The Red Shawl Cometh

[Temanin]

Jehannah: capital city of Ghealdan. While it did not inspire the same awe as Caemlyn or Cairhien, the sight was still impressive, and even more so since it had been some time since Tarac and the others had seen anything but small farming villages. The outlying streets were full of people: farmers bringing in the last harvests of the winter crops, hawkers attempting to sell homemade jewelry, food vendors shouting out the near-divine qualities of their loaves of bread. As the group made their way past one such vendor, the succulent aroma of freshly baked bread filled their senses. “No more broth and stiff bread for me, no sir. I’m going to find an inn with rooms the size of the Caemlyn ballroom and I’ll do nothing but sit and eat bread and drink wine for the rest of my life.”

Tarac let out a laugh. Calsin made such comments almost every time he traveled anywhere and arrived at a city. Taking a quick mental tally, he figured this was roughly the sixth time Calsin had vowed never to leave a city again. “I don’t know about all of that, but we will need to find an inn soon, the sun’s starting to set.” They followed the flow of traffic, not really knowing where else to go, and they soon found themselves passing through the gates of the city proper. If anything could be said for the inner city, it was that it was a denser version of the outer portion. It took roughly two hours before the small band finally found an inn that suited Calsin’s fancy. Vard and Tarac procured rooms then shared a few words. While the others got a table and food, Tarac slipped out the door.

He returned twenty minutes later. “I’ve purchased two horses for the ladies’ use. They are in the stables around back, and the hands have been told they belong to you. Now,” he said as he motioned for a drink to the innkeeper, “what is going to happen now? You are welcome to travel with us as far as Caemlyn, and then we will be at the end of our journey. Or you can go get your horses right now and ride off into the sunset. It’s all up to you.”

[Xolani]

Xolani leaned back in her chair, pondering Tarac’s question. Caemlyn was indeed farther away from Tarabon than Ghealdan was, but what did that really matter? She figured that, taking proper care and caution, she could hide here as easily as in Andor. Besides, there was the possibility that a Darkfriend could’ve seen her arrive in Jehannah and would note the people she traveled with. If she wished to leave the city, it may throw off whoever was following her if she left alone. In that sense, it would also be safer for everyone if she did.

“Again, I must thank you for your generosity, Tarac,” she began, “but I think I will stay here. I believe I can keep a low profile for awhile, and if I need to travel, I do not wish to burden you any more.” Beside her, Tiaret shot her a sidelong glance. She had noticed that Xolani used “I” instead of “we”, and no doubt that she’ll have some explaining to do once they were both alone. Though she was thankful for Tiaret’s help in Alcruna, Xolani still had problems trusting her. Besides, she didn’t want to endanger both of them any more than she had to.

“I’ll find someplace to hide out in tomorrow,” she continued, turning her attention from Tiaret to Tarac. “Don’t worry about me; I’ve done this before.”

[Temanin]

“Alright, then. We shall part ways tomorrow. But until then, I wish you a good night.” With that, he stood and headed up to the room. It would be nice to sleep in a real bed for a change, he decided. When he arrived at the appointed rooms, he made note of which was to be Xolani’s and which was Tiaret’s, for they had provided them with separate rooms. She may think that she can protect herself, he thought as he picked a bed from the three, but I’m not so sure. I’ve seen what the Dark will do to get what it wants. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep an eye on that one, for at least one more night.

It wasn’t long before he heard the others coming. Vard and Calsin came in, and quickly settled into bed. As they did so, Tarac put up two wards; one around the general area of their rooms, and one over Xolani’s door. There was no sense in not being prepared, just in case.

A small tree waved gently in the wind. It had but three branches, and upon each of those branches twenty silver leaves too waved. The brilliance of the leaves was staggering, for they seemed to possess an internal glow which radiated forth, melding with the others to force a solid globe of brilliant whit light. But suddenly the winds died, the tree was still, and the glow became faint. Darkness began to flow in, as though it fell from a great waterfall beyond sight. It encircled the tree, seemingly feeding off of its presence. At last, as a colossal wave of grand proportion, the darkness fell upon the tree. And there was pain.

