The Smoking Grotto... Zarin thought about that for a minute, before nodding. That would do. Zarin turned and walked out of the academy and swung back into her horse's saddle. Ogier Lane. Let's see. That would be over that way...
Zarin heeled her horse into a walk, guiding it through the small crowds. "Ah, there it is." Zarin dismounted and handed her reigns to a young boy, along with a gold coin. Like most Browns, Zarin didn't pay much attention to the amounts of money she had left. Zarin walked in the inn, and smiled at the innkeeper, an older woman that was pleasantly plump. "I would like a room, if you would be so kind. Also a private dining room, if you have one."
The innkeeper nodded and offered to show Zarin to a room. Zarin smiled and nodded absentmindedly, already moving on to a different problem. She followed the innkeeper up the stairs, to the room. "Your private dining room is just down the hall, right there." Zarin thanked her, and opened the door to their room as she spoke. "Now, Tovra, to decide what to do next."
xxxx
Tovra followed Zarin silently, her cloak fluttering heavily around her as they made their way through the streets. She smiled to herself as Zarin absentmindedly handed a coin to the stable boy, showing a glint of gold. I know Aes Sedai don't have to be stingy, she thought with an inward laugh, But I don't think we have that much gold... She made a mental note to convince Zarin to let her hand out the bribes. They walked into the well-kept building past the gaping boy, and Tovra studied the occupants of the common room. Good. No Aes Sedai here... right now, anyways. I'll have to ask the innkeeper a little later. She did, however, take notice of a hard set man in the corner, glowering out from under a deep cowl and sipping sullenly at his ale. That one could be trouble.
They moved up to the room Zarin had requested. "Now, Tovra, to decide what to do next," Zarin said as she opened the door. Tovra waited until Zarin was fully into the room before she moved, swiftly closing the door behind them.
"What to do, indeed," she said, still thinking of what they had seen at the Dragon's university. She rested her chin in her hand, sitting on a wooden chair. "You realize, of course," she said, "that if the Dragon is in Cairhien, he will know of us almost immediately." It was a simple statement of fact. Although far from uncommon, the arrival of an Aes Sedai would be noted, and she had heard everything in this city eventually got to the Dragon.
xxxx
"Yes, of course. I wouldn't expect anything less of the Dragon. If he didn't know everything that went on here, I would question the safety of the world." Zarin understood that the other Aes Sedai would always try to trick the Dragon, or weasel their way into his favor. Zarin had another plan. "Tovra, how do you think the Dragon Reborn would act if an Aes Sedai were to ignore him all together?" Zarin wasn't planning on angering him. Not exactly. But if she could hide her presence as long as possible, that would suit her purposes even better.
Embracing saidar, Zarin wove careful flows that she had read about in a dusty book found in the depths of the library. She couldn't explain what she was doing; all she knew was that she was shielding their ability to channel from anyone that might be able to sense it. "Hmmm... That should work, but..." Following the instructions from yet another book that she had hidden away in the depths of her mind, Zarin wove something that... seemed to invert the weaves she had placed. That was the only way that she could describe it. "You will call me Mistress Kaeli at all times while we are still in the city. What name would you like?"
xxxx
Tovra watched interestedly as her Aes Sedai wove Saidar around the two of them, a weaving she hadn't seem before. It looks almost like a mirror, she thought, recalling the shiny plate of brass her mother had owned. Like it would prevent others from seeing our ability to Channel. Strange. Her interest grew when she could no longer see the weaving itself, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Zarin almost always had a good reason for what she did, and now would be no different.
"Mistress Kaeli, hm?" she said, rolling the name across her tongue to get used to it. She unclasped her Warder's cloak, folding it up so only the inside showed and stowing it in a saddlebag. If Zarin did not want their ability sensed, it would do no good for her to walk around wearing a banner. Anyways, cloaks like that were of little use in a city.
"I would like to be called... Eithne. If it pleases you, Mistress," she said, a smile on her lips. Eithne had been a good friend as a child. Her smile faded slightly as she remembered the last time she had seen that friend.
"So, what is our first course of action?" she asked, slinging a plain brown cloak over her shoulders.
Zarin sat back in one of the chairs. "Our course of action? We wait, and listen." For what, she wasn't sure. But she would know when she it came. "But for now, Eithne, we should get some rest. In the morning we can go and gather information." Zarin smiled.
xx
The next day dawned bright and early, not at all foreboding, as Tovra had read of in books. The hero always gets a bloody warning, she grumbled to herself, her hand tense on the hilt of her slender sword. Her sword breaker still lay in the inn, and she felt its loss keenly now. Two warders stood behind the Aes Sedai in front of Zarin, both large, burly fellows, yet still graceful and deadly. One already had his steal half-bared- the other was as tense as she.
