Tovra stood on the crest of a hill, watching the distant camp with Saidar-enhanced vision, the camp where her Aes Sedai was. Her tattooed hands held the black stallion's reins firmly, the warhorse stamping his feet. Her sniff-box had been left at the tower, much to her regret, and the distant smells of latrines and horses hammered her senses. The medallions on her face-chain clattered noiselessly, covered with shields of Air. All but the small silver one with the black sails. That she had left uncovered, always touching her skin. It was a valuable weapon, a shield against being shielded. A treasured possession from Zarin when they had met.
Darkness was falling, and her changing colour cloak made parts of her seem to disappear into the distance, swirling around her. Her mind made up, she moved cautiously towards the camp, still holding the Power. Zarin would know she was coming this way. A constant flow of emotions leaked through the bond, tinged with slight fear. Zarin would be afraid of these Ashaman- she had seen the gateway open earlier. Apprehension flooded suddenly through the bond... what had gone wrong? Was Zarin in trouble?
I can't just stand here, she thought fiercely. I'm going in. There was no turning back now, and Tovra quickly swung off her Gaidar cloak and bundled it on her waist. The Asha'man may know already that Zarin was an Aes Sedai but if they did not, it would do no good to have an Aes Sedai. Besides, what Asha'man would think of a woman as a Warder?
She crept towards the camp quietly, her horse tied where he couldn't be seen. She padded towards the men, who seemed to be preparing for something. She dismissed it from her mind, merely noting it for examination later. They were all around a tall stone thing... didn't matter. Zarin, she told herself again.
She followed the pull of the bond, heading straight as a flying Shadowspawn towards its prey. Dodging a few men in black coats, she came to the wall of a tent, worn with a few holes, and paused, reaching for her belt knife to cut open a slit.
Without warning, something cold pressed against her neck, it's razor sharpness biting into her skin. She dropped her knife to the ground, gently raising her hands. There was only one people that could do that to a Saidar-filled Warder...
Turning slowly and carefully, mindful of the bare steel against her neck, she turned towards her captor and confirmed her suspicions. A black veiled Aiel held a spear to her neck, eyes cold above it.
"Come with me," he said, grabbing the back of her neck and keeping the blade pressed hard against her skin, now leaving a trickle of blood. He headed towards the front of the tent, then entered.
xxxx
Al'Ric sat across from the Lady Zarin listening to her talk. "Married, died," he thought to himself. That could explain some things, but it just did not add up in his mind. Surely this woman was no Darkfriend, yet he did feel uneasy. Not in a bad way, just the tickle of a half realized thought, scratching at the back of his mind. Well, be that as it may, he had things to do.
Rising from the stool, he stood at his full height and peered down at the Lady. "I must beg your leave Lady Zarin. The Sun, she is almost done for this day, and I must prepare for what I know is to come. Keep your knives ready," he said with a slight smile, "the Shadowspawn could arise at anytime now." Making his best leg in a formal bow, he backed himself from the tent.
Standing just outside the tent, he seized Saidin. Clean Power filled him. He felt as if he should be glowing in the twilight. With Saidin enhancing his vision, he could see many spans beyond the camp. Swinging his vision all along the perimeter of his encampment, he paused in surprise as he spotted one of the Aiel pushing someone ahead of him. He could see the long bladed dagger gleaming at the others throat. He spotted Trechan about the same time as the Aiel saw the captive being brought to the camp. Signaling to him with a wave of the hand, they both loped towards the incoming Aiel and his prisoner.
