Chapter 1: An Uneasy Peace
The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In on Age, called the Fourth Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose above the great expanse of land once called the Blight. The wind was not the beginning. There were neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.
Southward the wind blew across the vast valleys and mountains that made up the Blight though this scarred land was slowly transforming into a place of quiet beauty. Pockets of grass were sprouting, as well as vivid wildflowers that would bloom in the short summer then fall into slumber at the long winters of the far north. The once cracked and arid ground and clouds of dust swirled away, retreating, revealing the blue lakes and fields of Malkier. Small villages had sprung up as well, and Malkier's towers were slowly rising with the help of Ogier masons and the One Power.
The wind blew further west, meeting more activity across the Borderlands. Burned and ruined towns in Shienar, Arafel and Kandor were being coaxed back to life, encouraged by two years of good harvest and high hopes of another bountiful spring and summer.
The wind purred south through the verdant shoots of the Caralain grass, through fields that had long lain fallow were now being ploughed up for planting by sun-dark hands. Much had changed for the Aiel but not their fabled industriousness. They rose with the dawn, in cadin'sor dyed green and brown, ready to begin the day's tasks. Four clans of theAiel had settled here, following the duty given to them by the Dragon's Peace, but though they lived in the wetlands now, they were determined not to grow as soft as thewetlanders. There were still enemies about; to the East, those strange tattooed Sharans and to the South, the Seanchan.
Up the Black Hills it blew, past the slopes of Dragonmount, which now held a white stone spire, in memory of the Dragon, who had been reborn and died fighting the Dark One and over the waters of the river Erinin, setting the sails of ships billowing on their way to the shining walls of Tar Valon.
This city too, was just beginning to wake although one building lily-white and gleaming was already alive with activity. Recently completed, once meant to be a palace for the Amyrlin, the Hall of Learning held hundreds of women, some with seven bands of color at their hems but more dressed in pure white. They overflowed from the two wings of the Hall of Learning, hurrying to breakfast or chores. The Amyrlin would brook no laggards, they all knew.
The woman herself was already awake. Cadsuane found that the older she got, the less need she had for sleep and the early morning hours were best for contemplation, for putting her mind in order for the tasks ahead.
She had added little to the Amyrlin's study beyond her dingy document box on the leather desk, books from the Tower library and folders overflowing with documents lining the bookshelves. When you were at war, information was more precious than gold.
Wearing a hunter green dress slashed with yellow, Cadsuane took her place behind her desk. Tea and a light breakfast had been laid out; today, it was hibiscus, and there was lightly buttered bread and eggs with some sort of spice. She liked to be surprised.
Sipping her tea, she began with the folder, pure white except for the gold flame of Tar Valon gilded on the cover. It held reports from a variety of sources; the ajah's eyes-and-ears and reports from the the clerks of Tar Valon. All carefully selected by Samitsu - she was, aside from being one of the best AesSedai living at Healing, a highly skilled organizer.
Cadsuane turned first to the report of the Greens, which was focused on the Borderlands. A sizable contingent of them remained there, scouring the land for the remaining Shadowspawn. More than two years had passed after the Last Battle yet there were still skirmishes from the remnants of Trolloc clans, and Dreadlords in hiding. For the most part though, the Borderlands were rebuilding; Ogier smiths were busy helping restore Chachin and the Seven Towers of Malkier. The Blight was in steady retreat, the Greens noted, making Cadsuane smile. She hoped she would live to see the Blight become only a distant memory.
Refugees from all over the Borderlands were also flocking to King Lan's banner, lured by the promise of new land as he reclaimed Malkier. The past two years had been busy ones for the girl Nynaeve, who had done much to restore the Tower's ties to the Golden Crane. The woman had turned her sizable talent with Healing to the land, accompanied by a group of Yellows, and finally, Malkieri girls had begun coming to the Tower. Nynaeve had also recently given birth, a boy, by the report, and healthy. It was a relief to know that the royal line of Malkier was secure, as was Saldaea's, with the birth of a daughter from King Perrin and Queen Faile earlier this year.
