Chapter 2
Cloaks in the Darkness
Ilyane shuddered as the peddlers walked past carrying several bundles of their precious fireworks. "I hate to see them with our fireworks. I'm always afraid their ineptitude will lead to some poor lout blowing his head off. It would be really horrible if some lummox thought he could play with them and went and blew something up for his not knowing what to do."
Dav squeezed his daughter's shoulder comfortingly before loading one of the racks onto the cart. "That's why we only sell our smaller fireworks, less chance of them killing themselves."
Ilyane sighed. "I know I just wish they wouldn't buy them at all. Those are our precious secrets going into the world to be used by inexperienced hands, if any of them got it into their heads to try and figure out those secrets..." Ilyane shuddered and looked away. She hated the idea of death.
Dav simply nodded and went to get another rack loaded. Ilyane sighed and waited for Matthen to come with the last rack that they needed to load onto their wagon, then they could finally head towards home and the safety of their own Chapter House. The Caemlyn Illuminators had offered theirs for them to stay in for the night, but no one had been eager to leave their Chapter House for so long so they had denied the request. Once they were back in their own Chapter House all the Illuminators would feel much better.
"Ready?" Matthen asked finally arriving carrying the last and most bulky of their racks. "Sounds like dad just wants to go to the other wagon until it's his turn to drive."
"Alright let's get that loaded and go."
"Have you reconsidered?" A cool voice asked in Ilyane's ear startling her.
"What are you doing here, Aes Sedai." Ilyane snapped in annoyance.
"I'm here to bundle you off for the Tower you foolish thing." The Aes Sedai answered. "I will not allow a Talent such as yours to be wasted."
"I don't want to go to your Tower; I just want to work with fireworks. That's all any Illuminator wants."
Matthen cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Sister is this an Aes Sedai, as you say?" Ilyane turned to look at him and Matthen scrunched his eyebrows in apparent confusion, "Why is an Aes Sedai interested in you?"
"She thinks I have some sort of talent for Channeling." Ilyane answered rolling her eyes.
"Sister perhaps you should go. Don't they say Channeling is dangerous in the untrained? I don't want you to die too, sister. I've already lost my mother and I would rather not lose my sister to something that could have been avoided as well."
Ilyane wanted to scream in frustration. Why was everyone so convinced that she could even Channel? Had the world gone crazy? She was about as likely to be capable of Channeling as a Trolloc was of walking up the street and killing them. "Matthen you can't be serious."
"Actually I am. I've wanted to get away for a long time and if you trained as Aes Sedai…I could be your Warder, and I wouldn't have to face dad's disappointment every time he looks at me."
"I can't believe you're actually considering this Matthen. I'm not going to become and Aes Sedai and make other people my puppets. I don't want anything that comes along with being Aes Sedai."
"Puppeteers are we?" The Aes Sedai asked with cold amusement.
Ilyane swallowed nervously, she'd completely forgotten they were in the presence of an Aes Sedai. She curtsied trying to make it up to her, "I'm sorry, Sedai, I forgot myself. I didn't mean to insult."
The Aes Sedai actually smiled, "Don't worry child the Tower will cure you of that. A trip or two to the Mistress of Novices and you won't ever want to speak badly of another person, even in your dreams."
Ilyane scowled, "It seems silly to use a scare tactic like that, when you want me to go to the Tower with you."
The Aes Sedai's smile tightened coolly, "You will come to the Tower, but if your spirit is already broken it makes the job of teaching you much easier."
"Deain!" A voice said in annoyance as a woman walked out of the darkness. She had the same ageless face of Deain, but her hair was bound tightly at the nape of her neck and she looked to come from somewhere southern, perhaps Illian or Tear, although her accent didn't sound anything like that. "It's not your job to force the Novices into obeisance, only the Mistress of Novices has that right, and until this girl's name is written in the book, there isn't much that even she could do, well and not receive punishment from the Amrylin I suppose."
