Rejik Al'Gonath embraced saidin. Now that the taint was gone, he felt…he didn't quite have words for it--it was as if he could fly without his fear of heights.
"Release, Dedicated!" came Mazrim Taim's--the 'M'Hael's' to him--harsh command. Having no choice, he let it go. "You have come to my office and disturbed me because…" Taim did not look pleased.
"I wanted to know when my next lessons concerning the Power were to be scheduled."
"They will be scheduled when the Asha'man see it fit to do so--not before," he said lazily. "Actually, you're next lessons will be with the Lord Dragon himself. You show amazing potential--the Lord Dragon wants to decipher…how best to use your talents." He hated admitting that anyone was stronger than he was.
Rejik barely hid a rueful snort. Sure. The only reason the so-called Lord Dragon wants to see the likes of me is to make sure I'm not one of the chosen. Light, why does everyone despise me so?
"Is something amusing, Dedicated? I'm sure that the Master-Trainer could--"
"That won't be necessary," Rejik broke in rather smugly; Taim's eyes burned with anger. Rejik was glad this was one of his last days in Cairhein--he was sure that Taim would have found some interesting things to assign him.
"We normally don't take that kind of talk from a mere Dedicated, Al'Gonath…you're no exception. You may be the Lord Dragon's new interest in 2 days, but until then, I am the master of your fate." His eyes narrowed, as if in challenge.
Rejik knew better than to take it. Even if he had the edge in raw power, he had neither the experience nor the cold blood of Taim. "Understood. Permission to leave," the next word grated out of him, "M'Hael." Taim smiled. Light, I wish I could bash that crooked nose of his…
***
"Hey, Rejik…" one of his friends, if you could have any in the training camp, called out.
"Yeah?"
"Taim must really like you…seems like you've been in there as much as you've been in the Arena these past few days!"
Rejik sighed. "It's really the opposite. He hated me from the beginning, but now…I guess he's mad that the Lord Dragon wants to see me more than he wants to see him--"
"Can't blame him there!" his friend said.
Shaking his head, laughing, Rejik finished, "and that I can actually leave this place."
"Huh, can't blame him there either," his friend said wistfully. "I can't remember the last time I saw Leah…"
Must be sad to be in love, Rejik thought sympathetically. "Anyway…I wanted to say goodbye before I left…you've been really nice to me, huh, just about the only person…and I probably won't ever see you again."
"For the love of the light, Rejik! That doesn't sound right, coming from you. Just say goodbye." He put a fist to his chest in the customary Dragon salute. "And safe journey."
With that, Rejik turned and left Cairhein for the last time.
***
Nynaeve Al'Meara squinted at the figure, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't focus on the face. It looked like a man. He came closer, but she still couldn't see his face. Suddenly, he stopped about 10 feet away from her. Something exploded in between them, and they were both knocked to the ground.
When she tried to rise, she found that she couldn't move at all. She tried to embrace saidar, but it was as if it had never existed--it must have been the same with the man as well, for she was sure that he would have attacked her if he could.
She looked to where the explosion had originated, and her eyes opened wide with fascination; she saw 2 objects--a rose and a sun. Suddenly, understanding dawned upon her--they were saidin and saidar! Before she could ask herself what they could possibly mean, the knives slowly, impossibly, joined together…and then exploded again. This time however…She drew a ragged breath. Moiraine!
Nynaeve woke with a start. "Who's that?" the woman next to her asked.
"Who's who?" Nynaeve asked, surprised.
"Moiraine," Elayne stumbled over the word, "or whoever you were talking about."
She turned to face Elayne Trakand. Moiraine? Light…I've been talking in my sleep. Maybe Lan was right. "She was…an Aes Sedai, in the Blue Ajah. She died years ago fighting Lanfear, the Forsaken." Just thinking about Lan and Moiraine in the same minute made her wince.
Elayne gave her a look of indifference. "Oh well. Light, Nynaeve! It's already close to midday. We'd best be going, or else Rand will change his mind about the meeting."
Don't even mention the meeting, Nynaeve thought to herself. "Do you honestly think that it will help at all? He has other things to worry about…like putting you on the Sun Throne…" she gave Elayne her sweetest smile.
"Hurry up," Elayne said impatiently, pretending that she didn't hear that last comment.
The second she looked up to get her clothes, a searing pain swept across her brain briefly. Her face tightened enough for Elayne to notice.
"Having a bit of a headache?" she asked. "Huh, I get those too when I think of Rand…and come to think of it, the Sun Throne, as well…" This, they both laughed at.
As they got up to leave, Nynaeve noticed a funny feeling in her head, quite similar to the one she felt for her Warder.
Leagues away, Rejik Al'Gonath had to stop walking towards the Lord Dragon's throne because of a strange pain in his head.
***
"A Seanchan army is about to try and conquer Andor, Dedicated. What would you do about it?"
Rejik bit his lip in the hopes that his frustrated groan would escape the Lord Dragon's attention. Burn him! I'm not Sammael, or even Damondred. How in the name of the light am I supposed to know?
"I would…try to talk them out of it, my Lord Dragon. I would most assuredly remind them that their sul'dam do not affect men who can channel--" the interrogation was broken off by the door sliding open.
"Rand, I want to know--" Nynaeve began, until she noticed the man beside Rand looking at her strangely. She was about to form an indignant reply when she noticed that the feeling in her head had gone. The figure!
