Note: Guydin's name is pronounced "GOOY-din" if that makes sense. Not "GUY-din".

Guydin Raventhal

As Rayel neared the bottom of the staircase she heard voices further down, swelling and fading as their tones changed. She froze on the spot, then pressed herself against the wall, having the presence of mind to make gentle movements. She pursed her lips, carefully avoiding embracing saidar for comfort's sake, and strained to judge the distance between herself and the speakers. The Power would've told her whether they were channellers or not, but she couldn't risk detection herself. All she could do was hope that they were not holding the Source. She saw none of saidar's glow further down, so she took that as a good sign.

While she could not identify the speakers as channellers, she might as well assume, for safety's sake, that they had the ability. From the sounds of their voices they were standing stationary, probably a few meters beyond the base of the staircase ahead. If Rayel moved quietly she could make her way down and get a better look at them. Perhaps she could even slip by them and escape notice. It would require that she be on her guard as never before.

Be steadfast…

She took the strange echoing sentiment in stride, deciding that under extreme stress she had been reduced to recalling what had guided her through her test to become Accepted. She didn't see how doing so could do her any harm. In fact it brought her comfort, making her feel that somehow she was not alone. Some other entity was giving her direction, even if it was just some private part of her consciousness urging her on. With this in mind she found the strength to push away from the wall and take her first step downwards. The murmurs were still audible in the distance, though unintelligible.

Her first step preceded a second, and then a third, and so on until she had reached the base of the stairwell. There in the pools of darkness she paused once more, hairs standing on end all over her body. Goosebumps rippled over her again, for the voices were clearer than ever now, and at least one of them was familiar. It was Guydin Sedai, and she was speaking with another deep-voiced woman Rayel couldn't identify. Rayel had thought that Guydin fled along with some of the earliest deserters, but now she saw she'd been wrong.

The hallway ahead was empty as far as she could see, so she assumed the speakers were standing in one of the alcoves or corridors that led off from it. They were near, she knew, and their voices were characterised by a furtiveness all too common in the White Tower these days. Everybody had learned to be cautious; nobody trusted anybody else, at least when they could manage without doing so.

Rayel edged forward, and within moments she had pinpointed where the speakers stood. As she'd suspected, they had tucked themselves into one of the alcoves just beyond the bottom of the staircase. Rayel wanted to lean closer to the edge of the alcove and peer around it at Guydin and the other woman, but for now it would do just to listen in to the conversation, and learn what she could. She pricked up her ears and forced the rest of her body to relax, not wanting the tension of the moment to betray her.

"…Not many left," Guydin was saying. "Sometimes… It's just… I would never have done so… Things make me wonder."

The other woman had been murmuring now and then but Rayel had found it impossible to make any of her words out. Now she raised her voice slightly in response to Guydin.

"I understand, my dear. It is far from simple." There was a pause and then she added, "But you know it. There are certain things…that must be done."

Rayel could almost picture the troubled look on Guydin's face. The other woman's words had carried such palpable foreboding. She and Guydin were not talking about taking novices on a picnic. The subject of their discussion was far more serious.

"I know," Guydin said finally, her voice suddenly full of conviction. "And I will do what I must." For a moment her voice sank into mere inaudible whispers, and then Rayel heard her old associate say, "I can give you several."

"Several…"

"Traitors."

One of them sighed heavily, releasing a breath that had clearly been held for some time. There was another long silence, full of silent contemplation, in which Rayel herself tried not to breathe too loudly. Then Guydin said, "I could lead you straight to them."

Is she talking about the Black Ajah? Rayel wondered, fear gripping her strongly once more. It would make sense, since from the start of the troubles the Blacks had been at the heart of everything. The more important question was probably this: how could Guydin know several names of members of the Black Ajah, if that was what she referred to?

 "That will not be necessary," the other woman said finally. "It is as easy as this. You give me the names and I–"

There was a sudden silence then that brought goose bumps back to Rayel's skin. She heard Guydin murmur a single word that sounded like a question, and then heard a subtle shifting from within the alcove. And she knew then that she had been too careless.

She had been detected.