Egwene dismounted as the Waygate opened, and when Liandrin motioned them through, she led the shaggy mare1 carefully out. Even so, she and Bela both stumbled in brush flattened2 by the opening Waygate as they suddenly seemed to be moving even more slowly. A screen of dense3 shrubs4 had surrounded and hidden the Waygate. There were only a few trees close by, and a morning breeze ruffled5 foliage6 with a little more color than the leaves had had in Tar7 Valon.
Watching her friends emerge after her, she had been standing8 there a good minute before she became aware that others were already there, just out of sight on the other side of the gates. When she did notice them she stared uncertainly; they were as odd a group as she had ever seen, and she had heard too many rumors9 of the war on Toman Head.
Armored men, at least fifty of them, with overlapping10 steel plates down their chests and dull black helmets shaped like insects' heads, sat their saddles or stood beside their horses, staring at her and the emerging women, staring at the Waygate, muttering among themselves. The only bareheaded man among them, a tall, dark-faced, hook-nosed fellow standing with a gilded-and-painted helmet on his hip11, looked astonished at what he was seeing. There were women with the soldiers, too. Two wore plain, dark gray dresses and wide silver collars, and stood staring intently at those coming out of the Waygate, each with another woman close behind her as if ready to speak into her ear. Two other women, standing a little apart, wore wide, divided skirts that came well short of their ankles, and panels embroidered12 with forked lightning bolts on their bosoms13 and skirts. Oddest of all was the last woman, reclining on a palanquin borne by eight muscular, bare-chested men in baggy14 black trousers. The sides of her scalp were shaved so that only a wide crest15 of black hair remained to fall down her back. A long, cream-colored robe worked in flowers and birds on blue ovals was carefully arranged to show her skirts of pleated white, and her fingernails were a good inch long, the first two on each hand lacquered blue.
"Liandrin Sedai," Egwene asked uneasily, "do you know who these people are?" Her friends fingered their reins16 as if wondering whether to mount and run, but Liandrin replaced the Avendesora leaf and stepped forward confidently as the Waygate began to close.
"The High Lady Suroth?" Liandrin said, making it halfway18 between a question and statement.
The women on the palanquin nodded fractionally. "You are Liandrin." Her speech was slurred19, and it took Egwene a moment to understand. "Aes Sedai," Suroth added with a twist to her lips, and a murmur20 rose among the soldiers. "We must be done here quickly, Liandrin. There are patrols, and it would not do to be found. You would enjoy the attentions of the Seekers for Truth no more than I. I mean to be back in Falme before Turak knows I am gone. "
"What are you talking about?" Nynaeve demanded. "What is she talking about, Liandrin?"
Liandrin laid a hand on Nynaeve's shoulder and one on Egwene's. "These are the two of whom you were told. And there is another." She nodded toward Elayne. "She is the Daughter-Heir of Andor."
The two women with the lightning on their dresses were approaching the party in front of the Waygate - they carried coils of some silvery metal in their hands, Egwene noticed - and the bareheaded soldier came with them. He did not put a hand near the sword hilt sticking up above his shoulder, and he wore a casual smile, but Egwene still watched him narrowly. Liandrin gave no sign of agitation21; otherwise Egwene would have jumped onto Bela right then.
"Liandrin Sedai," she said urgently, "who are these people? Are they here to help Rand and the others, too?"
The hook-nosed man suddenly seized Min and Elayne by the scruffs of their necks, and in the next instant everything seemed to happen at once. The man yelled a curse, and a woman screamed, or perhaps more than one woman; Egwene could not be sure. Abruptly22 the breeze was a gale23 that whipped away Liandrin's angry shout in clouds of dirt and leaves and made the trees bend and groan24. Horses reared and whinnied shrilly25. And one of the women reached out and fastened something around Egwene's neck.
Cloak flapping like a sail, Egwene braced26 against the wind and tugged27 at what felt like a collar of smooth metal. It would not budge28; under her frantic29 fingers, it felt all of one piece, though she knew it had to have some kind of clasp. The silvery coils the woman had carried now trailed over Egwene's shoulder, their other end joining a bright bracelet30 on the woman's left wrist. Balling her fist tightly, Egwene hit the woman as hard as she could, right in her eye - and staggered and fell to her knees herself, head ringing. It felt as if a large man had struck her in the face.
