Border Patrol; Ambushed in the Blight!

[Sean]

“Evil is simple and empty. Evil has no mysterious depths. We stare into a dark hole and fill it with our fears, but it is only a hole.”

The Blight’s rotting stench had been nothing compared to the thick, gagging odor of burning flesh. Fires burned along the fortress walls to funnel the Trolloc attack into a manageable area. Steel rang and the cries of men mingled with the pounding of blood in his ears, but Valadin clung to the Void as he turned his back to it all. His horse danced nervously in place while the commander fixed him with an edged glare.

It was understandable. Even now the townspeople, their faces daubed with the greasy residue of their smoldering home, held Val in place, eyes pleading for deliverance while strands of the One Power defied his will. Saidin roared at him. The wild call for destruction and release boiling his blood, encouraging the Battle Rage to take its toll on his focus, but the Void dampened the storm of emotion…for now.

Mistress Ubriel had entrusted him to provide a means of escape and given the previous day’s failure Val had been eager to prove himself; so much so that he’d skimped the fact that forming Gateway’s was something he’d never created under instruction. C’mon! Ya got the Flows, jus’ Weave them the way ya saw it done! he fumed at himself while his fingers trembled in hesitation.

A strange thing it was to experience fear even while in the cold embrace of the Void, where emotion and distraction were like mites on a horse’s flank.

In a breath the storm of Saidin swelled within him and he drank the river of power, its torrents threatening to burn him through to the very nerves of his fingertips. The arrival at Kataba had left little time for observance. Much of the fortress had been burned, obscuring clear view of the land, but with time pressing a rough estimate would have to do. Instinctively Val reached out with the Power, bending the Pattern so that there is no space between where he stood now and the elsewhere he would send these people. Immediately he thought of the Grey Tower, its open Travelling grounds providing ample access for those who would need Healing. More importantly was that aid could be called when channelers saw the dire situation through the Gateway.

It wasn’t easy. The Pattern was an oily thing, its fabrics so complex Val’s mind contorted on itself a thousand times simply bending a portion of it. For time the Flows of Spirit found no purchase and more than he once any leverage gained was lost in the pursuance of another when he added a touch of Fire as he’d seen done before. The amount of time that passed was only measured behind the sharp cries of the slain and the nearby whimpers of mother holding their children. Strangely these reminders inspired little hurry in the process as the cosmos opened themselves to the embrace of the One Power after what felt like ages. Abruptly a slash of silver light hung in the air before Valadin, its cold light illuminating the area with such intensity that many turned their eyes away.

Not Val though.

Beautiful, he thought when the Hole in the Pattern had finally been made. Beyond it the confused faces of black coated men with Grey cords hanging about their chest stared at the ruinous war zone. Snapping to, Valadin turned, face grim with determination, “Quick! Through the Gateway! You’ll be cared fer!”

The instruction was met with blank confusion as those who’d been ready to flee into the surrounding Blight gawked at the shimmering portal, “Now!” he snapped, this time producing a flurry of motion as the commander quickly re-organized the escape towards the Gateway.

Holding the Weave, Val studied his creation. It was tall enough for a single average sized man, he himself would’ve needed to crouch to get through and it was reasonably wide enough for a single body to pass through with ease. Concentrating with the thought to making the doorway larger as people stumbled through to safety, Val felt his powers straining and gave up the effort quickly. Looking to the Mistress and Mehrin supported the Kataba defenses, he began to realize the futility of their task.

Trollocs who were smart enough to come around the flames fought with an organized brutality that took more men than could be replaced at the north and east gates. Sequestered to the west was a small unit of men was the commander who calmly administrated the mass of people with no fighting capability. Even in the Blight, there were defenseless that needed to be cared for.

And Val wanted to help them. The Mistress gave an order…see to it first…then… Though it was what he wanted, the prospect of leaping into the bloody carnage before him twisted his stomach. Light preserve us….

OOC: Next post Val will also work out how to clumsily tie the Weave off, but...Bree I'll send you a PM about an idea.

[Roan]

Holding on to the Oneness in the middle of such chaos was never easy, and it was why Master Ives had drilled it into Riahana when she was but a Drin'. Aware of what went on around her, the Gaidar Captain's focus was on her target. . .the Fade that was beginning to look like a pin cushion. The three archers had done their best to land their shots, and as Riahana drew closer, she could see more than half of those arrows penetrated enough to draw blood.