Reaching the Aiel, he turned to look at Trechan. "What do we have here? A spy?" He put on a harder than normal look to his stony face, and felt his ice blue eyes grow even colder. He was surprised to see the color shifting cloak of a Warder on the prisoner. As he approached, he could make out that it was a woman! Light what was she doing here, and with a Warders cloak? As he neared the woman he could feel his skin start to prickle with gooseflesh and itch. Light! The woman could channel! Preparing to shield the woman, and creating a weave of lighting in his mind, he strode to within a few paces of the captive. With Saidin in his voice, he spoke." Who are you? What right do you have to be in my camp? For that matter, where did you get the Warders cloak? But before you answer, I demand that you let go of Saidar, or I will shield you here and now!" He let his voice boom for effect. He would not hesitate to burn this woman from the Earth if she made one wrong move. He swelled with the power now, the surges in Saidan beating in time with his slow and steady heartbeat. He was perfectly in tune with the source, and he knew that he was deadly powerful.
xxxx
Zarin barely heard what Al'Ric had said. The bundle of emotions in the back of her mind that was not her own suddenly took all of her attention. Tovra was coming. No doubt to get her out of a camp of Asha'man.
Just as Al'Ric left, Zarin felt surprise come through the bond. "What do we have here? A spy?" Zarin heard Al'Ric say from outside the tent. Suddenly it all clicked together. They had Tovra.
Without further thought, Zarin embraced saidar and ran from the tent. Readying weaves of Spirit and Air, Zarin cried out in a loud voice, "Stop!" She ran over to where Tovra was standing with an Aiel blade at her throat and Al'Ric standing in front of her with a hard look on his face.
Stopping, Zarin drew herself up, giving the impression of towering over them. "You will let her go, Al'Ric. Now." The command was clear in her voice, the command of someone expecting to be obeyed. She could feel saidar pulsing in her, like life itself. She would never have been able to hold this much if not for the angreal that was in her pouch.
In the corner of her eye, Zarin could see the glow of saidar around Tovra, and knew that her Warder would be able to see the same around her. If Al'Ric refused, Zarin could link with Tovra. Men could not link unless with two or more women in the circle, and linked, Zarin and Tovra could fight their way out if need be.
Hoping that it wouldn't come to that, Zarin readied some other weaves. She could technically attack now, since the life of her Warder was in danger, but first, she wanted to see if Al'Ric would listen.
xxxx
Tovra kept her chin up, despite the man booming at her and the blade at her throat. Definatly Asha'man. He demanded answers, wanting to know the reason she was wearing her cloak- Hmm, when did I put that back on? she wondered absently- and threatening to shield her. She made slight calming motion with her hands, small because the Aiel at her back was on the verge of cutting her throat. This man could tell she was embracing the Source... and yet he threatened to shield her? Either he was quite foolish, or quite dangerous.
Tovra sighed as she felt the surge of surprise, then readiness, in the bond. Here comes Zarin, she though, exasperated. Zarin came charging up, glowing with the light of Saidar and looming over the men.
"Stop!" she shouted, squaring off with the man. Quickly, Tovra considered her options. There was too many Asha'man in the camp for them to fight out- maybe not linked, but if there was more Aiel, she doubted they could both make it out alive. This had gone far enough. Making a small weave to protect her throat in case the Aiel was over zealous, she stepped forward, brushing of the blade. Another quick weave prevented the man from leaping at her back.
"You think you can shield me?" she called, fiery challenge leaping in her eyes. "I have a proposal," she called to him. "You shield me, and I will answer all of your questions, and more," she said, looking reassuringly to Zarin. She had this under control, and an attack from her Aes Sedai might goad the silverpike. "But if you can't," she continued, her voice confident, "You will answer ours."
"Agreed?" she called, defiance blooming in her eyes. She unconsciously reached up, fingering the medallion that protected her from shielding. Let him try.
"But before you begin," she said calmly, "I suggest you re-think how strong we are. You know women can link?" The last was a foolhardy gesture, but hopefully her plan would work regardless.
xxxx
"l hope this will be settled without steel if it can be. Otherwise you die, they die, and maybe I die."
Noticing that the Aiel had taken up their short bows, he turned back to Zarin. "You did not lie Aes-Sedai, but you were not truthful either. I am disappointed. I have offered you hospitality, and am repaid with subterfuge." All eyes in the camp were on him as he spoke. No one noticed the Waygate swinging open. No one noticed the four fists of Trollocs and the Fades that were driving them, until the first Trolloc horn sounded, then another.