When she could see straight once more, the wind had died. A number of horses wandered loose, Bela and Elayne's mare among them, and some of the soldiers were cursing and picking themselves up off the ground. Liandrin was calmly brushing dust and leaves from her dress. Min knelt, supporting herself with her hands, groggily31 trying to rise further. The hook-nosed man stood over her, his hand dripping blood. Min's knife lay just out of her reach, the blade stained red along one side. Nynaeve and Elayne were nowhere to be seen, and Nynaeve's mare was gone, too. So were some of the soldiers, and one of the pairs of women. The other two were still there, and Egwene could see now that they were linked by a silver cord just like the one that still joined her to the woman standing over her.
That woman was rubbing her cheek as she squatted32 beside Egwene; there was a bruise33 already coming up around her left eye. With long, dark hair and big brown eyes, she was pretty, and perhaps as much as ten years older than Nynaeve. "Your first lesson," she said emphatically. There was no animosity in her voice, but what almost sounded like friendliness34. "I will not punish you further this time, since I should have been on guard with a newly caught damane. Know this. You are a damane, a Leashed One, and I am a sul'dam, a Holder36 of the Leash35. When damane and sul'dam are joined, whatever hurt the sul'dam feels, the damane feels twice over. Even to death. So you must remember that you may never strike at a sul'dam in any way, and you must protect your sul'dam even more than yourself. I am Renna. How are you called?"
"I am not . . . what you said," Egwene muttered. She pulled at the collar again; it gave no more than before. She thought of knocking the woman down and trying to pry37 the bracelet from her wrist, but rejected it. Even if the soldiers did not try to stop her - and so far they seemed to be ignoring her and Renna altogether - she had the sinking feeling the woman was telling the truth. Touching38 her left eye brought a wince39; it did not feel puffy, so perhaps she was not actually growing a bruise to match Renna's, but it still hurt. Her left eye, and Renna's left eye. She raised her voice. "Liandrin Sedai? Why are you letting them do this?" Liandrin dusted her hands together, never looking in her direction.
"The very first thing you must learn," Renna said, "is to do exactly as you are told, and without delay."
Egwene gasped40. Suddenly her skin burned and prickled as if she had rolled in stinging nettles41, from the soles of her feet to her scalp. She tossed her head as the burning sensation increased.
"Many sul'dam," Renna went on in that almost friendly tone, "do not believe damane should be allowed names, or at least only names they are given. But I am the one who took you, so I will be in charge of your training, and I will allow you to keep your own name. If you do not displease42 me too far. I am mildly upset with you now. Do you really wish to keep on until I am angry?"
Quivering, Egwene gritted43 her teeth. Her nails dug into her palms with the effort of not scratching wildly. Idiot! It's only your name. "Egwene," she managed to get out. "I am Egwene al'Vere." Instantly the burning itch44 was gone. She let out a long, unsteady breath.
"Egwene," Renna said. "That is a good name." And to Egwene's horror, Renna patted her on the head as she would a dog.
That, she realized, was what she had detected in the woman's voice-a certain good will for a dog in training, not quite the friendliness one might have toward another human being.
Renna chuckled45. "Now you are even angrier. If you intend to strike at me again, remember to make it a small blow, for you will feel it twice as hard as I. Do not attempt to channel; that you will never do without my express command."
Egwene's eye throbbed46. She pushed herself to her feet and tried to ignore Renna, as much as it was possible to ignore someone who held a leash fastened to a collar around your neck. Her cheeks burned when the other woman chuckled again. She wanted to go to Min, but the amount of leash Renna had let out would not reach that far. She called softly, "Min, are you all right?"
Sitting slowly back on her heels, Min nodded, then put a hand to her head as if she wished she had not moved it.
Jagged lightning crackled across the clear sky, then struck among the trees some distance off. Egwene jumped, and suddenly smiled. Nynaeve was still free, and Elayne. If anyone could free her and Min, Nynaeve could. Her smile faded into a glare for Liandrin. For whatever the reason the Aes Sedai had betrayed them, there would be a reckoning. Someday. Somehow. The glare did no good; Liandrin did not look away from the palanquin.
The bare-chested men knelt, lowering the palanquin to the ground, and Suroth stepped down, carefully arranging her robe, then picked her way to Liandrin on soft-slippered feet. The two women were much of a size. Brown eyes stared levelly into black.
"You were to bring me two," Suroth said. "Instead, I have only one, while two run loose, one of them more powerful by far than I had been led to believe. She will attract every patrol of ours within two leagues."
"I brought you three," Liandrin said calmly. "If you cannot manage to hold them, perhaps our master should find another among you to serve him. You take fright at trifles. If patrols come, kill them."
