After spending a couple of days in Arad Doman and Illian, Logain had left his men there to assist the Soldiers and Dedicated he'd sent ahead a few weeks back. Gabrelle had stayed put with them. At least they would be safe if things…didn't go according to plan. Not that he had much of a plan. He just knew what had to be done.

Toveine alone would accompany him to the Black Tower. She was stronger than Gabrelle, and more experienced. Logain told her to wait for him at the house - the bond would let her know if he required her assistance. He opened a gateway for her, then a new one for himself. This one led straight inside Taim's study.

He didn't want to risk an all-out confrontation on the grounds. There could be collateral damage, and Logain wanted to avoid that at all costs.

He stepped inside the room without hesitation. He had to act fast. Taim glanced at him from his chair by the window, eyes widening in surprise, but Logain had already embraced the Source. He shielded Taim before the other man could even think of taking hold of saidin.

Too late, Logain realised that Taim wasn't alone.

A young man was leaning nonchalantly against the wall opposing the window. Logain didn't think he was one of the Asha'man; although he was dressed all in black, there was no pin on his coat. He seemed utterly unimpressed by Logain's grand entrance; he was smiling, amusement glinting in his deep blue eyes. "Good morning," he called cheerfully.

Logain tried to shield him, but the weave unravelled. Logain frowned as saidin winked out of existence. Someone had placed a shield on him, and yet no one had channeled. He glared at Taim, but the Saldaean shook his head a fraction. Logain returned his attention to the younger man, who took a few steps forward, hands behind his back. "You are so predictable, Logain," he chided with good humour.

Taim cleared his throat. "Ah… Have you two met?"

He appeared as befuddled as Logain felt. "I've never seen him in my life," Logain assured him. If he had, he was fairly certain he would remember. The stranger was taller than he was, and that tended to leave an impression on Logain, who was used to tower over everyone else – Taim and al'Thor excepted.

"I'm offended that you don't remember me," the lad said wryly. "Though I suppose I've changed somewhat, since our last encounter." For a moment, his eyes seemed ablaze, fire erupting from the orbits.

Logain felt his knees turn to jelly. His heart was hammering in his chest. "Ba'alzamon," he whispered. It was one thing to suspect the involvement of the Forsaken in the affairs of the Black Tower, and quite another to find oneself facing their leader – who, moreover, was supposed to be dead.

Taim was glancing from one to the other, obviously at a loss. "This is…um…Moridin," he said with a touch of uncertainty.

"Yes, indeed," Moridin confirmed. "But Logain would know me as my previous incarnation. The Betrayer of Hope, as they liked to call me, or, more simply-"

"You're Ishamael?" Taim vociferated. Logain narrowed his eyes at him. Was he seriously trying to pretend he didn't know who the man was? To be fair, if he was playacting, he was doing a fairly good job. His dark eyes glittered with anger. His whole body was shaking with ill-concealed rage. The entire room seemed to darken as his mood quickly deteriorated. "When were you planning on telling me?" he demanded coldly as he embraced saidin.

Moridin rolled his eyes. "I had hoped you would have figured it out by now," he said earnestly. "You disappoint me, Mazrim."

"My name is M'Hael!" the Saldaean shouted. Behind him, the window imploded. The shards of glass froze in place before they could reach them. Logain had caught the sudden surge of saidin from Taim, but he had no idea what was keeping the shards at bay. It had to be Ishamael's doing, somehow.

This was not the Taim Logain knew. He would never have lost his temper like that – especially in front of one of the Forsaken, Logain was tempted to add. The man had gone mad. Dangerously so.

Moridin chuckled quietly as he apparently had the same thought. "Much has changed since we last met," he mused. "I wonder why that is? Something to do with-?" He dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. "It hardly matters. You're finally growing into this role you've been given, M'Hael, I'm pleased to note." He didn't sound pleased; he sounded perfectly indifferent. The shards of glass fell harmlessly to the ground in a sparkling shower.

Moridin returned his attention to Logain. "We've been expecting you for some time now. I knew you would make a show of confronting M'Hael here, at some point, but… What was your plan, pray tell? Were you simply going to remove him and assume his position? What of his Asha'man? Did you intend to defeat them all on your own?" he asked with an arched eyebrow. The words should have been filled with contempt and sarcasm, but all Logain could detect was a faint trace of curiosity.

"I would have given Taim's cronies a choice," Logain replied crisply. "Return to the Light and swear fealty to me, or suffer the consequences at al'Thor's hands."

"Hand," Moridin corrected him with a smirk. "But you seem overly confident in the boy's interest in all this. Haven't you tried to warn him already? Did he promise to take action? Did he sanction..." – he made a vague gesture encompassing Logain – "…whatever this is?" Logain remained stubbornly silent. "Face it, Logain. You're on your own. Al'Thor has abandoned you. He's forsaken the Black Tower," Moridin added slyly.

