The Grey Tower

Ceremoniously, Elia laid the iridescent quill across the flat of Ravak's palms. "The inkwell too, El?" With a tsk, she lifted the emptied and cleaned inkwell, and also placed in his hands. "Thank you," came his curt response.

"By all rights, it should be held onto by the Ajah, or placed in the Vaults." There was only a touch of heat in her voice, although mainly that was because her brother's ter'angreal helped to save time when writing. That was its only function, but when you wrote out several sheets for each ter'angreal studied, it amounted to a lot of writing each day.

Ravak had already placed the inkwell in one of his jacket pockets, but he still held onto the quill. "After everything, it's good to still have something familiar to hold onto." He offered his sister a weak smile, which she returned. Motheringly, she adjusted some of the unruliest parts of his hair. "Before you say anything," he started, but Elia just shook her head. She understood. He would have looked ridiculous with an Aiel haircut, just as much as he would look ridiculous with a topknot.

Finished with fussing, she gave him a slight hug, just with one arm around his frame. "Take care, brother. And don't be a stranger." He was already moving towards the door, fancloak making him flutter in- and out-of-sight. "Tonight or tomorrow, here." He turned back to give a brief mocking bow in acknowledgement.

Before Ravak reached for the handle, there was a knock at the door. Warily she embraced the Source, and rose from her chair. She made her way across to her tea set, placing one of the blossoms into a cup, before giving the Gaidin the nod to open the door.

At the other side of the doorway was a Dedicated. He was taller than either of the Darrows, with shoulder-lengthed brown hair that framed a Borderlander's face. No, a Malkieri? The man wore a hadori: that was a Malkier tradition. The Borderlands once consisted of five nations, but Malkier had been lost some two to three hundred years ago. Certainly the man was not of an age to be Malkieri, but...

"We meet again." Elia blinked at her brother's revelation. She scanned her memories for previous mention of a Malkieri channeller, and drew a blank. Curious. She shared everything with her brother, and vice versa. Why did she not recall this man? "But you must be here to see the Sitter." Ravak was very much the attentive and formal Gaidin all of a sudden.

"Stay." That command was to Ravak, and for a wonder he simply nodded. Whatever this Dedicated wanted or needed, she also wanted an easy excuse to get out of this meeting if required. Admittedly, as a Sitter of the Hall of the Tower, that should be easy enough without her brother's looming shadow. But she hadn't seen Ravak for more than a year. Even his silent presence was better than nothing.

Elia beckoned to the Dedicated. "Come in my child. Tea? Or I can get some kaf if you prefer." The Indigo sister's choice of tea was a little peculiar, and barely resembled normal tea. "What is it I can help you with?"

A repugnant smell wafted through the main hall as Felix walked solemnly down to the Indigo Ajah quarters. The smell of violence floated in to the tower from the yards outside. The years of living with the ability to smell violence had dulled the affect the smell had on Felix.

The air was moist and sticky in the tower, windows were open all over the tower but the heat wave that had hit the town of Hama Valon the week before and the torrential downpour since the heat wave had hung around the tower. The Asha’man and Aes Sedai Felix passed looked unaffected by the weather but the learning ranks all sweated as if they had exercised all day. Felix saw the sun set through the windows as he walked down the stairs leading to the Indigo Quarters to meet someone to discuss his abilities.

He had been instructed to seek out Sitter Elia Darrow. The words used in the instruction were vague about why that specific Aes Sedai but the instructions were clear go to her without delay and seek aide. He still questioned who had slipped the letter under his door in the middle of the night. There was no reason for the Cloak and Dagger tactics used and no one really knew of his abilities. A mystery for another day.

He arrived at the door and heard light voices on the other side of the door so he knocked lightly, silence filled the hall. Maybe I imagined the voices. He thought.

Felix knocked lightly again as he felt goosebumps on his arms, he was greeted by the Master of Training when the door swung open.

The Indigo Sitter Elia Darrow stood away from the door and Felix knew she held Saidar. It was odd for a Aes Sedai to be ready to channel at a knock on the door but with the events happening around the tower it was understandable. Dead bodies and visions of destruction always set people on edge.

