A small, brown-haired, pre-teen girl knelt on the ground, crying over the burnt remains of a small house, a bag of food beside her. A thinning crowd of apathetic spectators stood a few feet behind her. Kaimla stood over the girls shoulder, mourning with her, remembering the pain she had felt those few years ago, when she was the one kneeling over the ashes, not watching as an invisible figure.
Kaimla closed her grey eyes, a silver tear trickling down her cheek. By the time she had collected the nerve to open her eyes again; a tall, white building was beside her, which she immediately recognized as the Inn that she and Josie had lived beside for three years, until Kaimla was sent to the tower. They were sitting cross-legged, facing each other, and laughing gaily over a luxurious dinner of week-old steak, half a plate of cool spaghetti, and water. They only got these types of pleasures once a month when the innkeeper was feeling generous.
She and her parents were standing in the rain, their traveling cloaks and thin boots were muddy and drenched. Her father was leaning on her mother's shoulder, taking the weight off of his left foot, which he had broken weeks ago. They had just visited a doctor, who they could barely afford, and he was supposed to stay at home for three months. The family would have to live worse that they already did, now having no one to supply them with food. Kaimla moved closer to her father, trying to take his weight off her mother, but slid right through him.
Now on the outside of the glass column, she looked at a misty inside. Kaimla wondered again what she was here for. She knew everything that it had showed her, for it had all been of her life. Her feet moved slowly in the direction of the door. In the last crystal, an image of Josie appeared. She was shivering in the corner of an abandoned street in Caemlyn. She was too thin, her lips were blue, and her skin was deathly pale. The only signs that showed that life still existed, however reluctantly, inside her best friend's body was that her eyes darted nervously in their sockets, and her teeth were chattering. "Oh Jose," she moaned, "Why did you make me leave? You need me! You never were built for the thieving job."
Trotting to the hole in the wall in which she had arrived through, Kaimla entered the abandoned city. It was surprisingly dark out, and it took a while for her eyes to adjust. Once outside the city, Kaimla made a full turn, and was surprised to see that there was a speck of light beaming over the mountains. After jogging on the spot for a bit to get warm, she sprinted into the mountains, chasing the failing light, and heading towards home.
xxxx
The world slowly came back into focus as she opened her eyes, fuzzy shapes solidifying into faces and objects. One of the three white-robed, blank faced gai'shain looked at her as she opened her eyes, then took off running through the tent entrance. Lavida lay on a pile of thick rugs, a small candle giving off a thin stream of black smoke into the dim tent. Night reigned, for another thick rug lay over her body, and no light shone from the slightly opened tent flap. A chill breeze swept into the tent, and another gai'shain scurried to close it. As the gai'shain- a man, it seemed- reached the entrance, it swept open, the solid brown face of Rayna following her strong arm.
"So, you are awake," she said, moving swiftly to sit beside Lavida. "I was beginning to think you would sleep forever." The faint hint of amusement lit the Wise One's eyes, taking the edge off her words. Seeing Lavida's mouth begin to open in question, she spoke again. "Kaimla, the wetlander girl, arrived shortly after twilight this day. You arrived at midday. But you must be hungry," she cut herself off, as the gai'shain who had run to fetch Rayna came in with a tray of food.
As Lavida snatched the tray, gobbling down the hard roll she saw first, Rayna settled herself, smoothing her course skirts and adjusting her shawl. "You were gone for a day and night, as well as another half day," she said as if stating the weather. Lavida paused eating at that, her eyebrows raising. That explains quite a bit, she thought to herself. The hunger and fatigue, anyways. Her questions all answered, she continued to eat her food, moving on to the small skin of bitter wine.
"You now realize, of course," the Wise One plunged on, "That you are sealed to us. There is no going back now. Of course, you will try to flee..." she trailed off, seeing the surprise in Lavida's eyes that this old woman had read her so easily. Her eyes twinkled, open laughter now in them. "Child, it is the same with every Maiden who must become a Wise One. I, myself, attempted escape a total of twelve times in the first three weeks! It's expected." It went without saying that Lavida would be disciplined each time, as Rayna must have been. Rayna patted her shoulder, rising smoothly.
"After you are done, child, come to the sweat tent. There is nothing wrong with you beyond need for sleep and food, and you have slept plenty. I want you to manage the steam for us tonight." She lifted the tent flap, stepping outside. She paused then, as if she had just remembered something she had wanted to say.