"Toveine is here," he snarled. "She'll know something's wrong." He cursed himself for a fool the moment the words were out of his mouth. Burn me for a fool!

Moridin let out a pitying laugh. "I appreciate the forewarning." He didn't turn to Taim as he addressed him. "Have your Asha'man bring the woman here, M'Hael," he commanded. "We can start with her."

"Start what?" Logain demanded. M'Hael ignored him entirely as he summoned Mishraile.

The lad practically jumped out of the gateway. "M'Hael?" he asked as he saluted. Then he caught sight of Logain, who wasn't bound but simply stood there, apparently considering his options. Mishraile sneered, though M'Hael wasn't sure why he despised Logain so much. Perhaps because M'Hael himself affected to despise the other man? Mishraile was too easily influenced.

The Asha'man's face turned as white as milk when he realised there was another person in the room, though Moridin didn't grace him with a glance. M'Hael's men were little more than lackeys in the Forsaken's eyes and not worth his attention. Mishraile was the only one who'd encountered Moridin, and that had been purely accidental. He hadn't fully recovered from that episode, which had included a great deal of pain. M'Hael had tried to interfere as Moridin tortured the lad, but how many times had he insisted on people knocking before barging in? At least now M'Hael knew it wouldn't happen again.

Mishraile swallowed some bile, his Adam's apple bobbing visibly as he eyed the Forsaken with unconcealed awe and terror.

M'Hael snapped his fingers to get his attention. "Asha'man, take Coteren with you and have Toveine Sedai arrested." He held Mishraile's fearful gaze. "Do not let anyone see you, and make certain she doesn't escape. At all costs." He hoped she wouldn't make a scene; her bond to Logain must have alerted her that things had gone awry. Still, he trusted Mishraile – not so much Coteren, but the other Asha'man had been 'borrowed' by Moridin. Coteren was the only available option at the moment.

Mishraile saluted once more. "As you command, M'Hael." The lad embraced saidin and quickly disappeared through a gateway.

"I trust you can deal with her on your own?" Moridin asked casually.

The question irked. She was a woman; of course he could see that she was Turned without supervision. Turning an Aes Sedai would be a pleasant distraction from the gruesome process of attempting to Turn his own men. M'Hael nodded curtly.

"Then I'll leave you to it," Moridin announced. "Take up Logain's shield." Without another word, he vanished into thin air. Logain's mouth dropped open. M'Hael took that opportunity to bind him with weaves of Air as he placed his own shield on the man. He gingerly unsheathed Logain's sword and broke it in half with a combination of Earth and Fire. Just to be safe.

"How did he-?" Logain seemed to regain his composure and remember where he was. He cleared his throat roughly and sighed with annoyance when he realised he was now bound as well as shielded. "Start what?" he demanded again. "What are going to do to Toveine? I swear, Taim, if you but touch a hair-"

Ever so gallant. Here he was, at M'Hael's mercy, but he worried about what would happen to his precious Aes Sedai. "How did you know him?" M'Hael interrupted him. "Ishamael, I mean."

Logain sniggered dryly. "You truly didn't realise who he was, did you? How pathetic. He must think highly of you, to not even bother introducing himself properly."

M'Hael sighed. "I can see that you're trying to provoke me, but it won't work, Logain." He smiled crookedly. "I've already shattered the window."

The other man tried another approach. "Logain, is it now? Are we finally taking our relationship to the next level?" he sneered. "I always knew we'd end up being good friends."

M'Hael frowned slightly. He hadn't realised he'd been calling him that, but he quickly recovered. "Everyone calls you that," he pointed out with what he hoped would pass for apathy. "Why shouldn't I?"

Logain shrugged. "Suit yourself. Mazrim."

There was an awkward silence.

"Peace," he muttered eventually.

"Yes, that was decidedly disturbing. I heard it too," Logain concurred. "Taim it is, then. Don't think I'll suddenly start calling you M'Hael," he warned.

Oddly enough, it didn't bother M'Hael that much. In any case, there were no more windows to smash. "You didn't answer my question," he prompted.

Logain chuckled darkly. "What did you think? That you were special? Ishamael has been roaming the earth freely for years. Decades, possibly. Did you really believe you were the only channeler he'd tried to recruit?" Logain smiled condescendingly. "Perhaps you were stronger than most, but ultimately you're just a pawn, Taim. A puppet."

M'Hael ignored that last part. He was well aware of that; there was no need to dwell on it. "Are you saying that Ishamael came to you," he enunciated carefully, "but that you refused him?"

