"I'd tell you if I knew," Ryvin says as she puts on the sa'angreal belt. "Probably. It's the Key that does the actual work. I just provide the Power. And now, we will be providing it together, if you are still willing. How about you, Asha'man? Want to experience a Link and contribute?"
leaping out of the way, both chen and Vala tumble to the ground as they get away from the gateway as it forms between them.
Litheene quickly steps through...
the surrounding area is quiet. citizens of tar valon within the vicinity all hold their breath, frozen by fear.
One guardsman screams! his pants growing wet, he scrambles to his feet and flees, calling for help.
The other guardsman, made of somewhat sterner stuff, or perhaps knowing his duty, gets to his feet and draws his sword. he shuffles a step forward taking care to avoid the ash pile that was his friend.
I dont know what just happened, but in the name of the White Tower, you are both under arrest. come along peacefully and no harm shall come to you.
as he says that last statement, reality sets upon the frozen citizens, and like an avalanche of emotions, they scream and cower in fear, rushing about the street seeking some sort of secure environment to hide in. many dash into the nearest door and lock it, while others leap through windows without a care for cuts and slices.
Alathea waits for Ryvin to begin pulling saidar through the sa'angreal, then draws upon saidar herself--after so long with the belt, her own unaided strength seems but a weak trickle. She adds her strength to Ryvin's and surrenders control.
Chen stands and draws his sword. "You do not command me human." he says in his firm avalanche of a voice.
Glancing at the white tower shining behind a high wall some half mile behind the guard he asked. "What is this place?"
Somehow going even paler at Analin's comment, Dengorin dismounts and, with a bow, hurriedly says, "Of course, Aes Sedai. I would no think of questioning such as you."
He will then do his best to keep an eye on the surrounding area.
Getting ahold of herself once more, Fia turns and heads back inside. "I do not know what is to be done now. I am sorry." She still looks paler than usual, and shakes her head. "We know they were in Tar Valon, or at least so I guess. Perhaps the others will know how to get there.... assuming they still live and can return here."
"Is it the white tower of this world, or another? Is there nothing we can do for them?" Ryland closes his eyes and reaches his mind out to his sword attempting to contact the intelligence with in.
Ryvin opens herself to the Source through the belt - 'the big bauble, really' - and briefly staggers at the magnitude of the flow of saidar running through her. For a moment, all she dpes is stand there, acclimatizing to the Power. Only when she has mastered it does she reach out and link to Alathea. More Power.
A jumble of images and feelings. The belt. A chain. The sweetness of saidar. The elation of the True Source. Self-loathing. Loathing of the immutable. The belt. A chain. Loathing, loathing. Control. Sweetness. Loathing. Control. Sweetness. Loathing. Control. Sweetness. Loathing. Emotion... A single candle-flame, burning in the dark. The fire rises, surges, fills the darkness... And emotion is gone. All that is left is control.
"Let it be now," Ryvin says, her voice flat and unfeeling, her face expressionless as a mask, saidar blazing around her like the sun.
Briefly, she turns her gaze on Analin, their dark depths as cold and distant as the night sky. "Will you join us yet, Aes Sedai?" she asks, holding one hand out in invitation.
Analin doesn't look happy at Ryvin's response but she does join the link.
More Power.
The night sky. Cold and dark. A bubble of Void, the world cold and distant, yet also you intimately interwoven with the world and the world with you. Beyond the bubble, the muted thunder of saidar, like the deep abyss at the bottom of the ocean. An ocean of sweetness, an ocean of Light, kept at bay while also in use. The balance of a knife's edge, cold as ice, dark as night.
Slowly, feeling ponderous as a mountain yet light as air at the same time, Ryvin moves towards the tree -- and feeds saidar into the Glass Key.
"Open the way back unto me," she intones, her voice cold and distant.
focusing upon the glass key, ryvin directs the energies from the other two ladies linked to her along with the sa'angreal at her belt.
surprise floats along her link as she realizes that she is denied access to the sa'angreal, as if she was shielded from it.
Feeling the demand for familiar surge of untapped power flow through her, being linked to two others allows the surge to be spread amongst the other channelers with no ill effects.
the wood twists and warps
a doorway appears
and a darkness beyond shows you the way home.
Ryland opens his eyes and looks towards the Aiel. "Have either of you heard of The Heart, or The Nine?"
Dengorin stares in amazement as whatever the three women are doing causes the tree to shift into a doorway. In a low voice, he says, "Truly, I have no seen such a thing in my life. Fortune prick me, you could do travel to wherever it is you wish with this."
Fia looks at Ryland questioningly. "No... they mean nothing to me. The first I have heard of any nine was Litheene just now. Why do you ask?"
"I must seek The Heart. Only with it may I call forth The Nine...whatever they bloody are." Ryland looks at the location of the closed portal and shakes his head. "The one that could possibly tell me is on the other side. We have to find him."
