Prologue: Sparks Falling
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Egeanin raises slowly, shocked, then thanks elaborately. After a small move to Suroth's little finger, she hustles Domon out. A messenger waits nearby, and Suroth motions towards him. He prostrates himself: - High Lady, a courier ship has arrived from Seandar. The Empress, May she live forever, is sending and advance force - 50 ships with raken and to'raken, as well with some elite batallions. Suroth moves her little finger again and the man goes out. She goes out on the balcony, which overlooks a port crowded with Seanchan and Sea Folk ships. A man in armor comes behind her. - Suroth: What news from the shores? - High Lady, the chaos continues. The lands know as Tarabon and Arad Doman are still heavily gripped in civil wars, and are also fighting these Dragonsworn. The lower populace is hungry and desperate - they won't resist an invasion. - With the additional raken and to'raken we'll be able to react and scout much better than before. What the Empress, may her Light shine on us, is implying, is that if we try and take these lands successfully this time, she will forget the previous .... setbacks. - the man nods, then stands expectantly. Suroth glares long towards the sea, then: - Signal all forces. We'll start with the city Tanchiko.
Elaida is writing something, thinking: 'Fools! I'm surrounded by utter fools! Don't they understand that every minute counts now? Why are they dragging their feet, resisting my every move as if it weren't them that put me in this room? How long could it take to locate the accursed Al'Thor? Has he gone to the Waste? If he endangers Andor, I'll have him skinned alive, Dragon Reborn or not! I prophesized that Andor's Royal line is the key to victory in the Last Battle, and...' Alviarin enters, without knocking: - The man Padan Fain is here to see you. - Elaida raises an eyebrow and Alviarin adds, unperturbed - Mother. - Elaida stares very hard at her, then : Let him enter, DAUGHTER, and leave us. Padan Fain enters, simpering. He bows and says: - Your Keeper of the Chronicles doesn't seem to be showing the necessary respect for your position, Mother. - Elaida: That's none of your business, Master Fain. Now, when we last met, you claimed to have valuable knowledge about the Dragon Reborn and his friends - tell me everything now. - Rand al'Thor (he savors every sound). He is devious beyond belief, mother, devious and dangerous. Earlier this summer, he organized the sacking of his own homeland by Darkspawn - the Two Rivers, and only the bravery of some Children of the Light and the villagers saved it. His own former friend, Perrin Aybara rose to lead the defense and opposed him. Rand al'Thor knows politics, but he's not a master - you will be able to counter easily his moves, if you only follow my advice....
Nynaeve frowns at Elayne, who's frolicking with Thom at the front seat of their cart. Juilin is riding nearby. Nynaeve starts pulling her braid (now normal again, not in Taraboner style), and mutters 'fool girl, how can she flirt with a man that's more than twice her age'? Suddenly Juilin warns there are Whitecloaks ahead of them. Nynaeve says: Ok, everyone act cool, as usual. Remember, we're simple traders who barely escaped the troubles in Tanchiko, all we're trying to do is bring our stock safely out of this chaos. Elayne ripostes that they've done this 5 times already - they don't need more reminders of how to act, and Nynaeve flares up, but says nothing - the riders are too close now. Their commander stops, while the others are filing around them: - Nynaeve (smiling sweetly): The Light illuminate you, captain! We're very glad to see you - there are bandits about, and we barely managed to escape back there! - Whitecloak: You come from where? - Tanchiko, captain, where we managed to buy some taraboner dyes after much trouble. It's getting more and more difficult to trade there, unfortunately! - So, you come from the capital? What news from there? Is Andric still on the throne? - Yes, captain, and Amathera is still Panarch, although there is much rioting on the streets and not much order. - I don't care about order.... it's said that Aes Sedai are involved in the troubles. Did you see any evidence to that? - Oh no, captain - we tried to keep to the inns and the trading forums. Our lot doesn't mingle with Lords and ...Aes Sedai... - (he grumbles something): Well be on your way. The border is five miles back along the road. Keep to the Light, don't cause trouble, and you'll be fine. - Elayne (sarcastically): Have you come to move the border, captain? - Nynaeve: Hold your