Chapter Two
I ran down the corridor to the door of my chambers. What in the name of the Creator was Mierin doing here, I wondered. As I rounded a corner, I was launched upon by Mierin's shouts.
"Lews, it's amazing! You have to read this!" she waved a sheaf of papers in my face.
"What is it, Mierin Sedai?" I spoke to her, using her formal title to show that I was annoyed of her visit to my chambers.
"Lews, you know that I have been studying the Power for some years now?" I nodded, and she continued. "Well, I was Scanning the world for anything out of the ordinary. I was picking up some resonance from somewhere, but I did not know where." Scanning? What was she doing! Scanning was one of the more dangerous Talents, which was like travelling, except that you searched for something.
"I found a thinness in the Pattern, Lews. It was like I predicted! Here, if we can tap into it correctly, I believe that we may be able to have access to a Power that both men and women can use. We will never be separated again."
I stared at her. What she was saying has profound implications on how we Aes Sedai lived our lives. If we could have access to a Power that was not solely male or female, then we could do things that we only dream of. Buildings could be built in hours and not days. Everything in our lives would change forever. But I knew what could be a negative side to this. It is recorded in the archives of the Tamyrlin that an equivalent to an Aes Sedai had done some research into what she described as "the only way to end this war." However, when the research team completed their research, the explosion that resulted from it killed millions of people instantly, and then millions of people in the following years. It also destroyed all the technology within what was called a "blast radius". I did ont understand all of what was said, but I was not going to risk anything that was even a hundredth of that magnitude.
"Lews, I need your permission to put together a team of Aes Sedai to study this." She held my hand and stared up into my face.
I commented to myself for the first time in months on how beautiful she actually was. Her black hair framed a perfect face, and although she was short, she had a manner that made you feel like she protected you. I pulled my hand away from hers and I stepped back a few paces.
"Mierin, your request is denied." Now I was the Tamyrlin of the Hall of the Servants, famed for his cold-heartedness. "You have not thought of what could go wrong. If you can present me with a full report that is one hundred percent certain of being successful, then I will consider it."
Mierin Eronaile nodded, and walked through the door onto the street. Before she shut the door, she spoke to me:
"Lews, I did love you. I hope you know that. I still do love you, and I would do anything for you."
I replied to her coldly. "Then forget this wool-headed idea of yours and leave me alone." I shut the door.
It opened again, and Gardim walked in. He gave me a swift warning.
"Lews, Mierin Eronaile is dangerous. I heard her say "But I will do everything it takes for me." Do you know what that means?"
"I do my old friend. Do not worry." Gardim walked off, and I sat down on a seat of carved wood from the continents across the World Sea. "Do not worry. Yes, don't worry about Mierin Eronaile, Gardim. She is my problem, and I will deal with it. But how?"