Neya marched out of the tent determinedly. So, they wouldn't let her fight, would they? She was fuming but, truth be told, she wasn't sure why. She didn't want to fight. As she'd pointed out earlier, she knew very few offensive weaves of any sort. And she certainly didn't look forward to killing people, no matter how Shadow-tainted they may be. It would be hypocritical of her to despise or even hate Darkfriends and Dreadlords at this point.

She was angry to be left behind, she supposed. She would have no clue what was happening on the battlefield if she stayed here, and she didn't like that. Mazrim, Jasin, Bao… Any of them could get hurt at any moment, and they could be dead before she had a chance to Heal them, or to even reach them.

All things considered, she was probably more scared than angry. Terrified out of her wits, really.

Neya stopped a few steps outside the tent, cursing under her breath. How was she supposed to contact Kalayaan? She wasn't shielded anymore – none of them were, in case of a sudden attack – but she still didn't know how to weave gateways. She was not looking forward to having to request one, but she turned toward her guards nonetheless. She didn't know the older one, but the other was Jonneth. Apparently, he'd traded Mazrim for her. "Jon, can you open a gateway for me? To Demandred's camp?" The Two Rivers youth complied after a brief hesitation, but he wouldn't quite meet her eyes.

The gateway opened on Kalayaan and Torn talking in low voices. They both turned to Neya expectantly, as if they'd been waiting for her. Shendla must have already let them know that they were about to join the Light.

Torn beamed at her, so brightly that it took Neya a moment to notice his missing forearm. She stared at it – or at its absence, really – but Torn shrugged it off casually. "''Tis but a scratch," he stated wryly. Kal gave him a flat look.

Neya was shaking her head in dismay. "I don't suppose you've got the missing part for me to reattach?" They spoke in the Sharan dialect; Torn only had vague notions of the Common Tongue. As a result, Jonneth and his fellow Asha'man were scowling at them suspiciously.

"Sorry, lass. I seem to have misplaced it," Torn replied with a chuckle.

Kal rolled his eyes. "What are the orders, Your Highness?" he asked Neya with a mock bow. "Shendla just came by to let us know that the Wyld finally had an epiphany," he went on with a sneer. "She commanded us to gather everyone here and stay put until Bao came back."

Gather everyone in one place? That seemed like a strange order, but Neya didn't pay it much attention. Bao was the general, no her. "You and the other male Ayyad will join me on the Westerner camp, to help with the Healing," she told him. "Except Abe. Bao wants him to fight."

"Without me?" Kal asked with a scowl. Neya nodded. "I don't like it, ina. You know how he is when I'm not around."

"Tell that to Bao. I doubt he'll listen to me," she said with a grimace.

"Aw, don't you worry, lass! He'll be running back to you before you know it," Torn assured her.

"I doubt that," Neya repeated. Better to change the subject. She didn't want to think about Bao right now. She had enough to worry about. She would deal with her husband – and two former lovers – when the battle was over. "Is everyone alright? Besides Taimaka, I mean." Neya was having a hard time coming to grips with her friend's death. As a Healer, Taimaka should have been the least likely to get hurt.

"Yeah, we're fine," Kal said. "The Freed haven't taken part in the battle yet, and neither have we. Torn just had to go and be a hero," he added with some irritation. "Or try to, anyway."

"Would have been one too, if I'd succeeded," the older man grumbled.

"He wanted to save Cailin, but Taimaka got there before him. She pushed the girl aside, but the weave hit her square in the chest. Torn was too late to do anything, but he received a fireball for his trouble," Kalayaan explained. "I don't know what happened afterward. The rest of the Healers started running around like headless chickens, the blasted fools." He shook his head, as if he still couldn't quite believe how stupid people could be. "Anyway. What do you want us to do with everyone?"

"I don't know yet. They're still making plans. I only came to get the male Ayyad," Neya informed him. "Just do as Shendla said, for the time being. It won't be long now."

"Is Bao really angry with you?" Kal asked curiously. "Shendla seemed almost impressed by you, and she usually looks anything but that. She said you handled him like a proper queen."

Neya scoffed. "Are you kidding? He was ready to destroy us all after I spoke with him. Mintel and Shendla must have talked him into it, somehow." That was the only explanation. "Have you seen anyone that didn't belong in the camp in the last half hour or so?" They both frowned at her. "The other Shadowsouled will attempt to take advantage of Bao's defection from the Shadow," she explained. "They might show up, possibly in disguise, to take control of our army."

"I noticed nothing out of the ordinary," Torn assured her.

"It's been almost boring here, to tell you the truth," Kal added with a faked yawn.

"Good. I think we should bring the Ayyad over before the generals are done in the command tent," Neya told them. "How soon can the boys be ready for departure?"

