Logain stepped out of the gateway and into a clearing somewhere in the backwoods of Tear. A sprawling estate lay some distance off; The hunting lodge of some lord of the land perhaps, tucked away in some all but inaccessible corner of Haddon Mirk, a few leagues away from The Spine of the World. So it is here that the Dragon makes his lair.
Four warders stepped out of the gate behind him. "Are you certain this is the place?" Logain demanded. He had been using their bond to track the position of their Aes Sedai, and with that hopefully, the Dragon himself. It had been quite a stroke of luck to have found them all lying about in Cairhien. But still, leap-frogging across the land to trace their bonds had been a tense process. The four men had cooperated, but only just.
"Aye," said one of the warders, a broad-shouldered fellow named Vitalien, "My Sarene is there." He pointed at the house. To a room on the second floor. To the left side of the room. Logain knew from experience how precise a bond could be. Gabrelle and Toveine were still a dozen leagues away, and yet, Logain still felt as though he could point them out as though they were right beside him. The fact that they were also only a few feet away through the gateway added a further level of confusion to the matter.
Logain called back through the gateway, "This is the place! Move out!"
All at once, a great column of Saldaean horse and foot began to file through the gateway. The man who rode at the head of the column gave Logain a long, dark, distrustful look. This Davram Bashere fellow also wanted an audience with the Lord Dragon, and neither he nor Logain had yet been able to hammer out who would see him first.
After the column came the strangest member of their troop; an ogier! Loial, son of Arent, son of Halan was small for an ogier, which was to say that he towered over man and beast with height to spare. Logain had told Karldin to make the gateway extra tall to accommodate the ogier, and even then Loial needed to stoop forward to fit through it.
Logain was well familiar with ogier of course. His family had entertained ogier guests on many occasions, his Lord Father's estate had even had a pair of guest rooms built extra large to accommodate their size. A few of his asha'man had been frightened by Loial's size, and one or two had even thought him a trolloc at first; but Logain assured them there was no danger. Why, Loial was probably the single least dangerous individual in their entire party!
But more importantly, he was a well known associate of the Dragon Reborn! It was he who would make overtures for Logain and his asha'man.
"Master Logain," the ogier said, in a voice that sounded like a bumblebee the size of a mountain, "Is this it? Have we finally arrived?"
"We have indeed." Logain said, "I am assured that the Lord Dragon is somewhere on these grounds, likely the manor house. I'm sure you are eager to meet up with your old friend again. If you see him, do please let him know that we are here, and that Logain of the Black Tower would very much like an audience with him."
Loial nodded, "Of course!" and lumbered away toward the manor. Logain glanced at the column of Saldaeans marching towards a small collection of stables and outbuildings. Using Loial like this should enable him to get his foot in the door with the Lord Dragon before Bashere could do so. Perhaps he could even have his audience over with before the Lord Dragon even knew that Bashere was here.
In the meantime, Logain turned his attention to the last of his party; his Asha'man and their Aes Sedai. Logain did a quick head count... everyone accounted for. Logain split his men half, those without bonded Aes Sedai to the barracks with the Saldaeans, and the rest with him to the Manor. He looked up, clouds were gathering in the sky; there would be a storm soon. Logain started towards the estate, followed close after by his Asha'man and their bonded Aes Sedai.
Before Logain could knock on the front door, someone opened it just a crack. The ageless doll-like face on the other side, belonged to a small woman with brown hair and dark eyes. "Away with you!" the woman said in a thick Illianer accent, "You do no be welcome here!"
Logain was about force the issue when another voice broke in, "What are you doing! Let the man inside!" The doll-faced Aes Sedai vanished, and a wrinkle-faced old man with a white pointed beard opened the door all the way. "I'll thank you to remember that you are guests in my home!" the man continued, "I shall be the one to decide who is welcome and who is not!"
