The Last Battle
Sheriam woke early, even earlier than she had the past days. Even so, she felt Jahar was up already. He had as many last-minute preparations to make, and the Asha'man of the Black Tower were still less experienced than the Aes Sedai. More than a few had never seen battle.
Here at the Tower, she was confident that everyone knew what to do. All had their assignments, all could move quickly. And with almost everyone who would come to Shayol Ghul under their control, all should go well.
Still she wished she could feel more confident. In spite of all their efforts, they could not control everything. The past two days, Cadsuane and the other sisters supposedly loyal to the Dragon had taken the sisters with a Warder, and even Amys and Sorilea, as al'Thor insisted on taking some of the Wise Ones along to the Bore itself.
They had also brought the Horn of Valere to the Field of Merrilor. The Dragon had asked about it, as it had been brought to Tar Valon and was hidden there. They considered claiming they did not know where it was hidden, or that it was gone from the place where Siuan had hidden it, but after careful thought decided that was too unlikely. It had been found once when it was needed, it figured in all prophesies, it would be found again somehow. And most of all, they did not want Mat Cauthon looking for it, not with his luck. Aybara had been one thing, Mat Cauthon's crazy luck would almost certainly protect him. Mesana decided not to push hers.
Egwene, who had been told its location by Siuan after she had been raised Amyrlin, retrieved it and handed it to al'Thor. Miyasi and Moiraine were ordered to protect Mat Cauthon from blowing it at any cost, a large force of Trollocs and Myrddraal was assigned to face Mat's Band just in case they failed.
Making a duplicate had been attempted but no one could recreate a horn just like it. Also the sisters who had successfully created the Call rods could not manage any angreal, let alone duplicate the sa'angreal. Apparently it was more difficult to make these than it was to make ter'angreal -although there was quite a difference between different kinds of ter'angreal, too- and none could figure it out on such short notice.
The Wolfshead they could copy, but only in the same manner as the one they had, so one could not channel while holding it. Sheriam kept one copy for Arinvar and she saw to it Gawyn got one too; Nynaeve regretted Lan still did not follow her of his own free will and would need the compulsion, especially since he would ride with Leesa and Lord Bryne to Tarwin's Gap rather than accompany Nynaeve to Shayol Ghul.
Only the previous day Mesaana had revealed her disguise here in the Tower, as she could not use the guise of a sister unknown to Alanna, let alone that of an Accepted or novice. A few times she had taken on the appearance of one of the turned sisters, but that meant the real sister would have to remain behind, and this time all were needed. And after today, there was no more need to keep her cover. Either they would win and she could come out into the open, or they would lose and likely would not survive at all.
Sheriam had been surprised to learn the real Danelle was still alive, saved by Mesaana's caution and the Brown sister's own unhappiness with the Tower's rules and policies. Mesaana had selected her because she had no close friends and a superficial likeliness, and the woman had not been a Black, but once held, she had quickly admitted it was her own displeasure with the Tower that caused her to spent so little time under its roof. Voluntarily now, she had helped Mesaana better than she could have under compulsion or torture, and she had been allowed to stay alive, if far out of everyone's way. Securely held in a Trolloc village deep within the Blight, the sister was to join the Trolloc armies in their attack, together with the Black sisters who had been exposed, and she would return to Tar Valon when all was over.
Sheriam dressed and got a good breakfast, as she did not know how long it would be before she would be able to eat again. Then she went down her checklist one more time. She met with Saerin, who would remain behind with Chubain of the Tower guard, and a number of sisters, to protect the Tower itself if al'Thor got any wind of what had happened, or the battle would spread over the world as a whole. She checked in with Sylviana, who had the novices ready to help full circles with one of the sisters leading. She checked on the sisters at Aringyl and at the farm to ensure they were all ready to move to aid the troops they were assigned to. And just before they left Tar Valon she saw Sashalle and Bera off to one of the Shadowspawn armies as well, Bera Healed by one of the men. Finally she reported to Mesaana, everything ready to move to meet al'Thor.
-0-
They had Traveled to the Field of Merrilor and joined al'Thor there, and he had only briefly conferred before he had opened the gateway to Shayol Ghul.
And here they were. The circles were all formed. Sheriam looked them over, all of those who held control of their own circle, Asha'man and Aes Sedai, were ready to link together at a moment's notice, Nynaeve and Egwene ready to link with al'Thor. But first..
