Ch34
Rand
- “She rolled limply onto her back, staring up at him, glazed eyes open wide above the gash across her throat. The side of the bed that had been hidden by her body was dark and sodden.Thom’s stomach heaved; if his throat had not been so tight he could not breathe, he would have vomited, or screamed, or both. He had only the creaking of wardrobe doors for warning. He spun,
- “‘Before I kill you,”’ Thom said, “‘tell me. Why?”’ His voice was quiet, numb; he felt numb inside. “‘The Great Game,”’ the man said quickly. His accent was one of the streets, and his clothes as well, but they were a shade too fine, too unworn; he had more coin to spend than any Foregater should. “‘Nothing against you personal, you see? It is just the Game.”’ “‘The Game? I’m not mixed up in Daes Dae’mar! Who would want to kill me for the Great Game?”’ The man hesitated. Thom moved his blade closer. If the fellow blinked, his eyelashes would brush the point. “‘Who?”’ “‘Barthanes,”’ came the hoarse answer. “‘Lord Barthanes. We would not have killed you. Barthanes wants information. We just wanted to find out what you know. There can be gold in it for you. A nice, fat golden crown for what you know. Maybe two.”’
“‘Liar! I was in Barthane’s manor last night, as close to him as I am to you. If he wanted anything of me, I’d never have left alive”’ (411).
“‘I tell you, we have been looking for you, or anyone who knows about this Andoran lord, for days. I never heard your name until last night, downstairs. Lord Barthanes is generous. It could be five crowns.”’ The man tried to pull his head away from the knife in Thom’s hand, and Thom pushed him harder against the wall. “‘What Andoran lord?”’ But he knew. The Light help him, he knew.
“‘Rand. Of House al’Thor. Tall. Young. A blademaster, or at least he wears the sword. I know he came to see you. Him and the Ogier, and you talked. Tell me what you know. I might even throw in a crown or two, myself.”’
“‘You fool,”’ Thom breathed. Dena died for this? Oh, Light, she’s dead. He felt as if he wanted to cry. “‘The boy’s a shepherd.”’ A shepherd in a fancy coat, with Aes Sedai around him like bees around honeycombs. “‘Just a shepherd.”’ He tightened his grip in the man’s hair.
“‘Wait! Wait! You can make more than any five crowns, or even ten. A hundred, more like. Every House wants to know about this Rand al’Thor. Two or three have approached me. With what you know, and my knowing who wants to know it, we could both fill our pockets. And there has been a woman, a lady, I have seen more than once while asking after him. If we can find out who she is … why, we could sell that, too.”’
- “‘They found me ,”’ he said wearily. Her eyes dropped from his face and widened as they took in the bodies of the two men. Hastily she stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her. “‘This is bad, Thom. You’ll have to leave Cairhein.”’ Her gaze fell on the bed, and her breath caught. “‘Oh,no. Oh, Thom, I’m so sorry.”’ “‘I cannot leave yet, Zera.”’ He hesitated, then tenderly drew a blanket over Dena, covering her face. “‘I have another man to kill, first”’ (412).
- “‘If you mean Barthanes, you’re too late. Everybody’s talking about it already. He is dead. His servants found him this morning, torn to pieces in his bedchamber. The only way they knew it was him was his head stuck on a spike over the fireplace.”’ She laid a hand on his arm. “‘Thom, you can’t hide that you were there last night, not from anybody who wants to know. Add these two in, and there’s nobody in Cairhein who won’t believe you were involved.”’ “There was a slight questioning note in her last words, as if she, too, were wondering” (412).
- “‘Those aren’t Barthane’s men, Thom. At least, that one isn’t.”’ “She nodded toward the fat man.” “‘It’s the worst kept secret in Cairhein that he works for House Riatin. For Galldrian.”’ “‘Galldrian,”’ he said flatly. What has this bloody shepherd gotten me into? What have the Aes Sedai gotten us both into? But it was Galldrian’s men murdered her”’ (413).
Fain
- “Women went in and out of a house across the street, women linked by silver leashes, but he ignored them. He knew about damane from the villagers. They might be of some use later, but not now (415).
- “The officer stared with no expression on his face at the silver-worked golden chest resting on the cobblestones, then looked at Fain.” “‘A gift fit for the Empress herself. You will come with me.”’ “One of the soldiers searched Fain roughly, but he endured it in silence, noting that the officer and the two soldiers who took up the chest surrendered their swords and daggers before going inside. Anything he could learn of these people, however small, might help, though he was confident of his plan already” (415-416).
-“This chest is old, High Lord—as old as the Age of Legends—and within it lies a treasure such as few eyes have ever seen. Soon—very soon, High Lord—I will be able to open it, and give you that which will enable you to take this land as far as you wish, to the Spine of the World, the Aiel Waste, the lands beyond. Nothing will stand against you, High Lord, once I —“‘ “He cut off as Turak began running his long-nailed fingers over the chest” (416).
- “‘These are treasure from the Age of Legends?”’ Turak said, lifting out the curled Horn in one hand and the curved dagger with the ruby in its golden hilt in the other.
- “‘It is mine,”’ Fain growled. “Patience! So long. Turak, lounging back in the chair, lifted one blue-lacquered fingernail, and Fain was pulled out of the way so the High Lord could view the Horn unobstructed” (417).
- “‘You seem to know what none, neither the high nor the low, has spoken since sighting this land. The people here speak it as one rumor among ten, but you know. I can see it in your eyes, hear it in your voice. I could almost think you were sent to entangle me in a trap. But who, possessing the Horn of Valere, would use it so? None of those of the Blood who came with the Hailene could have had the Horn, for the legend says it was hidden in this land. And surely any lord of this land would use it against me rather than put it in my hands. How did you come to possess the Horn of Valere? Do you claim to be a hero, as in the legend? Have you done valorous deeds”’ (418-419)?
- “‘I am no hero, High Lord.”’ Fain ventured a self-deprecating smile, but Turak’s face did not alter, and he let it go. “‘The Horn was found by an ancestor of mine during the turmoil after the High King’s death. He knew how to open the chest, but that secret died with him in the War of the Hundred Years, that rent Arthur Hawkwing’s empire, do that all we who followed him knew was that the Horn lay within and we must keep it safe until the High King’s blood returned”’ (419).
- “‘You seem almost eager,”’ Turak said, and Fain barely suppressed a wince. “‘I will not tell you why I will not sound the Horn of Valere, or even keep it, and perhaps that will cure your eagerness. I do not wish a gift of mine to offend the Empress by his actions; if your eagerness cannot be cured, it will never be satisfied, for you will never leave these shores. Do you know that whoever blows the Horn of Valere is linked to it thereafter”’ (419)?
- “‘High Lord,”’ Fain said. “The man with the braid, Huan, took hold of his arm, but he pulled loose. Huan’s mouth tightened angrily as Fain made his deepest bow yet. I will kill him slowly, yes.” “‘High Lord, there are those who follow me. They mean to take the Horn of Valere. Darkfriends and worse, High Lord, and they cannot be more than a day or two behind me.”’ …… “‘High Lord, they are dangerous. They have Trollocs with them. They are led by one who calls himself Rand al’Thor. A young man, but vile in the Shadow beyond belief, with a lying, devious tongue. In many places he has claimed to be many things, but always the Trollocs come when he is there, High Lord. Always the Trollocs come … and kill.”’ ….”Rand al’Thor was his, now. I will see him dead at last. And then the world will pay for what was done to me” (421).
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