A/N - Ahem, I am proud(?) to present the LONGEST CHAPTER EVER. I do hope you're sitting comfortably. Oh, and thanks to Alix for the review. This one's for you.

**Disclaimer** - Disclaimed.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The wan light seeped into the darkness, bleeding fissures of sickly rose through the fading star flung sky. The one known as Mai watched the encroaching dawn with leaden calm. It was over. Her resolution deserted her, and a sigh quivered through her frame, escaped through her lips in a swirl of vapour that dissipated in the chill air. She wrapped the blanket tighter and hunched into its warmth. The relief was a snug glow within her. It would fade as the day grew old and the threat of night approached, dwindle into a cold wad of dread, but for now she was safe. Content. She closed her eyes as her forehead came to rest on her knees, and smiled as the first lark trill hushed the gaping silence.

Cal idly stirred the contents of the pot whilst stifling a yawn with his other hand. Breakfast duty was hardly where he wanted to be at a freezing dawn break, although there wasn't exactly much option. He had made it to his blankets earlier than Mat, and none of the other men were in a fit state to be ladling porridge at first light.

He peered at the brightening sky. At least it wasn't raining. Encouraged by this small phenomenon, he poked the spoon at the sticky mass with a little more enthusiasm.

He was investigating the possibility of a porridge invasion by an errant biteme when he heard a polite cough behind him.

He was somewhat startled to discover its perpetrator.

'Good morning, Mai. I hope you are fond of oats.' He hefted the spoon from the pot, and stared at the insipid stuff's ponderous grip of the spoon. He gave the girl an abashed smile. 'Particularly sticky oats.'

Her hood was absent from its customary position, and Cal was surprised to see a small, almost wry smile on her pale face.

'That looks...fortifying.'

Cal's smile broke into a grin. It seemed their healer had a sense of humour under all that austerity.

'Breakfast is not on my usual duty list, I am afraid. Still, better me than Mat. You should see what that man can do to a rash of bacon and a defenceless egg. It is enough to give you nightmares.'

The girl's smile evaporated. Cal frowned slightly. Had he offended her? If so, the affront must have been very oblique. He chose to veer the subject.

'Did you sleep well?'

Mai's face had resumed the expressionless façade of the previous evening.

'Tolerably well.' Her terse words did little to absolve his discomfort.

'Good, well, I mean, it is not always easy adjusting to outside living. I understand the tent you had was quite small... '

'The one who used it before, he died.'

It was not a question, but Cal responded to it as such. Her directness had caught him off guard.

'Yes, Shay was one of the two who succumbed to the sickness.'

Cal lapsed into silence. He had the curious impression that the girl was trying to affront him as he had inadvertently, and inexplicably, offended her. Her voice interrupted his reverie.

'I am sorry.'

Cal managed a small smile. 'Many more may have suffered the same had you not come here. You have done the Band a great service.'

He ladled a hearty dollop of porridge into a wooden bowl before offering it to Mai with a grave expression.

'In honour of your great deeds, my lady,' he declared in a sonorous voice. She gazed at him with utter bewilderment, causing a sheepish smile to break Cal's ceremonial gravitas.

'It is not much of a heroes reward, I am afraid.'

Mai gave in to a smile as she took the proffered bowl. 'That all depends on how hungry the hero is.'

Cal laughed, glad to see that strange, fixed expression had left her, at least for the time being. He watched her sit on a nearby cushion to enjoy the spoils of her efforts, before turning his attention to the rapidly congealing contents of the pot.

Mat winced as the chill of the frigid air immediately gleaned the warmth from his body. Knuckling the bottom of his spine, he squinted into the uncharacteristically bright morning. It may be have cold, he reasoned, but at least it wasn't raining.

His stomach gave a loud growl. Mat had hardly eaten owing the events of the day before. Disappointingly, there was no appetising aroma in the air, but then recalled that Cal had volunteered for breakfast duty. He sighed. Porridge again. Setting off towards the less than enticing meal, Mat took in the surprisingly agreeable morning.

The sky was an exhilarating azure hue, unbroken save for the small scudding clouds that were pleasantly pink tinged. The air was cold, but not bitterly so, and the breeze held a tangibly crisp aroma that reminded Mat of winter at Emond's Field, and the much vaunted festival at Year's End.

Encouragingly, there was not a cough, sneeze or groan to mar the quiet of the morning, unbroken save for the occasional joyful trill of a Hedge Lark or the chatter of a Midgespry.

