The Wheel of Time belongs to Robert Jordan, I just play here.
Chapter 8
The next morning Jahar woke before Sheriam. He felt rested again and after a quick breakfast he went out to the practice yard. Back at the Black Tower, many of the Asha'man had grumbled about the sword lessons, but he was from the Borderlands. His father was a woodworker and not a soldier, but he knew how to use a sword and he had taught Jahar and his brother as soon as they were old enough to hold one. Nor had his dad's sword lessons been an exception in Shol Arbela, not that close to the Blight. His father used to say he could hold the alley behind the shop against twenty trollocs, if it came to that. He should send a letter some time, he had not send a word since the note he had left on the table when he had gone with the recruiters from the Black Tower. All he had said was that he was going to fight for the Dragon; he had not even known at the time he could learn to channel, but he had still slipped away without telling anyone directly. And afterwards.. well, how could he have told his family he was a man who could channel? Perhaps now that the taint was gone, at least, he would send a message home. But he doubted he would be welcome there. Too many people still feared men who channeled, even in the Borderlands where people were not easily scared. For now, coming from Shol Arbela just meant he could practice his sword with the other Warders without embarrassment.
He noticed Myrelle as she approached the practice yard. She snapped her fingers. He ignored her. The woman knew his name, she could use it. Strange, less than two weeks ago snapping fingers and pointing had seemed perfectly acceptable. Of course, Merise had been his Aes Sedai, and she had not tried to order other Warders around like that. Well, not often anyway.
"Jahar," Myrelle called then. He stopped his forms, sheathed his sword and came over.
"Yes Myrelle Sedai?" he asked.
"Sheriam said you were here. Come with.." she broke off. "Would you come with me and check the weaves on Delana?" she asked, sounding exasperated.
"Of course, Myrelle Sedai," he answered. He certainly did not mind following the Aes Sedai's orders, as long as she was reasonable about it. He quickly went with her and looked at the Black sister. To his surprise, the weaves were still as good as the day before. He had not left anything tied for so long and he really was not sure how long it would last.
After he left the tent where Delana was held, Jahar went to Sheriam and he remained with her most of that day and the next, with the Amyrlin and on all the numerous runs around the camp to the Hall and elsewhere. He had no more need to think of errands to run. Thus he was also with her in the Amyrlin's Study that next afternoon. Sheriam and the Amyrlin were going over long lists of supplies, soldier's wages, and other paperwork. He sat in the back of the tent playing around with some simple weaves, trying to figure out the way to inverse them. Unsuccessfully, so far.
Suddenly, Lord Bryne entered with an Aes Sedai under guard. "Mother, this is Sylviana Sedai, she comes as an envoy from Elaida," he announced.
The Amyrlin nodded. "What brings you here, daughter?" she asked.
"I have been sent by the Hall under Elaida," Sylviana started. "Last night, Elaida has killed herself and Alviarin has fled the Tower. The Hall surrenders itself to you." The Amyrlin blinked in surprise as Sylviana continued. "If you would ride to the Tower, the Hall will formally relinquish control of Tar Valon to you."
The Amyrlin looked at Lord Bryne, who shrugged. "They would not run out of supplies for some time yet. It could be a trap."
Sylviana looked indignant. "I am Aes Sedai, I can not lie." Sheriam merely sniffed at that.
Jahar stood up. "We could Travel onto the Tower grounds directly, Mother," he suggested. "Avoid the town until you have the Tower secured." Lord Bryne nodded in agreement.
Sylviana however now first noticed him. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in his black coat and the pins on his collar. "He's.. he's.." she stammered. Jahar felt something push at Saidin, but before he could react it was gone again, and Sylviana was thrown to the floor as if hit by something invisible. He did not have to look to know it was Sheriam, fury coursed through the bond.
"How dare you!" she snapped. "You are an envoy from the enemy camp, you will not channel in the presence of the Amyrlin or anywhere else in this camp without permission. And you will never, ever, channel at my Warder again. Apologise at once."
If Sylviana had been shocked before, it was nothing compared to the look of utter dismay she had on her face now. She scrambled up to a half-sitting position, keeping her eyes locked on Jahar. "But.. he's.. you bonded a man who can channel?" she managed.