Pain. Pain beyond all imagining. The tree, as if finally realizing its folly, blazed once more to life, driving back the tide. Darker still did the tide grow, and again it crashed into the tree. With a resounding snap, a limb fell from the tree and went instantly dark. Fueled by destruction, the wave came again and again, battering into the tree with all its might, tearing leaves from the limbs as it did. After an eternity, there remained but one limb with but a handful of leaves, growing faint next to the awesome and terrible might of the unceasing tide. As a serpent rears to deliver the killing bite, so too did the darkness gather and compound itself, preparing for its final blow.

The tree was bent to touch the ground, so hard was the impact. More leaves were sheared from the branch, unto it too buckled under the incredible power of the tidal wave. All that remained was the trunk, standing tall in defiance, the debris of leaves and twigs lying about it. And so the darkness prepared itself once more to strike. It came forward and crashed into the trunk, peeling bark and flesh as it did. But suddenly the trunk blazed with a light more intense than that of the entire tree before. The blast could have been heard for miles. The light consumed all, swallowing the darkness whole. And just as suddenly the light disappeared completely, and all that remained was the shattered shell of the trunk, a three leaves, and a piece of a branch. Far off on the horizon, almost out of sight, the darkness began to circle once more.

Tarac jerked and sat up in bed, covered in sweat. “Why do I…” His words trailed off as he felt something move in the back of his mind: the ward. Quickly, but quietly, getting out of bed, he slipped over to the door. Cracking it ever so slightly, he looked out. In the hall, clad all in black, slinked a small man. He was looking over the hall in detail, seeming to take note of ever aspect. And then he came to Xolani’s door, and reached his hand forth. He looked as though he would place his hand upon it, but then suddenly stopped. Again he stood there for a moment, then started to leave.

Now Tarac was naturally curious anyway, and why a strange man was lurking in the hallway at night was just the sort of thing he would attempt to solve. Moving swiftly, he grabbed his sword belt and strapped it on. As he headed for the door, he mentally kicked himself. He turned around again and grabbed his coat, which he pulled on as he made his way down the hall. Slowly he moved into the common room on the first floor just in time to see the man going out the door. So he doesn’t have a room here. And the plot thickens. Out the door Tarac, too, went into the darkness.

For about twenty minutes Tarac shadowed the man, through back alleys and main streets, even through a gate that was, oddly enough, unguarded. Soon Tarac found himself on the very outskirts of the town, the moon hanging high in the sky. The man he had been following had gone up over a small hill, and on the other side Tarac could see the glow of firelight. He slowed, and crept up to the top of the hill. What he saw at first confused him.

On the other side of the hill the land dropped away into a little bowl-like valley. At the center, a giant fire flared, surrounded by roughly thirty-five people. Standing above the rest on some sort of pedestal was a man clad all in black, much like the others. The only difference of note was that he also wore a long black cloak and a vest with no shirt underneath. Something suddenly flopped down beside Tarac, and with lightning speed Tarac drew his belt knife to protect himself with. To his surprise, the person beside him was none other than Vard. He smiled.

“I tied a thread of Spirit to you in case you tried wandering around at night again. And you didn’t sense it.” He had a look of pride on his face.

“Remind me to talk to Marcus about your position as Dedicated,” Tarac whispered in response. He then pointed over the hill. The crawled forward again and watched once more. The man in the cloak now held a wickedly curved blade up over his head. He was confused as to its purpose, but only for a moment, for two men suddenly walked forward, a woman held between them. Before Tarac or Vard could even react, and without warning, the two shoved the woman forward, and the cloaked man cleanly severed her head.

Shock wore off quickly, and Tarac reached for the Source, filling himself, as he felt Vard do the same. “Now, we move fast. Surprise is the-.” He stopped suddenly as he saw the cloaked man look directly at the hill. “What…” And then he felt it. The cloaked man also filled himself with the One Power, and as quick as lightning flung a fireball at the two men. Reacting just as quickly Vard deflected the bolt and rose up onto his feet. No sense hiding any more. Tarac did the same. Seemingly without command the entire horde of people swarmed up the hill at the two men, drawing forth weapons of all kinds. A ball of fire sailed forth from each man in turn, thinning the ranks. And then they met, and the two went to work.

