Note: The character Dirk's real name is Kye. So either appellation refers to him.

I apologise for the amount of K names in this chapter.

Kea: - Damane turned Accepted, wanting to be Aes Sedai.

Kye: - Ex-Warder now a Warder again to Kea. Also known as Dirk.

Kera: - Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah also appears in Chapters 10-12.

Disclaimer: All profits to RJ, the man, the Legend.

Chapter 26: Names

"There are Shadowspawn in the Tower!" announced Yukiri. Pevera,Saerin, Seaine and Doesine have all got a complete circle with them and are scouring the Tower as we speak; but with so many Black Ajah, and now their dark allies, coming out of the wood work…" she let her voice trail off.

Egwene had taken control of the Novices and the local area around the now subdued battle scene. Elaida's body was still there lifeless, her head covered by a six striped stole. Messana was also there she was on her knees a block held on her by a complete circle of Aes Sedai that had arrived with Yukiri.

The arrival of a Sitter had looked like it might have shaken Egwene but without Elaida and with the Tower in disarray and ruin lurking everywhere Yukiri had not even tried to call Egwene down or reign her in. The fact was Egwene clearly had the support of a great number of channelling women and had an imprisoned Forsaken. But what truly counted was Kea stood at her shoulder, right now Kea was the pivotal figure in the Tower. Not only that, but Egwene and Nicola were the two most powerful in saidar. It was just an inbuilt reflex in Aes Sedai to defer to strength in the Power.

"Let our Sisters in," commanded Egwene. The Grey looked at her askance. Well she might they were at war and only yesterday they had been dealing with these same 'sisters' as captors and captives.

"I am no girl Sitter, I am Egwene al'Vere and I am the Amyrlin Seat I have been for over a year. I told you that when I was captured so it should be no surprise. Now go let in the other sisters so that we can tear these Light-forsaken Shadowspawn from the Tower and hurl them back into the Pit of Doom!"

The two rivers girl had begun her little speech is a quiet but firm and commanding voice. She ended it in a shout and Yukiri had to hold herself so that she did not flinch. Egwene was very powerful and if she unleashed her anger using saidar… well none of those present wished to see that.

"Excuse me Amyrlin," broke in Kye, Kea's Warder, "That will be difficult." She directed her attention to him her gaze forbidding but the man was not quelled. "They know allies lie in that direction and have moved to bar the gates. Trollocs, Black Ajah, even the Sightless."

"And we have to hold the block on Messana and prevent any rescue attempt," added Yukiri.

Egwene turned slowly and let her gaze linger on the Grey sitter. She did not say she thought her a bit of a coward, but her gaze could not but imply disappointment. "Still it must be done," she stated simply.

"We will do it," announced Kea. "We are ready to serve and with just my Warder I will pass unseen more easily than an entire Circle. Egwene paused looking hard at Kea, probably noticing the lack of agelessness and of shawl.

"I am not Aes Sedai yet but it was I, with the help of my Warder who exposed your enemies. It was I who dragged the Black Ajah out of the Shadows and helped the Ajah of the Light to rally the Sisters to the real war. Do not think me weak, I can do this! I am no ones slave, not anymore, but I will serve you Amyrlin so long as you serve the Light."

Egwene gave a little start, "You were damane?" she stuttered, for the first time sounding discomforted. "I was Dirk rescued me," she motioned to her Warder.

"I thought…" began Egwene but at that point the distant sounds of fighting dramatically increased as the door to the large hallway broke in pieces and tower guard backed into the room still fighting.

"Go then!" Egwene commanded instantly. "Yukiri maintain the block, do not get distracted. "Novices, slaughter the spawn of the Nameless One!"

