The Grey Tower

There was something in Bryn’s tone that caused Tia to pull her gaze from the bound and muffled woman to her Gaidin. What was it? It wasn’t quite concern. . .perhaps understanding? She furrowed her brows and thought back to their conversation just moments ago, wondering once again what he meant when he said things didn’t end well.

If she didn’t have an insane woman bound and silenced, and if they weren’t in the middle of investigating whatever it was that was going on, Tia might have asked Bryn more detailed questions. There was a time and place, and this was neither of those.

The Green Sister shook her head, “I don’t think any of the villages out this way have sanatoriums. It is not like such institutions are common-place.” She looked to the woman, “I can leave her this way and we can carry on to the village proper. What do you think?”

There was still something a little ‘off’ or different about Bryn, but now wasn’t the time to ask. They were there to check on the village, and personal concerns had to wait. His question about whether the rest of the village being like their captive brought darker thoughts to Tia.

Vaidulo. The Green hadn’t been there, but she heard about it from her mother and father. Furrowing her brows, Tia let go a long sigh, “I hope not, but. . .did you hear about Vaidulo?”

The Gaidin nodded, which didn’t surprise Tia. What happened at that Light forsaken town was no secret. The Aes Sedai frowned, “Before Vaidulo, I would have said no. Given what our people found there. . .I’d say it anything is possible. I just hope it is not the case.”

Tia took in and let go a deep, frustrated sigh as she nodded, “Let’s get this over with.” She hadn’t let go of Saidar since their unexpected welcome. Everything seemed to be in sharper focus as she and Bryn continued the last little way into town. She couldn’t get over how quiet everything seemed to be. . . like the quiet before the storm.

The stories she heard of Vaidulo seemed to run circles in her mind. Her mother had tried to teach her how to embrace the Void and Flame, but it was never something she’d ever really mastered. She did her best, though, to quiet her imagination and focus on the present. As they closed in, she felt as if her heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest.

The first buildings they passed looked abandoned, with shattered windows and doors hanging off their hinges. It became clear the town was far from abandoned, though, as the next building they passed had a woman hugging her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth, mumbling something. She looked harmless, and Tia decided to carry on instead of questioning the woman since she doubted she’d get any answers.

Not far ahead of them, a man came out of a building, shuffling his feet as he walked across the road. He didn’t seem to notice the Aes Sedai and Gaidin, and was mumbling to himself as he seemed to constantly scratch at his scalp. Beyond him, another woman came out of a different building. She was also mumbling, but her mumbles got progressively louder before she started shouting.

Tia stopped, and looked to Bryn, “This does not look promising.”

There was something in how Bryn spoke that nearly shook Tia to the core. She didn’t dare take her eyes off of the people she could see, but she did spare a glance which only added to the Green Sister’s unease. “Light. . .what could do this to an entire town?” Vaidulo was still at the forefront of her mind, and she couldn’t help but add, “Who would do this?”

Both were questions she doubted either of them would be able to answer. The one thing Tia did know: These people needed help she couldn’t provide. This was a job for the Yellows. The Yellows and a lot of Gaidin to keep them safe. Right now, she wasn’t entirely sure how safe she and Bryn were.

The Dark One seemed to be listening to her thoughts as a woman who was about thirty feet away looked to the pair of them, and pointed, “Thieves! Thieves! Make them leave!”

Initially, the other townspeople didn’t seem to notice, but the woman didn’t stop her shouting. Some of those nearest the woman looked to her, but then looked to where she was pointing. One of the men pointed at them and grumbled, “Thief! Thief!”

“Uh. . . Bryn. This could get ugly if we’re not careful,” Tia replied. She looked behind them, and saw a few stragglers lingered, but they could beat a retreat if needed.

Bryn’s tone was one not to be trifled with, nor questioned, not that Tia had any intention of doing any such thing. She started walking back towards the horses, but it took all her self control to simply walk. As her Gaidin walked backwards to keep an eye on the woman and the group she was amassing, Tia faced the direction they were heading, glad there weren’t so many people to pass.

“We need to get to the horses and ride fast from here,” Bryn said. “And send an army of Yellows. But unless we wish to kill them all, we are not meant to handle this.”

Behind them, Tia could hear the woman continue her screaming and did her best to block out the distraction. “These people do not deserve to die,” she replied, “I don’t understand how this could happen to an entire village, but now is not the time for speculation.”

The Gaidin didn’t let down his guard, but nor did Tia release her hold on Saidar. The few stragglers they passed watched them, but didn’t start moving until the woman and her gaggle of people got closer. The group wasn’t moving particularly fast, yet, but they were still uncomfortably close.

Eventually, the pair reached the horses, and Tia wasted no time pulling herself into the saddle. Storm winnied, picking up on his Rider’s unease. She held onto the Source and kept a close watch on the group as Bryn mounted. The woman saw what was happening and picked up her pace, “Stop them! Stop the thieves!” As the woman’s yelling turned to shrieks, it seemed to push the rest of the group into a frenzy and they started sprinting towards Bryn, Tia and their mounts.

As soon as Bryn was in the saddle, Tia turned Storm and encouraged her horse to move on. One of the townspeople got too close to comfort, and Storm proved his worth as a war-horse, kicking out. Looking over her shoulder, Tia saw the man go down holding his midsection. She looked to Bryn, “Let’s go!” She knew he likely didn’t need any encouragement as they both put their horses into a gallop to put distance between them and the small mob.