"Even in the Tower you must have heard the Taint is gone," Sheriam told her. "But quite apart from that, to channel at _anyone_ here, in your position -there is no excuse to lose control like that, even for a Red. Light, woman, can you get a hold of yourself or did they lower the standards for my former position that much?"
Sylviana got up slowly, still looking at Jahar as if he were a dangerous viper about to strike. "I am sorry I channeled," she said with an effort, and without making it clear who she addressed.
Jahar looked at Sylviana with some apprehension of his own. Not that he was worried about anything she would do directly. He had barely felt her channeling, holding Saidin as he was, and from the way Sheriam had handled her he was sure she was much stronger than the Red sister as well. Nor did her stares bother him. He had grown used to people avoiding him, looking at him as if he were a dangerous animal. The taint being gone only made a small difference, as life-long fears took a long time to overcome. But no one had reacted as strongly as this. No other Aes Sedai, however wary some looked, had ever struck out at him. If this was what he could expect from the Red Ajah. how many Reds were there in the Tower, anyhow?
The Amyrlin regarded Sylviana thoughtfully and sighed. "You and your Red sisters will have to get used to some changes." Then she looked around at all of them and added, "And the sooner I can get to the Tower, the better. I do believe it would be important to ride in, to show the people of Tar Valon our arrival. It will make it easier to take charge of the city afterwards." Sheriam nodded in agreement to that.
"With all due respect, Mother," Lord Bryne put in. "I agree with Jahar. Even if she," he indicated Sylviana, "is telling the truth about the intentions of Elaida's Hall, there is always the risk of disgruntled individuals taking matters into their own hands."
"Being Amyrlin is hardly a safe position in the best of times," the Amyrlin said. "I have to rule this city and I want the people to know that I am there, and Elaida is no longer."
"You can not rule a city if you do not make it to the Tower," Lord Bryne argued. "And if I remember right, you promised to take my advise on military matters. "
"Until the taking of the Tower," the Amyrlin noted. "Which could be interpreted as being until about a quarter of an hour ago."
Lord Bryne threw up his hands. "Do all Aes Sedai make their words jump through hoops?" he asked, looking exasperated.
Jahar frowned. He did not like the thought of riding through Tar Valon, but he did not think it would be of any use arguing with the Amyrlin when she had her mind made up. Or with Sheriam. He did not doubt they would ride through Tar Valon. But they did not have to ride unprotected.
"What about a dome?" he asked.
"A dome?" the Amyrlin asked, but Sheriam nodded. In just two busy weeks there had not been a lot of opportunity for talk, but he had told her bits and pieces of his experiences as an Asha'man.
"A dome of Air, all around the column of horses. It will stop anything, whether it is an arrow or the One Power," he explained. "Similar to a shield but tunnel shaped, and all the separate pieces connected."
"Our shields are always flat, round and of one piece, but I see no reason why they have to be other than that is the way we have been taught," Sheriam said. "It is just Air, it could be done."
The Amyrlin looked thoughtful. "So the people of Tar Valon could see us ride in, and yet we would be protected against any traps. Yes, I think that would be a good idea," She nodded briefly as she took her decision. "Lord Bryne, see what you can find out from your scouts and if there is nothing to indicate Sylviana's claims are false, we will ride in the morning. Sheriam, get the Sitters to join me in the Hall right away. Jahar, find Myrelle, Carlinya, Morvrin, Nisao, Faolain and Theodrin, and see if they can figure out the Saidar version of this dome. Then make sure they teach every other Aes Sedai who can learn. And whoever can find Siuan, get her in here."
"Yes Mother," Jahar acknowledged, as the others did the same, and he left the tent to find the Aes Sedai.
Jahar found all the Aes Sedai and took them to a field outside the camp. He was a little surprised they had followed him with little comment, but then he did have direct orders from the Amyrlin. He explained the plan for the next morning. Only Myrelle muttered something about birds teaching fish to fly.
"I know I can not teach you the weave," he said. "But I can explain what the dome should do and I am sure you can figure out how to make it. It is like a shield of Air but shaped differently, and each one is connected to the others."
"Once we know how to work a weave, it is almost impossible to re-learn it another way," Myrelle pointed out.
Nisao snorted. "Then don't think of it as a shield, think of it as a dome. He is only explaining what it should look like."
Jahar felt the prickle telling him she channeled, and he nodded thanks to her. Nisao had come by to see him several times, especially the first week. The Yellow sister made no secret that she was interested in how he coped with Merise's death, and her manner had been abrupt and business-like, just like it was now.
