Chapter 18 Chapter 12 Questions and Answers

"How is it?" Nynaeve asked with the utmost patience.Sitting peacefully on the bed, keeping her hands on her knees did take a lot of effort, and she suppressed a yawn.It's still early, and she hasn't had a good night's sleep for three nights.The wicker cage was empty, the song sparrow was released, and she wished she could be as free as the little bird. "How about it?" Elayne was kneeling on her bed, her head and shoulders stuck out the window.Outside the window was a narrow alley behind the house, from here, she could vaguely see the back of the Little White Tower.There, most of the sect guardians were meeting with envoys from the White Tower, and even here she could see the barrier outside the inn to prevent anyone from eavesdropping with the help of the Power.

A moment later, Elayne sat back on her heels, a look of frustration on her face. "Nothing. You said it was possible to bypass those energies unnoticed. I suppose I should have been unnoticed, but I must have heard nothing." Elayne was talking to Moghedien, who was sitting on the rickety stool in the corner.Nynaeve, who had always been very angry at the woman's lack of a drop of sweat, said that such immunity from heat and cold had to be acquired through prolonged contact with the Power.And the Aes Sedai only vaguely told them that they "will eventually have this ability".Nynaeve and Elayne were sweating profusely, but Moghedien looked fresh and cool as if in the early spring sun.This is so infuriating!

"I said you can sneak in," Moghedien kept looking around with a look of guard in her black eyes, but she would stare at Elayne most of the time—she would always Concentrate on the person wearing the sin shackles, "It is possible. There are thousands of ways to pass through the barrier, and some barriers take several days to pass through." Nynaeve could barely control her tongue.They had been trying for a few days, and this was the third meeting Tana Foer had had since her arrival, and the Council still hadn't released the message from Elaida's messenger.Of course, Sheriam, Myrelle and the others would know (Nynaeve wouldn't be surprised if they knew about it before the Council), but even Siuan and Liane were kept out of these daily meetings.At least, on the surface.

Nynaeve stopped her hands hastily when she realized she was pulling at her skirt.No matter what method they use, they must find out what Elaida wants; and more importantly—the answer from the council.They must find out. "I have to go," Elayne sighed. "I have to show the Aes Sedai how to make a ter'arreal." Few of the Aes Sedai in Salidar could grasp the tricks Elayne demonstrated. , but they all want to learn this skill.Most Aes Sedai believed that if Elayne showed them enough, they would surely learn. "You can try it," she said as she took off the bracelet, "I want to try to make some new things after the demonstration, and then I have to teach the beginners." Listening to Yilan's tone, the two She is unwilling to do anything, and the excitement she had when she first received these tasks has long since disappeared.Now after every class, she would come back full of anger, like an irritated cat.The little girls were eager to master skills they hadn't even had a clue about, often trying rashly without asking permission.The older novices, though a little more cautious, were more likely to argue with her, or simply refuse to work with a woman six or seven years younger than them.Elan is now like a trainee with ten years of qualifications, who can just say "stupid beginner" or "stubborn idiot". "Or you can continue to dig out information from her mouth. If you're lucky, maybe you can figure out the way to detect male channeling."

Nynaeve shook her head. "I'm going to help Zhenya and Delana sort out their notes this morning." Her face was also contorted with exasperation.Delana was the guardian of the Grays, and Zhenya was the guardian of the Browns, but Nynaeve could not get any information from them. "And Cedarine has to give me lessons." Another waste of time, time wasted by everyone in Salidar.Seeing that Elayne was about to hang the bracelet on the wall, she hurriedly said to Elayne, "Put it on." The blond girl sighed heavily, but put the bracelet back on. Nynaeve felt that Elayne had put too much trust in the shackles. In fact, as long as the collar remained around Moghedien's neck, any woman who could channel could use it to find her and control her.If no one wore the bracelet, Moghedien would fall to the ground vomiting if he came within a dozen paces of it.If Moghedien tried to move the bracelet a few inches, or take off the collar around her neck, she would do the same.Maybe there's nothing Moghedien can do to hang the bracelet on the wall, but maybe given a Forsaken enough chance, she'll figure out how to break free.Nynaeve had sealed Moghedien and held the Weave in place in Tankek, but she escaped.After capturing her again, the first thing Nynaeve asked was how she had escaped in Tankek.Nynaeve nearly broke her neck before she could get an answer.It seems that a weave that is immobilized and released by the channeled is very fragile. If the shielded woman has enough time and patience, she has a way to open the weave.Elayne insisted that the Shackles weren't like that—the Shackles had no knots to attack, and Moghedien couldn't even touch saidar without permission.But Nynaeve was not about to give Moghedien any chance.

"Take it easy," Elayne said. "I've done it for Delana before, and she hates any mistakes. If necessary, she'll make you copy it fifty times to get a clean page. " Nynaeve shot Elayne an exasperated look.Her handwriting might not be as neat and elegant as Elayne's, but she was no fool who knew only which end of the pen to dip into the inkwell.Yilan didn't pay attention to her expression, just gave her another smile, and ran out the door.Maybe Elayne really meant it well.If the Aes Sedai had known Nynaeve hated copying so much, they might have punished her with this.

"Perhaps you should go to Rand," said Moghedien suddenly.Her sitting posture is slightly different than before—it seems that her waist is straighter.Her dark eyes met Nynaeve's.What's wrong with her? "What do you mean?" Nynaeve asked. "You and Elayne should go to Caemlyn, to Rand. She can be queen, and you..." Moghedien's smile was not the slightest bit joyful, "sooner or later they will doubt you and start investigating how you There will be so many incredible discoveries, but at the same time you'll be as terrified as a girl caught stealing a candy bar while you're guiding them."