The next report was from the Blues, whom Cadsuane had set to seeking out girls who could channel. The easiest way to keep these younger Aes Sedai from squabbling was to give them specific tasks; and the job of rebuilding the Tower she had given to the Blues and Yellows. The Yellowssimply because it was the largest ajah that remained, mostly because they had been kept back from the battlefield, and had more sisters to spare for the task, and the Blues because their rivalry with the Yellow would spur both to work harder than they would otherwise.
The ranks of the Aes Sedai had been decimated in the Last Battle, and the Seanchan was still a constant danger. For now, Cadsuane believed that further conquest would wait until the Empress had reclaimed her homeland. After that…? How long would the Dragon's Peace hold? And there were those Sharans, who had attacked so mysteriously. Reports from the field of Merrilor said that they had been led by one of the Forsaken. They had fled after near decimation, mostly thanks to the heroic efforts of the Amyrlin Egwene al'Vere, but they would have to be dealt with, eventually.
Egwene al'Vere. It was a true shame that girl had died in the Last Battle. Cadsuane would have liked to meet her predecessor. She had done remarkably well for the Tower in the short time she had occupied the Seat and was already becoming a legend. Reuniting the Broken Tower, defeating one of the Forsaken and then taking down MazrimTaim in the Last Battle has assured her place in history. A truly formidable woman; she had even had the foresight to open the Novice book to women of all ages, a move that Cadsuane had supported.
There were still several hundred names in the Novice book, more than any since the Trolloc Wars, many over eighteen. The Hall had argued for reversing this decision but Cadsuane had disagreed. They had lost many experienced Sisters in the Last Battle and these older novices would help to fill that gap. Many had considerable skill with the Power and had already been raised to Accepted.
Still it would not do to grow complacent; just as many failed the tests or were too weak in the Power. Those the Aes Sedai encouraged to join the Kin in Andor.
The Blues had taken to the task with their customary zeal and efficiency. While the Yellows worked by themselves, the Blues had organized several teams to go on a village-by-village search. They had begun in Illian, reasoning that since it was the closest to the Seanchan, it was best to get channelers out of their grasp as soon as possible. They were still bringing back mostly young girls below eighteen, making exceptions only for those who were particularly strong or those who had already begun channelling, but that was to be expected. The numbers were certainly encouraging.
The next report detailed payments for the Ogier Masons for the recent additions she had commissioned for the Hall of Learning; another discussed the nearing nuptials of Berelain Sur Paendrag with Galad Damodred. The Gray sister who had sent the report added that meant the Whitecloaks were making Mayene their new seat.
Cadsuane made a notation on the page. Galadedrid Damodred was certainly more moderate than his predecessor but it would not do to take chances. Since Annoura had burned herself out, a new AesSedai advisor would need to be sent to Berelain.
Someone knocked on her door and it opened a moment later to reveal her Keeper, in a yellow dress with slashes of bronze. Bells in her hair tinkling softly as she glided forward, Samitsu's face was serene but Cadsuane knew her well enough to detect the hint of worry in her hazel eyes.
"Bad news, Samitsu?" she asked, as the woman took her seat in front of her.
"Rosara has returned from Tear, Mother, with a disturbing report on High Lord Tedosian," Samitsu said with a frown. She poured herself some tea before continuing, another sign of perturbation. The woman liked to keep her hands busy when something was bothering her. "It seems that the Seanchan Empress has sent another more of her sul'dam... preachers... into the city and they've been able to get an audience with the High Lord Tedosian."
Cadsuane sat up, feeling a spike of alarm. She was well-aware of the agreements made about sul'dam and damane under the Dragon's Peace, as well as the agreement that the Empress Fortuona had made with Egwene during the Last Battle. The Seanchan would be allowed to send messengers into the free lands to talk about the benefits of the a'dam and collaring, while Egwene had argued about letting women who could channel in the Seanchan-held territories go free if they asked. Not that one woman had ever been allowed free of the leash since; this Empress did not seem like the type who would let any channeller walk away uncollared if she could help it.
