“I mean, look at him... those arms in his uniform... so deliciously tense... and his skin, like kaf with some cream in... it’s enough to make you feel like a farm girl in hoe season. I mean, he’s just so strong... and silent... and exotic... and you hang around with him all the time. Are you sure nothing has happened yet? I’m sure he would be great in bed”
Straining, Mika let her friends words wash over her, even as the Saldean girl started spouting more vulgar things, she kept her mind on what she was doing. She was way over half already, and dirty talk was not good enough to take her concentration of the 100 weaves she was trying to make in utter composure.

It had been about two weeks ago when one of the brown sisters had dropped to her that she might be close to being raised to the shawl, and a few days later, Annara had happily hugged her whispering that one of the greens had mentioned the same thing to her. As of that moment, the two friends had been training vigorously, each moment of spare time they had spent trying to compose the 100 weaves in utter concentration.

“Or are you still wheezing over your Edeleas?” Annara had said it so much more softer then the vulgar nonsense, and she had inserted a chilly breeze to rush past her, but it actually almost cost Mika her concentration on her weave; had it not been such a simple weave she would had lost it...
The red-haired girl, gave her a knowing look. Never before had Annara talked about Edeleas while they were doing this, and she knew immediately she had hit a nerve.
“Do you think he’ll stay away forever? Maybe he’s dead already....” no he is not. Mika thought as she strained furiously to keep her weave from falling apart. he promised me to come back the weave started slipping away. no damnit, stay here you! And you Mika, stop thinking about that guy damnit get your weave straight with renewed vigour, Mika managed to grab her hold back on the weave, noticing nonetheless that Annara was channeling as well.
“Or maybe he’ll actually come back to sweep you away as an Aes Sedai, let you bond him and grab you up for a nice dance...” the girl jumped up, her face now changed in that of someone that hardly resembled Edeleas and she grabbed her friend to start dancing around.
Mika let her feet hop along, but she had made her mind empty again... empty except for what she was doing with the One power. Three more weaves to go.



“at least it helped a lot...” Annara said in a calm voice as she watched Mika sit down on the bed. “You’ve managed to get up to hundred quite a few times lately. And so have I. Mika just nodded, she was too tired to do anything else. “Though I assume you won’t be in the mood to let me try it again?” The red-haired accepted glanced at Mika and then shook her head. “well, I suppose I should be heading of to my own room anyways... if Cayana Sedai manages to catch me in a few moments, i’ll be in trouble... and my bottom is still sore from the last time”
Mika managed a smile. She used to be one of the biggest pranksters in the tower as a novice... but she had changed drastically. Though the occasional fun was never too far away; especially not with Annara.

As she watched her friend leave her room, which was filled with books and papers, she let herself sink back on her bed and let her mind wander off. Things Annara had said had made her remember how her life had changed when she ‘came’ to the tower.


Though ‘came’ to the tower was not exactly the right way to put it... Mika had lived peacefully in TarenFerry until that one horrid day that for some reason, still unknown to her, Trollocks had ravaged the village and had managed to kill all but her and her brother.
Elia and his little sister, who was 14 by then, managed to hide and later on get away, roaming the land, looking for a way to survive and to start up a new life. But things did not always go perfect, and far too often they had to spend a night under bushes or under the open night sky.
One day however, they reached the city of Whitebridge, as they passed the guards –who shot them looks that were even more filthy then they were themselves- a man clad in black appeared before them. He took aside Elia to talk to him, but merely a few moments later her brother and the dangerous stranger came back. Elia’s face was strange… a mix of emotions that Mika couldn’t figure out. “Come Mik; this man offers us a place to stay.” His voice matched his expression, an intangible knot of emotions and a bit reluctant Mika followed her brother and the mysterious stranger. When the Asha’man wove a gateway, Mika had nearly ran away, after all, she had heard fairytales of viciously cruel trollocks; and they had proven to be true, but as always, Elia managed to convince Mika to step trough the gate as well.

And so she had gotten into the tower. It did not take long for the Aes Sedai to find out that Mika too could channel –and one day grow rather strong at it- and soon she wore novice white for nearly 7 years.

Mika looked up to the ceiling and sighed softly. Those days had not been so bad... She got up and got out of her accepted dress before walking to the closet. not so bad at all


Because Mika was bothered by a block which let her channel only if she was terrified, she could hardly be trained in the ways of saidar, and even though she had quite some chores and classes to do, which now seemed so little, she still found so much time to prank and was soon one of the most known novices in the tower.
This all changed though as her brother Elia got ‘lost’ in his second arch, and she managed to break her block soon after. She decided to figure out what had happened and changed visibly, keeping her pranks to a minimum and her studies on a maximum. After that it took her a mere two years to be Summoned to the Arches and gain the ring.

