Moiraine discovers something, and the companions need a plan to rescue Egwene.

With gnashed teeth, Moiraine walked through the streets of Falme. Thom had tried to convince her to return to their guesthouse, but the woman of the Blue Ajah had denied all of his attempts. Once, the gleeman had tried to leave on his own, only to be stopped by Moiraine and pulled in the other direction. And no matter how often he asked, the woman never gave him an explanation why they couldn't return.

Thom's bad mood didn't help to lift Moiraine's. The Aes Sedai cursed her Warder and the Wisdom for doing this to her. A part of her wished she could feel Lan's anger again just to be distracted from his arousal. How could they do this to her, knowing she was walking among people? At least Lan should know better. She couldn't suppress her own arousal, and she had started digging her nails into her leg to keep herself from moaning. Blood and ashes! Why had she promised Lan not to mask their bond unless it was absolutely necessary?! This man was killing her!

The gleeman mumbled behind her back, and she understood his anger but refused to tell him about Lan and Nynaeve's… activities. Besides, this man had no idea what she had to go through! The pulsing beat between her legs yelled at her to touch herself - to give in to her needs. Those two will pay for that!

Moiraine saw a booth where a street peddler sold books and walked straight to it. She needed a distraction, and she needed it quickly! Ignoring Thom's angry objections about wasting time, she opened the first book she saw, trying to focus on the words. It was a story about a young woman who had left her home to… A whimper escaped Moiraine's lips when Lan's orgasm crashed over her. Blood and ashes!

Thom saw her trembling and was immediately by her side. "What's wrong?"

The woman of the Blue Ajah tried to ignore the yells of her aroused body, demanding to give in to her own release. Instead, she closed the book and gave Thom a little smile. "I'm a little tired."

"I've been trying to get you back to the guesthouse for a while now. And now, you admit you're tired?!" Growling, he grabbed her arms and pulled her away from the booth. "Let's get back. It's getting dark outside, and I don't want your husband to rip my head off."

"We haven't found Egwene yet."

"We'll continue our search in the morning."

This time, Moiraine couldn't stop him, but she braced herself against him. She hoped Lan and Nynaeve wouldn't go for a second round – light, please let them be satisfied now! – but she wanted to give them as much time as possible to get cleaned up and dressed.

The gleeman pulled the stubborn woman around the corner, and she stumbled when her eyes fell on a Seanchan woman and her bonded slave. "Egwene," she whispered with pain in her voice.

Thom didn't doubt for a second that she was tricking him into slowing down. Instead, he pulled her out of sight while they watched how the young woman of the Two Rivers was led away by her keeper.

"What have they done to you?"

Carefully, the gleeman took a good look at the street, observing everyone who passed them, though no one seemed interested in them. Then his eyes returned to the poor woman with the silver collar around her neck. "So, this is Rand's girlfriend?"

Moiraine nodded. "Her name is Egwene."

Egwene's shoulders were slouched, and her eyes were locked on the ground. Her beautiful long hair was tied and disappeared within her new dress. A woman of the Seanchan had a matching bracelet around her wrist. The father of lies hadn't lied about Egwene and the Seanchan being in Falme!

"We need to follow them. We need to find out where they held Egwene hostage before we return to the others." Moiraine didn't wait for Thom or an answer and followed the pair through the streets of Falme.

Thom cursed in her back, but she wasn't listening. The power inside of Egwene was strong. The White Tower couldn't lose her to the Seanchan! One day, she would be a very powerful Aes Sedai. Will Liandrin show her face? Where does this woman of the Reds hide? What will I do if I meet her? They would take one step at a time. Now that they had found Egwene, it was important to know where they were holding her. Then, they all needed a plan for how to save her. Moiraine just hoped she could hold back Rand and Perrin before they stormed off. Maybe Nynaeve could knock some sense into them.

When Moiraine and Thom entered the guesthouse, they walked into a heated discussion. Rand, Perrin, and Loial sat together on the other side of the room, whispering with each other while Nynaeve, Elayne, and Lan entertained everyone with their argument.

"Get out of my way, Nynaeve!"

"You're still sick! You need to rest!"

"Nynaeve, please let him go. It's getting dark outside and-"

"He can feel her through the bond, Elayne! He knows she's all right!"

"This is not your decision to make! She is my Aes Sedai and-!"

"Oh boy," Thom sighed and closed the door behind Moiraine and himself. For a moment, he thought about leaving again, but this wouldn't cool down the Wisdom.

The arguing trio turned their attention to Thom and Moiraine, then Nynaeve stormed over. "Where have you been?!"

"We've searched for Egwene," Moiraine responded calmly. Later, she would have a word with her Warder and the Wisdom about their physical activity in private.

Thom had stepped behind the Aes Sedai as soon as she had pulled Nynaeve's angry gaze away from him. But the Wisdom wasn't fooled so easily. Her eyes found the gleeman who repeated Moiraine's words mumbling. "We've searched for the girl."

"Do you really think you would find her in the dark?!"

Grimacing, Thom moved slowly in the boys' direction. He wouldn't admit it, but he was scared of Nynaeve and wanted to leave the explanation to Moiraine.