"Has she any word on what they discussed?" she asked, careful to keep her tone even.
"These Seanchan are quite adaptable," Samitsu said with a wince. "When they realized that people here could not be convinced that the Power is a dark taint, they changed their tactics. Now they talk of the benefits of having a channeller collared, for one to be used however they wish. They spoke about people owning damane in Seanchan, and having them use the Power to protect their owner and his land."
She took a deep breath before continuing. "The sul'dam implied that if he gave them some of his channelers for training, some would be returned to him as property."
Cadsuane shook her head. This was becoming truly dangerous. Bad enough to have channellers collared and serving a throne but to have them sold to different nobles? Once one Lord agreed to it, the others would surely jump on the offer. Private armies of channellers with power-hungry lords in command would be a disaster.
"And his reaction?"
"He seemed to be considering it. He can see the advantages, though he held off making any promises. The sul'dam said she would wait on his answer. Rosara is having Tedosian watched very closely and I told her to come to me with any news immediately." Samitsa was openly frowning now between sips of tea. The implications would have been obvious to her as well.
"She will also try to gain an audience with the High Lady Estanda – she has some influence with Tedosian and might be able to persuade him against making any rash decisions," she continued. "I also have our eyes-and-ears in Tear following this sul'dam closely and reminded others to let me know quickly if more sul'dam have been sent to talk to nobles in other lands."
"Excellent work, Samitsu," nodded Cadsuane approvingly, bringing a smile to the woman's face. The woman really was capable, despite being a tad highstrung. "Have the Blues and Yellows move on Tear quickly. We'll need to get girls out of reach of any sul'dam. Call for a meeting of the Hall this afternoon. We will need to inform them of this, perhaps send a delegation to Tear to convince the High Lords that this is just a ruse. Any girls that Tear sends to Ebou Dar would just mean more damane for the Seanchan Empire and who knows if they will live up to any agreement to return them?"
Even with their armies helping the side of Light during the Last Battle, no one truly trusted the Seanchan yet. But once collusion with them began, who knows where it would stop? It was absolutely necessary to ensure that distrust remained, at least until the Tower could find a final solution to the a'dam.
"As you say, Mother." Samitsu put down her empty cup, curtsied and rushed away, yellow skirts swishing.
It was only after her door had clicked shut that Cadsuane let herself scowl. Those blasted Seanchan were so frustratingly clever. And persistent. Was it finally time to make that visit to Ebou Dar? Would the Tower be strong enough to face what would come after? There was one major obstacle that Cadsuane felt needed to be removed before she could take that step – and she had no idea what to do about it.
Well, no use stewing over what was out of her hands. The best thing to do would be to be ready. Things would have to be accelerated considerably. She had more than an hour yet for her next appointment, and little time to waste. Putting on her seven-striped stole, Cadsuane strode out of the Amyrlin's room.
When Yukiri, Lyrelle and Rubinde had bullied her into the Seat, they had cited that it was because of the need to train the new generation of Aes Sedai. Well she had done that, Cadsuane thought with an inward grin, with a will. What they didn't expect was that they would be part of the training as well. More than one sister she encountered in the Hall gave her a quick curtsy, their movements slightly more hurried than usual as they murmured about some task or other, as if afraid she would spring on then some new and unexpected assignment.
It was just one of their weaknesses, believing that attaining the shawl was the goal itself, instead of a means to achieve something higher. Cadsuane herself had learned that lesson in a particularly painful fashion, from a wilder in the Black Hills.
Cadsuane gave them an encouraging nod and sent them on their way. Other matters had to take precedence.
