"This is madness!" Logain exclaimed. "Surely you're not considering it. Mother," he added in a slightly subdued tone when Gawyn scowled at him.
Egwene sighed. "We need the seals, Logain," she told him wearily.
"There are other ways of obtaining them," the Ghealdanin replied. "If we capture Taim…"
"And how do you propose we do that?" Siuan asked pointedly. "You saw what happened when we tried to attack him, Logain. He's channeling the True Power. No one here has any experience fighting against that."
"Siuan has a point. Taim would not have appeared all alone, right inside the command tent, if he wasn't certain he could get out alive," Lan pointed out quietly. "For all we know, he has an angreal, or even a sa'angreal. There exist several sorts of protective ter'angreal, as well."
"What are you saying? That we should agree to everything he demands?" Logain scoffed. "We can't allow him to escape justice. Do you have any idea what it's like, to be Turned to the Shadow?" he growled. "He deserves death, Mandragoran, and I'll be damned if he doesn't get it. I will see to it personally."
Min intervened, her voice soothing. "Logain, Egwene is right. We need the seals. I know the cost is high, but–"
Logain was shaking his head stubbornly. "No. We can get the seals ourselves. Mother, I have put several of my men on the task already. I assure you, there is no need for this… deal."
"I have no reason to doubt your men, Logain, but what will happen if they can't get the seals in time?" Egwene remarked. "Besides, Taim is even less likely to leave them unguarded now that he's made contact with us and let us know he does indeed have them."
Neya approached them hesitantly. "Can I say something?" They all turned to her. She had lost some of her earlier aplomb; she looked…drained, as though seeing Taim had depleted her of all her energy. Did she truly care about the Saldaean, even now that she knew what he'd become? What he'd done? Well, love was blind, as the saying went. Egwene nodded curtly to indicate that Neya should speak her mind. "I think we should allow Mazrim to return to the Light." She raised her arms to forestall the cries of protest. "I know, I know, I don't have a say in the matter, and I'm biased in any case. But hear me out. As I was saying earlier, I have a plan. Sort of," she amended quickly. "I think I can convince Bao – Demandred – to join forces with you. With us." That earned her a collective stare of disbelief, as she must have expected. "And if we can get them both to-"
Everyone began to talk at once, until Egwene raised a hand and called for silence, her voice amplified with saidar. She gestured for Neya to go on, more out of sheer curiosity than real hope. From what Egwene had seen of and heard from Demandred until now, they might as well ask the Dark One to surrender. "He changed while he was in Shara," Neya continued. "He met this woman, Shendla, whom he trusts with his entire being, and I think she's managed to persuade him that his destiny was to save the Sharan people from destruction, and bring them victory in the Last Battle. Sending me here was her idea. She's one of us; a servant of the Light. She believes that Demandred can return to the Light, with the proper incentives. When he finds out that Rand's not here…" She looked around uncertainly. "He's not, is he?"
Egwene hesitated. She assumed that this particular bit of information was all that kept Demandred from crushing them. He seemed persuaded that Rand was hiding on purpose, and he clearly hoped to lure the Dragon out by attacking small portions of their army, one at a time, methodically, patiently. Eventually, Egwene decided to trust Neya's instinct. Her friend had always been a fair judge of character – at least she used to be, before she fell in love with the traitor Mazrim Taim. But if that Shendla woman was on their side and really had Demandred's trust… "Rand's at Shayol Ghul," she stated. Elayne frowned at her, as though Egwene had just betrayed a secret shared between them alone.
Neya nodded. She'd apparently guessed that already. "There are very few Darkfriends in Shara," she went on. "I've only met one, to tell you the truth. The others follow Bao because they want to follow him." She looked at everyone in turn, trying to impress her words on them. "They have their own prophecies, you see, and Bao – Demandred – has fulfilled them all. And the oddest thing is that he did half of these things unwittingly. I think that, maybe, it really was meant to be. Just like Rand's fate is to face the Dark One and…save the world," – The hesitation before the word 'save' was perceptible. Had she intended to say 'break' instead? – "Bao is meant to save the Sharans, somehow."
