It was a dark and stormy night. Well, it wasn't really stormy, but Liana could feel it building somewhere to the northeast. But that was for another time; things were moving too fast to be distracted.

Liana Mandragoren drove her Cadillac through the night that was so clear, you could see airplanes and raken fly hundreds of feet above the ground. She had her chocolate brown hair tied in a pony-tail at the nape of her neck to keep it well out of her pale green eyes, and she shrugged uncomfortably her closed black leather jacket. It would have been too conspicuous if she had worn her traditional Aes Sedai shawl, but she still had on a light blue t-shirt to show to show her Ajah if only to herself.

Finally Liana saw the office building where she was supposed to meet her – the indignation! An Aes Sedai to act as a mere bodyguard! That's what Warders are for. Worse than what she had to do, was who she had to work with.

She pulled into the large parking lot, gathered her purse/backpack from the passenger seat and stepped out into the brisk September air. "Liana, there you are. I have the gateway ready, but hurry! There isn't much time!" The Blue sister whirled to face the one who had spoken, her fellow guard, Asha'man Tyler Carson.

Carson was tall and bulky, with shaggy mouse brown hair and brown eyes. The idiot still wore the all black for those of the Black Tower, but at least he had donned a tan trench coat and put away the sword and dragon pins.

"Why? What's going on?" "No time to explain, just come on!" The man dashed off to a sort of backyard garden behind the complex, Liana close behind. She nearly ran into him when he came to an abrupt halt.

It wasn't a very big yard, maybe twenty by forty feet, with a thick forest on one side and granite walls on the other. In the center stood a woman dressed similarly to the Aes Sedai, with jeans, sneakers, and a dirty green shirt peeking out the bottom of her black sweatshirt. Her almost platinum blond hair hung loose in curled waves around her shoulders, blue eyes peering at them intensely.

But the most important factor of the scene before them was the lack of a gateway. "It dissipated shortly after you left." The tall woman said striding over to them. Liana bowed. "Mother,"

Carson simply stared at the air in front of him, oblivious to the Amylin and Aes Sedai. "This is not good. Come on, this way." He said jogging to a truck parked by the curb. The women ran to catch up until they felt hot white light hitting their backs and quickly turned to face it.

Headlights blazed as three figures stepped out of a limousine that seemed somehow darker than mere black. In the lighting you could just make out a few features: one of them was a tall man who was built like a scarecrow and walked the same way, another was balding and of average height, and the last walked with all hips and wore tight-fitting pants, a black halter top and heels.

The Aes Sedai tried to gather weaves of Earth and Fire, but a shield had already gone over them, meaning any or all of them could be channelers.

"So there you are! Trying to hide from us have you? Don't worry; you won't have to run anymore." Said the woman as the three stood side by side facing their prey.

Before Liana could speak, the balding man threw a small, black ball with a glowing red dot on it. A Thrasher. One of Semirhage's toys, designed to send out a shock-wave of pain when it hit the ground so great, that it caused the people it was aimed at to pass out.

No one even bothered shouting, they just split in all directions as hard and fast and far as they could, but it was no use. There were far too many moments of agonizing pain, when Liana could hear her companion's screams even over her own. Until everything went black.

(line!)

When she awoke, Liana tried to groan but found it too hard. All the pain she had felt was now in her head, and she couldn't even feel the rest of her. Upon opening her eyes, she found the Amyrlin and Asha'man lying near her on the grass with the woman in black kneeling over them.

"Hello Mother." The way she said the honorific made Liana's skin crawl. "Sorry for the short notice, but there's someone who dearly wants to meet you." As she got up from her crouch she addressed the men with her. "Get them in the car. And be careful; we were told to bring them alive and unharmed, so not even a bruise."

Liana Sedai really did moan this time and let her head loll back as she was lifted off her feet. When they got back to the Tower – if they got back – they would be in so much trouble….