Lightning flashed again in the near distance, and moments later something roared like thunder not far from where it struck; a cloud of dust rose into the air. Neither Liandrin nor Suroth took any notice.
"I could still return to Falme with two new damane," Suroth said. "It grieves me to allow an . . . Aes Sedai" - she twisted the words like a curse - "to walk free."
Liandrin's face did not change, but Egwene saw a nimbus abruptly glow around her.
"Beware, High Lady," Renna called. "She stands ready!"
There was a stir among the soldiers, a reaching for swords and lances, but Suroth only steepled her hands, smiling at Liandrin over her long nails. "You will make no move against me, Liandrin. Our master would disapprove48, as I am surely needed here more than you, and you fear him more than you fear being made damane. "
Liandrin smiled, though white spots marked her cheeks with anger. "And you, Suroth, fear him more than you fear me burning you to a cinder49 where you stand."
"Just so. We both fear him. Yet even our master's needs will change with time. All marath'damane will be leashed eventually. Perhaps I will be the one who places the collar around your lovely throat."
"As you say, Suroth. Our master's needs will change. I will remind you of it on the day when you kneel to me."
A tall leatherleaf perhaps a mile away suddenly became a roaring torch.
"This grows tiresome," Suroth said. "Elbar, recall them." The hooknosed man produced a horn no bigger than his fist; it made a hoarse50, piercing cry.
"You must find the woman Nynaeve," Liandrin said sharply. "Elayne is of no importance, but both the woman and this girl here must be taken with you on your ships when you sail."
"I know very well what has been commanded, marath'damane, though I would give much to know why."
"However much you were told, child," Liandrin sneered51, "that is how much you are allowed to know. Remember that you serve and obey. These two must be removed to the other side of the Aryth Ocean and kept there."
Suroth sniffed52. "I will not remain here to find this Nynaeve. My usefulness to our master will be at an end if Turak hands me over to the Seekers for Truth." Liandrin opened her mouth angrily, but Suroth refused to allow her a word. "The woman will not remain free for long. Neither of them will. When we sail again, we will take with us every woman on this miserable53 spit of land who can channel even slightly, leashed and collared. If you wish to remain and search for her, do so. Patrols will be here soon, thinking to engage the rabble54 that still hides in the countryside. Some patrols take damane with them, and they will not care what master you serve. Should you survive the encounter, the leash and collar will teach you a new life, and I do not believe our master will trouble to deliver one foolish enough to let herself be taken."
"If either is allowed to remain here," Liandrin said tightly, "our master will trouble himself with you, Suroth. Take them both, or pay the price." She strode to the Waygate, clutching the reins of her mare. Soon it was closing behind her.
The soldiers who had gone after Nynaeve and Elayne came galloping56 back with the two women linked by leash, collar, and bracelet, the damane and the sul'dam riding side by side. Three men led horses with bodies across the saddles. Egwene felt a surge of hope when she realized the bodies all wore armor. They had not caught Nynaeve or Elayne, either one.
Min started to rise to her feet, but the hook-nosed man planted a boot between her shoulder blades and drove her to the ground. Gasping57 for breath, she twitched58 there weakly. "I beg permission to speak, High Lady," he said. Suroth made a small motion with her hand, and he went on. "This peasant cut me, High Lady. If the High Lady has no use for her . . . ?" Suroth motioned slightly again, already turning away, and he reached over his shoulder for the hilt of his sword.
"No!" Egwene shouted. She heard Renna curse softly, and suddenly the burning itch covered her skin again, worse than before, but she did not stop. "Please! High Lady, please! She is my friend!" Pain such as she had never known wracked her through the burning. Every muscle knotted and cramped59; she pitched on her face in the dirt, mewling, but she could still see Elbar's heavy, curved blade come free of its sheath, see him raise it with both hands. "Please! Oh, Min!"
Abruptly, the pain was gone as if it had never been; only the memory remained. Suroth's blue velvet60 slippers61, dirt-stained now, appeared in front of her face, but it was at Elbar that she stared. He stood there with his sword over his head and all his weight on the foot on Min's back . . . and he did not move.
"This peasant is your friend?" Suroth said.
Egwene started to rise, but at a surprised arching of Suroth's eyebrow62, she remained lying where she was and only raised her head. She had to save Min. If it means groveling . . . . She parted her lips and hoped her gritted teeth would pass for a smile. "Yes, High Lady."
"And if I spare her, if I allow her to visit you occasionally, you will work hard and learn as you are taught?"
"I will, High Lady." She would have promised much more to keep that sword from splitting Min's skull63. I'll even keep it, she thought sourly, as long as I have to.
