A Small Victory

OOC: Too lazy / tired to proof read it; apologies in advance for any stupid errors.

She worked for what seemed like hours, but was probably only twenty or so minutes, becoming incredibly intimate with the weave that bound her powers. She suspected it took so long because it was some of the most intensive work she had ever undertaken in her entire career as Aes Sedai. Not only had her need for precision never been this great (she was in many was an untried and untested Sister, youthful in the experiences that characterised her fellows) but she had never felt this pressed. She hoped the pressure helped to hone her precision rather than skew it.

She became aware of a dripping sound somewhere in the distance, and thought perhaps she was imagining it. Perhaps her subconscious was throwing up obstacles with which to test her.

The way back will come but once, the voice sounded in her head, not even phasing her this time. She was too ensconced in the task at hand.

She thought she heard the stranger talk at one stage, but she could not make out the words, and nor did she try. She could not mess this up, not now. She was increasingly sure that time was fleeting. Be steadfast.

She had the sudden strong desire to look over her shoulder, the unflappable belief that if she did so her salvation would appear to her. Ridiculous, she told herself, suspecting her subconscious of another of those attempts at distracting her. You are no believer in miracles. Stick to the task at hand. Your life depends on it.

She was vaguely aware of how tensely she held herself, held almost stock still in concentration. She would need a long, hot bath after getting free of these bonds, a bath to melt away the tension in her muscles. That was a luxury she might not enjoy for a long time to come. Nevertheless it was a nice thought, and she smiled vaguely even as she kept working.

She was getting closer, closer, closer now, but she was also finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the level of precision that was required. She had developed a headache long ago from how closely she had had to concentrate. She wondered how long it would be before she collapsed from dizziness. Light, just hang on, she told herself. Take that voice's advice and be steadfast. Just be steadfast.

Ah! There it was! Or there was what she thought would result in the weave's undoing. She prayed that she was not getting her hopes up for nothing. Come on, come on, she muttered inwardly, tensing even more if that was possible. She worked her way into the deepest chink she had found so far, driving what she saw as a wedge into the natural fault in the weave that held her, driving it further and further in. She was trying to exploit the weakness that had been built into the trap by its very maker.

She felt herself teetering on the brink of breakthrough, and for a moment she thought she would fall onto the wrong side, dousing herself in failure. It was a terrible, precarious moment in which her entire future flashed before her, the two main possibilities presented to her by her overactive imagination in harsh detail: she knew which way she wanted to go, and it did not involve her remaining trapped by this shield.

Finally, she tipped the balance, driving the wedge home with a loud, shuddery sigh of triumph. The shield shattered around her and she slumped forward, all of her strength sapped. "Oh, Light," she murmured hoarsely, finding she was unable to open her eyes. Her head hurt like it never had before. She was hardly aware of the rest of her body. She had never endured anything like that in her entire life. She could hardly believe she'd made it this far. When her mind cleared momentarily, enough to allow more than mere abstract thoughts in, she had the presence of mind to feel a certain pride in herself. She had defied the odds in a way that Guydin and the other woman had never thought possible…in a way that even she had not thought possible. She had done what could not be done.

"You did it, didn't you?" a tired voice came from somewhere to her left. The stranger was still with her. But of course; where else would the woman have gone?

"I did it," Rayel whispered, finding that was all she had the strength to do.

"That is good news indeed."

The sound in the voice, one of soft resignation and not as much determination as before, told Rayel that where she had just succeeded, the stranger had failed. She will need my help, she realised, and nearly burst into tears at the idea. Oh Light, lend me strength.

"I will…help you," she said finally, still exhausted. "But you must…give me a minute."

"Of course," the stranger said, sounding a little more uplifted. Rayel knew she could do what was needed, at least where the other woman's shield was concerned, but only if she built up her strength again. What a pity there was no one else in here to Heal her before she began.

Be steadfast, the echoing voice sounded in the back of her mind, somehow comforting to her. And remember… The way back will come but once. Do not falter. Be steadfast.

It was the first time the mysterious messages had diverted from their normal path. She was too tired to sort out the implications of the departure from tradition. All she could do was rest her head on the wall behind her and close her eyes, snatching what small amount of rest she could before getting back to work.

She never lost sight of the fact that her captors were still out there somewhere; in fact, she would be surprised if Guydin's companion had not sensed the breach of her weave. That left Rayel very little time to act on her fellow prisoner's behalf.