I'm ba-ack:Watches dust settle as everyone flees:Um...I come bearing a new chapter:Everyone comes running back:Thought that get you. But rejoice for I have finished my paper! It is written, printed, and ready to be handed in and I didn't procrastinate once...er...well...I got it done before the night before it was due.
So here is today's wonderful chapter. I don't have much written after this, but I can focus a bit more on this now than I could before so there should (hopefully) be a few more chapters before the end of the week. No promises though. Now on with the story!
By the way, I don't know if anyone caught it or not, but the Aiel have Wise Ones, not Wise Women. I got confuzzled with it and made a mix up...
Anything recognizable does not belong to me. They belong to their respective owners. The only way these thing will ever belong to me is if I rule the world...which I don't...yet...:evil grin:
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The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and pass...
What will be, and what is, may still yet fall under the Shadow...
Let the Dragon ride again on the winds of time...
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Sam glanced back at Tar Valon from the top of the hill she was on. A smile formed on her lips, mostly due to the fact that she might have a way to Earth. Even if it didn't pan out, hopefully the Aiel Wise Ones would be able to tell her what was going on with her dreams.
Shaking herself from her thoughts she prodded the light black stallion forward and began heading east towards the Spine of the World. After she had made Aes Sedai Moiraine had taken her out and bought her clothes and the horse as way of apologizing for spying on Sam. The blonde had insisted it was not that big of a deal, but Moiraine had persisted and won out in the end. So Sam had several dresses in varying shades of green but most of the clothes were dark green and black pants and shirts at Sam's insistence. Sam even had a pair of black leather boots in case her combat boots finally wore out and fell apart.
She continued riding until noon when she led the horse off the trail into the shade of some trees. She swung down off of her horse and tethered it to a nearby tree. She gathered some rocks and made a circle in the small clearing. Once that was done she gathered some decent size pieces of wood and set them up tipi style. She shoved some twigs and grass under the wood before weaving a quick flow of Fire. Within no time a nice small blaze was going.
The sisters at the Tower had been surprised with how strong Sam was in Fire and Spirit. She was not exactlyweak in the other three powers, but those two were her strongest. Usually men were stronger in Fire and Earth and women were stronger in Air and Water. Both tended to be even in Spirit. Sam had merely shrugged it off, not really caring about it all that much.
Sam sat on a big log and pulled out some bread and jerky and warmed the two items of food over the flames. Once they were hot enough she began eating, wanting to be back on the road as soon as possible. As she was finishing her meal she gave some water to her horse, absently petting it with her left hand. Resting on her left hand was the ribbon device. Her zat was strapped to her right hip and a long dagger was fastened to her left leg. A quarterstaff was tied loosely to the pommel of her saddle and a bow with a large quiver of arrows hung on either side.
During her novice training, Lan had insisted to the Amyrlin that Sam needed to be trained in weapons. When she had said no, he had replied that it would be a good way to keep an additional eye on her with all the Warders training and practicing. After a half hour of arguing, the Amyrlin had finally relented, seeing it was the only way to get Lan out of her study without injuring him with the Power.
Sam took a swig of water before she put the fire out and put the packets of food back in her saddlebags. She untethered her horse and swung back up onto the saddle and continued her journey eastwards.
She passed very few people on the road as the day progressed. As the uneventful day began drawing to a close, Sam began looking for a place to make camp. After nearly an hour of searching she found an old abandoned campsite. Making sure no one was in the area she dismounted and began setting up camp. She ate more leisurely than she did at lunch and began wondering what she would do if she couldn't find the Aiel.
"Figures I thought of this now," she grumbled quietly. Her horse whinnied softly and Sam looked over at him. "Oh shut up Fiyero," she snapped. She put her bedding down and set up a few wards to alert her if anything approached during her slumber. She also made a Fire weave and tied it off in the fire pit so the flames wouldn't die out until morning. With a yawn she rested her head on a few rolled up jackets and fell asleep...
Sam struggled wildly against her captors, trying desperately to break free. Blood dribbled down the side of her face and her clothes were torn in several places but she didn't care. She glared angrily at the woman leering at her, a triumphant grin on her face in spite of Sam's glare.
"How the mighty have fallen," the woman laughed. "Siuan deposed, the Blue Ajah outcast, and me as Amyrlin. All is as it should be."
"You hurt any of them Elaida and I swear I'll…" Sam began.
"You'll what? You'll soon be stilled after you've seen you precious friend's death. You know the Tower law: no man can be allowed to channel. And he's already been gentled."
"Saidin isn't tainted! If you weren't such a moronic bitch you'd know that!" Sam shouted, pulling the two Warders as she struggled towards Elaida. She was suddenly hit hard across the face with a flow of Air from Elaida.
"Never insult me or raise your voice to the Amyrlin," she said coolly.
"You're not the Amyrlin. You're one of the most pathetic Aes Sedai in the history of the Tower," Sam returned.
"At least I have the nerve to do what is necessary," she said. She nodded to several of the guards and stepped aside.
Sam's eyes widened in horror as the sword was lifted and brought down. She helplessly watched the soft brown eyes lose the spark they had. "Jack…" she whispered, a tear sliding down her face. "JACK!" she shrieked. She broke through the shield that kept her from saidar and hurled the two Warders and their Aes Sedai backwards.
Sam rose to her feet, her eyes colder than ice. Elaida quickly found herself shielded and shrank back in terror. "I did what had to be done. That's all!" she whimpered, her back hitting the far wall.
"So am I," Sam said coldly. Her eyes narrowed and Elaida screamed in pain as blood splashed on the walls…
Sam bolted upright from her bedding, cold sweat glistening on her skin. Her hands were shaking uncontrollably and her short hair clung to her forehead. For several minutes Sam tried to control her breathing, unable to think as the dream played itself over and over in her head.
She held her head in her hands, finally getting her breathing under some sort of semblance of control. "It was just a dream," she told herself. "Just a dream," she kept repeating. She looked at the sky and saw it was beginning to lighten. Not wanting to go back to sleep she quickly broke camp and was soon on the road.
The last image of the dream broke its way into Sam's thought process as she emerged back onto the road. Sam rose to her feet, her eyes colder than ice. Elaida quickly found herself shielded and shrank back in terror. "I did what had to be done. That's all!" she whimpered, her back hitting the far wall.
"So am I," Sam said coldly. Her eyes narrowed and Elaida screamed in pain as blood splashed on the walls…
Sam shuddered again, a trickle of fear spreading down her spine when an unpleasant thought occurred to her: What if the dream isn't lying and I do turn to the Black Ajah?
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Hmm...Sam's got a dark side...could the dream be forshadowing? Who knows? Not even I know. Only the voices in my head know. :Whispers: And even if they aren't real, they still have good ideas.
Here's a bit of trivia for you all: Who can tell me where I got the name of Sam's horse? You get an invisible cookie if you get it right without cheating. Good luck and review!