And even though her experiences in the arches had been horrid, it had given her life a new meaning. She had seen her brother in her second arch. And he know about it... he understood... He made Mika understand that he in fact was not a mere thing of the arches, but that this in fact was her real brother who had chosen to stay in a better place.
She kept that knowledge close to her as she made it trough the arches and always with that knowledge in her mind she had decided to spend even more time in the library then she already did.

Knowing her brother was still ‘around’ somewhere, in one of the ‘mirror-worlds’ as the books led her to believe, Mika decided she had to find a path to find him again.... she had to find, or make a way to visit him whenever she wanted.



She pulled her nightshift over her head and looked at the books and papers sprawled on her desk. “Feelings of a creator” lay opened. The book was written by an Aes Sedai who had the talent to create or duplicate Ter’Angreal. A talent that Mika had discovered in herself while reading the book two years ago. She had been 23 by then and when Tira Sedai handed her the book she added that it would most likely not help her understand anything because it was written badly, full of ununderstandable feelings and thoughts. But to Mika it made sense. And thus she decided to try out one of the things that the author Emia Sedai of the Blue, had described as the easiest: making a light-rod Ter’Angreal which glowed brightly for a few hours after having fire channeled into them.
It surely had taken some help from one of the brown sisters, but in the end Mika managed to make one, and was from that day on, given all the books on Ter’Angreal that could help her in developing her rare talent. A talent that she herself valued even more than anyone else, for she actually believed she could one day, with the right amount of knowledge, aid and experiments manage to make a gateway to the world of her brother. Or maybe even manage to figure out how the portalstones worked.

She sighed “if only” she whispered. “then I could perhaps as well find a way to find you too...” a cold feeling rushed over her body as she remembered Edeleas... how he looked, felt... and how their bond had felt in her last arch... the arch that had nearly drove her to madness.
“none of that now” she told herself in a weary and almost angry voice. “he is gone. And one day he will return to me.” She chided herself for acting like a little puppy waiting, tied up at a tree for her boss whom had left for something more interesting. or for someone more interesting the voice in her head said temptingly.
but then again, it’s not like you can say anything even if he has the same voice said in a mocking tone, and Mika had to agree with what her consciousness told her.

Nhadnay was indeed strong, and silent, and exotic and his uniform seemed to fit that heavenly body of his just perfect. But he was just a friend. A companion with whom she spent hours in the library, and sometimes in other, more secluded areas... but in the end he remained ‘just’ a friend...

He was just strange... she had seen him for the first time when she was still a novice, even before she had broken her block, and he immediately caught her eye... with his strange tattoos, that awkward ‘necklace’ around his neck, Su’Nar he called it, and with his... act... of being a mute. She had not often seen him though even though he had been Edeleas’ roommate for a while.
But when she started to visit the library she could often see him sitting somewhere in some secluded corner; often reading or writing, often with the help of an Aes Sedai, Asha’man or even dedicated or accepted. That was how she met him as well... she had to help him in his scritp. poor man she had thought then, to be both mute as unable to write but apparently he had managed to get quite far by the time she had been appointed to help him.

His skills seemed to improve daily and he was apparently allowed to spend a lot of time in the library to keep reading and writing. Mika kept a close eye on him and after time started ‘talking’ to him because the choice of his books; mainly about Tel’Aran’Rhiod and Travelling, lay so close to those of her own.
Time passed and even though Nhadnay –whom by then was generally called ‘Yellow-Breeches’ because of the clothes he wore when he showed up at the tower one day- did not say a word, the two of them became very close friends, exchanging ideas about quite a few things.

And then suddenly a few months ago, Nhadnay had been raised to Dedicated some months before that, things changed between them. Both their arms packed with books, Mika was talking about her thoughts and feelings when she tried to make ter’angreal, when she tried to understand them. They were walking towards his room to drop of all the books and somehow Mika managed to let her line of talking bring her back to the very essence why she was doing this entire search.

They sat down in his room, she, fidgeting with a book and he occasionally scribbling in his –by now quite beautiful handwriting- notebook to show her his reaction. It felt so strange to Mika, to finally talk to someone about it again... to finally tell someone why she did what she did... and how she felt. It felt very strange... but it was alright... Nhadnay, even though he did not speak, seemed to understand and be there for her, gently hold her when she felt bad and caressing away her tears that flowed down her cheeks.