Their blades spun with intense ferocity, cutting down man after man indiscriminately. Tarac channeled, and a wave of earth ran down the side of the hill, knocking half the group down. He concentrated for a moment, arm outstretched, and channeled, catching the ten men on the ground ablaze. He then spun to see Vard surrounded, engaged in swordplay with three men. He can handle himself. With that thought, Tarac turned and ran down the hill, were the man in the cloak stood waiting. “Darkfriend,” was all Tarac said.

“Dreadlord, actually.” And then their blades met. Slowly circling one another, the dance ensued. And so it went: high, low, thrust, parry, slash, cut, thrust, dodge, thrust, and so on. As their blades went out, Tarac channeled once more, and a flaming sword appeared in the right hand. Quickly he brought it down, cutting cleanly into the Dreadlord’s right arm. He screamed and jumped back, dropping his sword. His sword arm now useless, Tarac held the advantage. Before Tarac could move forward and issue the coup de grace, the man again yelled and threw out his hands. A cone of fire billowed forth, quickly enveloping Tarac from head to foot. From Vard’s vantage, as he looked down between the three men’s attacks, it looked as though Tarac was finished. But a moment later, he saw this was not the case. Surrounded by a thin layer of Air and Fire, a weave similar to the one used on cloaks to keep them waterproof, the fire was kept from his flesh. But Tarac realized he wouldn’t be able to stand the heat for long. Weaves of Earth, Air, and Fire went into the ground and suddenly erupted under the Dreadlord, causing a shower of dirt and debris. Breathing heavily from the strain of maintaining the shield, he released the flaming sword.

He walked forward and found the man lying on his back, burned and bloodied. “Dreadlord. My mistake.” And then with a swift flick of the wrist, cut the man’s throat. The life soon drained from him. Looking up to the top of the hill, he saw Vard had killed all but one of the men. Tarac sighed slightly, threw out his hand and sent a small bolt of fire at him, slamming into his back. He stumbled, and Vard quickly cut the man’s throat out. Slowly, Tarac walked back up the hill. He noticed that some of the people he had set on fire were no longer there. So they were smart enough to roll a little and run. Good for them. “You know what,” he said when he got up to Vard, “I’m glad you were here.”

“Me too. Wouldn’t miss this for the world.” As they turned to return to the inn, they saw thirty of so torches coming their way, held by men of horseback. They soon found themselves surrounded by men in armor, presumably of the Jehannah army.

“Put your sword away, Vard. There will be no fight here.” Tarac sheathed his own sword, and raised his hand to the man who was apparently the leader. “Hello.”

For a time, the leader simply looked about at tall the bodies, then back at Tarac and Vard. A revolted look appeared on the man’s face. “Channelers. Go get Nanda Sedai.” He then addressed the two men. “Throw down your weapons, you are under arrest.” As Vard moved to remove his belt, he obviously moved too quickly, for one of the soldiers lunged forward suddenly, driving his spear into Vard’s arm. Protecting friends first and international relations second, Tarac reacted, bashing the man from the back of his horse with a whip of Air. The channeling was starting to exhaust him, but he vowed to himself right there that he would protect Vard with his life. Three more men rode forward, swords drawn, only to be bashed and burned by Tarac, as Vard took a knee, attempting to hold in his own blood. “Stop!” the leader yelled. “Stop. We will wait for Nanda Sedai. She will know what to do.”

“And we will go peacefully, as long as your men don’t start attacking again. But if they do, you will die.” He then turned to look at Vard’s wound. “I can mend the skin, but I’m afraid that’s all I can do. I don’t have much Talent in healing. But it isn’t life-threatening. You’ll be alright.” For almost thirty minutes they stood there in silence, surrounded by soldiers they could easily fight their way out of. But at last the Aes Sedai arrived.

She was a normal-looking woman, by all accounts, except, of course, for the ageless face. Behind her rode a stern looking man with a sword at his back; obviously her Warder. She got down and calmly walked to within three feet of Tarac. Standing proudly, she looked him up and down. Tarac’s skin prickled slightly before he felt something attempting to wedge itself between himself and the Source. “If it much harder to shield someone when they already hold the One Power. You should know that.” A look of surprise appeared for only a moment before serenity replaced it once more.

“You are a male channeler.” Oh how tempted Tarac was to act surprised. “You and your compatriot here will be taken to the White Tower and stilled. Guard. Take them to the Boar Spear Inn. I will be there with other sisters. We will take care of these men.” She then wheeled around and walked away. It was at this point that Tarac saw the shawl hanging from her back: red fringed. This will not end well. And they started moving off towards the town in the middle of a ring of cavalry.