"Stop babbling, you should have been a Brown, did you bring the horses?" Deain asked impatiently.
"It was hard to get them, I nearly had to have Bane wrestle one of the guards for them. I don't know why you didn't have your own horse Deain, but yes, I have brought them as requested." The Aes Sedai whistled and a man with a lethal looking walk appeared leading two horses, one a pale gray mare, that was prancing nervously in the slight breeze that had risen suddenly, the other a dark black stallion, that looked completely feral and unrideable, either chose hardly looked promising, even more Ilyane didn't want to go with this Aes Sedai, she'd never dreamt of adventure, and she certainly didn't want this anymore than she had when the idea was first presented to her.
"At least you didn't bumble this, now boy," She turned and Ilyane was surprised to realize that Deain was addressing her brother, "You say you want to come to the Tower, you say want to become a Warder."
"Yes, Sedai," Matthen answered a strange longing in his eyes. Ilyane wondered for a moment if perhaps Matthen saw this as a way to finally fit in, he had never been accepted among the Illuminators after the accident, so maybe he thought the Warders would be easier on him.
"Perhaps you should speak with Bane and Freawyn's others before you make your decision, but you may ride with us if you wish." Deain had visibly sneered as she spoke of the Warders, but other than that her face retained the cool indifference all Aes Sedai seemed to address the world with. More than anything Ilyane knew she did not want to wake up one day and find she looked like that. Aes Sedai seemed to have no humanity in them and Ilyane did not want that. This wasn't simply her want to play with the big fireworks anymore, although that dream did still drive her. She would not lose her humanity, to play with other peoples. She had never wanted to manipulate anyone to her own ends, which was clearly what Aes Sedai did, especially Deain Sedai, may the Creator curse her for ever finding Ilyane, or her traitorous brother.
"I never said I was going, Aes Sedai." Ilyane snapped. "You may take my brother if you wish, but I will not become some heartless puppetmaster. I have no wish to rule the world, by controlling the lives of others." Ilyane folded her arms and waited, she was not going to become their toy, or worse, one of them.
"You have no choice." Deain answered. "The Tower has found you and you will ride to the Tower whether you wish it or we have to strap you to the back of the horse. We will not waste any girl with Talent, but especially not a girl with yours." Deain turned away and climbed onto the back of the wild black stallion. "Now climb on girl. We do not have time to waste. The Tower will want to test your ability as soon as possible."
"I will not go!" Ilyane screeched, when suddenly hands wrapped around her waste and lifted her easily onto the back of the gray.
"Bane!" Freawyn scolded.
"She must come Sedai, if she has the ability she must be trained or die, one such as her will not. It would be a crime to take such spirit from the world."
"Boy, mount behind your sister. Keep her in the saddle at all costs. We must take her to the Tower to be trained."
Matthen nodded and climbed down from the wagon, only moments later on the horse behind Ilyane, his arms carefully locking her into her place on the saddle. "Traitor." She snarled angrily.
"Sister, I won't go away without you, and you must be trained. I won't have you die. Once you're trained, I can protect you and be your Warder."
"I don't want this!" Ilyane screeched in frustration, why would no one listen to her? Her statement hung in the air, making the air vibrate with her anger as they rode away from everything she'd ever known and into the dark cobbled streets of Caemlyn.
They had almost reached the gates to the city when voices cried out behind them. The group turned in surprise to see a large seething mass of white glowing in the streets behind them. "Blood and ashes," Matthen growled. "Whitecloaks."
"The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills." Deain murmured a smile creeping to her lips. "Now we must fly if we are to escape them this night."
"Let me off, I don't want anything to do with this anymore. If you're to be arrested by Whitecloaks do it without me." Ilyane said grumpily, struggling to break free of her brother's grip.
