The Grey Tower

Taesh was almost all smiles as he made his way through the halls designated for the Indigo Ajah. His good friend, the Aielman Jhanic had been raised to the rank of Asha'man. Some Dedicated might be jealous or envious, thinking themselves ready for the testing, but as of yet no summons had been placed for them. The Atha'an Miere however had his own internal issues that he was still dealing with, the after affects of the attack on the Tower, and was quite content to wait for the summons.

Still he was very happy that Jhanic had achieved full rank within the Tower, and doubly happy because of the mission of the Indigo Ajah. Each Ajah, the eight grouping of channelers with the same overall calling in mind, Taesh considered them the Clans of the Tower, had it's own particular way of looking at and working in the world. The Indigo Ajah was all about uses of the One Power; studying Talents and creating and studying objects of Power. It was for the reason that the Seafolk Dedicated had made his way to his friends new quarters.

Something had happened, the day of the attack on the Tower, and Taesh could not explain it. He had duplicated what he had done, conjuring an image in a mirror, twice since the first time, so he knew it was not a fluke. He had also tried without the mirror, to no affect, but was able to achieve the same results in a different mirror than his own. That was about as much experimentation as the dark-skinned channeler was willing to do on his own. The dangers of unknown and unskillful weaves had been drilled into his head too much by Aes Sedai and Asha'man for him to risk much more. Now, however, with Jhanic a fully raised Asha'man, and a member of the Ajah dedicated to the study of Talents, Taesh felt he had someone to help him figure out what exactly he was doing.

Earlier in the day the Dedicated had sent a message to the Aielman Asha'man asking for a meeting. A Soldier had reported to Taesh the time and place that Jhanic would be available. Taesh was a little early, the excitement of seeing his friend with Sword, Dragon and Cord made him move faster than normal. And also an urging to need to know what exactly was happening, and if the image conjured in the mirror were true or not sped him along even more.

Taesh smiled and bowed slightly as he passed the occasional Aes Sedai or Asha'man in the Indigo Halls, until he finally stopped in front of the door that the Soldier had described as belonging to the new Asha'man. Taesh knocked in a quick rapid succession, his voice full of pride and laughter as he called out "Thunderwalker Asha'man!" Belatedly Taesh thought that yelling out might not have been the best idea, Jhanic outranked him now, and Taesh had no clue whether that fact may have changed their easy rapport.

Jhanic's feet moved with much more ease in his new soft boots. He could feel the ground he walked on much better, and they allowed for better movement. He made quite a sight moving across Grey Tower grounds in his cadin'sor as well. It had been quite a trip to retrieve that. His near-brother Rhen had become clan chief, and his sand-colored hair had turned mostly silver. He had lines in his face as he introduced Jhanic to his wife and children. He had not stayed in the Three-Fold Land long. It was not said, but it was fully understood that there was still no role for men who could channel among the Aiel, and Jhanic had a role in the Grey Tower now. The Wise Ones encouraged him to come back when he was able.

He had not been back in the Tower long after that when he was summoned to the M'Hael's office, and he left as the new Master of Soldiers. Soldiers and Dedicated alike had to defer to him on a whole new level now. He found himself a mentor to a Tower full of young men learning to channel and finding their strengths. It was never as simple as that, though. He had just met with a petulant soldier who tried to grumble about wishing that Aelyn Syndovar was still Master of Soldiers before walking off. He would be scrubbing pots for the rest of the evening until he could have a more detailed discussion with him in the morning.

For now, though, he had a meeting with a friend of his. Well, Taesh was still Dedicated, but he was a good man. He wondered why the young Atha'an Miere wanted to meet with him. It felt strange to have to reach out to each other through a mediated message. He still understood the necessity, though. He moved quickly into his Ajah's quarters, still wearing the sword and dragon pins, but under his shoufa. His indigo cord was still visible on his shoulder, and just as Gaidin and Gaidar, and some Asha'man did, he wore his spears and buckler. The years of training in the One Power had not erased that he was Aiel. The Aielman felt back in his element along with a few new ones. He would have to make his other new title known under his own power, though.

Jhanic walked the halls of the Indigo Ajah Quarters until he reached his door. Taesh was waiting for him. "I see you, Dedicated Taesh," he said with a smile. "It seems becoming Master of Soldiers has done nothing to stop me from being late." He opened the door to his quarters. Having only been an Asha'man for a short amount of time, he hadn't had a chance to decorate to his tastes. So, sitting in a chair with a guest still felt strange, but it would have to do. "Come in, come in. My water is yours."

