Chapter 16 Chapter 10 Proverbs of the Frontier Countries

For a moment, Rand wished he could wander the corridors of the palace alone for a while.He was accompanied this morning by Sulin and twenty Maidens of the Spears; Beor, chief of Gothin Aiel; ; and Bashere and six other Saldaeans with hooked noses like him.They crowded in the wide corridors hung with tapestry.Fadarisme and Savannah, in their cadins, watched every servant who ran away after hastily bowing or curtseying.The young Saldaeans held their heads proudly and wore short coats with loose-leg trousers tucked into boots.Even in the sunless corridors, the air was hot and dusty.Some of the servants wore the red and white uniforms of Morgose's time, but most of the servants' clothes were new, in fact the clothes they wore when they came to apply for the job - from the peasant's sackcloth to the merchant's fine wool, Everything is available.Most of them were sombre, but there were occasional brights, even a touch of embroidery or lace.

Rand specifically instructed Madam Havel, the head maid, to find enough uniforms so that the newcomers didn't feel the need to wear their best clothes to work.After all a court uniform is better than any country everyday attire.There were fewer servants now than there had been in Morgasse's day, and many of the men in red and white uniforms were grizzled and stooped, and they were from the retirees' quarters.They did not flee the palace like the other servants, and for them, even if they were to leave retirement, they were unwilling to see any signs of decay in the palace. Rand also told Aunt Haver (the chief maid is indeed not a very attractive title, but the daily affairs in this palace are completely taken care of by Lienne Haver), to recruit more servants as soon as possible, these Old people can enjoy their retirement life again.Will these retirees still get their allowance after Morgasse dies?He should have thought about it earlier.Haven Norey is the head of staff here and should know about it.Rand had a feeling of being crushed by feathers, that every event he thought of would lead to more events.The Tao's problem wasn't feathers, though, and he had sent soldiers to guard the gates near Caemlyn, Tyr, and Cairhien.But he didn't know if there were any other Taoism distribution in these areas.

Yes, all these bows and curtsies, these guards of honor, these problems and burdens, these needy gratifications, he wished to throw away and go back to the days when he had to worry about buying a coat.Of course, on those days he would never have been allowed to enter these corridors, and if he could, it would have been accompanied by another kind of guard.It was the duty of that sort of guard to watch him lest he should steal a gold or silver cup from a closet, or a carved ivory from a table inlaid with lapis lazuli. At least Lews Therin's voice hadn't been in his head this morning, at least he seemed to have mastered the psychic techniques Marim had taught him.Sweat dripped from Bashere's face, but the heat couldn't touch Rand now.He tied the gray silk coat embroidered with silver thread all the way to his neck. Although he felt a little warm, he hasn't sweated a single drop so far.Marim assured him that after a while he wouldn't even feel the heat and cold that would paralyze other people.It's all going to be far away if he turns his attention completely inward - kind of like when he's ready to embrace the Sun Force.Oddly enough, this behavior, which is supposed to bring him extremely close to the One Power, has nothing to do with the One Power.Did the Aes Sedai do the same?He'd never seen an Aes Sedai sweat, had he?

Suddenly Rand laughed out loud.He was actually wondering if Aes Sedai would sweat!Maybe he's not crazy, but he's a wool-headed fool. "Did I say something interesting?" Bashere asked coldly, stroking his beard with his knuckles.Some of the Maidens were looking at him expectantly, too, trying to understand the wetlander's humor. Rand wondered how Bashere kept his composure.This morning a rumor came into the palace—that there was a battle in the Border States, a battle between the Border States.The tales of the traveler are like weeds after the rain, but the message came from the north, and the merchants who told it had been at least in Tar Valon.Rumors do not say where the battle took place or who participated, and it is possible that the battle broke out in Saldaea.Since Bashir left Saldaea a few months ago, he has not received any news from his hometown.But he was unimpressed, as if these rumors were simply that the price of turnips in the border countries had risen.

Of course, Rand didn't know what happened to Two Rivers—perhaps the rumors these days that an uprising in the West involved his hometown, or it was just a meaningless rumor—but Two Rivers meant something to him and Sandy. Dia is different from Bashir, he has abandoned Two Rivers.Aes Sedai had spies everywhere, and he wouldn't bet a penny that the Forsaken had no spies.Dragon Reborn has no interest in the small village where Rand Arthur was raised, and his ambitions go beyond there.If he didn't, Aemon's Village would be a hostage the enemy would use against him.Anyway, he won't worry about it anymore, abandoning it is abandoning it.

If I can find a way to escape my fate, am I entitled to go?It was his own idea, not Lews Therin's. He felt a sudden vague pain in his shoulder, but he kept his tone brisk: "Excuse me, Bashere, I've been thinking of something strange, but I've been listening to you. Are you talking about Kay?" Mlyn is already overcrowded, and while there are those who flee because they fear I'm a false dragon, twice as many come because they believe I'm a dragon reborn. Right?" Bashere muttered vaguely. "How many other people came for other reasons, Rand Arthur?" Beo was the tallest man Rand had ever seen, more than a hand taller than Rand.He formed an odd contrast with Bashere, who was shorter than any of the Maidens except Anela.Gray strands had broken through Beo's crimson hair, but his face was thin and hard, and his blue eyes were as sharp as knives. "Here you have hundreds of enemies, and remember what I said, they will attack you again. There will even be shadowrunners among them."