Attempting to flank the Myrddraal, Riahana guided Lex mostly with her legs. She had another engagement with a Trolloc, but it was already injured from another altercation. Ria's blade seemed to sing as she pulled it around in an arc, beheading the beast. Unfortunately, the act drew the attention of the Fade as he 'looked' her way. Even with the lack of eyes, Ria knew it was focused on her. His cape hung motionless despite the wind, and he slowly drew his sword. Was that the hint of a smirk? Surely not.

Engaging with the Fade would be perhaps the biggest test of Riahana's skills with her sword. She was no blademaster, but she was no Drin', either. With the Void fear did not have control. Determination, grit, and strong will pushed Riahana forward as the Myrddraal charged. Lex instinctively reacted as Ria urged her mount forward. As the distances closed, Lex reared and struck out at the Fade's mount with her front hooves. The beast did the same, but Lex managed to get a good blow to the head of the Fade's mount.

The Fade's mount stumbled backwards as it came down from its rear, and Riahana pressed on. Sword forms from horse back were not as easily executed, but she engaged with The Wood Grouse Dances to feel out the Fade, who parried expertly. He countered, attempting to strike down Lex, but the mare had enough sense to cut sideways. Ria encouraged the mare forward and turned to deliver a kick to the Fade, but he managed to dodge, as well.

Both riders turned to face each other, and the Fade once again charged. Ria stood her ground, trusting her mount to do what was asked of her in a heartbeat. As the Fade's blade arched through the air, Riahana parried, and gave Lex a leg cue to pivot and match the other horse stride for stride. She took hold of the Fade's wrist and used her momentum to push him, and her from the backs of their mounts. Luck seemed on her side, as the move worked, and she tumbled as she hit the ground, coming up to one knee, facing the Fade who stood but two yards away.

The Gaidar Captain adjusted her blue-black leather armor, and leveled her gaze on her opponent. Another arrow slammed into the Myrddraal, and he staggered back. His eye-less gaze never left the Gaidar Captain, or so it seemed to Riahana. She readied herself for the next round, determined to be the one to walk away from the fight.

[Bree]

Ubriel and Peach glided through the deadly dance with the Myrddraal. Peach engaged with the large black beast the myrddraal was riding and took more than one walloping blow to her shoulder or haunches. Still she kept the Shadow Rider and Mount from gaining an advantage over Ubriel. Ubriel struck and parried and thrust and hooked and was met with skilled maneuver after effortless form. She was beginning to feel the burn in her arms and shoulders. Her arms and thighs had each taken more than one glancing blow, bruise or even a small nick. She was weakening.

Then the Fade missed an opportunity to strike. Ubriel had no idea what had caused him to pause and she was so caught up in the rhythm of the fight that she almost missed the opening. Surprise dawning on her face and on the Fade's, she recovered first. Shoving out with her shield, she met the slow arc of the myrddraal's blade with the spike on the back of her axe. Catching the blade in the corkscrew turn of the metal, she twisted and pulled, effectively breaking the Fade's grip on the sword. Wrenching it free and shoving against the Fade's body with her shield, she flung the sword to the ground and came back up with a clean sweeping blow to the monster's neck. His head flew far to the right and his body toppled from his horse.

Thrashing and clawing at the ground, trying to regain its feet, Ubriel left the Fade there to check over the battlefield. Valadin had opened a Gateway into the Tower grounds and she could see help coming through.

[Bella]

Miahala Ives Sedai As luck would have it, or perhaps simply a fortunate turn of the Wheel, Miahala was near the Traveling Yards when the gateway and its attending emergency was shouted out. It was enough to make a Green's heart beat faster and her blood run faster in her veins. She rushed off for the Traveling Yards. The long time Aes Sedai managed to make running look calm and dignified, but she wasted no time. She embraced Saidar as she moved.

There was no small amount of chaos in the Traveling Yard itself. The shimmering gateway was spewing forth a small mass of people, wounded and frightened. She could spot some Yellows she recognized already present and tending the herd, including her great grandson-in-law Gareth, and her former... Well, she didn't know her title. But the Yellow who was bonded to Mia's eldest son until the time of his death. She still looked at Thea Sedai sometimes almost as a daughter. She had grown into a collected Aes Sedai who was serene amidst the troubles here.

Mia didn't stop to chat. She pushed her way through the flow of bodies and headed for the gateway. Pausing just long enough to see the layout of what was on the other side, she then hurried through and straight into the carnage and melee.

There was no room for paralyzing fear when you were a Sister of the Green Ajah, after all.