"I didn't..." She didn't intend to explain anything to the woman.Why would Moghedien say such things to her suddenly? "Just remember, if they find out the truth, no matter what happens to me, your head will be put on the guillotine first." "And you will suffer for a longer time. Semohaig once made a man scream non-stop for five years when he was fully awake. She even made him unable to lose his mind, but in the end, even Semohai Nor Gable could keep his heart beating. I wonder if those children can have a tenth of Semerhag's ability, and you'll have a chance to experience that."

How could this woman talk about this?Her usual sycophantic, anxious demeanor had shed like a snake's skin, and they seemed to be two equals discussing some random subject.No, it's worse than that.Moghedien's attitude seemed to indicate that this was a casual subject to herself, but a terrible thing to Nynaeve.Nynaeve wished that the bracelet was on her wrist, that she would feel more comfortable. Moghedien's mood could not have been as calm and indifferent as her expression and voice. Nynaeve's breath caught for a moment.that bracelet.It turned out to be like this, the bracelet wasn't in this room, she felt as if a piece of ice had stagnated in her stomach, and the speed of sweat rolling down her face seemed to suddenly speed up.Logically, it didn't matter if the bracelet was here or not, Elayne was wearing it—light behold, don't let Elayne take that bracelet off! —and the other half of the shackles was firmly fixed on Moghedien's neck.But logic had nothing to do with it, Nynaeve had never been alone with Moghedien without the bracelet.And before Moghedien put on the shackles, their confrontation almost led to an irreparable disaster.Moghedien was one of the Forsaken, and they were alone again, and this time Nynaeve still had no control over her.She held on to her skirt so she wouldn't draw the dagger from her waist.

Moghedien's smile deepened, as if she saw Nynaeve's thoughts. "You can trust that I'm as interested as you in this matter, and this," she said, rolling her hand around the collar, taking care not to touch it, "is the same in Caemlyn. Lock me up. It's better to be a slave there than to die here. Don't take too long to decide, if those so-called Aes Sedai decide to return to the White Tower, what better gift than you to offer that new Of Amyria? A woman who was so closely related to Rand Arthur, and Elayne. If Rand felt half as much about her as she felt about him, then grabbing Elayne was tying a knot around his neck. A rope he can't cut."

Nynaeve stood up, forcing her knees to straighten. "Now, you can make the bed and clean the room, and I can't see a speck of dust when I come back." "How much time will you have?" said Moghedien when she came to the door, as if asking if the water was boiled for tea. "How many days? How many hours before they send the answer to the White Tower? In order to restore unity to their cherished White Tower, how will they choose between Rand Arthur or Elaida's crimes?" "Especially the pots," said Nynaeve without turning away, "this time they will all be cleaned." Before Moghedien finished speaking, she had already walked out of the door and closed the door behind her. She leaned against the rough wooden door, breathing heavily in the windowless corridor.Then she reached into the purse at her waist, took out a small bag from it, and stuffed two shriveled goosemint leaves into her mouth.It took a while for the goosemint to calm the burning sensation in her stomach, but she chewed and swallowed as fast as she could, as if that would make the leaves work faster.In the short time before she left the room, Moghedien smashed one hope after another before her, as if punch after punch in the stomach.She did not trust Moghedien and knew the woman was terrorizing her.It's a lie, oh light, it's a lie.But she had believed that Moghedien knew as little about Elayne and Rand as the Aes Sedai.Oh light, it's a lie.And Moghedien would suggest going to him... They talked too easily in Moghedien's presence.What else did they reveal, and what would Moghedien use that information for? Nynaeve straightened, gathered goosemint, and smoothed her skirt as another novice entered the dim corridor from the vestibule of the small house.With the exception of the front hall, every room in the house was used as a dormitory, filled with novices and servants, usually three or four