Mika lay on her bed, the darkness hiding the red flush that had coloured her cheeks as she let her mind wander about what had happened that night. She loved Edeleas, and Nhadnay knew. But it was not for love or lust that the strange man had seemed to do what he had done so skilfully, it was as if to take her mind of it, to comfort her. And he had succeeded.

Suddenly however, as she had been sleeping peacefully in his bed, he woke her up, his eyes panicky as he seemingly wanted her to get out of the bed. He himself had jumped out, frantically looking towards his door as he gathered her dress.
Mika too started to feel panicky because of what he was doing, but panic soon was washed away by amazement at what happened when she saw the soft glow of light under Nhadnays door.
“You have to get back! Now, someone’s coming!” his hushed voice still sounded awkward to make her blink, but as she realised that he had to be really serious to talk, she quickly wove a gateway into her room, hoping no-one would be up and near the accepted quarters at the midst of night. She wondered what had just happened, wondered why a mute could suddenly talk.


In the next months, their friendship had not changed very much and she managed to find out what had happened though.
Nhadnay, as he had told her that was the name he had been given at birth, told her that one of the asha’man had seen him in Tel’Aran’Rhiod, where he could only go after having shared pillows with someone. At the reason why he didn’t talk however, he started to get that panicked look again and asked her to keep it a secret, muttering something about “them finding me if I talk”


“I suppose one day he might tell me still who ‘they’ are though” she said softly as she turned around and pulled her blanket a bit higher, pushing all thoughts of men out of her mind.


The next morning Mika got up early as usual and made it down to the gardens for a bit of air before going into the kitchens and taking a little something to eat in the library. The day went by as it had for quite a few years now; read some here, go to a class there, teach one for some novices followed by some more reading and discussing of books until Cayana sedai suddenly appeared in the library as she and Nhadnay were discussing –him while writing of course- how to combine travelling and the dreamworld.

Mika had not expected to be Summoned so soon, but then again, when an Aes Sedai let you know that you might be ready for the final testing, you could be Summoned the next day or the next month.

Mika walked back to her room, guided by Cayana sedai, in complete silence. I did it she thought weary as she remembered how it had been. There was not much room left for more thoughts though; she was tired to the bone and could hardly wait to be left in her room to rest and contemplate.

Without much ado the Mistress of novices, a woman, Mika realised, who would have no more say over her after this night, led her to her room and Mika almost immediately fell asleep as she touched her bed.

And just as easy as she had fallen asleep, time flowed. She woke up the next morning, spoke her oaths, took her shawl with a brown fringe and therefore a place among the brown sisters and started her new life as an Aes Sedai.

In the beginning it was even harder then when she was an accepted in quite a few ways, but Mika managed to get used to it soon, and greatly enjoyed the comforts of her room near the library, if only because the soft chair saved her bottom from the soreness she always had after reading a long time.

As a Ter’Angreal maker, she also had the permission to study quite a few of the Ter’Angreal, a chance she took by heart to learn the ways of Ter’Aran’Rhiod. Either with an Aes Sedai or Asha’man to teach her, or even the Mistress at Arms one time, or surreptitiously after an occasional night with Nhadnay–who strangely enough seemed almost as strong or even stronger then most of the others-.

Every opportunity she had, she studied. Preferably on how to find a way to get back to Elia, but she did what needed to be done to the tower, and she did what she could do in small steps, after all, making a ter’angreal was neither easy nor fast work.

After two years she’d managed to fully settle in and decided that it was time for her to see some of the land, maybe see some of the portalstones –if she could find those- and spend a bit of time at the Stone of Tear in the remnants of the Great Hold, after all there were still Ter’Angreal and angreal which had not yet been transported to the Towers for various reasons.


At dawn she rode. She had had very little experience on horseback, but she had decided to travel the old way; she had enough books with her anyways and could always deal with muggers with the One Power. Somehow it felt really strange. She was out of the tower, on her own. I am strong enough to watch my own back she thought as she rode over one of the bridges out of the city.
And I have enough maps not to get lost.

She had not rode far though before another horse rode up to her, and Mika was pleased to see Annara, wearing a light green silk ridingdress closing in on her.
“You didn’t think I’d let a brown go out alone before I could have as a green?” she said in a very serious voice, but ruined it as she took her arms around her old friend.
“So where are we going?” she asked as they rode...