It might have occurred to her that she was a Green charging in without a warder, but she ignored it. It might have occurred to her that she was but one woman, charging in without anyone (warder or not) at her side...but she ignored that too. She had not gotten as far as she had in this life by being timid. Or, in truth, by being 'smart.' Caution was often overrated and she wasn't a whispered rumor of the Tower for nothing.

Once her feet touched ground at the chaos of Kataba, she just felt different. Touching upon the dirt of the borderlands always sang something inside of her. It wasn't her Saldea, or the familiar touch of Shienar, but it was still the borderlands. And with the One Power adding the notes of its own to the tune to the borderland song, she felt both all the more.

Her keen blue-green eyes shot from point to point. Trollocs in a small flood, barely stymied by the fire wall set up to deter them. She knew there was a Fade or two among a horde like this, but she couldn't see them from where she stood. Fighters of the border guard were doing their best to hold the line and she thought she saw a familiar body or two from the Tower group, including the young Soldier Valadin who was holding the gateway.

Having taken in the scene, she charged forward. She headed to the line where the Trollocs were breaking in the most. As she formed the thick cords of Air and Fire, coiled together and stitched with a very fine thread of Water, she let her eyes swiftly pick out the best "first" target that she shot her lightening into. She chose this particular bear-headed beast because the ones nearest to it were not the defenders and as her chain lightning leaped from body to body, it was just Shadowspawn that took the hit.

The beasts shrieked as they lit up, smoke rising from every wet membrane--their eyes and ears and noses--thick bloody ichor pours from each of these places as their skin split and they fell in a pile. Whipping her head to one side, she lassoed a cord of Air around the neck of a Trolloc about to skewer one of the "good guys" and then promptly turned the cord to a razor wire, yanking it back to garrote the creature, severing its head from its neck...

OOC: If someone wants to be the good guy who has the Trolloc beside them beheaded, feel free. Otherwise, Mia is just gonna keep wreaking havoc.

[Jack]

Sojin Majere Gadin Sojin Majere eyed his father as they strolled the Tower grounds, somewhat frustrated and not altogether happy about his recent return to the Tower after two days in the Caralain.

Jerid Walker Asha'man appeared oblivious to his son's current mood, only interested in the news the latter brought.

It was a fair compromise. Jerid Walker stayed out of the affairs of his House after abdicating any return to the High Seat and Sojin would keep the man appraised of recent news, especially the recent marriage of the Asha'man's nephew to a Seanchan noble.

Sojin hadn't had time to step back into the Tower from a gateway to his father's study when the Indigo had grabbed him. Still dressed in leather-and-mail armor and with his broadsword and dagger at his side, he had been dragged on a “father-son outing.” The Indigo First Seeker was dressed in typical Asha'man black, the cord around his shoulder and a pair of long knives at his side, and the green jade ring always on his finger.

Sojin was about to interject a point the Indigo had made when the interjecting chaos enveloped them.

The gateway snapped open and soon the area was deluged with wounded or confused folk and a few contingent of Tower personnel.

Sojin was quick to grab one of them when he saw Jerid stiffen. The silver-haired Gaidin knew that look because he had felt it so many times before. His Warder was on the other side of the gateway.

The lad he had grabbed simply blubbered out the specifics. Trollocs, battle, refugees coming in from a Kandori town. Reinforcements needed. Healers needed on this side.

The next moment Sojin and Jerid both saw a Green Aes Sedai familiar to both enter the melee and then soon after breach the gateway on the other side.

“Blasted woman,” both said in unison. Jerid was one step ahead of Sojin when the Gaidin grasped his arm.

“Asha'man, with respect, your place is here. Neither can these people go without a Healer nor can Lysira Gaidar afford to have her attentions divided,” Sojin said sternly. He knew the implications: the other side wouldn't gain a powerful battle channeler but blast it, Healers were needed here.

Jerid's gold-green eyes flashed but he nodded firmly. “Go. But protect that blasted Green's hide,” he said, all of his affection for the woman apparent.

Sojin was already moving, sword drawn as he crossed the threshold.

And he was in the Borderlands for the first time in more than a decade.

The battle noise filled him as he took in the situation, and sought out the Green his father appeared to so highly regard.

Of course, anyone who had once bonded Caden Ives had his utmost respect. Not many understood the man and even less could tolerate him.

In this chaos, Sojin stood apart. He was suddenly calm, observant and aware of the scenario around him.

