The conspirator looked over the nine men and women with satisfaction. Each were experts in the field of assassination, and had commanded high prices, half in advance, plus guarantees that they could get to safety and new lives afterwards; none of these could ever work again, even if they did survive, because the Black and White Towers, much less the Garrison, would overturn every stone and ferret every hiding place on Earth to find those who had done the bloody deeds about to be done.

Fools! They think they will survive this. Little do they know...

The poison that she had put into their wine cups was undetectable, and would kill them instantly in exactly six hours, unless the antidote was given. And she was the only one in Tar Valon who had the antidote.

They were meeting in a small conference room in the White Tower. It had been so easy for her, a full aes sedai, to get them into the Tower under the guise of workmen. Aes sedai were never checked, and could bring anyone in or out as they pleased. No one ever checked to see if the "workers" had left or not.

She spoke up. "All right. You have your instructions, and you know your targets. Three for the Amyrlin Seat, three for the M'hael, and three for the Marshal General. I have shown you the secret ways. The guards will be distracted. Go now, and success to you."

The nine, all clad in black and their faces blackened for concealment, quickly left.

By this time tomorrow *I* will be the power in Tar Valon, she thought to herself.

Robert was in his bedchamber, preparing for the night's sleep. He had relaxed a little after dinner, reading one of his favorite novels. It had been a hard work week, catching up on administrative details after the Seanchan visit. He was clad only in trousers and undertunic, having removed the light chain shirt he normally wore underneath. Suddenly his head came up. He cocked it, trying to search for the slight noise he had heard. There it was again. Silently, stealthily, his hand moved toward the pillow-sword that he had been in the habit of keeping since early on in his mercenary days. It had saved his life more than once. The noise came a third time, and suddenly three figures burst into the room from a closet that he would have sworn that no way in or out existed. Shouting "Guards!" at the top of his voice, he swept a winecup off of the table and dashed the contents into the face of the nearest intruder, temporarily blinding him. As the other two lunged at him, he noticed the liquid dripping off their blades. Poison, he thought. Someone wants to make sure of me. He was able to fend off the initial blows, and unless help came he was a dead man. They're not used to working together, he noted. Something he could take advantage of.

One of them lunged again, and Robert slipped the thrust, and his riposte caught the assassin in the throat and she went down in a spray of blood. There was movement in the outer chamber, and Robert heard shouting and the sound of someone trying to break down the door. He had put the bar across it, as he always did before retiring, so it would take a bit of force to break it down. The one in whose face Robert had thrown the wine had recovered, and he moved, trying to catch Robert in the side. Robert shoved a chair at him and it caught him on the knees, causing him to come up short. He whirled and engaged the other assassin, slashing him in the gut and causing him to unsuccessfully try to hold in his intestines as he died. They never learn to fight one on one. If their first attempt fails and they don't run, they die.

Just then the door burst open and the cry of "Hold!" came from the guard who charged him, holding a crossbow aimed at the last assassin. That one made a biting motion, and suddenly slumped to the floor.

"Poison," Robert said to himself out loud. He looked up. "Get someone in here to clean this mess. And get someone to trace the way they came. There is no record of that." He heard a commotion outside. "Captain of the Guard! Post number One!" His head came up sharply. That was the post guarding the Amyrlin's suite. "Call out the guard," he said over his shoulder as he dashed towards Sapphira's rooms.

Elaine had been restless all night. Something had been bothering her. She recognized it as one of her hunches. She had been tested for the Towers when she came here with Robert but had been told that she had no trace of the Power that could be trained. When she told the testing Sister about her hunches, she had been told that such Talent was untrainable, but that she should rely on it, as she probably had been for years anyway.

Elaine dressed quickly, made sure all her weapons were in place, and opened the door to her room. The Guard in the corridor outside stiffened to attention then relaxed. She had gone on night prowls before, sometimes just restless, and sometimes to check up on the guards, and they were used to her ways. Clad in her usual black men's clothes, she padded down the halls in soft boots, moving silently through the night.

She passed from the Barracks into the White Tower up towards the Amrylin's suite, the center of her worries tonight. Her feelings told her that if there was to be any trouble, it would be there. Elaine thought about getting some guards to accompany her, but dismissed the idea. She could handle any problems, she thought confidently.

Elaine climbed the final set up stairs leading up to the Amrylin's suite and turned the corner. She stopped, shocked. One guard was on the floor, dead. The other was not to be seen. Two figures were looking over the shoulder of a third, who was trying to pick the lock to the door. She flexed her arm, and the spring sheath hidden under her right sleeve snapped a dagger into her hand. Her hand moved, and one of the intruders was down. The other two dived for cover and at the same time daggers came flying back in her direction, which she ducked.