Argrand seems lost in thought at the issues Dengorin raised. As Ryvin asks him to join the circle a light twinkles in his eyes but he holds off having never been part of one nor having seen one function, he opts not to test his luck here and now in a place of great danger.
"Where does this lead Aes Sedai? While I do believe that most choices are better than here, I did have a duty to fulfill..."
" Where did she go, what is she planning why did this happen, when did this happen"Vala spoke as she ignored the guard and the others trying to make sense of her friends transformation and motives.
"As for your arrest of us, I care little something vile has come here, we followed her..it here. We have to put a stop to it, for i doubt no one but us has any inkling as to what exactly we are dealing with got it!" She said letting her emotions pour out with the anger and sorrow cutting into her worse than any wound she had every had. Not to mention the panic that was entwined with in.
"I must seek The Heart. Only with it may I call forth The Nine...whatever they bloody are." Ryland looks at the location of the closed portal and shakes his head. "The one that could possibly tell me is on the other side. We have to find him."
"Him? You mean the Ogier Chen?
I am an enforcer of the peace in Tar Valon, Ogier. And I command those that cause trouble. and by the look of it, you definitely look like trouble. and YOU he points at vala without taking his eyes off of chen.
The Aes Sedai here are quiet adept at finding those that would harm the citizens of Tar Valon. And that woman who just left looks like a channeler. We are all going to wait here, nice and easy, so you can be questioned by one of the Aes Sedai. A Bennie Sedai is on the rotation to assist the guards this month, and she is very accommodating to those under arrest. But she hates it when resistance is given. Now please, lay down your blades.
Ryvin smiles a crooked smile at Dengorin. "Not everywhere, I don't think. But many places."
To Argrand, she says: "To a ... junction place, of sorts, from where we can go other places as we choose. It should be safer than here and we can hook back up with our friends. Now, if everyone would go through? I need to be the last through the door."
Ryland nods his head and frowns. "Yes, Chen. He knows of this sword I carry and the sword is what told to seek the heart."
"Still, it do be a wondrous marvel. Truly, when I set out to hunt the Horn of Valere, I have seen much that I no did dream of seeing," he responds, still amazed by the sight.
Taking a deep breath, and feeling somewhat lightheaded, Dengorin will air until someone else steps through, and then follow after them.
With safety just a step away, Alathea slumps in exhaustion and stumbles through the door after Dengorin.
Fia frowns with distaste down at the sword. She did not like the thing, even less so than other swords, given that its strange properties had once nearly gotten her killed back when it had been wielded by another. Now it led to this business with hearts and nines, which was sure to be no end of further trouble.
She lays her hand on Ryland's shoulder however, and nods. "If that is what you feel you must do, then we shall do so, though I don't like it. At any rate, we have to try to get Vala back. The ogier too. And...Litheene as well.
Argrand plus the saddle and bags off of his horse and slaps it on the rump that it may get away, "Godspeed loyal steed".
With that he steps through the portal curious about this new wondrous place.
Assuming nothing, Keelix draws his blade and slips through the portal just ahead of Ryvin.
-Posted with Wayfinder
The horse trots away a few steps and then stops. It turns, snorts and trots back to argrand.
Argrand turns to Ryvin, "Is there no way to enlarge the portal?" he asks sadly.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Rhoekk moved with deliberate strides through the refuge that was not a building. Do not dwell on things you cannot affect; it will only drive you to distraction, and cause you to miss the things you can change!
He moved up to the room where the keys and doors were arrayed, looking around to see if there was any sign of those who had been caught out behind, or anything out of place.
Showing none of the fatigue that affected Alathea, Analin nods at Argrand. "The size of the being is immaterial; the portal allows all who enter to pass through so long as it is open."
"Thank you Aes Sedai I would have hated leaving the steed behind". Argrand steps back out and leads his mount into the portal, wherever it leads to...
Surprised that the door appears locked, Rhoekk inspect it for a lock, to see if it might be circumvented, or if the power is at work here.
If he finds a lock, he drops to a knee, and digs out his seldom used lock-picks.
Sliding the pick into the lock, rhoekk probes up and down, feeling for tumblers and rockers. Hills and valleys are probed, and finally, a vibration twangs down the pick to his fingers. The vibration flows through the door, and then the rest of the building. The strange distorted feeling affects rhoekk as the door opens before him. Inside, he sees a strange man and a horse, the man fleeing from the trollocs earlier, and alathea. He also sees the portal to the maple door slam shut.
The door to the house swings shut, trapping you outside.
To your utter amazement, the portal suddenly closes on you with a thunderoud clap. The intensity of it makes your ears ring and knocks you back several feet.
Argrand turns to Alathea a bit panicked, "What happened? Can we open that.. that portal again?!"
Ryvin grunts at the impact, but immediately struggles back to her feet.
"I could really learn to hate this day," she grumbles as she returns to the tree.
"I do believe they should be able to, but I do no know how it works. It involves the use of the One Power, though, which means I do no have a way to assist." Realizing he's talking to the Asha'man, Dengorin edges away slightly, eyeing him with caution.