The Gathering Storm

giving a quick bow. Then he withdrew.

Perrin squirmed out and stood up, nodding to a young woman who stood in a dirty dress and worn shoes at the side of the line of wagons. 'Go fetch Lyncon,' he said. 'Tell him to have a look at this wheel hub. I think the bearing's been stripped, and the blasted thing looks ready to roll right off.'

The young woman nodded, running away. Lyncon was a master carpenter who had been unfortunate enough to be visiting relatives in Cairhien when the Shaido attacked. He'd had the will beaten nearly out of him. Perhaps he should have been the one to inspect the wagons, but with that haunted look in his eyes, Perrin wasn't sure how far he trusted the man to do a proper inspection. He seemed good enough at fixing problems when they were pointed out to him, though.

And the truth was, as long as Perrin kept moving, he felt he was doing something, making progress. Not thinking about other issues. Wagons were easy to fix. They weren't like people, not at all.

Perrin turned, glancing across the empty camp, pocked with firepits and discarded rags. Faile was walking back toward the city; she'd been organizing some of her followers to scout the area. She was striking.

Beautiful. That beauty wasn't just in her face or her lean figure, it was in how easily she commanded people, how quickly she always knew what to do. She was clever in a way Perrin never had been.

He wasn't stupid; he just liked to think about things. But he'd never been good with people, not like Mat or Rand. Faile had shown him that he didn't need to be good with people, or even with women, as long as he could make one person understand him. He didn't have to be good at talking to anyone else as long as he could talk to her.

But now he couldn't find the words to say. He worried about what had happened to her during her captivity, but the possibilities didn't bother him. They made him angry, but none of what had happened was her fault. You did what you had to to survive. He respected her for her strength.

Light! he thought. I'm thinking again! Need to keep working. 'Next!' he bellowed, stooping down to continue his inspection of the wagon.

'If I'd seen your face and nothing else, lad,' a hearty voice said, 'I'd assume that we'd lost this battle.'

Perrin turned with surprise. He hadn't realized that Tarn al'Thor was one of those waiting to speak with him. That crowd had thinned, but there were still some messengers and attendants. At the back, the blocky, solid sheepherder leaned on his quarterstaff as he waited. His hair had all gone to silver. Perrin could remember a time when it had been a deep black. Back when Perrin had just been a boy, before he'd known a hammer or a forge.

Perrin's fingers reached down, touching the hammer at his waist. He'd chosen it over the axe. It had been the right decision, but he'd still lost control of himself in the battle for Maiden. Was that what bothered him?

Or was it how much he'd enjoyed the killing?

'What do you need, Tarn?' he asked.

'I'm only bringing a report, my Lord,' Tarn said. 'The Two Rivers men are organized for the march, each man with two tents on his back, just in case. We couldn't use water from the city, on account of the forkroot, so I sent some lads to the aqueduct to fill some barrels there. We could use a wagon to bring them back.'

'Done,' Perrin said, smiling. Finally, someone who did things that were needed without having to ask first! 'Tell the Two Rivers men that I intend to have them back home as soon as possible. The moment Grady and Neald are strong enough to make a gateway. That could be a while, though.'

'That's appreciated, my Lord,' Tam said. It felt so strange for him to use a title. 'Can I speak to you alone for a moment, though?'

Perrin nodded, noticing that Lyncon was coming—his limp was distinctive—to look at the wagon. Perrin moved with Tam away from the group of attendants and guards, walking into the shadow of Maiden's wall. Moss grew green against the base of the massive blocks making up the fortification; it was strange that the moss was far brighter than the trampled, muddied weeds under their feet. Nothing but moss seemed green this spring.

'What is it, Tam?' Perrin asked as soon as they were far enough away.

Tam rubbed his face; there was gray stubble coming in. Perrin had pushed his men hard these last few days, and there hadn't been time for shaving. Tam wore a simple blue wool coat, and the thick cloth was probably a welcome shield against the mountain breeze.

'The lads are wondering, Perrin,' Tam said, a little less formal now that they were alone. 'Did you mean what you said about giving up on Manetheren?'

'Aye,' Perrin said. 'That banner has been nothing but trouble since it first came out. The Seanchan, and everyone else, might as well know. I'm no king.'

'You have a queen who's sworn you as her liege.'

He considered Tarn's words, working out the best response. Once that kind of behavior had made people think he was slow of thought. Now people assumed his thoughtfulness meant that Perrin was crafty and keen minded. What a difference a few fancy words in front of your name made!

'I think you're right, in what you did,' Tam said, surprisingly. 'Calling the Two Rivers Manetheren would not only have antagonized the Seanchan, but the Queen of Andor herself. It would imply that you meant to hold more than just the Two Rivers, that perhaps you wanted to conquer all that Manetheren once held.'

Perrin shook his head. 'I don't mean to conquer anything, Tam. Light! I don't mean to hold what people say I've got. The sooner that Elayne takes her throne and sends a proper lord out to the Two Rivers, the better. We can be done with all of this Lord Perrin business and things can go back to normal.'

'And Queen Alliandre?' Tam asked.

'She can swear to Elayne instead,' Perrin said stubbornly. 'Or maybe directly to Rand. He seems to like scooping up kingdoms. Like a child playing a game of wobbles.'

Tarn smelled concerned. Troubled. Perrin looked away. Things should be simpler. They should be. 'What?'

'I just thought you were over this,' Tarn said.

'Nothing has changed from the days before Faile was taken,' Perrin said. 'I still don't like that wolf head banner either. I think maybe it's time to take that one down too.'

'The men believe in that banner, Perrin, lad,' Tam said quietly. He had a soft way about him, but that made you listen when he spoke. Of course, he also usually spoke sense. 'I pulled you aside because I wanted to warn you. If you provide a chance for the lads to return to the Two Rivers, some will go. But not many. I've heard most swear that they'll follow you to Shayol Ghul. They know the Last Battle is coming—who couldn't know that, with all of the signs lately? They don't intend to be left behind.' He hesitated. 'And neither do I, I reckon.' He smelled of determination.

'We'll see,' Perrin said, frowning. 'We'll see.'

He sent Tam off with orders to requisition a wagon and take it for those water barrels. The soldiers would listen; Tam was Perrin's First Captain, though that seemed backward to Perrin. He didn't know much of the man's past, but Tam had fought in the Aiel War, long ago; he'd held a sword before Perrin had been born. And now he followed Perrin's orders.

They all did. And they wanted to keep doing so! Hadn't they learned? He rested back against the wall, not walking back to his attendants, standing in the shadow.

Now that he seized upon it, he realized that was a part of what was bothering him. Not the whole of it, but some, tied in with what was troubling him. Even now that Faile had returned.

He hadn't been a good leader lately. He'd never been a model one, of course, not even when Faile had been there to guide him. But during her absence, he'd been worse. Far worse. He'd ignored his orders from Rand, ignored everything, all to get her back.

But what else was a man supposed to do? His wife had been kidnapped!

He'd saved her. But in doing so, he'd abandoned everyone else. And because of him, men were dead. Good men. Men who had trusted in him.

Standing in that shadow, he remembered a moment—only a day past—when an ally had fallen to Aiel arrows, his heart poisoned by Masema. Aram had been a friend, one that Perrin had discarded in his quest to save Faile. Aram had deserved better.

/ should never have let that Tinker pick up a sword, he thought, but he didn't want to deal with this problem right now. He couldn't. There was too much to do. He moved away from the wall, planning to inspect the last wagon in line.