She recognized the economical, controlled way they moved. Fellow professionals, like herself. This would be a challenge. She couldn't shout for help, no one would hear her from up here. It was up to her to make sure they didn't get to Sapphira.

Elaine ducked behind a corner, peering out to see if she catch the intruders at unawares. She could hear movement, but she couldn't see anything. She wondered how the assassins had gotten in, all of the secret ways in and out of here were supposed to be mapped and blocked. She supposed that in a structure as old as the White Tower, people, even aes sedai, could lose track of lots of things.

There was a noise behind her, and suddenly a weight slammed into her, knocking her to the floor. She kicked out and rolled, a knife appearing in her hand, and slashed out at the figure looming over her. That one ducked and struck back, just missing her face. Elaine could see the dampness on the blade. Poison, and she guessed it was a fairly nasty one too.

They parried back and forth, each trying and failing to get inside the other's guard. She kept track of the eyes, trying to guess where he would go next, hoping for that little mistake. There! Just that little movement! That slight flick of the eyes, showing where he'll go next. The assassin lunged, but Elaine was able to anticipate him. She caught him in the throat and closed her eyes to avoid the spray of blood across her face and hair.

Two intruders down, she opened her eyes and dashed towards the door, looking for the third. She caught a movement on her right side, but wasn't able to block the blow in time. She felt a cold, sharp pain across her abdomen as the poisoned dagger cut into her. Instinctively, her hands moved down to try to stop the bleeding as a loud scream of agony in a voice that she just barely recognized as her own rang out. As she went down, she heard the meaty thunk of a crossbow bolt slamming into a body...

Robert ran at full tilt towards the Amyrlin's chamber, gathering up guards as he went. As he rounded the stair and stepped onto the landing leading into her suite, he saw a crossbowman just ahead of him take aim and shoot, and heard the unmistakeable sound of a quarrel slamming into a body. He dashed past the sharpshooter, and saw bodies lying all around in front of Sapphira's door. Two of the assassins were dead of knife wounds, while the third lay dead in front of him with the bolt that had taken his life sticking out of his chest. Blood was everywhere.

Elaine lay in front of the door. She was conscious, writhing in pain. "It hurts, it hurts," she said, over and over. He knelt by her. She had taken a deep slash to the stomach and it was bleeding profusely. He had seen men and women die from such. He turned to one of the guards who had followed him up. "Get a yellow sister, quickly! Run!" He motioned over to one of the other guards. "Get four gaidar up here now." The women would stand guard in the suite itself. "Send someone to check on the M'hael." It was very likely that Rialt might also be the target of assassins tonight.

Robert strode up to the door and began pounding on it. "Sapphira! Sapphira! Wake up!" Then he swore feelingly himself as he remembered. Included in the set of keys he always carried with him was the key to the Amyrlin's suite itself. He pulled it out, inserted it, and turned. As he pushed open the door, he heard the rustling of movement inside, coming towards him...

Sapphira went to bed, tired. It had been a long enough day, that was certain, and she was looking forward to the end of it. She climbed into bed, more than ready for a good night's sleep, hoping to wake refreshed and ready to face tomorrow. She fell asleep quickly and deeply, but at some late hour of the night she was woken by loud noises outside of her bedchamber. As she woke more fully, she realized it had not been a trifling sound, it had been a scream, although more than that she could not have said. She jumped out of bed and barely paused to throw a warm robe over her shoulders. Whatever was going on, it would do no one any good if she froze her fingers off because she was too thoughtless to grab a robe. The ability to ignore the cold did not mean one was not affected by it, after all. She heard more voices outside in the hall, someone shouted for a Yellow, and Sapphira stepped out of her bedchamber into her sitting room as someone began to pound on her door and shout her name. As she got to the door, it opened, revealing Robert. Of course, he had a key to her rooms, for just such an occasion as this.

Sapphira wasted no time asking Robert what was going on, it was fairly clear by the bodies laying on the ground that there had been some sort of attack. Directly in front of her door was a woman she recognized as Elaine, still concious, but with a bad gash in her stomach. Sapphira thanked the Light that she had a Talent for Healing. Robert had been right to send someone for a Yellow, but unless Elaine was on the brink of death, she should not be necessary. Sapphira's sort of Healing would leave Elaine tired and very hungry, and would drain Sapphira herself to an extent where someone like Rialt could Heal with no energy but that from the Power. Still, it was better than nothing, and the Light only knew how many other people a Yellow sister would have the opportunity to save tonight. Sapphira knelt down and took Elaine's head in her hands. She wasted no time asking the woman if she would accept Healing, instead she began weaving Spirit and Water into Delving to make sure she did not miss any part of the wound. And well she did, the Delving told her that the wound was poisoned, a particularly nasty poison, actually. She manipulated her weave and added Air to make it Healing, and laid it over the other woman. Elaine's reaction to the Healing was no different from anyone else's, and since it was a rather harsh wound, her reaction was proportionally strong. But she was Healed. Doubtless when the Yellow got here she would want to check again just to make sure, but Sapphira did not doubt that the woman would be alright now.

