Knife of Dreams

Seonid sniffed at him, her scent disapproving. “Your arm is injured, my Lady?”

“See to Arrela first, please,” Faile said. The Aes Sedai rolled her eyes in exasperation and took Faile’s head between her hands. Faile shivered and exhaled, hardly more than a heavy sigh. Not a bad injury, then, and gone now in any case. She txianked Seonid while leading her to Arrela.

Suddenly Perrin realized he could not hear the explosions any longer. In fact, he could not recall hearing one for some time. That had to be good. “I need to find out what’s happening. Ban, you keep a close guard on Faile.”

Faile protested his going alone, and by the time he finally agreed to take ten of the Two Rivers men. a rider in lacquered armor had appeared rounding the northern corner of the town wall. Three thin blue plumes marked her as Tylee. As she rode closer, he realized she had a nude woman draped across her tall bay in front of the saddle. A woman bound at ankles and knees, wrists and elbows. Her long golden hair almost brushed the ground, and there were jeweled necklaces and ropes of pearls caught in it. A strand of large green stones and gold slid free and fell to the dirt as Tylee reined in. Removing her peculiar helmet with gauntleted hands, she rested it on the woman’s upturned bottom.

“A remarkable weapon, those bows of yours,” she drawled, eyeing the Two Rivers men. “I wish we had the like. Kirklin told me where to find you, my Lord. They’ve begun surrendering. Masema’s men held to the point of suicide-most of them are dead or dying, I think-and the damane turned that ridge into a deathtrap only a madman would walk into. Best of all, the sul’dam have already fitted adam to over two hundred women. That cold tea’ of yours was enough that most of them could not stand without help. I’ll have to send for to’raken to fly them all out.”

Seonid made a sound in her throat. Her face was smooth, but her scent was dagger-sharp fury. She stared at Tylee as though trying to stare a hole through her. Tylee paid her no mind at all except to shake her head slightly.

“After my people and I are gone,” Perrin said. His agreement was with her. He did not want to risk testing it with anyone else. “What are our losses aside from Masema’s men?”

“Light,” Tylee replied. “Between your archers and the damane, they never really managed to close with us. I’ve never seen a battle plan come off so smoothly. If we have a hundred dead between us, I’ll be surprised.”

Perrin winced. He supposed those were light casualties under the circumstances, but some would be Two Rivers men. Whether or not he knew them, they were his responsibility. “Do you know where Masema is?”

“With what’s left of his army. He’s no coward, I’ll say that for him. He and his two hundred-well, about one hundred, now-cut a path all the way through the Shaido to the ridge.”

Perrin ground his teeth. The man was back surrounded by his rabble. It would be his word against Masema’s about why Aram had tried to kill him, and in any event, it was unlikely the man’s followers would surrender him for trial. “We need to start moving before the others get here. If the Shaido think rescue is at hand, they might decide to forget they surrendered. Who’s your prisoner?”

“Seva

The golden-haired woman twisted herself upward, shaking hair out of her face and losing several more necklaces in the process. Her eyes, glaring at Faile, were green fire above a strip of cloth that had been tied for a gag. She stank of rage.

“Seva

“I claim the contents of her tent,” Faile a

“I want to come with you, my Lady, if you’ll have me,” the young fellow who had been holding Maighdin piped up. “I won’t be the only one, if you’ll have us.”

“Your lady wife, I presume, my Lord.” Tylee said, eyeing Faile.

“She is. Faile, allow me to present Ba

“Our agreement doesn’t speak to that, my Lord,” Tylee said carefully. “I don’t decide where the Ever Victorious Army goes.”

“Just so you know, Ba

Tylee chuckled. “I have a little more experience with these people than you. my Lord. Once they surrender, they won’t fight again or try to escape for three days. Besides, I have some of my Altarans making bonfires out of their spears and bows just to make sure. We have time to make our deployments. My Lord, I hope I never have to face you in the field,” she said, pulling the steel-backed gauntlet from her right hand. “I would be honored if you’d call me Tylee.” She bent over Se-va

For a moment. Perrin could only stare. It was a strange world. He had gone to her thinking he was making a deal with the Dark One, and the Light knew, some of what the Seanchan did was beyond repugnant, but the woman was stalwart and true to her word.

“I’m Perrin. Tylee.” he said, clasping her hand. A very strange world.

Stripping off her shift, Galina tossed it down atop the silk robe and bent to pick up the riding dress she had pulled from Swift’s saddlebags. The thing had been sewn for a slightly larger woman, but it would suffice until she could sell one of those firedrops.

“Stand as you are. Lina,” came Therava’s voice, and suddenly Galina could not have straightened if the forest around her had been on fire. She could scream, though. “Be silent.” She choked as her throat swallowed the scream convulsively. She could still weep, silently, and tears began to fall on the mulch of the forest floor. A hand slapped her rudely. “Somehow, you have the rod,’ Therava said. “You would not be out here, else. Give it to me, Lina.”

There was no question even of resisting. Straightening, Galina dug the rod out of her saddlebags and handed it to the hawk-eyed woman, tears sliding down her cheeks.