Snatched back to reality, he dropped the ward from the women. "This will have to be decided later." He said sprinting away, just ahead of the Aiel. Yelling for the Asha'man to take their positions as he ran. When he reached the edge of the small rise, he looked down into a swirling black mass of vileness. Maybe five hundred Trollocs and a dozen Halfmen with them. Turning to one his Asha'man, he instructed him to keep an eye on the women. He could not worry with them now, but he would deal with them later, the Light willing.
Up the slight slope the Trollocs raced, howling with fury and bloodlust. Al'Ric standing like a beacon on the top of the rise, pulled the weaves from his mind, and with one hand threw fire, and with the other threw lightning. Wherever he looked, death followed his gaze. The other Asha'man started breaking the ground in gouts of fire. There were so many this time. As the Shadowspawn fell by the score, he could make out more coming through the gate.
Fighting desperately in the midst of a score of the wolf muzzled monsters, he saw that there was another fist of perhaps five score Trollocs heading up the opposite slope towards the center of the camp. The women were there. With his last thought of them, his attention was drawn towards two Fades that were coming at him with their midnight black blades bared...
xxxx
Feeling angry with herself for not stopping to think- for once in her life-, Zarin readied several more weaves. She had heard about Dumai Wells.
Frantically searching for a way out, Zarin's thoughts were scattered when Al'Ric said, "You did not lie Aes Sedai, but you were not truthful either. I am disappointed. I have offered you hospitality, and am repaid with subterfuge." Then the Trolloc horns sounded.
Al'Ric ran off with a promise that it would be finished later. Zarin had no doubts of what he meant. Pulling her attention back to the matter at hand, she muttered, "This is what the Greens are for, not Browns," not meant to be heard by anyone else.
Discarding the weaves of shielding and bonds of Air, Zarin pulled new weaves. As the Trollocs came toward herself and Tovra, Zarin tied off a weave of lightning that would only strike Shadowspawn. Zarin took the other weaves she had ready and cast them among the oncoming Trollocs.
Fire burned Trollocs where they were, and lightning flashed down among them. Amongst the Trollocs, Zarin could see two Fades. Of course. The Trollocs wouldn't face this without a Fade driving them. Zarin didn't know what Tovra was doing; she was lost in the life saidar gave her, and the weaves. Tovra was alive, that much she knew.
A sudden idea came to her, and Zarin looked around. "Tovra!" Her voice was lost in the battle. Zarin saw her and ran over. "Tovra, link with me! We can do more linked than alone!" As a Trolloc drew closer, Zarin used a weave of Fire, and it burst into flames. Howling, the Trolloc ran to find easier meat.
xxxx
Tovra bristled as the nameless Asha'man turned back to Zarin, furious her distraction hadn't worked. She barely blinked as the other black-coated men encircled them, the Aiel raising their bows. But she was facing the Waygate, and she had seen what the others had missed. She hadn't had time, though, before the Trollocs ran screaming at them. The leader of the Asha'man ran, calling back promises to 'finish' this. We'll she about that, she thought grimly, and joined the battle.
She had always loved being in the heat of a battle. All the skills she had learned as a Windfinder tended to come in handy. She soaked in more of the Source, quickly reaching her capacity.
"Tovra, link with me! We can do more linked than alone!" Link, her mind supplied instantly. She ran to Zarin with all her strength, lengthening her strides and burning aside Trollocs in between them. She reached Zarin, grasped her hand, and linked. The glow encompassed both of them, and Tovra had control. They had done this before; Zarin's oaths may hold her back, but Tovra had no such bonds to bind her.
Bathing in the exultation of the One Power, she channeled, briskly blowing aside Trollocs, lifting a handful into the air five hundred paces. She dropped them, and they fell, screaming inhuman screams from human throats, to crumple against the ground in stains of red, unmoving.
From the corner of her eye, Tovra saw a blur of purest black, never replicated by human hands. She whirled, watching as two Halfmen bore down on the Asha'man leader. He seemed to be handling... until she looked behind him. Another Halfman- it was impossible! Two at the most traveled with fists such as these! And yet it was there. A wordless scream echoed from her mouth and she created a weave.
