Summary; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter
Thanks for the review I did get. As for calling them Asha'men or Asha'man in the plural, I'll stick with 'men', since I've already used it so many times. And I'm still not sure which is correct. I have already decided why Calla is able to tap into both Sources, but it's a secret! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it.
Please review if read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.
"I wonder how long the Aes Sedai are going to stay here," Noela wondered, shaking the bedsheets. Anne snapped the pillowcases out sharply without looking up.
"I don't know. I think it's pretty cool."
"Are you crazy?" Noela demanded, shooting a look at her friend. "The entire staff is in fear of the Red, while the Brown is constantly asking us ridiculous questions about history – like we would know. I can't wait until they leave."
"Really?"
"Really, Anne," the younger girl nodded, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"What was he doing here?" Calla wondered to herself, beginning to dust one of the rooms. "I thought they stayed in the Black Tower – or White, whatever. Wherever their Aes Sedai are."
"I thought you'd be happy to see me again, after so long."
"Jaib!" she straightened up in surprise, and whirled around to face the black-clad man. His brown hair hung a little in his gray eyes, and his 6'2" figure towered over her. "Shouldn't you be with your Aes Sedai?" she asked pointedly, turning around so her face didn't betray her emotions. Three years older than her, Jaib had been one of her closest friends before he was discovered to have the Power and was Bonded to an Aes Sedai.
"I'm not a pet on a leash – although I think she likes to think of our relationship that way," he added with a chuckle, and his hand dropped lightly on her shoulder. "You can stop acting so freaked out, Calla."
"I'm working – I'll get in trouble if I'm caught slacking off," she muttered, vigorously rubbing the top of the dresser.
"Come on – not if you're with an Asha'man. You know that," he pointed out, and she shrugged his hand off her.
"You shouldn't use your status like that," she informed him, and he sighed in disappointment.
"Oh well. I had the day off, but…"
"Day off?" she repeated skeptically, and he grinned at her.
"Well, the Aes Sedai are in conference, and I may be a Captain, but apparently they can take care of themselves when they're linked. So we were all shunted out for a while. I thought we could use the time to get acquainted again."
"Nice try," Calla turned back to her work, dismissing him entirely. "You're an Asha'man now – and Bonded, too. Things are different. You were the one who told me that before you left, remember? You didn't even let me write to you, you were so full of yourself. So don't come back now expecting me to welcome you with open arms."
"All right, have it your way," he put his hands up in a peace sign as he backed out of the room, and she huffed.
"I don't know who he thinks he is," she muttered, snapping the rag viciously. "Just because he's an Asha'man now…" Folding the piece of cloth and violently throwing it back in the bucket she carried her supplies in, Calla left the room and headed down the hallway, still grumbling to herself. She paused, however, when a strange sensation pricked the back of her mind, and the bucket slipped from her fingers as her eyes glazed over and images began to flash chaotically through her mind.
"The Source is being tapped!" Aurelia announced, unnecessarily since the other linked Sisters were able to feel it as well.
"That girl…what could she be doing?" Daelyn wondered, as they broke their link and reluctantly let the Source flow from their minds.
"Esme, come with me," Laasya ordered, gathering her robs and stalking from the room. "The rest of you, contact the Asha'men and inform them to be on their guard. Immediately!"
"As you say, Laasya Sedai," Iline bobbed her head, surprisingly alert instead of her usual composure.
"Calla! What's wrong?" Birgitte asked, rushing to her friend when she saw her crouched on the floor in the hallway, holding her head in pain. Her friend only groaned in response, and suddenly released her head with a gasp.
"What on…"
"Are you all right?" the blond persisted, kneeling next to Calla and helping her sit upright.
"It suddenly…whatever was in my head, it suddenly went away," Calla told her, unable to figure out how the pain had suddenly dissipated. "It's like someone turned off a switch…and the pictures are gone too."
"Pictures? What pictures?" Birgitte asked in confusion, but Calla's lips closed tightly as the Blue and Gray Aes Sedai approached them, the Blue looking concerned and the Gray wondering.
"Is everything all right?" the Blue asked, as Birgitte helped her friend to her feet. The blond shot the Aes Sedai a dirty look and occupied herself with straightening Calla's clothes, leaving the younger woman to reply.
"Um…yes, Aes Sedai, thank you," she bobbed her head courteously. "It was just a sudden headache. It's gone now."