[Xolani]

Even after an hour of lying in bed, doing nothing but staring at the ceiling, Xolani simply couldn’t sleep. Sitting up, she stared around the darkened room. Whether Tarac had noticed the tension between them or she was simply lucky, Xolani again felt she had to thank him for putting Tiaret and her in separate rooms. She doubted that she could go ten minutes without going insane if Tiaret put her under the question.

With a sigh, she stood up and began to pace around the room. There really was no explanation for her insomnia, but she just couldn’t sleep. Something stirred in the air, but it was not like that night in Alcruna. It was…just different. She could not put a word to it. However, she did not think there was a Myrdraal hiding in the corner.

Her pacing doing little to calm her thoughts and let her rest, Xolani settled back down on the bed. Suddenly she sprang up, looking towards her door. In the complete silence of the night, she thought she heard a small disturbance in the hallway outside. It was so miniscule that she almost didn’t catch it. She wasn’t sure what it was, though she guessed that there must be someone near her door. But after many minutes of staring, she dismissed it as her own paranoia. Her lack of sleep must be going to her head.

It was a while before sleep finally overtook her, but it seemed like the moment she closed her eyes she was being shaken awake. With a start, she sat up, gazing wildly around.

“’Bout time, girl,” Tiaret said dryly, standing at the side of her bed. Before Xolani could get a word out, she continued, “There’s been a disturbance of some sort. Nearly the whole city’s awake.” As she turned to leave, she added casually, “Apparently it’s something to do with our…friends.” And with that, she left, closing the door behind her.

Finding herself alone again, Xolani contemplated simply laying back down and returning to what little sleep she could get that night. But the sound of loud voices arguing outside her door banished all thoughts of rest. No sooner had she pulled on a cloak and reached to open the door, than it opened before her. She barely managed to hold back a yell as she found a rather irate Calsin glaring down at her.

“What did you do with them?” he demanded, leaning down towards her.

Xolani couldn’t help but blink. “Do what with who, now?”

“Don’t jest with me, Darkfriend,” Calsin threatened in a dangerously quiet voice. “You exposed Tarac and Vard somehow, didn’t you?”

“Oh, for the Light!” yelled Tiaret from behind them. Xolani couldn’t help but blink again; she had never heard her yell. “Do you honestly think that she would be stupid enough to do such a thing?”

Calsin turned his attention to Tiaret, which caused Xolani to sigh in relief. Looking back to her room, she wondered why she didn’t indeed just stay in bed. “You probably helped her!” Calsin said, causing Tiaret to make an exasperated noise. “I knew you two would be trouble! I knew it since I first say you! Light, they’ve probably already gentled them by now!” He paused, then immediately set off towards the stairs, leaving a fuming Tiaret and a still-groggy Xolani behind him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Tiaret called after him. Looking sideways at the old woman, Xolani couldn’t help but wonder if she was dreaming this all. Tiaret, hair ruffled and raising her voice, was acting completely out of character.

“To find the others, I guess,” Xolani guessed, feeling somewhat confused by the whole situation. When Tiaret turned to her and looked about ready to raise hell, she calmly added, “Quiet down, will you? You’ve probably woke up everyone in the building.”

With a laugh, Tiaret replied, “I doubt that. By the Light, you are one heavy sleeper. Didn’t you hear all the commotion outside?”

“No, I did not,” Xolani said, her irritation showing in her voice. “Would anyone care to explain or do I have to wait until someone sends me a newsletter?”

With a “Humph”, Tiaret spun around on her heel and walked quickly away, following Calsin’s steps. “Wait!” Xolani called after her as she caught up with her down the stairs. “What are you doing?”

“Following that fool of a man,” Tiaret replied, referring to Calsin.

“And why?” Xolani asked as they strode across the inn’s first floor.

“Because I wish to know what trouble our companions have gotten into,” Tiaret answered, sounding like she had been asked to state the obvious.

Xolani was about to ask her more questions as the entered the streets. There were people everywhere, running about and creating such a noise that it made Xolani wince. As soon as the initial shock wore off, she had to run after Tiaret who was ducking and weaving between the crowds of people. Xolani did not know whether or not Tiaret was actually following Calsin or not, but she was not about to let either simply abandon her in the streets.

