Chapter 6--Could it be! NOOOOOOO!!! Not a CLIFFHANGER!!!

Disclaimer--yeah yeah. I don't own the Wheel of Time or any of the characters I'm currently tormenting.

Author's Note--Sigh, sorry it took so long to post, but I was working on one of my Star Wars fics and had to acheive a certain level of humorless thinking to accomplish this. That or I'm just lying to you, but I can't lie because I'm a Weasel. But I'm really not a Weasel, so I just lied to you, so that means I can lie, so you'll never know why it took so long to write this. Hehehe.

Right then.........

OH. Nynaeve Sedai, my humble apologies if I have inadvertently plagerized. If you believe I have done so, I will revise that portion of the fic, just say the word. I really had no idea if I did so, and it was about one in the morning when I wrote it. Sorry.



--Where Demandred is--

This was far past any tolerable insult. It was beyond any ranting, raving, screaming fit that he could find the energy to muster. He couldn't find to words to describe the rage and anger he felt.

Aaaaaannnnnyyyyyyy minute now...........

RING! RING! RING! (I already told you, I installed phones for the people of Randland, and that includes to Forsaken. Their people too!)

Demandred looked at the phone in utter anguish. Why him? Why now? Why was it when there was so much at stake......

He reluctantly picked up the phone.

Moridin's smug voice greeted him at the other end. "DEMANDRED!!! Did you watch the game?"

"Yes."

"Great show, great show! Those Cranes put up a grand fight, but nobody has ever beat the White Tower Warders. Did you see the score?"

"Yes."

"What was that..........45 to 50?"

"Yes."

"You bet rather heavily on the Cranes, didn't you?"

"Yes."

There was a pause, then the other Forsaken went on cheerfully. "Oh, it can't be that bad. Besides, I'm sure the Great Lord will be willing to front you any money you might owe, seeing how he's such a Crane fan too. And if you have the Dragon Reborn by now....."

~grunt~

Moridin paused again. "Uhhh.....Demandred? You DO have the Dragon Reborn.....don't you?"

~grunt~

"What was that?"

"Work in progress." Demandred clarified darkly. He needed a drink. (Of Mountain Dew of course!)

"Oh.....well....I'll let you go. Must call up dear Cyndane and see how she's taking it. She was so rooting for the Cranes.....ta ta."

Son of a Seanchan! He'd completely forgotten about that bloody Dragon Reborn! The Great bloody Lord was going to bloody gentle him! Or worse! Cut off his ESPN and his cable! Blood and bloody ashes!

"ZIPPER!!!!!!!!!!" he bellowed. "GET YOUR USELESS SOULLESS SELF IN HERE!!!!"

The lead Gray Man darted into the room, his brainless cohorts tumbling along beside him into the main room.

"Yes sir."

Demandred glared at him. Splotches of pink lotion dotted the non- descript Soulless. Hardly what he needed to pull this off, but he had rented them for another four days and he might as well get whatever he could out of them.

"I am giving you and your braindead companions one, ONE, more chance. If you fail me......I'LL HAVE YOU ALL DOING KITCHEN DUTY IN THE BLIGHT FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY DO I MAKE MYSELF LOUD AND CLEAR YOU BUMBLING TOADSKINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"SIR YES SIR!!!" Nannygoat and Zipper shouted in unision.

"YA WANNA PICKLE!!!" Bluebell yelled.

They all loked at him strangely. He shrugged.

"THEN ONWARD!!" Demandred roared and wove a gateway to the Sun Palace.

--The Sun Palace--

Rand al'Thor, the almighty Dragon Reborn, lounged happily on his throne, reading the sports page of the Sun Times and thinking about going to collect his winnings from Rhuarc, who had bet rather heavily on the Cranes and was currently trying to drown himself in a bottle of oosquai.

He got up and went to the door, but the sound of voices from the other side stopped him cold.

His new "security alarm" was going at it again.

"--NOT SCREAMING AT YOU AL'LAN MANDRAGORAN I AM NOT SCREAMING BECAUSE I AM NOT ANGRY--!!!!!!"

Lan's relpy was low, but Rand got the general idea.

"I'M NOT BELLOWING!!" Nynaeve roared.

Rand rethought that route. It wouldn't be worth it. But it did keep those pesky weirdos from batternig on his door at all hours.

So he was trapped in his rooms again, with nothing be the paper and that letter from Perrin that said some freaks dressed as his harem had come to his house the other night asking for the Dragon Reborn and wanted to know if he had anything to do with it. Faile was rather eager to know.

He ambled over to the window to look out at the gloomy day and made a face, suddenly his eyes went wide.

Someone was using saidin!

That's when the gateway opened up behind him and three rathr non-escript Gray Men tumbled out, followed by a stranger that Rand knew even with his eyes closed.

"Demandred!" he gasped.

Then all went black.

--Outside the throne room--

Sulin was tapping her foot impatiently on the floor, wanting nothing more than to smack someone. Lan and Nynaeve had apologized and were snuggling with each other in the corner.

"YA WANNA PICKLE!!" a voice yelled from niside the throne room, followed by cheerful whoops and a hard, male voice snapping for them to be silent.

RAND!!

Sulin sprang forward, her spears raised and barreled into the room.......

Nothing.

Nynaeve and Lan, followed by more Maidens, poured into the room.

"He's gone!" said one of the younger Maidens.

~Light curse that man!~ Sulin seethed. Now she'd NEVER get her raise.

"We have to find him!" Nynaeve exclaimed and rushed out to call the only people in Randland who could possible aid them in this horrible time.

--Somewhere in Ebou Dar--

RING RING RING RING!!

He picked up the phone lazily.

Nynaeve's voice on the other end. "MAT!"

Mat yelped and nearly slammed it back down.

"Rand's been kidnapped! Get to the Sun Palace as fast as you can!" Miss- High-and-Mighty ordered.

Leaving him sputtering at the phone. "You can't.....you....but.....huh?"

"Now Matrim! Rand needs you!"

"You can't make me just pack up and head to--"

"Ohhhhhh piglet........."

Mat paused, rethought his situation.

"I'll be there as fast as I can." he told Nynaeve and bolted to find his horse before Tylin could catch him.

--Somewhere in Two Rivers--

WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!!

Perrin looked over at the wolf that stood in his doorway. "What is it Fastwind?"

Fastwind, which really meant "the way the breeze played through the leaves on the trees and grass in the time when spring and summer met" howled again and dropped the cell phone on the floor before barking at him.

Perrin sniffed the phone before his answered it, not liking the way it smelled. "Hello?"

"PERRIN!"

He yelped and clutched his ear, glaring at the phone darkly.

"Rand's been kidnapped!" Nynaeve explained loudly. "Get to the Sun Palace as fast as you can!"

Perrin raised a eyebrow. "Did I hear a "please" in that....."

"NOW YOU WOOLHEAD MAN!!" she shouted and hung up. Perrin shrugged, heard Faile come busting in the back door, bellowing for him, and looked at Fastwind.

"Call the others! They've snared Shadowkiller!"

Fastwind set up a long howl and sprang to the forest.



Oh my God! Did the Three Gray Men really get Rand? Did Demandred at last take matters into his own hands? Will Mat and Perrin save the day? Will Sulin get her raise? Stay tuned!