Perrin grunted. Gaul had moved across the small clearing between the camp tents, spear raised, shoufa covering his face. Perrin waved him off. Not only was Lanfear likely to be much better with the wolf dream than Gaul, but she hadn’t done anything specifically threatening yet.
"If you've been watching me", Perrin said, "you’ll know that I’m married, quite happily".
"So I have seen".
"Then stop looking at me like a flank of beef hung up for display in the market", Perrin growled. "What was Graendal doing here? What does she want?"
"I’m not certain", Lanfear said lightly. "She always has three or four plots going at the same time. Don’t underestimate her, Perrin. She’s not as skilled here as some others, but she is dangerous. She’s a fighter, unlike Moghedien, who will run from you whenever she can".
"I'll keep that in mind", Perrin said, walking up to the place where she’d vanished by gateway. He prodded at the earth where the gateway had cut the ground.
"You could do that, you know", Lanfear said.
He spun on her. "What?"
"Go back and forth into the waking world", she said. "Without requiring the help of one like Lews Therin".
Perrin didn’t like the way she sneered when she said his name. She tried to cover it up, but he smelled hatred on her whenever she mentioned him.
"I can’t channel", Perrin said. "I suppose I could imagine being able to . . ".
"It wouldn’t work", she said. "There are limits to what one can accomplish here, regardless of how strong the mind. The ability to channel is not a thing of the body, but a thing of the soul. There are still ways for one such as you to move back and forth between worlds in the flesh. The one you call Slayer does it".
"He’s not a wolfbrother".
"No", she said. "But he is something similar. I’m honestly not certain another has had his skills before. The Dark One did . . . something to this Slayer when capturing his soul, or his souls. I suspect Semirhage might have been able to tell us more. It’s a pity she’s dead".
Lanfear didn’t smell of pity at all. She glanced at the sky, but was calm, not worried.
"You don’t seem as worried about being spotted as you once were", Perrin noted.
"My former master is . . . occupied. This last week watching you, I’ve rarely felt his eyes on me".
"Week?" Perrin asked, shocked. "But—"
"Time passes oddly here", she said, "and the barriers of time itself are fraying. The closer you are to the Bore, the more time will distort. For those who approach Shayol Ghul in the real world, it will be just as bad. For every day that passes to them, three or four might pass to those more distant".
A week? Light! How much had happened on the outside? Who lived, and who had died, while Perrin hunted? He should wait at the Traveling ground for his portal to open. But, judging by the darkness he’d seen through Graendal’s gateway, it was night. Perrin’s escape portal could be hours away.
"You could make a gateway for me", Perrin said. "A pathway out, then back in. Will you?"
Lanfear considered it, strolling past one of the flickering tents and letting her fingers trail on the canvas as it vanished. "No", she finally said.
"But—"
"You must learn to do this thing for yourself if we are to be together".
"We’re not going to be together", he said flatly.
"You need this power of and for yourself", she said, ignoring what he had said. "You are weak so long as you are trapped only in one of the worlds; being able to come here when you want will give you great power".
"I don’t care about power, Lanfear", he said, watching her as she continued to stroll. She was pretty. Not as pretty as Faile, of course. Beautiful nonetheless.
"Don’t you?" She faced him. "Have you never thought of what you could do with more strength, more power, more authority?"
"That won’t tempt me to—"
"Save lives?" she said. "Prevent children from starving? Stop the weak from being bullied, end wickedness, reward honor? Power to encourage men to be straightforward and honest with one another?"
He shook his head.
"You could do so much good, Perrin Aybara", she said, walking up to him, then touching the side of his face, running her fingers down his beard.
"Tell me how to do what Slayer does", Perrin said, pushing her hand away. "How does he move between worlds?"
"I cannot explain it to you", she said, turning away, "as it is a skill I have never had to learn. I use other methods. Perhaps you can beat it out of him. I would be quick, assuming you wish to stop Graendal".
"Stop her?" Perrin said.
"Didn't you realize?" Lanfear turned back to him. "The dream she was invading was not one of the people from this camp—space and distance matter not to dreams. That dream you saw her invading . . . it belongs to Davram Bashere. Father of your wife".
With that, Lanfear vanished.
CHAPTER 23
At the Edge of Time
Gawyn tugged urgently on Egwene’s shoulder. Why wouldn’t she move? Whoever that man was in the armor made of silver discs, he could sense female channelers. He d picked Leane out of the darkness; he could do the same for Egwene. Light, he probably would, as soon as he took a moment to notice.
I’m going to haul her up onto my shoulder, if she doesn’t move, he thought. Light help me, I’ll do it, no matter how much noise it makes. We’re going to be caught anyway, if we—
The one who called himself Bao moved off, towing Leane—still wrapped in Air—with him. The others followed in a mass, leaving the awful, charred remnants of the other captives behind.
"Egwene?" Gawyn whispered.
She looked at him, a cold strength in her eyes, and nodded. Light! How could she be so calm when he had to clench his teeth for fear they would start rattling together?
They wriggled out from under the cart backward, moving on their stomachs until they emerged. Egwene glanced in the direction of the Sharans. Her cold sense of control radiated into his mind from the bond. Hearing that man’s name had done that to her, given her a sudden spike of shock followed by grim determination. What was that name? Barid something? Gawyn thought
