Chapter 21 Chapter 15 A Pile of Sand
Egwene opened her eyes, staring at the nothingness in front of her.For a moment, she just lay on the bed, caressing lazily the giant snake ring hanging around her neck.Wearing this ring on your finger will attract a lot of weird looks.If no one thought she was an Aes Sedai, then being the Wise One's apprentice would make her feel easier.Of course she wasn't an Aes Sedai, she was an apprentice, but she had been disguised as an Aes Sedai for so long that she almost forgot it sometimes.
A ray of morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, illuminating the interior of the tent.She hardly slept at all.The blood vessels in her forehead were twitching constantly.Ever since the day Lanfyer nearly killed her and Aviendha, and finally died with Moiraine, every time she entered Te Arran Rhiod, she had had a headache that hadn't really resolved She troubles.Nynaeve had taught her about herbs when she was back home, and she had found some useful herbs in Cairhien.Sleepy Root would make her drowsy (or maybe it was just her exhaustion), but it cleared every bit of her headache.
Getting up from the bed, she smoothed the sweat-soaked and wrinkled shirt on her body, and walked to the washbasin on the rug with bare feet.It was, in fact, a carved crystal bowl, perhaps formerly used to hold wine for nobles, but in any case it served the same purpose as a large blue-glazed earthenware jug.She splashed water on her face, but she didn't feel any coolness at all.She looked up and saw her own eyes in the gilt mirror that hung on the tent wall, and her cheeks flushed instantly.
"So, what do you think is going to happen?" she whispered.It never occurred to her that it was possible, but her face in the mirror just got redder and redder.
It's just a dream.It wasn't like Tel'aran Ryod in that what happened in such a dream didn't exist when she woke up, but she remembered every moment as if they were real.She felt her cheeks were about to burn.It was just a dream, Gawyn's dream, and Gawyn had no right to dream of her like that.
"That's all he did," she said angrily to herself in the mirror, "not me! I had no choice there!" She closed her mouth pitifully.She's berating a man for his dreams and talking to a mirror like an idiot.
Stopping at the entrance of the tent, she first bent down and looked out.Her low tent stood on the edge of Aiel's camp, two miles to the west, across the bare hills from the gray Cairhienian walls, beyond which lay the scorched earth that had once surrounded Cairhien as the First Gate district. .The sun had just peeked out from the horizon, but it was already shining brightly, and many Aiel were running back and forth between the tents.
She didn't get up early today.After being away from her body all night (her cheeks are red again, light, is she going to blush for a dream all her life! She's so scared she will), she now sleeps until the afternoon, cooking The taste of porridge couldn't compete with her heavy eyelids.She walked back to her bed wearily, sat down and rubbed her forehead with both hands.She was too tired to get ready for sleep, and she felt that in her current state, it was probably useless to sleep well, and the dull pain always subsided in an hour or so.By the time she wakes up, it will be gone.
She wasn't surprised when Gawyn filled her dreams, sometimes she just repeated Gawyn's dreams.Of course, these dreams were changed according to her ideas.None of the embarrassing events happened, or passed quickly.Gawyn took longer to confide in her, held her close, watched the sunrise and sunset with her, and didn't hesitate to tell her he loved her.He looks as handsome as the real him.And many dreams all her own, tender kisses that will never part.He knelt on the ground and she held his head in both hands.Other dreams are meaningless.Twice she dreamed that one of them was on top of the other, and she grabbed his shoulders and tried to turn him against his will to look in another direction.One time, he roughly pushed her hands away; another time, she was stronger than him.The two dreams were vaguely mixed together.In another dream, he began closing a door in front of her.She knew that if the narrow slit that released the light disappeared, she would die.
Different dreams swirled in her head, not all about Gawyn, and they were all nightmares.
Perrin stood before her, a wolf lying at his feet, an eagle and a falcon perched on his shoulders, staring at each other over his head.And Perrin didn't seem to notice them, he just kept dropping his axe, until at last he was running and the ax was still flying in the air, chasing him.It was Perrin again, turning away from a Tinkerer and running, faster and faster, though she kept calling him back.Mat spoke strange words that she barely understood—archaic, she thought.Two crows landed on Mat's shoulders, their claws digging deep into the flesh beneath his clothes, and Mat seemed to be as unaware of them as Perrin was unaware of hawks and falcons, with a defiant look on Mat's face, into harsh tolerance.In another dream, a woman whose face was covered by shadows waved to Mat, leading him into great danger. Egwene didn't know what danger it was, only that it was astonishingly ferocious and terrifying.There were also some dreams about Rand, not all frightening, but all odd.Elayne forced him to his knees with one hand.Elayne, Min, and Aviendha sat around him in silence, taking turns putting their hands on him.He was walking toward a burning mountain when something crumbled beneath his feet.Egwene rolled and whimpered.Those things that he crushed step by step are the seals of the Dark Emperor, she knows, she doesn't need to see them to know.
In a mood of fear, her dreams became more terrifying.The two strange women she had seen in Te Arran Riod grabbed her and dragged her to a table.The tables were full of hooded women, and when they took them off, every one was Liahorn, the Black Aes Sedai who had caught her in Tire.A hard-faced Seanchan woman handed her a pair of silver bracelets and collars held together by silver cords, a pair of sin shackles, and she cried out.The Seanchan had handcuffed her once, and she would rather die than let it happen again.Rand leaped through the streets of Cairhien, laughing and destroying buildings and people with lightning and fire, followed by other men who also wielded the Power.Word of his dreadful amnesty had reached Cairhien, but surely no man would be willing to channel it.The Wise Men caught her in Tel'aran Rhiod and sold her like cattle to the land across the Aiel Desert, as the Aiel always do with the khay they find in the desert. Ryan.She stood in front of her, watching her face melt and her skull split open.She vaguely saw things of various shapes poking her with hard sticks, poking her, poking...