The Hall of Learning was nine stories high; a white Palace both strong and delicate, with two wings extending to the side like a dove taking flight. Ogier Masons had taken a hand in building it; and it had been strengthened by both the male and female half of the One Power. The Asha'man had more experience building things with the Power and this place needed to be well-protected. The future of the Aes Sedai was here.
The upper floors were dedicated to more rooms for the Novices; the lower three, for new classrooms. She had modelled it after the school Rand had built in Cairhien, which was producing all sorts of marvellous inventions, like those steam-wagons. Cadsuane intended for the White Tower to become a center of learning again, at least for uses of the One Power.
"Now I want you to watch very closely when I set this weave on Damer here. I can only wash away his fatigue once so you all better mind. Damer gave up a night of sleep for this demonstration," Corele's lilting Murandian voice floated through the hall. Cadsuane took a peek into the classroom, where Corele's Asha'man Warder stood before two dozen Accepted, looking sleepy-eyed but amused. Cadsuane let out a chuckle; Corele had that effect on people.
She was glad to see the Yellow back in the Tower; she was one of the sisters Cadsuane trusted the most, but Damer was also needed in the Black Tower for his talent in Healing. The two had compromised by shuttling back and forth, spending half the year in the White Tower and half in the Black.
Tiana Noselle was watching the class as well - she was one of Rosil's Monitors. The Yellow Sister was proving to be one of the most capable Mistress of Novices in the history of the Tower. It was Rosil who had re-integrated the flood of Kinswomen into the Tower, creating new families for those who had run away as Novices, arranging for testing for those who had failed the first time. Many of them now wore the shawl and those few who failed again would be allowed another try after a year; meanwhile, they would serve as teachers for the novices.
Rosil had also persuaded the Sitters to create the Monitors, one Sister from each ajah who would observe the different Novice families to oversee their progress in their lessons, to see who was ready for testing and to report on any discovered to have a Talent. The Tower needed those novices and Rosil was determined for them to be ready as quickly as possible.
Cadsuane moved past more classrooms; in one, Covarla Baldene was teaching a class of new novices to create balls of flame. She paled when she saw Cadsuane; likely, she knew it was years yet before she would be in the Amyrlin's good graces, she and all the others who had participated in that foolish attempt to kidnap Al'Thor. The Dragon Reborn, himself! Light, what had Elaida been thinking?
After the Last Battle, the Wise Ones had released those sisters to her and the choice she had given them was simple – to be exiled to a farm in the Black Hills for ten years or to serve as teachers to the Novices for the same amount of time in the Tower. They had all accepted her offer, showing at least a portion of wisdom there. Rosil had been grateful for the help, there were too many Novices now for the Accepted to teach, not if they wanted to have any time to study for themselves.
Outside, she saw Sabra, a tall Tairen Accepted, demonstrating to a class of more advanced novices how to call the clouds to make rain; she was one of those who had been sent as an Apprentice to the Windfinders a year ago. Several Aes Sedai were there – Cadsuane recognized Pritalle Nerbaijan, Salita Toranes and Akarrin. They were there ostensibly to oversee the class, but many watched avidly.
Cadsuane herself took a moment to observe; marvelling at how thick Sabra's weaves of Air and Water. They were more like cables, whirling and twisting in the sky. It must have taken exquisite control to maintain those weaves, weaves which Sabra manipulated as expertly as any Aes Sedai. More, Cadsuane admitted to herself. No Aes Sedai alive had such skill in Cloud Dancing as Sabra was now demonstrating and after only a year in training with the Sea Folk! Sabra would have to be raised soon, decided Cadsuane. She was not very strong in the Power but strength in the Power was not everything.
No Aes Sedai could deny now that Egwene's bargain with the Sea Folk and Aiel had been a good one. At first, only the fact that it superseded that onerous bargain of Aes Sedai teaching Windfinders had convinced the Sitters to accede to sending Accepted to be apprenticed to Windfinders but with so many new weaves being rediscovered, she had already heard talks of expanding the program. No doubt the sisters found it easier on their pride to learn these new weaves from the Accepted, under the guise of 'observing' than to learn it from the Windfinders or Wise Ones.
