Chapter II – The Other Side

Amaera left the hallway and directed to the Traveling room. She knew however that she would not open a portal to her home. She knew a small wood near the village where she usually rode her favourite steed – Firestep. She had to think. Neither did she want to return home to her husband. Merian had told her many things and all of them were awful. She had to get her husband Healed. No matter how many sisters would it take. This news of some men going mad really troubled her. So it's not just him who feels this… Taint as Merian called it, that's for sure but still. It had to be healed somehow. Everything but the death could be healed. She opened the portal and stepped through it…

...and immediately realized that something was terribly wrong. Those woods were just outside the southern gate and she could easily see that there was no southern gate. Rubble, stone, wooden beams, black and crushed, most of them still engulfed by fire, the smell of death in the air and fires all over the city. Rocks and stones were thrown out of the city as if something has exploded inside. She quickly embraced Saidar – the female half of the One Power. Whatever it was, it could be still in the city. Fear suddenly drew in her body. 'Light, my husband! Had something happened to him! Is he all right? Had he fought back? Is he in there?' Amaera ran. As fast as she could. The smell of burned skin was in the air, heavier than everything else. But there were no people in the city. As she walked through the empty streets the sightings she saw were awful. The more she entered the city the more devastated it looked. Few of the buildings have survived what had happened. Maybe it was some sort of natural disaster? Finally Amaera couldn't stand the smell in the air. While holding Saidar she felt as if the smell was ten times stronger and she had to release the One Power which may result in death if she doesn't have time to embrace Saidar again. She finally vomited. Where were all the people and where did the smell come from she didn't know. As her stomach finally had nothing more the throw out she continued into the city. Everything around her was in ashes. Strange grey ashes. And the smell. 'OH, LIGHT! THOSE ASHES ARE NOT WOODEN ASHES! THOSE ARE… ARE…'

Amaera opened her eyes and saw that she was lying on a street. Everything around her was destroyed and the street was covered with a strange ash. She got up and beat out the ash from her hands as good as she could. 'Where in the name of the Light… ?' She remembered and then vomited again. Obviously she had lost consiousness. Her head hurt. Maybe she had hit it while she was falling. As she gathered all the strength she could, she continued forward. If her husband had died here she would never know. As she walked along the streets she saw some bodies. Some of them were black – burned, others were torn apart. With all the strength she found she embraced the True Source. She weaved the five powers and her head bursted in pain as if someone had put her in a giant bell and then rang it. The test for resonace stated clearly that this was no natural disaster, neither was it woven by a woman.

The city was burned to the ground and the more she walked the more were the houses ruined. Out in the suburbs houses had at least the main floor left standing. Here from the main floors of the buildings was left only a wall or two.

Amaera turned around the corner at the end of the street and the view that was in front of her chilled her to the bone. With all the rubble and folded earth, in what looked like the epicentre of the destruction above everything else erected a building. Untouched by the elements of Saidin the house was three floors high and the walls were pure white. The scariest thing about this place was how unharmed it was. It looked as if it's haunted. But Amaera knew the house isn't haunted. Because it's her home.

In front and around the house there where no ashes. Only dead bodies. Bodies who have tried to outrun their death, coming from inside the building. One of the burned corpses caught her attention. A body of a person, about 3 – 4 feet tall. A body of a child. A body of a 12 year old boy… Amaera didn't know when she began to cry but tears ran down her cheeks faster than she could blink. She released Saidar and prepared to go inside. She had lost almost anything now, it wouldn't matter if she dies today or tomorrow. Prepared for the worst, prepared to see the burned dead body of the love of her life she entered the building.

It was empty. No one. Room by room she searched the house. Whatever happened outside, in here there was no sign of violence or struggle. Everything was clean and well-arranged. She couldn't find the strength to go outside again so she went to the Travelling room. Her husband could be turned to ashes and she would never know it. She wanted to die… alone. She weaved a portal to a pond, not far away from the city. The place her husband had taken her for their first night together.

The first thing she saw as she stepped trough the portal was a man standing next to the pond in the water, with all his clothes on. He was staring at something in his fist. A small statue of some sort of a man on a horse.

'Liahn?' she said with disbelief.

'What?' the man turned around. 'Hello, who are you? Have we met?' he stared at her as if he had never seen her. Her husband and brother – Aes Sedai.

'Liahn? What happened? Tell me? Do you now what have happened back in town? Was there a battle?' she said almost beggingly.

'Liahn? Who are you, do we know each other? You are pretty? I'm sure you hear this probably everyday but still.'

'Liahn! You're my husband, what had happened to you!'

'Oh, yes I have a wife. You look familiar. Yes! You're my wife, aren't you? I knew I know you from somewhere.'

He suddenly looked at the figurine in his hand. Then he stared at her if he had never seen her.

'Hello, who are you? Have we met?'

This was too much. Too much for one's heart. Amaera fell on her knees and released Saidar. The One Power wouldn't help her now. No one would.

'Amaera?' he said suddenly.

She raised her head instantly.

'Amaera, thank the Light you're here. Something terrible happened.'

For a moment she thought that he was joking.

'Amaera, I've gentled myself.' He whispered.

'Don't be stupid. You cannot gentle yourself alone.'

'Ok, I've burned out, does the term matter? I cannot channel the One Power anymore.'

Amaera Sedai looked in his eyes. Deep into his eyes. She knew her husband better than anyone and she knew that he was holding Saidin at the moment. No matter what he said she was sure that right now he is holding the One Power. And she understood what have happened.

Did she die of the heart attack because that her husband has done all this or because of the thunder that came from the cloudless sky, weaved from Saidin she couldn't know.