The Dragon stood on a slight natural elevation, a few steps away from the rest of them. In his one hand he held the velvet bag which contained the last two seals, Callandor, the strongest male angreal he had now the Choedan Kal was gone, tucked under his left arm. He too looked over the circles, and saw they were ready. Any moment now, he would give Nynaeve the signal to link with him. It was now or never.
"Now!" Mesaana ordered, even as she struck out with the shield. Sheriam was only a fraction of a second behind, Corele was just as fast and while she could not see it, she knew Jahar and Logain shielded Aviendha and Alanna. She felt a hint of resistance, but then their combined shield slid through his strong flows of Saidin. Moria's small group and Nynaeve, linked with Egwene, wove the bonds of Air.
"Egwene, no! It must be done, I thought we agreed," the Dragon exclaimed. He looked startled but clearly had not yet grasped what was really happening, thought merely Egwene wanted to stop him from breaking the remaining seals.
Sheriam did not take her eyes off the Dragon, but from the corner of her eye she could see Egwene shake her head sadly. Sheriam felt no such sympathy. Moridin had not told them what he intended to do with the Dragon, she did not know if he would be Healed and turned and be allowed to join them, or held as a prisoner, or even if he would be killed. But he was only one man, and one who had fought on the other side at that. She watched calmly as Moridin approached the Dragon from behind and took both bag and sa'angreal from the Dragon's grasp.
Only then did it dawn on al'Thor what was really going on. Sheriam felt him push wildly against the shields, an utterly futile attempt now he no longer even held the sa'angreal.
"Noooo!" He screamed, eyes wide and darting from one person to another, visibly struggling against the bonds of Air as much as against the shields. As his pleas were not answered anywhere, his expression turned into one of horror and disbelief.
Moridin stood next to him, a wide, wild grin on his face, altogether too mad and wild to Sheriam's tastes. Naeblis or not, Moridin scared her.
Mesaana changed places with Nynaeve, coming forward with her circle. She wove the flows of the severing even as Moridin's grin turned into an expression of utter disdain, but Sheriam was glad when she felt the Dragon no longer push against the shield and she knew there was no more risk of him breaking free. A ta'veren of his strength was always a danger, even shielded, and they would have to tie off the shields to have their hands free for what was to come.
Al'Thor let out one more terrible howl, then slumped in the bonds of Air. Mesaana signaled to them.
"Done. The shields can be released."
Sheriam released hers, then wove another flow of Air around al'Thor's arms and legs and tied it off. No risks, let Moridin be scornful if he wanted. Better to err on the cautions side.
Nynaeve pulled al'Thor aside, out of the way of the circles, and the men put Aviendha and Alanna next to him. Al'Thor had stopped screaming when he was Stilled, instead he repeated 'no, no' over and over again in a soft, hollow voice. Aviendha and Alanna were gagged, Moridin had not made any mention forbidding that.
A gateway opened and even though Sheriam knew Mesaana carried the Dreamspike, she was still relieved to see Kerryn and Leesa, to take the place of Aviendha and Alanna in the circle of seventy-two. Elayne Trakand should have plenty to deal with heading her armies, but without the Dreamspike she might still have abandoned her countrymen in spite of the Trollocs and Myrddraal engaging them. Surely Elayne, too, knew that if al'Thor lost here at Shayol Ghul, the rest of the world would fall no matter what she did.
Al'Thor dealt with, Moridin stepped up on the same slight elevation. His face contorted again in a mad, wild grin and the Saa flickered in his eyes as he reached into the velvet bag, the sa'angreal tucked under his arm just like al'Thor had. Sheriam shivered, even as she eagerly anticipated the release of the Great Lord.
"Link," Moridin commanded.
The circles joined, Sheriam pulling Jahar's circle into the link before she, herself, opened herself and relinquished control to Mesaana. Then Mesaana reached out for Moridin. He used Callandor while he was in control of the entire circle, contemptuous of its flaw. Sheriam knew Mesaana did not like or trust Moridin any more than she did, but there was no choice, he was Nae'blis.
A hushed silence fell over the gathered circles as Moridin took out the two cuendillar disks. Only the sobbing of Alanna could be heard, even al'Thor had fallen quiet.
Unbreakable as they should be, the half-black, half-white disks were weakened to the point where, this close, Sheriam could see small flakes dropping off even as they rubbed against the drawstring of the velvet bag. Moridin held them in his hands, turned them over, slid them on top of one another, then suddenly snapped both of them in two. The halves crumbled further in Moridin's fists.