"Girl, that's all very well," Siuan said crisply, "but how does that help us? What makes you or that Shendla person think the man can be turned? All he's done since he barged in on the battlefield was sow chaos throughout our ranks and demand that al'Thor fight him man to man."
Right on cue, Demandred's voice boomed in the distance, urging Lews Therin to come and face him. Neya closed her eyes until the Forsaken fell silent once more. "It's hard to put into words how much he loathes Lews Therin," she told them softly. "I can't rightly explain it. Sometimes I think he can't, either. But he's sensible, rational. Most of the time." She glanced at Egwene. "I know how it's going to sound, but he's not a bad person." There was a chorus of disbelieving snorts and mutters that, once again, Egwene had to dispel. "He cares about the Sharans. He really does, Eggs. He's their king, you know. I truly believe he will do whatever it takes to see that they come out of this unscathed." She sighed. "Look, all I need is to talk to him. Give me a few minutes with him, right here, through a secure gateway, and we'll know immediately if it can be done or not. If he refuses, at worst he will lay waste to part of your army." Your army? It wasn't a good sign that Neya didn't seem to consider it to be her army, as well. "That would be terrible, but think of all the lives we can spare if he agrees," Neya went on almost pleadingly.
Egwene was concerned about the other woman's sanity. Did she truly believe it could be achieved? Again, that seemed to lean heavily in favour of the brainwashing or Compulsion theory. Could they afford to waste time and ask Damer Flinn to Delve her mind for traces of tampering? But why would Demandred Compel her to come here with this mad scheme? What could possibly be his angle? To lay a trap somehow, using Neya as bait? It seemed a waste of resources, and he had to know they wouldn't welcome her back with open arms. Or was it part of another Forsaken's plan? The Shadow's generals were rivals before they were allies, after all. And with Neya's news that several Forsaken may have been returned to life… Who knew how many of them the Light was still facing? Was Graendal out there, somewhere?
On the other hand, if Neya was right – unlikely as it was – if there was even the slightest chance that Demandred might join their side… Was it a risk worth taking? She turned to Mat. After all, he was now in charge of the battle, and he was a gambler besides - just like Demandred, if the rumours were true. Who better to calculate the odds? "Mat, what do you think?"
He seemed surprised to be asked for his opinion. "Ah… Well, with Demandred and his army on our side, there would be no question as to the issue of the battle, that's for sure. But if he decides to destroy 'part of our army', as Neya put it… That would be a bloody disaster." That was nothing Egwene hadn't considered already. Mat appeared to be taking the pros and cons into account, muttering under his breath. Most of it was in the Old Tongue. Finally, he turned to his sister. "What did you mean by 'secure gateway'?"
"It's actually called a window. It's…like a gateway, but without the possibility to cross from either side. Nothing can get through, not even the True Power."
Mat considered that for another minute. "I guess it's worth the risk, if you're certain that there's a chance for it to work. Are you?" he asked her doubtfully. Neya had always been the only person he ever listened to. Most of the time, that impressive ability had proven useless, however. Neya was almost as bad as Mat when it came to causing trouble and she was more likely to participate in his pranks than to put an end to them.
Neya nodded firmly. "Absolutely certain. But we should talk about the terms you intend to propose, because you can be certain he won't be easily convinced. No matter what Aes Sedai tricks you use, you won't be able to deceive him, I can assure you."
Aes Sedai tricks? Neya had spent too much time at the Black Tower. "You mentioned incentives. I assume he will want what Taim asked for: no prosecution, not to be gentled or harmed," Egwene surmised. Light, was she seriously considering this?
"Probably. But as Mazrim suggested, you could exile him too, and what better place than Shara? He's already their king anyway, and it's quite remote. But more importantly, you could demand that he–"
"I don't understand why we are even discussing this," Logain cut in abruptly. "Letting Demandred go free? Allowing him to be leader of a gigantic foreign nation? That's just asking for trouble in the future, provided that he doesn't make trouble right now. And provided there is a future." He gazed at Neya. "I don't know what Demandred did to you, lass, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you, but you need to stay out of this. We're running out of time, and we have plans to make. Concrete, realistic plans."