"Could you stop yelling?" The Aes Sedai was annoyed. "Then we could tell you about what we've found out."

"You-" The Wisdom pointed her finger at the Aes Sedai before she pointed at Lan. "-could go to your Warder, helping us to convince him to rest!"

"I didn't think you needed my help for handling my Warder. I had this certain feeling you have quite a hold on him." Moiraine couldn't help herself. Her words were meant to bite, and from the way, Nynaeve narrowed her eyes at her, the young woman understood perfectly what she was implying.

"I watched over him while you were out, and thanks to me, he is feeling better now! Now it is your turn to help, Aes Sedai!" Nynaeve barked, then stepped closer and lowered her voice. "Unless you want to free him from your bond."

Moiraine's calm Aes Sedai mask fell. Anger moved over her face. How dare this girl suggested releasing Lan from his bond? "Lan is MY Warder. You better don't forget that, Wisdom."

"And you better not forget, you're not the only one who holds his heart. He may be your Warder – for now – but others care about him too." When Moiraine tried to pass Nynaeve, the young woman added, "It isn't so funny to share the man, isn't it?"

The Aes Sedai stopped for a moment – clenching her fists – then walked over to Lan, who had waited impatiently beside Elayne. She wouldn't start an argument with Nynaeve now – not while everyone was watching.

"We were worried," Elayne said softly. "What took you so long?"

"We found Egwene."

Suddenly, everyone was talking at once, and the room was filled with thousand questions. Moiraine and Lan exchanged glances – the Warder was the only one who didn't say anything, too. He felt her annoyance while she let her eyes wander over him. Lan looked better. He wasn't sweating anymore, and his eyes were as beautiful as ever – he must have beaten the fever. There was a dull pain in his leg, probably due to standing too long. At least at this point, the woman of the Blue Ajah agreed with the Wisdom – Lan should be resting.

"BE QUIET! ALL OF YOU!" Nynaeve yelled, and immediate silence filled the room. The Wisdom let her eyes wander between Moiraine and Thom. "What happened?! Where is Egwene?!"

"It's like you said. The Seanchan have her, and she wears one of those collars." Moiraine saw how Rand gripped the hilt of his sword at her words. As she had assumed, the man wanted to storm the building where Egwene was held. "We followed them and know where they hold her captive."

"We have to free her!" Rand shouted and growled when Moiraine shook her head.

"It's not that easy, Rand. The place is heavily guarded, and Nynaeve, Elayne, and I can't use the One Power without drawing all the Seanchan and their prisoners to us."

"Then I use Saidin!"

"And what do you plan to do? You have no idea how to use Saidin. You do something without knowing if it will help or backfire on you."

The Dragon didn't like to hear this. With his eyes, he shot daggers at the Aes Sedai. "I was able to help you!"

"You were lucky. Do you want to depend the rescue of Egwene on your luck?"

Rand looked as if he was willing to try, but Nynaeve stepped up. "No!" This time, Rand growled at her, but one angry look from her, and he lowered his head. "We won't storm in there without a plan. If we're not careful, the Seanchan will use Egwene to attack us. Do you want to fight against Egwene, Rand?"

Finally, the young man realized how stupid his idea had been, and all tension left his body. As much as he wished to rescue his girlfriend, he also knew he couldn't fight her. "Of course not."

"Then start using your head, Rand al'Thor. We need a plan to save Egwene, and it must be a good one." Only Nynaeve could berate them and make them feel like little boys again.

After a moment of silence, Rand mumbled, "I need some air." Then he left the room.

Nynaeve didn't stop him, but her eyes landed on the blacksmith as soon as he was out of the room. "Perrin." She didn't need to say more. The young man from the Two Rivers understood and followed his friend outside.

"I will see if I can cheer up Rand with some stories about my Stedding. He seems to like them," Loial announced and left too.

Thom stared in disbelief at Loial's massive figure, watching the Ogier leave the room. Then his eyes found Elayne's. The daughter-heir watched his face frowning, then tilting her head. "I will join them." Quickly, he rushed after Loial, closing the door behind him.

Sighing, Nynaeve moved to the window and crossed her arms. Although she had just shouted at Rand for wanting to rush into action, she wanted to do the same.

Elayne threw one look at Moiraine and Lan, then joined the Wisdom of the Two Rivers. Whispering, the two women put their heads together.

Gently, Lan touched Moiraine's arm to get her attention. The woman of the Blue Ajah had been lost in her thoughts since Rand had left the room. Blinking, she turned to Lan, who sent his silent question through the bond. He wanted to know what was going on in her head.

"Sit down," Moiraine ordered. "You may have beaten the fever, but you still need rest. And you need to take the pressure off your leg."

Obediently, Lan sat on the bed, then grabbed Moiraine's hand and pulled her onto his lap so she was straddling him.

"This is not what I had in mind," the Aes Sedai protested but wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her nose in his hair. She could feel he had beaten the fever, which was a relief to her. Maybe she should thank Nynaeve for… no. This young woman didn't deserve her gratitude. Not after what she and Lan had done to her. Not after how she had talked to her since Moiraine and Thom had returned.

