Stranger in a familiar land

[Adrian Kane]

This was good news. It would take time; time that Arikan was eager to purchase, but the options suddenly expanded with the news. He’d not taken the warder for more than anything but another uptight borderlander. Their interactions were few, though likely quite memorable on Vladamir’s part, with 'Edwin' focused on positioning himself to gain the warder’s trust. He was subtly compelling the warder to ask questions and bring him answers. It was a tricky outcome for the world of dreams and not as powerful a force as if the channeling were done in person, but Arikan had few other opportunities while imprisoned. He would scrap and claw at every last one, and Vladamir’s manipulation was only a hope of real escape, but he tried none the less. In that time he learned the warder was bonded by a Sitter of the Green Ajah, another borderlander woman, and that Lythia came and went from Tar Valon on a regular basis. He’d never thought to inquire about the warder’s background himself so focused on his Aes Sedai captor as he was. Which was why Talin’s information was quite the revelation.

“Let’s just say he’s an acquaintance.” Arikan replied, noting the absence of any reaction from Talin. Then he rolled his eyes, “Oh don’t get excited. He’s not a darkfriend. Blood and ashes I think the Great Lord would reject that one’s allegiance even if it was offered,” he mused. He knew he would.

He didn’t know if Talin was aware her patient was a master of Tel’Aran’Rhiod. Certainly Corele and Rikela knew, and as far as Arikan knew, both Aes Sedai survived the battle and such high-ranking Aes Sedai were unlikely to dally with the young Yellow. Though the former claimed to no longer be Aes Sedai, he glimpsed Corele in the Dreamworld as recently as a month back. He wouldn’t offer such prized information about himself to anyone, let alone Talin, but he studied her face for flickers of recognition as much or that she might guess as to Vladamir’s talent in turn.

If he was going to get intel about the Borderlands, and Shienar in particular, then Vladamir was perfectly positioned to be his informant. Arikan was still too weak to do anything but sleep at night, so in the interim, he mused over how to get the borderlander to agree to go home.

Then he blinked, realizing something fresh.
”What prophecy?”