The Grey Tower

OOC: This is continued from the fanfic "The journeys of Cassie Majere"

Jerid Walker Asha’man Jerid Walker Asha’man sat silently, his gold-green eyes scanning the horizon as if looking for any sight of an approaching party ... or its pursuers. So far nothing. The fields outside Hama Valon were empty. The sun beat down on him and on the small group of Tower Guard assembled outside the city walls.

He heard shifting as saidin raged inside of him, a storm of ice and fire that constantly warred against his control. So many decades of skill and training kept that raw power in forcible check. And it also assailed his senses as he heard grumbles and saw a much more vivid world.

The First Seeker held a signet ring in a black gloved hand, the one brought to him by the House Walker scout along with a dire message. He looked sideways at Lysira, but the diminutive Gaidar looked ahead, her own dark eyes scanning the area. She was the picture of a Warder, emotionless, focused and always ready. She held her bow in hand, the heron engraved into it a silent testament of her skill with the weapon.

Underneath the surface, the bond he shared with his Warder and wife was pretty much the same as the look on her face. It was perhaps for the best, since Jerid exhibited the same emotionless facade.

His gold-green eyes fell on a third member of the small party, this one a woman astride her horse. She was small of stature, and her pale complexion and dark hair marked her as Cairhinenin by birth, as did the accent when she did speak. Jerid noted that her pale eyes were just as observant as his, perhaps more so if that was possible.

Jerid did not know Mirin Ronaile Aes Sedai very well, and had very little need to speak with her, other than on the account of the death of his daughter Bryn Riverstone, who was one of her charges. All he knew was that the Mistress of Novices was a formidable woman in her own right, a musts for anyone in that role. The Indigo Asha’man had asked the Aes Sedai here to greet the incoming party simply because two of the women in it would soon become Novices.

And based on his son Sojin’s description of his estranged granddaughter, it would be best that any sense of stubborn independence should be given a splash of cold water when she met the Mistress of Novices. He only wished there were more Tower Guard available, but given the recent conflict and attack on the Tower by rouge Seanchan, the men and women present were gracious enough.

Suddenly and without warning, Lysira’s body stiffened and Jerid’s eyes scanned the horizon, his Power-enhanced vision picking up groups in the distance. Two standards flew, the silver fox of House Walker and the golden hawk of the Seanchan. Both were moving as one, hard and fast. Behind them was another group, this one a mass of white cloth. And the latter was fast overcoming the former.

Lysira pointed slightly toward the northwest, ahead of the fleeing company, and Jerid noted the the flanking maneuver the enemy was attempting. The party bound for the Tower would not make the walls of Hama Valon in time.

Jerid looked to Lysira and the silent Gaidar nodded firmly. The First Seeker cast a look toward the Mistress of Novices. “Begging your pardon, Aes Sedai, but I fear this where we part,” he said simply. Saidin bristled inside of him as he urged his horse into a full gallop. “Tower Guard, forward!”

Lysira was slightly ahead of him, taking the charge as any Warder was wont to do, and the twenty Tower Guard not far behind or at neck with him as they rode across the expanse of plain. Perhaps five stayed behind with the Mistress of Novices lest she follow.

Jerid didn’t pay heed as he charged ahead. At 150 years old, he was rarely impulsive, but when he was, it came with a singlehanded ruthlessness that Dreadlords, Whitecloaks and Seanchan alike spoke about.

As they drew near, he saw the scene unfold, saw the arrows rain down on the small group of Seanchan and two girls. Saw his son suddenly burst in and cut down Whitecloaks whilst the two girls fled. And saw the arrows plunge into him before he was buried under a dead soldier.

Flows of Air and Fire came together in the sky above the clash of small armies, and lightning crashed earthward as Jerid unleashed the first barrage. A hundred lethal weaves crackled in his mind, as the years had long since rendered the need to channel with gestures moot.

Lysira was just as lethal, arrows flying from her bow as she rode, the missiles piercing Whitecloak after Whitecloak chasing a now-still pair of girls, one of them armed with nothing more than a knife.