Lan's hands moved soothingly up and down her back. He probably felt her anger. "By the way, I will strangle you later," she mumbled in his ear.

His hands stopped for a moment, and she felt his confusion through the bond. He didn't understand where this was suddenly coming from. "Do you have any idea what you've done to me? Do you have any idea what it felt like to be the silent watcher while being surrounded by hundreds of people?"

"You left." Lan's answer was as calm as ever. This insufferable man didn't even regret his actions! "I asked you not to leave this house without me, but you left anyway."

"I wasn't alone."

"Thom is not me."

"Do you think I don't know that? I would've rather had you there with me, but you needed to recover – you still do. Instead, you use the first moment you're alone with HER to bed her." Jealousy stabbed her in the heart. Lan was her Warder, and it had seemed like he had wanted her body, but… he seemed to be more interested in Nynaeve's body. "I want an addition to our list of exceptions."

In Cairhien, Lan had made a list of exceptions for special situations when the Aes Sedai would be allowed to mask their bond – the list was extremely short and ridiculous! And he had made Moiraine promise not to add a situation without asking him.

"Not a chance."

Moiraine growled at him. "It's a terrible feeling to feel your pleasure while not being able to satisfy myself."

Lan chuckled, amused. Yes, he had felt Moiraine's frustration in the back of his head while Nynaeve had brought him great pleasure, and her frustration was still palpable. She wanted to give herself the relief she needed since Lan's orgasm had crashed over her. Sadly, Nynaeve and Elayne were still here, so she couldn't do it.

"I bet it is."

"Please, Lan."

"The answer is still 'No'. No addition."

Scowling, the woman of the Blue Ajah turned silent while her thoughts were running. Maybe she should talk with Nynaeve about the situation? The young woman didn't seem like someone who liked to be 'watched'. Perhaps she could convince Lan that a masked bond was for the best while they were bedding each other – another stab to the heart. Blood and ashes! Now is not the time to establish my relationship with Lan!

"I told Nynaeve about my feelings for you."

Shocked, Moiraine pulled back from him. "You didn't." Her voice sounded hoarse. He couldn't have… he wouldn't… but Lan returned her gaze calmly. Foolish man! "Why did you tell her?"

"Because she deserves to know. And she noticed something was different."

"There would have been better times than to tell her now."

"Would there be? When? It seems we're running from one problem to the next – the events in Fal Dara, the Myrddraals in Taifen's Well. In Cairhien, we had angry citizens, the Whitecloaks, oh, and let's not forget the Shadowspawn at the gate."

Moiraine's mouth opened to protest, but no word crossed her lips. Lan was right. They rode from one fight to the next – and he hadn't even mentioned the battle with the Whitecloaks in front of Falme or their upcoming rescue mission.

Lan cupped her cheek softly, his thumb caressing her skin. Immediately, Moiraine leaned into his touch and covered his hand with hers. "I love you. And since we kissed, I can't deny I also want you. But I can't ignore my feelings for Nynaeve. I had to tell her."

The Aes Sedai sighed. Before Cairhien, none of them had shown romantic interest in the other one. It had been simple. Lan loved Nynaeve, and she loved Siuan. And now… "I'm surprised Nynaeve didn't strangle me when I returned."

"She already got her revenge on you by bedding me." Moiraine frowned at him. What was that supposed to mean? "She seemed very content, knowing you would feel everything she was doing to me while not being able to shut me out."

"She…?" The woman of the Blue Ajah was speechless. Nynaeve had known about her not being able to mask the bond? Apparently, she had underestimated the young woman from the Two Rivers. "And you didn't think to stop her? To spare me this experience?"

"You left," Lan responded as if this would explain everything.

"You would do that again?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

Lan pulled her closer and rested his forehead against hers. His warm breath prickled on her lips. "Will you leave again without me?"

Moiraine gulped. This was a dangerous situation. Her body was still craving attention, and Lan's lips were close – too close. Nynaeve and Elayne stood only a few feet away from them. "I don't plan to." Light, she sounded hoarse!

Her Warder leaned in a little bit closer. "Yes or No, Moiraine."

It would be so easy to close the distance between them. All she had to do was lean into him. But she couldn't… Light, she couldn't think anymore! This insufferable man knew precisely what he was doing to her. He felt through the bond how her body reacted to him being so close, how her breaths became more shallow. Light, her heart was beating so loudly in her chest that she was sure he would hear it.

"No," she whispered and felt Lan's lips turning into a smile. "I won't leave the house again tonight."

Lan growled, then broke the spell by moving his head aside. His lips pressed a kiss on her cheek, then he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close again. "You're impossible."

Moiraine took a shaky breath when she put her arms around his neck again. He called her impossible? This arrogant man tortured her, but he called her impossible!

"You should rest. You may have beaten the fever, but your body needs to heal. It needs to rest."

"I sit on the bed, with my Aes Sedai being safe in my arms. I couldn't be any better."

"Rest, Gaidin," Moiraine ordered, though she didn't intend to move one inch.

"As you wish, Aes Sedai," Lan answered warmly, his love for her clearly audible in his voice.

The next chapter will be uploaded on Sunday.

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