A few streets away from their inn, Xolani thought she lost both Calsin and Tiaret before spotting them in front of her. They were at the edge of the crowed that were gathered in a semi-circle around the Boar Spear Inn. At least they’re together, Xolani thought numbly as she pushed and shoved her way to them. No one seemed to mind, as everyone seemed to be more focused on making as much noise as they can. She even heard a few cries of “False Dragons!” around, though the criers of such were quickly quieted. Xolani resisted rolling her eyes. Tarac and Vard were certainly being held prisoner there.

Just as she reached Tiaret and Calsin - both of whom were trying to ignore the other - a woman emerged from the inn, causing the crowds to quiet. Those up close recognized the women simply by her ageless face. “Took your time getting here,” Tiaret mumbled as Xolani stepped in besides her. Shooting a glare in the old woman’s direction, she then looked up towards the Aes Sedai.

The Aes Sedai simply looked about the crowds, her face emotionless and serene. Somewhat tallish and bedecked in a red-fringed shawl, she looked to be every inch of what Xolani imagined Aes Sedai to look like. But there was something about her, something that Xolani could not put a finger on. It was like a tug, like she should know her somehow, but Xolani simply dismissed it as the woman being Aes Sedai. She had never been around one, but she figured that they must all be like that.

But suddenly, the Aes Sedai began to…glow. Xolani stepped back as if struck. Shaking her head, she looked back to the Aes Sedai. She still had that sort of brilliance outlining her, only now there were…threads? She couldn’t put an exact name to them, but that’s what she saw. There was some sort of thread, being woven around the Aes Sedai. “Do you see that?” she whispered to Tiaret, hoping that she did not sound frantic.

“See what?” asked Tiaret in reply, raising an eyebrow. Xolani backed away from her, then quickly snapped her head in the direction of the Aes Sedai. But before she could do little else, the Aes Sedai spoke in a voice louder than what should be possible, “The male channelers have been detained and are under our guard. They will leave as soon as we are able. There is nothing to see here, so you may disperse.” Even before she was finished, people were already heading back to their homes. But Xolani seemed to be rooted to the ground she stood on as she watched the threads and the glow slowly disappear from around the Aes Sedai, though the tug still remained.

“Don’t be a fool!” Xolani heard Tiaret say. Looking at her, she found her to be arguing again with Calsin. “There’s Aes Sedai in there, and I doubt you’ll be able to pull off much of a heroic rescue if you barge in there!” Tuning those two out, Xolani turned away. Light, what was happening? Why was she the only one to see the glow around the Aes Sedai? She was about to walk back to the inn when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Turning about with a yell, she found yet another face glaring down at her that night. The Aes Sedai from before simply stood there, all serenity and ice, seeming to tower over her. “Wilder,” she stated simply, the word spoken with an air of contempt.

“S-say what?” Xolani barely managed to stammer. She added a belated “Aes Sedai” as the woman’s glare sharpened.

“You will come with me, wilder,” the Aes Sedai commanded before turning around and heading back to the Boar Spear. But what was a wilder? But when Xolani hesitated, the Aes Sedai looked back with angry eyes. “Do I need to lead me by the hand? Come, and don’t make me force you.”

Xolani immediately complied, shooting a helpless glance at Tiaret and Calsin, both of whom looked at her as if she had grown another head. But with another glare from the Aes Sedai, she quickened her pace and followed her inside the inn. She was not surprised to see Tarac and Vard inside, though whether or not they noticed her she could not tell since they were surrounded by more glowing Aes Sedai. More of the threads were to be seen, not only around the two male channelers but also around the very room itself. Xolani couldn’t help but cringe as she passed through them when she entered the inn.

“Who’s this, Claryan?” asked one of the Aes Sedai who were not gathered around Vard and Tarac. Even without the glow around her, her red-fringed shawl along marked her for what she was.

“A wilder, Nanda,” answered Claryan, causing Nanda Sedai to look up in surprise. “Almost wouldn’t have noticed her if she didn’t jump up like a scalded fish the moment I touched the One Power.” Both Nanda and Claryan looked at Xolani, apparently inspecting her from head to two. Xolani herself was fighting tooth and nail not to cringe. Light, why couldn’t she just have stayed in bed?

