The Beginning of the End [Attn: Craig, Matty] COMPLETE

[Chris]

It's still Murdock guys, calm yourselves Ahhh, surrender. Murdock wasn't going to argue with those terms. Pleased with himself and his channelling prowess - a Brown, outwitting one of the highest members of the Black Ajah! - one could not blame Murdock for mentally preening a little. This was secondary to his constant focus of course, Saidin and Saidar roared through him and gave him a clarity he revelled in,

Elia couldn't help herself of course, and she demanded he release the Power. Murdock let her have that moment to feel she was more than a conduit for him and his own success. Much to his surprise, the aura of menace around Emmond ebbed away, and the Keeper gave Elia a pleased look before they approached. He started to form a shield to fully overwhelm the man, but then with surprising speed he was on his feet and barrelling towards Elia with a flash of silver in his hand that made Murdock gasp involuntarily. Elia! That damn knot of Compulsion in his head was ever present, and suddenly the man could think of nothing better to do than to intercept Emmond and his blade, in spite of never being a man who liked to fight with his bare hands.

The end result was to be expected. His stick of Air vanished, he tumbled to the floor beneath Emmond, and the stabbing began.

Now, Murdock was not one to get too obsessed with stabbing people. As with burning, it was a rather crude method of hurting people, but it was one people hated. It was probably the physicality of the knife, Murdock supposed as he felt it puncture his lung. Oh, that was going to make breathing interesting. Ouch. Burn me, Elia had better Heal this, he thought. Actually, no burning me, I've already had that haven't I? Ha... ha ha... some sensible part of him reached through the pain to release Elia from the link, and realised he still had the weaves ready for a shield, weaker without Saidar but still present. Well. Emmond stepping back was his mistake, he should have slit Murdock's throat. Foolish man! A few chest wounds weren't going to kill him. Well not immediately, though the sooner he was Healed the better.

Murdock was very satisfied as he placed the shield over Emmond. There. "He is shielded," he informed Elia. The woman might have been able to shield him, but Murdock's stretching shields were more useful in this instance. But as he tried to sit upright his arms failed him and he fell to the grass, barely tying the shield off. He would have to hope Emmond didn't try to break out of it.

Everything was a little fuzzy after that but Elia, good old Elia and her Healing, Bloody woman and her Compulsion got me into this mess in the first place! Should have let her get stabbed instead, solved two problems at once. Suddenly he was being wracked by the restorative powers of Healing, and Murdock was back to his good old Healed self. Sort of. He could tell that things weren't as they should be, and that his lung was still not put to rights. He moved carefully and could feel that some of the cuts weren't entirely gone without trace, but he was stable. And he could do what he needed to now.

"Thank you Elia," he said gruffly. He sat there and caught his breath, composed himself, as Elia was going to do the thing Murdock wasn't sure he could actually watch. Gentling another man... the Keeper shivered as if he was being Healed again, and instead he focussed on Elia's ridiculousness. Anything to get Emmond's scream out of his head, the pain raw and real and for once something the man did not want to have any part in. Even a man who tore people in half had limits. Her ambition is going to kill her, he thought as she crowed over the man, insisting he swear fealty to her. Hah! Murdock had to give her credit for her audaciousness, not many would do what she had just done. Murdock was probably not supposed to overhear her words, muttered as they were, but he had grasped onto Saidin as soon as he could like he needed to be reminded that he could channel still where Emmond couldn't.

He thought Emmond had passed out from the exertion of trying to kill them and then being gentled, but Murdock was proven wrong. This man does not know when to quit! he marvelled, begrudgingly admiring his tenacity as he grabbed Elia and put the dagger to her throat. The Keeper sat up warily and got to his feet, creating another cane of Air and debating his options. Let him kill Elia, then Rend Emmond to paste? That was an option. He had no real need for Elia.

But then if she died, someone would have to take Emmond's place, and Murdock did not have any desire to be that fellow. He had enough to do as it was without that drivel.

Rending normally needed to be done via skin contact, but Murdock knew a few weaves that, whilst less effective, could be unpleasant from a distance. The sensation of cramps and major pins and needles, for instance. It was simply Air and Earth. Funny how the same elements that tore the ground apart, could make a man's muscles painful and uncomfortable. Murdock limped closer to do something more effective, but then Emmond was swearing his fealty to Elia, something Murdock did not believe for a bloody second. He would stab her in the back as soon as he was able, and there was no point in pretending otherwise. Elia knew this, didn't she? Words were simply wind in a bucket to this man.

