Sunlight streamed down to reflect against the cobble stones making them shimmer with a faint golden light. Puddles of rain seemed dirtier as the sunlight struck it, murky pools of water that seemed to have been gotten from a bog. Moira sidestepped these carefully. Though she was wearing her riding boots, she was still careful not to get any dirt splashes on her cream colored gown. She was, after all, going to visit the Lord Dragon and she had to at least look fitting for a Damodred. She walked on, though she could have ridden. Against Cerys' wishes, she had refused a carriage. Walking was a better way to know the present situation in Cairhien. And she was right. The sewers definitely needed cleaning, stenches of human waste and rotting food rose up from the gutters to inflame her nose. She sniffed but carried on walking. The people were now suffering more than before. Signs of the coming of Tarmon Gai'don were present everywhere. Adults with downcast eyes, their footsteps slow and heavy as if they carried a heavy weight. Shops that were open had very little merchandise in them and the sidewalk stalls used to sell a variety of vegetables and fruits barely had enough of one kind to sell. Children were rarely playing in the streets and those that did, did it with growing scarcity and they seemed wary of everything instead of the usual carefree attitude they had before. She tugged her cowl forward. Well, she won't let the Last Battle to destroy the city that she loved. And she was doing her part by bringing the Asha'man and the Aes Sedai together. Light knows that what she was doing was the right thing! Elaida might still her for doing so and Mazrim might do something worse if he found out but that was the only way she could think of surviving the battle. Besides, the greatest things that the Aes Sedai did were with men who could channel right? She slammed into something as hard as marble. Looking up, she saw that she had come face to face with an Aiel man dressed in a ca'din'sor of a soft brown color. Short spears were neatly kept in a bundle, a sort of circular bag made of aged leather. He towered above her, she barely reaching his shoulders even if her height was a wonder among Cairhienin. His flame colored hair was cut in a short crop, his eyes covered by the shoufa. Moira blinked. As far as she knew, they only wore their shoufa when they were ready to dance with the spears. "I.I am terribly sorry. Excuse me." She tried to dodge him but she came face to face with another person. This time it was a woman with leathery skin creased with many lines around the eyes and lips. These lines deepened as the woman frowned. "Strong." Suddenly, leathery hands snatched her wrist and dragged her forward. She was held in a tight grip by an old woman so she couldn't do anything. Forward they went mingling with the crowd until they emerged at the front of the Sun Palace. "Uhm, you must be an Aiel wise one.uhm.can you tell me why you've brought me here?" She could feel the wise one's strength in the one power. Strong but it was just as strong as Elaida. "Somara is my name. Yours Aes Sedai?" They had started to walk towards the inner part of the palace. "Moira." Guards shifted uncomfortably when they saw Somara but the wise one didn't seem to notice. She grunted but kept on walking. They went through familiar corridors, where the portraits of Damodred once hung. The portraits were replaced with banners of the light and of the Lord Dragon. Suddenly they stopped in front of a room. A feminine voice rose in an argument, then a male voice, a bit gruff but full of fury. The feminine voice rose again but stopped mid-way in a sentence. As if it were a cue, Somara, opened the door and entered, dragging Moira in with her. Unable to hide her shock, Moira's eyes widened when she saw who was in the room. A circular table stood at the center with three chairs. The one in the middle was occupied by Rand who appeared to be sulking, if there was no better word for it. On his right was Cadsuane, her face bristling with fury and apparent shock. On the other hand, Mazrim Taim who had settled for a smug smile. Moira blinked, "I.I can." Somara cut her through, "Cadsuane, I thought you promised that none of your.followers would wander around Cairhien! That they would stay in the palace grounds where the wise ones can keep an eye on them! Who knows which one plans for treason? And now, this Aes Sedai of immense power is found without an escort! In the city!" The grip on her hand tightened and then it was released suddenly. "She says her name is Moira. Is this true, Cadsuane?" Cadsuane shook her head, the dangling ornaments from her hair jingling as she did