The Grey Tower

Resting the notebook on a bent knee, Elia made her way through a list of names, making little notes beside each one. "Too weak in Spirit." "Poor control with the final weaves." "Sufficiently adept." "Promising, if fickle." Remarks on her students in her class on ter'angreal. Overall this latest group held more promise than the last, but none of them shone. Still, she had been rewarded for her efforts, whether for the class or her discoveries in the Vaults, or her creations. The quill stopped moving as she basked in her own magnificence. "Elia Sedai," she pronounced in the Amyrlin's powerful voice, "Sitter of the Indigo Ajah." She preened, a wide grin covering her face. Years of hard work, and she was finally in a place where she was being justly rewarded.

A hard rapping at the door broke the momentary happiness. Elia closed the notebook, and placed it and the iridescent quill on the low table beside her chaise longue. She smoothed her face out into Aes Sedai stillness, not that the agelessness had taken much of a hold yet. For an instant, she wondered how long it would be for that to happen, but then a more important timeline came into her head. "A year and a day." She could worry about such things as her looks once she was freed from this unseen oversight.

"Come," she beckoned. As the door opened, the sitter embraced saidar, as Murdock stepped in. For the briefest moment he looked tired and worn out, nothing like the man who had jostled her around in this very room. But this time, she would take no chances. Keeper of the Archives or not - and the Light knew how that had happened - he was a threat. His own vaunted station had to be on as precarious a ground as her own was, with their mutually held secrets. The difference, at least for now, is that she had yet to kill anyone. The chill that ran through her had nothing to do with the tall man making his way towards her. It was the recognition that at some stage, she would be forced to kill someone. Her skin paled even as her heart raced.

The Keeper took the chair opposite, so she turned on her side to watch him. She began to weave the Ward for eavesdropping as soon as he had mentioned it, but only now questioned why. A second weave formed in the air between them, the whip of Compulsion, just in case he tried anything. When it came to Murdock, there was always another nasty surprise around the bend.

"Don't worry, I'm probably not here to hurt you. It depends on what happens next." His tone was almost friendly, or about as friendly as he got when he wasn't speaking about Rending. Light, he was a monster. Still, here she was protecting the room, potentially setting up her own torture chamber. Tying off the ward, she got ready to shield him, again only if the need arose.

"I did everything you asked of me," she retorted acidly. "The exact words, not a vowel out of place. And I haven't summoned you for your... services, so why are you here? Surely neither the M'Hael nor the Keeper of the Archives," she made that title sound like an insult, "has any need for me. I won't become a puppet in the Hall for Father."

Elia bristled. I didn't need to manipulate anyone into becoming a Sitter in the Hall. I earned that right by myself! A knot of yellow light appeared close to Murdock's ear for a scant moment, before she dismissed the notion. Flicking earlobes was hardly going to get results, not from Murdock. But peace, how she wanted to strap him until he was fifty shades of purple. She resolved herself to a pointed sniff instead, and raising so she was sitting opposite him, instead of resting on her side.

The Keeper seemed as dismissive as she had been about his appointment, or maybe his title. That only held her surprise until Murdock moved onto 'mutual friends'. Colour returned to her cheeks as her heart started to pump faster. It took no time at all to make the connection between the need for a ward, their similar interests in forbidden weaves, and the darkness in his voice. She shifted uneasily, slippered feet rubbing against the carpet nervously.

"I don't need convincing," she said, her voice a little hoarse. Tea would have been appreciated to soothe her throat, but she wanted to be done with this as soon as was possible, and the same went for Murdock. "Does our mutual friend have a name?" Elia could only point to two - now three - people who were definitely members of the Black Ajah. The missives she received were all without a signature, although some of the handwriting was becoming familiar. If he had a letter on him, he was a fool, but she would happily take any additional knowledge she could grab.

Rising without waiting for an answer, she straightened out her dress. Navy was the colour of the day, in the style of Ebou Dar. There was no knife at her belt, nor a dagger hanging from her neck. She would have appreciated a weapon, just in case, but it would have stuck out like an Ogier in Cairhein. Saidar would have to do, and caution. Looking down at Murdock, she gestured him to stand. "Let's get going. I suppose you wish to lead the way, Keeper?"

That made sense. The Keeper of the Archives and a female Sitter of the Indigo Ajah really had no business being together. It's not like anyone could look at some common history as they rose through the ranks of the Tower as an explanation. "You make a good point," she said with a dismissive sniff, "you do have no business being here." Her tone was incredibly mild, which made the barb all too clear. "I know where the Three Fishes Inn is, yes. Sunset? I shall be there. And I'd rather avoid murdering the fellow." Still mild, but her stomach churned at the thought. If there was a way around murder, she would always seek to take that route.