The Tower Guard were the first to reach them, weaving around the pair and colliding with the Whitecloaks. A second barrage of lightning crashed to the earth just before then, sending horses scattering and Whitecloaks to the ground as they were thrown from their mounts.

And then the Indigo First Seeker was on the ground, long knives drawn as his horse drew near the two girls. Lysira wasn’t far off, her bow left with her horse and her sword bared. One Whitecloak, bloodied and battered, attempted to charge the Indigo from the opposite side of Lysira. He found a knife in his throat and a sword piercing his heart as both channeler and Warder sent his thread back to the Pattern.

He turned, looking at the pair of girls and was met with a fierce amethyst gaze suddenly filled with vague recognition.
Cassie Majere Cassie watched in utter amazement as lightning carved into the Whitecloaks, and arrows flew with impossible accuracy. And then they were enveloped by soldiers from behind, crashing into the Whitecloaks with the discipline of trained army.

And then she saw him. The man, dressed in black, appeared as if a wraith, knives in hand and moving with an unearthly grace. One knife ended the life of a Whitecloak as quickly as the sword the diminutive woman at his side had done.

Those eyes, gold-flecked green orbs, like a forest full of embers, stared back at her. She knew that face. She had dreamed it, knew it from the books she studied. It occupied one of her father’s drawings in his study.

She heard Ellessya whisper something in the Old Tongue, half a prayer and in dread. ”Siea cain daemen.” Golden eyed demon.

She raised her knife slightly as he approached, only to have yanked her hand like a toy from an adult. The knife was returned to its sheath at its side and she was quickly spun about.

“Take my horse, and ride for the Tower,” was all the man said. “Do not look back and don’t stop until you see the walls.”

Cassie struggled uselessly. “But my uncle ...”

“ ... will be recovered, now go!”

The man didn’t shout, but the look in his eyes showed an order had been just delivered. Cassie’s mouth clicked shut and she quickly ushered the injured Ellessya toward the indicated horse. As much it pained her, she was a bit hurried with the injured Seanchan beauty, ensuring she was up on the horse before climbing herself up first.

And then she urged the horse into a full gallop, weaving through the flurry of activity and toward the Tower. Five soldiers in unfamiliar colors surrounded the pair, spears arrayed to fend off errant Whitecloaks. Six of those snowy bastards followed in pursuit, somehow breaking through the line.

She looked back, and saw the rest of the enemy being broken and battered, and at the center, a black-clad man and small woman inflicting damage as if they were heroes from the old tales.

They were soon obscured by the Whitecloaks giving chase and her eyes went forward, hoping that there would be some safety soon to come.

Mirin Mirin shaded her eyes against the sun and scanned the horizon where the Warder pointed. She held back a gasp. The First Seeker had warned her that her new charges may be pursued - but by Children of the Light? This was absurd!

Jerid spoke. "Begging your pardon, Aes Sedai, but I fear this where we part. Tower Guard, forward!"

What, they were going to fight? She trusted Jerid - his reputation was well known - but Light, this was not what she had prepared for when she woke up this morning. It was just her blasted luck that these two novices were being chased by trouble. Mirin's lips flattened into a thin line and she, too, urged her horse forward. "Protect the girls," she instructed the men near her. "Our goal is to retrieve them and flee. Forward!"

She leaned forward in her saddle and her horse accelerated to a gallop. Saidar poured into her and she pushed past her fear to focus her attention on her weaves. She had not been trained in battle, so her strategy was simple. A thread of Air curled into a whip-like structure that could knock a man off a horse. Then they joined the fighting and the air was pierced with the screams of horses and men. What a waste of life, thought Mirin in disgust as she swept a Whitecloak off his horse to be trampled underfoot. She had never desired to join the Green.

"There, Aes Sedai!" One of the Tower Guard pointed at two small figures riding a single horse. The girls broke away from the main battle and charged towards the city. Six Whitecloaks followed.