All in all, it was a rather satisfying start to the day.

Striding towards the cook fire, he grinned at the sight of Cal struggling with the stirring of his concoction. He was about to comment upon his friend's cooking prowess, or lack thereof, when he saw something that made his relatively lighthearted mood wither into surliness.

The girl was there.

Deciding he would like to conserve his jovial mood for as long as possible, he determined a detour to the bathing-tent might a good option. There would be time for breakfast later, preferably in his own company.

He glanced at her as he passed. She had obviously seen him, but hastily averted her eyes when he glimpsed her. At least she wasn't creeping around with that hood up, although unruly would be too tame a word to describe the hair that still obscured most of her face.

Most promisingly, however, she had stopped glaring at him like some strange, light-struck hare.

Mat whistled a lively little tune as he walked on, priding himself on managing to keep his geniality intact.

Struggling with the ever-thickening porridge, Cal glanced at the girl and noticed that she was not so much eating the porridge as simply rearranging its position in the bowl.

'It is not that bad, surely? You have to eat. We cannot have our healer as sick as the ones she is here to tend.'

Dropping her spoon into the gelatinous oats, Mai gave a small sigh.

'I have insulted him.' She muttered, waving a vague gesture in the direction of the bathing tent. Cal frowned as he identified the dwindling form of the person she was indicating.

'Mat?' Cal gave a small snort. 'I do not believe so. You have done everything in your power to save his men.'

Her head snapped up suddenly, and Cal found that disconcerting gaze focusing keenly upon him.

'Hismen?' she demanded.

Cal frowned. 'Mat is the general of the Band of the Red Hand.'

Mai groaned as she lowered her face to her hands.

'I have insulted the leader?' She sighed. 'I had no idea. I have been so rude!'

Smiling gently at her plight, Cal sat on his haunches so he was level with her covered face.

'Mai, we woke you from your sleep, nearly roped you into a fight, all but dragged you into the middle of the wilderness, and still had the audacity to ask you to help us. I think Mat will excuse whatever it is you did that was so 'rude'.'

Mai was peering through the cage of her fingers, the shade of concern still etched in her eyes. They really were extraordinarily blue, Cal mused.

'I feel more myself today. Last night I felt...strange. I felt I remembered. ' she shook her head in a helpless fashion.

'What?' Cal urged, frown deepening.

'It does not matter now. I am myself.'

She uncovered her face and smiled at him suddenly, eyes too bright. Cal felt a sense of unease at her mercurial flashes of emotion. Last night she had betrayed nothing. She seemed a different creature to this flighty girl.

'Alright, seen as you have now been officially familiarised with Lord General Matrim Cauthon, perhaps I should introduce myself.'

He jutted out his hand, holding her bemused gaze until she grasped it with her own.

'Callart Delaine.' He grinned, shaking her hand somewhat vigorously.

'We have been introduced already. Last night. I showed you the leeches... ' Mai sounded utterly perplexed.

'Just humour me.' Cal raised an eyebrow. 'And you are...?'

'Mai.'

'Just Mai?'

She returned his grin. 'Just Mai.'

'Very well, Just Mai, I request that you accompany me on an inspection of the men.' He stood, gesturing her to do the same.

As they approached the infirm tents, Cal felt a little disquietened. He was hoping for a little more information than, although he did not suppose it really mattered, not when she would be leaving so soon.

Mat emerged from the bathing tent, his good mood now as effectively dampened as the rest of him.

The heat of the water had caused his eye to resume its rhythmic throb, and the swollen flesh now irked him to the point of distraction. It was not so much painful, but rather a perpetual irritant, and small irritants always brought out the worst in Mat, a trait Egwene had pointed out several times during their childhood in the Two Rivers.

'How can you complain so much over a splinter?' she had once demanded after Mat's presentations of his 'injured' finger to anyone within distance of his incessant complaining. 'You hardly squeaked when you fell out of that tree last spring.'

He had glowered at observation, but her words had been true then, and they were equally true now. The young Egwene had almost always been right, he conceded graciously. Except in her fancies about marrying Rand. He briefly mused upon what would have happened if the pair had not left Emonds Field, but realised what a pointless run of thought that would be. What was there to gain in getting yourself all fussed up or dewy eyed over what could have been?