"It is?" the Gray asked in surprise, ignoring the look the Blue shot her. "Would you like some Healing?" she continued, and Calla backed up nervously.
"N-no thank you, Aes Sedai," she shook her head, trying to be as polite as possible. "I feel fine, really. If you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work," she added, grabbing her bucket as Birgitte dragged her past the two women down the hall.
"Hm…a Foretelling?" Laasya wondered, and Esme pursed her lips in thought.
"I don't know. Perhaps she was having a reaction to our link?" she suggested, and the Blue nodded in thought.
"Possible. We shall report this to the Amyrlin as soon as possible – have Aurelia write up a report as soon as possible," she ordered, smoothing her skirts calmly. "And we must have someone keep a closer eye on her – Light forbid that she taps into the Source and causes wanton destruction in this place."
"Yes," Esme agreed coolly, already mentally preparing a report herself for the Amyrlin as well.
"Me?" Sy repeated, pointing his finger to his chest as if he was someone else. "Are you sure?"
"Yes – the girl refuses to speak to Jaib, and we need someone adept at the Source to control her in case anything happens," Flinn nodded, arms folded across his chest. "Laasya Aes Sedai personally requested an Asha'man to keep an eye on her. While you may not be the strongest, you can sense things about you clearer than the others. That's why I'm assigning you to guard duty."
"Sounds more like babysitting," the twenty-four year old grumbled, but nodded reluctantly when his commander sent a sharp glance his way. "Yes, sir. Can I request Micah as well? I can teach him while we watch her, and he's handy as a backup."
"Really?" the fifteen year-old Asha'man asked eagerly, looking both pleased and surprised at the sudden compliment. Flinn appeared taken aback for a moment, but nodded his agreement.
"All right – Micah, you'll be with Sy until further notice," the elder man ordered. "Don't let her know you're watching, of course."
"Yes, sir," Sy saluted, suppressing a grin of amusement at seeing Micah's eager expression.
"Are you feeling all right?" Birgitte asked again that evening, as the two women finished their cleaning and headed back to the kitchens for a quick meal before the diners began to arrive.
"I'm fine, honestly," Calla nodded. "Please don't tell the others about it – I don't want them worrying too. And stop asking."
"All right, if you feel that strongly about it," the blond agreed, a little surprised at how firm Calla sounded. Falling silent, the pair continued down the hall, their footsteps masked in the thick carpet. They began to move aside as two Asha'men strode down the hall towards them, but the taller one abruptly jostled Calla, and took her arm to straighten her out.
"Pardon me, ma'm," the redhead apologized, inclining his head briefly before continuing on. The younger boy looked confused, but bobbed his head at the two women before rushing after his partner.
"What was that about?" Birgitte wondered, and Calla shrugged.
"I don't know. I guess Asha'men aren't all pompous jerks," she guessed, and Birgitte grinned.
"That tall was pretty cute," the tall women commented, and her friend rolled her eyes in amusement.
"That's only because he's taller than you are," she replied, and her friend grinned guiltily.
"Well, maybe – but not by much," she retorted, and Calla laughed as they reached the kitchen.
"They all seem pretty tall," she noticed, and the cook glanced up as they sat down at the counter.
"Who? Me?" he grinned, and Birgitte made a gagging sound as Calla giggled. The elder man shook his head patiently, knowing they were teasing him, and continued his preparations for the meals. "You girls gonna tell me, or what?"
"Just the Asha'men," Birgitte supplied. "Most of them seem really tall."
"Hey, you two better not be getting any ideas about hooking up with one," Johnson said jokingly, but a frown crossed his face as his tone grew suspiciously serious.
"What's the matter, jealous?" the blond beauty asked teasingly, but he only grunted and shook his head.
"We're not serious, Johnson," Calla informed him calmly. "We can notice that they're tall, right? I don't want anything to do with any of them."
"Me either!" Birgitte agreed emphatically, and Noela blinked in confusion as she followed Anne in.
"Huh? Anything to do with who?" the dark-haired girl asked curiously, both girls wearing the same outfit as Calla.
"I bet they already picked out Asha'men!" Anne guessed with a sly grin, and Calla frowned as Birgitte glared at the girl.
"Have some tact, Anne," the blond said sharply, not amused at all.
"A-ha! They're defensive!"
"Cut it out!" Calla ordered, her tone sharp. "I don't think it's funny."
"Fine, fine, you don't have to bit my head off," the girl muttered, slumping on her bar stool. Although she was close in age to Calla, the girl was probably the least mature of the group, driving the others insane quite often with her lack of tact and loud mouth.