people living in a dormitory not much larger than Nynaeve and Elayne's. In the room, sometimes two people need to share the same bed.The novice across the way was a slender woman with gray eyes and a sweet face, named Emmara, and an Irian.She didn't like Siuan and Liane, which Nynaeve could understand very well.She thought that the two women should be sent away (in a respectable way, which was her opinion), like all women who were silenced.Besides, she was a lovely girl, and never even resented Elayne and Nynaeve for having "the great room" and "Mrigan" doing chores for them both.In Salidar, there are really not many such trainees. "I heard that you are going to copy for Zhenya and Delana," Emma said in a clear voice as she walked briskly through her room, "Listen to me, copy as fast as possible, Zhenya doesn't care about a little correction , what she wants is enough quantity." Nynaeve glared at Emmara.Slow copying for Delana's sake and fast copying for Zhenya's were exasperating suggestions, but anyway, she didn't have the heart to bother with copying right now.Moghedien was also forgotten.Of course, if she had time, she would talk to Elayne about Moghedien. She shook her head, muttered a few words in a low voice, and then walked out.Maybe she has been too negligent and said too many things casually, but now she will remind herself to stop this mistake.She knew who she had to find.In the last few days, Salidar has fallen into a kind of calm, and while the streets are still as crowded as ever, even the foundry outside the village is quiet.All were warned to hold their tongues while Tana was here, and never to reveal that Salidar had sent envoys to Caemlyn, nor about Logan.Now Logan was safely hidden in the soldiers' camp, and even the soldiers and the reason for their gathering were to be kept secret.This made it impossible for any one to raise their voices above a whisper when they talked about all things, but the innumerable whispers created another disturbing atmosphere. All are affected.The servants who used to trot all the way to finish their work, now took hesitant steps, and kept looking behind with a look of fear, even the Aes Sedai seemed to be more alert under their calm expressions, As if examining everyone who passed by.Soldiers were rarely seen on the streets now, as if the troops that Tana had seen crowding the streets the day she first arrived were hallucinations.One wrong answer from the Council, and maybe a noose around the necks of all these soldiers.Even those rulers and nobles who wanted to avoid the White Tower dispute would hang all these soldiers they could catch, lest they be charged with rebellion against the White Tower.The soldiers probably felt the same way, so the few who appeared on the street all kept their faces cautiously on the ground, or frowned worriedly.The only exception was Gareth Bren. Every time the council and Tana met at the Little White Tower, he would wait patiently outside the gate of the Little White Tower, from the time those people entered until they left.Nynaeve thought he wanted them to remember him and what he had done for them.Nynaeve had seen Gareth meet the Sect Guardians once, and they hadn't shown any pleasure in seeing him. Only the Wardens looked the same as before the Red Aes Sedai came, and the children.When the three little girls came up to Nynaeve, bouncing like quails, she couldn't help but froze for a moment.Their hair was tied with ribbons, their faces were covered in sweat and mud, and they ran towards each other while laughing.These children didn't know what Salidar was waiting for, and if they did, they probably didn't understand.And every Warder would follow his Aes Sedai, wherever she decided, wherever she was going, without even batting an eye. Most of the frivolous talk between people is about the weather, and there are some strange things from other places-two-headed cows talking; people are buried and suffocated by swarms of flies: a village child Suddenly all disappear in the middle of the night; people are killed by something unseen during the day.Anyone with a sane mind knew that this drought and unseasonal heat meant that the Dark Lord's hand had touched the world.While Elayne and Nynaeve insisted that these other things were true, most Aes Sedai doubted they were right.As the seal weakens, evil bubbles are rising from the Dark One's prison, drifting along Karma, bursting here and there.Most