The Gathering Storm

Merise froze.

"Let her in," Cadsuane's voice said from inside. Reluctantly, Merise pulled open the door. Inside, Min saw Cadsuane sitting on some cushions on the floor with Amys, Bair, Melaine and Sorilea. The front room—the main room—of the cottage was decorated with a simple brown rug on the floor, mostly obscured by the seated women. A gray stone fireplace burned with a calm flame at the back, the wood nearly consumed, the fire low. A stool sat in the corner, with a pot of tea on it.

Nynaeve barely gave the Wise Ones a glance. She pushed her way into the cottage, and Min followed more hesitantly.

"Tell us of this event, child," Sorilea said. "We felt the world warping from here, but did not know what had caused it. We assumed it to be the Dark One's work."

"I'll tell you," Nynaeve said, then took a deep breath, "but I want to be a part of your plans."

"We shall see," Cadsuane said. "Relate your experience."

Min took a seat on a wooden stool at the side of the room as Nynaeve gave her account of Natrin's Barrow. The Wise Ones listened, tight-lipped. Cadsuane just nodded occasionally. Merise, face full of horror, refilled cups of tea from the pot on the stool—by the smell it was Tremalking black—then set it to hang by the fire. Nynaeve finished, still standing.

Oh, Rand, Min thought. This must be tearing you apart inside. But she could feel him through the bond; his emotions seemed very cold.

"You were wise to come to us with this, child," Sorilea said to Nynaeve. "You may withdraw."

Nynaeve's eyes opened wide with anger. "But—"

"Sorilea," Cadsuane said calmly, cutting Nynaeve off. "This child could be of use to our plans. She is still close to the al'Thor boy; he trusted her enough to take her with him this evening."

Sorilea glanced toward the other Wise Ones. Aged Bair and sun-haired Melaine both nodded. Amys seemed thoughtful, but did not object.

"Perhaps," Sorilea said. "But can she be obedient?"

"Well?" Cadsuane asked of Nynaeve. They all seemed to be ignoring Min. "Can you?"

Nynaeve s eyes were still wide with anger. Light, Min thought. Nynaeve P Obey Cadsuane and the othersP She's going to explode at them!

Nynaeve tugged on her braid with a white-knuckled grip. "Yes, Cadsuane Sedai," she said through clenched teeth. "I can."

he gritted his teeth, eyes opening wide, lips parted as if he were under great pressure. The light flashed once, then immediately vanished. All became dark. Min blinked in the sudden darkness, trying to get her eyes to adjust. The powerful image of Rand seemed burned into her vision. Had he really done what she thought he had? Had he burned away an entire fortress with balefire?

All those people. Men returning from the hunt . . . women carrying water . . . soldiers on the walls . . . the grooms outside . . .

They were gone. Burned from the Pattern. Killed. Dead forever. The horror of it made Min stumble back, and she pressed her back against a tree to keep herself upright.

So many lives, ended in an instant. Dead. Destroyed. By Rand.

A light appeared from Nynaeve, and Min turned, seeing the Aes Sedai illuminated by the warm, soft glow of a globe above her hand. Her eyes seemed almost afire with a light of their own. "You are out of control, Rand al'Thor," she declared.

"I do what must be done," he said, speaking now from the shadows. He sounded exhausted. "Test him, Nynaeve."

"What?"

"The fool," Rand said. "Is her Compulsion still there? Is Graendal's touch gone?"

"I hate what you just did, Rand," Nynaeve snarled. "No. 'Hate' isn't strong enough. I loathe what you've done. What has happened to you?"

"Test him!" Rand whispered, voice dangerous. "Before condemning me, let us first determine if my sins have achieved anything beyond my own damnation."

Nynaeve breathed in deeply, then glanced at Ramshalan, who was still held in the grip of several Aiel Maidens. Nynaeve reached out and touched his forehead, concentrating. "It's gone," she said. "Erased."

"Then she is dead," Rand said from the darkness.

Light! Min thought, realizing what he'd done. He didn't use Ramshalan as a courier, or as bait. He used the man as a way of proving to himself that Graendal was dead. Balefire burned someone out of the Pattern completely, making it so that their most recent actions never occurred. Ramshalan would remember visiting Graendal, but her Compulsion no longer existed. In a way, she'd been killed before Ramshalan had visited her.

Min felt at her neck, where the bruises of Rand's hand on her neck hadn't yet faded.