The Gathering Storm - Robert Jordan

He walked toward the next wagon in line, his small entourage following him. There were a good fifty of the wagons set in a long caravan train. The first ones were loaded with salvage from Maiden; the middle ones were in the process of being treated likewise, and he had only two left to inspect. He had wanted to be well out of Maiden before sunset. That would probably carry him far enough away to be safe.

Unless these new Shaido decided to give chase in revenge. With the number of people Perrin had to move, a blind man would be able to track them.

The sun drooped toward the horizon, a shining spot behind the cloud cover. Light, but this was a mess, with the chaos of organizing refugees and separate army camps. Getting away was supposed to be the easy part!

The Shaido camp was a disaster. His people had scavenged and packed many of the abandoned tents. Now cleared, the ground around the city was trampled weeds and mud, littered with refuse. The Shaido, being Aiel, had preferred to camp outside the city walls, rather than within them. They were a strange people, no denying that. Who would spurn a nice bed, not to mention a better military position, to stay outside in tents?

Aiel despised cities, though. Most of the buildings had either been burned during the initial Shaido assault or looted for riches. Doors beaten down, windows shattered, possessions abandoned on the streets and trampled by gai'shain running back and forth to fetch water.

People still scurried about like insects, moving through the city gates and around the former Shaido camp, grabbing what they could to stow it for transport. They'd have to leave the wagons behind once they decided to Travel—Grady couldn't make a gateway big enough to pass a wagon through—but for now, the vehicles would be a big help. There were also a good number of oxen; someone else was inspecting those, making certain they were fit to pull the wagons. The Shaido had let many of the city's horses run off. A shame, that. But you made use of what you had.

Perrin reached the next wagon, beginning his inspection with the vehicle's long tongue, to which oxen would be harnessed. "Next!"

"My Lord," said a scratchy voice, "I believe that I am next."

Perrin glanced over at the speaker: Sebban Balwer, his secretary. The man had a dry, pinched face and a perpetual stoop that made him look almost like a roosting vulture. Though his coat and breeches were clean, it seemed to Perrin that they should shed puffs of dust each time Balwer stepped. He smelled musty, like an old book.

"Balwer," Perrin said, running his fingers over the tongue, then checking the harness straps, "I thought you were speaking with the captives."

"I have, indeed, been busy with my work there," Balwer said. "However, I grew curious. Did you have to let the Seanchan take all of the captive Shaido channelers with them?"

Perrin glanced at the musty secretary. The Wise Ones who could channel had been knocked unconscious by forkroot; they'd been given over to the Seanchan while still unconscious, to do with as they pleased. The decision had not made Perrin popular with the Aiel among his allies, but he would not have those channelers running about to take revenge on him.

"I don't see why I would want them," he said to Balwer.

"Well, my Lord, there is much of great interest to learn. For instance, it appears that many of the Shaido are ashamed of their clan's behavior. The Wise Ones themselves were at odds. Also, they have had dealings with some very curious individuals who offered them objects of power from the Age of Legends. Whoever they were, they could make gateways."

"Forsaken," Perrin said with a shrug, stooping down on one knee to check the right front wheel. "I doubt we'll figure out which ones. Probably had a disguise on."

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Balwer purse his lips at that comment.

"You disagree?" Perrin asked.

"No, my Lord," he said. "The 'objects' the Shaido were given are very suspect, by my estimation. The Aiel were duped, though for what reason, I cannot yet fathom. However, if we had more time to search the city. ..."

Light! Was every person in the camp going to ask him for something they knew they couldn't have? He got down on the ground to check the back of the wheel hub. Something about it bothered him. "We already know that the Forsaken oppose us, Balwer. They won't rightly welcome Rand in with open arms to seal them away again, or whatever it is he's going to do."

Blasted colors, showing Rand in his mind's eye! He pushed those away again. They appeared whenever he thought of Rand or Mat, bringing visions of them.

"Anyway," Perrin continued, "I don't see what you need me to do. We'll take the Shaido gai'shain with us. The Maidens captured their fair share. You can interrogate them. But we're leaving this place."

"Yes, my Lord," Balwer said. "It's just a shame we lost those Wise Ones. My experience has been that they are those among the Aiel with the most. . . understanding."

"The Seanchan wanted them," Perrin said. "So they got them. I wouldn't let Edarra bully me on the point, and what is done is done. What do you expect of me, Balwer?"

"Perhaps a message could be sent," Balwer said, "to ask some questions of the Wise Ones when they awake. I. . . ." He stopped, then stooped down to glance at Perrin. "My Lord, this is rather distracting. Couldn't we find someone else to inspect the wagons?"

"Everyone else is either too tired or too busy," Perrin said. "I want most of the refugees waiting in the camps to move when we give the marching order. And most of our soldiers are scavenging the city for supplies—each handful of grain they find will be needed. Half the stuff's spoiled anyway. I can't help with that work, since I need to be where people can find me." He'd accepted that, cross though it made him.