Logain and his party crossed the threshold into an anteroom while a troop of servants went about the business of cleaning the mud off their boots. "Your confidence is greatly appreciated, my lord!" Logain said, gently declining one servant who offered to take his high-collared black coat.
"Think nothing of it, Lord Logain!" The lord said cheerfully.
Logain looked up at the sound of his name, "...do you know me, my lord?"
"We met in Salidar," The lord said, "I came to see you when you were telling your story. Though I suppose a face like mine must blend in with the rest of the crowd, no?"
A memory began to stir on Logain's mind... "Come to think of it, I do seem to remember one fellow in particular," Logain's mouth bent into a grin, "You had a very convincing accent as I recall!"
The man smiled and made a graceful bow, "Lord Algarin of House Pendaloan, at your service my lord!"
"Logain of the Black Tower," Logain said, matching his host's bow, "And it's just 'Logain' actually."
"Really?" Lord Algarin raised an eyebrow, "I was told you were a lord of Ghealdan."
"Not anymore," Logain explained, "My titles and estates were confiscated by King Johannin and the Crown High Council after I... well, after... you know."
"Bah," Lord Algarin scoffed, "A truly great man needs no titles to proclaim his greatness. Estates and inheritences can be confiscated easily enough; but education? Experiences? Knowledge of the world and its workings? That sort of thing is not so easily stripped away!"
Logain smiled, "I suppose not!" He could feel his long dormant sense of pride reawakening. Lord Logain!
"You know," The lord said uneasily, "I just had a word with the Lord Dragon. ...about joining the Black Tower," He quickly added, "That is, if you'll have me, of course!"
"We would be glad to have you," Logain said, "We can always find a use for new recruits. Though I would recommend enlisting under a pseudonym; members of the nobility don't always have such an easy time fitting in."
"I see," Lord Algarin nodded.
"In any case," Logain said as the last of the servants stepped away, "I have urgent need of an audience with the Lord Dragon."
"Well, I can show you which room he's in," Lord Algarin said, "but I'm afraid the Lord Dragon will only see you when he wants to see you, and not before."
Of course he makes everyone wait! "Then we'll wait outside his door," Logain grumbled. Algarin nodded and led the way.
When Logain and his party arrived outside the door, he noted a trio of men in black coats lounging against the walls. Each one wore a sword pin on his left lapel and a gold-and-red dragon pin on his right. Asha'man? Here? Logain didn't recognize them. Are they more of Taim's men?
"You men!" Logain called, "What are you doing here?"
The three asha'man jumped to attention and saluted fist-to-chest. "I'm Jur Grady," said one of the men, a weather-beaten fellow, probably no older than Logain himself yet already graying, with a farmer's stocky shoulders. "And that there's Damer Flinn," he indicated an elderly, almost completely bald man, "...and Jahar Narishma," a young man with long dark braids in the Arafellin style.
Logain nodded, "Your wife speaks highly of you, Grady." The man smiled.
He turned his attention to the two other asha'man, "How long have you men been out of the Tower?"
"Afraid we've not been back to the Tower since the action at Dumai's Wells," Narishma said, "We've been attached to the Lord Dragon ever since then."
"Then I take it that you are unaware that your names have been added to the deserters list?" Flinn and Narishma's names had been on the list for nearly a month now, along with another name, that of Eben Hopwill. Logain made a mental note to track down that lad and warn him as well.
The three men immediately went pale with fear, "But we've been with the Lord Dragon ever since the Wells!" Flinn spluttered, "Ask the Dragon, he'll tell you so!"
"Don't worry," Logain said, "It was probably a simple clerical error. I'm certain I can have it fixed before there is any trouble." The three men were visibly relieved. That was no error! Logain thought furiously, Taim is playing dirty-politics with the lives of his own soldiers! He probably would have added Grady's name to the list as well if he thought he could have gotten away with it! It was yet another reason to despise the man.
"Well, now that we've addressed that matter," Logain said, "It's time to meet the Lord Dragon."
