01-01-2023, 06:42 PM
In the aftermath of Daryen’s departure, Jai found himself splayed on the bed to rest. The healing was part of the cause, but he felt like he’d gone for a long dig on the beach more than actual weakness, but a familiar wariness settled into his bones. He knew the Seanchan would betray Daryen eventually. He’d spent enough time behind the battle lines of sheer veils and lacquered rituals to know exactly what was coming. They would chain the king of Arad Doman as soon as breathe, and the end of all the lands as they knew it would follow soon after. It would only take one powerful Asha’man to be the weapon of a new kind of war. With Daryen at the lead, the westlands would fall in a matter of days. The Lord Dragon would mount a resistance - hopefully he would - but it would cost near all their strength to overcome someone like Daryen. Maybe with the combined mights of the Lord Dragon, M'Hael, bloody strong blasted Lennox Orander, and the Council, a chained Daryen could be overcome. Jai alone would try to save him rather than kill him. One of the strongest in their order, they would decide Daryen was better off dead than weaponized for the Seanchan. The battle could level mountains and flatten cities.
There would be no one left for the actual Last Battle.
Light. What a tangle. Why didn’t Daryen see it? He was smarter a man than Jai ever knew before. He was cocky, but not ignorant. He wasn’t so blind to his own vulnerabilities as to dismiss this possibility. So what was the angle? Why make a treaty with the Seanchan? The answer felt like it was on the edge of sight. If he could only see the pattern.
Prior to collapsing upon the tousled bed, Jai had partly donned his jacket. From the inner folds, he retrieved a piece of paper. The edges curled from previous dampness, but the ink remained in tact. It was written in a hard, slanted line. Feminine, undoubtedly, but strong. The Aes Sedai that gave him that paper told him that Trista was going to be gifted as a slave to the Seanchan, and after that, the Tower would be coming for the King that gave away the Tower's property. It was hard to believe given Daryen’s own sister was a Sitter - bloody Fate and her blasted ghost peppers - but the Aes Sedai was certain on both accounts.
Jai folded the paper and a thread of fire turned it to ash in seconds. Without context, it would mean nothing if someone else found it except for a location in the city, but the meeting place was burned in his brain. He had no reason to keep the paper for someone else to accidentally find. Not that he intended to let random people rifle through his pockets, but who knew on a day like this. He couldn’t bring himself to remember where he was when the Sister found him that cold, rainy day in the countryside.
Fully dressed, coat pressed impeccably smooth, sword at his hip and stride long and tall, Jai nodded at the guardsmen at the southern palace gate as he was released from the palace grounds. He recognized a few of the lads, and heavy bolts latched behind him as he entered the city proper. His destination was not Arandi Square, where the treaty would be signed and the ceremony held. He had time to detour, and had no intention of letting Daryen go anywhere near Arandi Square without himself stitched to the king’s hip. Until then, however, he wound his way through the city streets seeking a particular corner in the southernmost quadrant.
The symbol carved into the wooden sign swinging over a shop door caught his eye. A candle with three flames. Something he wasn’t likely to forget. Odd. But distinct because it matched the symbol on Kekura Sedai’s letter. Where he was meant to find someone if this all went down as the Sister predicted. Surely they would have spies present at the ceremony to confirm the deed was done. Why need his tarnished word to verify? Kekura had mentioned something about being called to the Hall of the Tower to testify. He couldn't do that against Daryen. He'd slit his own wrists before speaking against him. But maybe he could go to plead with them of Daryen's innocence. That he didn't know what was happening. That he didn't actually mean to give away a Gaidar. Was he being coerced into this? Jai stopped in his tracks with the sudden thought. Maybe this was blackmail. Who and how could someone get anything on Daryen was beyond Jai. He grumbled. This was all hypothetical. He didn't know what was going to happen anyway. Best to plan for anything and watch it play out.
He aimed for the shadows of an overhang across the street. He had no actual desire to explore the shop prematurely, just to see the layout, surrounding buildings, roads, obstacles, weapons, people, homes, civilians, and anything else of interest. Assuming that every encounter would turn bloody, it was best to know the lay of the field before marching into the middle of it. This was Bandar Eban after all, and Jai didn't want to decimate a quadrant of his brother's capital on accident. Not when even the smallest spark could turn volatile. There were too many Seanchan walking free in the streets to fathom the outcome. (And Jai fathomed).