She sat up abruptly, gasping for breath.Kirwendy sat at her feet in her white woolen robe, her hooded head bowed.
"Excuse me, Aes Sedai, I just wanted to wake you up so you can have breakfast."
"But you don't have to poke a hole in my ribs!" Egwene murmured.As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she felt a pang of apology.
An exasperation flickered in Ke Wendy's dark blue eyes, but she quickly suppressed that anger and put back on the mask of obedience and patience of the gai.A gaiwa must take an oath to obediently obey all orders for a year and a day, not to touch a weapon, or to accept without resistance whatever happens to him, whether it is harsh words, a beating, or even a fist A dagger piercing the heart.But to the Aiel, killing a gai is like killing a child. It is an unforgivable crime. Even his own brothers and sisters will kill the person who commits this crime. kill.But Egwene believed that the expression of the gaiwa in front of her was just a mask. Although the gaiwah faithfully kept their oath, they were still Aiel.Egwene couldn't even imagine a truly docile Aiel - even someone like Kirwendy who refused to take off her white robes after a year and a day, because of her stubborn pride and her tolerance for adversity. Because of her recognition and loyalty to Aiel's righteousness, it is like a warrior who refuses to retreat in the face of ten enemies.
Because of this, Egwene has always tried to be careful when speaking to gai yi, especially gai yi like Wendi.They think that if they restore the status of warriors, they will desecrate everything they believe in.On the other hand, Ke Wendi is a Maiden of Guns, and if she can persuade herself to take off this white robe, she will definitely be a Maiden of Guns.Without the Oneness, she might be able to bind Egwene into a ball while sharpening a spear.
"I don't want to eat," Egwene told her. "Let me sleep."
"Not eating?" It was Amy's voice.Bracelets and necklaces of ivory and silver and gold clattered as the wise man entered the tent. She wore no ring, and the Aiel did not wear rings, but the rest of the jewelry she wore was divided between the three women. Also significantly more. "I thought you'd at least regained your appetite."
Bell and Mylan, who also wore many jewels, entered the tent after Amis.The three wise men were from different tribes, but their tents were always grouped together, and the other wise men who crossed the dragon's wall camped close to their clans.They sat down on the colorful fringed cushions at the corner of Egwene's bed and adjusted the dark shawls on their shoulders, which seemed to be worn by all Aiel women at all times except Fadarisme.Amis had the same white hair as Burr, but Burr's grandmotherly face was lined.Amis's face looked strangely youthful compared with the white hair, which, she said, had been nearly white when she was a child.
Among the three wise men, Bell or Amys usually took the leading position, but the one sitting in this position today is Mylan with sun-colored hair and green eyes.She said to Egwene first, "If you don't eat, your body won't recover, and we've already considered sending you to the next meeting with those other Aes Sedai, who always ask when they can see you— —”
"And they show wetlander stupidity every time," said Amis angrily.She wasn't a curmudgeon, but Salidar's Aes Sedai seemed to turn her off.Perhaps the very fact of meeting an Aes Sedai displeased her, and it was custom for wise men to avoid them, especially wise men who could channel, like Amis and Mylan.Also, they didn't like that the Wise Ones had replaced Nynaeve and Elayne, and Egwene didn't like that either, and Egwene suspected that the Wise Men had believed that Nynaeve and Elayne understood the meaning of Te Aran Rhiod Danger.And from the scattered comments she had heard about those Aes Sedai from wise men, she believed that those Aes Sedai were completely unaware of these dangers, and few people could make an Aes Sedai take something seriously.
"But maybe we should think about it again." Mylan continued to speak calmly.Before Mylan got married, she had been like a thorny hawthorn grove, but now nothing seemed to affect her composure. "You must not return to the dreamland until your physical strength is fully recovered."
"You have dark circles," Burr said with concentration.Her voice is as old as her face, but she is in many ways the toughest of the three. "Did you sleep well?"
"How could she sleep well?" Amis' voice was still full of anger. "I looked at her dreams three times last night, but found nothing. No one can sleep well if they don't have dreams."
Egwene felt her heart beating faster, her throat dry, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth.They checked themselves every few hours until she was back in her body.
Mylan frowned. What she was staring at was not Ai Wen, but Ke Wendy who was still kneeling down. "There's a pile of sand near my tent," there seemed to be some sharpness in her voice again. "You'll have to look for it one by one until you find a red sand. If that's not what I'm looking for You have to look for that one again. Now, go!" Ke Wendy bowed, her face dropped to the colorful carpet, and then she ran out of the tent.Then Mylan looked at Ai Wen with a pleasant smile: "You seem surprised. If her cognition is biased, I will let her make the right decision. Since she said she would continue to serve me, she is still my Responsibility."
Bell's long hair bounced back and forth as she shook her head. "It won't help." She adjusted the shawl around her thin shoulders.The skin under Egwene's shirt was still sweating, although the sun hadn't quite risen yet, and the Aiel were used to much hotter weather than this. "I've beaten Jurick and Bale till the end, but no matter how many times I tell them to take off their white robes, they always put them back on before sunrise."
"It is infuriating," murmured Amis, "that a quarter of the gai have refused to return to their clans after their term has expired since we entered the Wetlands, and they have misunderstood the meaning of gai. "
This is what Rand did, and Rand told all the Aiel a secret that only the tribal leaders and wise men knew before—all the Aiel once refused to touch weapons and engage in all kinds of violence.Now, some Aiel believed that gaiwah were the right identities for all of them, and others refused to recognize Rand as Kayaken because of this.Even now, a few Aiel still go to the northern mountains every day to join the Shaido tribe hiding there.Some Aiel just dropped their weapons and disappeared. No one knew what happened to them. The Aiel said they were taken away by the bad season.What surprised Egwene the most was that no Aiel other than Shaido Aiel blamed Rand.Rudian prophesied that Kayaken would bring them back and destroy them.Returning to where, no one seemed to know, but the Aiel knew he would destroy them.They accepted the fact as calmly as Kirwendy accepted the hopeless task.
