Things had gotten better for Rejik--a lot better. Aviendha, one of Elayne's closest friends, decided to pay a visit to the Lord Dragon on…some official business. Not that he was informed, though--flaming women's business, he thought mockingly, but she had set Elayne straight on many issues.
"That…man who can channel…" Elayne had started angrily.
"You owe toh to him, near-sister…he saved your friend's life." Rejik was glad he was embracing saidin at that time. Presently, however…
"You can sleep in these quarters, my heart," Nynaeve said to Lan. She pointed directly to Rejik's room. Struggling to keep his mouth closed, he looked at Lan helplessly. Lan, in turn, gave him an apologetic glance and pointed to Nynaeve. Nodding in understanding, he turned to go to Rand's audience chambers. I've got to find some new quarters!
Birgitte stumbled into him on his way. She looked up at him innocently, "I heard about your…accommodation problems."
Rejik gave her a withering stare. "I could always sleep in your room, Birgitte--I'd have to warn you, though…my madness must be creeping in, because I randomly destroy things close to me with saidin in my sleep…" He laughed, leaving Birgitte staring wide-eyed at him. In a few minutes, he was escorted to Rand.
Immediately, he found himself shielded. He looked up at Rand questioningly.
"Safety precautions, Dedicated. Your issue?" After Rejik had remained silent for a few seconds, he said, a little louder, "Dedicated?"
Rejik looked up, embarrassed. He had been inconspicuously checking out the shield that kept him from the source. "My Lord Dragon…certain events have led to my quarters being…shall I say…appropriated. I request new quarters, if it pleases you."
Rand looked to the right. "Aviendha! See to it that this man is assigned quarters within the Palace grounds."
"Thank you, my Lord Dragon." With that, he was escorted out.
***
"HE ALMOST KILLED HIMSELF BEFORE HIS WORK WAS COMPLETE. YOU CANNOT ALLOW HIM TO DO SO," the Dark One's voice called out to Moridin.
"Great Lord of the Dark, I have already devised a plan that will snare him as easily as a hunted rabbit. If it is right with the Dark, I will provide him with a taste of the True Power."
"MAKE SURE IT ISN'T TOO BIG, NAE'BLIS. HE MIGHT VEER OFF HIS COURSE."
"As you wish, Great Lord of the Dark."
***
Rejik was constructing a gateway with both Powers. It was different--you made each section of the pattern congruent, but you had to bore a hole through the barrier. He was finding it to be quite a joy discovering how to do different things with the Powers. He was lucky--Nynaeve was in one of her more civil moods today.
He was about to suggest trying to create balefire, but he remembered the look on Birgitte's face while talking of this Salgoth and decided against it. He had a sudden inspiration. Rand couldn't get paranoid about a gateway being opened with both powers…who else could do that besides Nynaeve and him?
"Absolutely not! I cannot show weakness in that respect, Dedicated! Healing a prisoner that has been stilled?" Rand's eyes bored into his. Light…he thinks I'm plotting something against him!
"You could be present at the procedure, my Lord Dragon! This is an excellent experiment to be conducted…and maybe Egwene and the Tower would see you in a different light if you let someone heal one of theirs."
Rand put his chin in his hands. He looked up at apparently nothing, and then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Dedicated…I can't allow that."
Rejik sighed and said, "As you wish, my Lord Dragon."
After he left, he met Birgitte again in the hallway, which gave him another inspiration. "Birgitte, would you be interested in being a part of a test of Nynaeve's and mine?"
"It depends…do you randomly destroy things close to you with both Powers, too?" she grinned up at him.
"It's totally safe…have you ever wanted to channel, Birgitte? I've been thinking…maybe we could use the same technique that we use for healing stilled people to give non-channelers the ability to channel."
"Well…I guess it couldn't hurt." She obviously doubted the procedure. "Listen, Rejik--even in the Age of Legends, people couldn't do that."
"Could they heal stilling?" he asked back.
Reluctantly, she trailed behind him to the room where Nynaeve was. Nynaeve, however, was in a bad mood. "I don't want to waste time with it, Asha'man! You do it yourself!"
How arrogant…
Rejik thought to himself, but said, "Do you think I can do this without saidar? Why did you think I came here, for moral support?"Nynaeve glared at him. "Not today, Rejik Al'Gonath." Birgitte breathed a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, the world changed in front of him. It was as if he were embracing saidin before it was cleansed, but it actually made him sick up. Black flecks formed in his eyes.
Head shaking violently, he heard the voice of someone he had never met. Think of something…it will happen. This
"The saa, Rejik…they form when you control power taken directly from the Dark One!" Birgitte managed to get out. Nynaeve only stared at him.