people fail to realize this.Some blamed Rand for these events; some said the Creator was angry because the humans did not gather around the Dragon Reborn; others said the Creator was angry because the Aes Sedai did not catch and Taming the Dragon Reborn, or the Aes Sedai rebelling against the current Amyrth.Nynaeve had heard people say that as soon as the White Towers were unified again, the weather would return to normal.She squeezed through the crowd and continued on. "...swear it's true!" muttered a cook with hands full of flour, "an army of white robes is gathering on the other side of the Edda, and they'll come here if Elaida gives the order. Launch an attack." In addition to the weather and the two-headed bull, there is now more information about the white robes, but the white robes are waiting for Elaida's order!This woman's brain must be confused by the hot weather! "Light doesn't deceive the eyes, it's true." A gray-haired coachman whispered to a frowning woman.The woman wore a well-tailored wool skirt, indicating that she was an Aes Sedai's maid. "Ailida is dead, the Red Sect is here to ask Xue Rui'an to return to be the Jade Throne." The woman nodded, as if she had no doubts about every word he said. "I think Elaida is a good Amyriad," said a woodcutter in a coarse coat, moving the fagots on his shoulders, "as good as any other Amyriad." He said these words aloud. Yes, but he seemed to be trying not to see who was listening to him around him. Nynaeve curled her lips.This is the man who wants to be heard.How could Elaida discover Salidar so quickly?Tana must have left Tar Valon just as the Aes Sedai began to gather on the village.Siuan had hinted that many of the Blue Aes Sedai were still missing, and it was from the Blue that the first signs had gathered in Saldaea—and Ovalin was very good at interrogating prisoners.This leads to a nauseating inference.But even more disturbing than this inference was the explanation that was widely circulated among people: that there were secret supporters of Elaida in Salidar.Everyone was spying on everyone else, and the woodcutter wasn't the first Nynaeve had heard it said in this way.The Aes Sedai might not have said it, but Nynaeve suspected some of them meant it.Salidar had become a stew of ingredients that didn't taste good, which made what she was doing all the more correct. It took a little while to find the man she was looking for.This one should be somewhere where children play, and there aren't many children in Salidar.Sure enough, Birgitte was watching five boys throwing a small bag of rocks at each other, and whoever got hit would elicit a burst of laughter from everyone, even the one who got hit.It's not that different from most boys' or men's games.Of course, Birgitte wasn't alone, and she rarely was, unless she didn't want other people around.Arina stood beside her, wiping the sweat off her face, trying not to look bored.She braided her black hair like Birgitte's blonde hair, but hers came just below her shoulders, while Birgitte's fell to her waist.Her dress was also made in Birgitte's style, a light gray waist-length coat, bronze-colored loose-leg trousers that cinched at the ankle, and high-heeled booties on her feet, and she also carried a bow , and hung a quiver around his waist.Nynaeve didn't think Arina had ever touched a bow before she met Birgitte.She ignored the woman. "I need to talk to you," she said to Birgitte, "let's talk alone." Arina glared at her, with disdain in her blue eyes: "It's such a good weather, I thought You'll wear your shawl, Nynaeve. Oh dear, you're sweating like a horse, why is that?" Nynaeve's face tightened.It was she, not Birgitte, who had treated the woman wholeheartedly in the first place, but their friendship ended when they arrived in Salidar.Arina's reaction was more than disappointment when she learned that Nynaeve was not officially an Aes Sedai.It was only because she wanted something from Birgitte that she hadn't told the Aes Sedai that Nynaeve had impersonated her.Arina once took the oath of the Horn Hunter, and Birgitte must have become her role model in life, and Nynaeve once pitied her for her bruises! "From the look on your face," Birgitte, who was also sweating, smiled at Nynaeve, "you look like you're about to strangle someone—maybe Arina—and it looks like your skirt is in the middle of a group of soldiers. The middle fell off, and you weren't wearing a