The Grey Tower

Ravak nodded in agreement. From his dream-that-wasn't, he'd seen the different straps and metal cuffs that were attached to the table. Neither he nor Dax would have much luck if they found themselves bound. So they could hold a human down with ease. Testing one of the locks, he would have wagered they could hold something a lot stronger too. Not Trollocs -- the tables were too small -- but a Myrddraal certainly. Some sort of creature that sat midway in between?

Silence filled the room. With a start, he realised that a nod had no vocal qualities. "I agree. Someone was taking prisoners or victims." But for what? There was still pride and envy in the air. His mind strained for a suitable crime to fit the smell. "Experimentation fits, although for what? People or Shadowspawn. And why?"

He rubbed the side of his nose and regretted it on the instant. He had used one of the fingers dipped in blood. "Peace," he grumbled, using the back of his glove to remove the ichor. He cast an angry glance around the room. "I can't see myself getting anything out of this. How about you?"

This time, Ravak was happy to leave without answers. It was never a genius idea to loiter about in the Blight at the best of times. Something that can control Trollocs without a Fade? Yeah, this definitely didn't count as the best of times.

The Shienaran couldn't agree with the stomach turning part, but this was also no picnic in the gardens. "Let's go." Suiting actions to words, Ravak led the way back outside.

Impala was waiting uneasily outside. It took a few moments for Rav to bring his horse back into a good temper. The Gaidin was the only one unaffected by the smell, but the heat and damp and endless stretches of parched land did its work on the mind. Plus whatever would now be closing in around them now that the Dreadlord and company were dead.

Extracting a scroll case from one of the saddlebags, Ravak unfurled a vellum map over Impala's flank. "If we go due south instead of returning southwest, we should get out of the Blight a touch sooner. Means a longer journey through Shienar, but I'd rather the cold than the heat."

Rav took great care in returning the map to its case. Blight or no Blight, good maps were expensive and hard to produce. As it was, for all of his timely handling of his equipment, the Gaidin got on Impala's saddle only a couple of seconds after Miahala had mounted her own horse. It was clear that all four of them were eager to be shot of this place. Neither rider wasted any time in setting off.

They rode out in silence at a decent canter. Ravak returned to his active scan of the landscape, veering them clear of twisted trees and concealed drops. Those were the only real threats, as the void maintained it lack of Shadowspawn. In truth, the persistent heat was a more meaningful threat. Keeping the horses hydrated was a more pressing concern than keeping themselves watered, although they did that too.

After a few hours, a blessed sight came into view. The parched land slowly gained colour as they entered the Blightborder. Extreme heat was replaced by extreme cold. Ravak glanced backward, making certain that they had attracted no followers during their departure. The orange wasteland was barren of life. The Shienaran appreciated the cold against his skin.

Rav pulled Impala towards Seren, so that their riders could talk. Rav tried to make his voice sound casual but he was set into Gaidin mode. "There's justification in making camp, if you don't want to return to the Redoubt in the moonlight. I'm guessing the horses would appreciate it, but I defer to you on that point."

Ravak rubbed his ungloved hands over the small fire Miahala had got going. It was bizarre how different just a few miles made on the weather and the temperature. Not that the Shienaran longed for the Blight; far from it. He didn't know if it was possible to become accustomed to that hellish landscape but he certainly wasn't. The natural chill of falling snow was preferred over the broiling heat of the Blight, but Rav would be happier yet with his own bed and the temperate nature of western Andor.

Across from him, the Green sister seemed lost in her own thoughts. The silence had been mutually adopted yet again. In his day-to-day life Rav enjoyed silence. It let him read or write or think, more often the first two, but that was always in his own company. There was something in the quiet between them that seemed out of place. He wondered if it was simply that he wasn't used to it, but... He rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. One thing he'd never fully understood was his own thoughts or motivations.

Idly, he lifted a stick and poked at the fire. Flashes of orange reflected in his pale blue eyes.

Some time passed in the continued quiet. Eventually Rav grew bored of his stick and flicked it into the fire. He raised his head to look at Miahala. "One of us should get some rest," he rumbled in a low tone. "I'll take first watch again?" Without pausing for a response, the Gaidin started to pull on his new gloves. "Hopefully we haven't pulled down a fist of Trollocs on our head, or else it'll be a short rest."

The Gaidin didn't know what to say to that. Unsettling was one thing, but riding away like that? And burning the bodies without a thought of auto-looting them? It did seem out of character based on his observations of the former Amyrlin. You'd think you'd get to a certain age and things would cease to rattle you. That sounded as much like a lie as saying the sky was pink. The years had given him skills and experience, but he still (on occasion) felt like a young man again.

He tried not to think about how he'd cheered up Miahala the last time she had seemed distressed. Ravak was a man with needs for sure, but he couldn't just use his body like that every time a woman looked sad in his company. And the Light knew his relationships with the fairest sex went sour in due course.

No, there was nothing to do or say. The best Rav could offer his companion was a look of understanding. It was feigned, of course, but she had asked for it. Maybe in time he could understand. Maybe.