"Here ya girls go – better get ready to get to work," the cook noticed, seeing Aaron stride into the room. "It's getting cramped in here," the man joked, as the kitchen was big enough to house the entire staff if need be.
"Almost ready?" the man, in his thirties, asked impatiently. "All the Asha'men are here at once, it seems – appears to be about twenty or so in total, along with the Aes Sedai. We need to hurry, since there are other diners arriving as well."
"I bet there's not many," Birgitte remarked cryptically. "Who wants to try to eat in the same room with that bunch? It's enough to make you sick to your stomach."
"Noah aramets heah," Noela agreed, and they all turned to stare at her. She quickly swallowed the food she had been talking through and grinned sheepishly. "No arguments here," she supplied, and they nodded in agreement.
"Well, we have to serve them nonetheless, and the others are almost ready," Aaron informed them sternly. "Noela, you stay with Birgitte and help them in the kitchen – Anne, get a platter and menus and help out at the tables."
"Sure thing, boss!" the brunette saluted, jumping out of her chair, as Calla stifled a groan. Birgitte looked sympathetic, but tied her apron on firmly as she polished off the last of her meal.
"I'm ready, old man," she taunted, moving behind the counters and preparing to cook. "Think you can keep up with us?"
"Yeah!" Noela agreed, a wicked smirk on her face. "Let's show him who can cook in this place!"
"You two are on," the man chuckled, and the waiter rolled his eyes tolerantly, waiting for Calla to finish her own food and Anne to get her things ready.
"I'm good to go," Calla nodded, handing her plate to Noela and reaching for her things that rested on the shelf near the door, easily accessible to the staff. "Hey, where's my stuff?" she demanded, finding that they were gone.
"Oh, I took them," Anne said calmly, holding the things in her arms. "I needed to use them!"
Calla stifled an argument and merely dug around for extra things, quickly finding what she needed.
"All right, get a move on," Aaron ordered, following them out as he shooed into the main room.
"What was that about in the hallway?" Micah asked curiously, as he and Sy relaxed in the dining room. The older Asha'man had been ignoring the question since the incident with the two women, but the boy was determined to find out what was going on. "You're supposed to be teaching me," he reminded the young man, who grinned.
"Yeah, yeah. All right – I placed a signal ward on her body. That way, we can sense her from further away," he told the boy. Sy's dark-red hair, as well as his height, marked him as a descendent from the Aiel, as several of the Asha'men there were, due to their skill at wielding saidin. "It'll also serve as a barrier to keep the Source in check temporarily in case something happens when we're not around."
"Good thinking," Laasya complimented them, taking a seat at their table. "I trust nothing new has occurred."
"No, Aes Sedai," Sy replied, gritting his teeth in aggravation. He hadn't realized the Aes Sedai's presence until she had spoken, and was disgruntled she had overheard his plan. He did breathe a sigh of relief, however, that it was the Blue instead of the Red – actually, he preferred any of them to the Red Aes Sedai.
"Then we will proceed as we originally decided. No matter if the Asha'men decide to go their own way," Daelyn said primly, seating herself beside the Blue Sister. Sy ground his teeth, now utterly frustrated, and wished Flinn would appear and put the two women in their place as he usually did for his subordinates.
"Can I help you yet?" Calla asked them, appearing between the two Asha'men. She wondered why she always seemed to be the one stuck with the Blue Sister and Asha'men, and silently ordered her feet to remain still while she took orders.
"Not yet, thank you, child," the woman in Blue shook her head calmly, opening her menu. "In a few minutes, please."
"Of course," the young woman said, bobbing her head respectfully and moving away as quickly as she could while appearing polite.
"I wonder what she Saw," Daelyn thought quietly, and Laasya sighed.
"I wish we knew as well. I'm certain it's important," the Blue replied, a slight frown creasing her face. The two Asha'men remained silent, supposedly skimming their menus, but Micah, whose memory was extraordinary, was filing the conversation away for further use and to report to Flinn. After a moment, the two Aes Sedai seemed to remember they had company and silently exchanged glances, while Sy mused to himself in his head, his dark-green eyes staring blankly ahead.
"It must be something big, if they're talking about stuff like this in front of us without realizing it," he realized, grinning slightly as he glanced over at Micah. The boy nodded almost imperceptibly, and the two returned to looking for something to eat.