But just now, Egwene didn't mind that all of Cairhien's Aiel wore white robes.If these sages doubted what she had done... She would have accepted the punishment of searching a hundred piles of sand, but she didn't think she would have such good luck.As long as Amis knew she hadn't done what they said (the world of dreams was dangerous and could not be entered without their permission), they would not continue to teach her, and that was the punishment she dreaded most.Better than rummaging through a thousand piles of sand in the hot sun.
"Don't be so afraid," Burr said with a smile, "Amys is not angry with all the wetlanders, especially not with you. You are already like our daughter. On the contrary, it is your Aes Sedai sisters." , that Aes Sedai named Karinya suggested that we detain you against your will."
"Suggestion?" Amy's white eyebrows almost rose to her hairline. "That woman can only order people!"
"She'd better learn to hold her tongue," said Burr, still laughing, rocking on the scarlet cushion. "I bet she would. She was still yelling as we left, desperate to Get those red bloated snakes out of your skirt." She said to Egwene in a comforting tone: "The red bloated snakes look a lot like red adders, and the dull eyes of the wetlanders can't tell them apart. The red bloated snakes are not Not poisonous, they are good at meandering through tight crevices."
Amis snorted, "If she thought those red puffy snakes didn't exist, they wouldn't exist. That woman doesn't know anything. The Aes Sedai we serve in the Age of Legends can't be such fools." But she When he said this, his tone was very peaceful.
Mai Lan let out a loud laugh, and Aiwen found herself laughing too.There was still a lot she didn't understand about Aiel humor, but she thought it was funny.She had only seen Karinya three times, but imagined the stiff, cold, defiant woman jumping in a panic, grabbing tiny snakes from her skirts—all she could do was keep her laughter from going too far. Loud.
"At least you're in a good mood," Mylan said, "you haven't had any more headaches?"
"My head is fine." Egwene lied.Burr nodded.
"Very well, we have been worried that your headache will continue. As long as you keep not dreaming for a period of time in the future, you can completely get rid of the headache. Don't be afraid of your own illness. The body uses illness to remind us to pay attention to rest."
It almost made Egwene laugh again, but not because of the humor this time.Flesh wounds and broken bones are not a concern of the Aiel, which they consider no real harm to the body. "How much longer do I have to wait?" Egwene asked.She hated lying to them, but she hated doing nothing even more.In the first ten days after Lan Feier injured her, she didn't do anything, which made her unbearable. At that time, she felt as if her head was about to split open.When she felt she had some strength, she ended what her mother called "the itch of idle hands" and entered Te Arran Rhiod without telling the wise men.Lie in bed and know nothing. "Meeting next time? Like you said?"
"Maybe," Mylan shrugged, "we'll see when the time comes. But you must eat. If you no longer have the desire for food, then there must be something wrong with your body that we don't know about yet."
"Oh, I can eat." The smell of porridge coming from outside the tent was really nice. "I guess, I just feel a little lazy." It took some effort to get up from the bed quickly, and her head seemed unwilling to be moved. "Last night I was thinking about something that just came to mind."
Mylan rolled her eyes with great interest: "Since you were injured, you have asked everyone at least five questions."
Because Egwene wanted to clarify her doubts.Of course, she couldn't say that.So she just dug out a clean shirt from a small box that lined the tent wall, and changed from her sweat-soaked clothes.
"It's good to ask questions," Burr said. "Ask!"
Egwene chose her words carefully, as she absently put on the white yag tunic and the wide woolen skirts of wise men. "Is it possible to be dragged into someone's dream against my will?"
"Of course not," said Amis, "unless you're very clumsy at touching dreams."
But Burr also said at the same time as Amis was speaking: "Unless there's a very strong emotion involved. If you're looking at someone who loves you very much or hates you very much, you're going to be dragged into it, or in the You love or hate the dreamer. For the latter reason, we dare not peek into Sevanna's dreams, or even speak to the wise men of Shaido in them." These wise men, and others loyal to It still amazes Egwene that the wise men of Rand have all gone to Shaido Aiel and held talks with the wise men of Shaido.The Wise Ones were above all tribal hatred and war, but those who had sworn against Kayaken, would kill him, and lead Shaido in many crimes.Burr concluded by saying, "Leaving the dreams of those who hate you and those who love you is like climbing a vertical cliff."
"Yes," Amy seemed to have suddenly regained her sense of humor, and she glanced at Mylan, "so no dreamwalker will mistakenly see her husband's dream." Mylan stared forward, her face darkening."Anyway," said Amis again, "no one does it twice."
Bell grinned, and the wrinkles on his face deepened, but she deliberately didn't look at Mylan. "This kind of peeping can often give people a huge shock, especially if he is angry at you. Just take an example, such as Jieyi wants to let him leave your side, but you are like a silly child, right He said if he loved you, he wouldn't leave you."
"It has nothing to do with her problem." The flushed Mylan said stiffly.Burr laughed out loud.
Ai Wen forced herself to suppress her curiosity and the urge to laugh, and asked as casually as possible: "Then what if you didn't look inside?"
Mylan gave Egwene a grateful look, which made Egwene feel a pang of guilt, but it didn't deter Egwene from wanting to know the whole story, she just decided to ask about it later.Anything that can make Mylan blush makes her feel very exciting.
