Chapter LXXXVIII - The Creator Has Turned His Eyes From You

Eben staggered forward as someone gave him a hard shove, it was a struggle not to fall when he couldn't see through the blindfold that had been placed on him. Unyielding hands found his shoulders and then a firm kick to the back of his legs sent him painfully down to his knees on the cold marble floor. A moment later the blindfold was pulled off him, revealing a number of stone faced aes sedai. Glancing to his side he saw Noruan, Jaer, Doriad and Irena kneeling in line with him. It was going to be ok, it had to be. Then his heart sank. Rand was off to the side, a pair of men, warders perhaps holding his arms.

They were all caught.

The only person he recognised that wasn't on their knees was Bennae sedai and she seemed to be with the other aes sedai. Had she betrayed them?

A haughty, dark haired woman in a red dress looked them over, contempt in her eyes. "We will have to deal with the men. After that… unpleasantness we do not have enough of us to safely hold them all the way back to Tar Valon."

"Indeed," the second aes sedai looked straight at him. "One of them killed Galina, I shall enjoy this more than I perhaps should." Deal with the men? What did they mean? Were they going to just kill him? No! Not now, not like this! Suddenly he desperately wished he'd never gone to the Hall, never lied about his age.

A voice broke out above the murmur of the aes sedai. "Katerine, this is madness!" Was that Bennae sedai? She sounded angrier than he had ever heard her before. "It is a crime against Tower law and an unjustified cruelty, the taint is gone."

One of the aes sedai, a dark haired woman in a red dress answered, "be silent Bennae or I will make you be silent. Your association with these… people has already placed you in enough difficulty, I would advise you to stop digging.

"Please, Katerine, believe me, if you do this it will be your own end. The Hall will take its revenge. The Last Battle is coming, we need every channeler we can, however, distasteful they may be."

"Be silent or I shall have you shielded and gagged."

The threat seemed to be enough to cow Bennae, but then another aes sedai spoke up. "She is right, much as I dislike delaying the rightful punishment for such men, I cannot be a party to the breaking of Tower law."

There was a pause. "Very well if you do not have the stomach to do what needs to be done, you are excused." The aes sedai shot Katerine a look and then stalked out of the room, not even sparing a glance for Eben and his comrades.

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These women were insane, never mind the taint on saidin, they had utterly taken leave of their senses. Taija was going to kill them all when she found out and Bennae was not sure she would be inclined to try to restrain her. Even if she could. Surely they did not think they could get away with this. But of course they did. They had not had the education that was provided by spending time at the Hall or seeing the beating that Taija had so casually inflicted on one of the most powerful False Dragons in history.

The question was, should she do anything? No that was not the question, of course she should. These were not her novices, but they were still innocents. Amusing, perhaps Taija was rubbing off on her after all. Regardless, Taija would find out eventually and Bennae's fellow aes sedai here would become dead women walking. Helping that along would not make any difference to them, but it might get young Rand and the rest out of their clutches sooner. The real question was how.

Bennae wove carefully, inverting her razor sharp web of spirit, air and fire. She could not do this at any speed, she had neither the strength nor the dexterity, but she would have one shot. One invisible shot. She met the eyes of the young man closest to her, a choice made by what she could see, but not a terrible choice at that. When he looked back at her, she very deliberately looked behind him to the door. His face was impassive. She could only hope he had understood.

A second later she struck, slicing through the weave shielding Jaer. There was an endless moment of nothing and then he was moving, turning and sprinting for the door. A warder was flung away from him, another leapt into his path only to be bowled over by the huge man.

Before he could reach the door a shield was thrust into place on him, cutting him off from the Power once more, but then it was too late. He sprinted out of sight before he could be bound in air.

Katerine was clearly absolutely furious, on the verge of exploding with rage even if she kept her voice to an icy cold calm. "What in the Light just happened there?" She rounded on the sister who had been leading the link holding Jaer's shield. "We will be having words after this, but now… Just go. Take ten sisters and their warders and kill the wilder. I do not wish to see him again."

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Jaer felt the shield he had been probing at vanish. Something had happened, he did not know what, but it did not matter. He need to move. He had toh, more toh than he could think about for freezing during the battle with the aes sedai. How could he have done anything else? To strike at aes sedai would have been a betrayal of himself as an Aiel, but by not doing anything he had betrayed his comrades. Betrayed the Car'a'carn and the Hall.

Before anyone could react he was moving, seizing saidin. One of the aes sedai's warders placed himself in his path, moving to grapple. Normally he would have welcomed the dance, but not now, not like this. He needed to escape, they depended on him. He spun air and sent the man tumbling.

Another warder leapt in front of him and he just ran through the smaller man. He needed to be gone. If he was to regain any honour then first he would need to escape. Then he could warn Taija and Tel sedai of what had happened.