"Actually," The three men stepped in front of the door, "We've been told not to let anyone in until the Lord Dragon says so."
Logain shrugged, Worth a try I suppose. "Then we shall wait until the Lord Dragon says so."
Long stretches of time have a way of playing tricks on the mind. Logain wasn't sure whether he waited for minutes or hours outside that door. Every now and again, someone would strike up an idle conversation, but it would awkwardly fizzle out after a short while. Other times, a troop of Aes Sedai would come through the hallway. One of them stopped to inquire how well Gabrelle was managing to 'keep that man under control.' The woman replied, "It's more difficult than you would think."
'Keeping me under control?' Logain thought mirthfully! Light, he practically had the woman eating out of his hand by now! No sooner had he thought that, then a sensation came through the bond from Gabrelle. It was... fond? Almost like the feeling one felt for a precocious little child? What was the meaning of that? Was she manipulating him in some secret Aes Sedai way? What sort of game was she playing with him!?
Another sensation through the bond... Laughter! Bloody flaming ashes, the woman was making fun of him! Leading him on like that to think that she was manipulating him, when in reality she... wasn't? Wait, did this count as manipulation? Was she manipulating him by... NOT manipulating him? Did that even count as manipulation? More of her laughter through the bond! Light but that woman had a way of tying his brain into knots!
Eventually, Davram Bashere came around the corridor to join the waiting party. Logain shared another long dark look with the man, So much for beating him to the Dragon without a confrontation. Logain was about to address the man to finally hammer out who would see the Lord Dragon before whom, when the door cracked open and a servant poked his head through, "The Lord Dragon will see you both now."
Both of us? Logain glanced at Bashere. The tiny man seemed just as surprised as he was. This is going to be awkward. The two men slipped through the door.
Logain winced at the sunlight. Blast it! Had some careless servant left the curtains open? That's not sunlight, Logain reminded himself. He had seen this magnificent blaze before. Logain drove his vision through the haze of prophecy and finally beheld the figure on the other side.
The Lord Dragon was a tall, red-haired, lanky boy at least several years younger than Logain. His blue-grey eyes were grim and shaded, like a man trying to seem more intimidating than he actually was. His coat was of red and trimmed with gold; Logain could remember wearing a similar garment in Salidar, when the Aes Sedai were making an exhibit of him to the nobles. He was sitting in a simple armchair; it was the closest thing in the room to a throne. In his right hand, he clutched a short steel spear with a green and white tassel beneath the tip. A scepter? If so it was a pretty poor excuse for one!
THIS is the lord dragon? Logain wondered, This boy?
A servant slipped into the room behind Logain and Bashere, "My Lord Dragon," the man said, "You already know Davram Bashere, Marshall-General of Saldaea." The Lord Dragon nodded curtly, and Bashere nodded back. The servant continued, "And this is Logain Abl-"
"We've met." Logain interrupted the servant. His eyes were locked onto the Lord Dragon.
The boy raised an eyebrow, "...have we now?"
"In Caemlyn," Logain said, "I assume that was you, climbing the palace walls to get a better look at me?"
The Lord Dragon made no visible reaction, "...The palace wall must have been a long way away," he said, "It could have been anyone. What makes you so certain that it was me?"
"Because I saw your..." Logain paused. What was the word for it? Halo? Aura? "...your light."
"I'm not sure I understand," The Lord Dragon said.
"A brilliant glow," Logain explained, "The man I saw on the palace walls in Caemlyn was wrapped in it. Just as you are now."
The Lord Dragon smiled. What was the meaning of that? Did the boy find something amusing? "So," he said, "You see such visions as well?"
Logain raised an eyebrow. There were others who saw things like that? What did they mean?
"I have a... dear friend," the Lord Dragon explained, "who sees... glimpses of the pattern. Whenever she looks at you, she sees a crown of light; blue and gold swirling about you. She says it speaks of glory and power to come."