"Logain," Egwene said, "please let her finish." She turned to Neya. They might as well hear the whole…plan. If it could be called that. "What were you about to say? What else could we demand of him?" Obviously, he would have to bring his army over, and surrender whatever angreal or sa'angreal he had in his possession. But to be fair, Logain had a point: exiling Demandred to Shara would only cause trouble in the future, even if they forced him to abdicate and placed someone of their own choosing on the throne.
"You could sever his connection to the Dark One," Neya replied softly.
Egwene scowled at her. "Is that even possible?" Neya glanced away for a moment, although Egwene couldn't see what – or whom – she was looking at. "Neya? Do you know something that we don't?"
She looked embarrassed. "I had assumed… Didn't Rand mention… I mean…" She trailed off, clearly at a loss for words.
Egwene was about to prompt her when a dramatic sigh was heard from the other side of the tent. As Egwene turned to look, Natael was making his way toward them. "You're unbelievable," he scolded Neya. "First you reject me, then you commit yourself to Taim – you allowed him to bond you! – and now this." He shook his head emphatically.
"I'm sorry, Joar. I really thought Rand would have told them by now, with the Last Battle approaching," Neya said sheepishly.
Egwene had heard that name before – well, she'd read it, more accurately. She stared at the obnoxious gleeman with renewed wariness. No, Rand wouldn't have… He couldn't have… She caught sight of Min, whose face had gone an alarming shade of pink. She was doing her best to evade Egwene's shrewd gaze.
"Is it Joar now?" the bard asked with a pout. "What happened to the silly pet names?"
"Joar Addam Nessosin." Galad's breath hitched as he said the name. "The Musician. You're Asmodean!"
That prompted a fresh wave of indignation among the others. Swords were unsheathed, and Logain attempted to take control of the circle. He glared at Egwene when she refused to relinquish it. Natael chuckled darkly, spreading his hands wide. "Don't be daft. I've been around for months. I could have betrayed you or killed the whole lot of you a thousand times, al'Thor included. Yet I'm still here, and you're all very much alive." He smirked nastily. "Not that I never considered it, mind. But I expect the Great Lord's punishment for my failures and forced desertion will be much worse than anything you could ever do to me."
Siuan had apparently caught Min's mortified expression, because she rounded on the younger woman, who attempted to hide behind Leilwin. "You knew!" she said accusingly.
Min raised her hands defensively. "Rand made me promise not to say anything," she protested.
"But why? Surely, at a time like this…"
Min shook her head vehemently. "Only as a last resort. Only if the fate of the world depended on it, he said. I promised, Siuan."
"Girl, this is senseless. Nothing can justify holding back that sort of information. What if he'd–"
"Rand had faith in him," Min murmured. "He thought Natael had genuinely redeemed himself, and that he had earned his newfound anonymity. That he deserved to start afresh, when the battle was over."
The gleeman glanced at her, obviously caught off guard, his brash arrogance slipping for a second. He quickly smoothed his features when he realised Egwene was watching him.
"Be that as it may," Egwene cut in. "It appears that his assistance will be required after all."
"I don't understand," Elayne announced, her delicate brow furrowed. "If Rand somehow managed to sever Master Nat–" She huffed, glaring at Min, clearly annoyed that neither her lover nor her friend had deemed appropriate to inform her of the bard's true identity. "If he severed Asmodean's connection to the Dark One, why didn't he do the same to Semirhage?"
Both Min and Natael stared at her, then glanced at each other. Obviously, the thought had never occurred to them and they were now at a loss for an answer. "I suppose," Natael ventured, "that the Lord Dragon never considered it. He needed me, but he had no use for Semirhage. His only intention was to remove her from the game, and to learn as much as possible of her plans, and the others Chosen's activities. But a tamed Semirhage…" He scoffed. "Well, there could be no such thing. Nemene would have died before she joined the Light."
"And she did die," Min whispered as she unconsciously massaged her throat. "But that's not the point. What she's saying about Demandred…" She gestured toward Neya. "Judging from his demands, he'd sooner die than fight alongside Lews – I mean Rand."
Natael eyed Egwene, his brown eyes glinting mischievously. "Mother, with all due respect, I think Miss Farshaw has the right of it. Demandred will never yield. He will never deviate from his objective, and that is to kill Lews Therin, as you may have surmised," he went on wryly.