"Someone take Elaine to the Infirmary. She should be fine now, but she'll be tired and hungry, make sure she gets a big meal and fairly soon," Sapphira instructed to no one in particular, yet immediately one man helped Elaine up and another ran to wake a cook. When they were gone, Sapphira turned to Robert. "Somehow I don't think this was supposed to be a friendly midnight visit with the Amyrlin. Any idea what's going on or who these people were?" She did not really expect Robert to know anything yet, how could he? Clearly this had all just taken place, she had heard some of it herself. Another question occured to Sapphira suddenly, "How did you know to come up here?" It was incredibly good luck that Elaine, Robert, and the others had come up just at this moment. True, Sapphira had guards, but by the looks of the one who was still here, they had not been a great defense. That could not be tolerated. Light, her own guards, one dead and one missing, and three assassins who would have killed her if not for the Light alone knew what luck.

"We were lucky," Robert replied. "Three of them came for me, from out of the wall, if you would believe it. Here I thought that we had all these passages mapped and blocked, but it seems we don't. I'll wager that there's one that opens right outside your door." He paused. "I was able to fight them off because they made a noise when they forced their way into my chambers. I've sent someone to check on Rialt. If they went for the two of us, they probably went for him too." He bent over the examine the bodies more closely. They were dressed all in black and their faces had been covered by charcoal to help conceal them in the dark. "They probably came in dressed as common workmen, but they would have needed someone with intimate knowledge of the Towers to show them where they needed to go." Robert did not like where his train of thought was going. There was more than likely at least one traitor in the Towers, and it could be aes sedai, asha'man or gaidin. He could see by her expression that Sapphira was having the same thoughts, and liked them as little as he did. "As for the other, Elaine has hunches. She was tested, but it's nothing that can be trained here at the Tower. But at times she gets feelings that she may be needed somewhere, that there is danger out there. It's saved her life and mine a number of times."

As he was standing there in a brown study, one of his Companions, Nimue by name, came up and saluted. "Sir, we've found the body of the other guard. Garroted, like the first. And we found where they came out. They left the entrance open for a quick getaway. We'll have to check further, but one of them matches the description of a man wanted for the assassination of a noble in Andor. He's supposedly from Illian, and he specializes in assassination. For a very high price, he will get rid of a political or commercial rival, no questions asked."

"I imagine he asked a very high price for this," Robert said. "He'd never be able to work again, and would have to change his appearance, his manners, everything if he had gotten out alive, because the Towers would have hunted him and his friends and who ever hired him mercilessly."

Four gaidar from the Amyrlin's Own arrived, and Robert gave them his orders. "They'll be in the suite itself, watching to make sure that nothing else happens. I know you value your privacy, but..." He spread his hands and shrugged his shoulders.

"Robert, what happened? I heard Elaine had been wounded and was in the Infirmary." He looked and saw his sister, dressed in armor and carrying a bloody longsword. Her head was bared and her red hair ran riot. "I got your message and started over, but I and my guards were attacked just before we got to the City Square. We managed to see them off."

Robert started. "What message? I didn't send a message. Do you know who it was? And what did they say?"

"There was a man in Tower livery who said that Elaine had been hurt in a fight and that I was needed," Erin replied. "He ran off before I could question him further. I dressed in armor because he had mentioned a fight, and then I started for here with a couple of guards. We were jumped, but managed to fight them off. They were yelling 'Get her. That's the sister. Get the bitch.'" Her eyes were wide and frightened as she looked at Robert, suddently realizing the enormity of what had happened. "What's going on? They were calling out my name! What is happening?"

"Coup d'etat", Robert said. "Somebody just tried to assassinate the heads of the three branches of the Towers. It didn't work, but it was close. Elaine saved Sapphira's life." He moved to reassure Erin, but stopped, taken suddenly by the hottest, deepest, most intense rage. His fists clenched, and a silver winecup he had been toying with suddenly snapped in two. HOW DARE THEY? HOW DARE THEY STRIKE AT THE ONES HE VALUED THE MOST? HOW DARE THEY TRY TO TAKE FROM HIM THE ONLY CLOSE FAMILY HE HAD LEFT? HOW DARE THEY STRIKE AT THE ONES HE LOVED?!

Nimue stepped back, frightened by the fury reflected in his face. Erin had seen this before. It was a killing rage, and men had died from it. Light! I could almost feel sorry for the person who gave the orders, Erin thought. He or she might as well kill themselves now, because they're dead. She shuddered. It would not be pretty when Robert caught up with who ever had arranged this.