"Would that suffice?" Emmond asked. Murdock grunted, although the question was not directed at him. The Brown limped forwards unsteadily, even slower than usual with his injuries. Without preamble Murdock lifted his cane of Air and smashed it into Emmond's face.

"That is for throwing me at the fire," he said. He smacked the man across the face in the other direction, "and that is for stabbing me. If you do anything like that again, I will re-enact it on your body and make sure you are awake and aware for the hours I spend on it." He prodded Emmond in the chest with the end of his stick and continued, "Elia is all that stands between you and a slow, painful death Emmond. Remember that. If anything happens to her, I will inflict those same injuries on you tenfold." He looked at Elia, his expression a grimace. "I wouldn't trust Emmond as far as I can throw him. And I am sure I couldn't throw him far at all. I hope you know what you're doing."

He supposed he ought to Heal Emmond and make him able to channel once more, but strangely Murdock was in no rush to do such a thing. He would make the man beg before he parted that gift back to him.

[Craig]

Elia

"In the name of the Great Lord, I swear fealty to Elia Darrow, Aes Sedai of the Grey Tower. I shall follow where you lead, and go where you direct. I shall offer advice in good faith and serve without deceit. I shall place your cause above mine, your happiness above mine, and your life above mine."

This was sweeter than the fruitiest wine punch, more pleasurable than the warmest scented bath, and infinitely more satisfying than any pledge he had made in her innumerable daydreams. At the same time, she wanted to scoff and tsk. The words rolling off Emmond's honeyed tongue were just words, nothing more. Even invoking the Great Lord's name amounted to nothing when the only witnesses were likely to be the two people he wanted most dead, so he hardly cared about appearances. But Elia had a plan for that too, a plan she had not shared with Murdock.

She still held saidar, which is how she sensed the Keeper step up to her side. He held another rod of coalesced Air, and used it to strike at Emmond. Twice. She could hardly blame him. Murdock looked bodily hale and hearty, but he had been burned and stabbed and close to death twice in the span of mere minutes. That would leave any man - any person - looking to seek revenge. He even indicated as much in his words, and promised a grim fate for Emmond if the Grey tried again.

What made Elia's eyebrows ascend into her scalp was what Murdock added on afterwards. "Elia is all that stands between you and a slow, painful death Emmond. Remember that. If anything happens to her, I will inflict those same injuries on you tenfold." She genuinely wondered where this sudden allegiance had come from. Murdock had been an unwilling ally at best, but this? She wasn't about to go questioning him, but it was a surprising development. Nothing accounted for it.

The Brown wasn't done, however. "I wouldn't trust Emmond as far as I can throw him. And I am sure I couldn't throw him far at all. I hope you know what you're doing."

Elia smiled, but the beautiful expression never reached her cool, green stare. "Oh, I don't." She then turned her attentions down to Emmond. "I know they are only words, no matter how sincerely spoken." This time she bound his wrists and ankles with bonds of Air, just to make sure he wasn't thinking of conjuring a third dagger. I admire your resourcefulness, she thought as once more she cupped his chin. "But I thought of that. I thought of everything."

Once more Elia drew upon all five parts of the One Power. She had more time for this weave than she had the last time, when she was racing against the clock to save someone she loved. This time, it was to be a prison that Emmond could not escape, and a guarantee that the pledge he'd made would stick. Our fates will be inexorably linked, but I'll be the one holding the reins. Elia shifted her hold on him, placing a hand to either side of his face. There was no particular ceremony to this, although each channeller chose their own theatrics. For Elia, it was enough that Emmond stared into her face, and her into his, so she could see any final spark of hope die in his brown eyes. The final knot of the weave slipped into place, and Elia released saidar. There was an immediate and strong buildup of pain from behind her eyes, stretching out from her temples through her skull, then down into her neck and shoulders. Earth did this to her, and she felt exhausted.