Mirin cursed and wheeled her horse around. Someone wants them dead badly, she thought, worriedly. Strange that the men would chase after those girls. It was obvious from the start that the Whitecloaks would lose this battle. This close to Hama Valon, retaliation with the One Power could be expected. Any sane men would run. Of course, Children of the Light could be considered far from sane - yet whatever awaited if they failed in their mission must surely be worse than death. What was so special about two untrained girls?

Her Tower Guards followed and they intercepted the six pursuers. Mirin wove another weave of Air and sent it flying through the air. It tripped a horse and sent its rider sprawling to the ground. The swords and spears of the Tower Guard cut the remainder down. She chased after the fleeing girls.

"Come with me!" she called. "I am Mirin Sedai, the Mistress of Novices. Follow!"

She took off toward the Tower with the rest of her Guard, abandoning the battle behind her.

Cassie Majere Cassie was the daughter of a great lord, perhaps one of the greatest in Tar Valon, such as there was in a city ruled by the White Tower. She was the daughter of a great warrior, the niece of an even greater one.

But she was not accustomed to battle. She killed a man, yes, but only in fear and for the protection of her brother.

So when she was enveloped by the soldiers of the Tower Guard, she let her fear envelop her, especially when Whitecloaks gave pursuit. Her heart was in her throat and her lungs almost felt like the wind was being crushed out of her ... most likely from Ellessya squeezing her to death with her good arm.

She looked back again, through the gaps of the Tower Guard around her, and she saw the Whitecloaks gain ground ... when she felt a strong surge of power from nearby. It forced her to look forward and she blinked as she saw a small woman charging forward ... she couldn’t be much taller than Cassie, and yet she had a no-nonsense means about her.

Much like Kera Sedai, the Red Aes Sedai who was a frequent guest in her father’s home in Tar Valon. The Tower Guard with her swept around the men protecting Cassie and Ellessya, and she watched as invisible force or spear or sword ended their lives.

Her eyes fell forward once more, landing on the dark eyes of someone who was obviously Cairhinenin by nature.

Mirin Sedai, Mistress of Novices. Surely with an Aes Sedai and more soldiers, the priority should have been to aid the forces that had just engaged the Whitecloaks on the field of battle.

Enough time to get back to her uncle.

An arrow flew wide, missing her and the Tower Guard soldier riding next to her and into the soft earth. Her amethyst eyes flickered the direction of the arrow, and she saw a fast approaching group of Whitecloaks. Her eyes narrowed and fear vanished, replaced by a sense of desperation and survival.

There was that light, that warmth in the distance. She nearly let it flood her when lightning fell from the clear sky once more. This time it was more frequent, as if the blasts cut a swath in a precise line. Where Whitecloaks had been before, only blackened corpses and dead horses remained .The surprise shocked Cassie into forgetting that seductive warmth.

A second group of riders approached, but these ones carried the banner of the silver fox, with a small redheaded woman armed with a wicked-looking staff and a fancloak.

Cassie’s heart nearly skipped a beat at the sight. Sebrina Gaidar would live. The woman’s face was covered in blood and dirt, the spikes on her staff bloodied. Her efforts in blocking a flanking Whitecloak group was a success. She noticed fewer House Walker bannermen, however, as they joined the group of Tower Guard and the Aes Sedai.

“Many thanks for the assistance, Aes Sedai,” Cassie heard the gorgeous Murandian Gaidar tell the Aes Sedai. “Now I just have to flaming thank that bloody First Seeker. Again.”

Cassie looked back in the direction of the man with the gold-green eyes and his small Gaidar, but she lost sight as they passed through a set of gates and into the city of Hama Valon. She heard the gates close.

As the group slowed their horses to a stop, Cassie did so to with her unfamiliar horse, the mare responding without hesitation or resistance.

Everything after that was a blur, as if some external force was guiding her actions. She dismounted and carefully helped Ellessya, the Seanchan beauty wincing as she nursed her arm. Her body was trembling and Cassie attempted to soothe her as she tried to fight the queasy feeling rumbling in her stomach.

She turned to look at the Aes Sedai. Mirin, Cassie thought as she was split between the desire to curtsey or hug the living breath out of her in thanks.

