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Dressed as you are, marching to attack the castle at Bord alone, and you call us crazy? muttered Father Leo. Well, now we are three fools. I grinned, my heart warmed. No. Alphonse sniffed and shook his head. No, we are not. Got anything good to eat? another voice called from the forest. Anything sounds good after these squirrels and lizards I've been chasing. Odo! I looked at the smith, dressed in his leather armor, carrying his mallet, one of Baldwin's purple and white cloaks slung around him. I knew you must be behind this, I said, attempting to look stern. Nah. Odo grinned. He indicated with his head. It washim. Behind him, the miller thrashed his way out of the woods. I told you this wasmy fight, I protested, feigning anger. You also told us we werefree , Odo shot back.

Gradually a single rider clip-clopped into view. A churchman, a friar, perhaps, covered in his burlap hood, riding by himself through dangerous woods. I relaxed and stepped out from my cover. You must be either foolishly brave to chance these woods alone, Father, I called to the advancing shape, or just as foolishly drunk. The churchman stopped. That's an unusual warning, he replied from under his hood, coming from a man in a patchwork skirt. To my shock, the voice was familiar! He lifted his hood, and I saw it was Father Leo, with a smile the width of his face. What are you doing here? I exclaimed. I thought a man on a mission like yours might need his soul tended to. He sighed, struggling to get off his mount. I hope you don't mind. Mind?

Nynaeve channeled another trickle, and the bracelet fell to the dirt floor. The sul'dam squalled and hurled herself about. "Ready?" Nynaeve asked. The other two nodded, and they yanked the sacking off their prisoner. The sul'dam wheezed, blue eyes teary from dust, but her red face was red as much from anger as from the sack. She darted for the door, but they caught her in the first step. She was not weak, yet they were three, and when they were done the sul'dam was stripped to her shift and lying in one of the stalls, bound hand and foot with stout cord, with another piece of cord to keep her from forcing the gag out. Soothing a puffy lip, Min eyed the lightning-paneled dress and soft boots they had laid out. "It might fit you, Nynaeve.

The sul'dam stared at the fallen collar as if at a poisonous snake. The damane put a shaking hand to her throat, but before the woman in the lightning-marked dress had time to move, the damane turned and punched her in the face; the sul'dam's knees buckled, and she almost fell. "Good for you!" Elayne shouted. She was already running forward, too, and so was Min. Before any of them reached the two women, the damane took one startled look around, then ran as hard as she could. "We won't hurt you!" Elayne called after her. "We are friends!" "Be quiet!" Nynaeve hissed. She produced a handful of rags from her pocket and ruthlessly stuffed them into the gaping mouth of the still staggering sul'dam.

She caught sight of a sul'dam and a damane climbing the street, a yellow-haired woman wearing the bracelet and a dark woman the collar, both yawning sleepily. The few Falmen sharing the street with them averted their eyes and gave them a wide berth. As far as she could see down toward the harbor, there was not another Seanchan. She did not turn her head the other way. Instead, she stretched and shrugged as if working cold shoulders before settling back as she had been. Min tossed her half-eaten plum aside, glanced casually up the street, and leaned back on the doorpost. The way was clear there, too, or she would have put her hands on her knees.

"A man," Ingtar snorted. "Verin Sedai, why add problems? We have enough already without supposing men channeling. But it would be well if you were there. If we have need of you - " "No, you five must go alone." Her foot scrubbed across the wheel drawn in the dirt, partially obliterating it. She studied each of them in turn, intent and frowning. "Five will ride forth." For a moment it seemed that Ingtar would ask again, but meeting her level gaze, he shrugged and turned to Hurin. "How long to reach Falme?" The sniffer scratched his head. "If we left now and rode through the night, we could be there by sunrise tomorrow morning." "Then that is what we will do. I'll waste no more time. All of you saddle your horses.

"I'll go," he said. "That is why I came." An odd light appeared in the Aes Sedai's eyes, a knowing glimmer that made him uneasy. "To help Mat find the dagger," he said sharply, "and Ingtar find the Horn." And Fain, he added to himself. I have to find Fain if it isn't already too late. Verin scratched a fourth line, turning the bird track to a lopsided star. "And who else?" she said softly. She held the stick poised. "Me," Perrin said, a hair before Loial chimed in with, "I think I would like to go, too," and Uno and the other Shienarans all began clamoring to join. "Perrin spoke first," Verin said, as if that settled it. She added a fifth line and drew a circle around all five. The hair on Rand's neck stirred; it was the same wheel she had rubbed out in the first place.

As if his wish had been a signal, Uno spoke up with quiet urgency. "Bloody horsemen coming, my Lord." Scabbards rattled as men who did not already have their blades out bared them. Some leaped into their saddles, snatching up lances. The tension faded as Hurin led the others into the clearing at a trot, and came again as he spoke. "We found the trail, Lord Ingtar." "We followed it almost to Falme," Mat said as he dismounted. A flush in his pale cheeks seemed a mocking of health; the skin was tight over his skull. The Shienarans gathered around, as excited as he was. "It's just Fain, but there isn't anywhere else he could be going. He must have the dagger." "We found Whitecloaks, too," Perrin said, swinging down from his saddle.

In the clearing amid the hilltop thicket where they had made their camp, Rand worked the forms with his sword. He wanted to keep from thinking. He had had his chances to search with Hurin for Fain's trail; they all had, in twos and threes so they would not attract attention, and they had all found nothing so far. Now they waited for Mat and Perrin to come back with the sniffer; they should have been back hours ago. Loial was reading, of course, and there was no telling if his ear-twitching was over his book or the scouting party's lateness, but Uno and most of the Shienaran soldiers sat tensely, oiling their swords, or kept watch through the trees as if they expected Seanchan to appear any moment. Only Verin appeared unconcerned.

If they fight openly for the Seanchan, we will surely face them elsewhere." He hesitated. That last was the most important of all. They had to know under the Dome of Truth that for all their vaunted oaths, Aes Sedai would march into battle. It gave him a sinking feeling, a world where Aes Sedai wielded the Power in battle; he was not sure that he would regret leaving it. But there was one more message he wanted carried to Amador. "And, Byar . . . tell Pedron Niall how we were used by the Questioners." "As you command, my Lord Captain," Byar said, but Bornhald sighed at the expression on his face. The man did not understand.