What she also felt was loss. A seemingly endless pit of loss, so near to complete that it almost made her sick. If Emmond's eyes flickered in surprise, the Shienaran did not see it. Salty tears blurred her vision at the anguish Emmond felt. She knew from a logical standpoint what gentling meant, but she had no clue that the loss of the One Power would bring with it such an overwhelming sense of despair so quickly. Her hands slipped down from his face to his shoulders, and she pulled him towards her even as she held the bindings that restrained him. Tears trickled down her cheeks into his collar. Oh Light! It had been necessary, but she had crossed a line in this. Oh Light, forgive me!

Desperate to be alone in her head again, Elia pushed against Emmond's shoulders and staggered to her feet, coming back to stand beside Murdock. She was incapable of keeping the ragged edge of emotion from her voice as she turned to the Keeper. "Heal him," she begged. "Ungentle him. Restore his connection to the Power." Murdock turned towards her fractionally, but with the tears she couldn't read any expression on his face. "He's mine," she explained. "I Bonded him. He will be faithful, but Light Murdock FIX HIM!" The last was a scream of utter misery. They had gone too far, but now they could reverse some of the damage. Just end his pain! She sagged to her knees, holding onto the Asha'man's burnt and sliced jacket for support. No more words would come as she choked through tears. Emmond sat in the back of her mind, almost all heartbreak. Elia wanted to cradle him in her arms; she wanted to rip him from her skull; she wanted anything that would make the sense of desolation stop.

This was the victory she had fought for, was it? Just then all she wanted was to curl up and die.

[Chris]

The same guy as it was in my last post Murdock was glad that Elia had some sense. Trusting Emmond was only going to get them both killed eventually, so knowing that she wasn't fooled by his empty oath was reassuring. Light (he still used that curse sometimes, though he felt like he wasn't allowed any more) they were the Black Ajah, what was breaking an oath to someone like Emmond? Murdock leaned on his makeshift stick, Saidin at the ready, glad for the fact that he wasn't the only person thinking rationally here.

I take that back, the Keeper thought a moment later, as he felt the prickle of her channelling. What was she doing? Elia couldn't restore the Power to someone who had been Gentled....

Oh. Oh dear. Murdock couldn't keep the shock from his face at the insane display before him. He wasn't entirely sure until Elia stood up and started behaving all bleeding heart about Emmond, but he was fairly certain that she had bonded him. Bonded, against his will. Elia's depravity really knew no bounds, did it? She was already behaving irrationally, hugging the man who had tried to kill them - on purpose, no less - and suddenly making demands of Murdock like he was one of her prized toys to use and abuse as she pleased. Compulsion, bonding, what else did Elia lower herself to in order to manipulate those around her? It was disgusting.

She begged him to Heal Emmond, to restore him. That confirmation of the bonding removed even the smallest sliver of sympathy Murdock might have started to feel for Elia and her miserable state before it could truly manifest, and it was a stony response he gave to her impassioned cries. Did she think she could move him as she had been moved, by sharing the sensations of a gentled man? No. As she flopped to the floor like a dying fish and gripped onto his ruined coat, he swatted her away with his free hand. The other, he used to lift his stick and, rather than hit her in the head with their close proximity, he swatted her twice on the backside and he didn't hold back.

"You want to share in his misery? Then you can have that as well!" Murdock snarled. "You foolish, ignorant child. Get off me!" He stepped back, unsteadily because of his limp and the pain in his lung, but he didn't want to be near her. "You are going to get us both killed with your ridiculous, impulsive behaviour! You came to me with the intention of removing Emmond, not making him your prized pet. This man tried to kill us, and I took a blade for you. We should have nothing to do with him and instead you are attaching your heart to his with the bond!" He knew what the bond was like. It was a beautiful, horrific thing. It was going to unravel their plans, and he was not going to suffer because Elia couldn't help herself from dominating the men around her. "You did not share that part of the plan with me. I am no puppet, and I will have no part in this... this farcical exercise. The safest course of action is to kill Emmond, here and now." Maybe Elia knew Murdock would happily do such a thing, and thought her bonding him would make him think twice? Hardly. It was her own foolish fault for bonding him in the first place!

"I thought you had learned your lesson about Compulsion. That you couldn't simply manipulate people's minds to do what you want. And then you bond a man against his will. You are the worst of the worst, Elia. I am done here - find someone else to restore Emmond because the way I see it, I restore him and there's no reason why the two of you couldn't overpower me. I don't think I want to take that chance." With a lazy shrug that belied his agitation, Murdock turned away to make a Gateway.

