Knife of Dreams (The Wheel of Time 11)

The glow of saidar appeared around the slim Green. Shocking! The woman neither asked permission nor told them what weave she intended, although tight strictures held on what uses of the Power were allowed in the Hall. Channeling all of the Five Powers, she wove around the Asha'man something that seemed akin to the weave for detecting residues, a thing Romanda had small facility for. Nacelle's blue eyes widened. "He is channeling," she breathed. "Or at least holding saidin."

Romanda's eyebrows climbed. Even Lelaine gasped. Finding a man who could channel was always a matter of reading the residues of what he had done, then arduously narrowing the suspects down to the true culprit. Or rather, it had been. This was truly wondrous. Or would have been before men who could channel started wearing black coats and strutting around openly. Still, it negated one advantage those men had always had over Aes Sedai. The Asha'man seemed not to care. His lip curled in what might have been a sneer.

"Can you tell what he is channeling?" she asked, and disappointingly, Nacelle shook her head.

"I thought I'd be able to, but no. On the other hand. . . . You there, Asha'man. Extend a flow toward one of the Sitters. Nothing dangerous, mind, and do not touch her.''

Merise glowered at her, fists planted on her hips. Maybe Nacelle failed to realize he was one of her Warders. She certainly gestured at him in peremptory fashion. A stubborn cast to his eyes, Jahar opened his mouth.

"Do it, Jahar," Merise said. "He is mine, Nacelle, but I will let you give him an order. This once." Nacelle looked shocked. Apparently she had failed to realize.

For the Asha'man's part, that stubborn look remained, yet he must have obeyed because Nacelle clapped her hands delightedly and laughed.

"Saroiya," she said excitedly. "You extended a flow toward Saroiya. The Domani White. Am I right?"

Saroiya's coppery skin paled, and gathering her white-fringed shawl around her, she hastily slid back on her bench as far as she could. For that matter, Aledrin edged away on her own bench.

"Tell her," Merise said. "Jahar, he can be stubborn, but he is the good boy for all that."

"The Domani White," Jahar agreed reluctantly. Saroiya swayed as if she were going to fall over, and he glanced at her contemptuously. "It was only Spirit, and it's gone now." Saroiya's face darkened, but whether from anger or embarrassment there was no telling.

"A remarkable discovery," Lelaine said, "and I'm sure that Merise will allow you to test further, Nacelle, but the Hall has business to conclude. I'm certain you agree, Romanda."

Romanda barely managed to stop herself from glaring. Lelaine overstepped herself too often. "If your demonstration is at an end." she said, "you may withdraw, Nacelle." The Malkieri Green was reluctant to go, perhaps because she could tell from Merise's expression that there would be no further testing—really, you would think a Green of all people would be careful with any man who might be another sister's Warder—yet she had no choice, of course. "What proposal does the Dragon Reborn have for us, boy?" Romanda asked once Nacelle was on the other side of the warding.

"This," he said, facing her proudly. "Any sister who is faithful to Egwene al'Vere may bond an Asha'man, to a total of forty-seven. You cannot ask for the Dragon Reborn, nor any man who wears the dragon, but any Soldier or Dedicated you ask cannot refuse."

Romanda felt as if all the breath had been squeezed from her lungs.

"You will agree this meets our needs?" Lelaine said calmly. The woman must have known the gist of it from the start, burn her.

"I do," Romanda replied. With forty-seven men who could channel, surely they could expand their circles as far as they would go. Perhaps even a circle that included all of them. If there were limits, they would need to be worked out.

Faiselle popped to her feet, as if this were a formal sitting. "This must be debated. I call for a formal session."

"I see no need for that," Romanda told her without rising. "This is much better than . . . what we previously agreed on." There was no point in saying too much in front of the boy. Or Merise. What was her connection to the Dragon Reborn? Could she be one of the sisters said to have sworn oaths to him?

Saroiya was on her feet before the last word left Romanda's mouth. "There is still the question of covenants, to be sure we are in control. We still have not agreed on those."

"I should think the Warder bond will make any other covenants moot," Lyrelle said dryly.

Faiselle rose hurriedly, and she and Saroiya spoke atop each other. "The taint—" They stopped, staring at each other suspiciously.

/>

"Saidin is clean," Jahar said, though no one had addressed him. Merise really should teach the boy how to behave if she was going to bring him before the Hall.

"Clean?" Saroiya said derisively.

"It has been tainted for more than three thousand years," Faiselle put in sharply. "How can be it clean?"

"Order!" Romanda snapped, trying to regain control. "Order!" She stared at Saroiya and Faiselle until they resumed their seats, then turned her attention to Merise. "Can I assume that you have linked with him?" The Green simply nodded once. She really did not like her present company, and did not want to say a word more than necessary. "Can you say that saidin is free of the taint?"

The woman did not hesitate. "I can. I took time to be convinced. The male half of the Power, it is more alien than you can imagine. Not the inexorable yet gentle power of saidar, but rather a raging sea of fire and ice whipped by a tempest. Yet I am convinced. It is clean."

Romanda let out a long breath. A marvel to balance some of the horrors. "We are not formal, but I call the question. Who stands to accept this offer?" She was on her feet as soon as she finished, but no faster than Lelaine, and Janya beat both of them. In moments, everyone was on her feet save Saroiya and Faiselle. Outside the warding, heads turned as sisters doubtless began discussing what might have just been voted on. "The lesser consensus standing, the offer to bond forty-seven Asha'man is accepted." Saroiya's shoulders slumped, and Faiselle exhaled heavily.

She called for the greater consensus in the name of unity, but it did not surprise her when the pair remained firmly on their benches. After all, they had fought approaching the Asha'man at every turn, struggled despite law and custom to impede it even after it had been decided on. In any event, it was done, and without need of even a temporary alliance. Bonding would last a lifetime, of course, yet it was better than any sort of alliance. That implied too much equality.