Cadsuane moved on to the sound of a thunderclap and the hiss of rain. The class she was seeking also resounded with cracks and booms but from an altogether different source.
The room she was seeking was called the Training Chamber, with a ceiling many stories high, cavernous windows and walls reinforced by the Power. The floor was covered with thick, soft carpeting and one wall was lined with a row of clay plates, suspended from the ceiling with ropes, many more lay shattered on the floor.
A row of Accepted stood in the back of the room and instructing them was Alivia in her banded White dress, and Jillari, another former damane, red hair stark against her white novice dress.
"They are very skilled with those weaves," an Aes Sedai in the back of the room muttered grudgingly.
There were several sisters in this room as well. Cadsuane was not surprised to see Rosil, the Mistress of Novices and stately Adelorna Bastine in the room, but Tsutama Rath was there as well. Two ajah heads observing a simple training session would have been shocking had it been any but this particular class.
"How goes the session, Rosil?" Cadsuane asked, taking her place next to the gangly Yellow sister. The woman had been against this class from the first.
"Badly, Mother. The girls are not ready. More to the point, I still do not agree that we should teach our girls such weaves and frighten them unduly," Rosil answered frowning. She was fiercely protective of the novices, like an swan over a nest of hatchlings.
"What would alternative be? Leave our initiates to be leashed by the Seanchan because they can't throw a simple ball of fire straight?" snapped Adelorna with a raised eyebrow. The woman had an impressive presence and as Captain-General of the Green Ajah, she probably believed herself responsible for defending the Tower against further attack. Cadsuane had also heard that the woman had almost been collared herself, which probably contributed to her ferocity.
Rosil bristled, dark eyes widening, "Adelorn, this is more than throwing a simple ball of fire and you know it. It is preparing them for battle and putting them in danger – "
"Enough!" Cadsuane commanded, raising a hand. Rosil and Adelorna's head swivelled towards her, both hiding anger behind suddenly smooth Aes Sedai faces. "I believe the demonstration is starting and I would like to watch before I make any judgements."
She turned her attention to the two former damane who had taken charge of the class. Alivia, whose strength outstripped even Nynaeve, and Jillari, who matched Adelorna easily. It was their strength that had convinced the Sitters to allow them to train in the Tower, no one born with the spark was weak.
"We will try again," Alivia was saying firmly to the gathered Accepted. "You must keep your eyes locked on the target, no wavering! Do not let anything distract you. Jillari, will you demonstrate again on the first row?"
Jillari nodded. The former damane was still timid, even after years of freedom but she seemed more sure of herself as she took two steps forward. She began weaving with incredible speed – Earth and Fire streamed from her like spears – and the row of clay plates exploded in powerful bursts of flame, one after the other, like tenpins knocked down by a ball. It was over in two blinks of an eye.
"Blast it, does she ever miss?" asked Tsutama with a shake of her head.
Cadsuane breathed out slowly. The weave took so little of the power that Jillari did not even look winded but it was obviously very effective, faster and more efficient than balls of fire. The damane had more than a hundred years of practice in battle, she had heard told, but to see it before her very eyes...
Three serving man began to set up the next row of targets and Cadsuane watched as each of the Accepted tried to replicate what Jillari had done, with spotty success. Jillari however was very encouraging.
"I myself could not hit a single target in my first week of training. You are doing very well, very well indeed," she said, and the Accepted beamed with pride.
"We did not take in these girls to train them as weapons, Mother," Rosil remarked tightly. "There are other weaves they could be learning. Weaves that could heal, not hurt."
Her attitude was understandable; the woman was Yellow. However, she was too much like the other Aes Sedai, clinging to the old ways. "The world is changing, daughter," Cadsuane said, her voice even but firm. "We've seen what the Seanchan can do firsthand and there are those Sharans to the east. Both use the Power as weapons. If we do not learn to defend ourselves now, then we will surely fall once the Dragon's Peace is breached. And I, for one, do not want to rely on a paper shield."