"Of course I bloody well refused him!" Logain thundered. "That's how I got arrested in the first place! Ishamael must have alerted his Aes Sedai, the Black Ajah, who mounted an assault against me the very next morning with their more…colourful sisters."

M'Hael considered this for a moment. He envied Logain's brashness, his reckless bravery, but he couldn't let it show. He still had his dignity. Parts of it, anyway. "To be fair, you had an army at your back," he remarked. "Ishamael caught me when I was on my own, and rather defenceless."

"You spineless coward. You have a talent for coming up with excuses, I'll give you that." The righteous scorn in his voice was almost enough to make M'Hael recoil. Logain had hit a nerve, and he knew it, but for once he didn't look smug about it. "I cannot be bought, Taim. I cannot be tempted with futile promises, and I cannot be bullied into joining the Shadow." Despite everything, Logain was trying his best to look like he was not a prisoner, like everything was under his control.

M'Hael exhaled heavily. "I know." He couldn't keep the wistfulness out of his voice, which made Logain scowl. "That's why we'll be using a different approach."

"Do your worst, Darkfriend," Logain had challenged M'Hael before Mishraile and Coteren brought him down to the basement to join Toveine – she hadn't come quietly, but nobody had noticed the ruckus she caused, according to Mishraile.

M'Hael poured himself another glass of wine and started pacing as soon as the others were gone.

His last, tiny sliver of hope had just been snuffed out like a candle.

Peace! What in the Pit of Doom had Logain been thinking, to barge in unannounced, with no back-up? Well, obviously he'd intended to surprise M'Hael with an attack, but what sort of wool-headed plan was this? He'd come alone, with no reinforcement, and without even checking that the way was clear? If he'd guessed that M'Hael was associating with the Forsaken, hadn't it crossed his senseless mind that one of them might actually be there? Blood and flaming ashes!

He'd been relying on Logain to have him neatly arrested and imprisoned, so that M'Hael's true colours would finally been revealed to all – without Moridin suspecting that M'Hael had let it happen intentionally. M'Hael's fate would have been decided quickly – al'Thor would no doubt have him executed as soon as possible – and then Logain could assume command of the Black Tower and hopefully set everything right.

But the lumbering oaf had completely botched it.

M'Hael didn't dare reveal himself and openly betray Moridin – Ishamael, he amended bitterly. How had he not realised who he truly was? The Forsaken was right, M'Hael should have figured it out eons ago. His brain wasn't functioning as well as it used to. His mind was often sluggish. Everything felt…numb. It could have easily been blamed on the wine, he supposed, but deep down, he knew the wine had nothing to do with it – although it didn't help, admittedly.

In any case, M'Hael simply couldn't take that initiative. If Logain had taken over the Tower, as M'Hael had hoped, he was persuaded that Logain would have had the men's support, even that of some of the full Asha'man. He was certainly charismatic and inspiring enough. He was a true leader. He could have driven out the Forsaken for good. But with Logain out of the picture, there was nothing to be done.

If M'Hael came clean to al'Thor now, he would be gentled and hanged, and his Asha'man with him, likely as not. Moridin would Turn Logain to the Shadow regardless, and then who would take charge of the Tower, who would look after M'Hael's men?

The best M'Hael could do, at this point, would be to delay Logain's impending ordeal – and hope for a miracle.

So far, he'd had little success Turning the Soldiers he'd selected – new recruits who wouldn't be missed. Moridin pestered him more than ever, but he still hadn't provided any female channeler to speed up the proceedings. He said that M'Hael ought to find them himself; after all, several Aes Sedai had been bonded and belonged to the Black Tower. Those were the ones Logain had bonded, however, and they had all followed their Warders – or were they the Warders? – to Arad Doman and Illian, where al'Thor had dispatched them. Perhaps Toveine would prove useful – Turning her would be easy, but she was only one person. Ideally, M'Hael would need thirteen women.

Well, no. Ideally, Logain would somehow break out of his shield, overpower Mishraile and Coteren, call for back-up and overthrow M'Hael. Then the Black Tower could pursue its intended course and build the Dragon Reborn the army of male channelers he required. The Forsaken would be frightened off and would no longer interfere.

M'Hael would be executed. No more guilt, no more fear. The bliss of eternal nothingness.

Then he realised how foolish he was being – Ishamael had been brought back from the dead. What if the Dark One decided that he wasn't done with M'Hael?

There was no winning this bloody game. The best he could realistically hope for was that al'Thor failed at the Last Battle. As Ishamael had explained, this would be it – the end of the world, the end of time itself. The reign of non-existence.

He laughed aloud at the nonsense his own mind was spewing, thanks to the deranged Forsaken. He laughed until his sides hurt and his head ached and unbidden tears welled in his eyes. He sounded a tad hysterical, even to his own ears, but who cared? He was alone.

Utterly, completely alone.