Immediately, Sheriam could feel the change in the Great Lord's essence, but not as much as she had expected. The Bore was only a small hole, and the seals had been weak. To really free the Great Lord, the Bore would have to be widened. And that of course was what they had come here for.
Moridin channeled, reached out with weaves of Earth, Fire and Air towards the mountain of Shayol Gul. They were too far away to see the Bore itself -to go inside the mountain would mean to be crushed to death- but Sheriam could hear a deep, increasingly loud rumble, and the ground vibrated under her feet. Sparks and small flames flew from the top of the mountain and then a cloud of dust started to billow up, obscuring the fire. The rumbling grew louder, the cloud of dust grew mushroom-shaped. Then something burst through, not anything visible to the eye but leaving a large hole in the dust cloud as it passed. At the same time, the Great Lord's essence within her spiked, strong enough to make Sheriam gasp, before settling down to a more bearable level. The Great Lord was free!
A cheer rose up from the all around her, and Sheriam too joined in.
HOLD THE LINK
The Great Lord's voice exploded in her head, not loud in a conventional way but still enough to make her stagger. Then the presence sped off -how she knew she could not tell, since the Great Lord was not visible to the eye- and they were left behind.
For a bit, all was quiet. The dust still billowed, but the cloud was no longer expanding, and all that remained of the rumbling was an occasional rattle as a rock became dislodged in the rubble that was left of Shayol Ghul. No one spoke, Alanna had stopped her sobbing as well, and nothing strange happened with the dangerous sa'angreal.
And then she felt it, the other presence. It came at them from the South, racing towards them at an unimaginable speed. Moridin threw up a shield, putting all the power of the seventy-two of them and their angreal in a huge dome of Air. Sheriam could see only those parts that were woven of Saidar, which made it look uncannily like it was full of weak, thin spots and even some holes, but she had to trust the parts made of Saidin to be as strong as the parts she could see.
Moments later the dome was put to the test as boulders the size of houses were picked up from the rubble and flung at them. Sheriam ducked, a senseless reflex but one she could not stop. The shield held, but she could feel the earth shudder under her feet.
Suddenly the Great Lord approached once more, and there was a deafening crash of thunder and lightning directly above them, the ground shook and buckled. Now everyone flung themselves on the ground, even Mesaana, only Moridin stood without flinching, holding the Sword that was not a Sword in both hands, his head thrown back and laughing like a madman.
Then, just as quick as he had come, the presence that had to be the Creator fled, pursued by the Great Lord. The assault gone, Sheriam sat up, then stood, as did most of those around her. The immediate area was as quiet as before, the dust slowly settling and only a rare stray boulder still rolling down one of the piles of rubble. But there were hints of distant crashes, slight tremors felt through the ground from quakes happening far, far away, and flashes of lightning could be seen far off in the distance.
There were short periods when nothing could be felt, heard or seen at all, but judging from the directions of what she could see and feel, Sheriam thought the battle between the Great Lord and the Creator had to go all over the continent, perhaps all over the world. She did not want to think of the destruction wrought or the people killed.
She scanned the sky. She hadn't expected a battle on this scale, or in this manner. Not once had the Creator done anything to help those who fought for him, she hadn't been sure he was still capable of putting up this much resistance. Or was he just fleeing, trying to put off the inevitable?
Sheriam glanced around. Most anxiously scanned the sky like she had, but no one spoke. Moridin still stood laughing, the crystal sword now clutched to his chest, head still thrown back and eyes as wild as the maniac sound he made. And Mesaana watched Moridin. In a circle this large, it was impossible to sort out anyone's emotions, but the apprehension on her face was hard to miss.
She felt the approach even as she saw Moridin's wide, maniacal grin turn into an even scarier visage. She whirled around, watching as both Creator and Great Lord shot overhead, towards the rubble of Shayol Ghul. And then the Creator's presence faded, dwindled. Sheriam allowed herself to breathe again, the Great Lord had won!
SEAL IT
The command was short and clear. Moridin started to weave Air and Fire. No Spirit, and why no Earth? Sheriam had barely time to wonder why the most obvious element was left out or if he wove it only with Saidin when she saw that, instead of sealing the Bore, Moridin lashed out into the sky, towards the Great Lord himself!
"I will rule!" Moridin cried out. He raised the angreal high overhead, even as the great flows of Air tried to force the Great Lord toward Shayol Ghul, toward the prison from which they had just freed him.
Sheriam gasped in horror. He couldn't try that!