so, "Settle down, Somara. She was my student. Her name is Moira Damodred." "Well, it's a small world after all!" Mazrim maintained a hint of mockery in his voice that made all heads swivel towards him except for Moira's who had bowed her head. "What do you mean, Mazrim?" A sneer appeared on his face, "I cannot believe that a former mentor of Moira would not know that she works for me." "Works for you?" asked Cadsuane, "How?" At this Moira's head snapped up, her face filled with deadly calm but her eyes were practically throwing daggers at him. "In many ways, Aes Sedai, and it gives me a lot of pleasure!" He let out a bark of laughter after this. Cadsuane glared at Moira. "What does this mean? An Aes Sedai and an Asha'man.!" "It's nothing like that, Cadsuane! I am not that stupid nor weak to do something so ribald.with a man who might as well be burning in the Pit of Doom!" Mazrim laughed all the more. Somara had gone to frowning at Moira and Cadsuane. Rand still didn't make a move. "Light, why would I do it!" She shot a cold glance at Mazrim. He took four strides towards her, and suddenly, his lips were on hers. His arm wrapped around her waist like an iron band pushing her towards him. Moira tried to channel but then she realized that she was shielded. She heard a stifled gasp before she gave him a hard kick in the shin. Mazrim released her and laughed. "You are wonderful!" Laughing, he left the room. Moira wiped her lips on her sleeve, "Curse you, Mazrim." When she turned back to Cadsuane, she sighed and shook her head. "I can explain everything."

"You work for me and him? All this time you were a double agent?" Cadsuane lost it completely. Her face was pale with incredulity and anger, "And what have you been telling him? Things my group has been doing? Moira, I know that you're better than that!" "No, Cadsuane, I left out everything that has something to do with you. I only did it because they needed to know if the White Tower would suddenly pounce on them. They have families living in the Black Tower compound, Cadsuane, I had to think of that." "And?" Moira blinked, "And what?" "And?" Moira stood up and went to stand in front of the fireplace, "I did it to save my skin. You don't know what they did to me." "What did they do to you?" "They marked me." Cadsuane channeled so that a tea pot and two tea cups floated towards her and landed on the table. The room warmed a little as she warmed the tea. "Mark you?" Moira glanced around the room. Channeling, she guarded the room with a ward against eavesdropping and intruders. With her back to Cadsuane, she slowly unbuttoned her dress. Cadsuane stiffened in her seat at the sight before her eyes. Pale leathery lines that slashed across her back showed where whip marks had once been. At the center of her back was a tattoo of a gold and red dragon curling around a silver sword and a black tower. Without even touching it, Cadsuane could see that it was made with the one power and Moira had suffered much pain through the process. "Why didn't you tell me? Seven years, Moira!" She buttoned her dress and faced Cadsuane, "You know I couldn't tell you. What would you have said? I would have been stilled and the Black tower would no longer exist. Those two things kept me from telling you." "Still, it would have helped some how." "Maybe." Cadsuane stared at Moira. She was just like Moiraine, secretly doing things that got them into big trouble. Oh, she knew about what Moiraine did at the Eye of the World and she considered it foolish. Did Moiraine think that she could stop the Dark One with that just because she was Aes Sedai and she had the Dragon Reborn with her? And now Moira was gambling with her life, living and working for the White tower and her while spying for the black tower too. All for what? "This can be treason, Moira. The White Tower can have you executed." "If I break my oath to the Black tower, I would be killed too. I have to take chances. The tower must see that we can work with the Asha'man. The greatest things that Aes Sedai did were with saidar and saidin and who can channel saidin but the Asha'man?" "You are a sitter. Why haven't you been able to make the Tower see?" "If Elaida refuses to see this then the whole tower will refuse." "Have you tried?" "Cadsuane, you know what everyone thinks about men who can channel especially the Asha'man. They only let the Dragon reborn live because he is the dragon reborn, the salvation of the world!" "Try, Moira. Start with the leaders of the ajah. Then the sitters then the other sister and then Elaida." "No. That wouldn't work. Not while the red ajah is still there." Cadsuane tapped a finger on the table, "We'll make them see somehow."