Taesh started as Jhanic came from the unexpected direction from the hall as opposed to behind the door. If possible, the Atha'an Miere's smiled was almost radiating visible light as he took in the sight of his Aiel friend. This was the first time that Taesh was able to actually see Jhanic, and the Atha'an Miere was very excited and happy to see his friend with the sword and dragon pins as well as the Indigo cord.

"I see you, Dedicated Taesh, It seems becoming Master of Soldiers has done nothing to stop me from being late."

"I seem to remember being told that Aes Sedai and Asha'man are never late, everyone one else is just early" Taesh replied laughing. "And in my case it is completely true." There was a sense of joy and also relief in Taesh's voice. It seemed, for now at least, that the easy nature between the two would continue, even though now Jhanic was both Asha'man as well as Master of Soldiers.

"Come in, come in. My water is yours."

Taesh stepped into the room, still all smiles. "You clean up quite nicely if I may say so Asha'man. The dragon and cord suit you well, though I never doubted the would." The Atha'an Miere did a quick turn about the room before turning back to the Aiel, though still smiling there was a touch of something in his eyes, something akin to fear or confusion. "I apologize for not coming to congratulate you sooner, after everything that happened...I need to sail the sea on my own so to speak" the Dedicated began. "That was a storm I never thought we'd have to weather, but weather it we did."

Taesh turned from his Aielman friend and superior again, calming his emotions as scenes of the attack on the Grey Tower played through his mind, the most prominent of memories were those in which he had used saidin to kill. It took a few deep breaths for the Dedicated to call himself but once he did he turned back to the Master of Soldiers. "Something happened that day we went out into Hama Valon to help the injured and trapped. I have kept it to myself, but I don't think I should any longer, that is why I asked to meet with you." Taesh took one of the seats in the room and began to explain exactly what happened.

"It was after a group of us had killed one of those Seanchan flying beast, but before we got the orders to go out into the city. I was in my room, trying to figure out what kind of blow was happening. Then I remember thinking about my family, wanting to know if the Star Song was alright. So I was going to Travel there, but I couldn't. I didn't know where on the oceans the ship was, and I couldn't Skim. Not for as long as it would take my to search for my ship" at that Taesh paused as a shudder raced across his body. The Atha'an Miere was able to create Gateways, boring holes into the Pattern to move from one place to the next as male channelers did, but he did not like Skimming. The void that Skimming happened in, the great expanse of nothingness frightened the Atha'an Miere. There was no way he would be able to withstand a prolonged search in that place that wasn't really anything. It was just the briefest of moments before he continued.

"So I stood there, saidin filling me like a ship with a hull full of holes, and something happened. It was a weave, not one I've ever seen or done before, that allowed me to see my mother through the mirror the Clan gifted me. At least it let me see her office on the ship and she was there for a moment. I thought maybe it was an illusion, that somehow I was creating what would bring me comfort, but I knew that it was real. I tried again, later after everything, and I knew what I was seeing was true, because sometimes she was there, and sometimes my father. Sometimes both and sometimes neither, but I saw the changes in them. If I made an illusion of my mother, it would be as I saw her the last time we were togther, not how she would looked now. Right?" Taesh ended on an almost pleading note, needing some reassurance that what he was seeing was real. "I know you and your Ajah study the Talents and such, have you ever heard of anything like this?"

Jhanic couldn't help but notice that Taesh was a bit on edge as he walked into his quarters. It was like he had been during the battle that the Grey Tower had fought before, but better hidden. It seemed he had a bit more on his mind than just a visit, which was what he had thought, since the Atha'an Miere had made arrangements to meet with him. When they sat, Jhanic listened to the situation that Taesh laid out for him to consider. He knew how to make the Illusion weaves, and they could be as complicated as the imagination dictated. The other man could have made his parents look any way he wished, really. But, it seemed like his last memories of them were what he was concentrating on. The Asha'man could tell that the Dedicated had thought about it a great deal. He knew that sometimes unknown weaves came to others naturally without training, sometimes.

He thought on it for a moment, considering the Dedicated in front of him. He knew Taesh to be an intelligent, thoughtful man, willing to consider every side of a story. Jhanic shook his head slowly as an answer. "No, I have not heard of this Talent, my friend. However..." His duties as Master of Soldiers took up most of his time, but he still made time to study.