Even from afar the Stone of Tear could be seen. Quite an impressive view, Mika had to admit, though not far from as breathtaking as Tar Valon, and under the lighthearted jokes about Tairen men from Annara, the two Aes Sedai make their way into the city and into the stone.

The air was heavy and hot, and even though they had graduately moved closer, Mika was very thankful to that minor trick of ignoring the heath, even though it took some concentration.
At the Stone it took but a glance at their rings, to show the servants –and all others for that matter- for whom they were: Aes Sedai visiting the Stone.

Swiftly –as to not let people see them she thought- they were welcomed and servants quickly took their belongings and led their horses away.

As soon as they entered the great hall of the Stone, the Majhere, a stout woman called Nyran Tell who basically ran the Stone, came to greet them. Well, greet.... they got a polite nod from the proud woman which made Annara’s eyebrow raise. Mika resisted the urge to sniff, and she did not know whether it would be for the Majhere or Annara.

“It has been a while since we last had Aes Sedai honour the Stone with a visit. My name is Nyran Tell, Mahjere of the Stone. Greetings Aes Sedai” The woman had an air about her that made Mika think of the mistress of Kitchens, a thought that made her almost smile, that woman had been hard but she knew what she was doing.

“Light shine on you Mistress Tell” Mika started. It still felt a bit strange that she was the one talking, and not Annara. But after all Aes Sedai judged their position towards each other by strength in the One Power, and not by age or background or whatnot. And even though Annara was almost two years older then Mika and was far more eloquent, Mika outranked her greatly in Power, and thus she spoke.
“I am Mika Soljourn of the Brown Ajah, and my Sister is Annara Mirrina of the Green Ajah. We seek to stay here for some time. There are some items in your library that I am interested in examining.” Records had spoken of a portalstone being used near Tear and Mika wondered whether she could find any information about that.

“The light shine on you.” The Majhere said solemnly. “Servants have been bringing your belongings up to two of my finest quarters. Would you care to join me in the Hall of Faith for a cup of chilled wine after you have freshened up from your journey?”

Gracefully Annara and Mika inclined their heads and then followed the servant that came to lead them to their quarters.

A bit more then a year passed with Mika having her nose hidden in the books of the library of tear. The section about the Taking of the Stone by the Dragon Reborn, and about the Great Hold, were most interesting.
Annara had been spending quite a bit of her time at the docks, getting to know an Athan’Miere sailor who was waiting for his next ship to pick him up. The green sister felt she had to prevent him from doing that permanently and take him as her first warder. It was still up to the man though to decide though...

“Maybe... just maybe I should try it...” she shivered slightly as she looked over the texts again. There were quite a few dangers to taking the trip trough the doorway ter’angreal. And the authors had not been exactly forthcoming with information about the answers they had gotten. “Three questions... that shouldn’t be a problem though... even within the restriction” she whispered softly to the book in front of her.
“well then... why not?” she said as she got up. But she knew too well how... wrong she had felt when she had gone down to that ter’angreal the first time... she had to admit that she was a bit afraid of what could happen. Light, woman, get a hold on yourself. You’re an Aes Sedai for the Creators Grace... you’ve gone trough worse

And so Mika made her way once more down into the deep cellars under the Stone where the Great Hold was, and where a particular redstone doorframe stood twisted in some strange way with eye-wretching corners, weemingly ready to topple over at the merest push. It was a doorway that would take her to a snake-like race called the Aelfinn who would answer 3 questions for her. She was curious...

She seemed to be stepping through a sheet of brilliant white light, infinitely bright, infinitely thick. For a moment that lasted forever she was blink; a roaring filled her ears, all the sounds of the world gathered together at once. For just the length of one measureless step.

Stumbling another pace, she stared around curiously. The Ter’Angreal loomed behind her and she now was in a completely different place. This place was quite peculiar. It looked like a dome with ceiling so high it could not be seen. Awkward yellow spirals seemed to be supporting poles that were not there, and glowing bubbles gave of a soft light.
So there is light here... she thought as she looked around, as she took her surroundings in.

The few exerts about this place she had found had not been forthcoming with information about how the place looked except that it was even more twisted then the doorway led to believe. Whatever that would mean.
What she had read however was something about not being allowed to take in any instruments of music, any iron or anything of light.
Why then? Sure the light here is soft... but a normal lamp doesn’t burn that much brighter...I wonder what would happen if I...
Her thoughts were suddenly ripped away as she noticed the strange ‘man’ standing next to her, apparently come from no-where. It cost her all the composure she had in her not to flinch.