Kea did not pause to see the devastation wrought on the invaders. Still she saw Nicola weaving the same spinning rectangles of light that Messana had used to decimate the Novices. Out the rear door she ran and then followed the corridor left knowing that the stairwell was not far away. At first her Warder was on her heels but soon enough he drew level and seconds later pulled ahead. He arrived at the stairway first and cleared it. Seconds later, when she arrived, the doorway was open and the guard dead. They descended the spiral stairs two or three steps at a time. She heard guttural growls as they neared the bottom, but Kye simply called for her to hurry. She did so turning the corners soon enough to see him leap into the air and land with both his feet planted firmly in the chest of a Trolloc. The beast its snapping canine jaws unable to purchase on its assailant toppled backwards into its fellows. Balancing as if on an acrobats rope Kye allowed momentum and gravity to do the rest. The whole horde of enemies tumbled backwards down the stairs with him atop the bunch. Once they hit the bottom he killed them with economical strikes as the huge creatures attempted to extricate themselves one from another.

They were in the ground floor corridor rushing along now at an ever increas9ing pace. Here and there small pockets of Power induced battles raged. Kea could sense huge amounts of Saidar being directed, woven and flung in all directions. She could not concentrate on it though, she could barely think so tired was she. Her body unused to the strain of sprinting was beginning to demand rest and air. A demand she refused it, pushing herself beyond her limits. She found herself suddenly drawing strength somehow and felt herself gain an inexplicable second wind. As her mind cleared able to think of something other than its increasing need for air and rest she was able to reason that she must be pulling it from Saidar or else directly though the bond from Kye. The Warder showed no fatigue but she could feel that it was from him she was taking this strength. She did not know how she was doing this or how to stop it had she wanted to.

The door to the outside was in sight but a melee raged right before it. Trollocs led by two Myrddraal covered the exit. They were fighting with three Warders and some Tower Guard. At first Kea thought she was mistaken but as they got close enough she saw that some of the Warders and indeed two of the Guardsmen were fighting alongside the shadowspawn.

"Kill them!" she commanded. Her Warder leapt to obey. In a way that made her sad, in the past Dirk would not have been ready to kill so easily. In the past he would have tried to get her to concentrate on the Trollocs and the Fade. He would have wanted to wound, capture and reason, not so now. Kye leapt into the battle before they were aware of him and wreaked a whirlwind of death. A Warder went down skewered from behind so the point of Kye's sword emerged from his chest. Next the Warder kuilled a Trolloc and then went straight for the nearest Myrddraal. The Fade was ready for him and a duel commenced rather than a slaughter. Kye moved like the wind itself. His cloak made him seem to flicker in and out of existence. The Fade too, seemed almost a shadow more than a real thing. She unleashed fire into the ranks of Shadowspawn. She didn't waste must time weaving. Simple fire pulled directly from Saidar and left to explode amongst their ranks. She flinched however as she saw a trolloc explode and than brave man fighting him recoil grasping a burnt and melting face. After that she was more careful aiming her weaves and taking care what she used and when. She managed to get to the man she had accidentally burned using flows of Air to cut the throats of the trollocs over him. Knealing by his side she could not help herself, she wept.

"I am so sorry," she cried. "I was just trying to kill the trolloc!" The man could not speak either from pain or because his face was too damaged to function. She tried to heal him that was what Dirk thought the Power was better used for. Unfortunately she was woefully ignorant of healing. She had not heard of it prior to meeting Dirk and even since3 coming here had made no effort to really learn. Her pitiful skills were no match for the power of this dark wound she had inflicted.

So distraught was she the attacker who approached her utterly avoided her notice. She had not avoided his. As the only one wielding the Power she had positively trumpeted her presence. Hands suddenly closed on her with vice like strength. She felt herself wrenched backwards and realised it was a man not a trolloc or a fade. She could feel cold metal at her throat and the man was hissing to her to hold still or die. Her body was limp but her mind was racing. She could not understand how this had happened. Where was her Warder? He must feel her distress through the bond… where was he! She opened her mouth to call out and felt two gloved-fingers inside it wrenching her jaws apart. Then to her horror some cold tea was forced down her throat. The glove once again covered her mouth and this time a finger and thumb covered her nose also. Spluttering and choking she swallowed and spat that concoction at the same time. Some went down her nose some seeped out through the gloved hand that gagged her mouth, but most slid down her throat. She felt weak and bewildered for a moment. The knife eased its pressure and she tried to channel, but she couldn't, she felt sluggish and sleepy. The man handled her now as a toy, he obviously was confident in whatever this vile tea was. Her mind was too slow now to recognise what must have happened to her. She was barely aware of being lifted and taken by the man.