"Oh, and bring Kaimla as well. She slept only a little while, and should be eating."
xxxx
Sore feet pounding on the rough, cold stone, Kaimla ran through the mountains. Sticking to the valleys as much as possible to reduce stress, the winding passes made her confused. She could have sworn that she had seen those muddy footprints before. After placing her foot on the print and realizing that they were, in fact, her own feet that had made the marks, Kaimla turned and went the other way.
After half an hour of running, a rocky plain that resembled the Waste started to form. It was so hazy that it was possible she was only imagining it. Kaimla closed her eyes and opened them again. The rocks were still there, but accompanied by black specks that danced around her line of sight.
Turn around and head for home. The little voice inside her head was still insisting that she go home. I am home! The other half of her said. I belong here. I am a with the Wise Ones, and I am one of them. You aren't one of the Aiel, though. To be a proper Wise One, you must be of their race.
Shaking that thought from her head, Kaimla headed resolutely into the land that she would leave without a second thought if given the chance.
She opened her eyes and saw... dark. Am I dead? Kaimla thought, as if challenging Death to come and claim her. If I am not, then where am I? Give me a sign. Please?
A head illuminated by a flickering light loomed into view. It was Ranya. "I did not expect you to wake so soon," she said calmly, a bit of shock peeking through, "but now that you are awake, I suppose that you are hungry." Kaimla nodded eagerly. A female gai'shain entered the tent quietly, a tray laden with food in her hands. She placed it gently before Kaimla. Kaimla didn't touch it, though. She felt like enquiring about what had happened.
"What time is it, Ranya?" she asked, barely remembering to be polite.
"Just beyond midnight, a day and a night after you left us."
Kaimla closed her eyes to try to process this information and figure out what day it was. When she opened her eyes, Ranya had left.
Staring at her food, Kaimla came to the conclusion that there was nothing better to do at the moment than to eat it. She reached first for the bread, and then for the water, constantly becoming sloppier and sloppier with every bite.
The tent flap opened again, and Kaimla started to talk, thinking that Ranya had returned. It was Lavida. Kaimla closed her mouth and looked down to her bare chest and legs that were covered in water, bread crumbs, and a fair amount of something red that Kaimla did not remember eating. She subconsciously wiped it off and drew a blanket around herself, still not fully accustomed to not being ashamed when naked.
"What do you want?" she asked rudely. "Am I needed for something?" Kaimla found a set of clothes laid out neatly be her bed and began to hastily pull them on. " Are we needed for some sort of acceptance ceremony or the like?" She really had no clue what was going to happen, and waited impatiently for Lavida's reply.
xxxx
Lavida opened the flap of the tent she knew belonged to Kaimla, motioning away the Gai'shain that has guided her there. Kaimla sat in crumbs from the meal she ate, and quickly brushed them off once she realized that. Distaste began to twist her mouth, but she smoothed her face.
"There is no need for that," she spoke, as Kaimla quickly seized a shirt from the clothes set out for her. "Just wrap this around yourself." Lavida tossed a blanket at Kaimla, only slightly thicker than the worn one she wore. "And no acceptance ceremony." A small chuckle escaped her lips at that. "No, there is almost never those. We go to the sweat tent... you don't know what that is?" she added, seeing the quizzical look in Kaimla's eyes. "Well, then, you will see."
With no further words, she briskly strode from the tent, pausing only to make sure the Wetlander was following her. She made her way across the dark camp, the freezing cold ground making no impression on her calloused feet. Reaching their destination, she opened the flap of the entranceway, motioning Kaimla in first. "Leave the blanket here," she said, taking off her own and stacking it neatly in the corner. She then went into the sweat tent.
Steam engulfed Lavida, filling her lungs and caressing her skin. The moisture immediately began to bead, running down her smooth skin. At a gesture from Rayna, sitting in the ring of Wise Ones, she moved to the center, where the water bucket sat beside the hot coals. She poured a little more water on the coals, and the steam thickened.
"I have brought her, Wise One," she told Rayna huskily as Kaimla entered.
xxxx
Kaimla followed Lavida hurriedly along the cold, frozen ground. Her feet were going numb, so she tried to half lunge half hop towards the sweat tent. Her light-blue hands clutched the thin blanket closer to her skin-and-bone frame. A medium sized, white tent loomed infront of her and Lavida. She was instructed to shed her blanket in the manner that her companion had, and then she followed her in.
She didn't expect the air to be so heavy. It weighed down on her head, and matted her hair down almost instantly. She made her way towards the circle of Wise Ones, and sat in a small opening a little off the left of Ranya. She was introduced to the other Wise Ones hurriedly. Sweat trickled down her pale face in rivers, and flowed into her unexpecting mouth. Her lips dried up even with all the water.