[Jenny]

Emmond

His head snapped back as Murdock struck his face. Twice. Blood streamed from his nose and he coughed and spat out blood. Then his skin tingled as Elia cupped his chin in her hands. What was she doing? Was she Healing him? He couldn’t move his arms, nor his feet; they had been bound by weaves of Air. Unnecessary, since he didn’t intend to hurt her, at least not until he was Healed, though he approved of the precaution. She was learning. Warmth coursed through him - then suddenly searing heat blossomed, deep and shocking, one great flash of it, as if he stood for a heartbeat in the middle of the roaring fires still surrounding them. Even after it passed he felt strangely aware. Aware of himself, and aware of…

His eyes widened. He could feel her presence. Her curiosity, her exhaustion, and her shock. And she could feel him. Waves of her regret flowed toward him - and through his pain, Emmond smiled bitterly. She deserved to feel every single bit of it, the traitorous little chit! Then he nearly pulled back in surprise as she embraced him, sobbing into his shoulder. He tried to ignore the way her body pressed against his, although it did feel rather nice. It was a small comfort that did nothing to soothe the emptiness of the Power, not even by a drop. His impatience threatened to boil over. She had promised to Heal him. When was she going to get around to it?

Then finally she stood and went to pester Murdock. Emmond’s restraints loosened. He stood to stretch his legs and wiped the blood from his face. Idiot girl! Apparently she had promised him someone else’s gifts. A beginner’s mistake. Emmond agreed with every word coming from the Keeper’s mouth - except for the part, of course, about refusing to Heal him.

Suddenly, pain shot through the bond, piercing the dull soreness of gentling that clouded his mind. Before he knew what he was doing, he raced to defend her. It was easier now that he could pinpoint Elia’s exact location - Murdock was only a step away - and he caught Murdock’s arm with his left hand and reared back with his right, knife in hand. Behind him, Elia shouted.

“Emmond, don’t hurt him! We still need him. You still need him!”

Her shouts were unnecessary. He sensed Air woven with saidin and then he was sent flying through the air for the third time that night. He landed heavily and groaned. Bad move. Blasted bond.

Elia was wrong, he thought. They didn’t need Murdock. Caralain Grass was only a few hundred miles away from the Tower. It would take perhaps two weeks to traverse by foot. He just needed to make sure he didn’t kill himself from despair before reaching the Tower. Could he hold out that long? He staggered to his feet.

“I don't,” he said, gritting his teeth. “Leave him. We can make our own way."

[Craig]

Elia

Things were unravelling. Well, everything had started unravelling the moment Emmond walked through that Gateway knowing that a trap lay beyond, but still. It was recoverable, if only the Brown would see sense!

"Murdock!" She rose with nothing like an Aes Sedai's characteristic serenity, but with enough self-possession that she commanded a modicum of that respect. "Murdock, listen." She heard the slight pleading in her voice, but she couldn't help it. Elia approached the Keeper slowly, palms spread before her to indicate she meant no harm. "This is better than simply killing him. We have a hold over his knowledge and his contacts now. He can serve us." Shame crept into her cheeks. She hated pleading, hated being at anyone's mercy, but this whole plan had latched on Murdock from the off. "If he disappeared, there would be questions, and the Light knows I've been seen with him often enough these last few months. Mirin made sure that my fate lay with his, if anything untoward happened to him. At least this way, he can retire, citing his injuries as explanation. We don't have to explain away a missing Asha'man; we don't have to explain away his withdrawal from his position in the Ajah. We step into the gap with him behind us as support, instead of crushed underfoot."

Elia didn't know if this was working. Murdock's expression was still one of outrage. "You just said that I stood between Emmond and a painful death. Well he is going to suffer a painful death without your help, and I'm going to feel it." She felt sick realising that it was truth she had just spoke. Peace, she didn't want to think about dealing with the grief of such a trauma. "If we both disappear, what is going to happen to you? Where are the fingers going to be pointed? Can't you see we're linked. I fall and you fall; I rise and you rise. We can still make this work!"