Enough to bend backward when the scythe sword of a Falcon-headed Trolloc came whizzing at him. The wicked weapon passed over him by a few inches, but it was enough of a miss for Sojin to take advantage.

The momentum threw the Shadowspawn off its balance and the silver-haired Gaidin reacted quickly. As he straightened, his sword came up and then down in an arcing blow, slicing through the beast's unexposed neck.

The Trolloc fell limp as Sojin sought out Miahala Sedai. She wasn't hard to miss.

He swept up near her, delivering a powerful blow to one Trolloc nearby when another was about to skewer him alive. He turned but his reaction was a half second too late …

… when the flaming beast's head went flying off.

Blood soaked him and he closed his eyes on reflex lest he be blinded. A heartbeat later the sapphire orbs opened and he caught another Trolloc within striking distance of the Green.

Broadsword in left hand, he twisted his body and flicked his right wrist. The throwing knife hidden under his sleeve came free and he quickly hurled it at the beast's unexposed neck.

It hit the eye and it fell backward, dead.

“Close enough,” he muttered. He closed the distance between the Green and himself and muttered, “Jerid Asha'man sends his best and reminds me by saying 'Protect Miahala Sedai's hide like it's the last thing on earth, or I'll wear it for my horse's hide, and your's with it.'”

He rounded behind the Aes Sedai and to her other side, sword ready for another Trolloc that was advancing.

[Roan]

The Myrddraal's cape hung motionless as it casually held its black blade in a low guard. Riahana knew her options for attack were limited from one knee, but she did have options. Sort of. As she was about to get to both feet, the Fade closed distance to her, unleashing a flurry of overhead strikes with a power the Gaidar Captain hadn't experienced in all her time wearing the Fancloak. She held on to the Void as if her life depended on it, and met each strike with a parry of her own, fighting to remain upright.

Grit and determination were hallmarks of any good warrior, and Riahana came from a family known for having both in spades. After a particularly effective parry, Riahana brought her blade hilt to her hip and launched herself upwards, thrusting her blade towards the exposed torso of the Myrddraal, executing a modified version of The Dove Takes Flight. The tip of her sword hit the Fade's chest and Ria continued to drive upwards with her legs. Gaining a standing position, Ria continued to thrust forward, feeling leather give.

Now within the Fade's reach, he grabbed Ria with his free hand and lifted her off the ground. She held on to her blade, knowing it was the one thing that would give her a chance to survive this foolish encounter of hers, but she had no leverage. He tossed her like a ragdoll, and she landed at the feet of a trio of Trollocs. The day looked like it was going from bad to worse, as another pair of Trollocs looked to close in on her.

The Wheel wills as it may, and while Ria couldn't see what was going on behind her, she knew something changed, as the three trollocs she'd been thrown to seemed to cook from the inside before crumpling to the ground. With no time to look around and see what changed, Riahana turned her attention to the two beasts who were quickly closing in. She scrambled to her feet, and while deep within she knew she'd never faced more than a single opponent in such combat, she also knew she was stronger with the sword than she'd ever been.

Practicing moves with her blade in the yards was so very different to executing them in combat, but she knew she had the angle and advantage at that moment. Lizard in the Thornbrush opened with her executing a powerful thrust at the chest of the Trolloc closing in from her left. She felt it connect, but didn't pause as she knelt and pivoted. The aim is to thrust at the second opponent as well, but momentum seemed to call for a slash, which took the second Trolloc's leg off from the knee.

Not out of the woods, the first beast was injured, but not dead. Riahana went to a low guard and from hip to shoulder, executed Low Wind Rising, bringing her blade from left hip to right shoulder. The injured Trolloc couldn't parry, and slumped dead to the ground. The second beast howled in rage and pain as it hobbled to try and strike at her, but Riahana took advantage of him being off balanced with Kissing the Adder and dispatched him.

Where is the bloody Fade! she cursed to herself as she spun around, and spotted him as another arrow sunk into his chest. How much more will it take to bring him down? she wondered. She had no idea that Ubriel had dispatched the other Fade. She was focused on her target, knowing his black blade could be deadly with a simple scratch if not healed quickly. She also knew the surest way to deliver a death blow was to behead him. He was as skilled with the blade as she, yet he possessed uncanny strength.

The Fade approached her and engaged in a series of strikes aimed to tire her out, but Riahana parried them with The Falling Leaf, sweeping her blade back and forth to easily parry each. She then transitioned into The Sapling Trembles, snapping her blade across the right wrist of the Fade. She injured him, but not badly enough to take off his hand. The move allowed her to easily transition into Arc of the Moon as she wielded her blade in an arc that landed and sliced through the Myrddraal's neck.