tongue, girl! Excuse her, captain, she's a spoiled brat that doesn't know how to behave. That's why her mother sent her with me, to learn some manners! - Elayne frowns at her, but doesn't say anything. - Whitecloak: We're here to keep the order, not to meddle in politics. The Taraboner scum crosses the border all the time, stealing and plundering - we simply protect the farmers on our side. Walk in the Light! - he leaves. Both barely wait for the column to be out of earshot, when Nynaeve rounds up on Elayne: - What did you mean with this fool question??? If you provoked him we could've had real trouble! - Elayne: I was only showing some backbone! Traders are respected men, not lickspittles! You're lucky you didn't make him suspicious, the way you were simpering! Thom turns and yells: Both of you be silent, lest he comes back to see why one of you is trying to kill the other! - Elayne, to Thom: You're right dear Thom, I shouldn't have left my temper get the best of me! - Nynaeve: Yes, you shouldn't have! And now that we're entering Amadicia, we must be extra careful - you know the dam laws in this Light-forsaken country! - Thom chuckles: I wonder what Pedron Niall would say if you heard you! Light-forsaken, hahahah! - Elayne, She's right, Thom - here you can be arrested for even having associated with anyone in Tar Valon. Still, we should be fine as long as we keep our covers. - Nynaeve snorts and Elayne gives her an indignant look. Later, they're making a camp. Thom and Juilin return from somewhere, bearing a basket with products. Nynaeve takes a look and yells: What! What are these shrunken apples here! We told you to buy fruits and vegetables and that's all you get???? - Thom: We searched every single stall, and there was barely any produce to be had! It seems the captain was right - the chaos in Tarabon is affecting food production here as well. - Nynaeve: Wait doe men to buy decent food! Elayne, let's go ourselves, I bet we'll find much more than they did! - They leave, despite the men's protests. When they're out of earshot, Thom tells Juilin to follow them from a distance and make sure they don't get into trouble. The two of them walk silently a bit, then: - Elayne: You obviously wanted to talk to me alone. - Nynaeve: Yes.... this was the fourth time we heard about Aes Sedai involvement in the Tanchiko riots. Do you think this might have something to do with the Black Ajah? - Elayne: You mean whether they're spreading the rumor just to try and catch us? I doubt it, most probably it's just a mix of the stories of the servants in the Palace that saw Jeane Caide slicing it in half with the Balefire rod, and the usual drivel the Whitecloaks spread. We didn't see any evidence of pursuit ever since we left Tanchiko - maybe they've just run away after this disaster. - Nynaeve: That doesn't mean they aren't after us. And Moghedien is probably able to move much faster than we think is possible.... But that wasn't really why I wanted to talk to you. The way you're behaving with Thom is...strange. He's old enough to be your father, for starters, and... - Elayne (flaring up): My father was Taringail Damodred, a Prince of Cairhien and First Prince of the Sword of Andor! - Nynaeve: Even so, you're behaving towards Thom as if you were flirting with him! I though you loved Rand! - Elayne: I'm not!.... I DO love him, Nynaeve, but he's so far away, and surrounded by those Maidens.... - Nynaeve: You can't believe he would turn to one of them when he knows you love him! I though you expressed that in detail in those letters you left him in Tear! - Elayne (flushing even more): Well.... I did express something.... Oh Nynaeve, He's so far away! I don't know what to do... I feel like I have no control over him whatsoever! - Nynaeve: Men are not objects to be controlled! At least, not in the sense you mean.... not all the time! - No, it's not that! (a minute of silence): You remember Min? - Nynaeve nods - Remember how she used to joke that she would share him with us? Only.... every time she did, I felt like it wasn't really a joke. - Nynaeve: You think she had had one of her... viewings? - Yes. She didn't want to talk about it, but I felt it anyway. And the more I think about the way she behaved, the more I become certain. - But that's ridiculous! No Two Rivers man would even think of having more than one wife! - I know, it IS ridiculous.... but now he's with the Aiel, their ways are different. Remember what Aviendha told us about sister-wives? - It is ridiculous and Rand wouldn't do it! Besides, you know what Egwene says - Aviendha is keeping an eye on him for you. I want you to stop worrying, and also