"No! You're crazy, crazy!" Mesaana cried out, and Sheriam could see she visibly struggled to stop the weaves, but of course it was no use, a circle of this size could never be controlled by a woman.
Moridin turned towards Mesaana, and Sheriam could no longer see his crazed face.
"I will rule!" Moridin cried again.
Sheriam glanced at Jahar, who stood next to her. He held a little fat man statue, the only other angreal the men had, and she could feel as well as see the strain on his face. But his angreal was a child's toy compared to the sa'angreal Moridin held.
Overhead, the flows of Air seemed to solidify, lightning flashed but crashed harmlessly against their shield. Jahar put his hand on his sword -the regular, steel blade- but hesitated, judging the distance. Even though Moridin was only watching Mesaana, had turned his back towards them, they were still several paces away from him.
He glanced at her, clearly unsure of his chances, and Sheriam shook her head. If there was even the smallest window of opportunity, Jahar should be the one to take control. If only she could somehow distract Moridin, throw him off balance somehow!
Then she thought of her Well. A Well was typically used while shielded, she didn't know if it could be used while so much of the Power already flowed through her into the circle. Carefully, she reached for it. And there it was! She felt Saidar in her own grasp, the tiniest trickle compared to what flooded through her and her angreal into the circle, but it was hers to control.
She caught Jahar's eye, glanced at Callandor, then held up three fingers of her right hand. He nodded. He couldn't know her plan, but he would be ready. Making a slight gesture again, she counted down. One, two.. on three she struck out with a flow of Air, lashed it around the crystal sword and pulled as hard as she could. The sa'angreal flew from Moridin's hands, the pull of Air much stronger than any man's grasp. It flew a couple paces, then the Well ran out and the sa'angreal crashed to the ground, shattering as it landed on the hard rock. Even before it landed, she felt the control of the circle shift, the flow of the Power now running towards Jahar, and the weaves of Air and Fire winked out.
Moridin screamed, a raw, animal scream of rage, and Sheriam felt a slight pull as he tried to wrest control back from Jahar. But without the sa'angreal, he had as little chance as Jahar had before.
"Guard him," Mesaana ordered sharply, gesturing at some of the other Asha'man. The men quickly came forward, swords drawn, and stepped between Moridin and the rest of them.
"Seal it," Mesaana told Jahar.
Jahar was clearly aware of the urgency. He barely took the time to nod, instantly grasping thick flows of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Smaller flows of Spirit formed a framework, and all sank deep into the rubble of Shayol Ghul.
Sheriam watched anxiously, eying Jahar and Moridin in turn. Moridin should not be able to interfere, not guarded by so many armed Asha'man and without even a minor angreal, but only a fool would turn his back on him. Jahar was clearly straining as he wove the enormous flows. And where was the Great Lord? She could still feel him, but he had not done or said anything since Moridin's attack. Did he know they had handled it, and that he shouldn't distract Jahar just now, or had Moridin done more harm?
Weave after weave sank into the huge mound of rubble, until finally Jahar gathered up the rock itself and with Earth, Fire and Water fused it to form a solid layer of stone. After what seemed a long time, Jahar released the flows aimed at the mountain.
"Done," he said, his voice betraying how tired he was.
"Break the link," Mesaana ordered immediately, and as Jahar let go of the control of the circle, they broke apart into their previous groups. Mesaana immediately struck out with a shield around Moridin, Sheriam did the same without being ordered to. She also refilled her Well. Logain, who held one of the circles and also was one of those who had come forward to guard Moridin with his sword, used bonds of Air to hold and gag him.
As he was shielded, Moridin's enraged expression left his face, instead his mouth contorted into a snarling grin, while his eyes were blank and staring. The revolting mask made Sheriam shudder, even bound and shielded as he was.
Only with Moridin safely held did Mesaana kneel down.
"Forgive us, Great Lord, for this great transgression."
And finally the Great Lord responded.
CLEARLY I UNDERESTIMATED HIS MADNESS. RISE, MESAANA. YOU AND YOURS DID WELL.
"Thank you, Great Lord," Mesaana replied as she rose. "What should be done with him, and with the Dragon?"
AL'THOR CAN LIVE. THE OTHERS YOU HAVE BROUGHT ME SERVE WELL ENOUGH. BUT MORIDIN'S MADNESS IS TOO GREAT. I COULD NEVER TRUST HIM AGAIN, NOT HERE NOR IF THE PATTERN DECIDES TO SPIN HIM OUT AGAIN. THAT SHALL NOT HAPPEN.