----

He felt her suddenly panic. He tried to turn but just then the Fade pressed the attack as if he was working in conjunction with the assault on his Aes Sedai. Well he knew a few manoeuvres for fighting Fades. Nevir had hated the Shadow and so had her disciple. They had prepared and then killed many of them. Realising that to be of any use to Kea he had to kill the Myrddraal he gave it his undivided attention. His urgency however belied his indifference. It was impossible to truly forget the woman to whom you were bonded. That was why he had allowed Revoir to use the Circlet on him. The pain had been too much, the link too acute too unforgettable to be forgotten.

The Sightless had not been prepared for this whirlwind. The Warder unleashed a torrent of blows powered by his fear and anger. He drove the halfman back but could not land a telling blow. His blade landed side on only to deflect from the scale like black armour covering the halfman's thigh. The eyeless, deathly white face simply gazed back at his own gaze of fury and the duel continued. Then suddenly Kea dimmed. That was the only word he could think of for it. Her presence in his mind was suddenly less and he felt his soul scream. Not again, never again! He would rather die! That was when he realised the only way to end the battle quickly it was a tactic he had used before. However it was one never to be used on Fades and with good reason. But as he felt Kea being moved taken from him, just like Nevir had been, he threw away all his restraints, all his regrets and everything he knew or thought he knew and acted. He dived recklessly forward and swung his sword in both his hands. The halfman saw his opening a struck, the black Thakan'dar made steel, quenched in a human soul ripped through the charging Warder's side. He could not resist the urge to scream but managed to turn it into a scream of rage and victory. As the Myrdraal blade tore his side he decapitated it in one fell stroke. Quickly he raised his leg and side kicked the fade launching the evil creature onto its back. He knew it would not die fast enough, but die it would. Even halfmen didn't come back from decapitation.

He turned and began to run, blood oozed out of the tainted wound in his side and he pressed on trying not to think about it. Wounds from those blades did not heal at least they could not be healed without the use of the Power. He was as good as dead but he just allowed that to take away his fear. He used it as an excuse to push his body all the harder. He had to make his death mean something.

She was faint but he could still sense her and so he ran, he against whatever, whomever had his Aes Sedai. Whomever that was be it the Dark One himself, Kye was going to kill him, even if it was the last thing he did in this life.

He burst from the doors in time to see the man drag his Aes Sedai towards the side gate that led from the White Tower compound. Pulling and carrying Kea had slowed the man considerably and Kye new he could catch him in time. Now he was in sight of his quarry his pace increased. At the gate a woman came forward to meet the man. Seeing Kye's rapid approach she called out to the man who upped his pace. It would not be enough and Kye could not help himself as he smiled at the thoughts of what he would do to this man. What he had wanted to do to those who had cost him Nevir.

But then the man turned and he saw Kea's eyes were open, dull and misty but open. She was awake. He pressed a wicked looking knife between her exposed breasts and demanded he stop. Slamming a foot into the ground he skidded to a halt, no more than five paces from his enemy.

"I saw you in there and I know you could kill me but if you've tracked me out her you are hers, right?"

He did not respond but it appeared that was not necessary. The woman had now joined her partner and taken a position a step behind him to his left. She looked different. Now she was in the light of day he realised she was Seanchan. Though she did not wear the lightning bolts right now he knew that stance, that look of horror and pity that crossed her face when she glanced at Kea. She was sul'dam.