He was greeted with a phrase from the Gaidin Ravak "We meet again." It spoke volumes with the intense body language of the older Gaidin. Their first meeting was a hectic, quite terrifying encounter, a day Felix had pushed away from his consciousness. He had always wondered how the Gaidin and the Mistress of Novices had discovered where they had gone.

"Peace favor your sword." Felix said lightly with a bow towards Ravak Gaidin

The Sitter greeted him as a student of the tower and offered refreshments. "Come in my child. Tea? Or I can get some kaf if you prefer."

Kaf what under the light is Kaf? Felix wondered silently before answering "Tea is fine Elia Sedai, thank you." He pulled Ko'di around himself to calm his nerves, all of his fear and apprehension upon entering the room with two very powerful siblings faded into the flame. His face calmed and he was a stone. A look he was perfecting, on a blades edge ready to commit violence.

Felix looked in Elia's direction and answered her in a quiet solemn tone. "I was sent to you, by who I have no idea but I was instructed to find you and seek your knowledge. I can smell violence, I have been able to for years. I hope you can help me with this ability. I have mastered some of it, the smell of the Warder Yards no longer makes me unable to eat."

"Peace favour your sword." Ravak offered a courteous nod to the common Shienaran blessing. It didn't even seem that awkward on the Dedicated's lips. He had to have been born in Shienar, although the accent was hard to place. That was more Elia's domain at any rate. But the hadori marked him as a descendent of Malkier. It was curious how the old blood ran in some veins. But I know better than most. The Gaidin tried to put the crystal pillars out of his mind.

"Come in my child," Elia's sonorous voice announced. "Tea? Or I can get some kaf if you prefer." Rav shook his head at that. Since when had Elia got all of these fancy teas, and since when had she taken to kaf? The Seanchan drink was horrid and bitter, and her odd tea was... well, odd. Nothing wrong with brewing normal leaves. Silently Rav closed the door behind... Actually, he didn't know the Dedicated's name. Strange that. He thought he did.

"Tea is fine, Elia Sedai. Thank you." Rav moved away from the door, to take one of the three chairs around the low set table. Somehow Rav suspected this was going to be a drawn-out conversation, so he wanted to be comfortable. He was still ready to spring into action if needed, although he didn't detect any noticeable sense off of the man. Elia had one, strangely, but she'd already quelled his concerns, in a fashion. Removing his sword belt and propping the two hilts by the arm of the chair, he adjusted his sleeves so that his throwing daggers were at the ready, and also to conceal the Light-blasted tattoo that wrapped around his forearm.

The Dedicated was stony-faced. The ko'di, or the Void and the Flame as Asha'man called it, was in evidence. Why was the question? The hilt of a dagger slipped invisibly into Rav's hand. He knew he was on edge, because of Kaia and Riahana, and even Elia. He was pinching the bridge of his nose before he realised it.

"Take a seat," Elia said, gesturing to the other chairs. Two identical chairs sat opposite and to the right of Rav, with Elia's odd sofa on the left. It was half-chair, half-bed. The Light knew where all of this new-found refinement was from. Had becoming an Aes Sedai changed her so much? Who knew. "Ravak?" Grey-blue eyes caught the unasked question in malachite gems.

"Tea, please." He replied.

"I was sent to you," the Dedicated started, "by who I have no idea, but I was instructed to find you and seek your knowledge." Rav shifted. A long, boring conversation indeed. He should have brought a book. "I can smell violence."

That attracted all of the red-haired man's attention. He straightened without meaning too, although hopefully the Dedicated hadn't noticed. Rav's face was schooled to granite-like expressionlessness. A Sniffer? He hadn't known the term until Kaia Sedai had educated him, but he had known about sniffing all of his life. Rav was on edge, but not out of concern. The throwing dagger slipped back into his sleeve. "I have been able to for years. I hope you can help me with this ability." Years? "I have mastered some of it. The smell of the Warder Yards no longer makes me unable to eat."

Rav rubbed at his nose. Peace, but he understood almost all of that. The smell of violence in the Yards and in the Hall was almost ever-present, aside from at night. But the violence of training was entirely different from the smells that came off from rogues and vagabonds, or Shadowspawn and Dreadlords. Trollocs were the worst by far, even compared to Fades. The Light send it's many more years before I need to concern myself with anything worse than that.