It had been pure bad luck that they had run into the Green. Not Green. Black, she thought venomously. Black as her heart. She still didn't know how the woman had found them, nor did she think she ever would. She suspected Zarin didn't know either. They had spent the day wandering the city, listening to snatches of whispered conversations in taverns and trying to look like a pair of refugee woman, just stopping by the city. No need for anyone to concern themselves on their account. On a whim, they had followed a woman, the woman they now faced. She looked little like an Aes Sedai; only a hint of agelessness showed. She must be a new Sister, she thought. But with two Warders already? The woman had entered a dark alleyway, and they followed her, thinking her without protection. She had been waiting for them, the two warders appearing from nowhere.
It was then that she noticed the tight look on the face of the Gaidin on the Black Sister's left. He had his hand tensed, yes, ready to draw his sword; but his face said otherwise, a mixture of fury and fear all mixed into one. The bond. She's forcing him to do this... A sick feeling twisted Tovra's stomach. Thank the light that will never happen to me. But now, it seemed that the Black was tensing for battle. With a look of pure agony, one Warder drew his sword, moving forwards a little. The other did so with glee.
This could be a problem... she thought, drawing her own blade and moving to stand before Zarin.
xxxx
Zarin stood calmly in front of the Aes Sedai. Who would have known that she was a Black sister? Blacks would have to have a way to remove the Oaths, or they would be unable to keep secret. The Three Oaths were what made them Aes Sedai. Without them, they were just women that could channel, no better than wilders.
Zarin blinked. This woman was a Black. That made her a Darkfriend. Tovra stepped in front of Zarin, and she moved her head slightly so she could still see the woman and her Warders. "Get ready," she whispered in Tovra's ear.
Thinking of the weaves she wanted, Zarin embraced saidar and slammed a shield down on the Black sister. At the same time, she wrapped all three of them in flows of Air as thick as her wrist. Her idea had worked, in an offhand sort of way. The Black sister hadn't shielded them, since she couldn't sense their ability.
xxxx
"Get ready," Zarin whispered, embracing the Source. Tovra watched glimmers of light slam into place, bonds around the Black Sister and her Warders. She felt more than saw the weave of Spirit slip into place between the Sister and the Source. Serves you right, Silverpike...
Abruptly, the Gaidin on her left blinked once, then twice, and his mouth opened, gaping. The look of fear and anger was gone, replaced by... wonder? Relief? A sudden realization swept through her. Was it possible the shield on the Sister had cut the reins that forced him to do what she wanted? Dark eyes glared out of the Black Sister's face as her mouth opened, and Tovra quickly wove a gag for her. Bloody goat-kissing milk sop, she thought at her. The look changed to one of surprise next, and Tovra realized she had just given away their trump card. Idiot! Fool girl! What were you thinking?! she berated herself.
Shaking her head, she turned back to Zarin slightly. "I think you can let the one on the left go," she intoned softly.
xxxx
Zarin looked over at Tovra from the corner of her eye, keeping her main attention on the Black sister. "If that is what you think is best..." Zarin whispered back. Hestitantly, she unraveled the weaves of Air holding the one Tovra had indicated. When that was done, Zarin tied off the weaves around the other two.
The Black sister watched Zarin impassionately, sending shivers down the Brown's spine. "Tovra," Zarin started, "I think we are underestimating her power..."
Just as she finished, her own weaves seemed to... shatter. Zarin stared in frightened shock at the Black sister. A shield was slammed down on Zarin, and all she could think about was what would have happened if she had been holding the weaves at the time. Zarin gathered her composer, standing tall without a trace of emotion on her face, although on the inside, she was seething about how she could have been so careless.
xxxx
A flicker of emotion gave warning less than a second before it happened. The weaves surrounding the Black sister and her loyal Warder dissolved, exploded, and unraveled all at once... Light gleamed darkly around the Darkfriend as a wall of light descended- no, fell- on Zarin. Shielded, she thought grimly. At least the medallion on me seems to be working... Indeed, a similar weave seemed to bounce off an invisible wall around her. She can still hold me in weaves, though... Quickly, she cut off the flows of Power arrowing towards her limbs. The Black grunted as they snapped back, but the warders on either side of her moved forward.
Her sword was still in her hand. Knowing trying to stop the Gaidin with the True Source would be useless, she advanced, waving her steel menacingly. A blast of raw anger surged through the bond. Aim it at the shield, Zarin! she thought desperately. Aim it at the shield! Flowing forward, she engaged the first Gaidin as the Black sister hung back.