"Yes, my Lord," Balwer said. "But surely you can be somewhere accessible without crawling under wagons."

"It's work I can do while people talk to me," Perrin said. "You don't need my hands, just my tongue. And that tongue is telling you to forget the Aiel."

"But—"

"There is nothing more I can do, Balwer," Perrin said firmly, glancing up at him through the spokes of the wheel. "We're heading north. I'm done with the Shaido; they can burn for all I care."

Balwer pursed his thin lips again, and he smelled just slightly of annoyance. "Of course, my Lord," he said, giving a quick bow. Then he withdrew.

Perrin squirmed out and stood up, nodding to a young woman who stood in a dirty dress and worn shoes at the side of the line of wagons. "Go fetch Lyncon," he said. "Tell him to have a look at this wheel hub. I think the bearing's been stripped, and the blasted thing looks ready to roll right off."

The young woman nodded, running away. Lyncon was a master carpenter who had been unfortunate enough to be visiting relatives in Cairhien when the Shaido attacked. He'd had the will beaten nearly out of him. Perhaps he should have been the one to inspect the wagons, but with that haunted look in his eyes, Perrin wasn't sure how far he trusted the man to do a proper inspection. He seemed good enough at fixing problems when they were pointed out to him, though.

And the truth was, as long as Perrin kept moving, he felt he was doing something, making progress. Not thinking about other issues. Wagons were easy to fix. They weren't like people, not at all.

Perrin turned, glancing across the empty camp, pocked with firepits and discarded rags. Faile was walking back toward the city; she'd been organizing some of her followers to scout the area. She was striking.

Beautiful. That beauty wasn't just in her face or her lean figure, it was in how easily she commanded people, how quickly she always knew what to do. She was clever in a way Perrin never had been.

He wasn't stupid; he just liked to think about things. But he'd never been good with people, not like Mat or Rand. Faile had shown him that he didn't need to be good with people, or even with women, as long as he could make one person understand him. He didn't have to be good at talking to anyone else as long as he could talk to her.

But now he couldn't find the words to say. He worried about what had happened to her during her captivity, but the possibilities didn't bother him. They made him angry, but none of what had happened was her fault. You did what you had to to survive. He respected her for her strength.

Light! he thought. I'm thinking again! Need to keep working. "Next!" he bellowed, stooping down to continue his inspection of the wagon.

"If I'd seen your face and nothing else, lad," a hearty voice said, "I'd assume that we'd lost this battle."

Perrin turned with surprise. He hadn't realized that Tarn al'Thor was one of those waiting to speak with him. That crowd had thinned, but there were still some messengers and attendants. At the back, the blocky, solid sheepherder leaned on his quarterstaff as he waited. His hair had all gone to silver. Perrin could remember a time when it had been a deep black. Back when Perrin had just been a boy, before he'd known a hammer or a forge.

Perrin's fingers reached down, touching the hammer at his waist. He'd chosen it over the axe. It had been the right decision, but he'd still lost control of himself in the battle for Maiden. Was that what bothered him?

Or was it how much he'd enjoyed the killing?

"What do you need, Tarn?" he asked.

"I'm only bringing a report, my Lord," Tarn said. "The Two Rivers men are organized for the march, each man with two tents on his back, just in case. We couldn't use water from the city, on account of the forkroot, so I sent some lads to the aqueduct to fill some barrels there. We could use a wagon to bring them back."

"Done," Perrin said, smiling. Finally, someone who did things that were needed without having to ask first! "Tell the Two Rivers men that I intend to have them back home as soon as possible. The moment Grady and Neald are strong enough to make a gateway. That could be a while, though."

"That's appreciated, my Lord," Tam said. It felt so strange for him to use a title. "Can I speak to you alone for a moment, though?"

Perrin nodded, noticing that Lyncon was coming—his limp was distinctive—to look at the wagon. Perrin moved with Tam away from the group of attendants and guards, walking into the shadow of Maiden's wall. Moss grew green against the base of the massive blocks making up the fortification; it was strange that the moss was far brighter than the trampled, muddied weeds under their feet. Nothing but moss seemed green this spring.

"What is it, Tam?" Perrin asked as soon as they were far enough away.

Tam rubbed his face; there was gray stubble coming in. Perrin had pushed his men hard these last few days, and there hadn't been time for shaving. Tam wore a simple blue wool coat, and the thick cloth was probably a welcome shield against the mountain breeze.

"The lads are wondering, Perrin," Tam said, a little less formal now that they were alone. "Did you mean what you said about giving up on Manetheren?"

"Aye," Perrin said. "That banner has been nothing but trouble since it first came out. The Seanchan, and everyone else, might as well know. I'm no king."

"You have a queen who's sworn you as her liege."

He considered Tarn's words, working out the best response. Once that kind of behavior had made people think he was slow of thought. Now people assumed his thoughtfulness meant that Perrin was crafty and keen minded. What a difference a few fancy words in front of your name made!