Elia shared a look with her brother. She knew about his ability or Talent. She and three others knew. That was the absolute extent of who was aware that the former Master of Training could track down criminals and murderers without needing to look for a trail. Like with the tattoo, a price had been paid for earning that skill. Rav couldn't smell mundane scents any more. According to Elia, that was not a recorded part of the Talent, but the truth trumped archaic books.

"Tea is fine, Elia Sedai. Thank you." She gave a slight nod, moving the blossom from her cup into the glass teapot. There was already water inside, and a brief yet careful application of Fire was all that was needed into order to bring the water to boil. Jasmine tea was a delicate thing, but she enjoyed watching the blossom unfurl and open. As much about the taste as about the sight.

She gestured towards the circle of chairs with a free hand. "Take a seat." Apparently her brother had already affixed himself to a chair - how very Ravak - although for a wonder he didn't have a book in hand. Not for the first time, Elia wondered how appropriate it was to sit in her chaise longue whilst speaking with the training ranks. She wouldn't countenance it with Aes Sedai or Asha'man, but it was so much more comfortable than sitting in one of those chairs. It depended if the Dedicated sat opposite from her brother, or beside him. Elia glanced over at her younger sibling. "Ravak?"

"Tea, please," he replied curtly. Again she nodded, setting out a third cup. She liked it sweet, Ravak liked it with milk. The Dedicated - what was the child's name? - could enjoy it plain if he didn't speak up. That was one of the fun perks about being a fully raised channeller. The children had to put up with what they were given, not that she had a mean streak in her. The truth be told, she rather enjoyed teaching, and she thought she was one of the kinder teachers. Youth helped with that. Not being a sister for fifty or a hundred years surely gave her a different perspective. Hopefully I'll still be teaching in fifty years.

"I was sent to you," the Malkieri started, "by who I have no idea. But I was instructed to find you and seek your knowledge." Elia smiled slightly. It's nice to be appreciated. The smile warmed her heart-shaped face, framed today by her loose shoulder-length hair. "I can smell violence." Elia turned, facing the Dedicated with interest. "I have been able to for years. I hope you can help me with this ability."

Elia glanced at her brother. His face was hard, his glare like living death. She knew his thoughts to the inch. No-one knows, brother. Be calm. Not for the first time, she wished that Ravak had accepted her suggestion of being Bonded to her. She could ease him a lot more easily with that link between them. And I need a Warder, sooner rather than later. She began to pour out the tea, listening to the Dedicated's last words without further comment.

"Sniffing," she proclaimed with the teapot in hand. "The Talent you are describing is called Sniffing, Dedicated...?" The Indigo Sitter paused for the man's introduction. "It is quite the uncommon ability, and not widely known. It is a shame, in an odd way, that you were born with the ability to channel. A thief-taker with the ability to hunt down violence attracts a high wage from most noble houses."

Elia lifted one of the cups from the side table, and handed it over to her brother. He still looked grim, but that was nothing unusual for him, nothing to say he was any more or less concerned than normal. "It is something I know quite a bit about." Grey-blue eyes slid over without any change, but again she knew Ravak's thoughts. Continuing, she said mildly, "My father had the ability. It made lying rather challenging as a child." Her chuckle was soft, like chimes. "I think that's why we're so well behaved."

The Aes Sedai lifted a second cup, and handed it to the now seated Dedicated. "Let me know if you want milk or honey. But yes, sniffing. It is a curious thing. Much like most Talents, it's near impossible to say why one person possesses them and why another does not. But as it is not connected with the One Power, it's a more formidable ability to explore."

For a moment, Elia paused by the side table, adding honey into her drink. "Tell me Felix. What do you smell at this moment? Describe it, as best you can."

"I can smell violence."

The words rolled around his head over and over, why had he told them. Vera Sedai had told him to keep it to himself. Why did he always let his tongue run away?

“Take a seat." Elia told him with a gesture towards the chairs. He sat opposite Gaidin Ravak, the more obvious threat in the room. He mentally shook himself, he was being silly. There was no reason to fear or be anxious in a room of Grey Tower members.