Cassie smiled, took one step forward as if to curtsey and promptly bent over, emptying her the contents of her stomach onto the ground below as that queasy feeling became nausea.

Some part of her heard Sebrina Gaidar quip offhand, “She can skin and gut a rabbit after bringing it down, ride through a horde of flaming Whitecloaks, but a curtsey does her in. Definitely more like yer uncle than like yer lord father.”
Jerid Walker Asha’man The First Seeker’s knife dripped with blood as the last of the Whitecloaks fell, his throat slashed open. Saidin still tore through him like a raging storm powerful enough to rip the strongest Sea Folk ship to shreds, and he turned as he considered the scene before him.

There was no sight of the Tower-bound party, or their new escort, and he assumed they made it back to the Tower. The last barrage of lightning he channeled had rendered what pursuing Whitecloaks were left after the group nothing more than corpses.

His ears picked up the sound of hoofbeats, and he turned, noting Lysira once more raising her blade just as she had finished wiping blood off on the cloak of a downed Whitecloak. Her dark eyes seemed to pick up the same thing he did. Perhaps a dozen Whitecloaks were bearing down on them at full gallop across the field.

Jerid forced a web of Fire and Air together, and it flew toward the first of the Whitecloaks. With a twist of his mind, the weave turned into a wall of fire that washed over them. He heard the screams of men and horses, the stench of burning flesh. Five men were reduced to burned corpses and burned metal. The remaining seven men looked as if to consider their options and the fact that there were more Tower Guard than them.

The enemy wheeled their horses and turned, attempting escape. A bolt of lightning came crashing down behind them, just to provide incentive.

A Tower Guard officer approached, leading his horse. Jerid saw Lysira look up briefly as if to consider the man a threat before she sheathed her sword.

“Asha’man, we found Sojin Gaidin. It doesn’t look good. Two arrows, one almost hitting a lung,” the soldier said. “He’s being carried back to the Tower with all available haste.”

Jerid nodded as he released saidin. The Void still remained, letting anger and concern break apart against it. His son’s fate now rest with the Yellow Ajah and Miahala Sedai, and his granddaughter’s safety with the Mistress of Novices.

“Guard-Lieutenant, send men to see if there are any survivors. If there are Whitecloaks, detain them, proscribe what first aid they need, and make sure they are put in irons before they go through the gate. If there are any remaining Walker bannermen or Seanchan, give them priority.”

The officer nodded before dispatching orders. The Indigo Asha’man looked around and sighed. The M’Hael and Amyrlin Seat would not enjoy hearing this news.

The girl emptied her stomach. Mirin stepped to her side, avoiding the pile of vomit, and quickly wove the weave for Delving. Finding nothing wrong, she went to the second girl who had dismounted clutching her arm. Mirin's hand gripped the broken bone - the girl winced - and then a Healing weave settled over the girl to realign and mend the bone.

"Names?"

"Cassie Majere," said the girl who had upset her stomach. Amethyst eyes flickered to meet hers, shining with a light of defiance - She will be strong-willed, thought Mirin, though it didn't surprise her. The strongest channelers usually had personalities to match, and as she felt for Cassie's potential, she thought that Cassie would likely be quite strong.

The second girl rattled off a long list of titles. Mirin stared coldly at her until she finished. Lady Ellessya would be in for a rude awakening when she donned novice whites. The Mistress of Novices could already imagine the beautiful Seanchan noble standing in her office complaining about pulling weeds and washing pots.

"Welcome to Hama Valon," she said. "Come walk with me." Her ire made her clipped Cairhienin accent sound even sharper.

Surrounded by the Guard, they passed down the streets of Hama Valon. The city was still heavily under construction after the latest attack, and it bustled with activity as men and women worked tirelessly to rebuild their homes and businesses. Soon they reached the gates of the Grey Tower, which rose like a glittering glass spire, high into the sky.

She explained their new role as novices as they walked. "You will have a day to rest, and then lessons will begin tomorrow. Though, your journey seems to have been difficult, so if you need more time, please let me know. Well, tell me, how did you learn you could channel? You first, please Cassie."