“The seekers come back. It has been a very long time. The questioners come back now.” To hear the strange being almost hiss in the old tongue was quite strange; it gave her the creeps.
a very long time... I suppose it would... about 300 It has been from but a few years after the Dragon Reborn had left to fight Tarmon Gaidon that the last sister had entered the doorway. And apparently she had been mad when she came back out. Records did however show that she had not read up on the ter’angreal a lot though...
“Good, you have brought no lamps, no torches, as the agreement was, and is, and ever will be. You have no iron? No instruments of music?”
“No” she answered in the old tongue as well. She was surprised that only one record told of this; only one sister, one of the last to enter the doorway and come out sane that is, had mentioned it.
[quote]The use of the Old tongue surprised me, but I was given an interpreter. I am afraid however that things might have gone lost in translation, for it was as if I was reading an age-old book.
Another interesting thing is the reaction to the Shepherd and the Gambler who both were in there when I was as well. The light willing I might yet find out what their questions, and even more their answers were.[/i]
The sister had remained quite critical, and the text cut of as abruptly as it had begun. It was but one page out of someone’s notes. Most likely either the rest got lost, or the Aes Sedai misplaced this.

“According to the agreement, Come” the being spoke again, making Mika strain to understand him. She felt lucky of her years in studying the Old Tongue.

As soon as the man started leading the way, Mika followed and understood what had been meant by ‘even more twisted then the doorway itself’. Nothing at all except the floor seemed to be straight. And for quite some time they kept walking halls, always winding, passing by windows that gave out on completely illogical things. every white’s nightmare she found herself joking; as if trying to laugh away the feeling that made her skin crawl, as if trying to find a way to have courage. Suddenly the guide stopped. “here” he just said.

Mika glanced into the opening. It was another great hall, somewhat like the one she’d arrived in “here your answers may be found. Enter. Enter and ask” Mika nodded her head and passed the being, looking perfectly serene, but still she felt as if the creature knew how nervous she felt.

She walked into the room and looked up to the top of three pedestals were beings like her guide sat, though with some distinct differences. All at the same time they spoke, their voices breathy and hissy like that of her guide. a sound that confirmed her thought of two of them being female.
“Enter and Ask, according to the agreement of old”
what is this agreement? Mika wondered, doubting she’d ever find out. If she thought her skin had crawled before, now she was sure it was writhing. and they seem to be taking it all in... she looked at the strange snake-like beings, as she thought of most of the texts saying that they seemed to feed on emotions.

Carefully, as not to voice any questions, Mika started explaining about what had happened to her brother and what she had been doing for those years now. “How will I find a way to have contact with my brother?” she asked finally, trying to calm herself down as much as possible.

The beings looked up as if they could see something she could not and then suddenly they looked down once more and one of the females spoke. “let the one mute to all but you guide you to his homeland.”. Mika blinked “the one mute to all but me... Nhadnay... But what’s his homeland anyways?” it was only when the man answered that Mika realised she had spoken out loud.
“The lands beyond the Waste” once more the young Aes Sedai blinked. She had read a bit about Co’Dansin, or Shara, or Tomaka or whatever the author called it. Little was known of it except that it exported rare goods like ivory and silk, and that strangers were not allowed in. Confused as she was however she kept her mouth tight and wondered which of the two other questions she should ask next. Both of them would be important. One was important for the knowledge she could gain; but the other was important for her heart, like the first question had been.


“Which part will Edeleas still play in my future?” she asked in the end, wondering whether she had done the right thing.
“A part, buried under that which the light can not touch no more.”
Mika froze. buried! Dead.... no... he cannot be dead!
Panic was now clear on her face, and the beings were almost panting as if they were flooded.

For a while the four of them just stayed like they were, Mika trying to find a way out of believing he was dead ,and the beings seemingly drinking on her emotions.
Then as if reluctant to do so, they once more spoke in unison. “What has been asked has been answered. As the agreement stands. The price is paid.” Again panic flew over Mika as they stared her down. price? What price? once more her guide appeared to let her leave though. With fear and panic heavy in her stomach, Mika believed the path took even longer. Of course there was no way to tell for sure, but it just seemed longer.

Time passed by and Mika kept growing more anxious then she already was. Her skin had been crawling all the time and it took al of her training and self control not to start panicking openly. Unconsciously she started humming ‘Billy left to come back later’ something she felt suited this situation.