Most weaves Tovra created were ones she had learned, or ones that had been passed down generation to generation in her family. But, occasionally, when the need was highest, she made one. Not just called it into being, but combined the flows of the Powers to make something she had never seen before. Now, that was what she did. Spirit, Water, Air... all were combined, mixed into the Fade.
The Halfman stopped, inches away from the Asha'man's back. As Tovra watched, he began to shine- then turn a bright blue. He- it- disolved into a puddle on the ground as she looked on, gaping. A wordless moan carried on the wind, and Tovra covered her ears, squeezing her eyes shut, blocking out the inhuman shriek nestled within it. Sinking to her knees, she passed the link's control to Zarin, the last thing she did before she passed out cold.
xxxx
The battle raged. The Light desperately attacking the foul Shadowspawn. Explosions reverberated across the hilltop and down onto the plain. Lighting arced from the sky to strike down into the pockets of Trollocs, bathing the entire scene with a twisted strobe light effect. Fire burst forth from the ground, hurling the Neverborn in many different directions. Trolloc bodies piled up around the desperate group. It mattered not how many the band had slain. It seemed that for every Shadowspawn killed, two more took it's place. That was the world that Al'Ric was in. He thought to himself that this is what the Trolloc wars must have been like.
Dealing Death with Saidin, he plunged weave after weave into the Trolloc's. The Fades he thought. If I can kill the Halfmen, maybe the Trollocs will flee. The rage of battle flooded him. Flame turned to lightning. Lightning turned to pure white killing light. He slew without remorse. No matter though, he could not advance. With the streaks of lightning falling from the Heavens, he could see during the flashes that the small band was being pushed back towards the center of the hilltop. He could see the Shinerians in a knot, back to back, fighting desperately with a score and a half of the wolf muzzled beasts. He could also see that the Shinerians had lost half of their number. Valiantly they struggled, they slew and slew, until at last, a black wave of the Shadowspawn rolled over them. Gone, a score of men gone. The Aiel did not seem to be faring as badly, but their numbers were depleted also. Of the three score that stated the battle, only two score remained. He had a brief moment, where in the confusion, he could see all that was happening in the camp.
The Aiel were in one large square. Spears jabbed at muzzles, arrows took out eyes and throats. One Aiel had lost his spears and buckler, and was fighting with his two long bladed knives and his feet. It looked to be the Aiel he had spoken too. Trechan. Leaping high into the air, so death could be rained down upon the Aiel's enemies. He was sad to know that this great warrior would probably die. He could make out seven of his Asha'man still standing. All dealing the same death that he was. The battle was not going well.
A second glance showed him two Halfmen moving towards him. He was tired already. Drawing deeply on the ter'angreal in his pocket, he pulled down a silver net of energy and threw it at the Lurks. The web enveloped the Fades, and snapped them together with bone crunching force, before the web drew in on itself further, squeezing the Fades out of existence. Turning to counter a blow from a Trolloc war hammer, he saw the Fade behind him. Too late he thought, as a flash of power shot forth from the warder's hand. The Lurk glowed with the last seconds of it's misbegotten life, before it disintegrated into nothingness. He owed the Warder, and he would repay her in kind, he hoped.
Steadily pushed up the hillside, he found himself back in the center of the camp. The Aiel fought not ten paces from him, their number again cut in half. The Asha'man, what were left, he could see only four now, fought beside the Aiel. Turning to hurl a Trolloc over his head, he could see Zarin Sedai and the Warder more clearly. The Warder was down. They fought gallantly. Trollocs were hurled away like dust in front of a broom, but there was just too many. Silently praying to the Light, he drew as deeply as he could through the ter'angreal. He held more power now than he thought was possible for anyone, even the Lord Dragon. He lifted both hands in to the air, and let loose a chilling laugh. Fire and lightning rained down from the sky and struck down Shadowspawn for fifty paces around him, killing them instantly. That was it, he thought. His grip on Saidin weakened, and he had to release it.
