"Gray Men," the Aes Sedai said softly, "and after you."

"Gray Men?" Nieda laughed, both loud and nervously. "Why, Mistress Mari, next you'll say you do believe in boggles and bugbears and Fetches, and Old Grim riding with the black dogs in the Wild Hunt." Some of the men who had been listening to the songs laughed, too, though they looked as uneasily at Moiraine as at the dead men. The singer stared at Moiraine, as well, her eyes wide. Perrin remembered that one ball of fire, before everything grew too jumbled. One of the Gray Men had a somewhat charred look about him, and gave off a sickly sweet burned smell.

Moiraine turned from Perrin to the stout woman. "A man may walk in the Shadow," the Aes Sedai said calmly, "without being Shadowspawn."

"Oh, aye, Darkfriends." Nieda put her hands on generous hips and frowned at the corpses. Lan had finished his searching; he glanced at Moiraine and shook his head as if he had not really expected to find anything. "More likely thieves, though I did never hear of thieves bold enough to come right into an inn. I did never have even one killing in the Badger before. Bili! Clear these out, into a canal, and put down fresh sawdust. The back way, mind. I do no want the Watch putting their long noses into the Badger." Bili nodded as if eager to be useful after failing to take a hand earlier. He grabbed a dead man by the belt in either hand and carried them back toward the kitchen.

"Aes Sedai?" the dark-eyed singer said. "I did not mean to offend with my common songs." She was covering the exposed part of her bosom, which was most of it, with her hands. "I can sing others, if you would so like."

"Sing whatever you wish, girl," Moiraine told her. "The White Tower is not so isolated from the world as you seem to think, and I have heard rougher songs than you would sing." Even so, she did not look pleased that the common now knew she was Aes Sedai. She glanced at Lan, gathered the linen cloak around her, and started for the door.

The Warder moved quickly to intercept her, and they spoke quietly in front of the door, but Perrin could hear as well as if they whispered right next to him.

"Do you mean to go without me?" Lan said. "I pledged to keep you whole, Moiraine, when I took your bond."

"You have always known there were some dangers you are not equipped to handle, my Gaidin. I must go alone."

"Moiraine —"

She cut him off. "Heed me, Lan. Should I fail, you will know it, and you will be compelled to return to the White Tower. I would not change that even if I had time. I do not mean you to die in a vain attempt to avenge me. Take Perrin with you. It seems the Shadow has made his importance in the Pattern known to me, if not clear. I was a fool. Rand is so strongly ta'veren that I ignored what it must mean that he had two others close by him. With Perrin and Mat, the Amyrlin may still be able to affect the course of events. With Rand loose, she will have to. Tell her what has happened, my Gaidin."

"You speak as if you are already dead," Lan said roughly.

"The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, and the Shadow darkens the world. Heed me, Lan, and obey, as you swore to." With that, she was gone.

The dark-eyed girl climbed back on her table and started singing again, in an unsteady voice. The tune was one Perrin knew as "Mistress Aynora's Rooster," and though the words were different once more, to his disappointment – and embarrassment that he was disappointed – it actually was about a rooster. Mistress Luhhan herself would not have disapproved. Light, I'm getting as bad as Mat.

None of the listeners complained; some of the men did look a bit disgruntled, but they seemed to be as anxious about what Moiraine might approve as the singer was. No one wished to offend an Aes Sedai, even with her gone. Bili came back and hoisted two more Gray Men; a few of the men listening to the song glanced at the corpses and shook their heads. One of them spat on the sawdust.

Lan came to stand in front of Perrin. "How did you know them, blacksmith?" he asked quietly. "Their taint of evil is not strong enough for Moiraine or me to sense. Gray Men have walked past a hundred guards without being noticed, and Warders among them."

Very conscious of Zarine's eyes on him, Perrin tried to make his voice even softer than Lan's. "I... I smelled them. I've smelled them before, at Jarra and at Remen, but it always vanished. They were gone before we got there, both times." He was not sure whether Zarine had overheard or not; she was leaning forward trying to listen, and trying to appear not to at the same time.

"Following Rand, then. Following you, now, blacksmith." The Warder gave no visible sign of surprise. He raised his voice to a more normal level. "I am going to look around outside, blacksmith. Your eyes might see something I miss." Perrin nodded; it was a measure of the Warder's worry that he asked for help. "Ogier, your folk see better than most, too."

"Oh, ah," Loial said. "Well, I suppose I could take a look, too." His big, round eyes rolled sideways toward the two Gray Men still on the floor. "I would not think any more of them were out there. Would you?"

"What are we looking for, stone-face?" Zarine said.

Lan eyed her a moment, then shook his head as if he had decided not to say something. "Whatever we find, girl. I will know it when I see it."

Perrin thought about going upstairs for his axe, but the Warder made for the door, and he was not wearing his sword. He hardly needs it, Perrin thought grumpily. He is almost as dangerous without it as with. He held on to the chair leg as he followed. It was a relief to see that Zarine still had her knife in her hand.

Thick black clouds were roiling overhead. The street was as dark as late twilight, and empty of people who had apparently not waited to be caught in the rain. One fellow was running across a bridge down the street; he was the only person Perrin saw in any direction. The wind was picking up, blowing a rag along the uneven paving stones; another, caught under the edge of one of the mounting blocks, flapped with a small snapping sound. Thunder grumbled and rolled.

Perrin wrinkled his nose. There was a smell of fireworks on that wind. No, not fireworks, exactly. It was a burned sulphur sort of smell. Almost.

Zarine tapped the chair leg in his hands with her knife blade. "You really are strong, big man. You tore that chair apart as if it were made of twigs."

Perrin grunted. He realized he was standing straighter, and deliberately made himself slouch. Fool girl! Zarine laughed softly, and suddenly he did not know whether to straighten or stay as he was. Fool! This time he meant it for himself. You're supposed to be looking. For what? He did not see anything but the street, did not smell anything but the almost burned sulphur scent. And Zarine, of course.

Loial appeared to be wondering what it was he was looking for, too. He scratched a tufted ear, peered one way down the street, then the other, then scratched the other ear. Then he stared up at the roof of the inn.

Lan appeared from the alleyway beside the inn and moved out into the street, eyes studying the darker shadows along the buildings.

"Maybe he missed seeing something," Perrin muttered, though he found it hard to believe, and turned toward the alley. I am supposed to be looking, so I'll look. Maybe he did miss something.

Lan had stopped a little way down the street, staring at the paving stones in front of his feet. The Warder started back toward the inn, walking quickly, but peering at the street ahead of him as if following something. Whatever it was led straight to one of the mounting blocks, almost beside the inn door. He stopped there, staring at the top of the gray stone block.