"Even without taking Darkfriends into account," Bashere interjected, "all kinds of troubles have piled up in this city, making it look like a teapot that's been boiled and left on the fire. You were badly hurt for not being Dragon Reborn, and some poor fellow was dragged from a tavern into a barn and hung alive from the beams because he laughed at your miracles." "My miracle?" Rand said in disbelief. A wrinkled, white-haired footman in an oversized uniform, holding a large vase, made way for them while bowing.As he stepped back, he staggered and sat down on the ground.The pale green vase was made of paper-thin Seaman porcelain. It flew out of the old servant's hand, rolled all the way on the dark red floor tiles for a while, and finally stood on the ground, almost half a century away from where it flew out. Thirty paces away.The old servant got up and ran over to grab the vase with a face full of astonishment. While exclaiming in disbelief, he groped it back and forth with both hands until he confirmed that there was no crack or defect on it, and then he let out a sigh of relief. Take a breath.The other servants stared at him in the same disbelief, and then suddenly went about their work again.They all tried desperately to avert their eyes from Rand, and a few even forgot to bow or curtsey.

Bashere and Beo exchanged a look, and Bashere blew on his bushy beard. "Strange things," he said, "a child falls headfirst from a forty-foot window onto the pavement without a single bruise; But the horses never touched her, let alone kicked or trampled her; five coins were tossed twenty-two times, and the coins stood upright on the ground, and sometimes similar things happen with dice. Every day. There's this kind of story going around and they're putting it all on you. They're lucky." "It is said," Beor added, "that yesterday a basket of roof tiles fell from the roof and fell to the ground intact, in the pattern of the ancient Aes Sedai emblem." He glanced at the gaping-mouthed man. The white-haired servant glanced.When they passed by, the old servant just stood on the edge of the corridor holding the vase tightly. "I don't doubt that there will be such a thing."

Rand exhaled slowly.Of course, they didn't mention something else—a man stumbled and got his neck caught in a kerchief hanging from the doorknob.Wind-blown stone flakes from the roof passed through an open window and a door, killing a woman as she sat at a table with her family.In normal times, such things might indeed happen, but they must be extremely rare, and such things would not be rare around him.Bad things happen as often as good things.For better or worse, he distorted the trajectory of things for miles around.No, even if the dragon pattern on his arm and the heron brand on his palm were all gone, he still couldn't get rid of his own mark.There is a proverb in the frontier country: "Responsibility is heavier than the mountain, and death is as light as a feather." Once the mountain is carried on the shoulders, there is no way to let it go, and no one else can carry it. It is useless to cry and complain about it.

He still made his voice light: "Have you found the murderer who hanged that man?" Bashere shook his head. "Then find them and arrest them for murder, I want to stop that. It's not a crime to doubt me." Rumor has it that the Prophet has made it a crime to doubt the Dragon Reborn, but he hasn't yet. With so much energy to deal with this, he doesn't even know where Mashima is.Mahema should be somewhere in Heidan or Amadisia by now, but may have wandered elsewhere.However, there are other reasons why Rand must find Mashima and restrain him. "It doesn't matter how much suspicion grows against you?" Bashere said. "There are whispers that you are a pseudo-dragon, that you killed Morgose with the help of an Aes Sedai. People plan to start an uprising." Against you, to avenge their queen. There may be many of them, though we don't know."