He felt a shield cut off his connection to saidin, but he was already out of the chamber, turning down a corridor at a full sprint, ignoring the commotion behind him. If he could stay out of sight for long enough he could break the shield. Then they would dance. But no, his duty now was to survive, not to kill them. However much the honourless dogs deserved it. If he was caught these da'tsang masquerading as aes sedai might be able to escape.

A pair of palace guards saw him coming and raised their halberds in a panic. Slow, they were so slow. Jaer dived under the first thrust, coming up inside the man's guard and snatching the knife from his belt before burying it in the other guard's neck. Before the first could recover he'd headbutted and stuck him directly in the throat, leaving him to collapse to the floor choking on his own broken trachea.

Jaer picked up a halberd, hefting it in his hand. Too heavy and too long, but better than nothing. Then he pulled the knife out of the guard's throat, wiped it on the man's tunic and he was running again. Now he was armed. He would be no easy prey.

If he wanted to escape he would need to either hide or get out of the palace. As he ran he pushed against the shield, feeling it flex as he gained distance.

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Rand watched with growing horror as the aes sedai looked down on the kneeling students. His arms were held securely by a pair of warders while far too many aes sedai held a shield on him. Nevertheless he pressed against it again, searching for any weakness.

"You have been forsaken by the Light, you have chosen to channel the One Power, to channel saidin and the Creator has turned his eyes from you." The aes sedai seemed to be pronouncing sentence. He had stop this.

"Please, stop, we can discuss this. There's room to talk. You don't need to do this! The taint is gone, saidin is clean!"

The aes sedai glanced over at him, "if he will not be quiet then gag him." She turned back to the kneeling men.

"The only sentence for channeling as a man is to be gentled, to protect the world from you. To protect you from yourselves. May the Creator have mercy on your souls." Despite the solemnity of the words she sounded pleased as she said them.

Rand's voice rose to a scream, "don't do this! You'll regret it. I'll make you regret it!"

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Eben saw Noruan jerk beside him and then flop to the floor, sobbing, as the warders holding him let go. He couldn't help but watch however much it horrified him. Yet his eyes were dragged inexorably back to the aes sedai who stood smugly over them.

Rand screamed something and then there was a commotion, but he only had eyes for the aes sedai. He wouldn't beg or cry. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction. He was too young for this! Too young to end things like this!

Suddenly there was tearing sensation deep inside him. It only lasted a moment and then it was gone. His arms were released and he fell forward onto his hands panting. He felt so empty. Like someone had torn a hole in his soul. Almost instinctively he reached for saidin, but there was nothing there, just a yawning empty void. A void he knew could never be filled again.

Slowly he forced himself to look up again. Defiantly. He wouldn't let them think they'd won. Even if they had. The tears wanted to come, but he wouldn't let them. Not yet.

======

Katerine felt her weave slice through the boy's connection to saidin, ending it forever. It was more than satisfying, removing the filth of a male channeler from the world, especially after one of them had killed Galina. However, her enjoyment of the moment was broken by the commotion from the direction of al'Thor. She looked over, ready to chastise the other sisters' useless warders for their failure to shut him up.

A warder reached out to gag him with some cloth and suddenly al'Thor moved. Like a snake his head whipped round and his teeth descended on the warder's hand almost simultaneously he pulled one of his arms free. How was he so strong?!

Lightning fast he struck the other warder holding him, pulling his other arm free.

Katerine started to weave air. Al'Thor drew the first warder's sword, slashing through the other's chest and then catching him on the backstroke. His eyes met hers and suddenly the sword was flying through the air straight towards her.

Air solidified around the sword only a couple of paces from her and around al'Thor too. She hadn't even had time to panic. That had been far too close!

"Well! Heal the warders you fools!"

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Jaer flexed against the shield again, this time it bent and bent until without any warning it broke and he could seize saidin once more, dominating it with easy practice. Now he would show these animals. He had sworn himself to be a spear in Sightblinder's heart, he was not yet strong enough for that, but he would not allow them to take away Sightblinder's greatest enemy. Speaking of spears, he paused and channeled, razor sharp air and fire. A moment later the unwieldy halberd was transformed into something close to the short spears that he was used to.

He rounded a corner and was suddenly in the middle of a squad of Cairhienin soldiers. There was no honour to be had in the dance here. He lashed out with his spear, through one's stomach, danced back and slammed the haft into another's jaw. Now they were wary. Desperation was hammering at him, he could not delay or his comrades, his friends would die. He channeled fire and one of the soldiers erupted into flame, at the same time he leapt forward, sliding past a thrusting halberd to stab one and trip the other before whirling and finishing him off.

Then he was running again. He needed to get out. His muscles were burning. Even the greatest of warriors could not exert themselves in this way indefinitely. He ignored them nevertheless.

Jaer was not sure how long he ran through the palace. He had fought and killed several more soldiers, evaded aes sedai, but finally he found a window that looked out over what could only be its walls. A web of air blasted in front of him, shattering the window and a moment later he was through, landing outside in a roll that kept his momentum.

