Arganda smelled frustrated. Perrin had gained a few weeks of goodwill from him and Gallenne following the successful assault on Malden, but old divisions were resurfacing in the endless mud, under a sky full of tumbling thunderheads.
“Don’t worry yourself,” Perrin said. “I have men watching over the newcomers.” He also had them watching the refugees. Some were so docile that they would hardly go to the privy without being instructed to do so; others kept looking over their shoulders, as if expecting Shaido to spring from the distant line of oaks and sweetgum trees at any moment. People who smelled that terrified could be trouble, and the various factions of his camp already walked as if trudging through itchweed.
“You may send someone to talk to the newcomers, Arganda,” Perrin said. “Talk only. Find out where they’re from, learn whether they did serve a lord, see if they can add anything to the maps.” They didn’t have any good maps of the area, and had been forced to have the Ghealdanin men—Arganda included—draw some from memory.
Arganda rode off, and Perrin moved to the front of the column. Being in charge did have its nice moments; up here, the smells of unwashed bodies and pungent mud weren’t nearly so strong. Ahead, he could finally see the Jehannah Road like a long strap of leather cutting through the highland plains, running in a northwestern direction.
Perrin rode, lost in thought for a time. Eventually, they reached the roadway. The mud didn’t look as bad on the road as it had in the meadows—though if it were like any other road Perrin had traveled on, it would have its mires and washed-out sections. As he reached it, he noticed Gaul approaching. The Aiel had been off scouting ahead, and as Perrin’s horse stepped up onto the road, he noticed that someone was riding behind Gaul up toward them.
It was Fennel, one of the farriers that Perrin had sent ahead with Master Gill and the others. Perrin felt a wash of relief to see him, but it was followed by worry. Where were the others?
“Lord Perrin!” the man said, riding up. Gaul stepped to the side. Fennel was a wide-shouldered man, and carried a long-handled workman’s axe strapped to his back. He smelled of relief. “Praise the Light. I thought you’d never get here. Your man says the rescue worked?”
“It did, Fennel,” Perrin said, frowning. “Where are the others?”
“They went on ahead, my Lord,” Fennel said, bowing from horseback. “I volunteered to stay behind, for when you caught up. We needed to explain, you see.”
“Explain?”
“The rest turned toward Lugard,” Fennel explained. “Along the road.”
“What?” Perrin said, frustrated. “I gave them orders to continue northward!”
“My Lord,” Fennel said, looking abashed. “We met travelers coming from that way; said that mud made the roads to the north almost completely impassable for wagons or carts. Master Gill decided that heading to Caemlyn through Lugard would be the best way to follow your orders. Sorry, my Lord. That’s why one of us had to stay behind.”
Light! No wonder the scouts hadn’t found Gill and the others. They’d gone in the wrong direction. Well, after slogging through mud for weeks himself—sometimes having to stop and wait out storms—Perrin couldn’t blame them for deciding to take the road. That didn’t stop him from feeling frustrated.
“How far behind are we?” Perrin asked.
“I’ve been here five days, my Lord.”
So Gill and the others had been slowed too. Well, that was something, at least.
“Go get yourself something to eat, Fennel,” Perrin said. “And thank you for staying behind to let me know what happened. It was a brave thing you did, waiting alone for so long.”
“Somebody had to do it, my Lord.” He hesitated. “Most feared you hadn’t…well, that things had gone wrong, my Lord. You see, we figured you’d be faster than us, since we had those carts. But from the look of things here, you decided to bring the entire town with you!”
It wasn’t far from the truth, unfortunately. He waved Fennel on.
“I found him about an hour along the road,” Gaul said softly. “Beside a hill that would make an excellent camp. Well watered, with a good view of the surrounding area.”
Perrin nodded. They’d have to decide what to do—wait until Grady and Neald could make large gateways, follow along after Master Gill and the others on foot, or send most people northward and send only a few toward Lugard. Regardless of the decision, it would be good to camp for the day and sort through things. “Pass the word to the others, if you will,” Perrin said to Gaul. “We’ll hike down the road to the place you found, then discuss what to do next. And ask some of the Maidens if they’d scout along the road in the other direction to make sure we’re not going to be surprised by anyone moving up the road behind us.”
Gaul nodded and moved off to pass the word. Perrin remained sitting atop Stayer, thinking. He had half a mind to send Arganda and Alliandre off to the northwest right now, setting on a path to Jehannah. But the Maidens had picked out some Shaido scouts watching his army. Those were probably there to make sure Perrin wasn’t a threat, but they made him uneasy. These were dangerous times.
It was best to keep Alliandre and her people with him for now, both for her safety and his own, at least until Grady and Neald recovered. The snakebites from the bubble of evil had affected the two of them and Masuri—the only one of the Aes Sedai who had been bitten—worse than the others.