Approaching the cooking area, Mat noted with approval that it was deserted. Cal's stint at breakfast duty had obviously ended, and although the porridge did not look exactly delectable, Mat helped himself to a large bowl of the stuff. He even managed a few mouthfuls before abandoning the ordeal.

Consoling himself with the thought that he had at least now had little more room for his lunch, Mat headed in the direction of the infirmary tents. He had avoided the girl long enough, and the combination of his bothersome eye and less than hearty breakfast had soured his mood beyond repair.

The first person he saw was Per, who was busy moving between the tents with a distinct air of self-import.

'My Lord,' the healer declared with an obsequious little bow. 'I can inform you that the patients are much improved.'

'Per, I am still not a Lord. And thank you for the update, but I think I shall have a look for myself.'

Per's expression suddenly looked aghast.

'Oh no, My Lord.' Mat found his path blocked by the little man. 'I do not think that would be wise at all. We have aid now, there is no requirement for you to... '

'Per, if I were going to catch this thing, I think I would have sickened by now. Besides, I doubt going into this tent will bring any more danger than nearly shivering to death on a hilltop in the freezing rain.'

The small healer looked crestfallen. 'I only suggested it to help the Band, My Lord. I did not mean to subject you to such peril.'

Did the man have to be so dramatic?

'I know, Per, and you have my thanks for your concern, but I am going in.'

With an exasperated sigh, Per nodded.

'Very well, My Lord, but I must stress that this is against my wishes. If you start to feel any symptoms; fever, headache... '

He may not have been sick, but Mat was definitely getting a headache.

'...anything at all, then I must insist'

'Per, you have my word that I will definitely consult you as soon as I feel the slightest whisper of a sneeze.'

Mollified at last, Per stepped aside.

The tent was still sticky and hot, but it lacked the aggressive atmosphere of the previous evening. Cal glanced up as Mat entered and gave him an innocent smile.

'Did you enjoy your breakfast?'

Mat countered with a broad grin. 'There is nothing like a warm soak to get a man in the mood for badly prepared porridge.'

He settled himself onto a cushion. 'It was a little below your usual standard, though. I only managed three mouthfuls instead of the customary five.'

Cal held raised his palm in an apology. 'I promise to try harder next time, oh exalted one.'

Mat smiled absently and glanced at the girl, who was busying herself at the pallet farthest from the pair. He supposed he should make an effort with her. It wasn't as though she was glaring at him any more. With a sly grin at Cal, he raised his voice slightly.

'What say we enrol our newest recruit on the breakfast duty?'

Cal turned to look at the girl in time to see her pale skin suffuse with sudden colour.

'Do not embarrass her,' he hissed in an undertone. 'She may be quiet, but I actually managed to have a conversation with her this morning.'

Mat raised his eyebrows.

'A conversation? As in talking in more than one word sentences?' Cal frowned at the sarcasm in his friend's voice.

'Do not make it any more difficult for her, Mat. She is helping us, so why not treat her with a little less distain?'

'You were not the one she was glaring at last night.'

'And I am not the one making her feel uncomfortable this morning.' Cal retorted, his voice laced with uncharacteristic heat.

Mat studied his friend silently for a moment.

'I suppose it is a good thing she is staying then,' he breezed in an offhand manner. 'Seen as you are suddenly so concerned with her, I mean.'

It was a petty thing to say, but Mat was not above admitting that he could be like that sometimes.

Cal sighed. 'I am not enamoured of her Mat, I just do not want to see her upset. She seems a little volatile at times. And how do you know she is staying?'

'She mentioned it last night.' Mat shrugged. 'I told her it was not a problem.'

'So I am the one with overt concern for her, even though you are the one who asked her to stay?'

'She asked me,' Mat snapped, before shooting a withering look at his friend. 'She really is not my type, Cal.'

'Is that all you think about? Can you not just have a little consideration for someone? It does not hurt, you know.'

With somewhat typical fickleness, Mat smiled.

'Very well, I promise to be nicer to our guest, if you promise not to churn out any more slop like that poor excuse for a breakfast.'

Cal glared at Mat, before breaking into a smile of his own.

'Bargain struck.'

Mat hefted himself to his feet. 'Well, I suppose I had better make a start at keeping to my end of the deal. Could you point me in the direction of the nearest absurdly sensitive female?'

Cal waved a hand at him as he left the tent.

Still smiling, Mat approached the girl.