Rand scowled.He could tolerate doubts and comments about him—he had to, there were too many changes out of his control and beyond his mind—but he would not tolerate instigating rebellion.He would not allow Andor to fall into the flames of war, and he would leave the land intact to Elayne, just as when Andor fell into his hands.If he could find her. "Find who is instigating the rebellion," he said harshly, "and throw them in prison." Light, how to find the source of these whispers? "If they want to be forgiven, they can go and beg Elayne." A young maid in a brown dungaree was dusting a blue silk bowl when she saw Rand's face, and the bowl dropped with a trembling hand. It shattered on the ground.Rand hasn't always worked wonders. "Any good news? I want to hear it." The young woman bent down tremblingly and picked up the fragments, but Su Lin glanced at her, just one glance, and she immediately jumped back, her eyes widened, leaning against a tapestry wall hanging depicting hunting leopards superior.Rand didn't understand why, but some women seemed more afraid of Aiel women than Aiel men.The girl looked at Beo as if hoping that Beo would protect her, but Beo didn't seem to see the girl at all. "It depends on how you define good news." Bashere shrugged, "I heard that Eloline from the Tamien family and Periva from the Ke Yilan family entered this city three days ago, you can They said that they sneaked in. Neither of them should have been near the inner city. Some people on the street said that Dai Ling of the Talavon family was in the countryside close to this city, and they did not respond to your invitation. But I Haven't heard of them having anything to do with that talk." He glanced at Beo, who shook his head slightly. "We've heard less than you, Daphron Bashere. Wetlanders speak freely in front of Wetlanders." Anyway, this is good news, Rand needs these people.If they believed he was a pseudo-dragon, he could find a way to explain it to them.If they believed that he had killed Morgase... well, if they were still so faithful to her memory, that would be a good thing.They will also be loyal to her bloodline. "Invite them to meet me again, including Dai Ling, they may know where Dai Ling is." "If I send such an invitation," Bashere said hesitantly, "perhaps it will only remind them that there is a Saldaean army stationed in Andor." Rand hesitated, then nodded.Suddenly he smiled: "Send Lady Arimira to deliver the invitation! I have no doubt she will take full advantage of the opportunity to show off how close she is to me, but you will write the letter." Moiraine on the Noble Game The curriculum, once again played a role. "I don't know if it's good news or bad news," Beo said, "but the Red Shields told me that two Aes Sedai have moved into the inn in Newtown." Lin's security, and now, they are solely responsible for the security of the city.Beo smiled at the annoyed Bashere: "We don't hear much, Daphron Bashere, but maybe sometimes we see more." "Is our cat-loving friend among them?" Rand asked.Stories about Aes Sedai had been told all over Caemlyn, and sometimes it was two Aes Sedai, or three Aes Sedai, or a whole team of Aes Sedai.But the only stories that Bashell and Beo could gather were that an Aes Sedai healed some wounded dogs and cats, and those stories always came from another street, a friend of a friend in a tavern or a market I heard it. Beo shook his head. "I don't think that was one of them. The Red Shields said they should have arrived late at night." Bashere looked interested—Bashere rarely missed anything to make Rand believe him. An Aes Sedai chance was needed—but Beor frowned slightly, a slight change in his expression that probably only an Aiel would have noticed.The Aiel had always treated Aes Sedai with care, even reluctance. These few words of Beo contained a lot of information that Rand needed to think about—information that was closely related to himself.There must be a reason for the two Aes Sedai to be in Caemlyn, because the other Aes Sedai avoided the city where he existed as much as possible, and they probably came for him.Even in times of peace, few people would travel overnight, and now is not a time of peace.Perhaps the Aes Sedai was staying in the inn late at night to avoid the attention of others, and most likely, it was his attention.However, they might just be rushing somewhere to complete an urgent task for the White Tower.The truth is, he can't think of anything more important to the White Tower than himself.Or maybe they were just going to join the Aes Sedai who Egwene insisted would support him. Whatever the truth was, he just wanted to find out.Only the Light knew what the Aes Sedai was up to, both from the Tower and from hiding with Elayne, but he had to find out.Aes Sedai were dangerous and plentiful, and he couldn't ignore