"Put the girl on her horse, Elbar," Suroth said. "Tie her on, if she cannot sit her saddle. If this damane proves a disappointment, perhaps then I will let you have the head of the girl." She was already moving toward her palanquin.
Renna pulled Egwene roughly to her feet and pushed her toward Bela, but Egwene had eyes only for Min. Elbar was no gentler with Min than Renna with her, but she thought Min was all right. At least Min shrugged64 off Elbar's attempt to tie her across her saddle and climbed onto her gelding with only a little help.
The odd party started off, westward65, with Suroth leading and Elbar slightly to the rear of her palanquin, but close enough to heed66 any summons immediately. Renna and Egwene rode at the back with Min, and the other sul'dam and damane, behind the soldiers. The woman who had apparently67 meant to collar Nynaeve fondled the coiled silver leash she still carried and looked angry. Sparse68 forest covered the rolling land, and the smoke of the burning leatherleaf was soon only a smudge in the sky behind them.
"You were honored," Renna said after a time, "having the High Lady speak to you. Another time, I would let you wear a ribbon to mark the honor. But since you brought her attention on yourself . . . ."
Egwene cried out as a switch seemed to lash47 across her back, then another across her leg, her arm. From every direction they seemed to come; she knew there was nothing to block, but she could not help throwing her arms about as if to stop the blows. She bit her lip to stifle69 her moans, but tears still rolled down her cheeks. Bela whinnied and danced, but Renna's grip on the silver leash kept her from carrying Egwene away. None of the soldiers even looked back.
"What are you doing to her?" Min shouted. "Egwene? Stop it!"
"You live on sufferance . . . Min, is it?" Renna said mildly. "Let this be a lesson for you as well. So long as you try to interfere70, it will not stop."
Min raised a fist, then let it fall. "I won't interfere. Only, please, stop it. Egwene, I'm sorry."
The unseen blows went on for a few moments more, as if to show Min her intervention71 had done nothing, then ceased, but Egwene could not stop shuddering72. The pain did not go away this time. She pushed back the sleeve of her dress, thinking to see weals; her skin was unmarked, but the feel of them was still there. She swallowed. "It was not your fault, Min." Bela tossed her head, eyes rolling, and Egwene patted the mare's shaggy neck. "It wasn't yours, either."
"It was your fault, Egwene," Renna said. She sounded so patient, dealing73 so kindly74 with someone who was too dense to see the right, that Egwene wanted to scream. "When a damane is punished, it is always her fault, even if she does not know why. A damane must anticipate what her sul'dam wants. But this time, you do know why. Damane are like furniture, or tools, always there ready to be used, but never pushing themselves forward for attention. Especially not for the attention of one of the Blood."
Egwene bit her lip until she tasted blood. This is a nightmare. It can't be real. Why did Liandrin do this? Why it this happening? "May . . . may I ask a question?"
"Of me, you may." Renna smiled. "Many sul'dam will wear your bracelet over the years - there are always many more sul'dam than damane - and some would have your hide in strips if you took your eyes off the floor or opened your mouth without permission, but I see no reason not to let you speak, so long as you are careful in what you say." One of the other sul'dam snorted loudly; she was linked to a pretty, dark-haired woman in her middle years who kept her eyes on her hands.
"Liandrin" - Egwene would not give her the honorific, not ever again - "and the High Lady spoke75 of a master they both serve." The thought came into her head of a man with almost healed burns marring his face, and eyes and mouth that sometimes turned to fire, but even if he was only a figure in her dreams that seemed too horrible to contemplate76. "Who is he? What does he want with me and - and Min?" She knew it was silly to avoid naming Nynaeve - she did not think any of these people would forget her just because her name was not mentioned, especially the blue-eyed sul'dam stroking her empty leash - but it was the only way she could think of fighting back at the moment.
"The affairs of the Blood," Renna said, "are not for me to take notice of, and certainly not for you. The High Lady will tell me what she wishes me to know, and I will tell you what I wish you to know. Anything else that you hear or see must be to you as if it never was said, as if it never happened. This way lies safety, most especially for a damane. Damane are too valuable to be killed out of hand, but you might find yourself not only soundly punished, but absent a tongue to speak or hands to write. Damane can do what they must without these things."
Egwene shivered, though the air was not very cold. Pulling her cloak up onto her shoulders, her hand brushed the leash, and she jerked at it fitfully. "This is a horrible thing. How can you do this to anyone? What diseased mind ever thought of it?"