Light! Yet another thing to live down! Maybe I am a Forsaken…
***
When Rejik told Rand about the experience, he again looked up at nothing and started to nod his head. Rejik was just about to ask a question when he snapped out of it and said, "Quite frankly, Dedicated, I don't know what to believe. You stop the Dark One's prison from opening and then take power out of him. What are you after!" Rand yelled at him.
Rejik looked like he was about to cry. "All I'm after is to serve you and help Nynaeve find her friend, my Lord Dragon." In response, Rand turned and made as if to leave. Then, once he was about 20 paces from Rejik, he hurled the Dragon scepter at him.
Wisely, Rejik made no move to embrace saidin or dodge the scepter. An inch from his throat, the scepter veered off its course and fell to the ground.
"You're no Forsaken, Dedicated. But I don't know what you are. Until I'm certain, you may not touch saidin anywhere near this Palace."
Rejik flinched as if struck, but he bowed his head and said, "As you command, my Lord Dragon."
Then he turned and ran.
***
"I'm warning, you, Nynaeve--he's dangerous. Stay away from him! Hasn't he proven that he's an agent of the Dark?"
Nynaeve rounded on Elayne. "Burn it, Elayne! Why would he stand there and tell us that he saw the saa unless he didn't know what they were? Why would he go to Rand willingly shielded if he was here to kill him? Just because your flaming conscience labels him as an insane killer doesn't mean he is! Now get out!"
Elayne closed her eyes, shook her head, and left. Nynaeve opened herself to saidar, then threw it away disgustedly. It felt so empty now without saidin.
Building up resolve, she walked to Rejik's quarters, only to find Lan there. The light burn me, I was a little harsh to him… She started for Rand's chambers.
She felt saidin
"I am the right dagger, one that slices quickly and never misses." Nynaeve found herself battling one of the Forsaken.
Nynaeve was at a horrible disadvantage. She couldn't even see the flows of saidin that her opponent was weaving, and her opponent was skilled with the Power. She was subdued in very little time.
The woman never even broke a sweat. Tying off a weave of blocking, she moved on.
***
Rejik was in his quarters playing cat's cradle with himself. His head jerked up in surprise; he sensed both saidin and saidar in the hallway outside. Rushing to his feet, he was almost at the door when he remembered his promise to Rand. Light, the things a man does for trust!
Suddenly, an unfamiliar woman destroyed the door to his quarters with saidin. Rejik blinked in surprise. A woman?
"Did you enjoy your gift, Rejik?" she said.
He looked at her strangely and cautiously at the same time. The woman was almost as strong as Rand with saidin…Light, I wish I could put that to the test!
"When a Chosen asks you a question, boy, you answer in due haste or be destroyed. Why do you not control saidin, boy? I know that you can channel."
"Why are you here, Shadowsouled? If you're referring to that intoxicating filth that you call Power as the gift, then I'd hate to see what punishment is."
She drew in more saidin. "I am the one asking the questions, boy," and when Rejik defiantly stared back, she burned him with it. "I see you'll need a little more convincing. You will come with me."
A gateway sliced through the air next to him. I have felt this power before…all he knew was that he needed to kill this woman. Burn you, Salgoth! he thought furiously to himself. The only hope that Rejik
He stepped out onto the grounds of Shayol Ghul. Immediately he destroyed the shield raised against him. Turning to face a gaping woman, he drew as much saidin as he could possibly draw and attacked. The woman tried to stop him, but even with an angreal, she was knocked unconscious and shielded in the blink of an eye. Rejik's heart was racing. Light, she was weak…
A man stepped out of a different kind of gateway and attacked him. This time, though, saidin seemed to have no effect on the attacker. Shielding Rejik from saidin, he laughed and kicked the woman out of unconsciousness. "You did pretty well there, Aran'gar, until your friend here almost destroyed you." The woman got up and glared at him. Unconcernedly, he continued his speech. "I possess now what you possessed for a second, Al'Gonath. With this power you could kill me in the blink of an eye." He looked at Rejik seriously.
"And become a servant of your Dark One, Forsaken? Never." Rejik forced himself to meet the man's gaze. The man is death… Rejik though unconsciously to himself.
"My name is Moridin, Al'Gonath. I am the Nae'blis, the Great Lord of the Dark's regent on Earth. I am, as well as the Great Lord of the Dark, your master."
Rejik sneered. "I'll believe that when I see it." Light, I hope I find a way to Communicate with Nynaeve soon…or anyone, for that matter!
Moridin turned his head slightly, and the light showed the saa
Rejik closed his eyes briefly. Light, why didn't I kill myself that other night?