[Temanin]

By the time Tarac and Vard arrived at the inn, they were extremely fatigued, for they had been holding the One Power to their full capacity for about an hour. Their arrival in the city proper had made quite a ruckus, as a small mob started to form behind the small parade. Once at the inn, Tarac and Vard were quickly pushed in. The common room was, at first, completely empty, but then something caught Tarac’s eye. A slight shimmer over the windows, a reflective attribute somehow given to unstained wood, and a strange feel underfoot was all the evidence he needed. They were inside a master ward.

A moment later a door opened and in walked five women, red shawls swaying as the came. Again Tarac’s skin tingled, and for the second time that night felt a shield attempting to settle upon him. Tarac and Vard fought for some time, with success. “You must know you are only delaying the inevitable. There are eight more sisters in this inn. We will overpower you eventually.”

Tarac let out a sigh, and then looked to Vard. “We wouldn’t want to have to hurt any of them. They are not our enemies. Release it.” He then looked to the Reds as he, too, released the Source. “Just so you know what you are dealing with, Aes Sedai.” Tarac had never been shielded in anger before, and he found the experience very annoying. He tested the boundaries of the shield, and decided that, given enough time, he could break free, though they would probably kill him long before he succeeded. “What is to-” His words were cut off as his arms snapped to his side and he was lifted roughly three feet off the ground, as was Vard.

“Tie them off until we have time to deal with them.” They then promptly turned around and walked out of the room. They didn’t have to wait very long, however. Three sisters entered the room, two men, presumably Warders, behind carrying chairs. Tarac and Vard were let out of the air, and permitted to sit. Their hands were bound with conventional manacles, as were their ankles. And then the fun began.

Tarac and Vard were questioned for some time about many different things: why were they in Jehannah, how long had they been channeling, did either think of themselves as the Dragon Reborn, and as they were Aes Sedai continued to come in and surround them. It struck Tarac as strange that never once were they asked about the events of that night. It was as if Vard and he hadn’t killed a score of people. But soon he understood why.

“We know the people you killed were darkfriends. While they are prone to fighting amongst themselves, we do not think that is the reason. We have reason to believe there is a group of you organized somewhere. We want to know where you gather.”

“There’s a group of male channelers, hmm? I’d like to meet them. Tell them to come see me sometime if you ever meet them.” The lead Aes Sedai brought her hand into the side of her head, and hard.

“No need for lip. You will be a more forthcoming by the time we reach the Tower. Take them away.” With that, all the Aes Sedai turned and walked out of the room, leaving the Warders behind. They silently grabbed Vard and Tarac by the manacles and half dragged the two men down a hall, and then threw them into a room. Being a little more educated now, Tarac was able to see the master ward around the room, with small holes created to allow air to enter. The room was completely empty; no bed, no chair, nothing. The Warders took up position on either side of the door. This only made Tarac laugh.

“Do you think we’ll be able to overpower two trained Warders while we wear these, break this ward, and flee without your Pet Sedai’s from noticing, all the while being shielded?” The Warders didn’t say a word. “No friendly conversation between warriors? Fine.” Tarac pulled himself over to the far wall, as far away as possible from the Warders, and Vard did the same.

To Tarac’s surprise, he noticed that the wound on Vard’s shoulder was healed. Vard explained that one of the Sedai’s had done it earlier. Tarac hadn’t noticed at all, which was a sign of how flustered he was at the moment. He tried not to show it, however. “Did you see Xolani brought in not too long ago?” Vard asked.

“No. I wonder what they have her for. She can’t channel.”

[Xolani]

It had been several minutes since Xolani had been more-or-less dragged into the inn. Having not been offered a seat, she had stood the whole time, glancing nervously between the Aes Sedai and the inn’s entrance. Perhaps, since they were distracted at the moment… No, that would be foolish. Aes Sedai could be just as dangerous as a mad channeler if they wished. Sometimes more.

But what was it that Claryan Sedai called her? A wilder? What was that? In all her travels, she had never heard that word before. Perhaps it had something to do her ability to see the glow around Aes Sedai. Or maybe, Xolani thought as a chill of fear ran through her, it had something to do with her being a Darkfriend in times past. There was surely no way they knew that. Or was there? They were Aes Sedai, and Aes Sedai apparently knew everything.