He could feel the others also channeled, and wove tendrils of Air of his own to probe for the domes he could not see.
The sisters spoke among themselves as they tried various methods and weaves. "I can't get it to bend around to form a tunnel," Theodrin complained. "Mine remains flat, as with a shield," Myrelle cursed. "Yes I'm _trying_ to stop thinking of it as a shield," she added, cutting off any replies.
Still it was not long until everyone held a tunnel-shaped dome, as far as he could tell from his probes. "Now what, do we just overlap them to form one big one?" Nisao asked.
"You have to fasten them together," Jahar replied. "It would work without for a stationary dome but if we are going to move, there would be gaps falling all over if they are not connected. Now what we do is fray the edges into a coarse weave so that the different parts hook into each other like a thistle burr in a rough piece of cloth. But that does not sound like something that would work with Saidar." He had felt Saidar through the link with Merise and Elza at Shadar Logoth, and it had been very, very different. Definitely not like something you would stick together like thistle burrs.
From the looks the Aes Sedai gave him they fully agreed. Morvrin even blinked and said, "Fray threads and hook them into each other? You really must tell me more about the way you do things with the Power. We know so little about men channeling." Of course, she was a Brown.
"Later," he grunted noncommittally, and she nodded thoughtfully. Great, another Aes Sedai who saw him as 'an interesting case'.
"Can we get on with it?" Nisao asked. "Theodrin, try blending the edge of your flows with mine as if we are getting ready to pass the weaves across," she told the young Brown.
_Blend_ the flows? Light, Saidar was a lot different, he would never have thought to suggest that. But it seemed to work, the Aes Sedai nodded and looked pleased. He probed the invisible dome again and could find no gaps. For him, it was not even possible to find where the seams ran.
"Is that it?" Carlinya asked. She had been busy with two other Whites and had been less than pleased to be disturbed. Well, she would just have to wait a little longer before going back to her business.
"I want to test the dome. Lift it up and put it there at the far end of the field, right over the fence," Jahar directed.
"Test it how, why?" Morvrin asked, but from the look on her face and the way she followed the stare of the others, they were all moving their part of the dome.
"It does not do us any good if it will buckle under the first attack. I want to throw some things at it," Jahar explained.
Morvrin frowned, but soon said, "It is there."
He channeled Air again, feeling for the dome's exact location, then picked up a large boulder using Saidin. He hurled it at the dome, channeling Fire and Earth, and it exploded into a million pieces. Most of it fell harmlessly outside the invisible barrier, but at one point some of the last shards of rock fell through. Faolain colored red.
"I could not hold it," she said, looking abashed.
"No harm done," Jahar told her. "That is why I wanted to test it. Make your part of the dome smaller. There will be enough of you that it is not necessary to over-reach."
Faolain nodded.
This time the dome held. He threw another rock missile at it, then flooded it with a wave of rolling flames, and he even tried to erupt the ground up beneath it, but not a pebble made it through.
As he finished his test, he saw the Aes Sedai looking at him with wide eyes. As they noticed him looking at them, all but Theodrin managed to look calm again, but he was sure Theodrin had not been the only one who was startled by his display. Well, he was not going to hold back. If anyone were to try an attack tomorrow, it was unlikely they would be holding back either.
"Now there is one thing left, and that is moving with the dome," he told them. "Now you can just walk around in circles but it will be easier if you simply hold your own small dome while you go around the camp, while you find others to take here and show them the weave."
"We do not usually practice channeling all through the camp," Carlinya remarked. "And I had hoped to be able to return to my tent after getting this done."
"I know what you usually do, and that is fine when you have the time, just fine," Jahar snapped, starting to lose his patience. "But we are riding into Tar Valon with that dome tomorrow, and you better be able to hold it and manoeuvre with it. There are a lot of obstacles on a city street and I hope that is all we run into. And unless you think you can fit the whole camp under that," he indicated the dome the six of them had made, "you will have to show a number of others how to work the weave. Now, hold the dome, walk around with it as you look for the others, then link it up to theirs while I test it. Hold it, work with it, as long as you can so you'll still be fit tomorrow, and make sure any you teach do the same."