The man continued, "The Seanchan, don't care about the fight in there. They certainly don't care about you but this one they want. You can live through this if you just back away."

"If you do know she is mine then you must be knowing you will not leave here alive with her. Trust me all that is allowing you to breathe and your heart to beat is the fact that she breaths and her heart beats. You are out of the Creator's hands and now you do be in mine. You leave her here and run for your life, then spend the rest of your days praying I never see you again."

The man was visibly shaken but the woman laughed. "You challenge us now and we will wreck the whole Tower with lightning and fire. You are in chaos, your masters confused and at each other's throats. This is what you get allowing marathe-damane to remain uncollored. We will correct that. You will not put one damane above your whole way of life, know you no duty?"

"My master is in your hands and my blade is bared. I am no sword master, nor as I Aes Sedai, but your man can tell you that if I strike, you and he are dead. Give her back to me or else."

"I am not accustomed to being threatened," began the sul'dam.

"That is because normally you carry a very powerful weapon. But today you are unarmed sul'dam filth. I killed Kea's last sul'dam and if you try to collar her I will kill you."

"Kye leave this," finally Kea spoke. "It's like we always knew it would be, for the good of the Tower. Go Kye! You know how to obey me, go!"

He paused, thousands of thoughts raged through his head but over them all ruled his feelings. "No" he replied with finality. "I will not leave!"

"You will die! I saw it in my test to be Accepted, please, please leave now!" pleaded Kea.

"Too late," crowed the woman. From the gate were emerging a small line of Seanchan warriors and a woman in lightning panelled skirts who held a collar. Behind him he saw two more warriors approaching. He was losing blood, he had to act soon, but fear for Kea kept him rooted.

"Surrender please!" she suddenly begged. She remembered the test. If he surrendered he would live. He would feel betrayed but he would live that was better than nothing. She remembered shouting for him to free her and then the feeling of him dying, she would not be able to bear that she could not.

"I do warn you" he said speaking to the woman who was now openly sneering. "If you try to collar her you will not leave here alive." She only laughed in response.

"Kye stop, surrender to them, swear the oath, live. Kye, obey me!"

He remained standing still but he slowly moved his gaze to lock it onto her eyes. "Kye would," he said slowly nodding. Then without warning his arm snapped up and the sneering sul'dam who had just taken the a'dam into her hands fell his dirk lodged in her neck. Spinning his sword flew out and struck down first one and then the other soldier that had approached him from behind.

"I ado be already dead," he announced. "Who would like to join me?" Even as he asked he was running. The man who held the helpless Kea knew death when he saw it and saved his own life by dropping her and fleeing. The sul'dam in her red and blue panelled skirts was on the floor retrieving the a'dam. The other soldiers moved in-between the charging warrior and his Aes Sedai. "Ye do be making a mistake" he promised. And the battle was joined.

His blade moved like it never had before. It was sublime each blow seemed to be ideally placed and his feet leaden with his loss of blood seemed suddenly light and nimble. He realised that it was coming through the bond. Everything she had was coming to him.

Whirling around he knocked a blade into another then continuing his spin he engaged a third man who had believed him occupied and had reckless lunged at his back. Dirk opened his arm allowing the sword to slide between his side and arm and then pulled his arm fast to his side trapping the weapon. Twisting he forced the Seanchan fighter to let go of his sword or be pulled off balance. The figter released his weapon and tried to leap back and escape. Forwards was where Dirk wanted to go. He lunged right after him all but ignoring the swiping blades that cut through the air he had just vacated. The weapon less man had no chance he brought his hands flailing round to protect his face and Dirk just stabbed him in the chest. He fell dead and Dirk cut another swathe around him using the sword form Swallow over the Lake. He followed this with an innovative River undercuts the Bank and separated one of the warrior's from his torso. This was almost his undoing as his sword stuck the dead man's guts and bones. The other warrior returning from avoiding the first form slashed downwards for the kill. Dirk rolled in retreat. His hand suddenly found the sword of the first man he had disarmed and grasping it like the life line it was rose himself onto one knee and holding the hilt in both hands blocked the renewed assault of the Seanchan warrior.