Mesaana bowed. "As you wish, Great Lord."
She reached for the necklace Moridin wore, the silver chain with the cour'souvra. She snapped the chain and took a step back. Then a narrow and precise lance of blinding, white light shot out from her. Moridin must have known it was coming, must have understood the verdict as well as anyone, but his expression did not change. He simply vanished, burned from the Pattern for ever.
MESAANA, YOU ARE NAE'BLIS. YOU WILL RULE THE WORLD IN MY NAME, NOW AND FOR EVER.
Mesaana knelt. "Thank you, Great Lord."
JAHAR, SHERIAM, YOU ARE MY NEW CHOSEN. YOU TOO WILL BE ALLOWED TO WIELD THE TRUE POWER, AND YOU WILL NO LONGER BE BOUND TO THE WHEEL TO AGE AND DIE.
Sheriam knelt. "Thank you, Great Lord," she too replied.
NOW, RISE AND TEND TO THE WORLD. HE ALMOST BROKE IT APART -NOT JUST THE SURFACE, BUT ALL OF IT - RATHER THAN LETTING ME HAVE IT. I MANAGED TO PREVENT THAT BUT THE DAMAGE IS... EXTENSIVE.
Sheriam felt a cold inside her. They had all known from the tremors that there had to be massive damage, and she had guessed the Great Lord and the Creator had gone all across the world, but to hear him say it, she knew it was worse than she had feared. But she did not allow herself to linger in her concerns. She stood, saw Mesaana and Jahar rose as well.
"Logain, take your circle and turn al'Thor and Elayne," Mesaana ordered. "Nynaeve, Travel to Lan. Tell him the state of affairs, any of his army who will go home peacefully will not be touched, nor will their farms and towns be harmed. Egwene, see to the Blacksmith's army and then Mat's band. Those who are stupid enough to fight, kill them, but hopefully after the shock of the Breaking will make the majority of them listen. Have Elayne call back her armies and have al'Thor try the same with the Aiel. All the rest, return to your respective Towers."
Acknowledgements came from all around, accompanied by quick nods and bows rather than longer shows of honor. All of those gathered here knew now Mesaana cared for speed in such situations, the formal congratulations with her new position could come later.
"Jahar, return to the Black Tower and see what shape it is in, do what you can to have at least a base of operations. Sheriam, we will return to Tar Valon."
Her tone was less commanding but her orders still short and quick. Even as she finished the last word, she opened an Eye, then a gateway. Sheriam followed Mesaana through without checking to see what the others did; Mesaana trusted them to follow her orders without further prompting or question, so would she.
-0-
They stepped out onto the roof of the White Tower, it at least stood! What relief Sheriam felt at this was quickly quenched by what she saw as she looked beyond the roof's edge.
Just to the North, there was a mountain. An entire, the Great Lord help them, mountain, rising up high into the sky. Its surface looked cracked and broken, full of deep fissures, come to think of it the whole thing looked like a gigantic pile of rocks rather than any other mountain she had seen. She gasped even as she heard Mesaana curse, then together they strode closer to the railing to enable them to look down. From their vantage point, the place where Dragonmount had been was hidden from view, but Sheriam knew, just knew that was where it had come from, for where else would a mountain this size have come from?
The city was in rubble, debris from the mountain littered everywhere, crushing many buildings, other homes had collapsed from what must have been the quake induced when the mountain had been thrown at them. One huge rock lay very near the Tower, it rose halfway up towards them and Sheriam cursed loudly as she measured it up and realized that not just the north stables, but also the pensioners' quarters had been where it lay. Grimly, she looked further over the debris, towards the north, and the harbor. Or where the harbor had been. The mountain must have blocked the Erinin, for there was no water in the river, and its landing must have caused a huge flood, for everywhere Sheriam could see the ground in between the rubble it seemed to be covered with mud and slime. Only a small number of the strongest buildings stood, those that had been Ogier-built like the Tower itself, and had been lucky enough to escape a direct hit from the larger pieces of debris.
Wordlessly, Mesaana turned and strode to the other side of the roof, assessing the damage done to the southern part of the city. Here it was slightly less severe, the mud at least had not come this far, and less debris had fallen, but there was still a lot of damage. Mesaana took a few moments to take it all in, then channeled again and opened the Eye and gateway into the great entrance hall.
Here there was chaos. The hall was flooded with people, many seriously injured. Aes Sedai, Accepted and novices tended to some, guardsmen tried to keep the crowd under some semblance of control, but more people kept coming in, pleading for help with their own injuries, for those they carried in on litters or on their back, or for those caught in the rubble of the city.