Faolain and Theodrin were the first to nod a quick consent and disappear into the camp, concentrating as they moved their part of the dome along with them. Nisao followed, too practical to dispute the facts he had summed up. Morvrin went with her, frowning thoughtfully. Carlinya and Myrelle hesitated, looking for a moment like they wanted to argue, then decided against it and left as well.
Jahar sat down to rest for a moment until the first of the Aes Sedai would be returning. This time it was not the channeling he had done that made him tired. Sure, they were strong weaves and it looked impressive, but he had learned them a long time ago and he could keep it up all day with little effort. It was the Aes Sedai with their rigid conventions that caused his weariness. Light, they had split from the Tower, been outcasts in Salidar, made their way with their army all the way back here, and they still held on to their customs, acting like the world would wait until they were good and well ready.
Of course, he doubted many of the Aes Sedai had ever seen a real battle. He knew there had been some skirmishes at the bridge towns when the army had arrived, but most of that had been taken care of by Lord Bryne's soldiers, and he was sure it had been nothing like the Wells, or Altara, or Illian. Judging by the look on her face when he had channeled at the dome, even Myrelle had never seen a real battle fought with the Power, and she was a Green. The 'Battle Ajah', holding themselves ready for the Last Battle. Yeah, right. He thought most of the Greens would have a tough time if they would ever have to face the Seanchan damane. They had no Oaths against using the Power as a weapon, and he had seen them use things even the M'Hael in the Black Tower had not thought of. That wave of rolling flames was something he had first seen a damane do, then Eben had discovered how to do something similar using Saidin.
And the Seanchan would make a move for the Tower eventually, he was sure of that. Alivia had been astonished they had not done so yet, never mind how far inland Tar Valon was located, when she learned how many Aes Sedai -marath'damane to the Seanchan- the Tower held. He decided that once they were in the Tower he would speak with Sheriam about his concerns.
Soon the sisters returned, each with several others, and Jahar spent the rest of the day testing the domes the new Aes Sedai put up. Faolain and Theodrin seemed to have a hard time making the sisters listen to anything they tried to tell them, the older sisters resenting being taught by them. But Nisao, once she had made up her mind and accepted that it was necessary, helped the young Aes Sedai out when they needed it. And Myrelle even scolded some other sisters who protested at having to practice while going around the camp. They would have a working dome tomorrow.
Chapter 8
The next morning Jahar woke before Sheriam. He felt rested again and after a quick breakfast he went out to the practice yard. Back at the Black Tower, many of the Asha'man had grumbled about the sword lessons, but he was from the Borderlands. His father was a woodworker and not a soldier, but he knew how to use a sword and he had taught Jahar and his brother as soon as they were old enough to hold one. Nor had his dad's sword lessons been an exception in Shol Arbela, not that close to the Blight. His father used to say he could hold the alley behind the shop against twenty trollocs, if it came to that. He should send a letter some time, he had not send a word since the note he had left on the table when he had gone with the recruiters from the Black Tower. All he had said was that he was going to fight for the Dragon; he had not even known at the time he could learn to channel, but he had still slipped away without telling anyone directly. And afterwards.. well, how could he have told his family he was a man who could channel? Perhaps now that the taint was gone, at least, he would send a message home. But he doubted he would be welcome there. Too many people still feared men who channeled, even in the Borderlands where people were not easily scared. For now, coming from Shol Arbela just meant he could practice his sword with the other Warders without embarrassment.
He noticed Myrelle as she approached the practice yard. She snapped her fingers. He ignored her. The woman knew his name, she could use it. Strange, less than two weeks ago snapping fingers and pointing had seemed perfectly acceptable. Of course, Merise had been his Aes Sedai, and she had not tried to order other Warders around like that. Well, not often anyway.
"Jahar," Myrelle called then. He stopped his forms, sheathed his sword and came over.
"Yes Myrelle Sedai?" he asked.
"Sheriam said you were here. Come with.." she broke off. "Would you come with me and check the weaves on Delana?" she asked, sounding exasperated.
"Of course, Myrelle Sedai," he answered. He certainly did not mind following the Aes Sedai's orders, as long as she was reasonable about it. He quickly went with her and looked at the Black sister. To his surprise, the weaves were still as good as the day before. He had not left anything tied for so long and he really was not sure how long it would last.