The candle shop had a window display, and sure to its description, seemed to be filled with candles carved in intricate designs and shapes. Some were tapered so tall as to fit in a ballroom chandelier. It was clearly the place he was suppose to go if the treaty occurred, but he cared most about who may be inside than anything else. He knew he wasn't subtle, loitering about in the street, identity clear as the ocean was wet. He didn’t completely expect Aes Sedai to set traps, not when one could have snuck up on him all the more easily at Moridrosin. He just wanted to see it.
There were plenty of people in the street. He took hold of the One Power, just a little, and from his place along the wall, let his senses wander. A few threads helped. A pair of men in the distance were chatting about the treaty. One approved. The other was ready to burn down his shop and move to Saldaea. Smart man.
The rest of the chatter were along the same lines. But it was inside the candle shop that his threads finally probed. Was anyone inside? Who owned it? Were they Eyes and Ears for the White Tower? Or worse? Kekura was Sea Folk. Surely she would not work with the Seanchan.
A minute after saidin plunged the storefront, the door opened and a woman exited. She was short, even by Jai’s standards who considered everyone short. Her features were unpleasant, and she had a hooked bulbous nose. Pale eyes, off-center turned and looked at him with such piercing intent, Jai blinked with unease. She pulled a hood up over her thin hair, but there was something in the way she walked that if not for her appearance, Jai might have taken as sensual. He shivered despite himself. He couldn't decide if she was old or young. Not ageless. Not like that. Was it an illusion? He saw no threads and sensed no Powers.
He straightened as her gaze slid over him. She'd looked straight at him and found no surprise to behold an Asha'man stalking the stoop. Not to be shallow, but he definitely wasn’t interested, but when her inspection settled on the sword at his hip, she smirked.
“That’s beneath you, isn’t it?” she said, voice husky. She had to be a patron, but he saw no evidence of candle purchases about her person. Surely she didn't own such a store? She didn’t so much as carry a satchel. Still, there was something about the way she looked at him that he thought would haunt him at inconvenient moments that had nothing to do with her appearance. She was so repulsive as to be almost designed that way. But it was in the eyes. Maybe she just liked her wax a certain way. What did she mean about the sword? It was a bloody nice sword. Not the same as - well - the last one, but the quality couldn't be ignored. Even by someone like her. He frowned.
She was part way down the street when the next woman exited. She locked up the door with the air of an owner, looking much more the part than the previous shopper. She didn't seem to notice Jai's loitering, and departed in the same direction as the disfigured woman. Everyone was heading toward Arandi Square, he realized, and figured it was time he joined them. A gateway got him there much faster than his own two legs might have hiked back up. He really hoped he wasn't going to need to return here.
There would be no one left for the actual Last Battle.
Light. What a tangle. Why didn’t Daryen see it? He was smarter a man than Jai ever knew before. He was cocky, but not ignorant. He wasn’t so blind to his own vulnerabilities as to dismiss this possibility. So what was the angle? Why make a treaty with the Seanchan? The answer felt like it was on the edge of sight. If he could only see the pattern.
Prior to collapsing upon the tousled bed, Jai had partly donned his jacket. From the inner folds, he retrieved a piece of paper. The edges curled from previous dampness, but the ink remained in tact. It was written in a hard, slanted line. Feminine, undoubtedly, but strong. The Aes Sedai that gave him that paper told him that Trista was going to be gifted as a slave to the Seanchan, and after that, the Tower would be coming for the King that gave away the Tower's property. It was hard to believe given Daryen’s own sister was a Sitter - bloody Fate and her blasted ghost peppers - but the Aes Sedai was certain on both accounts.
Jai folded the paper and a thread of fire turned it to ash in seconds. Without context, it would mean nothing if someone else found it except for a location in the city, but the meeting place was burned in his brain. He had no reason to keep the paper for someone else to accidentally find. Not that he intended to let random people rifle through his pockets, but who knew on a day like this. He couldn’t bring himself to remember where he was when the Sister found him that cold, rainy day in the countryside.
+++
Fully dressed, coat pressed impeccably smooth, sword at his hip and stride long and tall, Jai nodded at the guardsmen at the southern palace gate as he was released from the palace grounds. He recognized a few of the lads, and heavy bolts latched behind him as he entered the city proper. His destination was not Arandi Square, where the treaty would be signed and the ceremony held. He had time to detour, and had no intention of letting Daryen go anywhere near Arandi Square without himself stitched to the king’s hip. Until then, however, he wound his way through the city streets seeking a particular corner in the southernmost quadrant.