The siblings shared a brief look at the admission of his ability, if Felix had not been in the void watching Elia Sedai he would not have noticed it. They must know volumes on sniffers. He breathed again, he had not realized he had been holding his breath. Even in the void he was on edge.

"Sniffing," she proclaimed with the teapot in hand. "The Talent you are describing is called Sniffing, Dedicated...?"

“Oh I am so sorry, My name is Felix, Felix Kal’Sarak. Tai’shar Malkier, I hail from Sheinar though.”

"It is quite the uncommon ability, and not widely known. It is a shame, in an odd way, that you were born with the ability to channel. A thief-taker with the ability to hunt down violence attracts a high wage from most noble houses." She finished after getting his name.

“I am currently looking at the Green Ajah, I hope this ability will help me in the fight.”

He listened intently as she spoke of her father and his ability with sniffing. She spoke of the ability before asking, "Tell me Felix. What do you smell at this moment? Describe it, as best you can."

“Well I smell the scent of the Warder Yards coming from Gaidin Ravak, it is a weird metallic scent, pungent. I mean no disrespect sir.” He said the last with a bow of his head.

“Other then that I smell something lighter and fading from your direction Elia Sedai. Sulfuric but dull as if it's been days if not weeks. I have heard that with time the scents fade, like a regular scent but the intensity of the violence fuels the time frame.”

He paused for breath and to collect his thoughts before he continued, “I had some help figuring it all out, A brown ajah sister Vera Sedai taught me some, she was there when I discovered the ability.” His face reddened slightly embarrassment on the barrier of the void. For what he did not know.

“I have trouble knowing what I am smelling, I have yet to place the scents to the activities that cause them and I am bad at the timeframes. I can follow a simple trail, like I followed the trail of the Novice’s killer where I met Gaidin Ravak.” He berated himself silently for letting so much out, he had to learn to hold his tongue.

“Is there anything else you would like to know Elia Sedai?”

Elia glided across the room, taking the seat between the two men. It was a pity she wouldn't be able to watch Ravak for her reactions. Then again, he looked on the point of doing something brash. More so than usual, at least. Turning towards Felix, the Gaidin was out of sight. Just endure this quietly, little brother.

The Indigo smoothed her dress, resting the saucer and cup on one knee. A sulphuric scent. That was a different way of describing things than she was used to. Metallic seemed to make sense, in a way, if that was related to her brother's training with his swords. But sulphuric? Was that Murdock's Rending, or was it a more generalised smell of murder being committed. These thoughts should have perturbed her: another Sniffer made it harder to do things unnoticed. But the Malkieri was a boy, at least just now. Even if he was raised to the cord this very day, she was still a Sitter, and knowing both Mirin and Murdock offered additional protection. Even Kaia Sedai, at a pinch.

Elia's face portrayed calm benevolence. She had already considered how to address the smells he described. "Whilst I would hate to lose you to the Greens, your opinion about your talent is valid. It would be a useful tool, and so it seems wise that we come to nurture it." She paused for a sip of tea. "I'm unaware of any other channellers with this ability, so you may be the first Sniffer the Tower has had for many years." Her lips turned up at the corners. Having to tell the truth, and yet avoid it, was quite a thrill.

"Brother," she said, addressing Ravak but still looking at Felix, "have you been outside the Tower grounds this week?"

There was a sound of adjustment to her left, then "Just to the Mar a'Mael."

"Violence." She gave Felix a nod of encouragement. "You can smell it, but that still means little without context. Fortunately, we're in quite a good position to assist you in that." She took another sip of tea, then placed cup and saucer on the low table.

"The Warder Yards," Elia and Rav said in unison. Elia turned from placing her cup down onto the table to give him a considering look. "We have plenty of living examples," Rav continued, "We can see how well you are able to distinguish different types of violence."

Rav breathed in through his nose. He didn't understand things in terms of sulphur and metal, like this Dedicated did. What rolled off of his sister was faint, but it wasn't sulphuric. It was need. Desire, whether greed or wanton lust, had a different scent to what came off Elia. There was a purpose behind whatever crime she had committed. Service to the Grey Tower, no doubt. There weren't any lies between them, but there were acts of omission. If Elia hadn't shared something with him, there would be a reason. Maybe something to do with the Oaths. Regardless, what was the crime that made Felix think of sulphur, and himself think of need. His brow creased in thought.