Jhanic stood from his seat and reached to his nearby desk, snatching up a notebook and a pen. Flipping to the first empty page, he readied himself. "...However, there is much to be learned of it before we can let it rest. Have you tried the weave again since you first used it? Can you describe the weaves, or draw a diagram of them?" he asked, keeping his voice conversational. His mind began to reel with questions and speculations, but he kept his demeanor calm for his friend.

"Can you describe the weaves, or draw a diagram of them?"

Taesh nodded and closed his eyes. Seizing the alluring maelstrom of saidin he recalled the times he had used the weave. He had to fight the urge to actually use the power rampaging within, and simply speak aloud the pattern of the Powers the made up the unknown weave.

"I have tried it many times" Taesh began. "I have learned now, the weave requires something that casts a reflection. I thought at first maybe it was only my mirror, but I am no ter'angreal maker. So I tried a few other mirrors in a couple of other Dedicated's rooms, and it worked there as well. The weave is made of Spirit and Air wound together, like a rope almost. But the end is open, like a net. The net part of the weave spreads over the surface of the mirror, that is the first change."

Thanks to the enhancing effects of seizing [/i]saidin[/i] Taesh was able to vividly recall the moments that he had used the weave before. His voice was strong and confident as he described what he remembered, it was as clear as if he was using the weave in the moment.

"Once the surface of the mirror is covered and kind of mist rolls over the glass. I can't see myself anymore, only the mist. Once that happens, a thread of Fire spirals out around the rope of Spirit and Air, but it doesn't weave into the net, but instead surrounds the net and mirror. Then the mists are gone, and the image is there, clear as the sandy bottom of a crystal clear cove."

As Taesh explained how the weave was made, Jhanic sketched a simple diagram, indicating which of the Five Powers were used where. To the side, he wrote notes on the effects of the weaves. Air and Spirit were the basis of the Illusion weaves. He did not know all the finer details of those weaves, but he at least knew that much. He supposed that the Fire must have been a subjective weave to conjure the image, in order to finish the Illusion. "It is good that you've tried this weave on other mirrors," the Master of Soldiers said as he finished writing his notes on the weave. "I suppose it will not take long for news of your ability to make its rounds around my Ajah as well," he said with a small smile. "Not for the purpose of spreading rumors, but a new ability must be studied fully. It is also a rare thing to discover a weave without being taught first."

Jhanic's new quarters were full of things that others thought an Asha'man would need. He had tucked his standing mirror away, as he did not use it much. Usually only when he wore his formal Asha'man coat. It was still an odd thing to see his cadin'sor reflected back in a full-length mirror. He stood and walked to his bedroom, finding the small, simple hand-held mirror in a small drawer. Returning to the Dedicated, he laid it on the small table between them. "It sounds like this weave has a basis with Illusion," the Aielman said as he sat back down. "Thus, I don't think it should cause an undue explosion," he said with a smile. "Demonstrate the weave slowly with this mirror. I have a larger one in my rooms, if you think this one too small for the full effect, but I would rather see the weave in smaller form, to be safe."

Listening to Jhanic Taesh felt a little better. He had been a little worried about what was happening, the Dedicated new that unknown Talents were incredibly rare. Practicing with the weave without knowing exactly what was happening was dangerous as well. That is what ultimately forced the Atha'an Miere to seek our his Aiel friend. He didn't want anything that he was doing to bring harm to the Tower, or to the Star Song, the place that he most often sought out in the mirror.

He watched as Jhanic went to retrieve the hand mirror and placed it on the desk.

"Demonstrate the weave slowly with this mirror. I have a larger one in my rooms, if you think this one too small for the full effect, but I would rather see the weave in smaller form, to be safe."

"This will be fine, I think" Taesh responded.

Taking a breath Taesh opened himself to saidin and quickly wrested the Power with the strength of his will. Every time it became a little easier, though it was still a struggle. The male half of the One Power was a raging sea, that could pull the unsuspecting a weak willed under, but the clarity of perception it brought called to the Dedicated. With the Flame and Void, Taesh was able feed his distractions into the Flame and begin the complex weave.

Even slowing down, Taesh was still not quite sure of what he was doing. Spirit and Air weaved together first in a tight rope. So intricate and tight was combination of the two Powers that it was hard to see one from the other. To the eye of those who could see it, the weave had a pale yellow hue. Slowly the rope extended from the Atha'an Miere's being and sought the mirror. There, the end of the weave spread across the surface of the mirror, threads of Spirit and Air covering every surface. What was once reflected in the mirror, the ceiling of the Master of Soldiers room, was now replaced by what appeared to be a rolling fog, that distorted an image that was not a reflection of anything in the current space. Taesh focused on that image, and his desire to know what it was, and then a thread of Fire snaked through the rope that spread along the rim of the mirror. As soon as that happened, the fog separated showing a clear image.

