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Author: Toreene Sedai, Sitter of the Blue Ajah
Subject: Closing the Waygate...
Date: Tue Apr 21 17:18:05 1998

Message:

Toreene looked into the eyes of her future Warder with a tight grimace. "You will not die on me Alallein Davishe! You wil NOT die on me!" Weaving thick flows of Water and Spirit she channled. Al's body convulsed and shivered as the Healing flows wrapped his body in ice from head to toe. The wounds closed slowly, so slowly and a fine scar line appeared on the man's dark skin. He would live but with yet another reminder of his battle against the Dark One.

"Toreene.." He gasped. "You must go...close the gate, you must close it!" She nodded and stood, while the Saldean raised himself to his knees shakilly.

She looked into the eyes of A'vron and smiled. "It is time to do battle once again my friend, like old times!" The snowhawk sent a mental and physical scream and launched from her shoulder and started attacking Trollocs in her path.

Her frightened mare was already out of the battle with Alallein's stallion, on the crest of the valley hill. She was glad they had not been injured.

The fighting surrounded her, the smell of blood, swords clashing and the screams of horses and men dying. Calmness embraced her as she started moving through the masses of Trollocs and men. Feeling inside her pouch, she removed a small figurine. It was of a woman sitting cross legged, with her hands pressed together in a semblance of prayer. It was an angreal, it would enable her to draw more of the source than she could possibly handle unaided. The Amyrlin had given her permission for use of it on the journey.

Grasping it tightly she drew more of the sweetness of the One Power. It coursed through her viens, she pulsed with the Power, more alive than she had ever felt. She laughed darkly and that's when the Trollocs in her path started to explode, lightening slashed from the sky incinerating the ugly creatures. Their screams were lost to her. She was walking death for the Shadow Spawn.

She channeled Air again, this time in slashing motions that chopped the attacking Trolloc in front of her into pieces. More lightening called from the sky burst more nightmarish creatures into pieces. A'vron was doing a good job of helping out the fighting Tar Valon people and Shienerans. Her path was slowly being cleared for her, between her channeling and the swords of the soldiers.

After countless minutes, she was before the Waygate. The beauty of the intricate patterns of the leaves and vines were almost lost on her as she stared at the silvery surface of the Waygate.

Suddenly a Fade stepped in front of her. "An Aes Sedai...mmmmm...I will enjoy killing you woman!" And he launched himself at her with his sword already in a killing arch.

Quickly she wove a flow of Fire and Air and slammed it at the eyeless creature. The Fade screamed and fell back...enough for her to nock more than five arrows and let them fly. The bristling thing thrashed on the ground, not admitting it was dead.

She leaped over its body and searched the door for the Avendorsa leaf, the one leaf from the Tree of Life that could shut the gate. The voices that suddenly entered her head warned her just in time.

'Lovely blood, so sweet..oh so sweet! Crush the bones, mash them into nothing. Love the screams...hee hee ahh the screams. Sweet blood..ohhhh..so sweet...'

Toreene fell back in revulsion. The Black Wind! If it so much as touched her she was dead. Her hair wiped about her face, unraveling from it's braid. The voices in her head screamed about blood and more revulting things, but she blocked them out, searching frantically for the leaf. Finally she found it and placed it on the door, and it started to close slowly.

For good measure, she picked up some remaining Trollocs in Air and flung them into the blackness of the Black Wind, their screams were horrendous, and the sounds of crunching bones made her want to vomit. The door finally closed and she quickly went to the front of it and removed both leaves. She was sad at having to destroy such a creation like the Waygates, but this one would now be useless. It would not able to be opened again unless Ogier came and replaced the leaves.

Battle still raged behind her. Quickly she put the leaves into her pouch and turned to join the battle once again. Bodies were everywhere. Both men and Trollocs had suffered great losses. Looking around she found three Shieneran soldiers hard pressed by a Fade and two Trollocs. She slammed weaves of Air at them and they flew a few feet before landing. The soldiers quickly took the chance to hack the dark one's minions apart.

Surveying the field she found Al, cutting down a Trolloc and limping slightly. He was weak from the Healing and he was up and fighting already! She shook her head. Her own strength was failing, embracing saidar was becoming more and more like a fight in itself.

Releasing the source was difficult but she did, and replaced the angreal in her pouch. Reaching for her bow, she was again walking death. More Trollocs fell with blue fletched arrows in their necks, eyes, and hearts. Al had taught her well, she was one with the bow as she worked her way back to the battling Saldean. Her strength ebbing with every arrow released....
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