Glory and power! Logain's previously dormant pride was now a raging fire! Blue and Gold was it? Those were the colors of the Coat of Arms of the House of Ablar; three golden crowns on a field of blue! Perhaps he should start wearing the sigil of his house again? He could easily hire some artisan to make him such a brooch to wear on his collar alongside the sword and dragon...
Wait! cried a voice at the back of Logain's mind, You've been seduced by the lure of prophecy before. You know where it leads. For a moment, Logain was back in the cage hammering against a shield of the Power... He was bound in chains, and thirteen red sisters were... NO! NEVER AGAIN!
"I've learned to be wary of prophecy," Logain said, "Keep too close to the old texts, and you will soon find yourself doing all manner of foolish things."
The Lord Dragon's blue-grey eyes narrowed, "Are you speaking from experience?"
"Perhaps," Logain matched the Lord Dragon's glare, "In any case, you would do well to learn from those who have gone before you."
"None have gone before me," The Lord Dragon said firmly, "Or do you still hold to your claim as the Dragon Reborn?"
"The pattern demanded a Dragon," Logain said just as firmly, "A pity you did not declare yourself sooner; you might have spared the world a great deal of confusion!"
"Be that as it may," The al'Thor boy said, "There is only one Dragon, and I am he. Now, are you willing to obey?"
"I'm willing to follow," Logain said, "If you are willing to lead."
"And just what are you insinuating by that?" the Dragon demanded.
"Loyalty must be earned by deeds," Logain said, "If you seek the loyalty of the Black Tower, give us a reason to be loyal. And ideally, one more compelling than some dusty old prophecy."
"I founded the Black Tower!" the Lord Dragon was growing angry.
"...and yet we've not seen hide nor hair of you for months," Logain said, "We have grown considerably in your absence. There are some among our numbers who might suggest that we have no more need of you, particularly now that the Creator has lifted the Taint from Saidin!"
The Lord Dragon blinked, "The Creator lifted the taint from Saidin?"
"Surely you noticed that much," Logain said, "Or are you grown so lazy that you cannot bring yourself to glance out of your lurking-hole for a moment? Why I myself have done more to safeguard the future of the Black Tower in recent months than you!"
"That reminds me," The Lord Dragon sat forward in his chair, "I understand you arrived with a number of Aes Sedai in your party."
"That is correct." Logain said.
"Did you by any chance, force a bond on them?" the Lord Dragon inquired.
Logain hesitated. His next words would be crucial. "We did what was necessary," He said finally, "To protect the Black Tower."
"But you did force a bond upon them," the Lord Dragon insisted.
"Because it was necessary," Logain repeated.
"Well it's not necessary anymore!" the Lord Dragon said, "and I expect you will release them."
And surrender a perfectly good bargaining chip? Logain was no stranger to the art of negotiation; he would not release the Aes Sedai without at least getting some concessions in return. "If you are willing to have your Aes Sedai release their pet Asha'man," Logain said, "I might consider doing likewise with ours."
The Lord Dragon blinked, "Come again?"
"Do you think I'm blind?" Logain said, "Those three men outside. They have been bonded by your Aes Sedai, no? What makes this right for you and wrong for me?"
The Lord Dragon shrank into his chair, holding is head in his hand. Logain thought he could hear the boy mumbling under his breath. Almost as if he were talking to someone else. Or as if he actually were someone else. It was a ridiculous sight.
This is he? Logain thought incredulously, This man, this BOY, is the one touched by the hand of prophecy? The one chosen by the pattern to unite the nations of the world and lead them against the forces of the Shadow? What a joke! The prophecies said that the Dragon Reborn would break the world and reforge it into something stronger. This fool was likely only to break the world and leave it broken!
I would have made a much better Dragon! Logain seethed with resentment. Alas, it was not to be. Prophecy had spoken and made its will clear. I'll follow this boy, Logain supposed, but only just.
Outside, a bolt of thunder split the heavens, and the rain began to fall.