Rosaberle could see that the Ogier was uncomfortable with the Waygate unopened in front of him. They were in Caemlyn in the dead of night underground.  Not in the sewers exactly, but the Red Sister still had to kill some rats that scurried about.  Rats and other scavengers were known for being spies for the Dark One.  It was a plain and boring place except for one of its walls.  Pale, intricately worked stone of leaves and vines decorated it.  In the middle of the stone wall was an even more elaborate, older work of stone.  Avendesora, the leaf of the Tree of Life was the key to opening the Ways.

            The Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah pushed aside Noael as if he were a child and grabbed a three-pointed leaf.  She placed it somewhat lower where it stuck as if it were carved from that space.  Abruptly, a thin sliver of a line split the carving in half until it opened perpendicular to where it once stood.  The back of the carving was worked the same as the front in designs of leaves and vines.  In the new opening, a dull, reflective shimmering faintly caught the images of the five of whom stood before it.  Rosaberle nodded to the four surprised faces as she turned around.  “We shall enter this Waygate as five and leave this Waygate as five.  If no one objects to that then I expect you all to follow my orders.”

            The four heads nodded slower than she would have liked, but it would have to do.  Rosaberle walked through the Waygate first and as she walked through her reflection, a cover of cold touched every part of her as if she were walking through a bubble of ice.  Abruptly, that “bubble” popped and she stood in the endless darkness of the Ways.  She waited until all had passed through the Waygate before she left it and replaced the Avendesora carving back into place.  It slowly closed behind her as she walked back through the reflection, ignoring the icy chill with Aes Sedai serenity.

            A small smile curved her lips as she looked at the Ogier.  His ears twitched violently at her gaze.  That added a slight mirth to her eyes.  The Ogier deserved this treatment, including the Aes Sedai’s horse almost trampling him in fear of the taint of the Way.  That Ogier lived in a stedding.  All Ogier lived in a stedding unless they wanted to die.  Steddings are dangerous tools for male channelers.  They can prolong the life of a male channeler by not allowing him to use or even feel the True Source.  Thereby, it effectively kept the man safe until he left the stedding where the taint would continue to consume the fool man. Steddings prolonged the Breaking of the World and for that, Rosaberle could never forgive them.

            But perhaps that Ogier could repay some part of what his people owed, though not all.  Never all.  As much as she hated to admit it, she needed the Ogier to guide her and Eriold to Shienar.  The others were coming too, of course, but they weren’t nearly as important.  Eriold was to the point of the trip and for him, she will bend.  She will bend for him to tolerate his trainer and the increasingly belligerent Myria.  She would even tolerate the Ogier’s presence to guide them as quickly as possible.  Light, she will bend for him, but she will not break!

            The Ogier led the way, holding the reigns of the four horses.  Rosaberle refused to buy a horse for the Ogier, and muttering to himself of nonsense about him being in trouble with his wife.  He held his lantern up to look at carvings in a stone pillar.  The Ogier froze and shivered after he read a small part of rune-shaped writing on the pillar.  Rosaberle bristled as the Ogier murmured to himself again before he lead them down a different path.  Light, if he would just lead, we would all be out here all the quicker.

            The Ogier was leading, but even with the large strides of his long lets, he was moving much too slow for her taste.  She hated the feel of the place.  It felt like the taint of the Ways could almost be felt on the skin as a chunky sludge that would constantly slide around you, but would never fall off.  Light, she hated the Ways. They were originally created by those vile male channelers after the Breaking of the World. The Ogiers that she had talked with told her that these bleak paths, surrounded by an empty darkness, were once beautiful paths surrounded by light and gardens, crumbling paths said it surrounded by darkness were once beautiful paths surrounded by light and gardens, but Rosaberle could never believe that.  How beautiful can something, can anything, be when it involves the tainted half of the One Power?

            The Red Sister had to force her hands to her sides to keep from hugging herself.  Male channelers had always made her nervous – out of a wary caution not fear.  Never fear, but at the moment, she was in a creation of the tainted Saidin.  Even worse, even if she were to embrace Saidar, it would do no good in the Ways.  The taint in the place twists the One Power and without knowing what would happen, a simple weave to heal or create an orb of light could backfire and kill her. Or Eriold. Or the bloody rest of the, including even the Ogier.

            Light, she wished she knew just how long they were in there.  A few hours for sure.  Already, they had saved time by using the Ways.  Light, Rosaberle felt like telling the Ogier to find the nearest exit so that they could all get away from the sickening taint.  The only other person to look calm and composed besides her was Tres.  The old blademaster was slowly beginning to garner her respect and that was worth something.  She grimaced at Myria.  The fool girl was so close to Eriold that they could have been lovers on a stroll.

            She looked away from Myria to look straight ahead to the Ogier and the horses.  Rosaberle didn’t quite blame the girl.  Even the horses kept together to feel safer in each other’s warmth.  She, herself, would prefer to be in Eriold’s strong arms and – and what?  Light, what was she thinking?   She knew that she wasn’t allowed to marry. Marriage?
Light! The Creator burn me forever with these thoughts.

            Rosaberle shook her head as if to rid herself of the thought, but it was all in vain.  Before she knew it, the heat that swelled in her cheeks filled her face with ruthless aggression.  She was blushing again!  Light, few men made her blush, much less twice.  She casually felt her face with one hand.  Hot, not warm, but it was hot.  Light, what was going on?  She was Aes Sedai, not some Saldean farm girl!

“Everyone stop,” said Rosaberle with a hint of weakness in her voice.  She hoped they would think her blushing to be sickness, and in a way, to Rosaberle at least, it was.  “We will rest here for awhile before we continue on.  Ogier, how much more time before we make it to our Waygate?  Time flows differently in the Ways.  To make a guess based on my past studies, it shouldn’t take more than one or two days”.

            The Ogier twitched uncomfortably as she nodded at him.  Light, two more days in this?!  Well, hopefully, one more day may be all it takes.  Light, send it so that they only have to stay for one more day.