them.When Elaida knew about his amnesty order, how would the White Tower react?How would the Aes Sedai react?Did they know about it? When they reached the door at the end of the corridor, Rand was going to tell Beor to invite an Aes Sedai to meet him at the palace.He could handle two Aes Sedai as long as they didn't surprise him, but he wasn't going to let them get away with it until he figured it out. Pride fills me and I'm sick of destroying my pride! Rand missed a step.It was the first time today that Lews Therin's voice came into his head, and it was so uncomfortable that it sounded like his own interpretation of what the Aes Sedai thought, but it wasn't Lews Therin. Serling's words made him freeze in place, and he lost the desire to order Beor. Because of the hot weather, the door was not closed, and there was a garden outside the door, but there were no flowers in the garden, and the roses and white star grass inside had withered, but the shade trees still stood, although there were not many of them. blade.Standing by the white marble fountain in the center of the garden stands a woman in a loose brown wool skirt and white yagar shirt, with a gray shawl draped over both arms.She watched the water gushing out of the fountain with a curious expression, and it still amazes her that clear water is used only for viewing.Rand stared intently at the profile of Aviendha's wavy, light red hair, which bloomed from the gray turban tied around her forehead and fell to her shoulders.Light, how beautiful she is.She was just staring at the water, not seeing Rand yet. does he love herhe does not know.She and Yilan and Ming, their dreams and his were entangled in his mind, but he knew his danger, and all he could give them was pain. Irina, Lews Therin cries, I kill her!May the light destroy me forever! "It may be important for the two Aes Sedai to show up," Rand said quietly. "I think I should go to that inn and see why they are there." The others stopped after him. Only Annela and Jialanni exchanged a look, and walked quickly into the garden.Rand strengthened his tone a bit: "All the Maidens here come with me, and anyone who wants to put on a skirt and talk about marriage can stay." Annela and Galanie stopped, turned around, and looked at him angrily.It is really fortunate that Somailai is not here today, and she may do more drastic things.Su Lin waved her fingers and quickly signed the sign language of the Maidens of the Spear. Her words made the two Maidens of the Spears recede the anger on their faces, and replaced them with embarrassing blushes.In situations where speaking is inappropriate, Aiel will use gestures to convey various messages.Every tribe, every warrior group has their own way of expressing their unique meanings, but only the Maidens have developed a complete system of sign language. Rand turned around before Sulin's sign language ended, and those Aes Sedai might leave as hurriedly as they had come.He glanced back again, and Aviendha was still staring at the water, she didn't see him.He quickened his pace. "Bashere, can you send someone to the South Stable Gate to get the horses ready?" It is one of the main gateways from the palace to Queen's Square, and it is crowded with people who want to catch a glimpse of him. half an hour. Bashere made a gesture, and a Saldaean immediately ran forward at the undulating pace of a person who is used to riding a horse. "A man has to know when to back away from a woman," Bashall said into the air, "but a wise man knows that sometimes he has to stop and face her." "Young men," Beor said indulgently, "young men run after the shadows and run from the moonlight, and in the end their own spear-points will be in their own feet." Some of the Aiel laughed When they got up, there were both Maidens of Spears and Swordsmen among them, but the ones who laughed were all older people. Rand turned his head a little angrily: "Both of you won't look good in skirts." To his surprise, the Maidens and Swordsmen laughed again, and this time the laughter was even louder.Maybe he was really starting to get a little bit of Aiel humor. As he rode out of the south stable gate and into a winding street in the inner city, as he expected, Jeddin trotted happily, leaving a series of hooves on the stone pavement. Less being led out of the stable.There are a lot of pedestrians on the street, but it is not as good as in the