Neya was sitting on an upturned crate outside the command tent when she saw Mat approach. She raised a hand before he could speak. "I know, I know, the hour's up." She sighed. "Fine. I suppose I was wrong." As wrong as Shendla had been. Why had the bloody woman given her false hopes? It was obvious that Bao felt betrayed, that Neya had effectively destroyed what trust her husband had placed in her. And Neya hadn't even had the chance to mention that Rand wasn't here – the one thing that might have convinced Bao that everything he had done, and everything he was doing now, was in vain. "Can we at least arrange for my people to come over?" Shendla was beyond her help, but perhaps she could still save Kal, Torn and Abe. And anyone who would follow their Queen to the Light. "If Bao believes that they were in on this, he will destroy them. If he hasn't already," she added reluctantly. Light, let them be safe. If Bao hurt them because of her, Neya would never forgive herself.
Mat hesitated, idly scratching his eyepatch. "Neya, it's too risky. We can't open a bloody gateway in the middle of Demandred's camp just to get a few people out. He'll expect it."
Neya narrowed her eyes at him. "Mat, I'm talking about hundreds of people, including channelers! That's got to count for something," she told him sharply. "I can't just abandon them!" She took a slow, calming breath. "Look. One of the male channelers is almost as strong as…Demandred, and several of the women are a match for Egwene. The mercenary who leads the foot soldiers, Torn, he can help with the planning, he's got experience. He knows how the Sharans fight."
"That's all well and good, but Demandred had plenty of time to set a flaming trap in case we decided to do just that," Mat grumbled. "The odds are not in our favour, alright? If we were going to do this, we should have done it sooner, right after your little chat with him, or even at the same time, while he was distracted. It's too late, now. Your friends…they're probably dead already, Neya." He gave her an apologetic look.
She would not relent. They couldn't be dead. She had to believe that. Otherwise it would break her, and render her completely useless in the battle to come. "It will only take a few minutes. We open a gateway, tell them to gather everyone quickly, and get them out." Neya stood up and gripped her brother's arm. "Mat, I made a promise to these people. You don't have to help, just let me do it. Jasin or Mazrim can open the gateway, and–"
Mat was shaking his head. "Blood and ashes, you're not listening to me! It doesn't matter who opens the flaming gateway, Neya. If Demandred set any sort of trap, it could affect all of us, no matter how long it remains open or where you do it. Who knows what the bloody son of a goat is capable of? I'm telling you, we can't risk it. In any case," he went on, "Egwene knew you were going to ask, and she said no. I'm sorry." There was an obduracy in his voice that Neya knew only too well. Her brother was as stubborn as any Two Rivers man, possibly more. "Now don't do anything stupid, alright? I have enough to worry about. I will have you bound and kept under guard if I have to," he threatened her, though not unkindly. Neya nodded tersely, lips pursed, and Mat stalked away.
Light, what was she going to do? She closed her eyes. Maybe she should seek the Oneness, like Bao did. It might help, but she doubted that she could focus long enough to achieve a meditative state. She felt restless, useless. "Where do you want that gateway opened?" she heard Jasin ask.
Neya opened her eyes and turned to face him with a heavy sigh. "We can't. Too dangerous," she muttered wistfully. She should have planned this better, she should have made some kind of arrangement with Kalayaan in case she couldn't contact him. Burn her for a woolheaded fool!
"Since when do you listen when people tell you to do something?" he taunted her.
"Jay, now is not a good time to be your annoying self," she warned him. "I've made a mess of things, there's no need to rub salt into the wound."
Mazrim joined them, looking completely at ease despite the retinue of Logain's men that shadowed him and held his shield. "What do we do now?"
"There's nothing to be done. It's over." Neya bit her lower lip in frustration. "At least you're here. That's something, I suppose."
"You're too kind," Mazrim said dryly.
It dawned on Neya that her choice of words left a lot to be desired. Burn her! Had her brain stopped functioning? "Mazrim, that's not what I-"
He raised a hand. "I know. But Neya, we did warn you," he went on more softly. "Demandred is beyond saving."
He took a step closer to her, but one of his guards – was that Jonneth? The boy had grown since Neya had last seen him – caught his arm. "Keep your distance, traitor," he growled.
Mazrim rolled his eyes in annoyance, but he stopped where he was. He was about to speak when a gateway sprang open right next to him. A foot to the left, and Mazrim would have been sliced in two.
There was a commotion as the guards shouted for back-up and everyone came rushing out of the command tent.
