The Gathering Storm

Stop it, Egwene, she thought. You aren't behaving rationally. Wishing for certain sisters to be Black got her nowhere.

Cadsuane was not on the list. Neither were any of Egwene's dearest friends. She hadn't expected them to be, but it was still good to complete the list without seeing any of their names. The group hunting the Black Ajah in the White Tower really was true, as none of their names were on the list. The list also didn't contain the names of any of the spies sent from Salidar.

And Elaida's name wasn't on the list either. There was a notation at the end, explaining that Verin had looked very closely at Elaida, searching for proof that she was Black. But comments by Black sisters led her to believe strongly that Elaida was not herself Black. Just an unstable woman who was sometimes as frustrating to the Black as she was to the rest of the Tower.

It made sense, unfortunately. Knowing that Galina and Alviarin were Black had led Egwene to suspect that she wouldn't find Elaida's name on the list. The Blacks seemed more likely to choose someone they could manipulate to be Amyrlin, then install a Black Keeper to keep her in line.

They probably had used some kind of leverage against Elaida through Galina—whom Verin noted had probably managed to make herself Head of the Red Ajah—or Alviarin. They had bullied or bribed Elaida to do as they wished without her knowing that she was serving the Black. And that helped explain Alviarin's strange fall. Had she gone too far, perhaps? Overstepped herself, earning Elaida's ire? It seemed plausible, though they wouldn't know for certain until Elaida spoke or Egwene could have Alviarin interrogated. Which she meant to do as soon as possible.

She closed the fat red book, thoughtful, her candle burned nearly down to the base. It was growing late in the day. Perhaps it was time to insist on being given some information about the state of the Tower.

Before she could decide how to go about that, a knock came at the door. Egwene looked up, hurriedly twisting the straps of the bookmark around and making both books vanish. A knock meant someone other than a Red was there.

"Come," she called.

The door opened to reveal Nicola, with her large dark eyes and slender build, standing outside beneath the watchful eye of Turese. The Red did not seem pleased that Egwene had a visitor, but the steaming bowl carried on Nicola's tray indicated why she'd been given leave to knock.

Nicola curtsied to Egwene, her white novice dress fluttering. Turese's scowl deepened. Nicola didn't notice, however. "For Verin Sedai," she said softly, nodding toward the bed. "By orders of the Mistress of Kitchens, after hearing how exhausted Verin Sedai was from her travels."

Egwene nodded, gesturing toward the table, hiding her excitement. Nicola approached quickly, setting the tray on the table, whispering under her breath, "I'm to ask if you trust her." She glanced at the bed again.

"Yes," Egwene answered, covering the sound by scooting her stool back. So her allies didn't know that Verin was dead. That was good; the secret was still safe, for the moment.

Nicola nodded, then spoke in a louder voice. "It would be good for her to eat it when it's warm, though I'll leave it to you if you wish not to wake her. I'm instructed to warn you not to touch it yourself."

"I won't do so unless it turns out that she has no need of it," Egwene replied, turning away. A few moments later, the door closed behind Nicola. Egwene waited a painful few minutes for Turese to open the door and check on her, passing the time by washing her face and hands, and putting on a clean dress. Finally, confident she wouldn't be interrupted, she grabbed the spoon and fished in the soup. Sure enough, she found a small glass vial with a rolled-up piece of paper in it.

Clever. Her allies had apparently heard of Verin's presence in Egwene's room and decided to use it as an excuse to get someone in. She unrolled the paper, which contained only one word. "Wait."

She sighed, but there was nothing to do. She didn't dare get out the book and continue reading, however. Soon, she heard voices outside, and what sounded like an argument. Another knock came at the door.

"Come," Egwene said, curious.

The door opened and Meidani stepped into the room. She pointedly closed the door on Turese. "Mother," she said, curtsying. The slender woman was wearing a tight gray dress which pulled a little too obviously across her ample chest. Had she been scheduled for a dinner with Elaida this evening? "I am sorry to keep you waiting."

Egwene waved dismissively. "How did you get past Turese?"

"It is known that Elaida . . . favors me with visits," she said. "And Tower law says that no prisoner can be forbidden visitors. She could not stop a sister from wishing to visit a simple novice, though she did try to make a point of arguing it."

Egwene nodded, and Meidani glanced at Verin, frowning. Then she paled. Verin's features had grown waxy and dull, and it was obvious that something was wrong. It was a good thing that Turese had never looked closely at the "sleeping" woman.

"Verin Sedai is dead," Egwene said, glancing at the door.

"Mother?" Meidani asked. "What happened? Where you attacked?"

"Verin Sedai was poisoned by a Darkfriend shortly before her conversation with me. She was aware of the poison, and came to pass on some important information to me during her last moments." It was incredible what a few true statements could conceal.

"Light!" Meidani said. "A murder inside the White Tower? We have to tell someone! Gather the guard and—"

"It will be dealt with," Egwene said firmly. "Keep your voice down and pull yourself together. I don't want the guard outside to hear what we are saying."

Meidani paled, then looked at Egwene, likely wondering how she could be so callous. Good. Let her see the collected, determined Amyrlin. As long as she didn't see a hint of the grief, confusion and anxiety inside.

"Yes, Mother." Meidani curtsied. "Of course. I apologize."

"Now, you bring news, I assume?'

"Yes, Mother," Meidani said, composing herself. "Saerin instructed me to come to you. She said you would need to know of the day's events."