Gasping and panting, he fell forward to the bloodstained ground. An eerie quiet followed. Pulling himself upright, he slipped back down. Before he hit the ground, a strong hand grasped the back of his coat and pulled him up. Regaining his footing, he turned to look at the black veiled face of Trechan. Everywhere bodies laid. The stench of burned flesh mingled with the thick smell of hot blood, and Earth torn asunder. He saw his companions, what few were left, staggering together. Most of the Aiel were injured. Zarin Sedai seemed unharmed, as she bent over her Warder, but he could not be sure. Pulling his sword from it's sheath, he called for his Asha'man. The four that were left were instantly at his side. All of them bore cuts and gashes. Soot , blood, and Earth covered their once fine black coats and faces. A breath of air took him, and he cleared his head. He ordered the Asha'man to heal the others, and themselves. Two laid hands on him, and he was hit with a surge of energy, that quickly and thoroughly refreshed him. The Asha'man healed themselves next, then ran to tend to the Aiel. He shouted after them to quicken their steps. The respite would not last much longer.
As if in concert with his last words, another Trolloc horn sounded in the Darkness to the West, and another to the East. Rage filled him, and so did Saidin. Let them come again he thought. He raised his own voice in a bestial howl of his own. He was taken with the Berserker lust for battle and death. Trying to gain control over himself, he watched as the first bolt of lightning fell towards him. Quickly throwing a shield around the other Asha'man and the Aiel, he could see that the Aes-Sedai, and her Warder were too far away to be shielded with the others. The lightning bolt struck the shield directly above his head, and the night became ablaze in bluish light.
xxxx
Zarin let Tovra have control of the flows. It felt good to be linked with someone. Studying what weaves Tovra had used to kill the Halfman, she didn't notice when control of the link passed on to her. As Tovra passed out, Zarin knelt next to her. There was nothing that she could do for now, except fight.
Standing, Zarin threw fire and lightning at the Shadowspawn. From time to time, she lashed out with a weapon of her own making. Trollocs fell where they were, twitched, then died. Zarin lost track of time; lost track of how many Shadowspawn she had killed. She could see the Asha'man fighting just inside the limit of her vision. While still fighting her own battle, Zarin watched as fire and lightning fell on the Shadowspawn.
Looking around, Zarin realized that the Trollocs and Halfmen were dead. Kneeling next to her fallen Warder, Zarin wove Spirit, Water, and Air together to Heal Tovra. Placing her hands on the sides of Tovra's head, Zarin could almost feel the cold that she knew would accompany the Healing.
Zarin stood, and more Trolloc horns sounded. She was too tired to do much with the One Power. Embracing all that she could handle, Zarin wove a shield of Air around her Warder and herself. Tying off the weave, Zarin sank to the ground. Knowing that Tovra would possibly be awake in several minutes, Zarin let the link go, so that her Warder could at least touch saidar.
Leaning against the wall of Air that she had created, Zarin let her eyes slide shut. "Only for a couple minutes," she murmured to herself. The last thing she saw before sleep took her was a bright flash of blue.
xxxx
Tovra woke quickly, one moment unconscious, the next leaping to her feet, snarling. The glow had disappeared around Zarin, but there was a weave of Air around them; a shield. Kneeling, she caressed Zarin's head for a moment. Through the bond, she felt at Zarin's mind- she was unhurt. Thank the light, she thought fervently. Good of me, to pass out while she needed me, she berated herself. Zarin was just sleeping. I should let her rest; I used so much Saidar just now... was it just now? Tovra shook her head as she embraced the One Power, looking around her.
The battlefield was a mess. Few Asha'man still stood- a third of the Aiel were gone. She tried to ignore the crumples of cloth on the ground- some in black coats, some in cadin'sor. She looked towards the standing Asha'man, relieved to see the man she had tried to save still standing. Another wave was coming out of the waygate, horns calling their rabid message.
So, she thought grimly. The Father of Storms means to wipe us out in one blow. She smiled, a predatory smile. He got more than he bargained for.
