Channelers and the Men Who Love Them: Season Two
Episode Three – Via Láctea
“So it has come to this,” Cadsuane stared over her templed hands at him. “You have finally come to me for help. You, who would wish for me to vanish and leave your world-“
“Please stop talking.” For a brief moment Mat thought he would die, but Cadsuane seemed uninterested in murder today. “Yes. Yes, Cadsuane the Great, I am here to ask for your help. Please don’t make this anymore painful than it need be!”
“Heehee!”
“And please tell Rand to stop laughing.”
“I can do nothing about Rand, but Moiraine is another story. Whatever information it is that you need should not be all too difficult for me to acquire.”
Cadsuane’s smile gave Mat-and Rand-pause: did he really want to risk getting into an agreement with an Aes Sedai? Images of Thom and Moiraine, Moiraine and Lan, Thom, Moiraine, and Lan, flashed through his mind. It made him sick and angry, but mostly nauseated.
“Fine! Whatever the price, just…do what you do.”
“Heehee!”
Things were becoming a little awkward for Nynaeve. She was woman enough to admit that to herself. Egwene had her on lock down except for when she was sent to go guard the great Jasin Natael. Now even that old gleeman Thom had arrived to annoy her.
“Do you realize you are thinking out loud, Daughter? If you don’t like your punishment I can find you another.”
“Oh. Oh! Hahahahaha. No. No. I am perfectly happy with what you have decided!” Nynaeve took this moment to thank the Light she wasn’t bond by the Oaths.
“Maybe you should take a moment and figure out how to keep your thoughts inside your head.”
“Look, Egwene, I’m really sorry about this whole beheading mess.” Nynaeve gave a warm smile to her former apprentice. Yes, that was all Egwene was, a former apprentice. “How was I to know people would think I was dead? Or that Siuan and Elaida would be accused of my murder? Or that you would let Romanda talk you into that double execution? I know that there are many things that I am able to do, but predicting the future…! That just isn’t one of them!”
Egwene did not look impressed nor moved. “If you are done complimenting yourself, Daughter, your former apprentice would like you to go tell that Jasin Natael fellow to simmer down and behave. Dismissed!”
Moiraine was really not in the mood to break Tar Valon laws and codes. Siuan was not in the mood for Moiraine to start obeying Tar Valon law and codes.
“This is just plain silly! Do you have any idea how often you were almost brought up for disciplinary action? In fact, they still have a tally on you!”
“Which is all the more reason to not harbor a fugitive, wouldn’t you say? Just go back to Tanchico and finish your sentence! I have more important things to do!”
“More important than your former pillow friend?”
“There’s a reason you’re a ‘former’.”
Shocked, all Siuan could do was splutter and make violent hand gestures. Moiraine was unaffected.
“Siuan, I love you. Really, I do. But you attract more trouble than Rand, and frankly I’m getting too old to want to bother with such nonsense. Go back to Tanchico! And if you don’t want to do that, at least go back to your room!”
Dismissed like a child, Siuan returned to her room. And planned to make Moiraine rue this day.
“Mwahaha!”
Cadsuane knew she was up to no good: She already knew all there was to know about Moiraine. She was taking advantage of Mat. She knew that. She just didn’t care. Even so, she should at least make a good showing of getting intel.
Thus far all she had seen Moiraine do was cry, eat, yell at Siuan, cry, drink tea with too much honey, and cry some more. Light, she never knew Cairhienin cried so much over so little.
Since spying on someone boring tended to be, well, boring, Cadsuane passed the time by making Moiraine believe her castle was haunted. But that was only fun until Moiraine started crying again.
“Why don’t you pay someone to spy on her?”
“Rand, why don’t you get a job?! Hey!”
“No!”
“It was your idea!”
Rand tried to come up with a good reason, a good excuse, a good way to get out of this.
“I can’t spy on her! Short people make me itch!”
Meanwhile….
Lan wondered why he had joined the Whitecloaks. It didn’t make much sense when you got right down to it.
Aviendha just wondered how much longer she could avoid the crazy going around.