"Don't you understand girl? You can't escape them, you've been with Aes Sedai, a Tar Valon witch as they would say, they can hang you by their law just for that. They will take you as a Darkfriend now whether you are one or not. They work by suspicions rather than facts and evidence, now you must fly girl. Smack the horse and fly."
Ilyane was still reluctant to act and tried to stop her brother from doing anything impetuous turning to the other Aes Sedai ready to plea for freedom, but it seemed she had her own troubles. Her warders all seemed to be trying to go back and fight the Whitecloaks. "I will not lose a Warder this night." She snapped finally. "We can fly, where fighting would only mire us in a trap. Do this now, by my bid or I will release you from my bond."
Ilyane thought the woman was insane for having so many Warders and she couldn't understand much of what she was talking about, but she did know that she herself would never have so many Warders. It would be bad enough trying to handle her own brother. She froze, realizing her train of thought. I will not become Aes Sedai, I will not! I will do anything it takes to not destroy myself, within forcing them to kick me out of their precious Tower if I must, but I will not become one of them, I will not!
"We must go now!" Deain cried urgently. "We do not have time for arguments. We must fly into the night where the Whitecloaks will never find us! Come now, Freawyn, get those fool men in order, if you cannot control your own men, perhaps you do not deserve the right of the ring and shawl! We must fly now!"
Without another word, Deain turned her horse and galloped into the darkness. Matthen clearly more inclined to follow an Aes Sedai than his own sister, urged the mare into a gallop behind her and the rest were quick to follow.
You fool brother of mine! What kind of mess have you gotten me into? Ilyane thought angrily as they rode into the darkness and depth of the night.
"Ilyane?" Dovrin called arriving at the Illuminator girl's wagon and wondering where she and her brother were, at least Matthen should have been left to look after the equipment. It was against Illuminator statues to leave things out where anyone could find them and begin to make use of them. Where has that pesky girl run off to? I finally have my question prepared for her and she disappears. This is ridiculous. She certainly shouldn't be learning the larger fireworks if all she's going to do is disappear with her brother the first time she's allowed out, after discovering it. I swear if I find her celebrating in some bawdy tavern or inn, I'll destroy her.
Dovrin growled angrily to himself for a moment, before leading the horse still attached to Ilyane's wagon to the attendant already watching his own. He was going to find Ilyane tonight if it killed him. She had no right to run off like she had. Now that her wagon was taken care of he hurried into the darkness of the streets, he needed to find Ilyane and soon. She needed to be punished for running off.
He wandered the streets of Caemlyn and was surprised to find very few inns open so late, he'd thought that all inns would be open until the next morning and on, especially on a night of celebration like this, did none of them care anymore since they were receiving no more patrons fresh arrived from the fireworks display? He peered into the few inns he passed that were open, but none of them seemed to be thrilling in their usual bawdy behavior, and Dovrin wondered what had happened, to make the inns less active than usual.
He had traversed almost every street in the city and was drawing close to the gates still without any sign of Ilyane or her idiot brother, when he stumbled quite mistakenly on a nest of vipers. Whitecloaks. Children of the Light. Whatever they were to be called they didn't like that he'd been wandering through the dark so late.
"So you're in league with the witches?" One of them leered at him. "One of their 'Warders' come to finish us off in the dark perhaps? Well we can't have that now can we?" The man sneered and before Dovrin could move had thrown his arms tightly around him.
Dovrin struggled but it only served to attract more of the men's attention and soon, he was completely surrounded by Whitecloaks and they made quick work of tying him up and heading towards the gate of the city.
"We have our Darkfriend this night!" The man who had originally captured Dovrin cried. "We will take him to Amadacia to be tried under the Light!"
Dovrin could only stumble along in mute surprise. He didn't know how they had mistaken him for a Darkfriend, but he did know that if he was taken to be tried, he would not live past the trial. Whitecloaks saw what they wanted to see and nothing else. He tried to think through the pain of being bound, pushed and shoved as they led him along, he needed a plan of escape or he would never live to ask Ilyane his question.