The blue-eyed sul'dam with the empty leash growled77, "This one could do without her tongue already, Renna. "
Renna only smiled patiently. "How is it horrible? Could we allow anyone to run loose who can do what a damane can? Sometimes men are born who would be marath'damane if they were women - it is so here also, I have heard - and they must be killed, of course, but the women do not go mad. Better for them to become damane than make trouble contending for power. As for the mind that first thought of the a'dam, it was the mind of a woman who called herself Aes Sedai."
Egwene knew incredulity must be painting her face, because Renna laughed openly. "When Luthair Paendrag Mondwin, son of the Hawkwing, first faced the Armies of the Night, he found many among them who called themselves Aes Sedai. They contended for power among themselves and used the One Power on the field of battle. One such, a woman named Deain, who thought she could do better serving the Emperor - he was not Emperor then, of course - since he had no Aes Sedai in his armies, came to him with a device she had made, the first a dam, fastened to the neck of one of her sisters. Though that woman did not want to serve Luthair, the a'dam required her to serve. Deain made more a'dam, the first sul'dam were found, and women captured who called themselves Aes Sedai discovered that they were in fact only marath'damane, Those Who Must Be Leashed. It is said that - when she herself was leashed, Deain's screams shook the Towers of Midnight, but of course she, too, was a marath'damane, and marath'damane cannot be allowed to run free. Perhaps you will be one of those who has the ability to make a'dam. If so, you will be pampered78, you may rest assured."
Egwene looked yearningly79 at the countryside through which they rode. The land was beginning to rise in low hills, and the thin forest had dwindled80 to scattered81 thickets82, but she was sure she could lose herself in them. "Am I supposed to look forward to being pampered like a pet dog?" she said bitterly. "A lifetime of being chained to men and women who think I am some kind of animal?"
"Not men." Renna chuckled. "All sul'dam are women. If a man put on this bracelet, most of the time it would be no different than if it were hanging on a peg83 on the wall."
"And sometimes," the blue-eyed sul'dam put in harshly, "you and he would both die screaming." The woman had sharp features and a tight, thin-lipped mouth, and Egwene realized that anger was apparently her permanent expression. "From time to time the Empress plays with lords by linking them to a damane. It makes the lords sweat and entertains the Court of the Nine Moons. The lord never knows until it is done whether he will live or die, and neither does the damane. " Her laugh was vicious.
"Only the Empress can afford to waste damane in such a way, Alwhin," Renna snapped, "and I do not mean to train this damane only to have her thrown away."
"I have not seen any training at all so far, Renna. Only a great deal of chatter84, as if you and this damane were girlhood friends."
"Perhaps it is time to see what she can do," Renna said, studying Egwene. "Do you have enough control yet to channel at that distance?" She pointed85 to a tall oak standing alone on a hilltop.
Egwene frowned at the tree, perhaps half a mile from the line followed by the soldiers and Suroth's palanquin. She had never tried anything much beyond arm's reach, but she thought it might be possible. "I don't know," she said.
"Try," Renna told her. "Feel the tree. Feel the sap in the tree. I want you to make it all not only hot, but so hot that every drop of sap in every branch flashes to steam in an instant. Do it."
Egwene was shocked to discover an urge to do as Renna commanded. She had not channeled, or even touched saidar, in two days; the desire to fill herself with the One Power made her shiver. "I" - in half a heartbeat she discarded "will not"; the weals that were not there still burned too sharply for her to be quite that foolish - "cannot," she finished instead. "It is too far, and I've never done anything like that before."
One of the sul'dam laughed raucously86, and Alwhin said, "She never even tried."
Renna shook her head almost sadly. "When one has been a sul'dam long enough," she told Egwene, "one learns to tell many things about damane even without the bracelet, but with the bracelet one can always tell whether a damane has tried to channel. You must never lie to me, or to any sul'dam, not even by a hair."
Suddenly the invisible switches were back, striking at her everywhere. Yelling, she tried to hit Renna, but the sul'dam casually87 knocked her fist away, and Egwene felt as if Renna had hit her arm with a stick. She dug her heels into Bela's flanks, but the sul'dam's grip on the leash nearly pulled her out of her saddle. Frantically88 she reached for saidar, meaning to hurt Renna enough to make her stop, just the kind of hurt she herself had been given. The sul'dam shook her head wryly89; Egwene howled as her own skin was suddenly scalded. Not until she fled from saidar completely did the burn begin to fade, and the unseen blows never ceased or slowed. She tried to shout that she would try, if only Renna would stop, but all she could manage was to scream and writhe90.