Suddenly her guide slowed down and waggled on his feed a bit, as if set back. Mika stopped humming and looked at him; in the corner of her eye seeing another doorway. As soon as she looked however, she noticed that it was a window and her guide started to move again. The doorway that had somehow become a window bothered her, but something else seeped trough her mind, as if some pieces of a puzzle falling together. “fire to blind, music to daze, iron to bind” she muttered to herself.
The guide entered the doorway into the hall where the redstone doorway stood, his pace visibly faster. Courage to strengthen, Fire to blind, music to daze and iron to bind She made the symbol of an upside-down triangle with a wavy line trough it that you made while saying that line before playing Foxes and Snakes.
“but that’s an old childs game” she said softly. The guide stopped at the doorframe, almost looking angsty himself now, mentioning her to step trough.
“Let’s see” Mika said softly and a moment later a small flame hung above her hand. The snake-person now defenately shrieked and turned it’s head away, covering it’s eyes.
Mika had no time to do anything else though as the creature threw himself on her, pushing her out of the ter’angreal, and back into the storeroom.

“Easy girl” Mika whispered softly, calming the mare down as she walked away from the gateway that was already winking away.
A soldier came running forward towards the edge of the Travelling Grounds and immediately bowed when Mika reached him.
“Morning boy, see to her and then please bring my belongings to my room near the Library, I am Mika of the Brown.” The bow once more bowed and said in a clear voice “Yes Aes Sedai”
“Mind you, be careful with them though.” She added as an afterthought, but her tone was gently and so was her soft smile.

Mika had often told herself to stay who she was; for she found she had already changed so much. She should not be too untrusting for frivolous reasons, and she should not be mean when not needed. A friendly smile was often appreciated.

Bearing only her shawl –which she had had to find under a stack of books before she left Tear- and a small bag of the oldest of books and notes she had brought, Mika already discarded the soldier and started making her way to her rooms.
She had one finger to her lip, as she often had while thinking, but her mind was running merely trough the list of things she had to do... it was running trough what she knew... and pointing out what she did not knew.
She had done this over and over though; she had started with them as soon as she had left the strange redstone doorway with the wavy lines to the land of the Aelfinn I wonder if there are foxes like those as well...
Once more the young Sister shook her head slightly, and let her mind wander over the list as her eyes took in the people around her.

With the warm feeling of coming home, Mika entered the living quarters near the library. As she arrived at her own room, she remembered something and called for one of the accepteds passing by with a stack of books in her hands, the girl dropped into a very nice curtsy while still balancing the large stack. “what are you doing girl?” she asked, hoping the girl was not on some long business for a sister. “Kathera Sedai asked me to take these back to the library, Mika Sedai” the girl answered swiftly.
“good, would you mind having dinner brought up to my room? No fish, and an extra bit of cheese please.” She nodded to herself and turned to enter her room as she watched the girl drop into a curtsy again, saying “Yes Aes Sedai”

now that that’s done... Mika sighed hard as she entered her room, weaving tiny flows of fire to light the fireplace and tying of some others as light bubbles in various places in the room.
“Now where did I put that pen?” she muttered softly as she said down at her desk and pulled out a sheet of paper.

A few moments later she was writing and wondered who it could be that already knew she was back and knocked on the door. “Enter” she called and a young soldier came in. She looked at him and immediately remembered that it was the boy from the Travelling Grounds bringing her belongings. She however kept looking at him for a while, blinking curiously for a moment before nodding as if remembering. “Ah yes. I trust Rain has been tended to” she said with a smile. “you can bring in my bags and put them down in that corner.” ugh. Unpacking, I hate unpakking.
The lad did as he was told and then straightened up ”Anything else Aes Sedai?” he asked politely. My my... Mika said to herself either this boy is just very polite or Haras has gotten stricter.... hmmm I hope he won’t give my trouble about my request... I should not break the rules too hard as a full Sister.

“Yes actually there is son,” she said in a calm tone as she folded the paper she’d just been writing and then sealed it; it was addressed to Asha’man Haras din’Suave, Master of Soldiers.

The bow once more bowed as he received the letter. “take this to the Master of Students.” She’d said and then resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow as the boy froze up a moment.
“Ehm.. Aes Sedai” he said softly and continued as she tilted her head a bit. “Asha’man Haras has not been Master of Students for almost two years now.” The boys voice was rough, as if he had something in his throat... Mika assumed he was afraid for correcting an Aes Sedai.
“Oh my” she said instead, putting a finger back to her lips. “Well I’m afraid I do not have the time to re-write my entire letter, the new one will have to do with my sincere apologies.”
“Yes Aes Sedai” the boy once more said as he made his way out of the room.