She stood, shining with the light of Saidar. Raising her hands, she called the winds once more, blowing Trollocs back by the handful into their charging companion's arms, to be chopped to pieces by their bloodthirsty kin. Others were raised into the air, to where the lightning flashes could get them. The stench of burnt meat filled the air, overpowering her. She wrinkled her nose, the fires in her eyes burning brighter as she stood over Zarin, protecting her with her body as a fist of Trollocs broke away from the men, charging over to the pair of women. I am no easy meat! she thought furiously, facing them calmly.
As they came within feet of her, she raised her palms again, lowering her chin. Squeezing her eyes shut, she called the Water forth again, her strongest power. Water filled the throats of the creatures, who fell to the ground, clawing at their mouths. They were drowning. Tovra watched coldly as dozens died in front of her. Hm. That's a good idea, she thought, filing it away for later use. But would it work on a Halfman?...
She gestured strongly to a Fade, calling forwards the sea water she knew so well. At that distance, it didn't work as well; the Fade moved on, cutting at Trolloc and man alike. A thought came to her suddenly. Small weaves aren't my strength, she told herself, astonished. It's the large ones, like all Windfinders! This would take all her concentration. She reached down, touching cool fingers to Zarin's temple; a simple refreshment spell. She moved away from her Aes Sedai as she stirred, turning her full attention towards the Waygate.
Her eyes seemed to turn a deeper blue as she filled herself with Saidar, more than she'd ever channeled alone before. She found all the Fades she could see, her dark azure eyes searching out their unmoving cloaks amongst the chaos. She wove, mixing the fire, water and spirit as she had done before. Simultaneously, she wove the threads into the Halfmen, filling their entire beings with water. They didn't explode this time; instead, they were sliced to ribbons as the men around them slashed at them, or even as surrounding Trollocs brushed by them. Satisfied, she watched tiredly as a mere dozen or so Trollocs fell screaming to the ground along with their Fade. She sank to one knee, spent, warding off Zarin with one open hand.
She looked up at the battlefield, where more death awaited. "For the Light," she breathed, and stood.
xxxx
The bolt of lightning shattered against the shield, a dome was a better description, that he had made, sending blue light over the hilltop, and left all groaning as their ears rang from the concussion of the blast. Picking himself up from the ground, he looked around. Good he thought, the other Asha'man and the Aiel seemed unhurt. He could see Zarin Sedai and her Warder clearly in the blue light. The positions had changed. The Aes Sedai was down now, and the Warder was working flows of something. He gaped as Trollocs and Fades alike were sent screaming to their deaths, or whisked away on titanic gusts of wind and water. The Warder was strong. He marked that in his mind not to forget.
The dead lay all around. Guessing, he thought he could count 40 score Trollocs dead, and probably a dozen Halfmen. Aiel, Asha'man, and Shinerian lay dead. Two score and a half of good men, gone to meet the Creator. A shame, he thought. The rage filled him completely. Gathering a strong weave of Fire, he shot a great glowing ball of orange-ish white light straight up over the hilltop, illuminating the camp and a hundred more paces outside the camp's perimeter. He could see that there were very few Trollocs left alive, and they were milling around in a disorderly fashion. Some running as fast as there inhuman legs would carry them. The Waygate he thought. He had to reach it. Turning to the others, he told them " We must secure the gate. I cannot maintain this shield as we move. Stay together. Stone Dog's, watch the rear." Signaling to the four Asha'man, he leapt down the hill at a full run.
Halfway down the slope, the lightning began to fall again. The Asha'man around him tried to fend the attacks away, but either they were not strong enough, or had chose the wrong weave for their shields. As quickly as it started, all four were down. He ran, turning aside strike after strike. The whole scene being eerily lit by the blue glow of the Power. Reaching the plain below, he stopped. He was only twenty paces from the Waygate. He could feel something. Another man channeling. He looked around, and saw that his Asha'man were still down, or getting very slowly to their feet. It was not them. A great fireball came at him from the darkness of the West. He used the shield he had spun to knock it away, but in the process, was knocked from his feet and sent sprawling, to land in front of his goal.