shirt." Arina snorted a laugh, looking a little shocked, and Nynaeve didn't know why.This woman has been with Birgitte for so long, she should already be able to understand what Birgitte called humor.This kind of humor is actually more suitable for an unshaven man, sticking his nose in the glass, and has been down a stomach of light beer at the same time. Nynaeve watched the boys for a moment, giving herself a chance to mollify her anger.It was no use getting angry when she was about to ask someone for help. Cypher and Garry were among the kids throwing each other and dodging beanbags, and Aes Sedai Wong was right about their diagnosis. The bait they needed was time.After Salidar had been with the other boys, free from fear for two months, they were laughing and screaming like any other child. A sudden thought hit her like a hammer that "Milligan" was still tending to them, bathing and feeding them, though perhaps with great reluctance.But now that the two children had begun to speak, they could at any moment say that the woman was not their mother, or they might have.This might arouse suspicion, which would bring their house of branches down on their heads.The ice cube reappeared in Nynaeve's stomach.Why hadn't thought of this before? Birgitte touched her arm, making her shiver. "What's the matter, Nynaeve? You look as if your best friend died, and when he died, he cursed you with his last breath." Arina had walked away, her back straightened, and she glanced back at them one last time.The woman would watch Birgitte drink and flirt without blinking an eye, and would even follow suit, but she would rage every time Birgitte wanted to be alone with Elayne and Nynaeve.Men were not a threat, only women could be friends with Arina, but only she could be friends with Birgitte, and the idea of ​​having two friends was definitely foreign to her. "Can you prepare the horses for us?" Nynaeve tried to keep her voice still.It wasn't what she was going to ask, but Cypher and Jerry made it all the more necessary: ​​"How long will it take?" Birgitte pulled her away from the street and came to a narrow alley.She looked around carefully again, and after confirming that no one would eavesdrop or pay attention, she replied, "One or two days, Uno just told me—" "No Uno! We'll keep him here, just you and me and Elayne and Marigan, unless Tom and Zeling get back in time. And maybe Arina, if you insist." "In a way, Arina is a fool," Birgitte said slowly, "but life will squeeze her stupidity out, or her. You know, if you and Elayne don't want to, I would never insist on taking her with me." Nynaeve didn't speak, the woman acted as if Nynaeve was jealous of Arina!If Birgitte wanted to bring along someone like Arina who turned his face and refused to recognize anyone, it had nothing to do with her at all! Birgitte rubbed his lips with his knuckles, and frowned: "Tom and Zeling are good people, but the best way to avoid trouble is to make sure that no one will trouble you. A dozen armed Shanars can This effect occurs during the long journey. I don't understand your relationship with Uno, he is rude, but he will follow you and Elayne to the abyss of doom." She broke into a smile. "And, he's a handsome man." "We don't need anyone holding our hand," Nynaeve said to Birgitte stiffly.very cool?That painted eye just made Nynaeve sick, and that scar.This woman has really queer taste in men. "We can take care of everything, I believe we've demonstrated that, and it certainly speaks for itself." "I know we can, Nynaeve, but we'll attract trouble like a dunghill attracts flies. It's not peaceful in Atla, and every day there's a story of a dragon worshiper. I use my best Bet your silk dresses and your old shirts that half of them will instantly turn into real robbers when they see four women, and we have to prove to those people every day that we are not easy to bully. I heard Mo Randy's situation is worse, it's full of dragon worshipers and bandits, and refugees from Cairhien who are afraid of the dragon reborn. I don't think you will go to Amadisia, your target should be Kaim Lin." She turned her head to the side, raising one eyebrow with doubts, and the complicated braid swayed slightly with her movements. "Does Elayne agree with you abandoning Uno?" "She will," Nynaeve muttered. "I see, well, if she agrees, I will prepare enough horses. But I want her to tell me why we shouldn't take Uno first." Nynaeve's