Breaking the Binds (Attn: Becky)

[Leala]

Torianin had found a small advantage to being in the smallest Ajah in the Grey Tower. Her weeks of training and education in weaves and tradition were cut a bit short. The Red Ajah was the newest Ajah as well as the smallest, so instead of running about at the whim of her superiors, like most newly-raised sisters did, there were some pauses in her tasks. On the first of these lulls, she decided to take action. There was something that she needed to master, but to get to it, she needed to go through the Indigo Ajah. She had made no secret why she wanted to join the Red Ajah. She had come from a storm of injustice against channelers, and she wanted to be able to help the victims in any way that she could. To do that, she had to make sure that she could successfully. So, she found herself in the offices of the Heads of all the Ajahs. She went to the door of Jerid Walker and knocked. She waited for a moment, and when there was no answer, and no sound of movement to answer from the other side, she assumed that he was not in. Taking a deep breath, she turned from the door. Maybe she could find someone else.

Coming into the hall was the Head of the White Ajah, Leala. Her cool silver eyes landed on Torianin, and a pleased smile came to her face. "Congratulations on your raising, Sister." Leala had been there, as the head of her Ajah, holding a white shawl. She had taught Torianin Traveling, and she had been a good instructor.

"Thank you, Sister." It was not only strange hearing herself referred to as "Sister," but it was equally strange calling Aes Sedai that. "I need to speak with a member of the Indigo Ajah, and this was the first place that I thought of, but Asha'man Jerid doesn't seem to be in his office."

"Ah," the White said calmly. "I just spoke with Illyria on the way here. She was on her way to the Library. What is it that you need from them?"

Torianin had a very specific ter'angreal in mind, but its use in the Grey Tower, and really to anyone that wasn't in its thrall was a touchy subject. "I need to study a ter'angreal, and I would like to request access to its location."

Leala nodded her head slowly. She had been Accepted for so long that she felt like she was being examined, and that she would be questioned further, but Leala simply smiled again. "Well, if you present a good enough reason to her, I'm sure she'll allow you to study it."

She very nearly curtsied and thanked her with her full title, but instead, she said, "Thank you, Leala. Light shine on you."

"And you as well," the First Reasoner said, her smile still in place.

Torianin left the offices and headed up the stairs again. She reached the Library and looked around until she found the Indigo Aes Sedai, looking through the shelves. She had met her in passing when she was an Accepted, but she had never held a conversation with her. She did detect an accent similar to hers, though, so she knew that she was Seanchan. She wondered what her past had been like as she walked up to her. "Good day, Sister," she said with a friendly smile as she approached. "Might I talk with you for a minute? I would like to study a ter'angreal in your Ajah's custody."

[Stasia]

Illyria Malkom

Dust motes floated through the air, highlighted by sunlight streaming in through the windows; this was a cheery, pleasant change from the section of the Library that she usually haunted. The books that were restricted to those who had ascended the Great Stair were not displayed in bookshelves that ever saw sunlight, and researching the mechanics of the One Power was not something that any learning ranks were encouraged to do; the Browns were correct when they assumed that the temptation to experiment would be too great. Not that hiding their books ever stopped me, she thought idly, remembering the countless number of times she could have burned herself out playing with the Power. At least with the books now in her reach, she understood where her misguided research as an Accepted had faltered, and saw where it could move forward.

But this afternoon, in a public section of the Library, she was researching something slightly more domestic than the complexities of saidar: there was a large gaggle of Novices and Soliders with Talents and Abilities that needed to be identified and trained, and the Indigo Ajah seemed to be shrinking. Many of their members were out in the world researching only the Light knew what, and that left too few hands at home to properly care for the students. She had stepped down from Mistress of Novices because she needed the time to care for her own family and could not leave Emila to be raised by Tower nannies while she raised Novices, but that did not make her any less an Aes Sedai or any less a member of the Indigo Ajah. The First Seeker bid her to familiarize herself with Talents, and Illyria agreed that it was a responsible and necessary task; the table beside her was already stacked high with books on Healing, Cloud Dancing, Illusion, and creating ter'angreal. The texts were all beyond the scope of her own Talent; she could not even produce a puff of a cloud and could barely Heal a bruise, but the theoretical knowledge was paramount. She had to know how Talents manifested before she identify one attempting to blossom in an initiate.