She realised that far from standing back and being respectful, Elia was grasping onto the two halves of the Keeper's jacket. With a start she let go, but she didn't back away. There was one final thing that had to be said, and she muted the bond to say it. The Indigo pitched her voice so low, only by holding onto saidin would Murdock be able to hear. "He doesn't know how weak he will be if you restore his connection to saidin," she whispered. "You'll have nothing to fear from him if you just help me. Please Murdock."

[Chris]

Guess who Murdock couldn't believe this was actually happening. Emmond really did have a death wish if he thought he could keep attacking Murdock like this. Thoroughly irritated at the sheer audacity of the man, he didn't bother with Rending. A weave of Air was enough to knock the man back and out of his way, before he could think to start carving into Murdock again. The Keeper spoke with an exasperated voice, "Elia could you please keep your new Warder in line? Next time, I'll leave him one limb less than he currently has."

Of course Elia was never one to let someone else have the final say, as she approached him with that pleading tone he supposed was intended to stir his heart strings. Murdock ignored the stirring in his chest, because it was irrational and unlike some people here, he was one for acting rationally.

"Us?" Murdock repeated the woman, his voice incredulous. "Us?! This has never been about us, Elia. This has been about you and your ambitions from the start. You and your Aes Sedai machinations to rise to the top. If he dies and you feel it, whose fault is that? It's not mine. Get off my already," he swatted her hand away, "this grovelling is most unbecoming of a ruthlessly ambitious bitch."

He heard her quiet words, her promises to try and soothe his ruffled feathers. Well. Murdock knew that they would be weaker together if Murdock restored Emmond, but Murdock himself was not a strong channeller and he really did not trust himself to be outnumbered here. "That makes no difference to my stance," he hissed in response. Emmond might not be able to hear over the burning building, or maybe he could, Murdock didn't care. "Your Warder just tried to kill me again, without Saidin! What do you think's going to happen as soon as I give it back? It doesn't take much to slit a man's throat and I can't keep him shielded forever."

Without a bond, there was nothing Murdock could do to keep Emmond in line.

Murdock gave Elia a frown, typical for the Brown, but eventually he conceded. Sort of. "Alright. Swear on my safety, even at the cost of his life, and I will do what needs to be done." He had to admit that Elia had some good arguments for not killing Emmond, not that it had stopped the man from trying to kill him repeatedly. Keeping the man around would be useful, and there was some truth in his and Elia's shared fates. He did not enjoy admitting that she was correct in that, though her execution left much to be desired.

Murdock limped back over to Emmond, unsteadily kneeling down and half falling on the ground. He was tired and weak, a perfect target really. But this was going to work out in his favour, not just Elia's. "Emmond, I swear if you try to stab me when I'm Healing you I will turn your brain into jelly and pour it out your ears." He drew on the Power, using an intricate weave of Spirit whilst creating a small ward against eavesdropping. It was not the weave Elia expected, nor was it the weave he had used on Giselle. It was one every man learned when he became an Asha'man.

Murdock lay his weave on Emmond, the cold, empty sensation within him making Murdock's lips curl into a cold smirk. Murdock had been to the recesses of his mind for solace and been left wanting. Emmond was no different. "Hush," he commanded the man. He spoke quietly in spite of the ward, making sure Elia couldn't see his lips. "You are my Warder now as well. Any orders made by Elia, I will supersede if I see fit. And you will report to me all of Elia's actions. You will not make any attempts on my life, directly or indirectly.

"Needless to say, do not share this with her. This is between you and me." Elia would notice that Murdock had made a ward given how quiet he was, but Murdock unravelled it and found he didn't care. Even if she finds out, it is not as if she can undo it without more Compulsion. At this rate Emmond will be a mindless babe! The male bond was more forceful than a woman's; any direct orders had to be obeyed, something which many would find a disgrace. Murdock was not exactly a fan but desperate times... besides, he'd been the holder of a bond when his wife had died. Having some cretin like Emmond snuff it under his care was no major concern of his.

"Alright, time to restore your connection to Saidin," he said, trying not to pull a face. Intentionally making a man weaker did not sit well with him, and it was clear Emmond was aware of his distaste as he shifted where he sat.

It was too late for questions though, as Murdock drew on all five powers, predominantly Spirit, in order to partially restore Emmond's ability to channel.