After he left the tent where Delana was held, Jahar went to Sheriam and he remained with her most of that day and the next, with the Amyrlin and on all the numerous runs around the camp to the Hall and elsewhere. He had no more need to think of errands to run. Thus he was also with her in the Amyrlin's Study that next afternoon. Sheriam and the Amyrlin were going over long lists of supplies, soldier's wages, and other paperwork. He sat in the back of the tent playing around with some simple weaves, trying to figure out the way to inverse them. Unsuccessfully, so far.
Suddenly, Lord Bryne entered with an Aes Sedai under guard. "Mother, this is Sylviana Sedai, she comes as an envoy from Elaida," he announced.
The Amyrlin nodded. "What brings you here, daughter?" she asked.
"I have been sent by the Hall under Elaida," Sylviana started. "Last night, Elaida has killed herself and Alviarin has fled the Tower. The Hall surrenders itself to you." The Amyrlin blinked in surprise as Sylviana continued. "If you would ride to the Tower, the Hall will formally relinquish control of Tar Valon to you."
The Amyrlin looked at Lord Bryne, who shrugged. "They would not run out of supplies for some time yet. It could be a trap."
Sylviana looked indignant. "I am Aes Sedai, I can not lie." Sheriam merely sniffed at that.
Jahar stood up. "We could Travel onto the Tower grounds directly, Mother," he suggested. "Avoid the town until you have the Tower secured." Lord Bryne nodded in agreement.
Sylviana however now first noticed him. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in his black coat and the pins on his collar. "He's.. he's.." she stammered. Jahar felt something push at Saidin, but before he could react it was gone again, and Sylviana was thrown to the floor as if hit by something invisible. He did not have to look to know it was Sheriam, fury coursed through the bond.
"How dare you!" she snapped. "You are an envoy from the enemy camp, you will not channel in the presence of the Amyrlin or anywhere else in this camp without permission. And you will never, ever, channel at my Warder again. Apologise at once."
If Sylviana had been shocked before, it was nothing compared to the look of utter dismay she had on her face now. She scrambled up to a half-sitting position, keeping her eyes locked on Jahar. "But.. he's.. you bonded a man who can channel?" she managed.
"Even in the Tower you must have heard the Taint is gone," Sheriam told her. "But quite apart from that, to channel at _anyone_ here, in your position -there is no excuse to lose control like that, even for a Red. Light, woman, can you get a hold of yourself or did they lower the standards for my former position that much?"
Sylviana got up slowly, still looking at Jahar as if he were a dangerous viper about to strike. "I am sorry I channeled," she said with an effort, and without making it clear who she addressed.
Jahar looked at Sylviana with some apprehension of his own. Not that he was worried about anything she would do directly. He had barely felt her channeling, holding Saidin as he was, and from the way Sheriam had handled her he was sure she was much stronger than the Red sister as well. Nor did her stares bother him. He had grown used to people avoiding him, looking at him as if he were a dangerous animal. The taint being gone only made a small difference, as life-long fears took a long time to overcome. But no one had reacted as strongly as this. No other Aes Sedai, however wary some looked, had ever struck out at him. If this was what he could expect from the Red Ajah. how many Reds were there in the Tower, anyhow?
The Amyrlin regarded Sylviana thoughtfully and sighed. "You and your Red sisters will have to get used to some changes." Then she looked around at all of them and added, "And the sooner I can get to the Tower, the better. I do believe it would be important to ride in, to show the people of Tar Valon our arrival. It will make it easier to take charge of the city afterwards." Sheriam nodded in agreement to that.
"With all due respect, Mother," Lord Bryne put in. "I agree with Jahar. Even if she," he indicated Sylviana, "is telling the truth about the intentions of Elaida's Hall, there is always the risk of disgruntled individuals taking matters into their own hands."
"Being Amyrlin is hardly a safe position in the best of times," the Amyrlin said. "I have to rule this city and I want the people to know that I am there, and Elaida is no longer."
"You can not rule a city if you do not make it to the Tower," Lord Bryne argued. "And if I remember right, you promised to take my advise on military matters. "
"Until the taking of the Tower," the Amyrlin noted. "Which could be interpreted as being until about a quarter of an hour ago."
Lord Bryne threw up his hands. "Do all Aes Sedai make their words jump through hoops?" he asked, looking exasperated.
Jahar frowned. He did not like the thought of riding through Tar Valon, but he did not think it would be of any use arguing with the Amyrlin when she had her mind made up. Or with Sheriam. He did not doubt they would ride through Tar Valon. But they did not have to ride unprotected.