"What about that day, in the basement? The murderer? What did you smell then?" Best to know the extent of the man's abilities. Not that Rav was worried about being caught out - everything was above board with the Gaidin nowadays - but it was good to know where he placed in the order of things.

The scents of the room intermingled and boiled his stomach. He brought a hand to his head to steady himself from the dark memories. Flashes of a dead novice in a bloody white dress appeared in the forefront of his mind. People crowding around, screaming, crying. Noise everywhere. One scent prevailed above all else. The scent of Murder.

“I remember smelling rot, as if she had been dead for weeks. It had been hours, she was not even cold but the trail was of a bloated dead body.” His stomach boiled more from the memory of the experience.

Other memories jumped out at the thought of the dead novice. A field of dead soldiers furnished in gleaming armor, many with swords. Interspersed with the dead men bodies of beasts lay with some having snouts of wolves and others horns. They portrayed features of a dozen beasts. All died in battle for a small village. The scent of death lingered in the air and carrion birds feasted on the dead.

Another image flashed and he was in a great battle, sword in hand with trollocs rushing amongst an army of borderlanders. The remembered feeling of being betrayed flashed through his mind as he saw the arch in his memory.

He took a few deep breaths and pushed the memories into the fire in the center of the Void. After he was content with his mind he inhaled deeply the scent of the tea and sipped it slowly. His thoughts revisited the memories of the event and he started contemplating the ability he possessed.

“I have a thought on the ability, correct me if I am wrong. The metallic scent could mean weapons of war. While the sulfuric scent could mean channeling violence. Then the scent of death and murder is obvious. I have never put much thought into what causes the scents, mostly I have just tried to ignore or bury the feelings it arose Aes Sedai.” he finished speaking and bowed his head meant for respect but he used the bow to hide the pain that showed on his face from the memories that flowed freely in his mind.

Listening to Felix, Rav wondered how important it was to keep his secret. His brow drew down in thought. The smaller the circle of people who knew about his ability, the more advantage he could leverage from it. Was the Tower greater served by helping Felix realise his potential through general guidance, or specific intuit knowledge? Rav felt like his tongue was tied in a knot, as if bound by the Oaths his sister has sworn.

"Well, ignorance is not a tool of the Grey Tower," Elia replied, her voice a challenge. "Much as you have had to embrace the changes in your life that have accompanied you whilst learning to use the One Power, you will need to embrace this change as well. Ignoring it will not make it go away, and like any skill, only practice will help you get better at it. It is best that you attempt to master it."

Rav drew himself up a touch in the chair. Elia made it sound quite straightforward; it was not. At least Sniffing as the shaggy-haired Gaidin understood it was not clear cut. How did one even know what need smelt like? Not knowing the workings of your own mind was worrisome. And why had Felix's ability manifested itself differently? Maybe they were more distinct than similar when it came to this.

He steepled his fingers over his chest, elbows resting on the spindly arms of the chair. "Your guesses are as good as mine," Rav said in a less confrontational tone. Becoming Aes Sedai has changed you, El. "It bears investigation, and as Elia Sedai says, we should help you train." He ran a calloused hand through his hair. "Maybe we should go into the city proper, and see what you can ferret out. As much as we may like to think it, Hama Valon is not without its share of crime and unwarranted murder."

Elia nodded in agreement. "That sounds prudent. What do you say Felix? Or have you another idea?"

"Well, ignorance is not a tool of the Grey Tower," Elia replied, her voice stern. "Much as you have had to embrace the changes in your life that have accompanied you whilst learning to use the One Power, you will need to embrace this change as well. Ignoring it will not make it go away, and like any skill, only practice will help you get better at it. It is best that you attempt to master it."

He lifted his head and a defiant glint shined in his eye, what did this women know of HIS troubles of HIS ability's. He pushed the feelings of malcontent into the fire and focused on the fact that she was correct, he needed practice and training. His ability was useless other then to follow a trail, he never knew what he would find from that trail and the ability was annoying if not useless in it's current state. He needed discipline.