Bao took it all in impassively. He was alone, but he was holding D'jedt.
Neya's heart started pounding wildly in her chest. Thank the Light, he had come. Well, she couldn't be certain that he wasn't here to annihilate them all, but it was good to see him anyway.
Egwene was the first to speak. It seemed that she had linked with the other female channelers available, except Neya herself, of course. She was still shielded, but it was one of Logain's men who held her shield now. "Have you come to surrender, Demandred?" Neya winced. Whatever Bao's intentions at this point, calling it 'surrender' was one of the worst things the Amyrlin could have done.
Bao didn't react to it, however. "What are the terms?" he asked Egwene impassively. He stood utterly still as Egwene spoke, his face blank. Shendla joined him while the Amyrlin explained the terms they had devised, looking as stoic as Bao himself. The Wyld remained silent for a good minute after Egwene was done. "And how do you intend to sever my link to the…Great Lord, may I ask?" The hesitation was almost imperceptible, but Neya heard it. Apparently, he had become aware of his lapses.
Egwene looked around for Jasin and gestured for him to come closer. "I'll deal with that," the gleeman announced.
"You?" Bao said the word like a curse, and he narrowed his eyes, an impressive display of emotion for him.
"Me," Jay answered with a grin. Neya knew that Bao despised every single one of the Forsaken, with the possible exception of Elan, but he held Asmodean in utter contempt. According to Bao, he was a vain, useless coward. He'd never understood how the man became one of the Chosen in the first place. "You must know what happened to me in Rhuidean," Jasin went on, arching an eyebrow. Bao made no reply. "Well, I know how al'Thor did it. We just removed M'Hael's connection, in fact," he added slyly, cocking his head in Mazrim's direction.
Bao's eyes widened as he glanced toward the Saldaean, who waved at him with mock cheerfulness. Her husband must have been more upset than she'd assumed, if he'd missed the episode where Mazrim had decided to return to the Light. His face quickly became stony once more, however. "Is Moridin there as well?" he asked sourly.
Egwene shook her head. "We believe he's at Shayol Ghul, with the Dragon Reborn."
Bao's shoulders tensed visibly, his knuckles whitening as he tightened his grip on Sakarnen. "If al'Thor really is at Shayol Ghul, who has command of your armies? Your Great Captains were Compelled, all of them." Neya frowned. Bao never used Compulsion unless he had to; had he been working together with Moghedien or Graendal?
Mat stepped forward gingerly. "That would be me," he mumbled. "Mat Cauthon. Pleasure to meet you," he added wryly.
"Cauthon?" Bao repeated with a faint scowl, although it was gone in an instant. "The Gambler. I see," he said softly. "I must make a few amendments to the terms you are proposing," he told Egwene.
Neya could tell that he had already decided to join them, but she had a feeling that he would never forgive her for her betrayal. She had known that acting behind his back meant losing his trust, at the very least, but the fact that he was ignoring her entirely hurt more than she had imagined. This was the price to pay for a chance at victory. It was her sacrifice, willingly made, for the common good. And it was more painful than any sacrifice demanding that her blood be shed.
"Which points do you wish to debate?" the Amyrlin demanded. "I must warn you, the severing of your link to the Dark One is non-negotiable," she said coolly, "and it will be done the moment you step through that gateway."
"Evidently," Bao retorted matter-of-factly. He looked every bit the regal king, despite his clunky armour. "But I want to read that treaty you mentioned, that Dragon's Peace, before I sign it, and I will–"
Logain scoffed loudly. "We don't have time for this, Forsaken. You can look it over when the battle is done, provided that you still live. Get to the point, man."
"You will not interrupt me again," Bao said dangerously, glaring at him. Logain returned his gaze without blinking. The younger man was brave, Neya noted, if not always sensible. "I cannot agree to sign the document unless I have had the chance to peruse it, Mother," Bao went on calmly, addressing Egwene once more. It still amazed Neya sometimes, how polite he was, even toward his detractors. It had never failed to stun Galbrait, back in Shara.
"That is acceptable. You will be given a copy after the battle. The signing is not optional, but compromises might be worked out, should the need arise," Egwene told him cautiously. "Shara was not included in the original document, after all."
"Furthermore, I cannot agree to be exiled to Shara indefinitely," Bao continued.