new city. Everyone is busy with their own affairs.Seeing Rand and his party, many people would point at them and whisper to those around them.Some of these people might have recognized Bashere—unlike Rand, Bashere was often in town.But anyone who came out of the palace, especially with Aiel guards, was definitely a big shot.These pointers followed him all the way. Although he felt a little uncomfortable being watched by so many eyes, Rand tried his best to adjust his mood to appreciate the inner city built by the giant elves.He found that he had little time to appreciate fine things.Many streets meandered from the shining white palace, twisting and turning along the hilly terrain as if it were part of the land.Here and there stood tall, slender towers covered in colored tiles, set against gold, purple, or white domes that glistened in the sunlight.In some places there was an unobstructed view of the park's groves of woods, in others a bird's-eye view of rolling hilly plains and forests beyond the city and the tall silver walls of Caemlyn.The architectural style of the inner city is to please the people's eyes, and the Ogirs believe that only Tar Valon and the legendary Manetheran can surpass this city.And many humans, especially Andorians, believed that Caemlyn was no less than those two cities. Outside the pure white walls of the inner city is the new city that surrounds it. There are also many domes and towers in the new city. Many of the towers are obviously meant to compete with the towers of the inner city, but the towers of the inner city are all Built on higher hills.The streets here are narrower, and there are many humane arrangements, such as trees planted in the middle of the wide road.The streets were filled with pedestrians, ox-drawn carts, carriages, and people on horseback and sedan chairs, and the air was filled with noise as from a great beehive. Although the crowd would actively give way, Rand's speed still slowed down significantly in such a dense crowd.Like those in Caemlyn, they didn't know who Rand was, it was just that no one wanted to bother the Aiel.The slowness is simply due to the dense population.There are all kinds of people here, farmers in coarse woolen clothes and merchants in fine dresses, artisans busy with their own livelihoods and peddlers who load goods on carts and trays along the street.Vendors sell everything from needlework and silk to fruit and fireworks, though the latter two are pretty expensive these days.A walker in a patchwork cloak passed three Aiel who were studying swords displayed on a table in front of a swordsmith's workshop.Two thin men with their black hair braided into many small braids and swords behind their backs (Rand believed them to be horn hunters) stood on a street corner, chatting with a few Saldaeans, Listen to music played by a man and a woman with tambourines and flutes.The short, fair-skinned Cairhien and the dark Tyrian stood out among the Andor.Rand also saw a Morandi in a long tunic, an Atla in an elaborate waistcoat, a Kandor with a forked beard, and even two Aradomans with spindly beards and earrings. . There was another class of people that stood out too—those who wandered about aimlessly in filthy rags, whose blank stares suggested that they had no idea where to go or what to do.This kind of people often come here from far away to find the goal in their hearts - him, the reincarnated true dragon.He had no idea what to do with these people, but they were his responsibility, and although he wasn't asking them to throw away everything they had, they were doing it because of him.If these people knew who he was by now, they would have stepped on this Aiel body and tore him to pieces just to touch him. He touched the little talisman in the shape of a chubby man in his coat pocket.It's ironic that he might use the Power against those who would give up everything for him.It was because of these people that he rarely walked into the city, at least that was one of the reasons.He had too much to do and no time to hang out in town. Led by Beo, he came to the destination of this journey.Located at the westernmost point of the city, the inn is called "The Hound of Curenn", and it is a three-story stone building with a red tiled roof.Outside the gate of the inn was a winding and remote street. When Rand and his party stopped there, the pedestrians on the street made way for