Mai, her name is Mai

'Good morning.' He tried to make his tone as inoffensive as possible. 'How are the invalids today?'

Mat had not really expected a response. He was therefore somewhat surprised.

'Very well, I believe. No necessity for leeches today, you will be glad to know.' She flashed a tight smile at him before continuing. 'They should all make a good recovery from here, providing there are no setbacks.'

Mat had to stop himself for gaping. For her this was a tirade.

'Setbacks?'

'Oh, yes, they can be quite common. But I have taken precautions to stop it from happening. With a little luck, they should continue to do well.'

Mat grinned. 'A little luck shouldn't be too hard to find around here'

Mai frowned at his cryptic remark, and then appeared to notice his eye.

'I need to look at that. Sit there,' she commanded, pointing at the nearest empty pallet.

Mai picked up on the reason for his frown.

'Do not worry. The occupant of that one has been transferred into the tent without vapour treatment. Now sit.'

Mat sat.

She seemed to hesitate before touching him with her cool fingers, but she was surprisingly gentle in her investigation of the bruised flesh. Mat was now feeling more than a little uncomfortable at his treatment of her the previous evening. The whole experience of arriving at the camp must have been disconcerting, after all.

He was about to offer an apology for his rude handling of the situation, but Mai spoke first.

'I am sorry I was a little distracted last night. I put you in a position where you were ill at ease. I will try not to do that again.'

Mat supposed it had taken her a great deal of courage to say what he had just heard. It made him feel a touch small.

'Do not apologise. I hardly noticed.'

She would surely hear the lie, but he was only trying to make her feel less uncomfortable about the whole thing.

Mai smiled. 'It is kind of you to say that.' And then, almost as an afterthought, 'My Lord.'

'Light! How many times to I have to tell people that I am not a Lord. I mean, do I look like a bloody Lord?'

'I do not presume to know what makes someone look like a Lord, or even a bloody Lord, My Lord.'

Mat scowled, then scowled even harder when he realised she was smiling.

'I suppose you heard Per calling me that?'

Mai nodded.

'The next time any bloody fool calls me a Lord, they will be eating nothing but Cal's porridge for a week.'

'That is indeed a punishment.'

Mat grinned, then winced as she probed a particularly painful spot.

'Stay here a moment.' Mai instructed. Mat marvelled at the difference in the girl as he watched he rummage through her case. He felt a little guilty about goosing Cal.

She returned with a small bottle which she unstoppered and upended onto a pristine cloth.

'Hold this over your eye.'

Mat held the cloth to his skin. It felt deliciously cool.

He caught sight of the dark weal on her wrist as she stoppered the bottle.

Noting his frown and the direction of his gaze, she started a little and tried to cover the bruise. Mat gently held her arm to stop her from doing so.

'I suppose he gave this to you.' Mat murmured, his eyes never leaving the vicious looking wound.

Mai twisted slightly, trying to move from his grasp, but he held her firm.

He slid the long sleeve to expose the white flesh, only to reveal more welts. Her slender arm was mottled with them. Most looked like bruises from where a rough hand had grabbed her, others bore the vulgar crudeness of heavy blows.

'I suppose I had better not insult you by saying I fell over a ground-knot.' The girl's voice was bitter in the thick air. 'Although it is possible another could share your tendency for clumsiness. You really should look where you are going you know.'

'You are trying to change the subject.' He released her arm. 'If he could do this, how did you manage to leave?'

Her face tightened. For a terrible moment, Mat though she was going to cry.

'I drugged him.' Her quivering restraint broke into a tense smile. 'With just about the nastiest soporific I could find. It will be a few days before his little headache fades.'

'You did not kill him?'

Mai's smile faltered at his stark words.

'Kill him? Light, the man was a brute, but I could never have killed him.'

'Why?' Mat demanded hotly, his anger piqued by her shocked reaction.

Mai stared at him until Mat found he could meet her candid gaze no longer.

'Because I am not a murderer. He hurt me, I got away. That is about all there is to know.'

Mat stared at her back as she turned to the nearest bed.

'Keep that poultice on for the time being. I think you will find the injury much improved.'

Mat watched the girl as she walked away, her shoulders slumped and weary looking.

He found himself wishing that Nath would storm the camp. The idea of settling a number of scores with the fat brute appealed to him very much at the moment.

Mai glanced at him.

'Do not take that off yet.'

He realised that the poultice was somehow balled uselessly in his clenched fist. Mat scowled, and pressed the thing back against his injured eye.