Robert took a deep breath and composed himself. He would not give in to the raw emotion surging within him. He would channel it and use it to help in his search for whoever had done this. It would do him and everyone who relied on him no good at all if he let his emotions gain control of him. "Well," he said in a calm voice, "it looks as if we have a job to do." He gathered Erin and Sapphira into a badly needed hug of mutual reasssurance. He felt Erin's body sag against his, shaking in delayed reaction. He released the two women. "I'm going to go down to the Infirmary to see how Elaine is doing, then I'll try to get some rest. I suggest that you do the same. Or at least try. We're going to be very busy."

There's lots of room in here for JM's to interact too...

ooc - srry for the wait. This has a bit of a racy subject in it, so don't read if you get offended easily.


It had been a long while since Rialt had seen Lyla, and he missed her fiercely. Most nights he lay awake thinking about her, wondering what she was doing and wishing he could be wherever she was. He hadn’t been so taken with a woman in such a long time, and then he met her… Twenty years in his lifetime though was nothing. A hundred would have been something, but that wasn’t the case. His thoughts often dwelt on her and Kiren mentioned to him how he needed to share his bed with someone else. It wasn’t the physicality he missed though, he could have that whenever he wanted. And for Kiren, who bedded a great deal of different types of men, it meant nothing to distract oneself until the true desires were met. No, no Rialt would not be able to do what Kiren did, he could not bring himself to engage in meaningless sexual encounters to satisfy his lust. He loved Lyla, and she loved him…or at least he hoped she loved him.

Oh come now, you’re over-reacting, she hasn’t forgotten you. And you certainly haven’t forgotten her. He thought to himself. Tonight, Kiren stayed in her own apartments. Usually when she did this it was to satisfy her own needs of course, and unfortunately with him, she couldn’t mask the bond as he did with her. He merely had to endure it, which only reminded him of how lonely he really was. It was absurd, really, the idea that the M’Hael of all people in the world could even feel the pang of loneliness. But he was a human being, and he did have emotions, regardless of what many asserted about him. He couldn’t mention things like that anyway, it was a weakness…which was precisely why Lyla was kept a secret from all except one other.

He flipped himself over to lay on his stomach, the sheets ruffling in his wake and settled in to the large bed. He had gone to bed early that night in favor of a well needed sleep. But he had always had problems sleeping, and Kiren certainly wasn’t helping things. He dropped his head into the pillow below him and groaned, “Light Kiren, this is ridiculous…” Rising from his position he took hold of Saidin and lit a small flame to see by. He swung his feet around toward the floor and took a sip of the water he had by his bed, hoping to somehow allow the thoughts swirling around in his head to be washed away. Looking around the dimly lit room, he sat silently trying to figure out what to do with himself. He had been lying in bed for five hours now and not a lick of sleep was thrown his way and he had the brief fantasy of putting off all of his duties for the next day. Looking over towards the door he noticed a crack in the door and rose to close it completely, and silently chastised himself for not closing it all the way. Moving to shut it though, it burst open instead and sent him sprawling across the floor, a trickle of blood sprouting naturally from his nose. “What in the bloody Shayol Gul!?” He yelled out as he landed and saw two figures rush into the room, blending immediately into the blackness, his small finger flame snuffed out the second his nose collided with the door.

Grabbing the source before he even made it to his feet he illuminated the room with a flame and quickly lit every candle he knew to be in place, scanning the area around him. He saw nothing. “Do not think I am so foolish as to ignore you flaming-“and there in the corner of his eye a small movement and he sent a volley of air in that direction, and felt liquid splash across his face. “One down…” He whispered into the expansive emptiness of the room. He reconstructed the weave of air this time, into a net, and waited. “Light!” He yelled out as a sharp pang swept across his arm, and he flung the net of air towards the source. Gripping his arm, he watched as the arrow connected with the wall across from him, thudding into place against the wooden panels of a wardrobe. He surveyed the room, the bloody corpse…or rather, pieces of the first littered the ground towards the door. The woman before him however was suspended in a frightful position, her bow stuck with an arrow notched and ready. He jogged towards her and yanked the bow and arrow from her frozen grasp. She was still alive, luckily. He inspected the arrow, a natural thing to do for a skilled healer and noticed the drip. Dropping the bow to the ground he raised the arrow and prepared to sink it deep into the woman’s chest when she hollered out, “DON’T!”