The symbol carved into the wooden sign swinging over a shop door caught his eye. A candle with three flames. Something he wasn’t likely to forget. Odd. But distinct because it matched the symbol on Kekura Sedai’s letter. Where he was meant to find someone if this all went down as the Sister predicted. Surely they would have spies present at the ceremony to confirm the deed was done. Why need his tarnished word to verify? Kekura had mentioned something about being called to the Hall of the Tower to testify. He couldn't do that against Daryen. He'd slit his own wrists before speaking against him. But maybe he could go to plead with them of Daryen's innocence. That he didn't know what was happening. That he didn't actually mean to give away a Gaidar. Was he being coerced into this? Jai stopped in his tracks with the sudden thought. Maybe this was blackmail. Who and how could someone get anything on Daryen was beyond Jai. He grumbled. This was all hypothetical. He didn't know what was going to happen anyway. Best to plan for anything and watch it play out.
He aimed for the shadows of an overhang across the street. He had no actual desire to explore the shop prematurely, just to see the layout, surrounding buildings, roads, obstacles, weapons, people, homes, civilians, and anything else of interest. Assuming that every encounter would turn bloody, it was best to know the lay of the field before marching into the middle of it. This was Bandar Eban after all, and Jai didn't want to decimate a quadrant of his brother's capital on accident. Not when even the smallest spark could turn volatile. There were too many Seanchan walking free in the streets to fathom the outcome. (And Jai fathomed).
The candle shop had a window display, and sure to its description, seemed to be filled with candles carved in intricate designs and shapes. Some were tapered so tall as to fit in a ballroom chandelier. It was clearly the place he was suppose to go if the treaty occurred, but he cared most about who may be inside than anything else. He knew he wasn't subtle, loitering about in the street, identity clear as the ocean was wet. He didn’t completely expect Aes Sedai to set traps, not when one could have snuck up on him all the more easily at Moridrosin. He just wanted to see it.
There were plenty of people in the street. He took hold of the One Power, just a little, and from his place along the wall, let his senses wander. A few threads helped. A pair of men in the distance were chatting about the treaty. One approved. The other was ready to burn down his shop and move to Saldaea. Smart man.
The rest of the chatter were along the same lines. But it was inside the candle shop that his threads finally probed. Was anyone inside? Who owned it? Were they Eyes and Ears for the White Tower? Or worse? Kekura was Sea Folk. Surely she would not work with the Seanchan.
A minute after saidin plunged the storefront, the door opened and a woman exited. She was short, even by Jai’s standards who considered everyone short. Her features were unpleasant, and she had a hooked bulbous nose. Pale eyes, off-center turned and looked at him with such piercing intent, Jai blinked with unease. She pulled a hood up over her thin hair, but there was something in the way she walked that if not for her appearance, Jai might have taken as sensual. He shivered despite himself. He couldn't decide if she was old or young. Not ageless. Not like that. Was it an illusion? He saw no threads and sensed no Powers.
He straightened as her gaze slid over him. She'd looked straight at him and found no surprise to behold an Asha'man stalking the stoop. Not to be shallow, but he definitely wasn’t interested, but when her inspection settled on the sword at his hip, she smirked.
“That’s beneath you, isn’t it?” she said, voice husky. She had to be a patron, but he saw no evidence of candle purchases about her person. Surely she didn't own such a store? She didn’t so much as carry a satchel. Still, there was something about the way she looked at him that he thought would haunt him at inconvenient moments that had nothing to do with her appearance. She was so repulsive as to be almost designed that way. But it was in the eyes. Maybe she just liked her wax a certain way. What did she mean about the sword? It was a bloody nice sword. Not the same as - well - the last one, but the quality couldn't be ignored. Even by someone like her. He frowned.
She was part way down the street when the next woman exited. She locked up the door with the air of an owner, looking much more the part than the previous shopper. She didn't seem to notice Jai's loitering, and departed in the same direction as the disfigured woman. Everyone was heading toward Arandi Square, he realized, and figured it was time he joined them. A gateway got him there much faster than his own two legs might have hiked back up. He really hoped he wasn't going to need to return here.
Only darkness shows you the light.