"Give me one moment," Kalayaan said curtly before turning around to gather his men. It didn't take long; there were few of them. Abe looked confused by the sudden agitation. Kal explained what was expected of him. "You will follow Bao into battle," he told the big man, "and you must stay close to him. Do what he says and pay attention to what's happening around you. I will be right here waiting for you. Alright?" Abe nodded slowly and glanced at Neya with a small frown. "Ina will be staying with me. We'll be taking care of the wounded." Kal made him repeat his instructions twice before letting Abe go through the gateway. The other boys followed, but Kal remained behind with Torn. "I'll go tell Shendla that everyone is ready to depart and that we're awaiting Bao's next orders. Then I'll help this one gather his unruly troops," he went on, cocking his head toward Torn.

"I can see to that myself, you know. It's my arm that's missing, not my tongue," the mercenary retorted.

"I wish," Kal said with a theatrical sigh. Torn let out a roar of laughter. Kalayaan smirked and returned his attention to Neya.

He was still smiling when the balefire hit him.

Bao ran after Taim when he heard Neya scream.

He almost ripped the canvas of the tent in his haste to reach her, and got out just in time to see Torn jump out of a gateway and land in front of Neya. When he saw the pure, bright glare of balefire on the other side, Bao shouted a warning to the young Asha'man who maintained the gateway opened. Why was he not closing it? It had to be the shock. He was far too young, a mere boy, really. It was too late, in any case. The balefire disintegrated him, and the gateway vanished.

Taim was talking to Neya, hands on her shoulders. How dare he touch his wife? Bao may be cross with her at the moment, and hurt by her betrayal, but that was no reason for Taim to attempt to rekindle their relationship, burn him. Neya and Bao would work out their difficulties; that was what married couples did, was it not? Taim would be allowed to remain in Shara, since that had been negotiated already, but he would stay as far away from Neya as possible.

Neya looked shaken, and she was incredibly pale. For that matter, Torn did not look any better. "What happened?" Bao asked the mercenary, though he kept his eyes on Taim.

"Blimey, I don't know," Torn murmured. He was white as a sheet. "One moment he was there, and then he was gone. Poof, just like that." He trailed off, shaking his head, the two parts of his braided beard swinging slowly. Abruptly he sat down and held his face in his remaining hand.

So Kalayaan was dead, balefired away. Abrazo appeared distressed; he was searching around, presumably wondering where Kalayaan had gone. He did not understand what had happened. Bao was not about to enlighten him; he needed the boy to be able to focus. They needed to retaliate quickly. "Who was it? Did you see?" Bao asked Neya.

She interrupted her conversation with Taim and replied without looking at him. Bao felt his heart contract slightly. "Unless Shendla has suddenly developed an ability to channel the True Power, it was either Moghedien or Hessalam posing as her," she replied with a grimace. "The Freed were there, Bao. Light, the whole bloody army was there! They were all gathered at the same spot, at Shendla's orders, or so they thought." Darkness within! Had no one realised how dangerous it was, to gather everyone in the same place? Neya turned to face him, her face hard. "Go. They need you," she commanded, staring into his eyes for a moment before crouching beside Torn.

Cauthon was shouting orders, calling for scouts and reports and cursing profusely as he did so. Bao opened a small window inside his own tent, hoping to find Mintel, and caught sight of the abrishi's lifeless body lying face down on the ground in a pool of blood. Bao quickly shut the window close, before Neya chanced a look this way. Mintel and Shendla... Blood and flaming ashes!

Bao took a deep breath to regain his composure. There would be time to mourn later. For now, he must avenge those who had given their lives for him, and defend those who still lived.

He located his generals with another window and found them struggling to maintain order; the whole camp appeared to be in turmoil. By the blood falls! How had the other Chosen been able to act so fast? Had Moghedien been there all along, biding her time in the shadows? Had she somehow foreseen Bao's about-face, when he had not seen it himself?

Cauthon was beside him now, his good eye blazing. "You need to go," the boy commanded. "Egwene is ready. Grab Taim and the bloody gleeman and that Ayyad of yours and go. Now!" he barked insistently. He didn't wait around to see if he was being obeyed. There was nothing else to do but comply, in any case. Bao approached Abrazo and told the boy to keep close to him. The youth didn't argue and followed Bao docilely.

Taim and Nessosin were both talking with Neya now; she looked upset and angry. She was probably trying to keep them away from the fight. "We must depart," Bao told the men.

Neya glared at him, but there was no time to argue. Bao wished he could talk to her before leaving, but it would have to wait. He did not look at his wife as he made his way toward the Amyrlin, Taim and Nessosin trailing after him, and Abrazo keeping close, as he had been ordered.

Hopefully, he would see her again.