He eyed her warily, “you tell me what is on this arrow woman, or I will not hesitate to stick it so far in you that not even I could remove it.” She looked away, towards the door, and he turned, a solid black figure writhing, much resembling the woman before him, and slumped to the ground, an Asha'man watching him fall. He said nothing, the man knew Rialt was grateful, but why he was roaming this area of the Black Tower, Rialt had no idea. He recognized the man immediately when he turned to face Rialt. Resolute al'Therin, one of the Aman Val. Turning back to the woman before him he screamed in her face, “WHAT DID YOU PUT ON THE ARROW SHADOWSWORN?!” His temper flared and Kiren burst into the room, barely clad. “TELL me or I will make the last few hours of your miserable existence more than the Shadow could ever do to you.” She had no choice but to look him in the eyes, there was a weave of air so tight around her that she could barely breathe. “There was nothing on the arrow I shot you with, only the one you hold. The first was meant to injure, the second to kill.” She said calmly and to the point. He didn’t believe her of course, but he couldn’t very well kill her. It was necessary to find out who had done this. “Are there any more of you?” “No,” she answered.

Rialt turned to Resolute at the door. “Send to the Amyrlin, make sure she is alive.”

“She is, Father, the same has happened there as has happened here.” A tower guard yelled as he and a contingent of guards ran up behind him, their boots thudding against the floor, and Rialt wondered where they had been when they were needed. He dismissed the thought from his mind and threw the arrow to the floor, and transferred hold of the weave over to one of the Dieb Cha who had made his way inside. “Hold her at all times, I want to question her later.” Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror opposite him, he noticed the blood running from head to toe, and glanced silently at the illuminated corpse. His body had been severed in countless places, and Rialt looked away. One of the Tower Guards, a young one, turned to empty his stomach on the floor. Rialt and Resolute were probably one of a few in the room who were unphased by that. He had probably died before he felt a thing, Rialt wagered, and then used a weave of air to remove the blood from his body. He needed to be healed, to make sure the arrow had no poison on it. Grabbing a shirt from beside the bed, Rialt pulled it on and left the cleanup, and the woman, to the other men in the room, and motioned for Resolute to follow.

Kiren flocked to his side and he eyed her, as she looked him over, just to make sure. “I’m fine Kiren, I’m fine.” She looked away, “I’m sorry Rialt.” He almost wanted to laugh, “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” They walked the majority of the way in silence, as various thoughts roamed through his head. He needed to make sure Sapphira was ok, she was though, according to the guards who had shown themselves after their usefulness had expired. He would have felt the poison quite quickly if there had been any on the arrow. He did not speak to Resolute, what he had to say to the man he would say in a moment, he wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong with him either. Entering into the Infirmary one of the yellows flocked to his side immediately, and after explaining briefly what had occurred, she mentioned something similar taking place within the confines of the White Tower. He made eye contact with Robert but instead turned to speak to Resolute. "Thankyou my brother, I would be dead now if it hadn't been for you."

Kris was tending to the fields on the family farm with his father, it had been years since they moved from Fal Moran. He was anticipating that afternoon as he always spent that time with is friends pretending to be soldiers and practicing their sword play with each other. Although they would never learn as much as they would when they joined the army at 15, the minimum age allowed. At 14 he was turning into a nice young lad many of his father’s friends were very fond of him and every now and then he would help out around their homes for a few coins. Although 15 seemed like a very young age to be allowed into the army, it was rather suspected and necessary in Shienar with all the trolloc raids. He had begun to notice the soldiers coming home from the raids a few weeks ago, and due to his righteous upbringing he could think of no better way to live his life than by hunting the minions of the shadow. Quietly and with a sigh of content he bent back to his work of plowing the field getting the horse moving again when suddenly he heard a thumping noise and loud ruckus. He started looking around to figure out where it came from but had no luck. He turned to call to his father………

Kris sat up in his bed in The Black Tower, damn it was just a dream, he thought to himself before realizing the ruckus was from the real world. Quickly he put on his uniform as the noise drew closer and he poked his head out from his room just in time to see the M’hael cross on a cross hall not 100 yards down the corridor. The fuss seemed to be about him as he watched many guards follow close behind. He quietly stepped out into the hall and fell in line at the back of the column of guards to see what was going on. Normally he could get in trouble but he was concerned with what might be wrong and his yearning to help in whatever way he could quickly overwhelmed his conscience telling him to stay behind. It had only been a few months since he had helped the M’hael in his home country by teaching him his ways and if it hadn’t been for that blasted journey Kris might not be having dreams of his home anymore. Quickly pushing home out of his mind he continued to tail the column of guards and started to realize that they were heading for the infirmary. Having been out sneaking around after lights out in the past he took a few shortcuts to get to the head of the column, and praised his knowledge of the Tower’s layout when he ended up about 100 yards away at another cross hall. As they got closer he casually strolled into the hallway and feigned surprise when he saw the M’hael, he quickly paid his respects to the leader of The Black Tower and supplied an explanation for his presence, “Good Evening M’hael, I know I should be asleep but I couldn’t help but be woken up by all the commotion and wandered out to see what had happened. I shall return to my room immediately.”