Dimly, she was aware of Min shouting angrily and trying to ride to her side, of Alwhin tearing Min's reins from her hands, of another sul'dam speaking sharply to her damane, who looked at Min. And then Min was yelling, too, arms flapping as if trying to ward17 off blows or beat away stinging insects. In her own pain, Min's seemed distant.
Their cries together were enough to make some of the soldiers twist in their saddles. After one look, they laughed and turned back. How sul'dam dealt with damane was no affair of theirs.
To Egwene it seemed to go on forever, but at last there was an end. She lay sprawled91 weakly across the cantle of her saddle, cheeks wet with tears, sobbing92 into Bela's mane. The mare whickered uneasily.
"It is good that you have spirit," Renna said calmly. "The best damane are those who have spirit to be shaped and molded."
Egwene squeezed her eyes shut. She wished she could close her ears, too, to shut out Renna's voice. I have to get away. I have to, but how? Nynaeve, help me. Light, somebody help me.
"You will be one of the best," Renna said in tones of satisfaction. Her hand stroked Egwene's hair, a mistress soothing93 her dog.
Nynaeve leaned out of her saddle to peer around the screen of prickly leafed shrubs. Scattered trees met her eyes, some with leaves turning color. The expanses of grass and brush between seemed empty. Nothing moved that she could see except the thinning column of smoke, wavering in a breeze, from the leatherleaf.
That had been her work, the leatherleaf, and once the lightning called from a clear sky, and a few other things she had not thought to try until those two women tried them on her. She thought they must work together in some way, though she could not understand their relation to each other, apparently leashed as they were. One wore a collar, but the other was chained as surely as she. What Nynaeve was sure of was that one or both were Aes Sedai. She had never had a clear enough sight of them to see the glow of channeling, but it had to be.
I'll certainly take pleasure in telling Sheriam about them, she thought dryly. Aes Sedai don't use the Power as a weapon, do they?
She certainly had. She had at least knocked the two women down with that lightning strike, and she had seen one of the soldiers, or his body rather, burn from the ball of fire she made and hurled94 at them. But she had not seen any of the strangers at all in some time now.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, and it was not all from exertion95. Her contact with saidar was gone, and she could not bring it back. In that first fury of knowing that Liandrin had betrayed them, saidar had been there almost before she knew it, the One Power flooding her. It had seemed she could do anything. And as long as they had chased her, rage at being hunted like an animal had fueled her. Now the chase had vanished. The longer she had gone without seeing an enemy at whom she could strike, the more she had begun to worry that they might be sneaking96 up on her somehow, and the more she had had time to worry about what was happening to Egwene, and Elayne, and Min. Now she was forced to admit that what she felt most was fear. Fear for them, fear for herself. It was anger she needed.
Something stirred behind a tree.
Her breath caught, and she fumbled97 for saidar, but all the exercises Sheriam and the others had taught her, all the blossoms unfolding in her mind, all the imagined streams that she held like riverbanks, did no good. She could feel it, sense the Source, but she could not touch it.
Elayne stepped from behind the tree in a wary98 crouch99, and Nynaeve sagged100 with relief. The Daughter-Heir's dress was dirty and torn, her golden hair was a tangle101 of snarls102 and leaves, and her searching eyes were as wide as those of a frightened fawn103, but she held her short-bladed dagger104 in a steady hand. Nynaeve picked up her reins and rode into the open.
Elayne gave a convulsive jump, then her hand went to her throat and she drew a deep breath. Nynaeve dismounted, and the two women hugged, taking comfort in having found each other.
"For a moment," Elayne said as they finally stepped apart, "I thought you were . . . . Do you know where they are? There were two men following me. Another few minutes and they would have caught me, but a horn sounded and they turned their horses and galloped105 off. They could see me, Nynaeve, and they just left."
"I heard it, too, and I haven't seen any of them since. Have you seen Egwene, or Min?"
Elayne shook her head, slumping106 to sit on the ground. "Not since. . . . That man hit Min, knocked her down. And one of those women was trying to put something around Egwene's neck. I saw that much before I ran. I don't think they got away, Nynaeve. I should have done something. Min cut the hand that was holding me, and Egwene . . . . I just ran, Nynaeve. I realized I was free, and I ran. Mother had better marry Gareth Bryne and have another daughter as soon as she can. I am not fit to take the throne."