"They look like they're discussing something important," Calla said thoughtfully to Brad, who grunted, holding his own platter at his side while they waited for orders.
"They didn't order yet?" he checked, and she shook her head.
"No. I don't know when I'm supposed to go back – she said in a few minutes, but judging from the looks on their faces, they wouldn't want an interru – never mind," she sighed, cutting herself off when one of the Asha'men, the older one, waved at her suddenly.
"My order's up anyway," the young man grinned, turning to retrieve the plates of food as Calla strode back over to the table reluctantly.
"Are you ready to order?" she asked, feeling foolish as the two Aes Sedai peered at her closely once more.
"Yes, thanks," the one who had waved her over nodded. She noticed several other Asha'men filing in, but quickly returned her attention to her current diners when the older one, appearing not much older than her, began to order. "I'll have the special, I think, and a bottle of whatever's the best stuff you have in the kitchen," he said, not really appearing to care what he ordered anyway. She scribbled the order down as the others at the table also began to order, and managed to keep up with them, to her relief.
"Is that all?" she checked, and when she was greeted with calm silence she mentally winced before smiled tightly. "I'll have them here as soon as possible."
"That will be fine," the White nodded, and the server quickly moved away, feeling rather stupid around the group and smarting under the uncomfortable silence.
"What a night," Birgitte sighed, falling over backwards onto her bunk as Anne climbed up to the top one, having already changed into her pajamas.
"I don't know who had it harder, and I don't want to argue about it, either," Calla groaned, pulling her nightgown over her head and crawling under her blankets gratefully. "What a crazy night. I forgot they had the festival over in town."
"And of course, all the travelers are going to come here to eat," Noela added, flexing her fingers as she relaxed in her own bunk. "My hands are killing me from holding the pans for so long."
"At least we made overtime," Anne reminded them with a grin that the dark hid, her blankets already pulled over her head anyway. The girls shared a room in the basement of the hotel, where several workers did as well, and the room was rather small and pitch-black without a light on, lacking any windows.
"Good point," Calla agreed with a yawn, trying to stifle it without much success. "I'm going to sleep, guys. Someone wake me up if I'm still out."
"Sure thing," Birgitte replied cheerfully, her tone reminding the other girls how little sleep the blond seemed to need.
"I am a part of you…I am you…this power is mine…"
"Wha…what a weird dream," Calla muttered to herself, waking up abruptly and rubbing her eyes. "What was it there?" she wondered softly, rolling onto her stomach and heaving a sigh. The dream had been less vicious than previous ones, but no less disturbing. Someone continued to insist she had a power – and what was more incredible, that there was someone else inside her, who was really the one with the power. She had read all the history books, and learned of the Dragon being reincarnated to cleanse saidin, but wondered if he really was the reincarnation of Lews Therin Telamon or if he had just been fated to what he had become. Either way, she had no interest in dreams or fate; nevertheless, her own dreams disturbed her more than she was willing to admit to herself, and shivered despite the warm blankets.
"They're just dreams," she whispered, wishing there was some way to keep them out, even if they were just dreams. They certainly weren't pleasant, and were giving her no end of troubles in her sleep.
"You okay?" Birgitte whispered, causing Calla to jump.
"You're awake?"
"Yeah, I couldn't sleep," the blond nodded, lying on her side to face Calla. "Bad dream?"
"Less than last time," the girl replied just as quietly, blinking rapidly to try to adjust her eyes to the darkness to see her friend. "Do you ever have any?"
"Sure I do – but I just ignore them, and they go away," she shrugged, her grin going unseen. "Just don't give them too much thought, that's all. We've got a couple hours extra, so try to get some more sleep."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Calla agreed fervently, rolling onto her side and pulling the blankets over her head, burying down in the pillow in an attempt to forget the strange words she had heard in her dream.
"Someone was Channeling," Aurelia commented suddenly, looking up from her needlework to glance at Jayeuse. "Is it that girl?"
"It isn't very strong," the Green replied doubtfully. "I'm not sure. No one else here is supposed to have the ability – perhaps Laasya is Dreamwalking to meet with the Amyrlin?"
"That may be the source," the other Aes Sedai nodded, but her tone revealed that she didn't think that was a very likely possibility. "We will have to ask her in the morning."
"Indeed," Jayeuse said shortly, before returning to the novel she was in the middle of reading.
I am not planning on having romance with Jaib and Calla, for a note. There was friendship between them, not romance, so nothing there, sorry. Please review.