to stop behaving like a barely-grown girl with Thom! He's a man with secrets - remember that Moiraine sent him with us! - He was a great man once... - I don't care if he was a Borderland king, the man can't decide whether to turn you over his knee or...or...climb a tree! - Stop telling me how to behave! You have no right to it! I'm a grown woman, just like you! Nynaeve stalks into the village, furious. A bit later they are looking more subdued - there are Whitecloak patrols and the traders' stalls are indeed empty. Looking at some pitiful vegetables Elayne murmurs: This time the men were right - there is indeed nothing useful here. Suddenly Nynaeve gives a gasp, then starts walking faster and enters between two houses. - Elayne: What is it? Did you see something? - Nynaeve: Yes! These herbs strung out on one of the houses, with dried yellow flowers patterned just so? This is a Yellow Ajah emergency signal. - A yellow.... how do you know this? - (smiles): Oh, I didn't waste my time in the Tower like some people. I talked to a lot of Yellows, and they were quite forthcoming with me - they were certain I'd choose the Yellow once I gain the shawl. If I'm not mistaken, there is an agent of the Yellows in this house, with a message for all that know the code. - So, what do we do about it? - We'll investigate, of course! They go back to the house - it's a seamstress shop. They enter, the owner greets them, her name is Ronde Macura. Nynaeve says: I want a blue dress embroidered with yellow roses. But no thorns, mind - I don't HEAL very fast! Macura starts, then tells her assistant to go brew a tea from the blue pot, then invites them in the back room. She appears very nervous, and seems to be stalling, while waiting for the tea. Both Elayne and Nynaeve drink of the tea, while trying to put her at ease. She finally says the message is: "All loyal Aes Sedai are welcome to return to the Tower." - Loyal? What does that mean? Why are you looking at us so? - The girls start feeling strange, and a bit later collapse. They wake up, while being carried up the stairs by the woman and her apprentice. [flashes of consciousness, world seen as through a fog] They're completely helpless, and can't channel. Macura goes out, saying she has to arrange their transport, and leaves the assistant with instructions to give them regularly of the tea. Suddenly, Thom enters, holding the assistant by the scruff of her neck. - Elayne (yells fuzzily): Thom! - Thom: Thank the Light! Are you OK? - Nynaeve speaks with difficulty: Help me up.... drugged.... need to move, helps. - He helps her up and holds her, then Elayne, with a worried expression. - What are you doing here? Told you to stay with the wagons! - And as well that we didn't. I sent Juilin after you, and when he didn't return in an hour came to check on you. Found him watching this house, not sure what to do. Good that we decided to enter and investigate. The girl is in the corner, wide-eye from fear. Elayne and Nynaeve are walking around, feeling better, when Juilin enters with Macura in front. - Nynaeve: You! What was that you gave us? Are you a Darkfriend? - Macura, revolted: A Darkfriend? OF course not! I serve the Yellow Ajah! - Elayne: Then why did you drug us? We are Aes Sedai and identified ourselves as such! - Macura: Oh no, you're not! I know the truth - you are only Accepted, pretending to be Aes Sedai! - they all share worried looks. - Nynaeve: Why are you saying this? Didn't you see the Great Serpent rings? Would an Accepted know the password and the meaning of this signal? - Macura: I'm saying it because I recognized you from the description. - Elayne: Description???? What description? - It came almost a month ago - keep an eye for three Accepted runaways. One of them may present herself as the Daughter-Heir of Andor. Send news immediately, if you see them, and detain them, if possible. Signed by the Amyrlin Seat herself! You two match the description exactly - I recognized you as soon as you entered! You'll be sorry that you ran away - I sent a pigeon to Tar Valon, and soon you'll wish you were never born! - Nynaeve: And what was this vile brew you gave us? - I'm not telling my secret to Accepted! - Is that so? Well, in that case I'll leave you alone with Juilin, for a while. He is ... specialized in extracting information from people unwilling to cooperate. Right Juilin? - Juilin, making a scary face: That's right. Just find me some cooking oil and some olives and salt ..... and give me half an hour with her - he smiles evilly. - Macura: No! Please, no! Ok, I'll talk.... it's called forkroot, no one knows of it except of me, and I found out by