you have thirty thousand men and Gareth Bryne behind you. That should count for something, even among Aes Sedai. Until tomorrow, Mother.' Reining his big-nosed bay around, he called over his shoulder, 'I expect to see you tomorrow, too, Siuan.
Egwene could not help staring, too. He had never been so open before, not nearly. Why now, of all times?
Crossing the forty or fifty paces that separated the army’s camp from the Aes Sedai’s, she nodded to Sheriam, who drew rein at the first tents. She and Siuan rode on. Behind them, Sheriam’s voice rose, surprisingly clear and steady. 'The Amyrlin Seat calls the Hall to sit this day in formal session. Let preparations be made with all speed.' Egwene did not look back.
At her tent, a bony groom kicking her layered woolen skirts came running to take Daishar and Bela. Her face was pinched, and she barely ducked her head before hurrying away with the horses as quickly as she had come. The warmth of the glowing braziers inside was like a fist closing down. Egwene had not realized how cold it was outside until then. Or how cold she was.
Chesa took her cloak, and exclaimed when she felt her hands. 'Why, you’re ice to the bone, Mother.' Chattering away, she bustled around folding Egwene’s cloak and Siuan’s, smoothing the neatly turned-down blankets on Egwene’s cot, touching a tray set on one of the chests that had been pulled down from the stack. 'I’d jump right into bed, with hot bricks all around, if I was that chilled. As soon as I’d eaten, anyway. Warm outside does only so much good without warm inside. I’ll fetch a few extra bricks to tuck under your feet while you sup. And for Siuan Sedai, of course. Oh, if I was as hungry as you must be, I know I’d be tempted to gulp my food, but that always gives me pains in the stomach.' Pausing by the tray, she eyed Egwene, and nodded with satisfaction when she said that she would not eat too fast.
Making a sober answer was not easy. Chesa was always refreshing, but after today, Egwene almost laughed with pleasure. There were no complications to Chesa. Two white bowls of lentil stew stood on the tray, along with a tall pitcher of spiced wine, two silver cups, and two large rolls. Somehow, the woman had known Siuan would be eating with her. Steam rose from the bowls and pitcher. How often had Chesa had to change that tray to make sure warm food greeted Egwene straight away? Simple and uncomplicated. And as caring as a mother. Or a friend.
'I must forgo bed for now, Chesa. I’ve work yet tonight. Would you leave us?'
Siuan shook her head as the tentflap fell behind the plump woman. 'Are you sure she hasn’t been in your service since you were a babe?' she muttered.
Taking one of the bowls, a roll, and a spoon, Egwene settled into her chair with a sigh. She also embraced the Source and warded the tent against listeners. Unfortunately,
'Is there anything more we can do?' she asked, and promptly gulped down a spoonful of stew. She was ravenous, and no wonder, with nothing since breakfast and that early. Lentils and woody carrots tasted like her mother’s finest cooking. 'I can’t think of anything, but can you?'
'What can be done, has been. There isn’t anything else, short of the Creator putting a hand in.' Siuan took the other bowl and dropped onto the low stool, but then she sat staring into her stew and stirring it with her spoon. 'You wouldn’t really tell him, would you?' she said finally. 'I couldn’t bear if he knew.'
'Why on earth not?'
'He’d take advantage,' Siuan said darkly. 'Oh, not
Egwene sighed. How
'I said I’d work off the debt,' Siuan said stubbornly. 'I have as much honor as Lord Gareth bloody Bryne! As much and more! He keeps his word, and I keep mine! Besides, Min told me I have to stay close to him or we’ll both die. Or something like that.' A pinkness in her cheeks gave her away, though. Her honor and Min’s viewing notwithstanding, she was simply willing to put up with anything to be near the man!
'Very well. You’re besotted, and if I tell you to stay away from him, you’ll either disobey or mope and wrap the rest of your brains in a cloud. What are you going to do about him?'
Scowling indignantly, Siuan went on for some little time, growling what she would like to do about Gareth bloody Bryne. He would have enjoyed none of it. Some, he might not have survived.
'Siuan,' Egwene said warningly. 'You deny one more time what’s plain as your nose, and I’ll tell him
Siuan pouted sullenly. She pouted! Sullenly! Siuan! 'I don’t have time to be in love. I barely have time to think, between working for you
Egwene scraped her spoon through her bowl, and was surprised when it came up empty. Nothing remained of the roll but a few crumbs on her dress. Light, her middle still felt hollow. She eyed Siuan’s bowl hopefully; the woman seemed to have little interest in anything but drawing circles in the lentils.
A sudden thought occurred to her. Why had Lord Bryne insisted that Siuan work off her debt even after learning who she was? Just because she had said she would? It was a preposterous arrangement. Except that it did keep her close to him when nothing else would have. For that matter, she herself had often wondered why Bryne had agreed to build the army. He had to have known there was a very good chance he was laying his head on the chopping block. And why he had offered that army to her, a girl Amyrlin with no real authority and not a friend among the sisters except Siuan, as far as he knew? Could the answer to all of those questions be as simple as… he loved Siuan? No; most men were frivolous and flighty, but that was
Siuan snorted in disbelief. It sounded odd, coming from that pretty face, but no one could put quite so much expression into a snort as she did. 'He’s not a total idiot,' she said dryly. 'In fact, he has a good head on his shoulders. He thinks like a woman, most of the time.'
'I still haven’t heard you say you’ll straighten up, Siuan,' Egwene persisted. 'You have to, one way or another.'
'Well, of course I will. I don’t know what’s been the matter with me. It isn’t as if I never kissed a man before.' Her eyes narrowed suddenly, as if she expected Egwene to challenge her on that. 'I haven’t spent my
Ridiculous or not, something certainly had restored Siuan’s appetite. She went through her stew faster than Egwene had hers, and not a crumb of the roll escaped her. Egwene found that she had drawn her fingers through her own empty bowl. There was nothing for it then but to lick off the last few lentils, of course.
Discussing what was to happen tonight served no real point. They had honed and refined what Egwene was to say, and when, so many times that she was surprised she had not dreamed of it. She certainly could have done her part in her sleep. Siuan insisted anyway, skirting very near the point where Egwene would have to call her down, going over it again and again, bringing up possibilities they had discussed before a hundred times. Strangely, Siuan had found herself a very good mood. She even essayed a little humor, unusual for her of late, though some was on the gallows side.
'You know Romanda wanted to be Amyrlin herself once,' she said at one point. 'I’ve heard it was Tamra getting the stole and staff that made her stalk off into retirement like a gull with her tail feathers clipped. I’ll lay a silver mark I don’t have to a fish scale that her eyes bulge twice as much as Lelaine’s.'
And later. 'I wish I could be there to hear them howl. Somebody’s going to before much longer, and I’d rather it was them than us. I never had the voice for singing.' She actually sang a little snatch about staring across