them.Rand touched the artifact again—two Aes Sedai, he could handle it without it.He jumped off his horse and went into the inn.Of course, the three Maidens of Spears and the two Swordsmen were already ahead of him.They were all on tiptoe when they entered the inn, ready to raise their veils at once, and if they were to be discouraged from doing so, they might as well teach the cat to sing.After leaving the two Saldaeans to take care of the horses, the Saldaeans led by Bashere and Beo followed Rand into it.The rest of the Aiel divided into two teams, one team entered the inn with Rand, and the other team stayed outside.What they saw in the inn was different from what Rand had expected. The hall of the inn was no different from that of any of the hundred inns in Caemlyn.Huge casks of ale and wine lined an austere plaster wall with kegs of brandy on top and a gray tabby cat perched on top of the casks.The two stone fireplaces were empty.Three or four waitresses in aprons could be seen between the tables and benches.An open space was left in the center of the hall, and the beamed ceiling could be seen directly facing the wooden floor.The owner of the inn was a round-faced man with a triple chin, and a white apron wrapped around his large belly.He trotted over to meet him, rubbing his hands and glancing at the Aiel now and then, showing a little nervousness.The Caemlyns already knew they didn't intend to loot all of it and burn what was left (to convince the Aiel that Andor wasn't a conquered land, they couldn't take five of all the riches here. It was not an easy task), but the innkeeper was obviously not used to two dozen Aiel in his hall at the same time. The innkeeper quickly turned his attention to Rand and Bashere—mainly Bashere.You could tell from their clothes that the two of them were the leaders of the team, and Bashere was much older than Rand, so he should be a more important figure. "Welcome, my lords, my lords, what can I do for you? I have wines from Morandi and Andor, and my brandy is..." Rand ignored him.What sets this hall apart from the other hundred is its guests. At this time, Rand expected to see at least a few male drinkers, but there were no men in the hall.Most of the tables were filled with young women in plain dresses, and most of them were just girls.These people turned around on the bench, holding teacups in their hands, and looked at the group of people who had just entered the hall in a daze.More than one of them was taken aback by Beo's height.Not everyone was staring at the Aiel, nearly a dozen people looked at Rand in surprise, and they also made Rand's eyes widen. He knew them.He didn't know them all well, but he did know them, and one of them caught his special attention. "Perde?" he asked in disbelief.The girl with the big eyes was staring at him too - when did she get her hair braided?Purdue Cawthorne, Mat's sister.He also saw the round Hilde Baran, beside her the scrawny Jaeline Yaka, and the pretty Marisa Ehan, patting her cheek with both hands, It's always like this when you're surprised.Plump Amy Reuven, Ellie Marvin, Dairi Candwin, and... all of them were from or near Emond's Village. Taking a closer look at the girls again, he believed that even the girls he didn't know must be from Two Rivers, at least most of them were.He also saw a face that was supposed to be from Aladoman, and one or two others from elsewhere, all the girls of Two Rivers in their everyday clothes. "By the light, what are you doing here?" "We're on our way to Tar Valon." Pode quickly regained her ability to speak from her surprise.The only thing she had in common with Mat was the mischievous look that occasionally came out of her eyes, and now her surprise had completely disappeared, replaced by a bright smile of curiosity and joy. "We're going to be Aes Sedai, like Egwene and Nynaeve." "We're going to ask you that too!" interposed the slender-waisted Relling Eileen.She seemed to be casually letting her thick braids hang over her shoulders and over her chest.She was the eldest of the Emond girls, a full three years younger than Rand, and she was the only one with Purdue in braids.She's a pretty vain girl, and she's got more than one boy to prove her beauty to her. "Lord Perrin didn't say a word except that you were out on an adventure. I know you're wearing the best clothes." "Is Matt okay?" Pode suddenly showed a very