That silenced Rosil if it did not convince her. Adelorna nodded in agreement and so did the hard-eyed Tsutama. Cadsuane would bet her shawl that the woman likely wanted to try some target practice herself.
Alivia then moved on to shielding; the two demonstrated against each other. Again, it was a dazzling display of skill, watching the two slice each other's weaves with such quickness that it was almost dizzying. Despite her superior strength, it took Alivia many minutes to shield Jillari, who seemed to have a particular talent in Spirit.
"She's clever. You see how she tried to distract Alivia with those sparks? She almost had her then," remarked Tsutama.
Adelorna nodded. "And those feints with weaves of Spirit..." She sounded thoughtful and Cadsuane hid asmile, wondering how long it would be before Aes Sedai might start duelling here in the Training Chamber.
That led her to thoughts to how long she would be able to stand against Alivia, even with her ter'angreal. The conclusion did not please her but it must be faced.
"Carry on, daughters." Cadsuane needed to move on. The Training Chamber would be vital to her plans but there were other pieces she had set in motion.
Alivia had been right about the damane being a valuable resource for the Tower. Not only because of their knowledge of the Seanchan but their skill in battle weaves. The Wise Ones were fierce but it was only in the Last Battle that they had begun participating in war. Now every single one of the damane captured when the Seanchan had attacked had been placed in the Novice Book and unless they had other failings, they would eventually be raised Aes Sedai.
The Sitters had opposed the move at first; some had argued for execution instead. Strangely enough, it was Rosil of all people who had spoken up for them. They were slaves to the a'dam, she had argued. It is the hand that wields the weapon, not the weapon itself, that should be punished.
Rosil was kind-hearted; in part that was what made her such an effective Mistress of Novices. Young women found it easy to confide their troubles with her and that made them much less likely to try running away. Unfortunately, novices could no longer be treated like children, to be shielded from all danger. They needed to be prepared.
The other room Cadsuane sought was in the second floor. This one was filled with rows of tables, brightly illuminated not just by the wide windows with its sheer curtains but brass lamps, each using that new oil developed in Cairhien that yielded a brighter and steadier flame.
Cadsuane had given the Browns the charge to catalog and study new ter'angreals, one they had taken up most enthusiastically. That proclamation had caused an uproar in the Hall until Saerin Asnobar, a Brown Sitter, put forward the regulation that any sister was free to borrow a ter'angreal for study as long as it was properly logged and regular reports were submitted on their progress; these were to be compiled by Brown sisters as well, and submitted to the Hall and the Keeper.
That had pacified the Hall and they had designated this room for making and testing ter'angreal. Five of those tables were occupied now; at one, a White Sister named Astrelle was copying the twisted stone ring dream ter'angreal created by Elayne, at another table, Valinde Nathenos was working with a flat white bowl that allowed the user to look at things from far away with a weave of Water, Air and Spirit. Whites were showing some surprising skill with ter'angreal, something to do with matrices and logic, as explained by Elayne.
The other four tables were each occupied by a family of novices, huddled around a Seed, a ter'angreal designed to draw the Power out of a channeller and instill it into a vessel, creating an angreal. Demira Eriff and Serafelle, two Brown sisters, watched over them like mother hawks over their chicks. The two had trained under Elayne and had finally managed to make copies of the original Seed, a statue of an aged woman with a shawl about her shoulders.
Cadsuane observed the complicated net of weaves connecting the novices to the Seed; those lines thrummed with the Power, pouring into the statue like water in a glass.
"Samitsu has told me of your incredible discovery, daughters, though she wasn't able to go into specifics," she remarked.
"It was really very simple, Mother, once we were able to master the principles. A circle, with one girl acting as the conduit to feed the Seed. It leaves everyone feeling less tired at the end of the session and they are able to recover much faster than the regular process," the beautiful Domani Sister explained smoothly. She could not hide how pleased she was however.