"Stop!" it was a woman's voice. Both of the men sweating from their exertions and Dirk from his wounds came to their feet and backed away warily. The sul'dam stood commanding and triumphant. A collar attached seamlessly to a silver lead was around Kea's neck.

"Any further resistance is useless warrior," she explained. "Drop your weapon and surrender." When Dirk hesitated to obey her face grew less anxious and more cross as if she were a teacher with a disobedient child in her class. "I am complete, now drop your sword!"

"Kye…"

"Please," he cut off Kea's plea. "Call me Dirk, I think I do prefer Dirk."

She smiled, even in that hateful solar she smiled. "Dirk I… I can't let them kill you, I just can't."

"Well I won't let them then," he reassured her with a grin. She was doing to speak again but he cut her off.

"I do love you Kea Sedai. I will not watch such as these take you. Not until at least four more Myrddraal have a stab at me at least! So saying he held back his cloak allowing her to see the wound. She had studied Shadowspawn in the Tower; she knew what that kind of wound meant. She knew he was a dead man walking.

She smiled oddly. It was as if she was reliving an old and distant memory. She nodded as if to herself and then she pulled herself to a kneeling position though hardly impressive it allowed her to look at him head on. Then with an almost theatrical heir she shouted "Dirk, Save me!"

Just as she had seen before he leapt and killed. The warriors were utterly shocked having believed their work done. The sul'dam directed flows of saidar through Kea but the forkroot was still in effect and Kea did not even have to resist her. No flows materialised and the two warriors fell dead. The sul'dam now was thinking of her own life and twisted the cord of the a'dam around Kea's neck.

Dirk laughed carefree and laugh pitched. That was what that scum-like villain who started all this did. He do be the only one who has been wise enough to run away. Look at your friends? Today I do be death, now let her go because if you kill her, you do be killing me. Now I am looking to let you live, but I promise Kye will not be thinking the same thing."

All the time he walked slowly and deliberately forwards. The sul'dam was not used to fighting with her hands or threatening the life of a damane who was linked with her. She continued to hesitate until he reached her and laid his sword on her throat. She made her choice then and Kea was released. Kea breathed air one deeply and then turned and clicked the collar around the sul'dam's neck. "I want to try something," she said. "I had a dream once that I could be a sul'dam." She snapped the bracelet around her own wrist. Having been on the other end most of her life she just had a feel for it. She couldn't channel yet but her mind was clearing and her awareness of the Source had returned.

The sul'dam had just begun to speak to scoff at Kea's notion that their roles could be reversed when the pain hit her. Suddenly all of Kea's memories of being taken from her family and living in the kennels came back. She remembered all those times she had not been good or made a mistake. Each resultant beating that had come as a consequence. Her anger rose up inside her and she unleashed a torrent of the different punishments she had been subjected to, by the sul'dam that had trained and broken her.

She felt his revulsion before she felt his hand. "Kea," his voice was achingly soft. "Yes I know Kye."

"No, I do be Dirk, remember. I got given a chance at a second life and I intend to take it. Some memories are better left sealed away. Not forgotten forever maybe, but sealed away so they can do less harm. Forgetting do be as necessary as forgiving." He removed his hand, "You do have a second chance at life too Kea Sedai."

His use of a title she did not truly feel she had earned made her look at him. His touch had already stopped her hurting the poor trapped woman at her feet; for as she had taken power she had stood the forkroot draining from her system.

"New names, new lives," she said more to herself than Dirk. Still he responded as if she had been answering him.

"Exactly"

"Am I in your new life?" she asked a little playfully, almost sure of the answer.

He leant down and taking her in his arms kissed her, thoroughly.