Neya told Mazrim to move aside, so that Bao would not see him. It was vaguely safer this way.
The window opened inside Bao's tent, but her husband wasn't there. Shendla was, however.
"Ah, there you are," the older woman said with her usual brisk manner. She was sensible enough to use the Common Tongue. "I was wondering when you'd show up, girl." Neya couldn't help a relieved grin. That was one weight off her chest, at least. She briefly wondered if Shendla had had a dream or vision regarding this very moment. Had she known all along what Neya intended to do? Could that explain why she'd been so unconcerned about the Last Battle approaching, with Bao still very intent on killing Rand? "Have you cut an acceptable deal with your people?"
"I have indeed," Neya replied. At least she hoped Bao would consider it acceptable. "Is he nearby?" Before the last word was out of her mouth, Bao appeared beside Shendla, still wearing his ludicrous armour. It clanged ominously as he approached the window.
His face looked like thunder – although, admittedly, it might not have been obvious to anyone but Neya. Instead of addressing her, however, he turned to Shendla. "You lied to me," he murmured dangerously, in coarse Sharan dialect.
Shendla arched an eyebrow. "Did I? I told you that the girl was important, Bao, that you needed her to fulfil your destiny," she answered in the same language. "You assumed it meant that she would ultimately help you achieve your goal, to kill the dead man, the ulikar's prophesised Dragon, but I never said that. I said she would help you save us. That is exactly what she's doing. I'm afraid your arrogance and self-confidence have gotten the better of you, Bao." Neya could feel the people gathered behind her itching to ask what was being said.
"I should kill you where you stand!" Bao snarled at Shendla, in the Common Tongue this time. There was a nervous rustle in the command tent.
"Bao, don't," Neya cut in hastily. "Please. It was my idea. You have to listen to me. Lews Therin is not-"
At that moment, Bao turned to face her. Neya almost wished he hadn't. No one else would recognise the stricken look in his eyes, but she did. How had she ever thought him cold and devoid of emotions? She may not share a bond with her husband, but she was willing to bet that he felt just as betrayed as Mazrim did, though for different reasons. She felt faint. From the corner of her eye, she saw Mazrim take a step forward, ready to catch her if she fell. Thankfully, he remained out of Bao's line of sight. Neya took a deep breath. She had to stand her ground. If Shendla could do it, if she could remain poised despite the murderous gleam in Bao's eyes, so could Neya. She had withstood Lanfear's wrath, after all. Surely she could handle her own husband.
"How dare you?" he roared. "You took an oath!" he told her accusingly, in the Sharan dialect once more. And a good thing, too. Behind Neya, several people huffed in annoyance, while others gasped at the vehemence in Bao's tone.
"Yes, I did," she answered in the same language. She prayed to the Light that no one understood Sharan. It was unlikely, but still… "I swore to care for you and to always act in your best interest, Bao. What do you think I'm doing?" she replied fiercely, her voice almost as dangerous as his. That was the worst thing he could have said. How dare he imply that she was breaking her vows? "Do you remember what you swore?"
His face took on that stony expression that Neya knew only too well. The sudden silence lingered ominously. "I will crush your puny allies, and you will watch them burn," Bao said eventually, in the Common Tongue. Of course he had to say that in the Common Tongue. Before Neya could think of a reply, he stalked away, his armour jangling almost comically.
Neya stared after him for a moment. That was not how she had expected this meeting to proceed. It wasn't like Bao to run away from a fight, even a verbal one. Absurdly, Shendla was smiling. It was a disturbing sight; the blasted woman smiled about as often as Bao did. "You have done well, girl."
"I…I have?" Neya asked incredulously. What in the Pit of Doom was she talking about? Neya had most likely doomed them all with her insane plan! Bao was going to Balefire everything and everyone.
"Obviously," Shendla said calmly. "We would be dead already, were his threats not empty. It'll take some time for him to admit that he was wrong. He is a man, after all," she added with a faint chuckle. Without another word, she followed Bao outside.
Neya could only stare at the tent flap as it fell back into place. She considered their exchange thoughtfully. In truth, Shendla had a point. Despite his harsh words, Bao hadn't actually done anything. Neya strained her ears for any indication that her husband might have started raining destructive weaves on the Light's armies, but the world was eerily quiet. Inside the command tent, no one was talking. The window winked out of existence when Logain decided that Bao wasn't coming back.
"That went well," Mat said sarcastically after a minute, finally breaking the silence.
"What did they say?" the golden-haired girl demanded, eyes blazing. "Did you even mention the deal?" She threw up her hands. "I knew this was a bad idea!"
"Fish guts! Why didn't you ask them to speak in the Common Tongue, girl?" That was from the youthful Aes Sedai with the Tairen accent.
Suddenly, everyone was talking at once, urging Neya to translate the entire exchange, while the tall, beautiful boy dressed in white accused her of deception and treachery. Neya thought his name was Galad.
The Amyrlin raised her hands and ordered them all to be silent. Addressing Neya, she asked for the gist of it. "It's complicated," Neya said with a small sigh. "You see, that was Shendla. As I mentioned earlier, she's been trying to put Bao on the right path practically since she met him, but she had to be subtle about it. She had to humour him. I told you about the Sharan Prophecies. Bao's just been interpreting them the wrong way, is all. Hopefully he'll realise that, and soon."
"You really trust her, then? This Shendla?" Egwene asked.
"I do. She sounded rather confident, didn't she? And I have other allies among the Sharans. You see, the Freed, the former slaves, are utterly devoted to Bao, but I'll wager they're not too happy at having to side with the Trollocs, no more than the rest of the army. Bao never mentioned that he would have them fight for the Shadow." Mazrim moved closer to her while she talked. His face was utterly impassive, but Neya knew better. The bond was a chaotic jumble of jealousy, anger and bitterness. Neya chanced a smile at him, but he made no sign that he'd noticed. He was staring at the spot where the window had stood a moment ago, his dark eyes flashing. Neya went on in a subdued tone. "My people know to expect something, but I couldn't be too…specific. I wasn't sure how you would react, or if you would even hear me out." Every eye in the tent was fixed on her. Their silence and judgmental glares were nerve-racking. It was all Neya could do not to stutter and wring her hands like a child caught stealing pies. "Bao needs to cool off. He'll reach out to us when he's regained his composure, I'm sure." She wasn't. Not even close. "I can't promise you that he'll agree, however, and whatever Shendla believes, there's no telling that he won't decide to go on a killing spree, if only in petty retaliation. He can be…unpredictable at times." That was an understatement, but they didn't need to know that.
The look in the Amyrlin's eyes was shrewd, calculating. She was obviously wondering what had been said, exactly. Thankfully, she didn't request a word-for-word transcript of the entire conversation. "Then we wait," Egwene declared eventually, "but not too long. Time is of the essence. If Demandred hasn't made contact in an hour, we'll have to start making preparations, discuss new strategies. And I intend to make use of your knowledge of him and his armies, should he refuse," she added woodenly.
Neya nodded reluctantly. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. If she had to actually betray her husband… No, she wouldn't consider that, not unless she absolutely had to.
Not unless the fate of the world truly depended on it.