face was instantly heated by Birgitte's tough tone, and even if she did get Elayne to tell Birgitte softly that Uno was staying here, they might still find Uno Waiting on the road.And Birgitte would be surprised to ask him how he knew they were going and which way to go.This woman might be Elayne's Warder, but sometimes Nynaeve wondered which of them really meant what they said.When she found Lan (she was going to find Lan!), she would make him swear an oath that would make his hair stand on end, and that he would obey her in all her decisions. Nynaeve took a deep breath to calm herself, there was no point in arguing with a stone wall.Maybe it's best to go back to her purpose in coming to Birgitte. She took a casual step into the alley, letting the woman follow behind her.Although the road here has also been cleared, brown weeds are still getting in her way.While pretending to be casual, she glanced carefully at the street.No one gave them a second glance, but she lowered her voice anyway. "We need to know what Tana said to the Council, and how they said it to Tana. Elayne and I tried to eavesdrop on them." , but they set up barriers, but those were only Power barriers. They only noticed that someone would use the means of the Power, but they forgot that it was okay to stick their ear to the crack of the door. If someone could—” Birgitte interrupted her with a flat voice: "No." "At least think about it. Either Elayne or I are ten times more likely to be caught than you." Nynaeve thought adding Elayne was a smart move.But Birgitte just snorted, "I say no! From the time I've known you, I've seen a lot of you, Nynaeve, but I've never seen you stupid. Light, they're in a day or two It will be announced to everyone.” "We're going to find out now," Nynaeve said, swallowing again, forcing her voice down. "You idiot with a man's head." Stupid?Of course she was never stupid!She must not be angry.If she could talk Elayne away, they might not be here in a day or two.It would be nice not to open the bag of snakes any more. Birgitte shivered (Nynaeve thought her movements were showing off), and leaned on the longbow: "Once, when I was doing reconnaissance, I was discovered by the Aes Sedai, and they didn't catch me until three days later. Throwing me out by the ear, I left Sha'am as soon as I found a horse. I won't go through this again to buy you a day you don't need." Nynaeve maintained her composure, trying not to distort her expressionless face from clenching her teeth, let alone pulling her braids: "I've never heard any rumors that you ever spied on an Aes Sedai." As soon as the words came out, she wanted to take them back.The secret of Birgitte is that she is the legendary Birgitte, and this matter cannot be mentioned at any time. For a moment, Birgitte's face became like a stone sculpture, hiding all his emotions inside.It was enough to make Nynaeve shudder.Birgitte's secret contained too much pain.But in the end, the stone statue came back to life, and Birgitte sighed: "Time will change everything. About my legend, I can barely recognize half of it. Let's stop talking about it." This is obviously not a suggestion. Nynaeve opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say—she didn't want to touch the woman's sore spot again, but since her two simple requests were denied—the third woman's voice suddenly The alley sounded: "Nynaeve, Zhenya and Delana want you to go to them immediately." Nynaeve clung to the air and got up, her heart nearly popping out of her mouth. Outside the alley, Nicola, who was wearing a junior student's clothes, showed a surprised expression, as did Birgitte.Then Nicola took a closer look at Birgitte's longbow, and became very happy again. Nynaeve had to swallow twice to force herself to make a sound.How much did this woman hear? "If you think you can speak to a trainee in this way, Nicola, you'd better learn more quickly, or someone will teach you." It was a serious Aes Sedai-style remark, and the slender woman tested, weighed, figured Nynaeve with her black eyes, curtseyed, and said, "I'm sorry, apprentice, I'll try Be more careful." Her curtsy was just right for a trainee, and her voice was cold, but not cold enough to invite scolding.Arina wasn't the only one disappointed by Elayne's and Nynaeve's real identities, though Nicola had agreed to keep it a secret, and seemed surprised that they'd be exhorting her about such a thing.And