Before Mesaana even let the gateway close, Saerin appeared out of the chaos. She looked unsure for just a moment at the two of them.
"Yes, it is me," Mesaana said. "The Great Lord is free, there is no more need for disguise. Report."
"Great Mistress," Saerin knelt but started to speak even as she did. "The Tower was under attack for only a brief while, but the damage is extensive and there are many casualties. There was a, a presence in the air, I don't know how else to describe it, and then moments later a terrible shock as the mountain, Dragonmount was thrown at us. It fell short, I don't know whether it just fell there or the Great Lord stopped it, our shields and wards wouldn't have been strong enough. They stopped the smaller debris but buckled under even one huge rock that fell on the pensioner's quarters, and the stables. None who were in there survived. There are many casualties in the rest of the city as well, I do not dare to guess at the number of dead or injured. People have been asking for Healing, sisters are doing so here but I did not allow any to leave the Tower until I was sure there would be no new attack."
Mesaana nodded. "You did well. I am taking over now."
"Thank you, Great Mistress," Saerin's relief was clear in her voice.
Mesaana wove Saidar to raise her voice above the din.
"Listen all. The Great Lord, to some of you still known as the Dark One, has been set free. The Breaking and the attack on the Tower were not his doing, but were done by the Creator in an attempt to escape capture. I am Mesaana, and from now on I rule in the Great Lord's name. No matter what you have heard, this is now my town and my people, and I will provide as any Amyrlin would have done.
"Wounded who are brought into the Tower will be seen to by Sedore and Doesine at the gate. Those who need immediate care will be brought to the dining hall of the Accepted and Novices, where Dagdara will lead the Healers there. Dagdara, Nynaeve will join you as soon as she returns to the Tower. Any who have no home to return to after being Healed, will be provided bedding and food in the Aes Sedai dining hall. Those with minor injuries will be treated in the ballroom on the first floor, by the guardsmen and servants who know about herbs and combat medicine, further Healing will be provided later for them. Talva and Larissa lead teams out into the city, each sister who can Heal reasonably well will take two of the Accepted or novices to link with for strength. Chubain, those who are particularly strong in Earth will join your Tower Guard in rescuing those who are caught in the debris. The dead will be brought to the west courtyard. Nyein, you register the dead, tag each person and keep those who are not known apart until they can be identified. Take one of the servants and send a list to me and Sheriam every half hour. Zemaille, you do the same for the grievously wounded, and Aiden, the minor injured. Pevara, Mestra, Notori, Travel to the major cities and give me a brief report on the state each of the former countries is in, no need for detail, I just want a rough idea of what shape the other cities are in for now."
Sheriam watched as Mesaana sent everyone on some task, quickly and efficiently. The names Tel'Air and Gheshain came to mind, and she knew where Mesaana got the experience she now used for Tar Valon.
"We will remain here in the entrance hall, where we are easily reached and can quickly reach those we need in turn. Gather all incoming reports and sort them, mark the maps when we hear from the three scouts," Mesaana told her in her normal voice, and Sheriam nodded.
Gasps and shocked cries had rung out as Mesaana spoke, from the servants, citizens and those novices who had not yet been turned. But there had been a good number of sisters in the entrance hall to start with, and more were coming in as those who had been at Shayol Ghul arrived. The servants and even the townspeople looked at them for guidance, as they had always done, and not yet grasping the fact that many of the sisters had been serving the Great Lord all along. As the sisters remained perfectly calm and started to gather them in, directed them to their tasks, most did as they were told without the aid of compulsion, even if they looked as glassy-eyed and befuddled as if the weaves were used on them. The guardsmen had looked at Chubain, but he commanded them to follow orders, and that they did -he had them well under control, and Saerin him.
Sheriam flagged down one of the servants and sent the woman off to retrieve the maps from the Amyrlin's study, then saw to the placement of a large desk in the rear of the large room. She started gathering reports even before she had a place to put them down, holding the sheets in her hand until the desk was in place.
As people were assigned tasks, the chaos lessened but the number of people in the hall did not, as for every person who was sent elsewhere, another one entered. The servant returned with the maps, a large roll containing maps of each and every part of the world, and Mesaana put a map of the main continent up on the wall behind them, as well as a map of the city. When any report came in, they marked the area with the One Power, coloring it green, yellow or red according to the amount of damage done.