"I've heard of it," said Burr, "when I was very young and at the beginning of my studies, Mora the Wise of Coraburg trained me. She said that if the emotion of love or hate was very strong, So that there is no room for anything else, as long as you notice the dream of that person, you will be sucked in."
"I've never heard of such a thing," Mylan said.Amys also had a suspicious look in her eyes.
"I only knew about it from Mora," Berr told them. "She was a very special woman. It is said that she was bitten by a blood snake and died near her 300th birthday. , and she looked as young as you. I was only a girl then, but I was impressed with her. She knew many things and could channel the mighty One Power. Wise men from other tribes came to her for advice .I think such strong love and hate are both very rare, but she said it happened to her twice, once with the first man she married and the other time when she wanted to be her third husband man."
"Three husbands?" Egwene cried out.The straps of the soft knee boots fell from her hands.Not even an Aes Sedai could live that long.
"I've only heard that," Burr replied, smiling. "Some women do age slower than others, like Amis. And if the woman happens to be like Maura, there will be many Legends arise. Later I will tell you how Mora moved a mountain, at least someone said so."
"Do you want to wait until later?" Mylan's voice was a little too polite.Obviously, what happened to her in Beor's dream had given her a big shock, definitely more than anyone else knew. "I've heard every story about Mora since I was a kid, and I've got them all in my head. If Egwene finishes dressing, we have to watch her eat." The twinkle in her green eyes told her To watch Egwene eat every bite.Obviously, she suspected that Egwene hadn't recovered. "We can answer the rest of her questions at that point."
Egwene was desperately trying to find some more problems. She usually had a lot of problems, but what happened last night made her completely distracted from thinking about other things.But if she just keeps asking that kind of question, the Wise Ones start to wonder if she's ever sneaked into someone's dreams.Another problem, but it can't be related to her weird dreams. Some of those dreams may have deep meanings, but she hasn't been able to figure them out yet.Anaia said that Egwene was a soothsayer who could foretell future times, and the three sages thought so too.But they said that Egwene could only learn from herself in this regard, and Egwene did not want to discuss her dreams with other people.These women already knew too much about what was going on in her head. "Um...are there any dreamwalkers who aren't wise men? I mean, have you seen any other women in Tel'aran Ryod?"
"Sometimes it does," said Amis, "but it's rare. Even a woman of this potential simply thinks her dreams are more vivid and rich than others', if she's not trained."
"Of course," Burr added, "for someone so ignorant, maybe the dreams will kill her before she's trained..."
Egwene breathed a sigh of relief after finally safely leaving the dangerous subject.This time she got far more answers than she had hoped for.She already knew she loved Gawyn - you loved him?A voice whispered in her head, will you admit it? —and Gawyn's dream must have shown that he loved her too.But since men can be duplicity when they wake up, are their dreams infallible?But according to the wise men, his love for her was too strong to overwhelm...
No, this matter can wait until later.She didn't even know where Gawyn was yet.What is important now is that she knows that there is such a danger.Next time, she could recognize Gawyn's dream and avoid it.Do you really want to do this?The tiny voice whispered to her again.She hoped wise men would interpret the flush on her cheeks as a sign of renewed health.She wished to know what her dream meant.If they do mean something.
Elayne yawned and climbed the stone steps so she could look over people's heads.Today there are no soldiers in the town of Salidar, people are crowded on the street or in front of the windows, waiting quietly, all eyes are on the little white tower.Elayne could only hear slow footsteps and the occasional cough in the cloud of smoke.Although it was another scorching hot morning, hardly anyone waved a fan or a hat.Liane stood between two thatched huts, leaning on the arms of a tall, hard-faced man whom Elayne had never seen before and who was undoubtedly one of Liane's spies.Most Aes Sedai eyeliners were women, but Liane's seemed to be all men.She wasn't with them most of the time, but once or twice Elayne noticed her patting an unfamiliar face or smiling into a pair of eyes Elayne didn't recognize.Yilan didn't know how Lian did this. This Aladoman's wrist would definitely make that guy dream about.All the men whom Liane had photographed, or who had Lianne smiling, walked away with brisk steps and cheerful expressions, as if they had been rewarded with a box of gold coins.
In the crowd, Elayne saw Birgitte.This morning, Birgitte wisely kept a certain distance from her. By Birgitte's side, Yilan didn't see that annoying Arina.It had been a wild night last night, and Elayne hadn't been able to get into bed until the sky turned gray.In fact, if Birgitte hadn't told Armani that she felt that Elan was dying, Elan would not have had the chance to lie down until now.Of course, Elan's exhaustion was not noticed by Birgitte, and the binding effect on the guardian was two-way.Although Elayne was tired by then, there was still much work to be done, and she was still able to channel more of the Power than more than half of the Salidar Aes Sedai.Despite this, she was ordered to sleep like a novice student.But Yilan now knows through the binding that Birgitte has not slept all this time!She spent the night carrying the wounded and cleaning up the dead.
Elayne glanced over at Liane again and saw that she was now alone, pushing into the crowd for a good viewing position, and Elayne didn't see the tall man again.There was a yawn, and a sleepy-eyed Nynaeve crawled beside Elayne, glancing again at a woodcutter in a leather apron.The man should have taken the position before her, and he just mumbled a few words before squeezing back into the crowd.Elayne wished Nynaeve would stop yawning, which made her want to yawn, her jaw dropping.Birgitte's exhaustion makes sense (maybe a little), but Nynaeve makes no sense at all.After what happened last night, there was no way Cedrin would ask her to stay awake.And Elayne had heard Ainaia order Nynaeve to go to bed.But when she got back into the room, she saw Nynaeve propping herself up on the stool with her crippled leg, nodding her head every two minutes, muttering to show Cedarine, to let everyone People look.