Screams. Bestial Roars. The Death-sighs of the wounded. All around the sleeping Resolute the horrors of a battlefield greeted him. A man who had lived as much as Resolute had did not sleep lightly. In his short life, Resolute had been in the blight, he had fought in battles. He had killed and wounded men and women both with his steel and with his Power. Those were the deaths that haunted Resolute. To see a man ripped to shreds with a power whose presence and purpose no one really knew the extent off....It messed people up inside to have to do those things to survive.

Deep down, the moral compass that guided Resolute knew that every man he killed, every life he took was a man who could no longer pray on the innocent, or Resolute. Resolute was hardly innocent. Innocent people did not have the dreams Resolute had. They had Nightmares. Resolute's nightmare would blow their mind. The Asha'man Al'Aman Val was not the realm of the innocent either.

With a gasp, the Asha'man awoke. His head hurt. It always did these days, with the way he was always drinking. He couldn't help it. At least the alcohol numbed the visions, the memory's that he could not shake. He knew, from the cold sweat that drenched his brow, that trying to go back to sleep was meaningless.

With a growl, he rolled from bed, and stepped into his black Asha'man coat.
At least he was fully sober. He didn't think he could have born being up at this infernal hour, and been drunk. Walking aimlessly, he drifted through the Black Tower's grounds, a black shadow moving through a moonless night. Looking up at the bright stars above Tar Valon, Resolute was gripped by a sudden apprehension. He glanced down, and through a large hedge saw three figures clothed in black moving hurriedly across the grounds.

That in and of itself did not bother him, after all, Black was the color of the Black Tower. Go figure. But each figure bore an armed crossbow, with arrowheads that glinted dully in the dark night. Each figure had a thin sword strapped over their backs too.

Immediately, Resolute knew these were no Asha'man. Immediately the veteran warrior dropped to a crouch, stalking the three as they moved with determined purpose through the dark grounds. With a silent movement, one of the men let the trio into the restricted quarters. Where Rialt took his room.

Cursing under is breath, the angry Asha'man pounded down the quad, and burst into the door of a long hallway. The Assassins had set a guard, and with a cool efficiency, the man fired his crossbow. Resoluted kicked his own feet out from under himself, landing hard on his tail bone. The arrow passed harmlessly over his head and the man sprinted down the hall after his companions.

Suddenly Resolute felt a burst of Saidin, and knew someone was channeling. By the sudden screams Resolute was willing to bet it was the M'Hael. He spun the final corner, and came up behind the final standing person as the black cloaked figure lifted his crossbow to finish Rialt. Reaching over the man's shoulder, Resolute caught his chin with one big hand. With a vicious twist, he dropped the man snapping his neck with one smooth motion.

Panting, Resolute looked to Rialt for orders. The Man immediately wished to see to the Amrylin's health. Men arriving in short order confirmed her survival as well. Relieved, Resolute turned to his former mentor. The powerful man waved Resolute to fall in step with his growing entourage, consisting of Robert, and the M'Hael's Warder, Kiren.

"Thank you my brother, I would be dead now if it hadn't been for you."

Resolute gently touched a fist to shoulder in a salute. "I am Aman'Val, Father. We don't sleep, we wait. It was my honor to be able to serve you."

*poke, poke, poke*

*I was waiting for some jm's to respond... should i just go ahead?*

am working on a response

I was kind of hoping Mother would respond in the two topics...

Galmath was awake in an instant, his mind for the last day and a half had been whirling, so much to learn, so much that he still needed to come to terms with. What had awoken him? His senses were on alert, silently he rose and slipped on the crisp black coat he'd been issued. The high collar was bare, like any Soldier he wore no insignia. It was like being a number.

Footsteps... yes, footsteps out in the hall. They were moving quickly, and they were many. he was about to place hs hand to the knob of the door when he paused, thinking better of it. Moving back to the chest of drawers he pulled from the bottom mst a well worn belt, in a frog at the left side it held an axe, a wicked looking thing, made for chopping flesh not wood. He deftly buckled it on and slowly opened the door, dark eyes widening at the sight of so many guards and other black coated men milling about the halls.

A guard came and was about to rap on the door as Galmath opened it. The younger men who shared his room, Seth and Varthorin were right behind Galmath. The three spoke with the guard and then dispursed, Seth and Varthorin going their own ways while Galmath joined with the crowd accompanying the M'hael. Interesting, he thought. Already following my mentor... I was going to go to meet him today. Well, later today, anyway.

The Soldier fell into step with the slowly growing contingent of black coated men, hs top knot easily distinguishing him from many of the others.