That caused an uproar. Everyone started talking at once. Egwene had to call out for silence twice, her voice amplified with saidar, before they complied. She turned to Bao. "It is a reasonable condition, I should think. I understand that you have declared yourself King of Shara?" she went on, arching an eyebrow questioningly. Bao nodded. "Then why would you refuse to live out your days there? Surely you do not anticipate to be welcomed in the Western lands, even if you return to the Light now. The people will expect us to condemn and execute you, no matter what amends you make. Considering that, exile is an extremely mild measure," Egwene explained. "Or are you afraid of what your own people might do, when you return? I seem to understand that they are not too happy at having to side with the Trollocs," she remarked shrewdly.
Bao gave her a level look. "Not at all," he replied truthfully. "I simply believe that shutting us out would be a mistake in the long run. I intend to open Shara to commerce and Traveling in the near future, and I think it would benefit everyone if we could find common ground in this matter. I do have a remarkable number of years yet to live. If you confine me in Shara and refuse any contact or trade because of that, everyone will lose something in the bargain." That was certainly not what they had expected. They were all staring at him in bewilderment. "I assume that this…Dragon's Peace is a treaty designed to keep everyone out of their neighbours' land and, as its name seems to indicate, to keep the peace between all nations involved," he continued. When no one contradicted him, he went on. "I do not intend to claim any land or to wage war unless provoked. Shara is quite large, and there is more work to be done there than I could hope to achieve in a lifetime, I assure you." He trailed off, waiting for someone to dispute him.
Egwene shook her head slightly. "We cannot be held responsible if something untoward were to happen to you when you visit the Western lands," she said quietly. Everyone turned to look at her incredulously, Neya included. Was she really going to agree to this? The golden-haired woman – Elayne Trakand, Mazrim had called her; apparently, she was Queen of Andor – seemed about to choke in outrage.
"Of course," Bao said in acknowledgement.
Egwene adjusted her striped shawl. "Very well. But I must insist that we move on. Time is of the essence. Do you agree to the terms as they were presented to you?" Bao nodded curtly. Neya noticed that Shendla was smiling faintly. Burn the bloody woman! Had she known all along that this was going to happen? Could she not have reassured Neya earlier, or told her what to do? "Then by my hope of salvation and rebirth," the Amyrlin intoned for the second time that day, "I swear in the name of all who walk in the Light that the terms will be observed, if you fulfil your end of the bargain. You will be shielded until your connection to the Dark One is severed," she added. Bao nodded again. "Then you may come through," Egwene told him solemnly. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath.
Bao whispered something to Shendla then took three steps forward, passing through the gateway. He stopped beside Neya, but he didn't glance at her. Egwene shielded him, and the gateway vanished. The Amyrlin gestured for Jasin to do what he was supposed to do. He smirked at Bao, who simply gazed at him expectantly. Neya couldn't see what he was doing, but she saw Jay's eyes widen in astonishment when Bao didn't even flinch. Everyone was silent for a moment.
"Is it done?" Egwene asked eventually, frowning at Jasin.
"I… It's… Yes, Mother. I cut the…wire thingy, just like I did with Taim." He looked baffled. Neya hid a smile behind her hand.
"He did, Mother," Logain confirmed. "He did the exact same thing he did before." Mazrim nodded in agreement, which caused Logain to grimace.
"Then it is done. Barid Bel Medar, we welcome you back to the Light," the Amyrlin said formally.
Bao acknowledged her words with a nod. "We should make plans to accommodate my armies," he said without preamble.
"Indeed. Please, join us in the tent to discuss the new battle plans with Marshal-General Cauthon." Marshal-General? Neya wondered. Was that Mat's actual title, or was Egwene just trying to impress Bao? Most likely the second option. "Who do you suppose will be taking command of the Shadow's armies, now that you are here?"
Bao thought that over. "It will be either Moghedien or Hessalam, if Moridin does not come back," he replied. "When I last heard from her, Hessalam was on the front at Shayol Ghul. I do not know where Moghedien is hiding at the moment."
"Hessalam?" Egwene repeated with a frown. "It means…'without forgiveness', doesn't it?"
"Graendal," Bao explained. "She was punished for her failures and given a new body. You should be able to recognise her easily enough. She is the ugliest woman you could imagine."
Egwene nodded in acknowledgment as Neya marvelled at the Dark One's twisted sense of humour. "Master Taim, Master Natael," the Amyrlin went on, turning to each man as she said their name, "you will join us as well. You too, Neya." Without waiting for an answer, she marched back inside the tent, everyone else trailing after her.