Elayne felt fear from the shackles, of course, but she also felt something that should have been exhilarating.Moghedien hid under the bed all night, unharmed.Also because she hid well, no one took her out to do various chores, and she even had a good night's sleep after the commotion subsided.It seems that the dark emperor's luck in the old saying does exist.
Nynaeve yawned again, and Elayne looked away hastily.Even so, she blocked the half yawn that came out of her mouth with her fist.The shuffling of footsteps and coughing was very disturbing.
The Sect Guardians were still with Tana in the Little White Tower, but the Red Aes Sedai's piebald gelding was already standing on the street in front of the Little White Tower, with a dozen or so others holding the bridle beside him. protector.Their color-changing cloaks make people feel uncomfortable seeing them.As a courtesy, they were to escort Tana the first mile back to the White Tower.The guard of honor was larger than the one that sent off the Salidar envoy, but Elayne thought most of the Wardens looked tired and bored.
"You should think she...she..." Nynaeve put her hand over her mouth and yawned heavily.
"Oh, damn it," Elayne mumbled, or tried to mumble something.In fact, she just uttered the word "oh", and the rest of the words were drowned out by a long yawn.Lini said that liking to swear words is a sign of a person's mental retardation, but Yilan believes that sometimes it is appropriate to use a few words to express one's mood. If she has the opportunity, she will definitely use more swear words.
"Why didn't they all come out to see her off?" Nynaeve said angrily. "I don't know what they thought, to arrange such a ceremony for her." And she yawned again!
"Because she's an Aes Sedai, Sleepy." Siuan came up to them and glanced at Elayne again, "Sleepy, if you keep doing this, you'll look like two bubbling carp. Elayne snapped her mouth shut and gave Siuan the coldest look in her eyes, but her stare slipped away from Siuan like raindrops on roof tiles. "Tana is an Aes Sedai, girls," continued Siuan, looking at the pack of war horses waiting in front of the old inn, or perhaps at the cleaned car being dragged to the little White Tower. cart. "An Aes Sedai is an Aes Sedai, and nothing will change that." Nynaeve gave her a look, but she didn't notice.
Elayne was glad Nynaeve held her tongue. What she had to say would hurt. "Did anyone die last night?"
Siuan watched intently where Tana was about to emerge. "Seven people died in the village, and nearly a hundred soldiers died in the camp, and there were swords and spears flying everywhere, but no one with the Power suppressed them. Aes Sedai have gone there now to heal the wounded. "
"Is Lord Gareth safe?" There was a little anxiety in Elan's voice.The man might be cold to her now, but as a child Elayne would always see him smiling warmly and finding biscuits in his pockets.
Siuan snorted forcefully, causing everyone around to turn their heads to look at her. "That fellow," she murmured, "is a vile fish who would rather have a broken tooth than bite."
"You seem to be in a good mood this morning," said Nynaeve. "You finally figured out a message from the White Tower? Gareth Brune asked you to marry him? Someone died and left you..."
Elayne tried not to look at Nynaeve, she could even hear Nynaeve's jaw grinding as she yawned.