Another tome was pulled from the shelf, Theories on Dreaming, and set beside her stack. Her fingers stripped dust from the book's leather binding, and she frowned - as important it was to know about these things, it did not seem that many people were taking advantages of the resources. But, she supposed that it would take a particular sort of person to investigate a Talent that they did not themselves possess - or rather, a particular Ajah. A very long time ago, discovering that the One Power manifested within her had been an abrupt and frightening revelation, but it had not taken long for fear to give way to fascination, and there had never been any doubt about which Ajah she would join. Illyria walked down the shelf, hunting for a book on Dreamwalking - perhaps the one thing that she had any true skill with - when a soft, slurred voice made her pause.

"Good day, Sister." Illyria looked over her shoulder to see who was addressing her, and was pleased to see that the fiery-haired girl was well. She had met Torianin briefly, it seemed sometime ago, but had never truly spoken with her. Dressed in scarlet and cream, with a red shawl laid across her shoulders, and a garnet fringe dripping down her back, there was no mistaking where she had found her home. The new sister had a bright smile on her features, despite how tightly the Oaths must have been bearing down upon her. "Might I talk with you for a minute? I would like to study a ter'angreal in your Ajah's custody."

Illyria's surprise was subtle enough to hide almost entirely; her brows only rose a fraction of an inch. Not everyone that studies ter'angreal joins the Indigo Ajah, she reminded herself. The Vaults were locked to members of the Indigo Ajah, which would present an interesting challenge to someone for someone who wanted access but did not possess one of the Warded keys, but she supposed that was why the newly raised sister sought her out.

"Torianin," Illyria greeted her warmly. Her own accent was for the most part gone, replaced with something closer to an Andoran inflection by time. She turned from the shelf to address the Red with a small smile. "Congratulations on your raising, Sister." Illyria was still not entirely sure what she thought of the Red Ajah; its inception had been startling, to say the least, and the majority of its members were in high ranking offices - she could still not be quite sure what it was the Red Ajah was doing with its time, or what its purpose was, but she was extraordinarily pleased that Torianin had found a home in it. Tower training was hard on all women, but there was a reason that it was very rare that Seanchan became Aes Sedai. Parts of her were still unnerved by the it all, but time the Red Ajah had yet to cause any sort of disaster or calamity, and that was good enough a reason for her.

"I'm not too busy," she said, glancing over her small mountain of books, "How can I help you? What are you looking to study?"

[Leala]

Torianin thanked Illyria for her congratulations, and was relieved when she said that she had time to speak with her. This particular problem had been weighing on her mind for a while, before she even obtained the shawl. Really, it sparked an interest in her the day she was rescued and brought to the Grey Tower. The trouble was now, she had to navigate the politics of the Ajahs and get to it. Illyria seemed willing to hear her out, though. That was a good sign.

"I would actually like to study an a'dam," she said in a slightly lower register of voice. The Library was a quiet place, and most could hear what she said already. She knew that the large majority of the brothers and sisters did not like to know that the a'dam even existed, much less that their Tower was home to one. "I was rescued from one when I came to the Grey Tower as a novice. I want to learn how to open one, and quickly, with and without the One Power. I know that not all damane want to be freed like I did, and I know that I will not be able to free all of them, but I wish to free as many as I can."

She hoped that was enough to convince the sister of the Indigos. This was a mission close to her heart, and one she knew that she was destined to fulfill. Even if she could only free one damane in her lifetime, it would be enough. But, even getting close to a sul'dam and damane was tricky business. The Aes Sedai that had saved her was lucky in that Torianin had been hoping that what she was doing was saving her. She had felt channeling at the back of the collar, and had hoped, and she had taken the pain of the punishments in order to be freed. But that would not always happen.