It was dusk before Mat managed to make amends to his stomach for his inattentiveness. Per had managed to prepare a stew, the maddeningly tantalising smell of which had been luring him for some time.

Unsurprisingly, Cal was already at the cook fire when Mat arrived and was too busy gorging himself on a brimming bowl of the appetising broth to acknowledge his arrival with more than a brief nod.

Mai was also there, her head bowed so her fall of hair obscured her face. She appeared not to notice his arrival.

Once he had taken the edge off his hunger, Mat helped himself to another bowl of stew. He grinned at Cal, who was now reclining with his hands placed appreciatively on his stomach.

'I take it you enjoyed the meal?'

Cal gave a contented sigh. 'Most definitely. That man should reconsider his chosen profession. After all, we are no longer particularly in need of his healing services.' He paused to cast a knowing look at Mai, who failed to react.

'What's wrong?' Mat mouthed at his friend, although he supposed such surreptitiousness was not necessary. The girl seemed oblivious to their presence.

Cal shrugged, although a concerned frown now marred his open face.

Mat thought it rather strange. Mai has been talkative and almost normal this morning, but she now seemed to have reverted to the listless, disinterested girl he had seen last night.

'Can we tempt you to a little of Per's rather splendid soup, Mai?'

The girl raised her head dazedly at Mat's words, her eyes still fixed upon the dark ground before her.

'No. I am not hungry.' Her voice was soft, and had uncomfortably timid quality.

Mat's echoed Cal's frown.

'Are you sure? There is plenty left.'

'No.' Her eyes flickered to his face, and back to the ground again. 'I think I shall retire now.'

Without another word or glance, Mai rose wearily and headed in the direction of her tent. The two men watched her abrupt departure with twin expressions of concern.

'Was it something I said?'

Cal shook his head. 'No, she has been getting more and more withdrawn as the day has gone on. I think she is exhausted, Mat.'

'It's understandable, I suppose.'

Both men fell quiet for a moment.

'Perhaps I should go and make sure she gets to her tent safely.'

Mat considered his friend's suggestion. 'Nice thought, Cal, but I do not believe she would appreciate it right now. I think we should give her some time alone, to adjust and...things.'

Cal studied his companion with amusement. 'Well, you're certainly sticking to your side of the bargain.'

'What?'

'Our conversation this morning, Mat? Can you cast your mind back that far?'

Mat mock scowled.

'Anyway,' Cal continued. 'I commend you for your new found consideration. It looks as though I won't be making any porridge for a while.'

'That's a bloody relief.'

Cal ignored the retort.

After a moment. Mat glanced at his friend.

'Game of cards?'

Cal gave a snort. 'You know, a humiliating defeat would be the perfect end to this fine day, but I think I should like to go to my blankets with my coin supply relatively in tact.'

'Perhaps I should teach Per how to play.' Mat mused aloud.

'That would be very cruel, Mat.'

Mat grinned. 'I know.'

The blond man headed to his tent, leaving him to his deliberations. After a time, Mat produced the coin from his coat pocket, and held it before him in the fading light. It was the silver Tar Valon mark Moiraine had entrusted to him what seemed like a lifetime ago.

He watched its fierce glint in the waning firelight before tossing it into the air, deftly catching it, and rhythmically running it over the back of his hand.

He stayed there until the fire burned to ashes, and the stars began to sear the darkening sky.

Mai raised her eyes skyward, watched as the first sleek shimmers spiked the fathomless black that loomed above her. She could wear it like a shroud, this darkness, cloak herself within its depths as easily as swathing garb, so familiar was it now. How slowly the dawn came, how exquisitely slow, and all the while she felt herself slide deeper. They had looked at her, watched her. She had tried to conceal her terror, the fear at the implacable and unstoppable slither of darkness. It had been easier with Nath. He had neither known nor cared. Yet these two watched. Blue eyes and brown, watching her slow decent into brooding silence. She closed her eyes, and rested her head on her knees in unconscious mimicry of her morning ritual. Soon, the candle would gutter and drown in its own sustenance. Soon, the moth that battened at its glow would fly to woo another faceless spark. Soon, the mournful cry of the night creatures would shiver and thrall the chill air. How she had come to hate these sounds, this dissonant choir that tortured her whilst others slumbered. She cried burning tears as she waited for the dawn. It could not some soon enough.