For a moment Mika looked around in her room, wondering what to do next. ‘Travelling the Silk Path’ should still be around here somewhere... so I need to find this and then go to the library and find some more books on Co’Dansin, or Shara or whatever the real name is.

With a little scribbled note telling anyone to find her in the library, Mika left of, searching for as much information as she could find about these strange lands East of the Waste.

“Thank you child” Mika said absentmindedly as the girl brought up supper to her and Nhadnay. The young man no longer wore the black uniform. He had however kept the swordpin on his cuff.

“Are you really sure I have to wear that?” she asked once more, sounding like a sulking child, and obviously annoyed by it. Nhadnay nodded, as he had all the time from the moment he’d made that first drawing of something they wore in his homeland.


After the he had been allowed to join the Aes Sedai on her trip to what she called Co’Dansin, the land she claimed he had been born, Nhadnay had spent hours in both the library as her quarters, helping her with the preparations for their trip.

She had shown him the books and texts about this land, and the only things –out of very little to be honest- was that what they called silk, ivory and some other products came from it. He had always found it a very poor base for a trip like this, but he had followed her lead.

It was strange not to think of Mika as his mistress. Even after the years he had spent in Tar Valon now. But it still felt strange somehow. There were so many differences... everyone was a pupil under the Aes Sedai and Asha’man... and there were seperate servants though they shared the work with the pupils.
For a while he had tried looking up to Asha’man Laridan as his Master, but the man did not demand so much from him but to study hard and learn whatever he could.
Mika however had spent time with him, called him friend, and had taken his Offer of servitude. Although he doubted she truly realised it herself.

He glanced at his clothes. But by the Birds they sat strangely! He looked like a peacock in mating season. “A Lord and Lady out riding” Mika had said. He found it all too bizarre. Over the years he’d gotten used to the simple black uniform that had been given to him. But still he had kept his decent clothes from when he still had been with his former Mistress all these years ago.


“it will be strange” Mika suddenly said in a thoughtful voice. “with you doing all the talking and me being the mute... such a change” she let a small smile come to her lips, and so did he. “it will indeed” he said, suppressing the urge to look around for anyone who might have overheard him. The people from this place sounded far too slow and dull for where he had grown up... Mika would be recognised as an outlander immediately.

He sighed deeply as he put his spoon down and reached for the cup of wine. He did not like her idea the least bit. His years of being a mute were so that no-one would manage to put him in black and force the truth out of him. At least that was what it had been when he had fled the Ayyad and became a slave to his mistress.

One night however, he had somehow travelled in his dreams to a city called Tear. By noon he was already brought to the Black tower and completely dressed in black, surrounded by dozens of slow speaking people. His reasons to keep his act up were only logical.
But Mika had changed that. Out of an urge to protect her, he had spoken to her, and kept talking. After all she had accepted his Offer, and he would be hers to command and protect.
She intended on getting trough with her plan... so he followed.

Once they were in his land, Mika would be his slave. He would use the one power to make an illusion over his Su’Nar and tattoos and darken her skin and to put a slavetattoo on it. She would not speak, nor channel at all, unless sure none of the Ayyad women were close. He would be a traveling young lord, seeking to see more of the land. He did not like it one bit.

“So where will you be taking me?” Mika asked. They would go into the dreamworld together that night, she with that ter’angreal she made. And he would take her to where they needed to be so that she could make a gateway to it in the morrow.
“A bit up the road from the city where my former mistress lives.” He said, still awkward at being able to speak ‘openly’
“if we travel at ease we can get to the city by noon and find a place to stay like this.” The Aes Sedai in front of him nodded “I suppose that would be the best thing to do.” She muttered softly as she emptied her glass. “I’m still not that sure about the clothes though.” A feint red rose to her cheeks. The clothes of a slave were not to be covering as that of a lady were. Far from it.

“well at least I may find cheap silk then” she said jokingly as she got up. “Are you coming Nhadnay? We have a long day ahead tomorrow.”

Softly Mika nibbled on the but of her pen, overlooking her notebook. She sighed silently as her eyes wandered over the drawing she had made ; a drawing of a ter’angreal she’d found.
The notebook was far from full, but then again, it was not the first notebook, in fact it was the seventh.