The ward dissipated just before Elia opened the door. She made a suitable bow to a man befitting Murdock's station. "Keeper, I appreciate the visit." His shoes and stick made a disjointed beat as he moved into the corridor, and Elia closed the door only after he had visibly moved away, letting out a sigh of relief.

-----

Hama Valon was not the best lit city at night, so Elia moved through the streets with a simple orb of light hovering above her palm. That made it clear who she was, a woman not in a novice's or Accepted's white. No-one would be foolish enough to attack an Aes Sedai in the middle of a street. It also gave her the benefits of saidar, sharpening her vision so that the shadows weren't so dark. After Murdock's last visit to her quarters, she had seriously considered getting a Warder. Her efforts had not succeeded as of yet, although having to keep secrets from one of the Gaidin may be more of a risk than travelling alone was. At least Murdock had been tempered somewhat from their pact, and their mutual allegiance to the Shadow. Not that I'm a Darkfriend by choice. The Dark Oaths were still so clearly constrictive, and it caught her out sometimes, when her tongue refused to work, or a suggestion slid past genuine consideration because it threatened a superior in the Ajah. Whereas Murdock, he had always clearly been destined for this. A Darkfriend through and through. Still, it wouldn't do any good to mangle his mind. He was an Asha'man now, and too prominent a figure to be dealt with easily. If he couldn't be dealt with, he would have to be tied to her somehow. A powerful ally? That was the hope.

Elia smelled the Three Fishes Inn before she saw it. It was a three-storey building, painted blue with various nautical bric-a-brac attached to the outside. What little she knew of boats and ships was from lessons on naval trading primarily, but she could give a name to a piece of rigging hanging from a lintel. A couple of patrons, two women who were worse for wear, were seated outside. The scent of fish and ale was enough to make her want to stay outside. Thankfully, that was where Murdock had wished to meet. Elia propped herself between two windows, away from the front door, but still visible in the light flooding out from the common room. Both the orb and saidar faded, and she let her eyes adjust to the new darkness.

It didn't take long before Elia heard footsteps approach from her right, along the side of the building. Squinting against the light, she made out the form of a tall figure, wreathed in black. Well, maybe Murdock thought he needed to be cloak-and-dagger about this affair, but the Indigo sister was still wearing her navy dress from before. Being found skulking around in some odd clothing would have drawn a lot more comment than simply being seen walking around Hama Valon during the evening. Still, if Murdock was found out, there was nearly no chance he would reveal her. The Shadow had to have worse punishment than the Grey Tower could bring to bear, even on a known member of the Black Ajah. The Great Lord of the Dark was a crueler master than the Creator.

"Evening," Elia said as the form approached. For the briefest moment Murdock hesitated, then continued his march towards her. "Do you intend to lead me blindly, or will you tell me where we're going?"

"I'll let you know where we're going," Murdock growled in an uncharacteristically deep voice. Elia's frown was replaced by shock as the flash of a dagger appeared in the man's hand, and was then pressed against her neck. The blade cut through the ribbon easily, so thin as it was. "Just so long as you're quiet and don't scream." The man was not Murdock, quite clearly, but suddenly she was hoping he was going to be nearby.

Despite the fear that wanted to grasp at all of her senses, Elia opened herself to saidar. The warmth that ran through her became a tangle of yellow threads around her throat and the man's hand. The air solidified between them, but she was still pressed against the building. The vagabond's eyes ogled as he came to realise that she wasn't the noblewoman he had hoped to thieve.

Light, where was Murdock?

Peace, Murdock! Seeing the lanky Asha'man approach, Elia felt a flood of relief. She had her neck and the vagabond's knife in a prison of Air, but she had struggled to do more that wouldn't make a scene. Being rescued was a much different turn of events than freeing herself. The bundle of woven saidar vanished a moment before Murdock's own weaves bought the man to the ground, muted mumbles made around a gag of Air. Not that she saw any of it, but he could make the assumptions. Why didn't I think of that? Fear from assault and a knife at your throat seemed like a valid enough excuse.

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" For a wonder, her fellow Darkfriend seemed genuinely worried after her well-being. In response, she raised her head and peered down at the now-subdued man. Malachite eyes narrowed.

"He got as far as this," she replied, pulling away the slashed piece of ribbon connected by a golden chain. She resisted the urge to feel her neck. If there was no mark, there was no need to worry. And if it was cut, it could heal naturally. Or... She looked up at Murdock, who was already pulling the man away using the Power. The thug scraped along the cobblestone ground towards the dark alleyway from whence he had originally came. Of course, it wasn't that dark for either of the channellers holding onto the Power.