"I don't recall asking for your opinion, Master Natael," Egwene replied coolly. She couldn't bring herself to call him Asmodean. He might take it as a mark of respect. "What I want to know is what Neya means by 'severing the Dark One's connection.'"
"She means exactly that, Mother," Natael replied in a smarmy voice. "Apparently, there is a…projection of said connection to be found in the Chosen – or the Forsaken, if you prefer. Al'Thor claimed that it looked like a…wire, of sorts. I'm afraid I didn't see it myself, although I certainly felt it when he cut it," he said with a grimace.
"But what did it do, concretely?" Siuan wanted to know. Her blue eyes were calculating, full of suspicion. Was she wondering if 'Natael' had had something to do with the tampering of the Great Captains' minds - of Gareth's mind? Because Egwene certainly was, no matter what Min said, no matter how much Rand may have trusted the man. Had Min seen something that convinced her that he was truly repentant?
"It made me susceptible to the taint. I suppose it rendered me…mortal, as well, though I can't easily verify that part. Evidently, I lost my status as one of the…Forsaken," he told them sulkily. "Which also signifies that I can no longer channel the True Power."
Logain was scowling at him. "I can't even feel your ability to channel saidin," he remarked.
Natael – Asmodean – rolled his eyes. "Of course you can't, you lubberwort. Al'Thor made me mask it from the beginning, from the moment he captured me. He couldn't afford to let anyone know I was…well, me." He grinned, showing teeth.
Light, but he wasn't making it easy to trust him. To think the man had been with them all along, hearing every conversation, every plan! It made her skin crawl. "It makes sense," Egwene said eventually. They all turned to look at her in puzzlement. "Rand needed someone to teach him how to wield saidin, and who else was there? I can't agree with what he did, and the Light only knows why he never mentioned it, especially now, but I can understand."
Neya cleared her throat. "Anyway. Surely you can see where I was going with this…idea."
Egwene nodded tersely. "Yes, but that's hardly enough, Neya. Even if it meant that Demandred can be made to take an oath on the rod, the ter'angreal only applies to female channelers. Unless you know of another artefact?" She asked Neya, but also turned to look at Asmodean.
Neya shook her head mutely, but Natael answered. "You mean this Binder of yours? I haven't found one like that, or one attuned to men. I haven't acquired anything even remotely interesting, in fact," he said sourly. "Al'Thor took the access key right out of my hand in Rhuidean, and the Choedan Kal were both destroyed, in any case."
And a good thing, too, Egwene thought. "Then I don't see how that helps us. We need to make sure that Demandred won't go back on whatever agreement we make, if it comes to that."
"Egwene, if Bao gives up his connection to the Dark One, if he does it willingly, he won't have anything to go back to. The Dark One will mark him for dead and the few remaining Forsaken will be more than happy to take his place. Once you remove the connection, there's no turning back," Neya explained. "And he will be quite aware of that, you can be certain. The same goes for Mazrim."
Egwene had all the facts, but she needed advice before she could make a final decision. "We will take this under consideration. Neya, if you don't mind, I think we will discuss this among ourselves. Don't take this the wrong way, but we cannot be certain of your…loyalties at the moment." Neya nodded in understanding and Egwene turned to Asmodean. "I think you know that means you as well. If you wouldn't mind waiting outside the tent, the both of you?"
"You're going to leave them unguarded?" Logain asked incredulously. "You haven't even shielded them!"
Light, she hadn't. Egwene mentally cursed herself. What was she thinking? There was simply too much on her mind. "I will shield Natael," she consented, "you shield Neya." She allowed Logain to leave the circle. It would be safer to hold both shields separately. After fastening the weave upon Asmodean, Egwene turned to Gawyn, meaning to subtly ask him to accompany them outside the tent.
Leilwin bowed her head slightly. "Mother, if it pleases you, I will keep an eye on them. I have no say in this matter."
Egwene eyed the Seanchan woman thoughtfully before nodding in agreement. She felt safer with Gawyn at her side, she had to admit. "Very well."
Dismissing the three of them from her mind as they stepped outside, Egwene wove a ward against eavesdropping and turned to the others. This was going to be a lively debate.