Kayshira contemplated her pillow, her stomach rumbling. Why couldn't I have eating a bit more at dinner? She thought to herself, resigned, even as she flopped onto her back. She was tired, but her hunger was more powerful than her drowsiness. With a muttered curse, Kayshira slipped from bed, her feet flinching as they pressed against cold flooring. Still grumbling under her breath, Kayshira hopped about, pulling on a pair of trousers and a vest over her nightshirt before grabbing a pair of boots. She walked quietly toward the door, trying to remember the route to the kitchens. Left, then right? Light, I hope there's a bloody roll left out. Kayshira thought to herself, even as her stomach rumbled. She slipped through the door and ran swiftly toward the Tower, gravel crunching under her boots. No, I think I need to take two lefts, and the go straight for a while.... Blood and ashes! I'm never going to manage to get something to eat without being caught. Kayshira wrinkled her nose, but continued on. After all, what was a punishment to hunger and a sleepless night? It was her pride that kept her going, though. I won't turn back from a silly kitchen raid. Something fell from the pocket of her trousers, though, and the recruit was forced to stop. What was that? Kayshira wondered, even as she crouched to sift through the gravel before her. An archery glove? She must have stuck one of the range's glove into her pocket the day before. Narrowing her eyes, Kayshira stood up and searched through her other pocket, finding a arm guard. No matter. I can return it in the morning. Shrugging to herself, Kayshira shoved the glove back into her trousers and continued up toward the tower.

Kayshira pushed open the heavy wooden door, wincing as the door squeaked. Kayshira froze, but no one seemed to be out. She let out a relieved sigh, before turning and facing the unfamiliar corridor. Do I turn right first, or left? I remember stairs.. Kayshira shrugged to herself, and started walking forward, figuring that something would jog her memory sometime. I'm not going to turn back, after all. I will be nothing if I am a coward. With a brisk nod, Kayshira turned right, and ventured further into the tower. She had only traveled a little farther when she heard the scream. Kayshira halted, swivling to face another passage way. What is possibly going on in the middle of the bloody night? I don't need this! All I want is a light forsaken roll. Huffing, Kayshira ventured slowly toward the noise, trying to walk as quietly as possible. After a few minutes, Kayshira spotted a sight that left her gagging and glad that she didn't have anything in her stomach to vomit. One of the tower guards was laid out before her, long bow clasped in one hand, and his throat pierced with another arrow. Is there an attack? Who would use bows inside a building?! Kayshira stared, even as she approached the man and knelt beside him, frantic panic building. Blood and ashes! Is this what recruits always get when they go for a kitchen raid? I wish I had gone hungry... It was too late, though, Kayshira admitted to herself, even as she dug into her pockets and pulled on her glove and arm guard, even as she stared at the dead man with wide eyes. If he can be killed, I'm doomed. The recruit gulped, even as she raided a dead man's body for his quiver and bow.

By the time she had them in her hands, she was running, frantic to find someone, anyone. There had to be someone in the light forsaken place who knew about the attack, after all! How many assasins are there? Kayshira could only hope for the Dark One's own luck as she skidded through the halls, her eyes turning shadows into enemies as she ran. A few doors ahead, she could hear sounds, so Kayshira slowed to a walk and quietly inched ahead, hoping wiht all her might that she had not stumbled upon the enemy. Even as she bit her lip hard enough to bleed, she peered around the wall, gratefull eyes falling upon the form of Robert Gaidar. "Sir!" It was almost a yell as she ran toward him, confusing evident on her face. "What is going on? I-I found someone dead back there." Kayshira bit her lip again, guilt writen upon her face. "All I wanted was a bloody dinner roll." She muttered, even as she looked over the crowd of people assembled. Blood and ashes...

*i did post no one has used me in a response yet*

Robert released his hold on the two women as he heard the shocked exclamation. Looking up, it was his new squire, Kayshira, holding a longbow and arrows that she must have picked up along the way, looking as if she would be sick to her stomach. He couldn't blame her; it was not a sight for a novice to see. He nodded to her, and gave a small smile. "Your instincts were right, but they would have eaten you alive. They were professionals, and we were lucky to lose as few as we did." He paused for a moment, studying the young woman. "Stay with my sister Erin and do whatever she asks." He turned to the others. "I'm going down to the Infirmary to see to Elaine. Nimue, come with me." "I'll stay with Sapphira," Erin said. Robert nodded and left.

Trailed by Nimue and a gaggle of aides and guards, he made his way to the Infirmary, to find Rialt, covered in blood, and a number of asha'man. "I see they went for you too," he said to the M'hael. He clasped hands with the other briefly. "They came at me out of the walls. I was lucky; they made too much noise. Elaine stopped three outside of Sapphira's door." He paused and took a deep breath. "Then there were those went for my sister."