Cassie wiped her mouth and promptly felt herself shiver as the Aes Sedai did something to her. She didn’t resist, however, her stomach still slightly troublesome. Her eyes fell on the small Aes Sedai as she tended to Ellessya, who flinched slightly before her face turned to an expression of awe as her arm was Healed.

The Seanchan beauty smiled at Cassie and then grimaced at the pile of sick left in the face. It didn’t take much prodding for the two young ladies to move from the spot they were in, but Cassie’s mind was still trying to grasp all that had just occurred. She was more than half tempted to slip from her “escort” and from the city to find her uncle, but it was a foolish notion.

And that man with the gold-green eyes ... Cassie had never seen an Asha’man before. Kera Aes Sedai often spoke of them to her in contradictory terms while growing up in Tar Valon. For an Aes Sedai of the White Tower, and of the Red Ajah to boot, she appeared more ... understanding of Asha’man, yet still considered men who channeled to be a threat.

All she knew was that if he found she disobeyed, that particular Asha’man might well skewer her.

A waterskin was thrust into her face, along with a rag. Cassie looked over to see Sebrina Calin fall in beside her, the small red-haired Gaidar ever vigilant.

“Drink, m’Lady, and don’t do anything foolish,” the Murandian said simply. Cassie noticed her emerald eyes were emotionless, her beautiful face like slate. Cassie could only obey as she downed a good sized drink and listen to the Gaidar some more. The water seemed to soothe her stomach somewhat. “Leave this city or this Tower after what happened, after good men died to see ya safely here, and the Aes Sedai won’t be the only one to prescribe some penance.”

Cassie noted that the promise was spoken openly enough for the Mistress of Novices to hear. While Ellessya was busy observing the construction happening around them, Cassie was busy observing both the Gaidar and the Aes Sedai. Bloody flaming ashes. Of course, she noted that this Aes Sedai might become her worst nightmare if she dared take one step outside prescribed boundaries.

As for Sebrina Gaidar ... as much as she liked the Warder, Cassie knew the woman would not fail to keep her promise. The two almost seemed a flaming perfect match for one another.

The patrol stopped abruptly and Cassie’s eyes looked upward to see why. “Flaming bloody ashes,” she swore, perhaps a little too loudly. She received a sharp glance from Sebrina and an embarrassment, her ebony cheeks flushing. The Seanchan girl edged a few inches away, as if to distance herself from being associated with such foul language unbecoming a noble, especially of Cassie’s standing.

Cassandrya Majere did not care. The sight she saw was impressive, even for a young woman who grew up in the shadow of the White Tower. This was the Grey Tower, a place of which she had heard stories both good and bad. She had pictured something much more akin to the Black Tower not far from Caemlyn, a place she heard was nothing but a collection of farmhouses and huts.

This place must have stood for more than a hundred years, and it rivaled the White Tower for aesthetics. And this was to be her new home.

“The first time I channeled was the village of Whiteside Firs, near the estate of Lord Tyeon of Andor,” Cassie said simply, her eyes landing on the Aes Sedai. “Myself, my twin brother, our older brother and father were Lord Tyeon’s guests. Coren and I were riding with a small group led by my father’s chief of household, when a group of flaming Whitecloaks decided to pick on us. They killed Master Copper ... and then there was this warmth, this light that filled me ... and the Whitecloaks were thrown back. My brother and I ran after that, ran per Master Copper’s dying words toward the Caralain Grass and House Walker.”

Ellessya chimed in then, her Seanchan accent obvious as she looked at the Aes Sedai. “And she was brought to the House in a fever by her lord uncle. She was in a fever for a week, and twice she awoke, and twice she nearly brought the roof down when she channeled. Your Jalissa Aes Sedai managed to ‘shield’ her, if that’s the right term.”

