?" Taylor asked. "If I were accepted, would I be able to get more information out of you?"
"While Accepted are not full Sisters of the Aes Sedai, they are allowed access to greater stores of information," Sheriam said. "But authorization for the test must come from an accepted source."
"Such as the Amyrlin Seat?" Taylor asked.
For the briefest moment, the projection seemed surprised. Then she flickered twice. "Yes, Novice, the authorization from the Amyrlin will be accepted. For records, what are your names?"
"I'm Taylor Hebert, and this is Victoria Dallon."
"The names are recorded in the Records of the Mistress of Novices. Novice Hebert, you claim authorization from the Amyrlin? When did you receive this authorization?"
"Last night," Taylor said. "I met her… here, in the Tower. But in the dream," Taylor said.
The image flickered. "Authorization from within Tel'aran'rhiod is u--acceptable," said Sheriam. Stones attached to each of the arches started to light up. "If you wish to go through with this test, you must understand its purpose. You will pass through the arches, one at a time, and you will return. The archways will test you. Once you begin, you must continue, or you will be removed from the Tower. However, if you refuse to do the test, you may refuse as many as three times before being expelled from the Tower, Novice Hebert. You must go alone through it, carrying neither weapon, nor technology with you. Novice Dallon, you will retain her items."
Victoria nodded. "Are you sure you want to do this, Taylor?"
"It's a way to get more information about the Dark One," she said. "Find out what it is. How it was stopped last time."
"Error…" Sheriam said. "The information is not permitted to be disseminated to Novices. Novice Hebert, are you willing to take this test?"
Taylor nodded, and she removed her comm link, her firearm, and she removed her prosthetic arm, setting all down on the floor in front of Victoria. "I'm ready."
"Then, when the arches are ready, begin your test," said Sheriam. "And remember, the way back comes but once."
Victoria frowned, she didn't trust this projection any further than she could be thrown, but if this was the only way… She nodded to Taylor. "You can do it. Be--"
"Steadfast," Taylor said. "I know. See you on the other side."
And then she walked up to the first archway and stepped through.
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Good God, I'm not sure that parts of that chapter needed to exist, but at the same time, I felt like they should. It was just very hard to get motivated to write this chapter because exploration isn't exactly my forte. But the next few chapters are going to be much more fun. For me. Taylor uh... less so.
that was very fun to read. next chapters probably will be more though.
I just love the irony of Elaida guiding Taylor
I just love the irony of Elaida guiding Taylor
Ellf
Apprentice Wizard
- Location
- Virginia
Oh, next few chapters will be fun. For both Taylor and Victoria. I uh... almost wrote something else. I blame the show.
There's a few subtle things here.
oh right. I didn't notice that. we already had some clues that Victoria is Elayne, so very interesting. especially as its hard to imagine Egwene and Elayne in the plot, without Nyneave. she is the third of the trio, and has the most connections with both Egwene and Elayne. so it makes sense for her to show up
I wonder if Mat is now a hero of the horn(against his will of course). he will certainly be a very unique presence to appear in dreams.
I wonder if Mat is now a hero of the horn(against his will of course). he will certainly be a very unique presence to appear in dreams.