"Don't be a goose," Nynaeve said sharply. "Remember, I have a packet of sheepstongue root among my herbs." Elayne had her head in her hands; the gibe107 did not even produce a murmur. "Listen to me, girl. Did you see me stay to fight twenty or thirty armed men, not to mention the Aes Sedai? If you had waited, the most likely thing by far is that you would be a prisoner, too. If they didn't just kill you. They seemed to be interested in Egwene and me for some reason. They might not have cared whether you remained alive or not." Why are they interested in Egwene and me? Why us in particular? Why did Liandrin do this? Why? She had no more answers now than she had had the first time she asked herself these questions.
"If I had died trying to help them - " Elayne began.
" - you'd be dead. And little good you'd be then, to yourself or them. Now get on your feet and brush off your dress." Nynaeve rummaged108 in her saddlebags for a hairbrush. "And fix your hair. "
Elayne got up slowly, and took the brush with a small laugh. "You sound like Lini, my old nurse." She began to run the brush through her hair, wincing109 as tangles110 pulled. "But how are we going to help them, Nynaeve? You may be as strong as a full sister when you are angry, but they have women who can channel, too. I cannot think they're Aes Sedai, but they might as well be. We do not even know in which direction they took them."
"West," Nynaeve said. "That creature Suroth mentioned Falme, and that's as far west on Toman Head as you can go. We will go to Falme. I hope Liandrin is there. I will make her curse the day her mother laid eyes on her father. But first I think we had better find some clothes of the country. I've seen Taraboner and Domani women in the Tower, and what they wear is nothing like what we have on. We would stand out in Falme as strangers."
"I would not mind a Domani dress - though Mother would surely have a fit if she ever found out I'd worn one, and Lini would never let me hear the end of it - but even if we find a village, can we afford new dresses? I have no idea how much money you have, but I have only ten gold marks and perhaps twice that in silver. That will keep us two or three weeks, but I don't know what we will do after that."
"A few months as a novice111 in Tar Valon," Nynaeve said, laughing, "has not stopped you thinking like the heir to a throne. I don't have a tenth what you do, but altogether it will keep us two or three months, in comfort. Longer, if we are careful. I have no intention of buying us dresses, and they won't be new in any case. My gray silk dress will do us some good, with all those pearls and that gold thread. If I can't find a woman who will trade us each two or three sturdy changes for that, I will give you this ring, and I will be the novice." She swung up into her saddle and reached a hand down to pull Elayne up behind her.
"What are we going to do when we reach Falme?" Elayne asked as she settled on the mare's rump.
"I won't know that until we are there." Nynaeve paused, letting the horse stand. "Are you sure you want to do this? It will be dangerous."
"More dangerous than it is for Egwene and Min? They would come after us if our circumstances were reversed; I know they would. Are we going to stay here all day?" Elayne dug her heels in, and the mare started off.
Nynaeve turned the horse until the sun, still short of its noonday crest, shone at their backs. "We are going to have to be cautious. The Aes Sedai we know can recognize a woman who can channel just by being within arm's length of her. These Aes Sedai may be able to pick us out of a crowd if they are looking for us, and we had better assume they are." They were certainly looking for Egwene and me. But why?
"Yes, cautious. You were right before, too. We will not do them any good letting ourselves be caught as well." Elayne was silent for a moment. "Do you think it was all lies, Nynaeve? What Liandrin told us about Rand being in danger? And the others? Aes Sedai do not lie."
It was Nynaeve's turn to be silent, remembering Sheriam telling her of the oaths a woman took on being raised to full sisterhood, oaths spoken inside a ter'angreal that bound her to keep them. To speak no word that is not true. That was one, but everyone knew that the truth an Aes Sedai said might not be the truth you thought you heard. "I expect Rand is warming his feet in front of Lord Agelmar's fire in Fal Dara this minute," she said. I can't worry about him, now. I have to think about Egwene and Min.
"I suppose he is," Elayne said with a sigh. She shifted behind the saddle. "If it is very far to Falme, Nynaeve, I expect to ride in the saddle half the time. This is not a very comfortable seat. We will never reach Falme at all if you let this horse set her own pace the whole way."
Nynaeve booted the mare to a quick trot112, and Elayne yelped113 and caught at her cloak. Nynaeve told herself that she would take a turn riding behind and not complain if Elayne put the horse to a gallop55, but for the most part she ignored the gasps114 of the woman bouncing behind her. She was too busy hoping that by the time they reached Falme, she could stop being afraid and start being angry.
The breeze freshened, cool and brisk with a hint of cold yet to come.