Siuan gave Nynaeve a cold look, and Nynaeve met Siuan's same cold gaze, although there were still many tears in her eyes.
"If you already know something," Elayne interrupted their idle stare, "tell us."
"A woman who lied about calling herself an Aes Sedai," Siuan muttered, as if to speak of an idle thought, "has put her head in boiling water. If she also claims to belong to a sect, that sect is Will find her first. Did Myrelle tell you about the woman they caught in Chasin who claimed to be a Green Aes Sedai? It was a former novice who failed the test for apprenticeship Ask Myrelle when she has time! That's a long story. That stupid girl would probably rather be silenced and have her head cut off than being caught by Myrelle. "
For some reason, the threat was no more effective than Siuan's stare at Nynaeve.伊兰甚至连个哆嗦都没有，也许她们只是太累了。 “告诉我们你知道的事，”伊兰压低了声音说，“否则下次我们单独在一起的时候，我会教教你该怎样坐好。而你会跑着去向雪瑞安哭诉，如果你想的话。”史汪眯起了眼睛。突然间，伊兰惊呼一声，用手捂住了屁股。
史汪抽回捏了伊兰屁股的手，她做这个动作时丝毫没有偷偷摸摸的意思。“我不吃这一套，女孩，对于爱莉达说的东西，我知道的跟你一样多。你们比这里的任何人知道得都更早。”
“回来，一切都可以被饶恕？”奈妮薇带着难以置信的神情说。
“基本上就是这样，还有一堆鱼肠子一样的废话，比如白塔现在比其他任何时刻都更需要统一。再加上一点挑拨离间，说是除了那些'真正的反叛者'之外，其余的人完全不需要害怕受到惩罚。大概只有光明知道什么是'真正的反叛者'，我是不知道。”
“为什么她们要对这些话保密？”伊兰问，“她们不可能以为会有人回到爱莉达那里去的，她们只要把洛根展示出来就行了。”史汪什么也没说，只是朝那些等待的护法皱起了眉头。
“我还是不知道为什么她们要更多的时间，”奈妮薇嘟囔着，“她们知道只能做些什么。”史汪保持着沉默，但奈妮薇缓缓地挑起了眉弓：“你不知道她们的回答？”
“我不知道。”史汪清楚地说出这句话，然后又从牙缝中迸出一些“软骨头的傻瓜”之类的话。伊兰同意她的这个说法。
突然间，老客栈的前门被打开了，六名戴着披肩的宗派守护者从里面走出来，每个人代表一个宗派。然后是塔娜。其余两仪师跟在她身后。如果等待的人群想要看到什么仪式，那他们一定要失望了。塔娜爬上马鞍，目光缓缓地扫过宗派守护者们，然后又带着高深莫测的表情看了人群一眼，踢了一下马腹，向前走去。护法组成的护卫队跟在她身后。人们纷纷后退，让出道路。人群中响起一阵关切的议论，仿佛是一个巨大蜂群的嗡嗡声。
这种嘈杂的声音一直持续到塔娜走出村子，离开人们的视线。这时罗曼妲爬上那辆大车，动作流畅地整理好肩头的黄流苏披肩。人群又陷入一阵死寂。根据传统，最年长的宗派守护者会宣布评议会的决定。罗曼妲丝毫没有老年人那种动作迟缓的迹象。她的面容像其他两仪师一样光洁无瑕，但她的头发上已经有了许多灰丝，扎在颈后的发髻完全变成了淡灰色。伊兰很想知道她有多大年纪。但询问一位两仪师的年纪，是种最为无礼的行为。
罗曼妲做了一个简单的风之力编织，好让自己高亢的声音能传到更远的地方，即使在伊兰这里也能清晰地听到，就好像站在罗曼妲身边一样。“你们之中有许多人在这几天都很担心，但这是没必要的。如果两仪师塔娜没有来找我们，我们也会送信去白塔。毕竟，我们并不是要躲在这里。”她停了一下，仿佛是要给人群一个发笑的时间。但所有人都只是盯着她，于是她又整了整自己的披肩。“我们在这里的目标并没有改变，我们在寻求事实和公正，实现正义……”
“对谁的正义？”奈妮薇嘟囔了一句。
“……我们既没有投降，也没有失败，去完成你们各自的任务吧！我们会保护你们。无论是现在还是以后，我们会保证你们得到你们在白塔中应有的位置。光明照耀你们所有的人，光明照耀我们。”
嘈杂的议论声再次响起，人群开始慢慢散去。罗曼妲爬下了大车。史汪的面容仿佛是从岩石中雕刻出来的一样，用力抿起的嘴唇毫无血色。伊兰想要发问，但奈妮薇已经跳下石台，朝那幢三层高的石砌建筑挤了过去。伊兰急忙跟到她身后。昨天晚上，奈妮薇已经打算毫无顾忌地抛出她们获取的信息。但如果真的要撼动白塔的决心，对于这个信息的表露就必须经过谨慎的安排，而且这些两仪师必须被撼动一下。罗曼妲的声明只是一堆废话，这一定让史汪非常不安。
伊兰踮起脚尖，从两名正在瞪着奈妮薇后背的壮汉中间钻了过去。然后她回头瞥了一眼，看见史汪正看着她和奈妮薇，但史汪一看见伊兰的眼睛，就立刻装作在看着人群中另外一些人的样子，跳下石台，仿佛是要朝他们那里走去。伊兰皱皱眉，快步向前走去。是史汪在不安，还是她？史汪的愤怒和无知有多少是装出来的？奈妮薇要去凯姆林的打算（伊兰不知道她现在有没有放弃这个打算）真是愚蠢至极。伊兰打算去艾博达，去做一些真正有用的事情。所有这些秘密和怀疑仿佛是她心中永远也碰不到的痒处。如果奈妮薇不给她捣乱就好了。
她几乎是和奈妮薇一同赶到雪瑞安面前。她们现在站到那辆大车旁边，摩芙玲和卡琳亚也在这里，三位两仪师都戴着披肩。今天上午，所有两仪师都戴着披肩。卡琳亚的短发被梳成一绺绺黑色的卷浪，这是她们在特·雅兰·瑞奥德中遭遇灾难的唯一痕迹了。
“我们需要单独和您谈一谈，”奈妮薇对雪瑞安说，“私下。”
Elayne sighed.这不是好的开始，毕竟也不算是最糟的。
雪瑞安审视了她们两个一会儿，然后瞥了摩芙玲和卡琳亚一眼，说道：“那么，进来吧！”
当她们转过身时，罗曼妲站到她们和客栈前门之间，她是一名面容刚毅俊俏、有着黑眼睛的女人，她肩上的黄流苏披肩除了塔瓦隆之焰以外，绣满了花卉和藤蔓的图案。她没有去看奈妮薇，而是微笑着望向伊兰——那种伊兰预料到会出现在两仪师脸上，也是伊兰最害怕的微笑。而当她望向雪瑞安、卡琳亚和摩芙玲时，她脸上所有的表情都消失了。她朝她们高昂起头，直到她们微微行了个屈膝礼，喃喃地说道：“请您让开，姐妹。”她才响亮地哼了一声，退到一旁。
当然，周围忙碌的人们并没有注意到这番情景，但伊兰早就听过两仪师们议论雪瑞安和她的小理事会。有些人以为她们只是在管理沙力达的日常事务，好让评议会有精力处理更重要的事件。有些人知道她们在评议会中的影响力，但影响力有多大，每个人说的都不一样。罗曼妲认为她们的影响力大得过分了，而更糟糕的是，这个小理事会里有两名蓝宗两仪师，却没有黄宗的成员。伊兰在跟随其他人走进客栈时，还能感觉到罗曼妲的眼光。
雪瑞安领着她们走进毗邻大厅的一个私人房间里，有着许多虫咬痕迹的木板墙边放着一张堆满文件的桌子。当奈妮薇要求设立结界防止偷听时，雪瑞安挑起了眉弓，但她一言不发地在房间周围编织出了结界。伊兰想起奈妮薇的那次偷听经历，便检查了一下房间的两扇窗户，确认它们都关紧了。
“我希望能听到一些重要的讯息，比如兰德·亚瑟正赶往这里。”摩芙玲冷冷地说，另外两位两仪师飞快地对望了一眼。伊兰感到一阵气恼，她们真的以为她和奈妮薇隐藏了兰德的秘密，但她们不也同样隐瞒了秘密吗？ !
“不是这个，”奈妮薇说，“而是另一件同样重要的事，属于另一方面的。”然后她就一股脑地说出她们前往艾博达，找到那件碗形特法器的经过。她叙述的顺序并不正确，也没有提到白塔，但所有的要点她都说到了。
“你们确定那个碗是一件特法器？”奈妮薇结束叙述之后，雪瑞安问道，“它能够影响天气？”
“是的，两仪师。”伊兰简单地回答。作为谈话的开始，简单的就是最好的。摩芙玲咕哝了几句，这名女子对一切都保持怀疑。
雪瑞安点点头，整理了一下披肩：“那么，你们做得很好，我们会送信给茉瑞莉。”茉瑞莉·辛德文是前去说服艾博达女王支持沙力达的灰宗两仪师。“我们需要你们能够提供的一切细节。”
“她永远也找不到那件特法器，”没等伊兰张开嘴，奈妮薇的话已经脱口而出，“但伊兰和我可以。”两仪师的眼睛闪过一片寒意。
“这对她来说也许是不可能的，”伊兰急忙说道，“因为即便我们见到过碗的位置，现在让我们去找也可能同样困难，但至少我们知道我们所见到的情景，在一封信里把它形容出来就完全不同。”
“艾博达不是见习生该去的地方。”卡琳亚冰冷地说。
摩芙玲的语气稍微和缓一些，但也是生硬得可怕：“我们全都要尽力去完成我们的职责，孩子，你认为爱德西娜、亚法拉和琪馨想要去塔拉朋吗？她们能有什么办法将动荡带回给那片土地？但我们必须试一试，所以她们去了。科鲁娜和碧拉现在也许正在世界之脊，她们要去艾伊尔荒漠寻找兰德·亚瑟，只因我们之前怀疑他也许在那里，而现在兰德·亚瑟离开了荒漠，让她们的行动失去了意义。我们都在做我们能做的事、我们必须做的事。你们两个是见习生，见习生不能跑去艾博达或者其他任何地方。你们能做也必须做的事情就是，留在这里完成学业。如果你们是正式的两仪师，我仍然要让你们留下。一百年以来，还没有人能在这么短的时间里有这么多发现。”
奈妮薇就是奈妮薇，她完全不去理会她不想听到的东西，而是将注意力集中在卡琳亚身上。“谢谢你们，我们以前一直做得很好，我怀疑艾博达是否能有坦其克那么糟糕。”
伊兰不认为奈妮薇察觉到自己已经抓紧了辫子，难道奈妮薇不知道，适当的态度有时候会赢得诚实完全无法得到的东西吗？“我明白你们的关心，两仪师，”伊兰说，“但无论这样做有多么不合适，事实是我比沙力达的任何其他人都更擅长于找到一件特法器。奈妮薇和我知道该去什么样的地方寻找，而这些在纸上是完全无法写清楚的。如果你们派我们去找两仪师茉瑞莉，在她的指挥下，我相信我们很快就能找到那件特法器。乘船的话，只要几天就能到达艾博达，然后用几天时间陪同两仪师茉瑞莉完成任务，再用几天就能回来了。”伊兰费了很大的力气让自己的呼吸平缓下来，“与此同时，你们可以送信给史汪在凯姆林的眼线，信送到的时候，两仪师梅兰娜和使节团应该也到达凯姆林了。”
“光明在上，为什么我们要这么做？”摩芙玲嘟囔着。
“我以为奈妮薇告诉过您，两仪师，我还不确定，但我想，这碗如果要发挥效用的话，也需要一名男性参与导引。”
这番话当然引起一场短暂的混乱。卡琳亚倒抽了一口气；摩芙玲仍然在自言自语地嘟囔着；雪瑞安只是大张着嘴；奈妮薇也一脸惊诧地看着伊兰。但这种情形只持续了很短的时间，伊兰相信她们没来得及注意到她的掩饰。过度的震惊影响了她们的判断，事实上，这是个谎言，纯粹而简单。简单是它的关键。既然传说纪元最伟大的成就都是男女共同完成的，甚至可能是他们在连结后完成的，那么这件特法器就很有可能需要男性的至上力才能运作。不管怎样，如果她不能单独让这只碗起作用，那么除了奈妮薇还有可能之外，沙力达肯定就没人能做得到了。两仪师们不会拒绝任何可能改变天气的契机，即使这需要兰德的力量，而等到她偶然“发现”单纯由女性组成的连结也能运作这只碗的时候，沙力达的两仪师也许已经将自己和兰德紧紧地捆在一起，无法再挣脱了。
“这很好，”雪瑞安最后说道，“但这并不能改变你们是见习生的事实。我们会送信给茉瑞莉，现在沙力达已经有了一些关于你们的议论——”
“议论！”奈妮薇喊道，“只有你们才能做出决定，你们和评议会！议论！伊兰和我能找出那件特法器，但你们却像是群无聊趴窝的母鸡。”话语一连串地从她的嘴里迸出来，她那么用力地拉扯着辫子，让伊兰怀疑她会把辫子给扯断。“你们坐在这里，希望汤姆、泽凌和其他人回来告诉你们白袍众不打算攻打我们，但实际上白袍众随时都有可能追赶着他们冲杀过来。你们嘀咕着爱莉达的命令、摸索着兰德的脾气，却没做到任何你们所说的责任。你们向凯姆林派出了使节团，但你们知不知道该如何对待兰德？你们知不知道为什么你们只是坐在这里夸夸其谈？我知道！你们在害怕，害怕白塔分裂，害怕兰德，害怕弃光魔使和黑宗。昨天晚上，爱耐雅说你们为了抵御弃光魔使的攻击而制定计划。但那些为了压制邪恶泡沫而进行的连结——你们相不相信那只是邪恶的泡沫？——那些连结错误百出，初阶生的数量比两仪师还要多，因为只有很少几位两仪师知道这个计划。你们认为黑宗就在沙力达，你们害怕沙马奥会知道你们的计划，你们就连彼此都不信任。你们不信任所有的人！所以你们才不会派我们去艾博达？你们认为我们属于黑宗，还是我们会跑到兰德那里去，还是……还是……”奈妮薇狂暴地喘息着，声音逐渐变得杂乱无章，低弱了下去。她在说这段话的时候几乎没喘气。