"What about a dome?" he asked.
"A dome?" the Amyrlin asked, but Sheriam nodded. In just two busy weeks there had not been a lot of opportunity for talk, but he had told her bits and pieces of his experiences as an Asha'man.
"A dome of Air, all around the column of horses. It will stop anything, whether it is an arrow or the One Power," he explained. "Similar to a shield but tunnel shaped, and all the separate pieces connected."
"Our shields are always flat, round and of one piece, but I see no reason why they have to be other than that is the way we have been taught," Sheriam said. "It is just Air, it could be done."
The Amyrlin looked thoughtful. "So the people of Tar Valon could see us ride in, and yet we would be protected against any traps. Yes, I think that would be a good idea," She nodded briefly as she took her decision. "Lord Bryne, see what you can find out from your scouts and if there is nothing to indicate Sylviana's claims are false, we will ride in the morning. Sheriam, get the Sitters to join me in the Hall right away. Jahar, find Myrelle, Carlinya, Morvrin, Nisao, Faolain and Theodrin, and see if they can figure out the Saidar version of this dome. Then make sure they teach every other Aes Sedai who can learn. And whoever can find Siuan, get her in here."
"Yes Mother," Jahar acknowledged, as the others did the same, and he left the tent to find the Aes Sedai.
Jahar found all the Aes Sedai and took them to a field outside the camp. He was a little surprised they had followed him with little comment, but then he did have direct orders from the Amyrlin. He explained the plan for the next morning. Only Myrelle muttered something about birds teaching fish to fly.
"I know I can not teach you the weave," he said. "But I can explain what the dome should do and I am sure you can figure out how to make it. It is like a shield of Air but shaped differently, and each one is connected to the others."
"Once we know how to work a weave, it is almost impossible to re-learn it another way," Myrelle pointed out.
Nisao snorted. "Then don't think of it as a shield, think of it as a dome. He is only explaining what it should look like."
Jahar felt the prickle telling him she channeled, and he nodded thanks to her. Nisao had come by to see him several times, especially the first week. The Yellow sister made no secret that she was interested in how he coped with Merise's death, and her manner had been abrupt and business-like, just like it was now.
He could feel the others also channeled, and wove tendrils of Air of his own to probe for the domes he could not see.
The sisters spoke among themselves as they tried various methods and weaves. "I can't get it to bend around to form a tunnel," Theodrin complained. "Mine remains flat, as with a shield," Myrelle cursed. "Yes I'm _trying_ to stop thinking of it as a shield," she added, cutting off any replies.
Still it was not long until everyone held a tunnel-shaped dome, as far as he could tell from his probes. "Now what, do we just overlap them to form one big one?" Nisao asked.
"You have to fasten them together," Jahar replied. "It would work without for a stationary dome but if we are going to move, there would be gaps falling all over if they are not connected. Now what we do is fray the edges into a coarse weave so that the different parts hook into each other like a thistle burr in a rough piece of cloth. But that does not sound like something that would work with Saidar." He had felt Saidar through the link with Merise and Elza at Shadar Logoth, and it had been very, very different. Definitely not like something you would stick together like thistle burrs.
From the looks the Aes Sedai gave him they fully agreed. Morvrin even blinked and said, "Fray threads and hook them into each other? You really must tell me more about the way you do things with the Power. We know so little about men channeling." Of course, she was a Brown.
"Later," he grunted noncommittally, and she nodded thoughtfully. Great, another Aes Sedai who saw him as 'an interesting case'.
"Can we get on with it?" Nisao asked. "Theodrin, try blending the edge of your flows with mine as if we are getting ready to pass the weaves across," she told the young Brown.
_Blend_ the flows? Light, Saidar was a lot different, he would never have thought to suggest that. But it seemed to work, the Aes Sedai nodded and looked pleased. He probed the invisible dome again and could find no gaps. For him, it was not even possible to find where the seams ran.
"Is that it?" Carlinya asked. She had been busy with two other Whites and had been less than pleased to be disturbed. Well, she would just have to wait a little longer before going back to her business.
"I want to test the dome. Lift it up and put it there at the far end of the field, right over the fence," Jahar directed.
"Test it how, why?" Morvrin asked, but from the look on her face and the way she followed the stare of the others, they were all moving their part of the dome.