He entered the Infirmary, and was directed to a room where Elaine was resting on a bed, just starting to begin on an enormous meal. "It does take a lot out of you," he said. "Rest and get your strength back." He reached over and touched her hand briefly, then turned on his heel and left.

*Urg wants to post but can't*

Erin carefully wiped the blood off her sword with a convenient piece of cloth. Then, preceded by the gaidar and Robert's squire, she followed the Amyrlin into her suite. She motioned to Kayshira. "Here, help me off with this," and stood as the younger woman tugged the mail shirt and quilted padding over her shoulders. Then she walked over to the wine cabinet, poured herself and Sapphira a generous glass of wine each, and sat down. She looked up at Kayshira, standing there with a look of complete befuddlement on her face. "Well, girl," she said, "if you're going to be my brother's squire and involved in his most intimate business, then you are going to meet all kinds of people and wind up in places you never thought you were going to go. Sit down and listen and learn." She pushed one of the glasses towards Sapphira and took out a comb and began running it through her red hair, which has been standing up in disarray. "I don't particularly like being a target, and I'm sure you don't either," she said to the Amyrlin. "The three of you rule the City. To be frank, you could say the four of us, since I serve as Robert's advisor and I handle many things, especially in the civil area, for him. This was a pure, raw, naked power grab. Now we need to figure out who." She watched as Sapphira sat silent, her mind working.

Ooc – ok so its not long or anything, but I don’t want to hold up the thread any more. I figured that Galmath and Kris might be able to interact here while I talked with Res, but if not I can change that.

Staring into the window he realized how he looked. Covered in blood, it looked as if he had been seriously injured, which of course was just not the case. Taking hold of the source, he whipped a bit of air around his body and the blood fell in a puddle on the floor. He felt a little better…but he was still silently seething. How many times had it been that things had gotten past the guards? How many times had the Black Tower’s leaders been targeted, how many times had HE been targeted?

He scoffed as one of the N’Dore took a look at his wounds. “It was not poisonous Sir, you would have felt it by now…” Rialt sighed, “You mean I would already be dead.” The man in front of him nodded. He could guess at the poison they used, there were few that killed so quickly. But what baffled him the most, was why he wasn’t lying on the floor like so many were that night. She could have used the poison arrow first, but she hadn’t. Rialt had the distinct feeling she should not have missed. He added that to the list of things he intended to ask the woman during interrogation. If she was intelligent, she’d be wishing right about now that he had killed her.

Looking around him, he realized what a crowd he had gathered. A few soldiers and some Asha’man, the tower guard. “I want everyone to return to what they were doing.” Everyone around him began to disperse, “Except, you...” He pointed to one of the soldiers and then another, “And you.” They stopped. “And I would like to talk to you alone Resolute.” He said softly to the Asha’man. Everyone else quickly disappeared. He sat on one of the beds that was isolated from the remainder of the ward and moved to speak to Resolute.

“You are Aman Val, I remember.” He thought quickly about what he was going to ask this man. Kiren was going to flay him alive for it, but it needed to be done. “This is not the first attempt on my life, I am sure you are aware. I would never mention this to Kiren,” She was standing off the side looking sufficiently guilty, “But I need someone with the power to watch my back.” He looked at Resolute squarely. The request was meant for him. “I will understand if you do not wish to do so, but I cannot continue to operate without some level of protection beyond what Kiren can offer me.” He wasn’t asking to bond the man of course, he just wanted someone he could trust, and Resolute was the perfect candidate.

The top knotted soldier nodded as the M'hael pointed to the him and the other. He recognized the man as Kris, what was the surname? Vespin, yes, that was it. Kris Vespin, he wondered why they two had been selected out. Perhaps they had been selected for something? His training took over, he was not just a Soldier, he was a soldier as well. Hehe, that sounded funny but it was true, he looked to the other man and nodded.

"Seems, we're the chosen tonight... I'm Corliss, Galmath Corliss. You been here long?"

As he spoke he sized the other up, he gestured for the man to turn so that their backs were to the three who had stepped away, Galmath's eyes as soon as they were done taking the measure of Kris, were actively searching the surrounding area, save for the area behind him. The woman, Kiren, looked dangerous enough that he knew he could trust her to watch that quarter. At his own belt he eased the axes that rested there. He was a solder.

"You watch that side, I've got this quarter. Anything moves, don't keep it to yourself... "

he wasn't sure what they were looking for, but there was an uneasiness in the air. It seemed to float there. The M'hale's voice and the Asha'man's were lowered, in their conference, even had they not been Galmath knew better than to eavesdrop, you neer wanted to know what was being decided for the unit... could get you killed second guessing someone.

He glaned to the other Soldier and really hoped he didn't mind Galmath's taking the lead in this.