[Jenny]

Emmond

Once again, his body flushed with heat. And then a second presence appeared in his head, one far calmer than Elia's. Emmond shifted his weight, feeling rather uncomfortable. Light, now he had two eyes peering into his mind… Anger flared as Murdock ordered him about - did the Keeper really think that a few simple orders would stop him if he wanted Murdock dead...? Bond or not, he’d find a way around it, eventually. Then the corner of his mouth quirked upwards. Despite the situation, Emmond felt a stab of amusement. He had managed to avoid the bond his entire life. Now, in one fell swoop, he was bonded to not one, but two channelers. This was turning out to be a terrible night.

He sensed Murdock gathering strength again for another weave. Finally, he thought, suppressing his glee. Strangely, Murdock seemed… disgusted, though Emmond couldn’t imagine what would disgust a man who enjoyed his Rending so much. There was a cool, tingling sensation and then....

Immediately he seized the Power, just to prove to himself that it was possible. Relief flooded him and he couldn’t help but to throw his head back and laugh. He had been bonded - twice - but otherwise nothing had really changed. Light, if this had been all they wanted, all they had to do was ask! Why bother trying to lure him out here to the middle of nowhere just to bond him? A small wriggle of doubt remained at the back of his mind, but Emmond was lost in the joy of regaining saidin. He hadn't realized how good it had felt until it was gone, and somehow the searing heat of saidin seemed sweeter than it had ever been before. He felt on top of the world.

"Is that all?" he asked, blithely. "Then let's return home."

With practiced ease, he twisted threads of Air, Spirit and Fire into the traveling weave.

It wobbled and collapsed. Emmond blinked in confusion. That hadn't happened in years. He tried again, fighting a growing sense of desperation. And again, the weave collapsed.

Something didn’t feel right. His head swung to face Murdock.

"What did you do to me?"

He felt Elia draw near. She attempted to place a hand on his arm, but he shook her off.

"TELL ME!" he shouted.

Together, they explained the differences between Healing stilling and gentling, the difference between regaining full strength and becoming the weakest Asha’man in the Tower. And it was irreversible - what had been Healed once could not be Healed again. He measured his strength against Murdock’s and his heart sank. No, he was even weaker than the… Light, he wasn’t even strong enough to wear the Cord! He would be lucky to make Dedicated...

Emmond clung to the Void, and to saidin, fearing that if he allowed himself to think, or feel, or know, that he would drown. His bonds flared with a distracting plethora of emotions but he shoved them aside, his own feelings dulled. He floated in emptiness, hardly hearing their words. Finally he understood Murdock’s disgust - finally he understood what they had intended.

He had lost everything. How could he have not seen this coming?

“You can retire,” Elia explained, as Murdock opened a gateway. Again, she took his arm - and this time, he let her guide him forward.

It wasn’t until hours later, when they finally left him alone in his rooms, that he broke. He shouted at the walls. He slashed open his pillows and strew feathers across the apartment. He flipped the dagger in his hand and threw it, hard, across the room. He set fire to all his papers and cursed at the ceiling. And most of all, he wished that the two buzzing presences in his mind would just go away.

Mirin

She waited until she was certain that they were gone. The gateway turned upon itself and closed and then… nothing. They had taken Seonin’s body with them. Only the wind and burnt grass remained.

Mirin stood slowly. She tried, in vain, to embrace saidar, but the calm wouldn’t come. Emmond’s scream still echoed in her ears… and Light, had Elia really bonded the man? She had told them to kill him! She had told them to take no chances, to seize the opportunity...

One of Emmond’s lessons came to mind. He had always told her that the most important tasks could not be given to others. She had never truly understood exactly what he meant. After all, wasn't it better to stay safe in the background, pulling the strings? And she had never understood what he did - he had kept those secrets firmly tucked away from her. But grim questions began to sink into her. What did this mean for the Black Ajah? More importantly, what did this mean for her? Would Elia - or Light help her, Murdock?? - ascend to Power? What would the Supreme Council think? Would there even be a Supreme Council after all was said and done?

Perhaps the best thing to do would be kill them. All three of them. Could she do it? Could she face them all by herself?

Pain shot up from her knees and she realized that she had fallen. Nothing, except the darkness of night, pressed against her. And suddenly she felt very much alone. Slowly, she keeled over, hands clutching at the dirt, and began to weep.