The comment earned her sharp looks from the Gaidar and from Cassie. The young Majere then sighed and murmured, “Aye, so my uncle tells me. And then ... I felt the same way as I did the first time I channeled just this past hour, on the field outside Hama Valon. I ... it was just so seductive and one second I felt my horse flagging and the next it ran as if it had a full day’s rest ... until it got hit by a flaming arrow from those craven moonbeaned Children of the ....”

She bit her tongue when she felt a pinch on her side. She saw Sebrina withdraw her hand and look at it as if studying the dirt underneath her fingernails. The Gaidar shot her a subtle warning glance, as if to say “Mind your language.”

Her mind was in two places suddenly when noticed both a horse ride by with two people, one of whom had silver hair and looked severely wounded, and was supported by the other rider. The other part of her mind registered Ellessya’s response about never channeling, only that she had been tested by the Aes Sedai adviser at Walker Manor and shown she had the ability to learn.

She knew from instinct alone who the silver-haired man was and her body tensed, as if ready to bolt in the horse’s direction, which had just slipped into a set of small gates and into the Tower grounds. A firm hand on her shoulder stopped her from moving and she looked again at Sebrina. The small Gaidar shook her head almost imperceptibly before looking at the Aes Sedai. Giving a brief bow of respect, Sebrina murmured, “If ya will excuse me, Aes Sedai, but I’ve matters to attend to in the Infirmary. And should you deem it worthy, please the young Lady Majere that way so she can see her uncle when he has been Healed. Assuming he survives his Aes Sedai and the Yellows allow it.”

And then she was off, leaving Cassie utterly at the mercy of Mirin Aes Sedai. Her amethyst eyes turned back to the Cairhienin woman and she suddenly felt much shorter ... if that were at all possible.

She curtsied, as best she could without a dress, and murmured, “Begging your pardon in advance, Aes Sedai, and my apologies for the language.”

Mirin smiled at the Gaidar, then turned her attention back to the two young women. They looked bedraggled, dusty from their travels... and lost. She tried to put them at ease.

"I will show you around and answer any other questions you have," she said. "Afterwards, if the Yellows are done with your uncle, you can visit him in the infirmary. Relax, Cassie. The Healers are very skilled and your uncle will be well cared for. Come."

They moved south toward the squat building that housed the young novices and soldiers. Mirin gestured to the north. "The Warder Yards," she said. Her voice cooled. "There is very little reason for you to be found there. You will be spending most of your time in the Tower proper for your classes, meals, and chores. And here, this building where you will live."

She opened the door to the squat building and nodded distractedly at the quick curtsies of two passing novices. Within the entrance, a large staircase lead up to the upper floors. Several doors stood to the side. Mirin lead them to one. A bronze plate engraved with her name was attached next to the door.

"This is my office," she said. "This bulletin board will have a list of your chores for the week. It will be updated tomorrow morning with your names. Your schedules will also be delivered to you in the morning."

She unlocked the door and allowed the girls to sign the Novice Book. Then, after finding appropriately sized novice dresses and storing their personal belongings in a locked box, she lead them upstairs. The room she took them to was bare. Each piece of furniture had its duplicate: two beds, two dressers, two desks, two chairs.

"Here. Is there any opposition to being roomed together? No? Good." She pointed to the room next to theirs. "Two other novices live here, Sabine and Casey. Bathrooms are down the hall. An Accepted will always be on duty at the end of the hall should you have an emergency. If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to visit my office."

Her expression softened. "You will be safe and cared for here," she said. "Life as a novice is not easy, but I hope that you will call it home. Questions? If not, then you are free for the rest of the day to rest and explore. Do you need me to take you to the infirmary?"

Cassie smiled faintly and inclined her head in thanks at Aes Sedai’s concerns. Deep down, however, she knew better. She had known men less injured than her uncle that had succumbed to death while under a Healer’s care during Healing.

When she was eight, she had been taken to the White Tower’s infirmary to be treated for a severe fever; she recovered, but ever the explorer, she slipped out and saw with her own eyes as a man injured in a hunting accident died despite Healers’ attempts.

And in a place where family was rare, her uncle Sojin was the most precious commodity.

As Mirin Sedai gave the silver mark tour, Cassie smiled to herself about not being in the Yards all that much. Unfortunately, Ellessya spoiled that for her.