The Wise Ones around Kaimla looked at her for a while, as if weighing her as the Aes Sedai did a while ago. They then turned back to their conversation. Kaimla did not understand why she was wanted here in the slightest. She thought she was technically a Wise One now, but she had only been one for a couple of hours.
As she tried to pay attention to, and make sense of the conversation the others were having, her mind wandered. She struggled to stay awake in the constant heat. Her body was soaked. Even her mind was water logged. Lavida had continued to pour water on the hot coals. Kaimla wished that she would stop.
Her eyes started to fog over. The constant droning of the Wise Ones in the tent became a buzz. Still curious as to why she was here, she fell asleep, or maybe fainted. She couldn't tell the difference. Her rest went unnoticed for the most part, but when she woke up coughing an spluttering, a few of the Wise Ones turned their heads to look at her.
"Is something wrong?" The calm voice of Ranya, with a small, harsh tone hidden within floated across the steam.
"Oh, nothing." She replied sheepishly.
Looking at Lavida, she hoped that the girl wouldn't burst out laughing at her, although she probably already was.
xxxx
The time went quickly for Lavida, as the moisture trickled down her dark skin. Her hair, still cut in the manner of the Maidens, was kept up out of her face and eyes, and so she was free of irritations to listen to the Wise Ones talk. What they talked of encompassed much, from an old Wise One who had died last month to how the crops were faring in the Stone Rivers sept. Finally, the talk turned to something more personal to Lavida, and Kaimla as well.
"As you know, both of the girls returned from Rhuidean..." Rayna began, to be cut off when Kaimla suddenly spluttered. It was all Lavida could to do hold back a loud laugh- Kaimla had fallen asleep! I heard once that they use puddles of water to bathe- imagine that! She must not be used to the sweat tents.
"Oh, nothing," Kaimla said, her sweat-stained cheeks turning a deeper red in a blush. Lavida smiled at the girl, then returned to her water tending. Come on, they were just about to speak of us... good the Wetlander just woke!
"As I was saying," Rayna continued in clipped tones. "They both successfully passed their tests in Rhuidean. Lavida," she said, addressing her, "You are ready to begin the training you will need to survive. Without it, you will die," she added sternly as she saw a look of rebellion begin to form on Lavida's face. "Tomorrow morning, we will cut your hair properly, and give you appropriate clothes."
"Yes, Wise One," Lavida said sourly, scowling. With more force than was necessary, she threw another small bit of water on the coals.
"And you, Kaimla." Rayna spoke again, now with pride in her voice. "You have successfully passed the test needed to become a Wise One. Men come back marked as clan chiefs when they experience the columns; we women need no such indicators. You are one of us now, though not as experienced, nor wise." The last was said with a twinkle in her light eyes.
xxxx
She tried to listen attentively, but still failed. Kaimla knew that Ranya was talking about them, but the heat was so comforting... so nice. "And you, Kaimla..." Ranya's voice rang out across the fire, louder than it needed to be. Kaimla's head snapped up at the sound of her name and stared at the woman. I'm one of them, now... am I? She wondered, entirely curious about what she was to do and what the purpose of those bloody columns was.
"You are one of us now, though not as experienced, nor wise." Kaimla glared at Ranya now. She called me stupid! The flamin' woman insulted me in front of the entire council -or whatever you call it- of Wise Ones! And I am supposed to be like them! "You will be expected to be present at all gatherings, unless a reasonable reason for missing is stated before hand. An amateur like you needs training, and you will receive it in a faster pace than normal, for we fear that the worst is to come. I trust that you will absorb this knowledge at the time it is presented to you."
This was all too much for Kaimla. She had never gotten an education, and really didn't want to have to experience the torture. And she was going to have to learn fast. How fast? Ranya had left too many holes in her explanation.
"Yes, Wise One," Kaimla replied in a monotone.
"I think that you should be able to start training tomorrow. Lavida will start hers too then, I think. It would be best."
Ranya turned away from Kaimla and addressed the entire gathering. "Alright. Now..." Kaimla stopped listening and tried to imagine what sorts of things she would be forced to go through tomorrow. Eventually, the meeting was adjourned. Ranya caught Kaimla's arm on her way out, and said "I would like to see you in my tent tonight. We will continue your training there. Lavida may come if she wants, but I'm not sure if anything there will interest her." She nodded happily and left the tent, leaving Kaimla standing there, sweating hard and looking at the door flap as it swayed behind Ranya.