[Stasia]

Illyria Malkom

"I would like to study the a'dam," Torianin said in a soft voice. Illyria felt the blood drain from her face - it was not common knowledge that the Vaults housed the Seanchan artifact. If it had been commonly known, the Indigo Ajah would have had a riot from the Hall of Sitters on their hands. And how did Torianin come to know of its existence? It's a secret, only the... Ah, there was her answer: the M'Hael, though of all Ajahs and none, had been Red first and likely remained Red in his core. Illyria had not yet seen an Amyrlin or M'Hael truly abandon their agendas, and she knew that it was not realistic of anyone to expect that they would. Miahala Ives was every bit as emerald-souled as she had been when Illyria had meet her as Captain General, when she had still been an Accepted.

Was it an abuse of his power to inform her? Illyria could not say. Perhaps the M'Hael had plans that stretched beyond the newest Red, and Torianin's purpose was merely a thread in his tapestry. Plans for the good of the Tower, and for the world. A mere Aes Sedai was in no position to question his judgement, and so, Illyria would be discrete. Torianin continued, still speaking softly. "I was rescued from one when I came to the Grey Tower as a novice. I want to learn how to open one, and quickly, with and without the One Power. I know that not all damane want to be freed like I did, and I know that I will not be able to free all of them, but I wish to free as many as I can." Discomfort seeped into her heart: Illyria knew how to open an a'dam. Not only that, she knew how to use one.

If anyone else had approached her, thinking that they could free damane from their plight, Illyria would have laughed politely and encouraged them to try and rescue Maidens of the Spear from the Aiel Waste instead. It would be easier to tear one of them from their home and livelihood than it would be to rescue a damane. But Torianin knew that. Torianin knew all of it, and she was set upon her course. Illyria would not bar her path. The Indigo moved closer to the Red nonchalantly, as if she was reaching for one of the books stacked on her table.

"Come with me," she murmured, her voice too low to be heard by anyone aside from its intended recipient, "I can provide you with what you need." What will she think when she finds that I can open it with ease? What will she think when I reveal secrets that not even the Library holds? The past did not live in the past, but in the present, an undertow always threatening to drag her back to sea. The petite Aes Sedai gathered herself, stacked her books neatly, and left a polite note asking for them to be left out so that an Accepted would not come behind her and shelve all of her work. She left the Library at a leisurely pace, not beckoning for the Red or daring to check if she followed. If they had been heard...

The fear that the Grey Tower would not abide a trained sul'dam among their ranks had never died.

They walked towards the halls of the Indigo Ajah, and floor tiles melted from shades of brown, to white, to lavender as they moved. She could hear anticipation in Torianin's pace - at times, it almost seem as if the woman would step on Illyria's skirts in her enthusiasm. All too soon, the door the Vaults loomed ahead of them. It was not different from any other door in the Indigo Halls: one of the most heavily Warded doors in the Tower hid in plain sight, like many of the best kept secrets. Illyria reached into a hidden skirt pocket - the alteration had been specially commissioned from a master seamstress, and many of the Indigo sisters had similar means of keeping their keys safe. The First Seeker made it clear that it was never to leave their person, even if each key had been locked to its user by a specialized Ward, and would be useless in any hand but her own.

She inserted it into the lock with a steady hand, and the door creaked open as if it was a perfectly ordinary door. Illyria embraced the Source, and wove a ball of gleaming light to chase the darkness away. There were modified ter'angreal that provided artificial light for the first two levels, but for where they were going, they would need more. She ushered Torianin in, took her key, and shut the door behind them. She lead the way, carefully navigating through the shelves of objects of the Power, seeking the first set of stairs that would lead them deeper.

