A broken door was the entrance to the palace for Moiraine and Lan. Moiraine didn't know where it would lead them, but it was surely better than waiting outside until the worms would close in on them.
As soon as they entered the building, she felt how Lan slowed down their pace. It was dark, they didn't know where to go, but more importantly, they didn't know who was waiting for them.
Moiraine wished, she could touch the source again. A little light could help them to move through these unknown corridors. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine a flower in her mind like she had learned it all those years ago as a Novice. The One Power was there. If she could touch it, she…
"What are you doing?!" Lan made her stop, and she stumbled into him. Quickly, the Aes Sedai opened her eyes. It was useless. She couldn't touch the source. "Why were your eyes closed?"
"I wanted to give us some light."
"Which would alarm everyone in here that we are here too."
"At least, we would know where to go."
"We don't know what kind of creature lives behind these walls. It could be Trollocs or more worms. Either way, we need to be careful. So please, keep your eyes open."
Moiraine nodded, and Lan kept moving. The sound of falling stones behind them made them turn around. The worms had reached the palace and were entering now. But since they all wanted to be the first, their massive bodies blocked the door now. Moiraine was sure that it wouldn't take long until the doorframe would lose more stones, and then the worms would have a bigger hole to get through.
Obviously, Lan saw it too because he pulled Moiraine deeper into the palace and quickened his pace. They moved around the next corner and stopped. This corridor was arranged in a circle with an open space in the middle. But a few steps ahead of them the ground was broken. An abyss, whose ground they couldn't see, lay ahead of them, the gap was bigger than Lan, and there was no way of bypassing it. It moved from one wall to the other one. A perfect horizontal line.
Moiraine took a step back when they heard the tripping sound of countless hands and feet coming their way. The worms were inside the palace!
"We have to go back while we still can.", she whispered, but there was a certain tremble in her voice. "We can use one of the doors. Maybe they will lead us…"
All of the sudden, Lan released her hand. Moiraine gasped and turned back to him. Their eyes had adjusted a little bit to the darkness by now, so she was able to see the apologetic look on his face. "What are you doing?"
His sword was back on his back. "We can't go back."
The close scream of a worm underlined his words. Lan moved closer to the abyss, and Moiraine followed. He couldn't be serious. It was too big to jump across. She would stop him if he would dare to try it.
"Yes, we can. We just have to be quick. Please, Lan. You can't jump across. Let us find another way."
"There is no other way." Moiraine opened her mouth, but Lan made her face the abyss, then he placed his hands under her armpits. "I'm sorry."
"Lan, please don't do…" The Warder didn't let her finish. Instead, he used all of his strength and threw his Aes Sedai over the abyss. Luckily, Moiraine didn't weigh much, which made it easier for him.
The shocked woman landed on the other side of the broken corridor. Then she rolled over the floor until she was able to stop. Groaning, she pushed herself to her knees and threw a look back to Lan, who was checking from afar if she was all right.
As soon as he was certain, the man turned around and ran back to the corridor. Back to the worms! "LAN!"
This time, Moiraine didn't care who could hear her. She needed to stop him! The worms were coming, and she couldn't let him go back. It would be his death! But she couldn't reach him. The gap was too big to jump over it!
The screams of the worms were close now. They would be here any minute. Moiraine furrowed her forehead when Lan stopped at the corner of the corridor. What was he doing? Was he waiting for the enemy to reach him? No. He turned around and ran back to the abyss!
Finally, the Aes Sedai understood what her Warder tried to do. He wanted to cross the gap. But would he be able to jump that far? She moved closer to the edge of the gap. She couldn't use the One Power to help him, but maybe she could grab him and pull him to safety. Just in case he wouldn't… The first worm appeared when Lan jumped.
Nervously, Moiraine watched how he flew through the air. She felt as if time would move slower suddenly. Lan landed on his feet, only an inch behind the edge of the gap. He had made it! Relieved, Moiraine released her breath. She hadn't even noticed that she had held her breath. Sadly, this was the moment when she heard the cracking sound of a breaking stone.
Before Lan could react, the floor beneath his feet gave away and he fell into the abyss. Quickly, Moiraine reached out her hand and grabbed Lan's arm. She landed hard on her butt, but at least, she had stopped Lan's fall. Only the lower body of her Warder hung over the abyss. The rest of him was pressed onto the floor, while she was holding on to him.
A worm reached the gap. With fear in her eyes, Moiraine watched how it lifted its body and stood on its multiple feet before the body fell forward towards their side. She winced when the head of the worm landed on their side only inches away from Lan. Immediately, the stone broke, just like it had done with Lan, and the creature fell into the abyss. The scream of the worm echoed through the darkness, and it seemed as if there was no end to it.
More worms appeared on the other side, and just like their brother, they lifted their upper bodies to cross the gap.