pure accident. It would help you sleep, but it would also make you unable to channel a spark! Elayne and Nynaeve go out do discuss the situation. - Nynaeve: This is ..... the worst situation I've been in my whole life. It was worse than Tear - there at least I knew I was shielded, I knew what was going on. - Elayne: Yeah... a teal that makes you unable to channel - that will cause an uproar in the Tower. But what worries me even more is the message.... why would Siuan Sanche send us on a mission, and later try to capture us? It makes absolutely no sense! - Nynaeve: Yes, and this message about the loyal sisters being summoned to the Tower... it also doesn't make sense. I don't understand what's going on, and I don't like this at all. - There's also something more: there are Ajah eyes and ears everywhere. If all of them received the message, then we're as good as announcing our path to the Tower each time we go to a village. I'm not sure I want them to know exactly where we are, before we know what is all this about. - You're right.... I think I know what to do, though. This woman is the closest thing to a Wisdom here in Amadicia, it seems, which means she has a store of herbs. I can use them to alter our appearance. Come. They go back up, and Nynaeve says to the men: - OK, first of all...... thank you very much. I think we wouldn't have been able to deal with this situation on our own. - Elayne watches wide-eyed, while the men look stunned. - But this doesn't change the fact that you disobeyed your instructions, and it doesn't mean that you could continue doing so in the future. Is that clear? - they murmur something, throwing knowing looks at each other, than nod. - OK, so that's what we'll do..... (camera pans out) Later, a carriage stops in front of the house with Thom driving it. Juilin goes in and escorts a lady out (Elayne), with her maid (Nynaeve). They quickly go into the carriage, with the lady complaining loudly of the heat and the dust, then the carriage storms out of the village, knocking a Whitecloak Patrol down. everyone is stunned, but does nothing but comment.
Egwene enters a sweat tent. The Wise Ones are gathered inside, with Moiraine. Aviendha is serving them. - Moiraine: Please, you must realize how this will ruin everything! The Car'a'carn will lose the support of every nation west of the Dragonwall! - Amys: He will have the support of the Aiel nation! - Bair: Besides, as we understand, the nations in the west are not supporting him now. How could he lose support that he doesn't have? - Moiraine: You don't understand our politics.... It will take time to bend the rulers, to convince them to swallow their pride and accept Rand. But it will happen eventually. The Amyrlin Seat is working hard on advocating this. But if the Aiel cross the Spine of the World again, everything would've been for nothing! People still remember the Aiel war, when you burned and pillaged for three years... - Melaine: We did nothing else than the dance of the spears required. We didn't burn anything that we didn't have to, and we only took the fifth, even from the Treekillers! Your ... Kings take more with their taxes! - Moiraine: Still, you have to see that such a move will damage him as well as you! Thousands of you will die in battle against western armies. And it would be better for you to stay here, to deal with the changes he brought already, with the bleakness, before doing anything else! - Bair: Moiraine Sedai, you don't know enough about the Aiel. We are a hard people, that take in stride all difficulties. We will deal with whatever problems we have, wherever we are. Our Prophecy says that he will break us, and besides, it says that he will lead us out of the Three-fold Land. None of us is afraid to die, be it here or in the wetlands. And our plans are not the White Tower plans - they're our own. Maybe it's time the Aes Sedai adjusted to our politics too, instead of us adjusting to yours all the time. - Moiraine (exacerbated): I urge you to reconsider.... - Amys: Moiraine Sedai, we will not help you sway him in this! Now, if you please, we have matters of our own to discuss. - all of the Wise Ones stare at Moiraine, until she rises, saying 'Of course. I also have my own matters to take care of.' - and goes out. - Bair: Stubborn woman, be it Aes Sedai, or not. She's too used to have her way - I'm starting to see why the Car'a'carn behaves with her as he does. - Melaine: The more I learn of Aes Sedai, the more.... I lose my respect of them. Young Egwene here is a much better example of an Aes Sedai then Moiraine, and still she's no better than us. - Bair: It's good to know that they're