伊兰的第一个反应是要安抚两仪师的情绪，但她完全不知道该怎么做，这大概比要抚平一座山更加困难。而那些两仪师让伊兰忘记了担心奈妮薇是不是已经搞砸了一切。那些没有表情的面孔、能够看穿岩石的眼睛——没有任何讯息被传达出来。但伊兰觉得她得到了一些讯息——并不是那种寒冰般的怒意——她们只是在掩饰，而唯一需要掩饰的就是事实，她们不想承认的事实——她们在害怕。
“你说完了吗？”卡琳亚用能够冻住太阳的声音说道。
伊兰打了个喷嚏，脑袋猛地撞在倒扣的大锅上，烧焦的汤汁气味充满她的鼻孔。上午的太阳灼烧着锅底，让锅中阴暗的空间里变得极为炎热，仿佛这口锅还坐在火上一样。汗水不停地从她身上滚落，不，简直就是从她的身体里涌流出来，落在粗糙的岩石地面上。她用膝盖支撑身体爬出锅子，瞪着身旁的那名女子，那名女子只有一半的身体从另一口稍小的锅里伸出来。她捅了一下奈妮薇的屁股，听到锅里发出一记沉闷的碰撞声和一声惊呼，才恶狠狠地笑了一下。奈妮薇从锅里退出来，生气地瞪着伊兰，但她立刻又用脏手捂住嘴，打了个哈欠。伊兰没有给她说话的机会。
“你就是要乱说话，对不对？你连好好控制脾气五分钟都做不到。我们本来已经控制住了局势，而你却一定要把我们绊倒。”
“不管怎样，她们都不会让我们去艾博达的，”奈妮薇嘟囔着，“而且我也并不止是在绊倒我们。”她以一种可笑的姿势扬起下巴，这样她就要越过鼻尖才能看见伊兰了。“'两仪师要控制自己的恐惧'，”她的口气就像是在指责一名挡在自己坐骑前面的醉汉，“'她们不允许恐惧控制住她们。由你领头，我们很乐意跟随，但必须是你领头，不要退缩，希望能有什么东西让你的麻烦消失'。”
伊兰感觉到脸颊发热，她从没想过会有这种事，她肯定也没说过这样的话。“嗯，也许我们都太过分了，但——”听到一阵脚步声，她立刻闭上了嘴。
“两仪师的宠儿们决定要休息一下了，对不对？”芙芮恩的微笑中完全没有丝毫善意，“你们知道，我到这里来不是要寻开心的。今天我本来打算做一些自己的事，我想，应该是一些不比你们这两个宠儿差多少的事，现在我却要监督见习生为了赎罪而刷洗锅子。看着你们，以免你们会像那些糟糕的初阶生一样溜走，你们根本就只该是初阶生。现在，去工作，在你们做完之前我不能离开，但我不打算把一整天都浪费在这里。”
这名皮肤黝黑的卷发女人有着和瑟德琳一样的地位——比初阶生更高，但还不到两仪师的水平，如果奈妮薇没有像一只被踩了尾巴的猫一样，她和伊兰本来也能获得这样的地位了。不过伊兰非常不情愿承认，她也像是一只被踩了尾巴的猫。雪瑞安已经告诉她们，要在多长一段日子里用她们“空闲”的时间在厨房里工作，完成这里能找到的最脏的活计。但她们不能去艾博达，这点是非常清楚的，一封信会在今天中午之前送往茉瑞莉那里。
“我……很抱歉。”奈妮薇说。伊兰朝她眨了眨眼，奈妮薇的道歉简直就像仲夏时的雪花一样难得。
“我也很抱歉，奈妮薇。”
“是的，你们都很抱歉，”芙芮恩对她们说，“就像我看到的那样。现在，回去工作！不要让我找理由送你们去提亚娜那里。”
伊兰懊悔地看了奈妮薇一眼，重新爬进自己的大锅里，用浮石拼命敲打着那些烧焦的汤垢，就像是在敲打芙芮恩，石屑和焦黑的蔬菜残渣四处飘飞。不，不是芙芮恩，是那些坐以待毙的两仪师。她要去艾博达，她要去找到那件特法器，她要用那件特法器将雪瑞安和所有那些两仪师绑起来，献给兰德。她要让她们跪倒在兰德面前！她的喷嚏几乎要把她的鞋子都震掉了。
雪瑞安停止对那两名女孩的窥看，从墙壁的缝隙前转过身，沿着满是干枯乱草的窄巷向前走去。“对此我感到遗憾。”想起奈妮薇的话，还有她的语气；还有伊兰的话——这个恶劣的孩子！——她又说道，“在某种程度上。”
卡琳亚发出一声冷笑，她很擅长这样笑。“你想要将不超过二十位两仪师知道的事情告诉见习生吗？”雪瑞安严厉的目光让她立刻闭上了嘴。
“在我们最料想不到的时候往往会有人偷听我们。”雪瑞安低声说。
“那些女孩说对了一件事，”摩芙玲说，“兰德让我觉得肠子都化成了清水。我们对他还能有什么选择？”
雪瑞安也不知道她们还剩下什么选择。