"Lan.", Moiraine said with panic in her voice. The first one may have missed him, but how long would it take until the first worm would aim more correctly?
Luckily, Lan must have had the same thought because he started to pull the rest of his body up. Moiraine tried to help him by pulling him to her.
The head of the next worm landed on their side. This time, it had landed on Lan's other side, and the stone broke again. The stone underneath Lan started to get cracks. It wouldn't hold him for much longer.
As soon as Lan's legs were up as well, he rolled himself to safety. Only a second later, two more worms landed where the Warder had been. Lan was back on his feet and pulled Moiraine away from the edge. The part, where Lan had laid, broke at the cracks and pulled the worms down into the abyss.
Exhausted, Lan sat down. This had been really close. Moiraine crawled to him and hugged him tightly. Her body was trembling, so Lan rubbed soothing circles on her back, while he watched the worms on the other side. They were screaming, but none of them tried to reach them again.
When Moiraine's trembling calmed down, the Warder said: "We need to leave. Who knows who heard the noise."
Although he didn't say it, the Aes Sedai knew that he didn't just mean the worms, but her earlier scream as well. She hadn't meant to alarm their enemies. She had only wanted to stop Lan from doing something stupid.
Gently, Lan freed his neck from her embrace, then he got back on his feet and pulled her up as well. Together, they crossed the open space and moved further into the palace.
The sun, which was slowly rising, shone through the broken windows and lit up Moiraine and Lan's way. Twice, the Aes Sedai stopped to take a closer look – one room looked as if it had been the library – then Lan intertwined their fingers again to keep her from slowing them down and pulled her forward.
The former throne room was a big open room with massive pillars, which supported the ceiling. As soon as Lan's eyes noticed the beautiful artwork, he felt how his feet automatically stepped closer. Bukuma had described the throne room a thousand times and his eyes had always lit up when he had spoken about it. How often had Lan wished, he could see the thrones of his parents with his own eyes. He stopped beside the first pillar. Gently, his fingers moved over the old stone. Like the rest of the palace, it was covered by rotten roots and plants. `Stop dreaming, Lan Mandragoran. Malkier is gone, and you have a job to do.´
Frustrated, he shook his head, then he stepped back to the corridor, which would lead them to the second floor, leaving the throne room behind. "You should have stopped me.", Lan whispered to Moiraine, who was still holding his hand. "I told you that we have no time for this. The same goes for me."
"I would never stop you.", Moiraine answered softly and squeezed his fingers. "You have a right to look more closely."
Lan stopped and looked at her reproachfully. But Moiraine met his eyes, daring him to contradict her. It was one of their silent conversations again, and again the Aes Sedai missed Lan's presence in her mind. She wanted to know what he was feeling.
Luckily, Lan was still able to read in her eyes. When he saw that she wouldn't change her mind on this, he turned his head away. With her free hand, she pulled his face back to her and laid her forehead against his. Then she repeated firmly: "You have a right to look more closely."
"We have no time for my wishes."
"There is no one here except for us. It won't hurt if we stay a moment…"
Suddenly, they heard heavy footsteps coming their way. Immediately, Lan was back in his fighting mode. The footsteps were ahead of them. The light of a torch lit up the corridor and threw the shadows of the owners of the approaching footsteps at the wall. Trollocs!
Lan's eyes scanned the corridor, but there was no place to hide. Quickly, he pulled Moiraine back to the throne room. It was an open room, so there weren't many opportunities to hide. Lan chose a close-by pillar. As long as the Trollocs would keep moving, they should be fine.
Moiraine didn't pay much attention to where Lan was pulling her. Instead, she was focused on the footsteps of the Trollocs. So, she didn't stop when Lan chose a pillar to hide until her Warder grabbed her waist. He stood with his back against the old stone, while he pressed her against him. His arm laid protectively around her stomach as if she would go anywhere.
The light of the torch appeared and lit up a small area of the throne room. Then the shadows of the Trollocs were seen. Only moments before their ugly heads came into sight.
Moiraine grimaced when she saw them. They didn't belong here. The Blight may have taken Malkier, but this didn't mean that the Shadowspawn could make themselves home in here. This place belonged to Lan. This was the place where he had been born. Where his parents had died. He was the uncrowned king of Malkier. And those Trollocs tainted this place with their presence!
Unintentionally, a low growl escaped Moiraine's lips. She wished she could use the One Power to throw these creatures out of there.
Suddenly, Lan pressed his free hand on Moiraine's mouth to suppress the growl, but it was already too late. One of the Trollocs – he had the head of a boar – must have heard it because he stopped and stepped into the throne room.
As quietly as possible, Lan moved further around the pillar to keep them hidden until he couldn't see the Trolloc or the corridor anymore. All he had left were his ears, which listened carefully.
