Each familiar hallway seemed to shine with a congratulatory light, and each step she took seemed like the victory march of a thousand men across the battlefield. She had won! The war was not over, but this battle went to Egwene. They climbed some stairs, then entered the more populated sections of the Tower. Soon, she saw a group of novices passing; they whispered to one another as they saw Egwene, then scattered away.

Within minutes, Egwene s little procession of three began to pass more and more people in the hallways. Sisters of all Ajahs, looking busy—yet their steps slowed as they watched Egwene pass. Accepted in their banded dresses were far less covert; they stood at intersections, gawking as Egwene was led past. In all of their eyes there was surprise. Why was she free? They seemed tense. Had something happened that Egwene wasn't aware of?

"Ah, Egwene," a voice said as they passed a hallway. "Excellent, you are already free. I would speak with you."

Egwene turned with shock to see Saerin, the purposeful Brown Sitter.

The scar on the woman's cheek always made her seem far more . . . daunting than most other Aes Sedai, an air enhanced by the white locks of hair, indicating her great age. Few members of the Brown could be described as intimidating, but Saerin was certainly one of that select group.

"We are taking her to her rooms," Barasine said.

"Well, I will speak to her as you do," Saerin said calmly.

"She is not to—"

"You deny me, Red? A Sitter?" Saerin asked.

Barasine blushed. "The Amyrlin will not be pleased to hear of this."

"Then run along and tell her," Saerin said. "While I discuss some items of import with young al'Vere." She eyed the Reds. "Give us some room, if you please."

The two Reds failed to stare her down, then backed away. Egwene watched with curiosity. It appeared that the authority of the Amyrlin— indeed, that of her entire Ajah—was somewhat dimmed. Saerin turned to Egwene and gestured, and the two of them began to walk together through the hallway, the Red sisters following behind.

"You take a risk being seen speaking to me like this," Egwene said.

Saerin sniffed. "Leaving one's quarters is taking a risk, these days. I'm growing too frustrated with events to bother with niceties anymore." She paused, then glanced at Egwene. "Besides. Being seen in your company can be rather worth that risk, these days. I wanted to determine something."

"What?" Egwene asked, curious.

"Well, I actually wanted to see if they could be pushed around. Most of the members of the Red are not taking your release well. They see it as a major failing on Elaida's part."

"She should have killed me," Egwene said with a nod. "Days ago."

"That would have been seen as a failure."

"As much a failure as being forced to remove Silviana?" Egwene asked. "Of suddenly deciding that your Mistress of Novices is to blame, a week after the fact?"

"Is that what they told you?" Saerin asked, smiling as they walked, her eyes forward. "That Elaida 'suddenly' came to this decision, all on her own?"

Egwene raised an eyebrow.

"Silviana demanded to be heard by the full Hall while it was sitting," Saerin explained. "She stood before the lot of us, before Elaida herself, and insisted that your treatment was unlawful. Which, likely, it was.

Even if you aren't an Aes Sedai, you shouldn't have been placed in such terrible conditions." Saerin glanced at Egwene. "Silviana demanded your release. She seemed to respect you a great deal, I should say. She spoke with pride in her voice of how you'd received your punishments, as if you were a student who had learned her lesson well. She denounced Elaida, calling for her to be removed as Amyrlin. It was . . . quite extraordinary."

"By the Light ..." Egwene breathed. "What did Elaida do to her?"

"Ordered her to take up the dress of a novice," Saerin said. "Just about caused an uproar in the Hall itself." Saerin paused. "Silviana refused, of course. Elaida has declared that she is to be stilled and executed. The Hall doesn't know what to do."

Egwene felt a stab of panic. "Light! She mustn't be punished! We must prevent this."

"Prevent it?" Saerin asked. "Child, the Red Ajah is crumbling! Its members are turning against one another, wolves attacking their own pack. If Elaida is allowed to go through with killing one of her own Ajah, whatever support she had from within the ranks will evaporate. Why, I wouldn't be surprised, when the dust settles, to see that the Ajah has undermined itself to the point that you could simply disband it and be done with them."

"I don't want to disband them," Egwene said. "Saerin, that's one of the problems with Elaida's way of thinking in the first place! The White Tower needs all of the Ajahs, even the Red, to face what is coming. We certainly can't afford to lose a woman like Silviana just to make a point. Rally what support you can. We have to move quickly to stop this travesty."

Saerin blinked. "Do you really think you're in control here, child?"

Egwene met her eyes. "Do you want to be?"

"Light, no!"

"Well, then stop standing in my way and get to work! Elaida must be removed, but we can't let the entire Tower collapse around us while it happens. Go to the Hall and see what you can do to stop this!"

Saerin actually nodded in respect before withdrawing down a side corridor. Egwene glanced back at her two Red attendants. "Did you hear much of that?"

They glanced at each other. Of course they'd been listening. "You'll want to go determine for yourselves what has happened," Egwene said. "Why haven't you?"

The two glanced at her with annoyance. "The shield," Barasine said. "We've been instructed to always have at least two to maintain it."

"Oh, for the. . . ." Egwene took a deep breath. "If I vow not to embrace the Power until I am properly back in the custody of another Red sister, will that be enough for you?"

The two regarded her with suspicion.

"I suspected as much," Egwene said. She turned to a group of novices who were standing in a side corridor, pretending to scrub the tiles on the side wall while they gawked at Egwene.

"You," Egwene said, pointing to one of them. "Marsial, isn't it?"

"Yes, Mother," the girl squeaked.

"Go and fetch us some forkroot tea. Katerine should have some at the study of the Mistress of Novices. It's not far. Tell her that Barasine requested it for use on me; bring it to my quarters."

The novice scrambled off to do as asked.

"I'll dose myself with that, and then at least one of you can go," Egwene said. "Your Ajah is collapsing. They're going to need all of the clear minds they can get; maybe you can convince your sisters that it is unwise to let Elaida execute Silviana."

The two Reds glanced at each other uncertainly. Then the spindly one whose name Egwene didn't know cursed softly and hurried away with a flurry of rustling skirts. Barasine called after her, but the woman didn't return.

Barasine glanced at Egwene, muttered something under her breath, but remained in place. "We're waiting for that forkroot," she said, staring Egwene in the eyes. "Keep moving on to your quarters."

"Fine," Egwene said. "But each minute you delay could cost you deeply."

They climbed the stairs to the new novices' quarters, which were scrunched up alongside the remainder of the Brown section of the Tower. They stopped by Egwene's door to wait for the forkroot. As they stood there, novices began to crowd around. In the distant corridors, sisters and their Warders ran through hallways with a sense of urgency. Hopefully, the Hall would be able to do something to contain Elaida. If she really went so far as to execute sisters for simply disagreeing with her. . . .

The wide-eyed novice finally returned with a cup and a small packet of herbs. Barasine inspected the packet and apparently determined that it was satisfactory, for she dumped it into the cup and proffered it to Egwene expectantly. With a sigh, Egwene took it and downed the entire cup of warm water. It was enough of a dose that she wouldn't be able to channel a trickle, but hopefully wouldn't be strong enough to render her unconscious.