"What is your plan?" she asked finally, breaking the silence. "How do you intend on freeing them after the a'dam has been removed? You know as well as I do that the damane will be distressed by an Aes Sedai, a marath'damane - do you have a method of escape if you are captured? A fallback plan?"

[Leala]

Torianin had tried not to seem too eager, but this was a purpose that was clawing at her, and had been for a long time, before she even took the shawl. She walked silently behind Illyria. It seemed that she had surprised her. Really, she had simply assumed that there was an a'dam in the Grey Tower. No one had told her outright. Why wouldn't an organization of potential damane want to know everything there was to know about something that could enslave them in an instant? Perhaps they did not know all that she thought they knew. She followed the Indigo sister deeper into the vaults, and the other woman finally spoke up. Her accent had gone. She must have been here for so long that it had faded away. There were so many accents in the Grey Tower that Torianin had simply kept hers.

Illyria's voice was the calm Aes Sedai's voice that Torianin had heard and had striven for, but the questions she asked... She had scared her. Truly, she knew that her intent was frightening, but it was something that must be done. "Women cannot feel when men channel, and so neither can damane. I plan to have brothers of the Grey Tower aid me, if they are willing. I will have strategies in place as well. I won't simply rush into it. As far as after they're freed..." She paused, thinking back to her Great Stair. The Green stair had been where she had cemented her goal. She remembered the frightened damane, who begged not to be freed, and the cool one next to her that calmly waited for the collar to fall off. "We may have to keep them shielded and guarded until they are compliant." She was silent for a time more as they walked.

"I know it may seem cruel, especially to those that feel they must be collared," she said quietly, calmly. "But, there are institutions from my childhood that I left that I now see as wrong. I can only hope to do my best."

She paused again, at the prospect of being captured again. Fear and anger danced in her stomach. They were not for her sister, but they were there nonetheless. She had to gather herself before she spoke again. "I would rather die than be captured again," she admitted, thankfully omitting those emotions. "But if that is not the case, I will...unwillingly use my previous techniques that I developed before I was rescued. I will be the obedient and happy damane while the bracelet is worn, and do everything else in my power to free myself when it is not."

[Stasia]

Illyria Malkom

Illyria was pleased by Torianin's ingenuity - how that particular weakness had not occurred to anyone else before, she could not say, but she certainly wanted to see it exploited to the fullest extent. The Red Ajah was small, but it was not likely that only Red would be concerned with freeing damane. Torianin would find allies, despite the danger. There was never a shortage of young men prepared to leap into the pits of hell for the sake of heroism. Very clever, sister... Illyria led them farther into the Vaults, silently contemplating the rest of Torianin's plan. It was dangerous work, but it was work that needed to be done. Perhaps that was what the Red Ajah was for.

She did not speak again until it was necessary for her little ball of light - the glowing ter'angreal lining the walls vanished as they rounded a corner and began descending another staircase. There were miles of secrets carved into the mountainside, some of them reserved only for the First Seeker, some of them reserved only for the M'Hael and Amyrlin Seat, but thankfully for Torianin, the a'dam was stashed away where any Indigo could reach it - if they knew where to look.

"It is honorable work, sister." Illyria spoke carefully, adding a little more Fire into her ball of light, so that they could better see the staircase. "It is work that must be done. I... I believe that I may be able to assist you." It was a veiled offer, but she would tear away the secrecy soon enough - she felt her heart lurch at the prospect - but it was work that needed to be done. Illyria could not hide forever, and she could not bear the thought of cowering in safety while Torianin rushed the front lines. The fact that she had been hiding so long made her feel as though she might drown in shame: she had been Aes Sedai for decades and done nothing but tactfully ignore that Seanchan ever existed, and Torianin had not had her shawl for a full day and she was preparing to rush back into the fray.

Perhaps the Grey Tower had use for an once sul'dam after all.