only human, after all - Egwene stares hard at them, then tries to conceal it. - Now, to more serious matters: the chiefs are growing more difficult to control. Before, our suggestions were accepted almost always, and without objections. Now, Bael tells me to go ask the Car'a'carn. - Amys: He brings change to everything.... the bleakness, Rhuidean... the Maidens are flocking to him like birds towards a flower, forgetting their clans behaving like children. They declared the building he 's sleeping in The Roof of the Maidens in Rhuidean, and when he decided to move they moved with him! For the first time ever they've allowed a man under the Roof of the Maidens, only because he's .... theirs! - Bair: The Maidens have always been a little strange. Still, they do their duty well enough... unlike others I could name! - she looks at Aviendha, who blushes. - Amys: Egwene Sedai, how would Rand al'Thor react if Aviendha would ask to sleep in his room? Both Egwene and Aviendha jump. Aviendha - 'No!' - then wilts under the Wise Ones' stares. - Egwene: You cannot ask her to do such thing! - Bair: Fool girl, we aren't asking that she shares his bed, only his room! - Still, it would be inappropriate. - Bair: Inappropriate? You mean he'll thing she's trying to attract his attention? - Well, yes. - Aviendha: I humbly ask that you don't require this of me. I was learning very well in the past weeks since I don't need to spend all my time with him. Egwene and Moiraine Sedai have been helping me with channeling, and I'm making great progress with that, too! - Amys: You will still continue learning, girl. You don't work at night, you sleep. - I cannot! I WILL NOT! I won't watch him when he summons this chit Isendre to his bed! - Egwene: Isendre! What are you saying! - Aviendha: She's been trying to slip into his room for weeks now... - Bair: Silence both of you!!!! You're both young, but even you must know already that any man can be a fool, especially if there isn't a woman nearby to guide him! - Melaine: Aviendha, it's time you learned to surrender to your fate, instead of fighting it. You will be a Wise One one day, one of great power and wisdom, but in order to get to this point you must learn that the Pattern governs our lives. Only by surrendering to the Pattern could you hope to have some control over your life, else you'll be in a constant battle with the unavoidable, in constant suffering. - Aviendha: But my honor.... - Amys: The Pattern doesn't recognize honor, or ji'e'toh, Aviendha, it only recognizes right or wrong. If you fight, the Pattern will still force you, and you'll end up suffering when you could have had some pleasure. Aviendha nods silently - she seems subdued and resigned. - Amys: now, Egwene Sedai - will he refuse her? - Egwene: I don't know Amys. I don't know him as I once did.... I think he likes her, but I'm not sure how he would react, the way he is now. Maybe if you give him a good reason.... - Bair: Good reason! Any sensible man should be overjoyed if such a pretty young woman shows an interest in him.... Well, we'll find him something that even he would accept. Now, Egwene, it's time to continue with your education. Dreamwalkers do other things besides walking Tel'aran'rhiod. What have we told you about finding other's dreams? - Egwene: You told me that it is dangerous to let yourself be sucked into another's dream. In his own dream, he would have great control, and your own control will be greatly lessened, no matter how strong or experienced a Dreamwalker you are. - OK. And how could you find yourself in another's dream? - If this person knows you, and especially if he or she is emotionally attached to you, he might suck you in his dream. - Very good. Now, tonight you'll learn how to find other's dreams intentionally, and how to stay away from them safely. There is a place between the waking world and Tel'aran'rhiod, where all the dreams co-exist.... (camera pans out).
Rand wakes up in darkness - he senses evil nearby. Embracing saidin, he moves silently - the evil is on the floors below, where the Maidens are, so to get a clear field of battle he goes up to the last floor. There's a huge engraving on the floor - the ancient Aes Sedai symbol. He smiles and remembers part of the Prophecies - 'Under this sign he will conquer'. Three Darkhounds appear and Rand channels his Power Sword. He cuts them in pieces, but they start oozing back together. Frowning, he channels ... balefire and destroys them. Some time later, Maidens appear with Moiraine and Lan. Yüklə 383,58 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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