after she passed the test and was found to have the potential to learn guidance, the eyes of testing, estimating, and guessing appeared in her eyes.Nynaeve saw this all too clearly.Nicola lacked that natural spark—she would never have touched the shade had it not been taught—but the Aes Sedai believed she had considerable potential.If it was two years ago, her potential was greater than any Novice in several epochs, she must have excited the White Tower, but it must be before Elayne, Egwene and Nynaeve entered Before the White Tower.Nicola had never said anything, but Nynaeve was sure she was trying to match Elayne and Nynaeve, if not surpass them.She never crossed the line, but she would often pace in front of it. Nynaeve nodded vigorously at her, understanding that that wouldn't stop her from pouring the idiot's triple goat's tongue root potion into the stupid woman's mouth. "Watch your behavior. Go tell the Aes Sedai, I'll be right there." Nicola curtseyed again, but when she turned, Nynaeve said, "Wait." The woman stopped at once, the expression was gone from her face now, but for a moment Nynaeve was sure she saw a flash of... Satisfied? "Did you tell me all you had to tell me?" "I was sent to tell you that the Aes Sedai is waiting for you, Apprentice, and I've said all I need to say." Her tone was as gentle as it had been in a pitcher for a week. "What did they say? Tell me the exact words." "Word for word? Apprentice, I don't know if I can still remember the exact words, but I'll try. Remember they said this, I'm just repeating, what Aes Sedai Jane said was, 'If That stupid girl hasn't come to me right away, I swear she won't be able to sit comfortably until she's an old grandmother' said Aes Sedai Delanna, 'looks like she'll be that old before she decides to come , if she isn't here in a quarter of an hour, I'll turn her skin into dust'." Nicola's eyes looked innocent, "This was about twenty minutes ago, trainee, maybe It will take a little longer." Nynaeve almost swallowed again.Just because an Aes Sedai can't tell a lie doesn't mean every threat uttered will be carried out, but sometimes the difference might not even fit a grain of rice.如果站在面前的不是妮可拉，她一定会呻吟一声“哦，光明啊”，然后立刻向两仪师那里奔去。但在这双眼睛的注视下，在这样一个知道她许多把柄的女人面前，她不能这样。 “既然如此，我想你不需要去跟两仪师说了，去做你自己的事吧！”然后她便转过身，用后背对着行屈膝礼的妮可拉，一副对此完全不在乎的样子对柏姬泰说：“我以后会再和你谈，我建议在那之前你不要着手于那件事。”运气好的话，这也许能让柏姬泰不去找乌诺——如果她的运气非常好的话。 “我会考虑你的建议。”柏姬泰严肃地说道。但她的表情中只流露出同情和饶有兴味的情绪。这个女人了解两仪师，在某种程度上，她对于两仪师的了解更胜于任何在世的两仪师。 除了接受和抱持希望之外，奈妮薇已经没有任何办法了。她向街上走去，妮可拉走在她的身边。“我告诉过你，去做你自己的事情。” “她们要我找到你之后就回去，见习生。这是你的草药吗？为什么你会使用草药？这是因为你不能……原谅我，见习生，我不该提到那个的。” 奈妮薇向手中那袋鹅薄荷眨了眨眼——她不记得自己曾经把它拿出来——她急忙将它塞回口袋里，但她真想把这一整袋叶片都嚼下去。她没理会妮可拉的道歉，谁知道这道歉是不是在经过深思熟虑之后装出来的。“我使用草药是因为治疗疾病并非总是需要至上力。”黄宗两仪师们听到这样的话会不会不赞成？她们蔑视草药，而且她们似乎只对需要至上力治疗的病患感兴趣，对于不需要浪费至上力的微小病痛完全不予理会。她为什么要担心自己向妮可拉说的话会传到两仪师的耳里？这个女人是初阶生，无论她用什么样的眼神看着她和伊兰。“闭嘴，”她恼怒的说，“我需要思考。” 妮可拉果然闭上嘴，一言不发地跟随奈妮薇穿过拥挤的街道，但奈妮薇觉得这女人似乎是故意放慢脚步。也许这只是想象，因为奈妮薇的膝盖确实在渴望着要超过她，又不能让妮可拉看出任何慌张的表现，这种情形让奈妮薇觉得仿佛有一股火苗缓慢地灼烧着内脏。任何被派来找她的人都要比有这样一双眼睛的妮可拉好。柏姬泰也许在这时候已经跑去找乌诺了。宗派守护者们也许正在告诉塔娜，她们准备好了要跪倒在爱莉达的面前，亲吻她的戒指。塞弗和佳瑞也许在对雪瑞安说，他们并不认识什么“玛丽甘”。也许这些事全都发生了，而熔金般的太阳到无云的天顶只剩下四分之一的距离了。 珍雅和黛兰娜正等在她们住宅的前厅里。这幢小房子是她们和另外三位两仪师共同的宅邸，当然，每一位两仪师都有自己的卧室，每个宗派都有一幢用于集会的房屋，但两仪师是根据她们到这里来的先后次序分散住在全村的。珍雅紧皱眉头盯着地板，用力抿住嘴唇，似乎完全不知道她们的到来。浅色头发的黛兰娜（她的发色浅到奈妮薇说不出那到底是白色还是其他颜色）在她们刚一踏进门的时候，就用同样浅蓝色的眼睛紧盯着她们。妮可拉吓了一跳，奈妮薇也不比她好多少。平时这名矮胖的灰宗两仪师的眼睛和其他两仪师并没有不同，但当她真的望向一个人的时候，其他一切仿佛都不存在了。有人说，黛兰娜是一位成功的仲裁者，因为接受仲裁的双方都会为了避免自己被她盯住而同意她的判决。在她面前，即使清白无罪的人也会思忖自己到底做错了什么，这样的想法让奈妮薇不由自主地行了个像妮可拉一样深的屈膝礼。 “啊！”珍雅眨眨眼，仿佛她们是突然从地板里冒出来的，“你们来了。” “请原谅我的迟到。”奈妮薇急忙说道。就让妮可拉听到她想听的东西吧！被黛兰娜盯在眼睛里的是她，而不是妮可拉。“我那时迷了路，然后……” “没关系。”黛兰娜的声音对女人而言有些过于沉厚，重音像乌诺和其他夏纳人般有种喉音的共鸣，所以矮胖的黛兰娜能有如此优美的语调和典雅的动作，实在让奈妮薇感到奇怪。“妮可拉，你可以走了，你要去听从芙芮恩的差遣，直到下次上课。”妮可拉立刻又行了个屈膝礼，跑了出去。也许妮可拉很想听听两仪师们会对迟到的奈妮薇说些什么，但没有人会寻找两仪师的界线在哪里。 即使妮可拉是拍着翅膀飞出去的，奈妮薇也不会在乎。她刚刚意识到在两仪师们吃饭的桌上并没有墨水瓶，没有沙碗，没有钢笔，也没有纸，她所需要的工具都没有。她是要自己把那些工具带来吗？黛兰娜仍然盯着她，这个女人从没盯着任何人看过这么长的时间。除非是有理由，她也不会盯住任何人。 “想喝杯凉薄荷茶吗？”珍雅说道。这回轮到奈妮薇眨眼了。“我想喝了茶会舒服一点，这样可以让我们的沟通更方便，这个我有经验。”没等她回答，这位鸟一样的褐宗两仪师已经从餐具柜上拿下一只有蓝色条纹的茶壶，将里面的茶水倒在三只并非是一套的茶杯里。那个餐具柜断了一条腿，用一块石头作为替代，两仪师也许比别人有更多的房间，但她们的家具也同样破烂。“黛兰娜和我决定可以等到另外的时间再整理笔记，我们这次只想谈一谈。要蜂蜜吗？我个人不太喜欢，不过女孩们总是喜欢蜂蜜。你真是做出了不少精彩的成绩，你和伊兰。”一阵响亮的清嗓子声音让珍雅带着疑问的表情望向黛兰娜。片刻之后，她才又说道：“啊，是了。” 黛兰娜已经将一把椅子从桌边拖到房间的空地中央，一把藤条椅。珍雅提到谈话的时候，奈妮薇就知道，她们之间要进行的根本不会只是一场谈话。黛兰娜示意她坐到椅子上，奈妮薇压着椅子边坐下，伸手接过珍雅用缺口托盘递来的一杯茶，低声说道：“谢谢，两仪师。”她不需要等待太久。 “跟我们说说兰德·亚瑟。”珍雅说，她显然是还想说些什么，但黛兰娜又清了清喉咙，珍雅眨眨眼，闭上了嘴，不急不徐地吮着杯子里的茶。她们就站在奈妮薇的两侧。黛兰娜瞥了珍雅一眼，叹了口气，用风之力将第三只杯子带到自己手里，然后她继续用那种能在脑袋上钻出洞的目光盯着奈妮薇。