"It does not do us any good if it will buckle under the first attack. I want to throw some things at it," Jahar explained.
Morvrin frowned, but soon said, "It is there."
He channeled Air again, feeling for the dome's exact location, then picked up a large boulder using Saidin. He hurled it at the dome, channeling Fire and Earth, and it exploded into a million pieces. Most of it fell harmlessly outside the invisible barrier, but at one point some of the last shards of rock fell through. Faolain colored red.
"I could not hold it," she said, looking abashed.
"No harm done," Jahar told her. "That is why I wanted to test it. Make your part of the dome smaller. There will be enough of you that it is not necessary to over-reach."
Faolain nodded.
This time the dome held. He threw another rock missile at it, then flooded it with a wave of rolling flames, and he even tried to erupt the ground up beneath it, but not a pebble made it through.
As he finished his test, he saw the Aes Sedai looking at him with wide eyes. As they noticed him looking at them, all but Theodrin managed to look calm again, but he was sure Theodrin had not been the only one who was startled by his display. Well, he was not going to hold back. If anyone were to try an attack tomorrow, it was unlikely they would be holding back either.
"Now there is one thing left, and that is moving with the dome," he told them. "Now you can just walk around in circles but it will be easier if you simply hold your own small dome while you go around the camp, while you find others to take here and show them the weave."
"We do not usually practice channeling all through the camp," Carlinya remarked. "And I had hoped to be able to return to my tent after getting this done."
"I know what you usually do, and that is fine when you have the time, just fine," Jahar snapped, starting to lose his patience. "But we are riding into Tar Valon with that dome tomorrow, and you better be able to hold it and manoeuvre with it. There are a lot of obstacles on a city street and I hope that is all we run into. And unless you think you can fit the whole camp under that," he indicated the dome the six of them had made, "you will have to show a number of others how to work the weave. Now, hold the dome, walk around with it as you look for the others, then link it up to theirs while I test it. Hold it, work with it, as long as you can so you'll still be fit tomorrow, and make sure any you teach do the same."
Faolain and Theodrin were the first to nod a quick consent and disappear into the camp, concentrating as they moved their part of the dome along with them. Nisao followed, too practical to dispute the facts he had summed up. Morvrin went with her, frowning thoughtfully. Carlinya and Myrelle hesitated, looking for a moment like they wanted to argue, then decided against it and left as well.
Jahar sat down to rest for a moment until the first of the Aes Sedai would be returning. This time it was not the channeling he had done that made him tired. Sure, they were strong weaves and it looked impressive, but he had learned them a long time ago and he could keep it up all day with little effort. It was the Aes Sedai with their rigid conventions that caused his weariness. Light, they had split from the Tower, been outcasts in Salidar, made their way with their army all the way back here, and they still held on to their customs, acting like the world would wait until they were good and well ready.
Of course, he doubted many of the Aes Sedai had ever seen a real battle. He knew there had been some skirmishes at the bridge towns when the army had arrived, but most of that had been taken care of by Lord Bryne's soldiers, and he was sure it had been nothing like the Wells, or Altara, or Illian. Judging by the look on her face when he had channeled at the dome, even Myrelle had never seen a real battle fought with the Power, and she was a Green. The 'Battle Ajah', holding themselves ready for the Last Battle. Yeah, right. He thought most of the Greens would have a tough time if they would ever have to face the Seanchan damane. They had no Oaths against using the Power as a weapon, and he had seen them use things even the M'Hael in the Black Tower had not thought of. That wave of rolling flames was something he had first seen a damane do, then Eben had discovered how to do something similar using Saidin.
And the Seanchan would make a move for the Tower eventually, he was sure of that. Alivia had been astonished they had not done so yet, never mind how far inland Tar Valon was located, when she learned how many Aes Sedai -marath'damane to the Seanchan- the Tower held. He decided that once they were in the Tower he would speak with Sheriam about his concerns.
Soon the sisters returned, each with several others, and Jahar spent the rest of the day testing the domes the new Aes Sedai put up. Faolain and Theodrin seemed to have a hard time making the sisters listen to anything they tried to tell them, the older sisters resenting being taught by them. But Nisao, once she had made up her mind and accepted that it was necessary, helped the young Aes Sedai out when they needed it. And Myrelle even scolded some other sisters who protested at having to practice while going around the camp. They would have a working dome tomorrow.