收听单词发音 |
1
mare
|
|
| n.母马，母驴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
flattened
|
|
| [医]（水）平扁的，弄平的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
dense
|
|
| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
shrubs
|
|
| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
ruffled
|
|
| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
foliage
|
|
| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
tar
|
|
| n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
rumors
|
|
| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
overlapping
|
|
| adj./n.交迭（的） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
hip
|
|
| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
embroidered
|
|
| adj．绣花的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
bosoms
|
|
| 胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
baggy
|
|
| adj.膨胀如袋的，宽松下垂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
crest
|
|
| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
reins
|
|
| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
ward
|
|
| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
halfway
|
|
| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
slurred
|
|
| 含糊地说出( slur的过去式和过去分词 )； 含糊地发…的声； 侮辱； 连唱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
murmur
|
|
| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
agitation
|
|
| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
gale
|
|
| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
groan
|
|
| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
shrilly
|
|
| 尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
braced
|
|
| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
tugged
|
|
| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
budge
|
|
| v.移动一点儿；改变立场 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
frantic
|
|
| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
bracelet
|
|
| n.手镯，臂镯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
groggily
|
|
| adv.酒醉地；东倒西歪地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
32
squatted
|
|
| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
bruise
|
|
| n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
friendliness
|
|
| n.友谊，亲切，亲密 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
leash
|
|
| n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
holder
|
|
| n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
pry
|
|
| vi.窥(刺)探，打听；vt.撬动(开，起) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
touching
|
|
| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
wince
|
|
| n.畏缩，退避，（因痛苦，苦恼等)面部肌肉抽动；v.畏缩，退缩，退避 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
nettles
|
|
| n.荨麻( nettle的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
displease
|
|
| vt.使不高兴，惹怒；n.不悦，不满，生气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
gritted
|
|
| v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的过去式和过去分词 )；咬紧牙关 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
itch
|
|
| n.痒，渴望，疥癣；vi.发痒，渴望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
chuckled
|
|
| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
throbbed
|
|
| 抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
lash
|
|
| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
disapprove
|
|
| v.不赞成，不同意，不批准 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
cinder
|
|
| n.余烬，矿渣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
hoarse
|
|
| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
sneered
|
|
| 讥笑，冷笑( sneer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
sniffed
|
|
| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
rabble
|
|
| n.乌合之众，暴民；下等人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
gallop
|
|
| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
galloping
|
|
| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
gasping
|
|
| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
twitched
|
|
| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
cramped
|
|
| a.狭窄的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
velvet
|
|
| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
slippers
|
|
| n. 拖鞋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
eyebrow
|
|
| n.眉毛，眉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
skull
|
|
| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
westward
|
|
| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
heed
|
|
| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
sparse
|
|
| adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
stifle
|
|
| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
interfere
|
|
| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
intervention
|
|
| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
shuddering
|
|
| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
dealing
|
|
| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
kindly
|
|
| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
spoke
|
|
| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
contemplate
|
|
| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
growled
|
|
| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
pampered
|
|
| adj.饮食过量的，饮食奢侈的v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
yearningly
|
|
| 怀念地，思慕地，同情地； 渴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
dwindled
|
|
| v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
thickets
|
|
| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
peg
|
|
| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
chatter
|
|
| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
raucously
|
|
| adv.粗声地；沙哑地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
casually
|
|
| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
frantically
|
|
| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
wryly
|
|
| adv. 挖苦地，嘲弄地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
writhe
|
|
| vt.挣扎，痛苦地扭曲；vi.扭曲，翻腾，受苦；n.翻腾，苦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
sprawled
|
|
| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
sobbing
|
|
| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
soothing
|
|
| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
hurled
|
|
| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
exertion
|
|
| n.尽力，努力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
sneaking
|
|
| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
fumbled
|
|
| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
wary
|
|
| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
crouch
|
|
| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
sagged
|
|
| 下垂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
tangle
|
|
| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
snarls
|
|
| n.（动物的）龇牙低吼( snarl的名词复数 )；愤怒叫嚷（声）；咆哮（声）；疼痛叫声v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的第三人称单数 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
fawn
|
|
| n.未满周岁的小鹿；v.巴结，奉承 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
dagger
|
|
| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
galloped
|
|
| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
slumping
|
|
| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的现在分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
gibe
|
|
| n.讥笑；嘲弄 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
rummaged
|
|
| 翻找，搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 )； 已经海关检查 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
wincing
|
|
| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
tangles
|
|
| （使）缠结， （使）乱作一团( tangle的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
novice
|
|
| adj.新手的，生手的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
trot
|
|
| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
yelped
|
|
| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
gasps
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |