1. A Shadow under the Rising Sun.

Now.
With all her gathered strength, Cei'ila ran through the city gates into the district where the less fortunate people lived, hidden in a cloak of shadows onto the main road, out of the city they called Cairhien. Her bare feet splashed in the mud that formed the road as the tiny girl dodged carts passing by and escaped collision with unwary travelers. On she ran, knowing her tiny frame gave her an advantage to her pursuers, strong men on horseback, who had to be more careful and had more trouble getting past those looking for shelter in the Inner City.

There are strange lands, she thought, wrapping her cloak tighter around her to make her cover more effective. Strange lands, to enforce law so strictly on petty thieves while the city is a beehive full of thugs. Cei'ila had reached the city yesterday and this morning she had found herself hungry for some fresh food, two years on dried meat, vegetables and an occasional hunting prey had made her long for a juicy piece of fruit. The apples on the market in the city they called Cairhien had not looked as appealing as some of the fruits she had eaten before, but after those years, they had been the best thing she had ever seen.

She had only taken three of them, and, despite her cover, she had been seen by a few passers-by. "Shadowspawn," they had screamed and the City Guards had taken up the chase immediately, at least twelve of them on large war-horses chasing the tiny girl from the lands beyond the Waste.

Her shield was holding up still but it was of little use here, out in the open. Saidar was running through her like a wild river, she strained to keep up the shield and at the same time make the physical efforts it took to outrun the Guards. She couldn't continue doing this for much longer. In the distance, she heard the thumping of hooves and she thought she could hear the voices of the City Guards already. Strange to think they'd continue their function outside the city. And stranger still to think they called this a city, a rather random collection of houses on a hill.

A bend in the road was coming up and Cei'ila knew it was now or never. Hiding in her Cloak of Shadows, she ran, hearing the leader of the Guards scream, "Shadowspawn, don't let it get away!" Around the corner, she jumped into the bushes and held still, completely hidden. Eyes closed, she pushed herself as closely to the ground as she possibly could, at the same time listening to her pursuers catching up with her.

"She can't be far away," their leader called, his voice low and a bit nasal. "You, Sadiro, dismount and search the bushes. She must be there." Another man started speaking, his voice notably higher. Cei'ila didn't think he'd be old enough to shave. "It was Shadowspawn, Captain. We have all seen it. It could blend in the shadows like a Halfman! I would get killed if it caught me!"

Cei'ila lifted her head to peer through the bushes, to see a strange scene of men in a circle, all of them occasionally looking over their shoulders as if they heard a sound. A man with three plumes on his helmet, most likely the 'captain' the young man had been speaking to, shook his head slowly. "I suppose we could say it turned to ashes as soon as we killed it," he said. Certainly he didn't dare show his fear. The other men nodded eagerly and the group turned back to the city, a cloud of dust marking their path.

Running a hand over her head, Cei'ila let herself lean backwards to rest. She noticed short black curls were covering the patches of her head that had not been tattooed and she realized she must look foolish now, unworthy, even. She took one of the small red apples out of the pocket of her cloak and ate it, before falling asleep.

2. A Bird bound in Chains.

Left foot first, then right, jump, and left again… A small figure danced through the darkened streets of the Ayyad community, humming a nursery rhyme. Her frizzy dark hair was gathered in two braids that hung down her back, her dark brown skin was yet unmarked. Just a child, on her way home after a long day learning…

"Greetings," she heard, no more than a whisper and in a very strange accent. Maybe the stars were talking to her. They always seemed to talk to her when she was alone, that's why she liked to spend time outside in the dark. "May you be favored," she responded, waving to the face of the moon. "Greetings," she heard again and she noticed it were not the stars talking to her, since the sound came from a lower source. Maybe it was the Earth, instead.

Cei'ila sank down on her knees, clutching her ragdoll in both hands. "G…Greetings," she whispered to the Earth, somewhat expecting a response. "Who are you?" He spoke in a way very different from the way her mother and the others did, as if he knew the words but wasn't used to speaking them. He, indeed. It was a boy. "Cei'ila," she responded. "And you?" A soft laughter emerged and Cei'ila saw a tiny hole in the ground. On her knees, she crawled towards it and moved her head so to listen closer. "I have no name," the voice said. "I live here."

Cei'ila thought for a moment. "You cannot have no name," she said, "because I have to be able to call you something." She looked up at the stars, in awe of the large number of those twinkling lights. "I will call you Ti'liyo," she said. "Can you see the sky?" A moment of silence, and then, "do you mean those dots above me? Yes, I can see it." Cei'ila giggled; this person plainly wasn't very clever. "Those are stars," she said. "Can you see those six stars there, five of them in a circle and the sixth above them? They are called Ti'liyo, too. It means 'free bird', I think. It is your name now."

She stood up, realizing dinner might be getting cold by now. "I must go home. Will you be here tomorrow?" She was answered by laughter only.

It was so that young Cei'ila started talking to Ti'liyo every night, educating him about the world outside. When she was eight years old, she learned Ti'liyo had to be a boy born of one of the Ayyad. He was likely to go mad in a few years and thus the Ayyad kept him safely in a dungeon under the ground. She could not really believe it, now that Ti'liyo was becoming a friend of hers. Somehow, it didn't feel right that he shouldn't be allowed to walk free.

When she was fourteen, Cei'ila was positively tested and she received her first tattoo. The contract was signed in her own blood and she became an Ayyad in training for the seven years to come. She wouldn't be able to claim the title until she had fulfilled what was written in the contract; she would have to bear a child to keep the blood of the Ayyad alive. Not a girl, and not a woman, her training was difficult but she kept visiting Ti'liyo every night, no matter what happened. Until she was nineteen years old.

On one night, he was gone. In the months to come, Ti'liyo didn't reappear. Silently, Cei'ila mourned him.

3. Water and Shade.

She moved the heavy wool of her cloak from her face and her deep brown eyes looked at the silver face of the moon. The sand had kept her warm all day and had protected her from the creatures that dwelled the desert, and now that the sun had set she would be able to continue her journey through the cold of the night. It was incomprehensible the temperature could rise and drop so quickly, but she had soon found out she found the cold of the night more comfortable to travel in than the heat of the day.

Shaking the sand that covered her body off, she stood up. She channeled flows of Air and Water directed into the leather bag she had brought and had soon gathered enough water to drink. Opening her bags, she scanned for some food and found a few straps of dried meat. Cei'ila had been able to bring enough of it to see her through a few weeks, so she had to hunt as well as she could in this barren land. Chewing the tough substance, she went to the low bush where she had set her traps yesterday. A thin lizard was caught in one of them and since they lived in her native country too, she knew she'd be able to eat it. The young woman put on her cloak and tied the creature to her bag. She would have it for lunch today.

The sand was still hot under her bare feet but was cooling down quickly as night took hold of the Waste. Covered in her Cloak of Shadows, she had been able to avoid being seen by any of the people living here, those known as Aiel. She had stolen their food, occasionally, but they were more watchful than the people she was accustomed to were, and she only did it if she was certain she could avoid notice.

The lands were getting cooler as the months passed, she had learned that there should be places where water ran freely, beyond this endless, horrible desert.

Cei'ila began to run. Another day to get her closer to a place where she could start over, a base where she could prepare to strike back and free her dead son… Saidar was comforting inside her body, a light she could fall back on in these dark times. Her feet hit the ground in the rhythm of her heartbeat as she moved further toward the horizon, where mountains promised the changes she needed.

4. Of Growing Up.

The five Eldest and her mother had summoned her this morning. They had let her read the contract she had signed five years ago and had explained to her the time had come for her to fulfill the ritual that would make her Ayyad. Her whole face was tattooed now and when she would be awarded the next marking, she would have to start shaving her head. Her hands were unmarked yet, only those who had fulfilled their training could get markings on their hands and not all of them were awarded to do it.

She had nodded in understanding and agreed. She was nineteen now, old enough to be raised to the next level. Right now, she was in her small sleeping room, dressed in silk shifts, holding her head in her hands and crying softly. She was afraid. It was six months ago that Ti'liyo vanished and she was convinced he was dead, he wouldn't leave her alone like that. He had been her only friend and in these hard times, she needed support…

Three knocks on her door and with a loud creak, someone opened it. A servant pushed in a man bound in chains and tossed her a small bunch of keys. The door was slammed close before she had had the chance to say anything and she was left there with that unearthly creature, bound, gagged and blindfolded, his skin pale and the flesh on his bones hanging loosely, as if he didn't know how to move.

She jumped down on the floor and hesitantly found the lock that held the chains together. A small golden key unlocked it and with a sound that seemed deafening, the chains fell on the ground around the man. He moved his arms and Cei'ila quickly backed away.

Tears in her eyes, she stripped of the silk shift and laid down on her soft mattress, her eyes closed and her thoughts fixed on something far away, on the days she had known happiness.

The ritual was repeated daily for a moon until it was certain the contract had been fulfilled. After that, the Eldest of Healers came to examine her and it was stated she was indeed with child; it had been successful.

The execution was set two days later. Under the bright sun, the man was brought to the main square and he was bound to the altar with leather straps. The Elders formed a circle around him and the Eldest channeled tiny flows of Fire to remove the blindfold and the gag.

"So you may look upon our Lord Sun for once, and know your destiny is fulfilled!"

The pale man closed his eyes and tried to mask them from the sun with his hand, but the leather straps didn't allow him to move the slightest bit. He made soft sounds that could be heard nonetheless, he seemed to be sobbing…

Suddenly, he lifted his head and looked up, eyes grayish-green like peppermint leafs. Like lightning. "Cei'ila!" he shouted, his voice broken with pain. "Cei'ila, see me fly freely now! Ti'liyo you called me, and Ti'liyo I will be!"

He then laid down and didn't move again, while the circle of women around him started forming a web that would painlessly drain the life out of him.

The woman let the web vanish and thick clots of earth fell on the ground, some of them staining the white marble stone she had placed on it. Cei'liyo, it read. With a pained cry, Cei'ila threw herself on the soil and her warm tears dripped on the soft marble, the grave of her son.

After the execution, Cei'ila's ability to channel had slowly begun to wither. It was part of the pregnancy, they said, and it would come back. It was strange to wake up and notice saidar was gone; strange to live without truly being alive. It had not been stable for moons and then when finally her child was born, the splendor of being filled with Light again had been enough to take her mind from the tragedy for a short time.

It did come back though.

Her child had been a boy. They had taken him from her instantly and given him to the nursery women who served in the dungeons. She would never see him again. They said she shouldn't worry about it; nature was made this way, after all. But it hurt. The child had had striking green eyes, and they haunted her in her dreams, along with the eyes of his father.

She had secretly named the boy Cei'liyo, a combination of her name and the name she had given Ti'liyo. Where Ti'liyo meant Free Bird, Cei'ila was Ocean Soul. Cei'liyo was Free Soul, the only thing Cei'ila hoped she could have given her son. He was dead to her. He would never truly be allowed to live.

On the night they had taken her child away, they had shaved her head and placed the tattoos that marked her an Ayyad of the lands known as Shara.

5. The Shining Walls.

She let the water soak through her clothes until her near-black skin felt cold enough to make her shiver. She would never get used to this, the abundance of clean water. After her encounter in Cairhien, things had only improved. The further she went, the richer the lands, and she couldn't believe the amount of it that was not being used, the water that was wasted and flowed into the Ocean.

Cei'ila lifted up her heavy, soaked cloak and stepped out of the water, then channeled an intricate weave of Air and Water lifting up the moisture and letting it fall back into the river. She picked up her bags and set off on the road again, her Cloak of Shadows hiding her in the bushes she walked past.

She had spotted a tower on the horizon yesterday and even though she was trying to avoid notice as much as she could, it had somehow drawn her. She had to know what it was, even if it meant entering a city again and struggling not to be noticed. The road was broad here, and paved with stones so that heavy wagons could ride on it without risking to damage their wheels. Many travelers passed here, nearly all of them towards the tower in the distance. It had to be something special, then.

By noon, she reached a small village, houses with thatched roofs and countless shops and inns, it seemed to thrive on the money visitors spent here. It was not like most villages, not just a place for people to live… Indeed, the faces she saw in the street were as varied as the colours of the autumn leaves on the trees, the accents strange and unknown, all of them tuneful and flowery, though. Before she had spoken with anyone, Cei'ila already disliked these people.

The major part of the crowd was still moving towards that strange Tower in the distance and Cei'ila followed them in the shadows, her Weave hiding her from eyes that should not see her. It was strange to be here around people that were so different, so… Cei'ila nearly choked as a woman was talking to the gatekeeper caught her eye. She was dressed in rich silks and wore soft leather boots, her horse was well-groomed and looked expensive. It wasn't that that caught Cei'ila's attention, though. The woman could channel.

The tiny dark figure dodged past the guards and ran through the gates, certainly noticed now but able to hide as soon as she had crossed. The weave she used to go unnoticed was inverted; none would sense her channeling and only the very watchful would be able to see her. That woman should've been marked, she thought, and she shouldn't be walking free like that, or talking to commoners… It shook the very fundaments of her beliefs.

She hadn't had much time to notice the splendour of the courtyard she was now in, but now that she looked around she noticed it was more beautiful than Cairhien or the villages she had passed through. The buildings were mostly light grey or silvery and some of them had a grace that made them seem grown from the earth. All of them lost their splendor when compared to the Tower that formed the center of the grounds, though. Keeping close to the walls, Cei'ila tried to get closer to it, determined to satisfy her curiosity without being seen.

Passing through a rich garden, green plants growing in abundance making her deep brown eyes blink, she saw some of those women again. Dressed in rich silks, talking in moderate volume, they walked through the city and wherever they went, people bowed for them, muttering words that sounded like Assadai and praying the Light would shine on them. All she could do was follow them. If there were more women like them around, maybe she'd be able to find someone who could help her here.

6. All things must end.

For two years, she trained fervently, trying to forget what had happened by burying herself in knowledge. Her whole head was shaven now and the markings colored most of her dark scalp, her hands bore a few figures too. She had turned out to be talented and her ability to hide in the shadows had made her a valuable spy for the Sh'boan and the Sh'botay. She worked weather rituals too, calling rains to the driest parts of the land.

It didn't suffice. Every night, two pairs of green eyes looked at her until exhaustion allowed her sleep, and then, in her dreams they would be there again, one of them screaming her name and asking for life, the other one crying and begging for death. Ayyad or not, this could not continue.

That week, the Sh'botay would die. The Sh'boan would choose a new companion and there would be celebrations in the city. The Ayyad would be there to supervise, to see to it nothing went wrong. She would flee on that night.

Until then, Cei'ila used her ability to steal food from the kitchens, dried meat and vegetables, things she'd be able to eat months from now. It was a long journey she would make and she wasn't sure if she would survive, despite the skills she had learned during her training. She hid it all in a large bag under her bed, along with thick woolen clothes – another thing she would need desperately.

The days passed and the time to flee came. On the moment the Sh'boan kissed the Sh'botay-to-be standing aside of the former Sh'botay's body, fireworks burst loose and the people started celebrating. Cei'ila tied her bags on her back and ran for the palisades, burned a hole in the wall with Fire and ran through it, to the west.

Green eyes loomed behind her thoughts, tears filled them and slowly slid into her unconscious mind.

7. Second Chances.

They did go to that Tower. The Wheel wove strangely if it had taken her here to see destiny fulfilled. On their way, Cei'ila noticed more and more woman who could channel, all of them richly dressed though as various in looks as the other people who dotted the city.

Through the largest doors she had ever seen they entered into a huge hall where countless people were waiting, and girls in white were making their way, nearly running. Probably servants. Suddenly, a hand grasped Cei'ila's collar. She turned around and let her shield drop and she saw that a golden hue surrounded the woman who had found her, the same golden hue that had to be framing Cei'ila's tiny body.

"That do be strange," the woman said in a thick accent. "A Wilder that do have slipped into the Tower unnoticed… Aleatha Sedai will be wanting to see you, I'm sure she will…"