"Thank you," she said, as soon as all three of them were in the alley. The smell of fish lingered, but Elia didn't release her connection to the Source. The man was still an issue. Pursing her lips, she thought about the ramification of using Compulsion on the fellow. She could do a little better than before with wiping away memories, after having had a little practice. He would simply recall that he found no quarry by the Three Fishes Inn, and moved on. But that risked, even if the risk was minimal, the chance that someone could discover the weave. Admittedly, that was true of the Keeper as well, but he was sure to keep himself away from an Aes Sedai's probing. Hopefully.

Murdock's response came as a growl. "We need to get rid of him." Even as he spoke those words, he bent down, flipping the man over, and laying his hands on the man's chest. "He's going to feel it. I need you to gag him."

The Indigo sister blinked, stunned for a moment. "You're going to kill him?" she whispered in a near-hiss. "Why? I can simply make him forget this happened."

Rather cold brown eyes stared back. Mocking me, it seemed to Elia. "A missing man raises less questions than missing memories. I should know." The Asha'man sounded very matter-of-fact. This is happening. That was both recognition that nothing was going to stop Murdock, and the fact that she was going to bare witness. No, more than that. She looped her own threads of Air around the man's mouth and neck, then at his elbows and knees. Giving Murdock a slight nod, she looked down from the Far Maddinger's face, and watched in silent horror as the life drained out from her would-be assailant.

The greatest triumph of the evening may be that Elia was able not to sick up, as the man before her vanished into nothingness. As if cleaning a dirty floor, the brown-haired Asha'man washed away the remains of the thief, leaving nothing as evidence that there had been anyone here. "There," Murdock announced with finality. "Problem solved." It had been, she realised. If things had gone her way, the man would be a walking, breathing bundle of evidence, the weaves of Compulsion visible for anyone inquiring to see. Instead the man had disappeared, for all intents and purposes. Would it raise questions? Possibly, if anyone cared for the thief. Elia assumed he had no family - thieving was not a profession to look after a family - but he may have had colleagues of a sort. Maybe they would assume the worst and be disinclined to continue. It had to be a dangerous profession, being a thief in a city full of Aes Sedai and Asha'man and Warders.

She was staring into the middle distance, and jerked back to reality at the sound of the Keeper's voice. "We don't have all night. We're expected at some point today." He began his slow procession down the alley, the alternating sounds of footsteps and the clacking of his walking price. "Do keep up with the man with the bad leg," he said wryly. Pulling her skirts up slightly, as if the ground was stained by the thief's former presence, she raced to catch up with her fellow Darkfriend.

The Shienaran's mind worked as she walked alongside Murdock, still unsure as to the details of tonight's business. She wondered how the Brown got away with his duplicitous nature. As the Keeper of the Archives, surely he was on the M'Hael's apron strings, or on the Tower's. Her brother had spoken about how busy the role of Keeper was, although that was in relation to the Keeper of the Chronicles. Maybe things were different for Murdock. Still, he had to sit across from Kaia Sedai all day. How did he seem so unafraid with all of these powerful people surrounding him day and night?

There was at least one additional problem, although it was only an even chance that Murdock was aware of this problem. The Indigo Ajah focused on issues of Talents and *'angreal, with a keening interest on new discoveries. Whether Sniffing was new or not, it was not terribly well known about, and there was no way to detect whether a man or woman was a sniffer. Of course, Elia had known about sniffers long before she was raised to the shawl. Even before she had been called to the White Tower. Both her father and her brother were sniffers, and it was only through chance and careful timing that Ravak hadn't sensed anything off of her. After tonight, she would need to steer well clear of the Warder Yards for a time. How long was it until their weekly meeting? Five days? Would that be enough?

Keeper and Sitter left the alleyway, reentering the city on a narrow street. A cart would have had some difficulties getting down this road, but the buildings that ran along either side were all residential, and not the finest structures that Hama Valon had to offer. The houses were made all of wood, and stood in differing states of disrepair. Paint had been peeled away in strips from some buildings. Window shutters missed slats here and there, and an occasional door hung at a jaunty angle, poorly repaired. Elia knew little of the life of Hama Valoners, but this had to be one of the worst parts of the city. What sort of person lived here that was important to herself and Murdock? Or the Black Ajah, for that matter. The only thing she suspected she could learn here was how quickly the impoverished would come begging for Aes Sedai assistance.

Murdock's head moved left and right, left and right, scanning for something. Likely the building they were meant to go to, to find this mystery man and his secret knowledge. "If you tell me what you're looking for," the Shienaran said softly and sweetly, but Murdock just cast her a dismissive glance.

He nodded towards the house on their right. "We're here."