Towers of Midnight (The Wheel of Time #13)

“I’ll keep my head low, Mother,” she promised. “But there are bound to be more of them than us. You need me.”

“Agreed,” Egwene said.

The four women winked away. Why couldn’t they leave the Tower? It was troubling, but also useful. It would mean she was trapped here.

But hopefully so was Mesaana.

Five doves rose into the air, scattering from the ledge of the rooftop. Perrin spun. Slayer stood behind him, smelling like stone.

The hard-eyed man glanced up at the fleeing birds. “Yours?”

“For warning,” Perrin replied. “I figured you’d see through walnut shells on the ground.”

“Clever,” Slayer said.

Behind him spread a magnificent city. Perrin hadn’t believed that any city could be as magnificent as Caemlyn. But if there was such a thing, Tar Valon was it. The entire city was a work of art, almost every building decked with archways, spires, engravings and ornamentation. Even the cobblestones seemed to be arranged artistically.

Slayer’s eyes flickered down to Perrin’s belt. There, affixed in a pouch Perrin had created to hold it, was the ter’angreal. The tip stuck out the top, silvery bits wrapping around one another in a complex knotted braid. Perrin had tried again to destroy the thing by thinking of it, but had been rebuffed. Attacking it with his hammer hadn’t so much as bent it. Whatever this thing was, it had been built to resist such attacks.

“You’ve grown skilled,” Slayer said. “I should have killed you months ago.”

“I believe you tried,” Perrin said, raising his hammer, resting it on his shoulder. “Who are you really?”

“A man of two worlds, Perrin Aybara. And one owned by both. I’ll need the dreamspike back.”

“Step closer, and I’ll destroy it,” Perrin said.

Slayer snorted, walking forward. “You don’t have the strength for that, boy. I don’t even have the strength to manage that.” His eyes flickered unconsciously over Perrin’s shoulder. Toward what?

Dragonmount, Perrin thought. He must have worried I was coming this way to toss it in. Was that, then, an indication of a way Perrin could destroy the ter’angreal? Or was Slayer trying to mislead him?

“Don’t press me, boy,” Slayer said, sword and knife appearing in his hands as he walked forward. “I’ve already killed four wolves today. Give me the spike.”

Four? But he’d killed only one that Perrin had seen. He’s trying to goad me.

“You think I’ll believe that you won’t kill me if I give it to you?” Perrin said. “If I gave this to you, you’d have to go put it back in Ghealdan. You know I’d just follow you there.” Perrin shook his head. “One of us has to die, and that’s that.”

Slayer hesitated, then smiled. “Luc hates you, you know. Hates you deeply.”

“And you don’t?” Perrin asked, frowning.

“No more than the wolf hates the stag.”

“You are not a wolf,” Perrin said, growling softly.

Slayer shrugged. “Let us be done with this, then.” He dashed forward.

Gawyn charged into the White Tower; the men on guard barely had time to salute. He dashed past mirrored stand-lamps. Only one in every two was lit, to conserve oil. As he reached a ramp upward, he heard feet behind him.

His sword hissed as he pulled it free, spinning. Mazone and Celark pulled to a halt. The former Younglings wore Tower Guard uniforms now. Would they try to stop him? Who knew what kind of orders Egwene had left?

They saluted.

“Men?” Gawyn said. “What are you doing?”

“Sir,” Celark said, lean face shadowed in the patchy lamplight. “When an officer runs by with a look like that on his face, you don’t ask if he needs help. You just follow!”

Gawyn smiled. “Come on.” He dashed up the ramps, the two men following, swords at the ready.

Egwene’s quarters were some way up, and Gawyn’s pulse was racing—his breathing forced—by the time they reached her level. They hurried down three hallways; then Gawyn held up his hand. He glanced at the nearby shadowed recesses. Were any of them deep enough to hide a Bloodknife?

You cannot have light without shadow…

He peeked around the corner toward Egwene’s door; he stood in virtually the same position he had been when he had ruined her plans before. Was he doing the same thing now? His two guardsmen stood up close behind him, waiting on his command.

Yes. He was doing the same thing as before. And yet, something had changed. He would see her protected so that she could do great things. He would stand in her shadow and be proud. He would do as she asked—but would see her safe no matter what.

Because that was what a Warder did.

He slipped forward, waving his men to follow. The darkness in that shadowy alcove from before didn’t seem to repel his attention as it had last time. A good sign. He stopped at the door and tried it carefully. It was unlocked. He took a deep breath, then slipped inside.

No alarms went off; no traps caught him and flung him about. A few lamps shone on the walls. At a faint noise, he looked upward. A Tower maid hung there, struggling, with wide eyes, mouth gagged by an invisible flow of Air.

Gawyn cursed, dashing across the room, and threw open the door to Egwene’s sleeping chamber. Her bed, one side against the far wall, was draped with white gauze curtains, and a lamp burned on the stand beside it. Gawyn crossed the room to her, pushing the gauze aside. Was she sleeping? Or was she…

He reached a hand toward her neck, but at a faint thump behind, Gawyn whipped his sword around and blocked the strike coming at his back. Not one, but two blurs of darkness leaped from the shadows. He spared a glance for Egwene; there was no blood, but he couldn’t tell if she was breathing or not. Had his entrance interrupted the assassins in time?

There was no time to check. He fell into Apple Blossoms in the Wind and began to shout. His men stepped up to the doorway, then froze there, stunned.

“Get more help!” Gawyn said. “Go!”

Dark-skinned Mazone turned to obey while Celark, looking determined, leaped into the fight.

The Bloodknives shifted and undulated. Gawyn managed to slip into Cat on Hot Sand to test them, but each strike hit only air. His eyes were already hurting from trying to follow the figures.

Celark attacked from behind, but was as in effective as Gawyn. Gawyn gritted his teeth, fighting with his back against the bed. He had to keep them away from Egwene, long enough for help to