anxious expression, "Is he with you? Mother is very worried about him. If no one reminds him, he won't even know to put on clean socks." "No," Rand said slowly, "he's not here, but he's fine." "We didn't expect to find you in Caemlyn." Jane Toffin said in her clear voice.She couldn't have been more than fourteen, at least she was the youngest of the girls in Emond's Village. "I bet Aes Sedai Verin and Aes Sedai Elana would be delighted, they're always asking us what kind of person you are." Then, it should be these two Aes Sedai.He knew Vaelin, he knew the Brown Aes Sedai well enough.Now that Verin was here, he didn't know what to make of it.But this is not the most important thing. The important thing is that these girls are all from his hometown. "Is everything well at the Two Rivers? Is Emond's Village all right? Has Perrin come home safely? Wait! Lord Perrin?" Rand's question immediately plunged him into a torrent of eloquence.The rest of the Two Rivers girls were more interested in the Aiel, and they secretly eyed the Aiel, especially Beor, and occasionally glanced at the Saldaeans.But all the girls of Emond's Village gathered around Rand, anxious to tell him everything, all the while asking questions about himself and Mat and Egwene and Nynaeve.And most of those questions took more than an hour to answer clearly. The Trollocs had attacked the Two Rivers, but Lord Perrin had driven them off, and all the eagerness to tell him about the great war prevented him from hearing any details.Of course, all were fighting with all their might, but Lord Perrin saved them all.He can only say "Lord Perrin", and whenever he says "Perrin", someone will immediately correct his mistake-you must never use such sloppy titles to address Lord Perrin, just like "carriage" cannot be called. "Called "horse". Even knowing the Trollocs had been defeated, Rand felt a tightness in his chest.He abandoned them. If he went back, there would never be so many dead people in Two Rivers, and there were so many names he was familiar with.But if he went back, he would not have the support of the Aiel.Cairhien will not fall into his hands.It is likely that Lei Weixin led Andor's army to attack him and Two Rivers.Any decision has a price to pay, and his identity means a huge price, but it will be others who pay the price.He kept reminding himself that those people would pay a higher price without him.But this reminder did not bring him much comfort. Seeing the sadness on Rand's face, the girls hurriedly turned the conversation to something happy.Perrin and Faile got married, and Rand hoped that he would be happy about it, but worried about how long Perlin and Faile's happiness would last.The girls all thought their wedding was romantic and exciting, but they regretted that they couldn't hold a grand wedding banquet.They were very pleased with Mayfair.They admired Mayfair, and were a little bit jealous of her, even Leiling. 白袍众也去了两河，他们还带着帕登·范——那个曾经每年春天都会去伊蒙村的老卖货郎，女孩们不知道那些白袍众到底是朋友还是敌人。但帕登的出现让兰德很清楚该如何看待那些白袍众，帕登是一名暗黑之友，甚至比暗黑之友更加可怕，他会不计一切代价地伤害兰德、麦特和佩林，特别是兰德。也许她们带给他最糟糕的讯息就是没有人知道帕登是不是死了。但白袍众毕竟是走了，兽魔人也没了，随后就是大批难民越过迷雾山脉涌进了两河。他们带来各种新鲜的东西，从风俗到贸易品，从植物、种籽到布料。除了两河本地女孩之外，她们之中还有一名阿拉多曼女孩、两名塔拉朋女孩和三名来自阿摩斯平原的女孩。 “蕾铃买了一件阿拉多曼裙装，”小简馨一边笑着说道，一边做了个鬼脸，“但她妈妈要她把那件衣服退给裁缝。”蕾铃抬起手，似乎又像是想起什么似的，只是整了整辫子的位置，然后哼了一声。简馨咯咯地笑了起来。 “有谁会在乎衣服怎么样？”苏莎·亚兴喊道，“兰德才不在乎衣服。”苏莎虽然身子很单薄，但总是显得活力十足，现在她也是一边跳着一边说话。“两仪师埃拉娜和两仪师维林测试了所有的人，嗯，差不多是所有人——” “茜拉·库勒也想接受测试。”矮壮的麦丝·爱丁插话进来。兰德不太记得这名女孩，在他的记忆里，她仿佛从来都只是把鼻子埋在书本里，甚至走在街上的时候也是如此。“她一定要接受测试，结果她通过了，但她们告诉她，她的年纪已经太大了，不能当初阶生了。” 苏莎的声音压过了麦丝：“……我们全都通过……” “自从到了白桥之后，我们就开始用整个白天赶路，整个晚上进行练习，”珀黛插话说，“能在一个地方停留一会儿实在太好了。” “你见过白桥吗，兰德？”简馨用超过珀黛的声音说，“那座白色的桥？” “……我们要去塔瓦隆，成为两仪师！”苏莎被珀黛瞪了一眼，但她还是把话说完了。麦丝、简馨和她一起喊道：“塔瓦隆！” “我们还不能去塔瓦隆。” 从客栈正门传来的声音让所有女孩的注意力都从兰德身上移开了。正走进来的两位两仪师一摆手，压下了所有女孩想要提问的冲动，但她们的目光一直都没离开兰德。虽然拥有相同的光洁面容，但她们是两种完全不同的女人。维林个子矮，身材丰满，有一张方脸，发丝中能看到一点灰色；而维林身边应该就是埃拉娜了，她身材窈窕，皮肤黝黑，有一头波浪状的黑发，她是一名婀娜多姿的女人，但她眼里的光彩说明她的脾气并不小，而且她的眼睛周围稍有一点发红，似乎是刚刚哭过。兰德很难相信两仪师也会哭。埃拉娜的骑装是灰色丝料上装饰着绿色条纹，看上去就像是全新的；而维林的浅褐色骑装就显得有些皱了。虽然维林并不很在意自己的衣服，但她的黑眸里闪动着明察秋毫的光芒。她们的目光一直紧锁在兰德身上，仿佛是粘在岩石上的藤条。 两名穿暗绿色外衣的男人跟随她们走进大厅。其中一个身材矮壮，头发都已经变成了灰色；另一个瘦高如同一根黑色的鞭子。两个人的腰间都有佩剑。即使没有两仪师在身边，那种流畅的步伐也足以清楚地说明了他们护法的身份。他们完全没有理会兰德，而是将精神集中在艾伊尔人和沙戴亚人身上。凝滞不动的身体却仿佛随时都有可能发动强有力的攻击。艾伊尔人没有任何动作，但他们似乎在瞬间就会戴上面纱，不论枪姬众和刀手众都是如此。年轻的沙戴亚人手指突然靠近了剑柄，只有贝奥和巴歇尔还保持着轻松自在的神态。女孩们则只是注意着两仪师。感觉到气氛不对的肥胖老板正用力地揉捏着双手，毫无疑问，他是在想象着自己的大厅，甚至是整座客栈被打烂的惨状。 “不会有事的。”兰德提高声音，平静地说道。他是在对客栈老板、在对艾伊尔人说，他希望所有人都能听见他这句话。