He seemed to be in some kind of Wetlander garden. Neatly trimmed plants surrounding him. It did not matter, he ignored the alien environment. He needed to get out into the wider city. To survive and bring aid.

A woman with an ageless face stepped out in front of him and suddenly he was tumbling as something caught at his feet. With cat-like grace he caught himself, turning the uncontrolled fall into a roll and lashed out with saidin, fire and air splitting his flows two ways. The aes sedai, undeserving of the title as she was, sliced his flows and lashed out with her own, a shield hammering at his connection to saidin. He could already tell she was stronger than him, but not strong enough to shield him while he held the Power.

He could not stay and fight. He did not have time to think about the toh he had incurred with his inaction before, to incur more by failing now would be unbearable.

If he fought, more would come, enough to bring him down. He would not accept that fate. The Pattern had spared him once from the fate faced by men who channeled the Power, he would not require it to save him again.

He fled. Fire flashed past him as he turned to run, jinking left and right, ignoring the burning in his lungs, the way his legs felt like lead weights. The wall was ahead, if all was well, the city lay on the other side. More guards were pouring in, he could not allow himself to be drawn in by them. They would have to be evaded. He did not have Taija's strength to fight off many men quickly enough.

He allowed himself a small smile at that memory. He was reasonably sure he had worked out what she had done, truly she was cunning, but there was no way he could replicate it. It had, however, given him some ideas. It was impossible to lift yourself with the Power, but perhaps…

A tall hedge rose in front of him, above head height, trapping him. He spun air as fast as he could and sprung onto a platform of it mid-run. Then onto another and vaulted over the hedge. Air to the side at an angle, he landed on it, slowing his fall, and pushed off sideways, sending him past an alert pair of guards and he was on the ground running again.

The wall was ahead of him. Close, but smooth stone, not quick to climb. Behind him the hedge exploded and he sent a crude web of fire behind him to cover and obscure. A guard came running and Jaer flung his improvised spear through the man's chest. Then he was up, climbing fast. Small webs of air acted as hand holds, allowing him to scramble up the wall almost as fast as if it was flat ground. He was glad of his training as a warrior, if he had been a soft wetlander he would already be caught, already be waking from the dream. Vaulting down, he used more webs of air to push off and slow himself down.

Then he was on the ground and running. His body screamed at him to stop and rest. He would not listen. He could rest when he woke from the dream. Until then he would survive and he would bring warning.

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Katerine looked at the two men on the ground with a smile, her brush with death already almost forgotten. It was only a pity that the al'Thor boy would not be joining them. He needed to survive, that much had been made clear to her. Sadly. One day he would pay for the sisters he had killed.

"Leave the men. The Cairhienin can deal with that filth as they see fit. Take the girls, they have associated themselves with false aes sedai. Their ultimate fate can be determined in Tar Valon. They are young, if they are lucky, they may be permitted to enter themselves into the novice book after their punishment is done." Otherwise they would be turned out once they had been thoroughly forced to repent for their crimes. They would not enjoy the journey back to Tar Valon either. The Tower's justice was harsh, but that was the way of the world.

Her mind went back to al'Thor, the man was dangerous. That much was clear. She would need to consider the best way to safely contain him. It was fortunate that she had been taught these new anti-traveling wards before they had left. There would be no repeat of Siuan Sanche's escape. Without those she suspected he would have made his escape. As it was, they would keep them safe from any retaliation from this 'Hall'.

If they even had more 'aes sedai' who could Travel, they would first have to find her party and then reach them over open ground. Repeatedly reweaving the wards would be an effort, but there were plenty of sisters with her. Especially without the need to hold an additional two men. A circle of 13 could cover a large area. No doubt the sisters would be returning to inform her of the red haired one's death shortly.

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As Katerine barked out orders Bennae slowly sidled over to one of the Cairhienin nobles, one with a lot of slashes of colour across his coat. "I see that Katerine is leaving the men in your care."

"They have have turned from the Light and stood against the White Tower, they deserve their fate and more. They will be hanged tomorrow." Of course he would say that here and now.

"Of course, I understand. However, I have a thought for a wise man like you. The Hall of Servants will retaliate for this. Your loyalty to the White Tower and its victory would surely receive commendation," from Katerine perhaps, "but have you thought about what comes after? The Hall will be looking for revenge and though the White Tower certainly outnumbers them greatly, I doubt it will protect Cairhien from their anger in the short term. Your destruction is in no one's interest, I certainly see no advantage for the aes sedai in it." She belied her words by smiling reassuringly. "I do not know what will happen, but if I were being left alone by the aes sedai, I might wish to be able to say to any angry people looking for revenge that I only did what the aes sedai made me do and that I had done my best to look after their victims. Such a thing would have little cost, Katerine will not care what you do with them, but it might bring great benefits for a suitably wise man."