She had started writing down her actions the moment Mika had stepped out of the strange, twisted doorway ter’angreal back in Tear, what by now would be about two years ago. She had noted down the plans she’d made, the information she had found about Co’Dansin etc. She had even kept the drawings that Nhadnay had made the type of clothes he wore back then, as well as how much she had spend in trading just about all the money she had into athan’miere coin.

The first book also held in detail the record of how they had gotten into the lands beyond the Aiel waste; Nhadnay had taken her there in the world of dreams –she while using the dream ter’angreal of course- and the next morning se had woven a gateway to that specific place, the very beginning of two strange years where she was the slave and the dedicated the master.

And truly it had been strange. Mika had been perplexed by the strange ways of these odd people that before she knew it she had three notebooks filled with general knowledge about Co’Dansin. General knowledge and peculiar facts as well.


But they had not been there for getting to know the general facts of the land. The Aelfinn had told her she had to come to this place in order to find a way to contact her brother again.
And that was what she had been talking about in the next three notebooks. It had not been much, but apparently the Ayyad were a very haughty and arrogant group, sure of themselves, sure that they knew for the best and that no-one could use what they did anyways. It made learning easy for Mika. So little by little the young brown sister had gathered pieces of puzzles. Many different puzzles to be sure, but some of them at least fitted together, and it had been after about a year and a half that Mika had succeeded in her continuous experimenting.


Quite often, Mika had spent her nights using the dream ter’angreal in order to get into Tel’Aran’Rhiod. She used the dreamworld to go back to the westlands, back to where she used to live before she had gone to the towers. However much the empty spot in the woods, where she once had been pressed against her brothers chest and still could see the trollocks slaughter, gave her the creeps, she took comfort in the place being at least somewhat safe. She took comfort in not having to mind when to use the One Power there as she had to in the wakening world.

With the help of Nhadnays knowledge of the dreamworld, the young Aes Sedai had created a simple looking ter’angreal. It was a box, able to fit the biggest of her books in height, width and depth easily, created out of redstone. She had done it the same way as the Doorway in Tear had been, because she believed that that doorway had been the beginning of what she had made; she felt obliged to use that material.

The peculiar thing about it though, was that it was made completely in the Dreamworld, in TarenFerry in the Dreamworld. And the night after she’d finished it, or rather the first night that she had been strong enough to go back into the dreamworld, she had taken the box from the place she’d made it, where it was still hidden in the hollow of a tree, and she thought herself into her room in Co’Dansin. As she woke up the next morning, she found the box on her night table, right where she had put it in the dreamworld.


The following months she had been experimenting with it vigorously whenever she was not trying to figure out any of the other puzzles of which Shara had managed to give her pieces. As she was doing this night.


She leaned back and glanced over her notebook again, over the drawing, wondering how it could be connected in any of the other puzzles. She shook her head and leaned back on her chair I should head back into my bed. she thought wearily, imagining the warm, silken blankets that she had left behind as she had thought to have found a connection between this strange shaped triangle that had been spread over the ground for almost a span, and the portalstone she had seen earlier.

“a lot of sleep missed about nothing aye…” she whispered softly to the butterfly that flew in a glass bottle; a butterfly from TarenFerry in the dreamworld that she had brought here trough her own ter’angreal. As if the butterfly even understood what she had said and had agreed, Mika got up and turned to her bed, eager for sleep.



The smell of sweet nectar filling the room woke her up, tossing aside the thin blankets covering her. “I got another one tonight.” Nhadnays voice startled Mika, but she managed to keep her face somewhat straight, immediately thinking of what the dedicated had been dreaming these past few days. “the same dreams from before they stopped?” she asked, curiosity shining trough her voice.
The man just shook his head. “This one was… final. It was as if I saw an aftermath.”

Nhadnay had been dreaming of something bad happening, something bad to the tower, somehow related to her and a thornbush. Mika did not understand his dreams very well, and neither did he, but in time the dreams had become more clear and told hem a few things. “The thorn.. the one in your heart that tried to be a rose, has been growing into a thornbush tonight. It seems unsure whether it will turn into a rosebush or overtake the heart.” The dedicated hesitated a while. “I feel like we need to go back…” he added reluctantly, not to eager to tell Mika what to do.

“so it seems” Mika said softly. She had put their return of too long already, and finding reasons without lies and without telling the truth for what they had done in the past two years, were difficult enough.
“So it seems” she said once more to herself; already going over what would be needed to go back to the Towers of Tar Valon; back home.