“不会有事的，除非你一定要闹出事来，维林。”几名女孩朝他瞪大了眼睛，惊讶他竟然会这样对两仪师说话。蕾铃响亮地哼了一声。 维林用她那双鸟一样黑亮的眼睛端详着他：“在你身边，我们要向谁闹事？自从上次见面之后，你变了很多。” 因为某些原因，他不想提及那段往事。“如果你已经决定不去塔瓦隆，那就是说，你已经知道白塔分裂了。”这句话在女孩之中引起了一片惊愕的议论。她们一定还没听说过这件事，两仪师们则没有任何反应。“那你知道反对爱莉达的两仪师在哪里吗？” “我们需要单独谈谈，”埃拉娜平静地说，“笛海姆先生，我们需要用一下你的私人餐厅。”客栈老板忙不迭地向两仪师保证，房间立刻就会为她们准备好。 维林向一道侧门望去。“这边走，兰德。”埃拉娜看着他，带着疑问的神情挑起了眼眉。 兰德苦笑了一下。她们刚一进来就掌控了局面，但这对两仪师来说就如同呼吸一样自然。两河女孩们现在都在看着他，对他报以不同程度的同情，毫无疑问，她们一定以为如果他说错了话或者是坐姿不对，两仪师就会立刻剥了他的皮。也许维林和埃拉娜真的会这么做。兰德一躬身，示意埃拉娜走在他前面。他改变了很多，是吗？她们还不知道他到底改变了多少。 埃拉娜一点头，当作对他鞠躬的回应，然后她拉起裙子，走在维林身后。但这时出事了。两名护法似乎是打算要跟上两仪师，但还没等他们迈出一步，两名眼神冰冷的沙汾奈已经挡在他们前面。苏琳飞快地打着手语，安奈拉和另一名叫做黛珍妲的身材矮小的枪姬众立刻移向两仪师刚刚走进的门。沙戴亚人都望向巴歇尔，巴歇尔示意他们不要有动作，但他自己却向兰德投来一个疑问的眼神。 埃拉娜有些气恼地说道：“我们要单独和他谈话，伊万。”瘦高的护法皱起双眉，然后缓慢地点了点头。 维林回头瞥了一眼，看样子有些惊讶，仿佛刚刚从沉思中清醒过来。“什么？哦，是的，当然，托马斯，请留在这里。”灰发护法显得有些犹疑。然后他用严厉的目光看了兰德一眼，才踱到正门旁边，靠在墙上，显出一副懒散的样子——如果绷紧的弹簧能够显示出懒散的话。 直到这时，刀手众才放松下来——那种艾伊尔人的放松。 “我想单独和她们谈话。”兰德看着苏琳说道。片刻之间，他觉得苏琳是想和他争辩。苏琳绷紧的下巴显示出顽固的棱线，但最后她只是又向安奈拉和索麦莱打了几个手语。她们移回原位，看着他，不赞同地摇了摇头。苏琳的手指又晃动了几下，所有枪姬众都笑了。他很想学一点手语，但每次他向苏琳提起这件事，都会惹来苏琳的困窘，仿佛这是一件伤风败俗的事。 兰德跟随两仪师离开时，看见两河女孩们都露出了困惑的表情。他关上那道侧门的时候，又听见一阵叽叽喳喳的声音骤然响起。这家客栈的私人餐厅是一个小房间，不过，抛光的椅子在这里代替了长凳，两张同样经过抛光的桌子上摆放着锡镴烛台，壁炉台上雕刻着藤蔓花纹。这里的两扇窗户都紧闭着，自然也没有人想要将它们打开。他想知道，这两位两仪师是不是注意到了他像她们一样没有受到炎热天气的困扰。 “你们要让她们也卷进反叛吗？”一进屋，他立刻就问道。 维林紧皱双眉理了理裙子。“你知道的要比我们多许多。” “我们到了白桥之后才听说白塔出事了。”埃拉娜的声音冰冷，但她紧盯着兰德的眼里却燃烧着火焰。“你知道……反叛？”她似乎对这个词极为厌恶。 那么她们就是先在白桥听到了谣传，然后急忙赶到这里，一点情报也没泄露给那些女孩。依珀黛等人的反应来看，她们不去塔瓦隆是刚刚才做出的决定，似乎她们在今天早晨得到了关于白塔动乱的证实。“我不认为你们会告诉我你们在凯姆林的间谍是谁。”她们只是看着他。维林歪过头，仔细审视他。曾经，两仪师这种宁静、知性的目光只要落在他身上，就会引起他深深的不安，现在想来都让他觉得非常奇怪。现在，不管是有一位两仪师还是两位两仪师盯着他，都不会让他有心悸的感觉了。骄傲，路斯·瑟林疯狂地笑着。兰德狠狠地将他压下去。“有人告诉我发生了反叛。你们还没否认你们知道她们在哪里。我不会伤害她们，绝对不会，我有理由相信她们也许会支持我。”他隐瞒了想要知道那些两仪师身处何方的主要原因。也许巴歇尔是对的，也许他确实需要两仪师的支持，但他最希望的是见到伊兰。他需要伊兰恢复安多的和平，这是他要找到她的唯一原因，不再有其他原因了。他对于她是危险的，就像对于艾玲达那样。“为了光明之爱，如果你们知道，就告诉我吧！” “即使我们知道，”埃拉娜说，“我们也没权力告诉任何人。如果她们决定支持你，她们自然会来找你。” “这是她们要决定的，”维林说，“而不是你。” 他只能再次苦笑。他应该想到，自己能得到的只有这么多，甚至可能更少。沐瑞的建议出现在他的脑海里——不要信任任何活着的、戴着披肩的女人。 “麦特和你在一起吗？”埃拉娜问。她的语气仿佛是她的脑子里只有这件事。 “如果我知道他在哪里，为什么我要告诉你们？有来有往吧？”她们似乎并不认为这句话很有趣。 “像敌人一样对待我们是愚蠢的。”埃拉娜喃喃地说道。她向他靠近了一步，“你看上去很疲倦，你有足够的休息吗？”他在埃拉娜抬起的手掌前退了一步。埃拉娜停住了。“随你吧，兰德。我不是要伤害你，我在这里所做的一切绝不会让你受伤。” 既然埃拉娜这么直接地将这句话说出来，应该是不会有问题了。他点点头，埃拉娜将手贴到他的前额，一阵微弱的刺麻感掠过他的皮肤——埃拉娜拥抱了阴极力，一阵熟悉的暖意涌过他的身体。这是埃拉娜在检查他的健康状况。 埃拉娜满意地点点头，突然间，暖意变成了热力，猛冲过他，让他觉得自己仿佛站在咆哮的熔炉之中。这种感觉在刹那间就消失了，而他又有了另外一种怪异的感觉——一种对自己从未有过的知觉，对于埃拉娜的知觉。他摇晃着，头脑空空的，肌肉松软，一阵困惑和不安的回声从路斯·瑟林那里传来。 “你做了什么？”他问道。他在怒火中抓住阳极力，让它的力量帮助自己站稳身体。 "what have you done?" 仿佛有什么东西在击打着他和真源之间的能流。她们想要屏障他！他编织出自己屏障，向她们掷去。从上次与维林见面以来，他确实已经变了很多，学到了很多。维林蹒跚着，一只手扶在桌子上，埃拉娜哼了一声，仿佛被他打了一拳。 “你做了什么？”即使是身处虚空的冰冷中，他的声音仍然凶恶可怕。“告诉我！我没有承诺过不会伤害你，如果你不告诉我——” “她约缚了你，”维林飞快地说道，但她立刻又恢复了平和的神态，“她约缚了你，让你成为她的一名护法，就是这样。” 埃拉娜恢复得更快，虽然还是被屏障着，但她只是将双臂交叠在胸前，平静的面容里带着一点满足。她竟然会感到满足！“我说过，我不会伤害你，我所做的完全不会伤害你。” 兰德缓缓地深吸一口气，尽力平复自己的情绪。他像一只小狗般轻易就走进了圈套，愤怒在虚空边缘爬行。冷静，他一定要冷静。她的一名护法，那么埃拉娜就是绿宗的了，但这并不会有什么差别。他对于护法了解得很少，也不知道该如何打破约缚，或者它是否可以被打破。兰德能够从路斯·瑟林那里感觉到的只有惊骇与震撼。兰德又一次想起岚，又一次希望岚没有在沐瑞死后立即就离开了他。 “你们说你们不会去塔瓦隆。既然你们似乎是不清楚你们自己是否知道那些反叛者在哪里，那么你们可以先留在凯姆林。”埃拉娜张开嘴，但兰德的声音立刻压过了她。“如果我决定松开屏障，而不是就这样把你们丢在这里，你们应该要感到庆幸！”这引起了她们的注意。维林绷紧嘴唇。从埃拉娜眼睛里冒出的火焰几乎可以和他刚才感觉到的热力相比。“但你们不能靠近我，除非我召唤你们，否则你们不能进入内城。如果想违抗这条规定，我就会屏障你们，并将你们扔进监狱。你们了解我的意思了吗？” “完全了解。”尽管眼里仍然喷着怒火，埃拉娜的声音却如冰一样寒冷。维林只是点了点头。 兰德猛地推开门，又停住脚步，他忘记那些两河女孩了。现在有些女孩正在和枪姬众交谈，有些则打量着枪姬众们，同时用茶杯做掩饰悄悄地说着话。珀黛和几名伊蒙村的女孩正在向巴歇尔提问题。巴歇尔的手里拿着一只锡镴杯，一只脚踏在凳子上，听他说话的女孩们看上去半是兴奋，半是惊骇。猛然被推开的门撞在墙壁上，引来所有人的目光。 “兰德，”珀黛喊道，“这个人正在说你的事情，真可怕。” “他说你是转生真龙。”蕾铃着急地说着。屋子里其他地方的女孩们显然还不知道这件事，她们立刻都显出震惊的神情。 “我是。”兰德疲倦地说。 蕾铃哼了一声，将双臂抱在胸前：“我一看见你的这身衣服，我就知道你跟着两仪师跑掉后就脑袋发烧了，在你用那么傲慢的语气对两仪师埃拉娜和两仪师维林说话之前我就知道了。但我不知道你真的变成了一个瞎眼的傻子。” 在珀黛的笑声中，惊骇的成分比愉快更多：“即使是开玩笑，你也不该这么说，兰德，谭姆不会把你教成这样的。你是兰德·亚瑟，现在，不要再犯傻了。” 兰德·亚瑟，这是他的名字，但他几乎不知道自己是谁。谭姆·阿瑟抚养他长大，但他的父亲是一名艾伊尔首领，而且已经死去很久了。他的母亲是一名枪姬众，却不是艾伊尔人。这就是他对自己的了解。 阳极力仍然充满着他，他用风之力包裹住珀黛和蕾铃，将她们举起，直到她们的双脚离地一尺高的地方。“我是转生真龙。否认也无法改变这一点，希望也无法改变这一点。我不是你们在伊蒙村熟悉的那个人了。你们现在明白了吗？明白吗？”他意识到自己在高声喊叫，急忙用力闭上嘴。他的胃在搅动，他在颤抖。为什么埃拉娜对他这样做？这名两仪师美丽的面孔后面藏着什么样的阴谋？不要信任她们，沐瑞这样告诉过他。 一只手碰到他的手臂，他猛地转回头。 “请让她们下来吧！”埃拉娜说，“求求你。她们非常害怕。” 她们已经不止是害怕了。蕾铃的面孔似乎完全失去了血色，她的嘴张到了不能再大的程度，似乎想要尖叫，却又忘了该怎么做。珀黛的身体不住地抖动，脸上全都是眼泪。有这种反应的女孩不仅仅是她们两个，其余的两河女孩都蜷缩到尽可能远离他的地方，她们之中大多数人也都在哭泣。女侍们也都缩成一团，控制不住地呜咽着。客栈老板跪倒在地上，双眼凸出，一个字也说不出来。 兰德急忙将那两个女孩放回地上，然后放开了阳极力。“很抱歉，我不是要吓你们。”珀黛和蕾铃一站稳脚跟，立刻就逃进了其他女孩缩成的人堆里。“珀黛？蕾铃？我很抱歉，我不会伤害你们的，我保证。”她们没有看他，没有任何一个女孩看他。苏琳肯定是在看着他，其余的枪姬众也是，她们都阴沉着脸，眼睛里明显地流露出不赞许的神情。 “覆水难收，”巴歇尔说着，放下了手中的杯子，“有谁知道什么是应该的？也许这么做就是最好的。” 兰德缓缓地点点头。也许是，最好她们能够远远地离开他，这对她们是最好的。他希望自己能和她们多聊一些家乡的事，能多一些时间在她们眼里只是兰德·亚瑟。他的膝盖仍然有些虚浮，一定是因为刚才的约缚。但当他迈开步伐的时候，他就没有再停下，直到骑在杰丁的背上。她们最好害怕他，他最好忘记两河。他想知道，这座高山什么时候能够稍微轻一下，至少，不要变得愈来愈重。