Taesh had never worked with a mirror this small. All that could be seen at first was s small spot of a desk. The Dedicated knew the desk, but he knew that Jhanic would not recognize. It took some effort to adjust the image, Taesh already felt himself getting tired, but he was able, with a pulse of the three Powers to focus on something else in the room. Motion skewed the image in the mirror and then resettled, and within the small reflective surface of the mirror more of the Sailmistress's office was seen.

Next to his mother's desk was standing a woman that Taesh was not familiar with. By her piercings and the medallions on her chain, she was a Windfinder, but she was not Kaylen, the Windfinder to the Star Song when the Atha'an Miere had been living on the seas. The Dedicated's curiosity about this unfamiliar Windfinder must have affected the weave as another pulse raced through the rope of Spirit Air and Fire, and the image in the mirror shifted to a closer view of the woman's face.

Before Taesh began, Jhanic turned the page in his notes to a fresh one. When he was finished cleaning the notes and drawing out the diagram of weaves, it would be so that anyone could read it. Every time he saw something new of the One Power, he made sure to take thorough notes, so that he could compare with his older notes. There might have been something he missed. As Taesh described, the weave began with a tight column of Air and Spirit. It was much tighter than he had thought, and he sketched it to the best of his abilities. It was easier to draw the Air and Spirit as the flows of the One Power spread across the surface of the mirror. Toward the bottom of the page, he drew a small representation of the mirror and the rolling fog. He watched as the flow of Fire was added. Jhanic saw the top of the unfamiliar desk, but he could at least assume that it was connected to the Star Song, as the Atha'an Miere had mentioned before.

He sketched a second mirror next to the one that had the fog sketched on it, and added a note that the image changed according to the channeler when Fire was added. The Dedicated concentrated on the desk top, then the flows changed, they gave a surge of power. The image in the mirror changed. A woman stood next to the desk now that it was in full view. The piercings and markings the woman had were something he had never seen before. He had heard Taesh mention them a time or two, but Jhanic wasn't so knowledgeable to know what they meant, though. He saw the surge happen again to the flows, and the image shifted to the woman's face.

"I cannot hear anything happening there," he said in a low voice, trying to take in everything he could. "Are you able to view places that you have never visited before?" A thought crossed his mind of seeing Rhuidean, but he dismissed it. He would not step foot in that city without permission from the Wise Ones, and he would not set eye on it either.

Taesh was so busy studying the Windfinder's face that he almost did not hear the Master of Soldier's statement or question.

When he did, he shook his head, ceasing the flow of saidin. "I have never been able to hear anything. Sometimes I see my mother meeting with someone, or she and my father in discussion. I can see their mouths moving, but nothing. I have called out to them, but they do not hear me either. Sometimes though, my mother will look around as if she thinks someone is there. And Kaylen, the Windfinder of the Star Song she would always look around, as if she knew I was watching, or felt like it, or something. That woman was not my mothers Windfinder though, she is a Windfinder, she does not belong to the Star Song."

Taesh was so distracted by this new woman, or specifically by his lack of knowledge of Kaylen that he had briefly forgotten about Jhanic's other question. The Dedicated sat down though before he answer, using this unknown Talent was still very tiring for him, and he would need a moment's rest before he could do it again.

"I have never been able to see a place that I do not know. I tried looking into the other Towers, but then I thought maybe they had done something that wouldn't allow me to see. So then I tried looking into some of the places I have heard about, the Stone of Tear for instance. Nothing, just the fog until I couldn't hold it anymore."

The Master of Soldiers nodded as he wrote down what was being said in his notes. He knew there was a way to make sounds with the One Power, but this was definitely something different. It also made sense that one couldn't see into places where they had never been. Perhaps it was connected to familiarity even more deeply than that. The Atha'an Miere were always on the move, after all, but Taesh was able to find his clan without knowing their ship's current location. He jotted that down as well. It seemed like from the Dedicated's description of people seeming to feel something happening around them, that those who could channel could possibly feel the presence of the One Power a little more than those who could not. It was still interesting that there was something that those who couldn't channel could feel.

"This time, you focused on the desk first," Jhanic said when Taesh spoke of the woman that he did not recognize. "Even though the ship moves around, you are able to find the location through something or someone that you know, it seems. I wonder, if you were to focus on someone that you know, perhaps that would change the view. You may even find out more about this unfamiliar Windfinder."