The Trolloc sniffed the air, searching for the source of the growl, while he slowly moved closer to Moiraine and Lan. A few more steps and he would…
The screams of the worms echoed through the corridors. It sounded like a battle cry. The Trollocs roared their own screams. Apparently, they didn't like their neighbors. According to their footsteps, they ran away and took the light of the torch with them. Lan waited and counted to twenty before he released Moiraine and risked a glance at the corridor. The Trollocs were gone.
"Let's move while they're distracted.", Lan whispered. This time, he grabbed Moiraine's hand immediately. He wouldn't give her the chance to wander around again.
They reached the second floor without seeing any more Trollocs or worms. Lan found a room with lots of windows and a balcony. After a quick check, they entered the room and walked to the balcony. The Warder needed a better view of what was awaiting them.
"Wait here." He left Moiraine in the middle of the room and stepped outside.
On his right, he saw how Trollocs fought against the worms. Some of the creatures returned to the Blight, while others didn't want to let the Trollocs win. Lan turned his head left. In the distance, he could see Tarwin's gap. It was still so far away. They would probably need another full day to return to Fal Dara. If they had to fight against the worms and trees again, it would take even longer.
Sighing, the Warder stepped to the left side of the balcony. The outer wall of the palace was covered by thick roots and plants like the rooms inside. All affected by the rot. It was hard to imagine Malkier's beauty when everything was destroyed and infected.
The rustling of clothes reminded him that Moiraine was waiting for him. When he re-entered the room, he saw that his Aes Sedai kneeled on the floor, rubbing her hands over her tired face. The picture of her attacking the worm, which pushed her aside afterward, appeared in front of Lan's eyes. After that, they had been running away from the worms, and he hadn't had the time to check on her.
He only needed a few steps to be by her side. Carefully, Lan cupped her face in his hands. Moiraine tried her best to banish the tiredness from her face, but Lan saw it in her eyes. She was exhausted. For how long would she be able to fight against the tiredness? When would she collapse because she couldn't push herself anymore?
Lan's hands started to wander over her neck, her shoulders, and down her arms. Checking her for injuries, she might not have mentioned. "What are you doing?"
"This worm hit you pretty hard. And then I threw you across the corridor."
"I'm not hurt.", Moiraine said when he checked her rips, but Lan didn't stop. His hands moved down to her legs and ended at her feet. Finally, he was sure that she had no serious injury.
"Let's get you to the balcony. There you can get some air." The Aes Sedai protested, but in the end, she had no choice but to follow her Warder. He placed her beside the exit, so she still would be out of sight. The light was better there, and Lan saw that she was covered with dust and dirt. Of course, she had been covered in dirt before – a week after Bel Tine, Lan had still found dust on him from the tavern, which Moiraine had thrown at the Trolloc army.
"Do you know where we are?"
"I'm maybe old, but not that old.", Lan joked and a small smile appeared on Moiraine's lips. "We escaped the worms, but we are still in Malkier."
He took the waterskin from her. It was half empty. "That's not what I meant. Look around you."
"I would rather find a way out of here."
"Lan.", Moiraine sighed heavily. So, the man did her the favor and looked at the room.
It was a big one with lots of windows. At the wall, he saw the remains of a wardrobe and a table. A big bed with beautiful carvings was there as well. And beside it stood a wooden crib. Something you used for a baby.
Finally, Lan understood what his Aes Sedai had already noticed. This had been the bedroom of his parents. The parents, he couldn't even remember. And he had been the baby, who had slept in this crip. `And now everything is gone.´
With a raised eyebrow, Moiraine watched how Lan turned his head back to her. How could he stay so calm? "This was a long time ago. Here, you should drink something."
Lan opened the waterskin, but Moiraine wasn't done yet. "Your parents have lived here. YOU have lived here. Don't you want to see how they…?"
"They are dead, Moiraine. I can't even remember their faces. Or their voices. I don't remember this place. I was a baby when Bukuma and the others saved my life. One day, I hope I will be able to defeat the Blight, so I can rebuild Malkier. But until then… I swore you an oath. That I will protect you. And right now, you are my biggest concern. To get you out of here alive. Back to Fal Dara where you are safe."
The woman of the Blue Ajah opened her mouth to protest, but Lan was quicker. He placed the waterskin at her lips and tilted her head back. Moiraine took two gulps before she pushed the waterskin away. "We have to save our water."
"I have one as well." Lan tried to give her more water, but she blocked him again.
"You need to drink."
"Because of the bond with you, I can go longer without food."
"Food, not drinking. Drink."
Lan knew when he had lost a battle. So, he took a sip then he locked the waterskin and put it back where it belonged. Moiraine glared at him angrily. "You can hardly call this drinking."
With a smile, Lan repeated her own words: "We have to save our water."
"Oh, NOW we have to save it?"