Riahana Ferria Gaidar Captain beheaded the Myrddraal, and heard a series of thuds behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a handful of Trollocs collapse as the link between Fade and beasts was severed.

Turning your back on a beheaded Fade, though, was not smart, as it would thrash around until sunset. Something seared into the back of Riahana's left shoulder threatening to pull her from the Void, and she brought her blade around, slicing at whatever the offender was. The headless Fade landed a lucky strike with his blade, but Ria managed to remove its sword hand with her last strike.

The grimace was plain to see as Riahana made her way back to the line. She doubted it was a deep cut (though couldn't be sure), but with the Fade's blade, it didn't have to be. Her vision blurred somewhat, but she pulled the Void closer to her, and saw an unexpected face in her Memma. Miahala Aes Sedai seemed in her element, and for the first time ever, Ria saw what kind of power her Great Grandmother actually wielded.

The Gaidar Captain stumbled, and knew she was in trouble. She needed help. . .needed healing, and the sooner the better.

OOC: Hmm...someone want to point Ria to the portal, or help her through it.

[Bree]

Ubriel saw the trollocs falling. Peach tossed her head and stamped her hooves in a small dance to shake the tension from her tight muscles. Ubriel rolled her own shoulders and stretched her neck to left and right in a similar move. They had survived. A large space, larger than she would have credited, had opened around them while they had fought the myrddraal. Now, as the numbers of trollocs fell by almost half, Ubriel looked around for her people. There were more men and women from the Tower coming through the Gateway. The archers were arranged in a smart array and taking out beasts that managed to make it through the defenders that were protecting the refugees. Most of those bedraggled townsfolk were already through the Gateway and that was making the job of the soldiers exponentially easier.

The Patrol from Heeth Tower was closing in on Ubriel's position and the bloodied Captain was shouting. "The beasts are being driven back Commander. The people of Kataba are safe and we can execute a retreat. What is your command?"

Ubriel's eye fell on Riahana just then. The Gaidar beheaded the Fade she was facing and turned to follow the path of the Aes Sedai who was tearing through the ranks of the trollocs. Several things happened at once. The headless Fade came around with its blade. Ubriel realized that not all of the trollocs were falling. Ubriel heard her own voice screaming, "Ria! Look out!" and the Fade's sword drew blood. If it was like the one Ubriel had fought, the wound was not dire. If, however, it was one of those tainted by the stain of the Shadow at Thakandar, the wound was more than enough to kill.

Ubriel shouted, "With me, Captain!" and urged Peach forward to Riahana's side. The trollocs remaining were massing there at the base of the hill under where the Gateway remained open. A last surging attack, in a very un-trolloc-like bravery, they clashed against the remaining defenders. They pushed toward the open Gateway as if to overrun it and follow the refugees through. Ubriel and Peach ran between Riahana and the onslaught. Ubriel shouted as she prepared for her axe to meet hide, "Ria, run!"

[Zack]

"Trollocs in the traveling yard?" Zacharyn thought he had overheard someone saying as they ran by him. He had recognized the Accepted who ran by from one of his classes, and didn't think she was the sort to carry tales. Changing his direction, he started jogging toward the traveling yards with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Ubriel was supposed to be leading a border patrol, but he could easily see her having lured a million trollocs back to the tower for Rory to test on if she thought no one would get hurt.

Crossing the threshold into the traveling yard was like walking into a menagerie of broken people. Refugees were steadily forcing their way through a gateway accompanied by the acrid stench of the blight. It was obvious to Zacharyn, now, that Ubriel had something to do with this. Making his way through the crowd of slightly singed people and Yellows spreading their love, he made his way to the gateway and stepped through.

Popping out on the other side of the gateway, Zacharyn immediately seized hold of Saidin. The wonderful waterfall of Saidin roaring inside of Zacharyn was only just ever so slightly dampened by the increased perception of the scent of the blight. The scent of blood and smoke filled the air, accompanying the bass rumble of the din of combat around him. Surprise jostled the void he held onto as he witnessed the Amyrlin herself destroying a group of trollocs with a weave he direly wished he knew right then. Pushing his way into the fray of combat, Zacharyn pushed passed trollocs ignoring them for the most part, only deigning to attack when one came directly in his path.