Still, Grady was starting to look hale again. Soon he’d be able to make a gateway large enough to move the army through. Then Perrin could send Alliandre and the Two Rivers men home. He himself could Travel back to Rand, pretend to make up—most people would still think that he and Rand had parted ways angrily—and then finally be rid of Berelain and her Winged Guards. Everything could go back to the way it should be.
Light send it all went that easily. He shook his head, dispelling the swirling colors and visions that appeared to his eyes whenever he thought of Rand.
Nearby, Berelain and her force were marching out onto the road, looking very pleased to reach some solid footing. The beautiful dark-haired woman wore a fine green dress and a belt of firedrops. Her neckline was discomfortingly low. He’d started relying on her during Faile’s absence, once she’d stopped treating him like a prize boar to be hunted and skinned.
Faile was back now, and it appeared his truce with Berelain was over. As usual, Annoura rode near her, though she didn’t spend the time chatting with Berelain as she once had. Perrin never had figured out why she’d been meeting with the Prophet. Probably never would, considering what had happened to Masema. A day out of Malden, Perrin’s scouts had run across a group of corpses that had been killed with arrows and robbed of their shoes, belts, and any valuables. Though ravens had gotten the eyes, Perrin had smelled Masema’s scent through the rot.
The Prophet was dead, killed by bandits. Well, perhaps that was a fitting end for him, but Perrin still felt he’d failed. Rand had wanted Masema brought to him. The colors swirled again.
Either way, it was time for Perrin to return to Rand. The colors swirled, showing Rand standing in front of a building with a burned front, staring westward. Perrin banished the image.
His duty was done, the Prophet seen to, Alliandre’s allegiance secure. Only, Perrin felt as if something were still very wrong. He fingered the blacksmith’s puzzle in his pocket. To understand something…you have to figure out its parts…
He smelled Faile before she reached him, heard her horse on the soft earth. “So, Gill turned toward Lugard?” she asked, stopping beside him.
He nodded.
“That may have been wise. Perhaps we should turn that way too. Were those more sell-swords who joined us?”
“Yes.”
“We must have picked up five thousand people these last few weeks,” she said thoughtfully. “Perhaps more. Odd, in this desolate landscape.”
She was beautiful, with her raven hair and strong features—a good Saldaean nose set between two tilted eyes. She was dressed for riding in deep wine red. He loved her dearly, and praised the Light that he’d gotten her back. Why did he feel so awkward around her now?
“You’re troubled, my husband,” she noted. She understood him so well, it was almost as if she could read scents. It seemed to be a thing of women, though. Berelain could do it too.
“We’ve gathered too many people,” he said with a grunt. “I should start turning them away.”
“I suspect they’d find their way back to our force anyway.”
“Why should they? I could leave orders.”
“You can’t give orders to the Pattern itself, my husband.” She glanced over at the column of people as they moved onto the road.
“What do—” He cut off, catching her meaning. “You think this is me? Being ta’veren?”
“Every stop along our trip, you’ve gained more followers,” Faile said. “Despite our losses against the Aiel, we came out of Malden with a stronger force than when we started. Haven’t you found it odd that so many of the former gai’shain are taking to Tam’s training with weapons?”
“They were beaten down so long,” Perrin said. “They want to stop that from happening again.”
“And so coopers learn the sword,” Faile said, “and find they have a talent for it. Masons who never thought of fighting back against the Shaido now train with the quarterstaff. Sell-swords and armsmen flock to us.”
“It’s coincidence.”
“Coincidence?” She sounded amused. “With a ta’veren at the army’s head?”
She was right, and as he fell silent, he could smell her satisfaction at winning the argument. He didn’t think of it as an argument, but she’d see it as one. If anything, she’d be mad that he hadn’t raised his voice.
“This is all going to end in a few days, Faile,” he said. “Once we have gateways again, I’ll send these people to their proper places. I’m not gathering an army. I’m helping some refugees to get home.” The last thing he needed was more people calling him “my Lord” and bowing and scraping.
“We shall see,” she said.
“Faile.” He sighed and lowered his voice. “A man’s got to see a thing for what it is. No sense in calling a buckle a hinge or calling a nail a horseshoe. I’ve told you; I’m not a good leader. I proved that.”
“That’s not how I see it.”
He gripped the blacksmith’s puzzle in his pocket. They’d discussed this during the weeks since Malden, but she refused to see sense. “The camp was a mess while you were gone, Faile! I’ve told you how Arganda and the Maidens nearly killed one another. And Aram—Masema corrupted him right under my nose. The Aes Sedai played at games I can’t guess, and the Two Rivers men…you see how they look at me with shame in their eyes.”
Faile’s scent spiked with anger when he said that, and she turned sharply toward Berelain.