Jaren guided the guards to set the patient on a bed in a private room. Joline and Minerva, the two Accepted assisting in the Infirmary that day, followed curiously, and for once Jaren was glad they had; he was going to need their help. The stranger was badly injured… And it looked like he’d been set upon by channellers. Which meant—
“Joline, get me Asha’man Jaryd,” Jaren said. The Accepted let out an alarmed squeak, and Jaren frowned irritably at her. “Today, please. He doesn’t bite.” Only when the girl ran off did it occur to Jaren what he’d actually said. Well, that’s an unexpected advantage to being oathless, he thought wryly. It would have been beyond embarrassing to choke on that sentence when the First Oath kicked in…
But the amusement drained out of him quickly when he Delved the patient in front of him. What the hell happened to you… “Minerva,” he said without looking at the remaining Accepted, “I’m going to need you to link with me.”
He was alive.
The realisation crashed home, jolting him awake. The rush of adrenaline gave him the strength to push himself up on his elbows and he opened his eyes, squinting against the brightness of the daylight flooding the room. A hand settled on his chest, pushing him gently back down.
“Easy, there,” a voice said softly. A face came into view, though it took Mael several moments to focus his eyes enough to see more than just a figure with a halo of golden hair about its head. Wide, blue-grey eyes looked back at him, and an expressive mouth curled into a smile when he saw Mael had seen him. “I’m Jaren Marle, of the Yellow Ajah. You’ve just been Healed, and you were in pretty bad shape so don’t go trying any unnecessary heroics or I’ll have my Warder sit on you.” The smile widened a fraction. “…Never mind. The important thing is that you’re safe now.”
Yellow Ajah. The man wore a black uniform that was similar but not identical to those of the Black Tower, and the same applied to the pins on his collar. An Asha’man… of the Yellow Ajah. Who has a Warder. Mael closed his eyes, a sigh of relief escaping him. Evidently he’d made it to the Grey Tower.
There was the sound of a door opening, and Mael opened his eyes again. Marle was speaking to the newcomer in a low voice; “He’s awake and you should be able to question him for a bit, but he needs to rest…” But Mael’s eyes were fixed on the man who had entered the room. The man in red. The words from the Dream echoed in his head; Wake up, Akashi. It’s time to wake up.
“I’ve Dreamt about you,” Mael said abruptly, interrupting whatever Marle had been saying… and gaining the undivided attention of both men. “I’ve Dreamt about you,” he repeated slowly. “You told me to wake up.”