There was a small landing at the bottom of the staircase that ran directly into a locked and Warded door, an obstacle to any curious aspirants that thought they were ready to run when they could barely crawl, but the door swung open for her key, silent and obedient. Their skirts whispered along the hard-packed earth as Illyria lead them through mazes of shelves. The Vaults were more cavernous, here - it was clear that they had been carved from the earth, and that they were beneath the Tower in truth. Her little light cast strange, distorted shadows where it met objects of the Power. More dangerous things were kept down here, some items that did not - could not - be graced with the light of day again. Illyria had thought that the a'dam would be among them.

Towards the far back corner was a box that she had only touched in her very earliest days as Aes Sedai. She steeled herself as they approached it again: she knew what was waiting for them, silvery and cold to the touch. Illyria kept her spine rigid so that she would not betray herself with a fearful shiver and faced her decision with new-found resolve - her hands trembled slightly as she knelt at the box, popped open the little latches, and pulled back the velvety fabric that protected the two a'dam. Coiled carefully at the bottom of the trunk like twin snakes, like saidin and saidar, sat two ter'angreal - the silver collar could compel women, and the onyx collar could control men.

"These are a secret," Illyria said softly, "As you can imagine, it would be... Disastrous, if anyone with the Talent to create ter'angreal was to find them and attempt to replicate them for... Use." Her final word was flat, resigned, and seemed to hold too much truth for a single syllable. "There is a second a'dam for women, beneath these," she continued, "But it would require special dispensation for these objects to leave the Vault." Illyria swallowed. "I can teach you how to open these," she said slowly and the admittance felt like acid burning on her tongue, "And anything else you need to know. I was not damane before I came to the Tower, Torianin." She could not bring herself to say the whole truth, but allowed her sister to find truth by a very simple process of elimination.

"If I can do anything to help you," she said a little more fiercely, staring down at the a'dam, "All you have to do is ask."

[Leala]

Venturing further into the Grey Tower, Torianin began to feel her heart quicken, but not because of fear. She knew that she was going to gain access to the instrument of her captivity, and be able to use it to help others. It seemed her plan would at least be effective in theory, though. Illyria did not propose any downfalls, although Torianin knew that if she failed, the consequences would be for her to deal with. Failure was not an option, but she was not arrogant enough to think that it could never happen. She raised her eyebrows when the Indigo sister mentioned that she would be able to help. It seemed she had gained an ally, and one that had lived among the Seanchan as well. Torianin did not know the other Aes Sedai's past, but there was no denying the woman's accent, no matter how faint it had become.

They entered the Indigo Ajah's Vaults, and Torianin remembered the class that she had taken to study ter'angreal. The Vaults had seemed much smaller than they were, while she was under supervision. She wondered for a moment if Illyria knew where she was going, but the other Seanchan Aes Sedai led them straight to their destination, in the back of the cavernous rooms, where a box awaited them. Her guide opened the trunk, and Torianin peered inside to see an a'dam, like the one that had held her in its sway for so long, and another that she did not recognize. After hearing her sister's words, she assumed that the other was for men, but her eyes were for the silver.

She spent a few moments staring at it, lying there, seemingly so harmless. She knew its secrets, and she would learn its weakness now. As she began to bend down to pick it up, she heard Illyria admit something. She turned her head and looked at the other Aes Sedai, examining her grey eyes. She straightened up and smiled at her. "You are my sister now, no matter your past," she said with confidence. "Had things been only slightly different, had the sul'dam had tested me for the bracelet and my twin for the collar, I would not have been damane either. And, thank you for your offer. I will likely need your assistance past this in the future, but for now...I would like to learn how to open the collar..." Surprised at how steady her hand was, she bent down and picked up the cold, silver ter'angreal.

Torianin held the chain only for a moment, like she was choking a serpent, but soon moved her hands to the collar, following the sleek metal, her thumb trailing the thing. She felt where the clasps met. "These are more complicated than I had thought," she admitted, testing the collar with a tentative twist. She saw the clasps move in a puzzling way. "Is there a technique?" she asked.