Demira had won much acclaim for the discovery of this weave; before, the Aes Sedai had complained of the arduous process that left them greatly weakened for months.
"It also allows us to create more powerful angreal because the more Power given to the Seed, the greater its strength," added Serafelle.
"There are still limits to how much power the weave can hold. Too much and it can become... unstable. If we can crack that, Mother, then I believe we would hold the key to creating sa'angreal!" exclaimed Demira.
Sa'angreal. Cadsuane felt a thrill of excitement. That would be truly remarkable; the secret of making sa'angreal had been lost since the Breaking!
"Let us not get ahead of ourselves, Demira," Serafelle broke in gently. The green-eyed sister was the more senior of the two and strong in the Power – as strong as Saerin, but disinterested in Tower politics. "If we can find a way to speed up the process that would greatly help. As it is Mother, it takes three weeks for this Seed to blossom, regardless of how many women we have channelling into it."
Three weeks to create angreal. Cadsuane would have to revise her plans. "And how many women have Rosil lent you for this project?"
"We have rotations of three novice families in each table, every day, from sunup to sundown. We believe that is as much power as this Seed would hold," Serafelle answered. "From my research, it is possible that variations could be designed that would be quicker. We still do not know how that would affect the strength of the angreal created however."
"So many factors that go into it – the time of maturation, the amount of the Power, the weave we use in transferring the Power... it really is much like growing plants," mused Demira. And the two Browns actually began debating the dynamics of it though Cadsuane couldn't make heads or tails of the discussion.
The angreal was crucial to fighting the damane, however. One of the few advantages the Tower had over the Seanchan was that they did not really experiment with the Power except for battle weaves and the a'dam was the only ter'angreal they possessed. That made them vulnerable to circles and she doubted they had any experience using an angreal. Egwene had used this to great advantage both times she had encountered the Seanchan. It was a true shame that the girl had died; she had done well for the Tower.
Cadsuane picked up one of the angreal Serafelle had created – a thin gold bracelet with a simple scroll-like design on the surface. A pretty ornament for a woman to wear, its surface telling nothing of the power hidden inside it. It was a strong angreal – with it, Cadsuane could hold more than three times of the Power than she could without. No damane would be able to shield her, and if she were quick enough so could probably overwhelm two damane, perhaps even three. She did not particularly like using the Power as a bludgeon but one could not overcome centuries of experience in just a few years.
So much for angreal. The other advantage they had were circles and for that she would need Pevara. The woman had finally answered her summons; in Cadsuane's opinion, she had become irritatingly independent since she had married the Asha'man Androl. A man with amazing talents, that one, and she was not surprised that he had risen so high in the Black Tower. That would prove useful for her plans if Pevara would cooperate.
Cadsuane returned the angreal back in the plain cuendillar box.
"How many angreal will you be needing, Mother?" asked Serafelle, closing the box carefully.
"Thirty, daughter. Every single one of us will be wearing them for safety." There would be other uses for them as well but none that Cadsuane could reveal outside the Hall.
"So you are returning all of them, Mother?" Demira asked, her pale green eyes troubled. She was the Monitor for the Brown and was also fond of children. "Patrinda is sure that some of them are ready to join us, Mother. I know they have been amazingly stubborn but – "
Cadsuane held up her hand. "Trust me, daughter, I will not be giving the Seanchan more damane if I could help it," she said dryly. "If they truly wish to join us, they will be given a chance to prove it. That is all I can say about the matter."
For a moment, Demira looked as if she wanted to argue, then stopped. Even if Cadsuane was not the Amyrlin, she was much stronger than the Brown sister.
Cadsuane was sure that it was going to be a dramatic confrontation; she only hoped that it would have the effect she desired. If she achieved only one thing during her tenure as Amyrlin, she wanted it to be bringing about the end of the sul'dam and damane.