Lan chuckled, and Moiraine had a hard time trying not to smile as well. This man drove her nuts! All she wanted was for him to… Her eyes narrowed at the shadow behind her Warder. Had the shadow moved? But how should that be possible?
A pale hand emerged from the darkness, the fingers around a deadly sword. Then the eyeless face of a Fade appeared, and Moiraine's eyes widened in shock. The creature had hidden itself under its black coat! "WATCH OUT!"
The Warder didn't hesitate a second. Within a heartbeat, his sword was in his hand, and the two blades met mid-air. The Myrddral screamed in anger. It had hoped that it would surprise the two humans and kill them before they even would notice the creature.
Lan used his strength to push his opponent backward, then he used The Courtier taps his Fan. Hissing, the Myrddral jumped back to avoid Lan's blade.
Nervously, Moiraine watched how her Warder got back on his feet and attacked the creature. And she was damned to sit at the side, helplessly watching how Lan did all the work! The Aes Sedai closed her eyes and imagined the flower. She wanted to help Lan. She wanted to do something! But the flower didn't appear. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't feel the One Power moving through her veins. She missed the feeling.
A pull on her left hand made her open her eyes again. A rotten root had wrapped itself around her arm and kept moving upward, while it wanted to pull the woman out on the balcony. Moiraine tried to free her arm, but the root tightened its grip. It wouldn't give up that easily. The Aes Sedai threw a look at Lan. He was still fighting against the Myrddral and hadn't even noticed her situation. And without the bond, he couldn't feel her pain.
Well, she had no sword, but she still had her dagger. She grabbed the small weapon and stabbed it into the root. Immediately, the grip on her arm became even tighter, but she didn't stop. Over and over again, she pushed the dagger down, ignoring the pain in her arm.
A second root appeared and moved around Moiraine's throat. Moiraine tried to pull it off, but its grip became tighter, just like the one around her arm.
Soon, the Aes Sedai gasped for air. She couldn't free herself. A third root moved around her other arm and made her drop the dagger. The plant had won! Slowly, Moiraine's vision turned dark. It wouldn't take long and she wouldn't feel anything anymore. It looked as if she would still die in the Blight.
There was a muffled sound as if something big had fallen to the floor, but Moiraine couldn't open her eyes. She was tired. The darkness welcomed her. Then there was Lan's muffled voice: "Moiraine!"
Did he ask for help? Would the Myrddral kill him? Light, she wished she could feel him one last time. He had risked his life to save her. She felt a gentle breeze move an inch over her head and on her arms. Then her arms sank to the floor because the roots didn't hold them anymore. Hands pulled at the root, which was wrapped around her throat, released the pressure, and allowed the air to find its way into her lungs again.
The woman of the Blue Ajah gasped for air and opened her eyes finally. Lan kneeled in front of her, freeing her from the roots. Her eyes noticed the dead creature behind him. This must have been the muffled drop she had heard.
"Moiraine. Can you hear me?" Worried, Lan cupped her face in his hands. Since her throat was on fire, she only managed to nod.
Roars of Trollocs echoed through the corridor into the room, and they were getting closer. It was time to leave.
"Come on." Lan pulled his Aes Sedai to her feet and stepped out on the balcony.
The fight between the worms and the Trollocs was over. Now, they were back in the palace, and the worms were nowhere to be seen. Lan climbed over the balustrade, but when he tried to help Moiraine to do so as well, she couldn't do it. There was fear in her eyes when she saw how deep their fall would be.
"Trust me." Lan's voice was soft.
The old door of the room broke when two Trollocs entered. Reluctantly, Moiraine climbed over the balustrade as well. She put her arms around Lan's neck and hid her face against his chest.
Carefully, the Warder searched for the thickest roots, which would be able to carry their weight. "Hold on tight." This was the only warning he gave then he leaned over and their feet left the balcony. The roots made a protesting sound, but they didn't break. Slowly, Lan moved them down to the ground.
Only a few seconds after they had left the balcony, the two Trollocs appeared, searching for the two humans. They roared in anger when they saw what Lan was doing. The one, who was nearest to the wall, grabbed a root with his big hand, but apparently, the root didn't like his touch. Other roots appeared and moved around the arms of the ugly creature, just as they had done it with Moiraine only a moment ago.
Lan couldn't suppress a smile when he saw that the creature was stuck now. His brother didn't think about helping him. Instead, he took a step back, while the roots moved around the whole body and started to squeeze.
Encouraged, Lan kept climbing down until their feet touched the ground. This was the moment when Moiraine finally opened her eyes again. They had made it out of there. Alive.
The captured Trolloc was still roaring in anger – his brother had left him a while ago – then in pain, and finally in fear for his life.
The woman of the Blue Ajah watched him with shocked eyes until Lan pulled her away. They still had a long way back to Fal Dara. Without looking back, they went back into the Blight.