During her ponderings, Xolani almost missed noticing Vard and Tarac being roughly escorted upstairs. Poor blokes. They must be having a tougher time than she was, for sure. They were in the hands of the Red Ajah, with little hope of escape. But any thoughts of them soon disappeared as the two Aes Sedai from before, Claryan and Nanda, strode towards her with perfectly blank faces. Xolani’s breath quickened before she could stop herself. There was no need to be jumping about like she was pinched just because there was Aes Sedai around.

The glow surrounded one of the Aes Sedai - Xolani thought it was Nanda - and the threads again appeared, this time wrapping around two chairs. Once the two chairs had slid forward, each of the Aes Sedai took a seat. Xolani remained standing as she watched the threads dissipate.

There was a quick glance passed between the Aes Sedai before both settled their eyes on Xolani. She clenched her fists behind her back in an effort to keep calm. Suddenly, threads from the glowing Aes Sedai surrounded her. It felt like she had a blanket tossed over her, and it was an effort not to scream out in fright. Instead, she clenched her fists tighter and tried to regulate her breathing.

“She’s not very strong,” said Nanda Sedai, again looking Xolani over like a horse for sale. “Didn’t resist at all.”

The other Aes Sedai - Claryan - nodded in agreement. “You have been shielded. We will not hurt you unless you give us cause to.” That sure made Xolani feel better. “Have you ever channeled, and if so, for how long?”

If Xolani wasn’t already half scared out of her wits, she would’ve laughed. Her? Channeling? One would think that in her twenty-five years of existence, she would’ve noticed if she had the ability to channel. But given the situation, it would be best for her if she just answered the question. “No, Aes Sedai, I’ve never channeled.” With a pause, she added, “I never knew I could.”

Another look passed between the Aes Sedai, this one holding until Claryan nodded. “Don’t release her,” Xolani heard Nanda say. “She still could be lying.”

With another nod, Claryan looked back to Xolani. She paused, and then asked, “Do you know the two male channelers that were in here a while ago?”

“No,” Xolani answered, hoping she didn’t say it too quickly. With a third and final look passing between the Aes Sedai, both stood up. Xolani noticed the glow disappear from Nanda, though the threads around her remained. Worried, she wiggled her fingers. Finding that that they could still move, she sighed in relief.

“We will bring you to the White Tower,” said Nanda Sedai, quickly stealing back Xolani’s attention. “There, you will enter as a novice and receive proper training.” At this, Xolani found herself blinking. Did these women really believe she could channel? The very idea was impossible! But before she knew it, Xolani found herself being shoved in one of the rooms in the inn before she could think another coherent thought. She didn’t need to try the door to know it was locked. Looking about, she found a small bed against the wall, which she promptly collapsed it. The strange threads still covered her.

Could she really channel? One would she would’ve noticed such an ability before the Aes Sedai would. It was simply impossible.

Light, this whole night had been impossible.

~*~

The next morning, Xolani found herself being awakened involuntarily once again. It seemed that the moment she was awake that she was pushed, shoved, and ordered outside, accompanied by thirteen Aes Sedai and their Warders. Though all the chaos she barely glimpsed Tarac and Vard, both of them surrounded by at least eight Aes Sedai at a time. As for herself, Claryan Sedai seemed to have placed herself as her protector, for lack of a better word. By the time that the large party had left the inner city of Jehannah, Xolani decided that if she had to pick between Tiaret and Claryan as a traveling partner, she definitely would pick Tiaret. It was bad enough that Claryan was Aes Sedai to begin with, but she could not figure out why she kept glaring at her like a stain on her shoe.

But Xolani really didn’t have a choice, either way, as the group seemed to fly eastwards. Before Xolani knew it, she had passed through Murandy and Andor. It was around this time that she finally realized that she never knew what happened to Tiaret and Calsin. Knowing the latter, he was probably shadowing them somehow, but she did not know about Tiaret. But as the traveled north from Caemlyn - which she barely got a glance at before she was whisked away - her mind filled with worry. She still thought that the Aes Sedai had somehow made a mistake. She could not channel! That was it. And she kept telling herself that as Tar Valon came into view.