"Yes Aes Sedai." He replied meekly as he lowered his eyes in deference.

"Your guesses are as good as mine." Gaidin Ravak replied in the calmest tone he had used in the meeting so far. "It bears investigation, and as Elia Sedai says, we should help you train." He ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe we should go into the city proper, and see what you can ferret out. As much as we may like to think it, Hama Valon is not without its share of crime and unwarranted murder."

Elia Sedai nodded in agreement. "That sounds prudent. What do you say Felix? Or have you another idea?"

Joy fluttered in his chest at the thought of help to control his ability. He could learn and make a use of the trouble it cause him.

"I think that is a great idea Elia Sedai, and Gaidin Ravak. Maybe we could even find something the city guards missed. Can we go now?" His adrenaline rose at the thought of finding another dead body. A smile crept across his face as he waited for an answer.

The boy is eager. The thought skittering around the Gaidin's mind for a few seconds, before he dismissed it as being nothing important. Rav craned his neck to glance out of the small window behind him. "We should wait until you have a free hour. Let's say four hours after High?"

Elia nodded in agreement. "That suits me. Dedicated, you shall meet me and Ravak Gaidin at the gates to the Tower grounds at four after High."

With that, the conversation was over. Elia rose from her seat, Ravak raising only a moment later. He opened the door for the Dedicated, and closed it behind him.

"Are you concerned?" Elia asked a beat after the door was closed. She was already moving through to her bedroom, leaving Rav to stand alone in the living quarters.

"Why?" he called through. "You can't sniff out Sniffers. He'll know I'm a sniffer if and when I tell him." He scratched at his beard. "So, am I coming along because of my nose, or because it was my idea?"

There was a sound of approval from the next room. "Why not both?" Her voice took on a suggestive tone. "Anyways, an Aes Sedai can always do with a bodyguard."

The response from Rav was just a simple grunt, but it spoke volumes.

The siblings Darrow stood at the gate before the fourth bell. The former Master of Training looked the part of a Warder, with his colour-shifting cloak folded over most of his form. His two swords were concealed beneath it, and various daggers were tucked into concealed pockets in his shirt sleeves and trousers. The plain green shirt spoke of practicality instead of form.

Elia Darrow was the opposite. The Indigo sister was in a beautiful silk dress of brocaded flowers. Moonstones sat in her hair, held in place by a fine netting of gold thread. She certainly looked the part of an Aes Sedai, or maybe the head of a royal house. Funny how they both were from ordinary Shienaran stock.

El glanced at her sibling. "So what do you intend, brother?" She squinted against the late afternoon sun to look at him.

"I'll see if I can pick up on a trail, follow it, and see how quickly he catches on. He describes it in a way I don't recognise. It'll be interesting to work out the differences." Rav shrugged. "Then I'll probably let Jhanic know what we find out." He raised a hand to shade his eyes. "Where is he?"

"We should wait until you have a free hour. Let's say four hours after High?"

Elia Sedai nodded in agreement. "That suits me. Dedicated, you shall meet me and Ravak Gaidin at the gates to the Tower grounds at four after High."

Felix sighed quietly, he had been hoping to venture out of the tower then. He schooled his face and pushed his feelings into the flame. He had to be careful what he let show. The beast would get him killed if he seemed too eager. He stood and gave a bow suitable to a better and left promptly. The door clicked behind him and he set off for his next class.

---

Felix ran from the main building as the fourth bell rang clear. He had managed to get caught up in an argument over Trollocs in a class. The fool south lander believed he did not need to be schooled in tactics used by a creature of the north.

He slowed to a brisk walk as the Gate came into view, he formed Ko'di and let his consciousness lost all emotion, he floated in the void. He would have to be careful to not give any inclination of his dark thoughts. He had to walk the line. He should have brought Shadar Vron, he felt uneasy, as if a blade would land in his back.

The two siblings stood and the gate and Felix came to a stop in front of them with a simple greeting, "Peace favor you, Elia Sedai and you Ravak Gaidin. Where are we off to in the city?"