As yet another trolloc managed to make him stop, Zacharyn wove another of the drills of fire that Rory had shown him and pushed it directly into the trolloc's skull.
"I hate when she gets into fights at work."

[Roan]

The Gaidar Captain's left arm hung useless at her side as she realized her situation was about to go from bad to worse as Trollocs seemed to close ranks and head for the gateway. Part of her thought she could still fight, and with her Memma on the line fighting, she wanted to stay and fight. Someone called her name, and Ria looked up to see Ubriel and Peach charging to place themselves between the Gaidar Captain and the approaching Trollocs. She was about to thank the Mistress of Training, but then Ubriel told her to run.

Holding on to the Void took great effort, and Ria felt her hold on it slipping. She was one to assess a situation and respond without hesitation, yet part of her was not making sense of the scene as it unfolded before her. Why was the Mistress of Training telling her, Riahana, to run? She could still fight, and turned to face her next enemy.

Or not.

Such a simple movement. . .to pivot on one's foot and turn, but it left Riahana dizzy, and common sense began to kick in. No, she couldn't fight. The wound on the back of her shoulder burned like nothing she'd felt, and she still had no idea how deep the Fade's blade cut. Ria turned again, though it was more of a stumble, and started to head for the gateway.

Where was Lex? Her bay knew how to handle itself in a fight, as it had been trained for combat. When she dismounted, Lex would move off the field of battle, yet Ria hadn't caught sight of her horse. She would not abandon Lex. . .could not abandon the mare, as she trained her since she was but a filly.

As if on queue, the bay mare let go a whinny that cut across the battle. Ria looked up, and saw her horse standing near the gateway. Relief swept over Ria, and she did her best to run towards the gateway to the Tower, and safety. The warrior-like grace many associated with Warders was not present with Ria, though, as she stumbled her way along. It looked as if the last of the refugees were filing through the gateway, and all Ria had to do was close the distance.

The gateway seemed to move further from her with every step. Lex let go another screaming whinny for her rider, and Ria realized she'd covered more than half the distance. Time seemed to slow, and each step seemed to take ages, but eventually, the Gaidar Captain stepped up to her bay mare, and the pair crossed the gateway threshold together.

[Jenny]

Mirin slogged through dirt churned up by the feet of hundreds of refugees. Her arms held a stack of ragged multicolor blankets and a large bag of water jugs was slung across her shoulders. The people sat in disorganized huddles. Their faces, tired and hopeless, barely showed a glimmer of gratitude as Mirin passed out the blankets and water.

She hated this. The stench of unwashed bodies and human sweat, the oppressive feel of desperation hanging in the air, the shouts and sounds of clashing steel that still came through the portals in the Traveling Yards, the crying babes and complaining children. As a newly raised Accepted, she had come to help with the wounded, expecting to learn Healing weaves from the Yellow sisters, not…this.

“Aes Sedai?” The voice was barely above a whisper. At first, Mirin did not notice, but then a hand tugged at the hem of her sleeve. “Aes Sedai?”

Mirin’s eyes widened. “I’m not an –” she began, but the woman cut her off.

“Please, Aes Sedai, I twisted my ankle and it is swelling terribly.” The woman lifted the edge of her woolen skirt.

Mirin bent to touch the woman’s ankle. With relief, she saw that it was not red or hot. Not infected, then. But it was tender. The woman bit back a moan as Mirin gently palpated her ankle and foot. A pulled tendon, or a sprain. A simple matter to Heal. But Mirin hesitated. She had seen the simplest Healing weave a dozen times while helping the sisters in the infirmary, but had never actually used it herself. But a glance around showed that there were far too many people for the Yellow sisters to tend. And they were busy with the most seriously wounded.

Even though the woman’s twisted ankle wasn’t life threatening, it was clearly causing her severe pain. Mirin bit her lip. What if she made a mistake? But she couldn’t say no. She opened herself to saidar, carefully wove the Healing weave, and watched with bated breath as it settled over the woman. The woman gasped and stiffed as if she had been doused with ice water. And then, she looked down at her foot with wondrous eyes. She moved her foot experimentally, and then leapt up and threw her arms around Mirin.

“Oh, thank you, Aes Sedai! Thank you!” She grabbed Mirin’s hand and kissed the Great Serpent ring.

Mirin winced. The woman smelled terrible. But a small part of her felt a little brighter. The blankets in her arms and the bag on her back didn’t seem as heavy as before; the stench of the refugees didn’t seem as oppressive. She continued through the crowd, helping where she could.