Spinning the Ward he had in his mind around the Waygate, he inverted the weave and tied it off. That will hold them he thought, if only for a short time. He knew that the Ward would not kill the Shadowspawn instantly. That was good, it would give them some amount of time to get clear of the gate, before death took them.
At a yell from the Aiel, he could see that they had engaged two score of Trollocs. The Aiel were out numbered by half a score, but those odds were definitely in the Aiel's favor. The feeling again. He barely had time to form his shield again, as another ball of Fire impacted against it. Rolling over and over on the ground from the blow, he howled with fury. Where were the attacks coming from he wondered? The feeling again, there, a shade to the West of North. He could feel the other channeler, he could feel Saidin being worked."No more!" he cried, as he sent a blast of Fire towards the channeler.
At a dead run, he bypassed the Aiel, who were making short work of the Trollocs. The Asha'man seemed to be regaining their senses now. Faster he ran, only slowing to dispatch a Trolloc that loomed up from the darkness in front of him. He could feel the other channeler closer now. Another bolt of lightning was deflected from his shield, and in turn he sent a pillar of Fire racing ahead of him towards the channeler. He was close now, he could feel it in his bones.
The pillar of Fire broke apart in front of him not ten spans ahead of him. As it broke it illuminated a man, crouching behind a shield of his own. Another Trolloc horn sounded from the hilltop. The Aes-Sedai and her Warder were still there. He prayed to the Light that they would be alright. The man sighted Al'Ric about the time that he got a good look at him. Dressed in all black, with lace at his throat, the man stood staring at him with hate all over his features." You will die slowly Asha'man, I have been waiting for this moment for a very very long time." The man gave a smile at Al'Ric that did not reach his eyes, and quickly turned to a raging snarl.
Pulling all of Saidin that he could through the Ter'angreal in his pocket, He spun Fire and Earth together, into a great mass of molten Earth, and sent it flying at the other man. The channeler made a swift motion of his hands and diverted the attack a moment before it impacted him. Staggering back, the other man sent wave after wave of fire and lightning at Al'Ric. Back and forth they battled. The amount of Saidin being used caused the ground to shake and the air to crackle with power. Blue and red streaks filled the night sky, as flows of death were dealt back and forth. Al'Ric found himself swept up in a mountain of Earth and quickly dismantled the others weave, only to land in a burning pool of Earth. Shielding himself before landing, he strode out of the inferno, sending more death at the channeler.
Pain, Al'Ric stumbled in his stride. Looking down at his chest, he could see the black shaft of an arrow protruding from his shoulder. Suddenly knocked forward, pain tearing at his senses, he could see the head of another arrow sticking out of his black coat, above his right hip. Down he went, as he felt two more arrows pierce his flesh. One in his back, at the top of his shoulder blade, and another, through his left thigh. Howling with pain and rage, he lost himself to the Berserker frenzy. Drawing more deeply on Saidin than he should have, he lifted his hand towards the channeler, before he lost control, he saw a bar of white light, brighter than the sun itself leap forth. He had a brief moment of lucidity, in which he saw the terror on the other mans face.
Laughing hysterically, he watched the bar of light strike the other, and heard a horrified "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" from the other man, then he was gone. Nothing remained. He could not focus through the haze of rage and pain. He was trying to get up, but could not make it. Crawling towards where the Aiel had been, he called out for Trechan. He had crawled a few more feet, when a large foot, stomped down on him pinning him to the ground. Looking up over his shoulder he could see the lone Trolloc, raise it's blade, and felt the agony, as it pierced his back, and penetrated on through his stomach, pinning him to the ground. The last look he had as awareness left him, was of a spear appearing in the Trollocs chest.
Laughing maniacally, he lost his grip on Saidin. The laughter turned to a wracking cough, and he knew that the taste in his mouth was his own blood. As he passed into unconsciousness, he saw two Aiel kick the Trolloc backwards...