“I doubt that will be able to keep her from the Yards, Mistress,” the Seanchan beauty said. “The Lady Cassie is very fond of hunting and archery and also very fond of a Gaidar ...”

Cassie shot her such a look that made clamped the other woman’s jaw shut. The young Majere felt her face turn bright red shortly after that and she could only murmur, “I may seek lessons from one of the Warders proficient in archery, Aes Sedai, and most likely the dagger, but ... as I am to be a Novice here, those duties will come first.”

She didn’t say another word as the Mistress of Novices showed them through what was surely the Novice Hall. It was separate from the Grey Tower, and Cassie was curious as to why that might be the case. She would find out in her own time.

Upon first introduction of their room (she didn’t object to Ellessya being her roommate, Light above knew she would need to be schooled in certain areas, albeit in a nontraditional method), Cassie scanned the area and all the spartan glory it held. It was much smaller than her own rooms at the manor in Tar Valon ... Light, the antechamber could swallow it up with a few feet to spare.

But she was also accustomed to tents much smaller than this room, often for weeks at a time, while her father allowed her to go on hunts with her older brother and Master Copper ... when Master Copper had been alive.

Cassie was about to ask a question when Elllessya piped up.

“Ma’am, this will barely do for all the garments and belongings I have to bring in from Walker Manor ...”

Something snapped in Cassie. Perhaps it was the stress, perhaps it was the exhaustion, or fretting over her uncle’s wellbeing. Perhaps it was just her travelling companion/new roommate’s attitude, but anger boiled over in the young Majere.

If there was one thing about Cassie Majere that defied belief, it was quickness, both in action and limbs. Her hand smacked the upside of the Seanchan beauty’s head with such force that the other woman couldn’t even blink in surprise. And then she was turned about to face Cassie.

Amethyst eyes met dark eyes, and the former were full of anger. “It is Aes Sedai, not ma’am, not Mistress, and even in your flaming dimmest hopes of becoming an Aes Sedai, it’s will never be Sister, it will be Sedai,” she simply, coldly. “Forget your possessions, your clothes, because you will wear only Novice White. I swear by the Creator if they do come and aren’t destroyed, I will burn them myself.”

She didn’t know what triggered it, but she could feel that warmth, just beyond her reach and she reached out for it. “I fled with my brother when we barely had anything aside from our wits and what few weapons we had. A Whitecloak stabbed him and he was near death, and I had to steal food to feed him and booze and cloth to treat his injury, and he was still dying until our uncle found us. He is alive because of an Aes Sedai. I came here with the clothes on my back and a few graciously donated by Sebrina Gaidar, and only my bow, my long knife and a pendant my father gave me. They will remain here whilst I don the flaming Novice White. The man who led a flaming last ditch effort to ensure our safety here is at death’s door and all you can think about is your flaming clothes? Worse, you insult the Aes Sedai who save our hides and the men who died protecting us!!”

The light she sensed now flooded her, near to overwhelming. She grasped so much of the raw energy and the world suddenly exploded in touch and smell and hearing. She wanted to smack this girl in her grasp so much with that ...

And then it was gone, cut off and blocked as if by some external force. She felt hot, feverish, and she backed away from a frightened Ellessya as she looked at the Aes Sedai, who was glowing.

“Oh flaming Light ... Aes Sedai ... I’m sorr...” Cassie dropped to the floor like a sack of beans, with Ellessya over her, a hand pressed to her forehead.

“She’s burning up ... “ was the last words she heard before she slipped into unconsciousness.

OOC: So, Cassie’s probably going to need some attention as a Wilder. Her block is the emergence of strong emotions, something she’s prone to. Also, I hope you don’t mind if I insinuated that it was Mirin who shielded her prior to her fainting spell. I plan to peg her OP strength at 8.5, and she was near her raw strength in this post (it will be a while before she channels that much again). I would imagine the next scene is in the Infirmary. Also, it might be a good scene before she awakes where Jerid asks a favor of Mirin.