珍雅似乎又走神了，视线完全不在奈妮薇身上。 “我已经把我知道的一切都跟你们说了，”奈妮薇叹息一声，“嗯，都向两仪师说了。”实际上是她知道的所有不会伤害兰德的事——大致只有兰德在小时候的样子——她想让两仪师们将兰德看成一个普通的人，而不是一名能够导引的男人，想对转生真龙造成这样的效果实在不是件容易的事。“其他的我就不知道了。” “不要生气，”黛兰娜严厉地说道，“也不必慌张。” 奈妮薇将茶杯放回托盘上，用裙子擦了擦手腕。 “孩子，”珍雅的声音里充满了怜悯，“我知道你认为你已经说了自己知道的一切，但黛兰娜……我无法想象你会故意隐瞒……” “为什么她不会？”黛兰娜喊道，“生在同一个村子里，照看他长大，她对他的忠诚也许比对白塔的更多。”那种剃刀般的目光又落回奈妮薇身上。“告诉我们一些你以前没说过的事情，我已经听说了你所有的故事，女孩，所以我会知道你话中的真伪。” “试一试，孩子，我相信你不想让黛兰娜发火，为什么——”珍雅被另一阵清嗓子的声音打断了。 奈妮薇希望她们认为自己手中茶具的碰撞只是因为她的慌乱，她必须用畏惧（不，不算是畏惧，但至少是一种担忧）掩饰住她的愤怒。虽然两仪师总是教导她要认真倾听她们的话，但这样往往不会明白她们真正的意思。反倒是不那么认真地领会时，也许还有机会听懂她们的话，大多数人都是这样对付两仪师的。这两个人从没真正地说出她们认为奈妮薇有所隐瞒，她们只是想吓唬她，找机会从她嘴里抖一些东西出来。她不害怕她们，嗯，不是很害怕，她只是非常愤怒。 “当他还是孩子的时候，”奈妮薇小心地说道，“他会毫不争辩地接受对他的惩罚，只要他认为那是他应得的；但如果他认为他没有错，他就会寸步不让地反抗。” 黛兰娜哼了一声：“这个你对所有听你说话的人都提到过，说些别的，快点！” “你可以引导他，或者说服他，但他不会被推动。他会死死地站稳脚跟，如果他认为你——” “这个你也说过。”黛兰娜将双手叉在粗腰上，俯下身，平视着奈妮薇的双眼。奈妮薇几乎希望盯着她的还能是妮可拉。“说些你没有对沙力达每一名厨子和洗衣工说过的事情。” “试一试，孩子。”珍雅说道。令人奇怪的是，这次她只说了这么一句。 她们俩在分工合作，珍雅施舍同情，黛兰娜施加威严。奈妮薇的脑子里泛起能记得的每一件事，没有任何喘息的机会，每一件事情甚至没来得及被她过滤就被说出来了。但就像黛兰娜“温和”地指出的那样，这些事都已经被奈妮薇说过许多遍了。等到奈妮薇终于有时间喝一口茶的时候，才发觉茶水完全走味了——甜得她几乎卷起了舌头，珍雅显然是真的相信年轻女人都喜欢很多的蜂蜜。这个上午过得很慢，非常非常慢。 “这些对我们来说毫无意义。”最后黛兰娜说道。她瞪着奈妮薇，仿佛全都是奈妮薇的错。 “那么，我能走了吗？”奈妮薇疲倦地问。湿透她衣服的每一滴汗水似乎都是两仪师从她身上榨出来的，她只是感觉疲软无力，几乎想要在这两张两仪师凉爽的面孔上各扇一巴掌。 黛兰娜和珍雅交换了个眼神。灰宗两仪师耸耸肩，走到餐具柜前，又为自己倒了一杯茶。 “当然可以。”珍雅说，“我知道这对你一定很难，但我们确实需要了解兰德·亚瑟更胜于他对自己的了解，才能决定该如何行动，否则，一切也许都将变成灾难。哦，天哪，是的，你已经做得很好了，孩子，但我对你有很高的期待。你能有那么多发现，而且还是在有障碍的……嗯，我相信你一定还会有惊人的发现，想一想……” 两仪师在说了一大堆废话之后，终于让奈妮薇蹒跚着走了出来。她确实是蹒跚着脚步，膝盖一直在打颤。每个人都在谈论她，她本该听伊兰的话，把所有那些所谓的发现都丢到伊兰头上。魔格丁是对的，迟早她们会开始调查她是怎么做出那些发现的。那么，两仪师们在决定怎样才是避开灾难的最好办法。这并没有让她得到任何与兰德有关的线索。 她瞥了一眼几乎升到头顶的太阳，和瑟德琳的约会已经耽误了，至少这次她有个好理由。 瑟德琳的房子（这座房子里一共住了二十五名女子）坐落在小白塔的另外一边，当奈妮薇经过那座以前的客栈时，她放慢了脚步。在加雷斯·布伦身边的许多护法说明会议仍在进行中，心中残余的怒火让奈妮薇能够看见那道结界。那是个扁圆形的护罩，大部分由火之力和风之力构成，其中还有一点水之力。它在奈妮薇眼前闪耀着，覆盖了整座建筑。系住这个编织的结点似乎正在吸引着奈妮薇要去解开它，但碰触这个结点很可能会让她的皮被送去硝皮场——在街道上有许多两仪师。护法们都在来回走动，相互攀谈，不时会有一名护法出入这道闪光的护罩，他们是看不见它的。伊兰无法渗透这道防止借助至上力偷听的护罩。 瑟德琳的房子在大约一百步外的街上，但奈妮薇先走进了老客栈附近一座茅草顶房屋旁边的院子里。一排摇摇摆摆的木栅栏立在这一小片只剩下一些干枯的杂草的空地上，不过栅栏上有一道门，悬挂在一根几乎完全生了锈的铰链上。当奈妮薇将门打开的时候，铰链发出尖细刺耳的声音。奈妮薇急忙向周围看了一眼——没人看见她——她拢起裙子，穿过那道门，冲进一条窄巷里，一直跑到她和伊兰努力想要探察的那幢房子外面。 片刻之间，她犹豫了一下，在裙子上擦了擦汗湿的双手。她还记得柏姬泰所说的，她知道自己在心里是一名懦夫，虽然她极为痛恨这个事实。她曾经以为自己是很勇敢的，就算不像柏姬泰那样是一位英雄，但也够勇敢了。这个世界让她学到了许多事情。只要想想如果那些两仪师抓住她的话，会对她做些什么，她就想立刻转过身，跑到瑟德琳那里去。她不太可能找到一扇窗户通向那些宗派守护者们开会的房间，完全不可能。 她竭力在嘴里弄出一些湿气——她的嘴怎么会这么渴？当她身体其余的地方几乎已经湿透的时候。她悄悄向那个房间靠过去，总有一天，她会想要知道勇敢是什么样的，如何才能变成像柏姬泰和伊兰那样，而不是一名懦夫。 当她穿过结界的时候，并没有任何刺麻感，实际上，几乎没有任何感觉。她知道这样做是不会有感觉的。碰触它不会有任何问题，但她还是让自己趴伏在粗石墙壁上，石块裂缝中的爬墙虎残茎擦过她的脸颊。 她缓缓沿着一扇铰链窗户的边缘摸索了一圈，它关得很紧，所有玻璃都没了，取而代之的是能够透光的油布，但肯定没办法透过这种油布看到或听到里面的情形。不知道窗户对面有没有人，没有一点声音从里面传出来。深吸了一口气，她向另一扇窗户溜过去。这里的一扇窗户也被油布封死了，但她能从另外一扇窗里看到一张曾经有着华丽纹饰的破桌子上堆满了纸张和墨水瓶，还有几把椅子。除了这些，这个房间完全是空的。 她念了一句从伊兰那里听到的脏话（这个女孩知道的脏话数量简直令人吃惊），摸索着石墙继续向前走去。第三扇窗户是打开的，她将鼻子靠过去，又立刻退了回来。真不敢相信自己有这么好运，但塔娜就在那里，和她在一起的不是宗派守护者，而是雪瑞安、麦瑞勒等人。如果奈妮薇的心跳不是如此剧烈，她本来应该能在看见她们之前先听到她们的说话声。 奈妮薇跪下身子，尽量靠近窗口，窗子的下沿磨到了她的头顶。 “……这就是你们希望我带回去的讯息？”这个钢铁般的声音一定是塔娜的，“你们需要更多时间考虑？还要考虑什么？” “评议会……”雪瑞安开口道。 “评议会，”白塔使节带着嘲笑的声音说，“不要以为我是瞎子，看不见这里的权力掌握在谁手里，那个所谓的评议会只会按照你们告诉她们的去思考。” “评议会已经要求有更多的时间，”波恩宁坚定地说，“有谁知道她们会做出什么样的决定？” “爱莉达必须等待她们的决定，”摩芙玲用与塔娜同样冰冷的声音说，“对于白塔的统一，她就不能有耐心点吗？” 但塔娜的回答更加冰冷：“我会带回你们……评议会的……讯息，呈递给玉座。我们看看她会怎么想吧！”随后就是开门声和震耳的关门声。 奈妮薇几乎失望得叫出声来。现在她知道答案了，却不知道问题。只要珍雅和黛兰娜早一点放她走。嗯，这总比什么都没有强，也总要好过听到“我们会回去，并遵从爱莉达”。现在继续留在这里已经没有意义了，最好不要让别人看到她。 她正准备离开，却听见麦瑞勒说：“也许我们应该送信过去，也许我们应该召唤她。”奈妮薇皱起眉头，没有挪动。Who is she? “形式必须符合规范，”摩芙玲粗声说道，“必须沿用正确的仪典。” 波恩宁用坚定的声音说：“我们必须符合律法的每一个字，即使是最小的疏失也会被用来对抗我们。” “如果我们已经犯下错误了呢？”卡琳亚的声音也许在她生命中第一次有了热度，“我们还要等多久？我们还敢等多久？” “所需要的那么久。”摩芙玲说。 “我们所必须的那么久，”这是波恩宁的声音，“我还会等待那个顺从的孩子，这样的等待现在还不会让我们的计划被放弃。” 不知为什么，房里安静下来。奈妮薇只听见有人喃喃地说着“顺从”，仿佛是在检查这个词汇。what child一名初阶生？一名见习生？不会是这样，两仪师从不会等待初阶生和见习生的。 “我们已经走了太远，无法回头了，卡琳亚。”雪瑞安最后说道，“或者我们将她带来这里，并确认她做了她应该做的。或者我们把一切丢给评议会，希望她们不会带领我们走向灾难。”从语气上判断，雪瑞安认为这第二个办法完全只是个愚蠢的希望。 “只要有一个疏忽，”卡琳亚的声音甚至比平时更加冰冷，“我们就全都会把脑袋插到矛尖上。” “但谁会这么做？”爱耐雅若有所思地问，“爱莉达，评议会，还是兰德·亚瑟？” 之后又是沉默，裙子的窸窣声，又一次开门和关门的声音。 奈妮薇冒险向窗里窥望了一眼，房间已经空了。她焦躁地哼了一声。她不知道她们要等什么，也没找到任何有意义的线索，爱耐雅的话表明她们仍然对兰德·亚瑟和爱莉达保持着同样的警觉，也许对兰德·亚瑟的更多。爱莉达并没有聚集能导引的男人，而谁又是那个“顺从的孩子”？不，这不重要，她们可能正在谋划着五十个她完全不知道的计划。 结界发生了闪动，奈妮薇吓了一跳，她已经失去了离开这里的最佳时机。她爬起身，用力掸掉膝盖上的泥土，从墙边走开。刚迈出一步，她就停住了，以最快的速度弯下腰去，双手僵在膝盖的泥渍上，两只眼睛直盯着瑟德琳。 苹果色脸颊的阿拉多曼女子也在盯着她，紧闭的双唇没有吐出一个字。 奈妮薇匆忙地考虑着又抛弃了那个有东西掉在地上的愚蠢借口，而是重新直起身，缓缓地走过瑟德琳身旁，仿佛没有任何需要解释的。瑟德琳一言不发地走在她身边，双手叉在腰间。奈妮薇拼命考虑着该怎么办。她能打晕瑟德琳的头，然后逃跑：她能回过身，跪下来乞求瑟德琳。她知道这两个办法全都是破绽百出，但她就是想不到还有什么办法可行。 “你一直都能保持这么镇静吗？”瑟德琳问道，眼睛望着前方。 Nynaeve shuddered.这是瑟德琳昨天在尝试打破她的封锁后给她的指点，保持镇静，非常镇静，只去想平静舒缓的事情。 “当然，”她虚弱地笑了笑，“有什么能困扰我的？” “这很好，”瑟德琳由衷地说，“今天我要试一些更……直接的办法。” 奈妮薇瞥了她一眼。没有问题？没有指控？她完全想不到自己竟然能如此轻松地度过今天。 她们两个都没看见那个从一座建筑物二楼窗户中看着她们的女人。