Lan’s little force was but a pebble before them.
The men silently raised their swords to him, a final salute.
"Now!" Lan yelled. Now as they begin to spread out. It will do the most damage. Lan kicked Mandarb forward, leading the way.
Andere galloped beside Lan, clinging to his pommel with both hands. He didn’t try to raise a weapon; he’d have fallen from his saddle if he had.
Nynaeve was too far away for Lan to feel much of her through the bond, but sometimes very powerful emotions could stand out despite the distance. He tried to project confidence in case it reached her. Pride in his men. Love for her. He wished deeply for those to be the last things she remembered of him.
My arm will be the sword . . .
Hooves clattered on the ground. The Trollocs ahead hooted in delight, realizing that their prey had transformed a retreat into a charge of men rushing right into their grasp.
My breast itself a shield . . .
Lan could hear a voice, his father’s voice, speaking these words. That was foolish, of course. Lan had been a baby when Malkier had fallen.
To defend the Seven Towers . . .
He had never seen the Seven Towers stand against the Blight. He’d only heard stories.
To hold back the darkness . . .
The horses’ hooves were becoming a thunder. So loud, louder than he’d have thought possible. He held himself straight, sword out.
I will stand when all others fall.
The oncoming Trollocs leveled spears as the distance between the two opposing forces narrowed.
Al Chalidholara Malkier. For my sweet land Malkier.
It was the oath a Malkieri soldier took during their first posting to the Border. Lan had never spoken it.
He did so now in his heart.
"Al Chalidholara Malkier!" Lan screamed. "Lances, set!" Light, but those hoofbeats were loud! Could six thousand make so much noise? He turned to look at those behind him.
At least ten thousand rode there.
What?
He pressed Mandarb forward through his surprise.
"Forward the Golden Crane!"
Voices, shouts, screams of power and joy.
The air ahead to the left split with a sudden vertical slash. A gateway three dozen paces wide—as large as Lan had ever seen—opened as if into the sun itself. From the other side, the brightness spilled out, exploded out. Charging men in full armor burst from the gateway, falling into place at Lan’s flank. They flew the flag of Arafel.
More gateways. Three, then four, then a dozen. Each broke the field in coordination, charging horsemen bursting forth with lances leveled, flying the flags of Saldaea, Shienar, Kandor. In seconds, his charge of six thousand had become a hundred thousand.
Trollocs in the front lines screamed, and some of them stopped running. Some held steady, spears angled to impale oncoming horses. Bunching up behind them—not being able to see clearly what was happening in front—other enraged hordes pushed eagerly forward, waving large swords with scythe-like blades and double-bitted battle-axes.
Those Trollocs at the front, holding spears, exploded.
From somewhere behind Lan, Asha’man began to send weaves to rip the earth, completely destroying the front ranks of Trollocs. As the carcasses collapsed to the ground, the middle ranks found themselves completely exposed, facing a storm of hooves, swords and lances.
Lan hit, swinging, crashing Mandarb through the snarling Trollocs. Andere was laughing.
"Back, you fool!" Lan yelled to him as he lashed out at the nearby Trollocs. "Direct the Asha’man to our wounded; have them protect the camp!"
"I want to see you smile, Lan!" Andere shouted, clinging to his horse’s saddle. "Show more emotion than a stone, for once! Surely this deserves it!"
Lan looked at the battle he’d never thought to win, seeing a last stand instead become a promising fight, and couldn’t help himself. He didn’t just smile, he laughed.
Andere obeyed his order, riding off to seek Healing and organize the back lines.
"Jophil", Lan called. "Raise my banner high! Malkier lives on this day!"
CHAPTER 7
Into the Thick of It
Elayne stepped out of the pavilion after the meeting—and entered a grove of a dozen or so trees. And not just any trees: they were towering, healthy, huge-limbed, beautiful trees, hundreds of feet tall with massive trunks. The way she froze and gaped would have been embarrassing if everyone else hadn’t been doing the same. She looked to the side, where Egwene stood, mouth open, as she stared up into the huge trees. The sun still shone above, but the green leaves shaded the area, explaining why the light had dimmed inside the tent.
"These trees", Perrin said, stepping forward and resting his hand on the thick, ribbed bark. "I’ve seen Great Trees like this before. Inside a stedding!"
Elayne embraced the Source. The glow of saidar was there, a warmth alongside that of the sun. She breathed in the Power, and was amused to notice that most of the women who could channel had done as she had the moment a stedding was mentioned.
"Well, whatever Rand is now", Egwene said, folding her arms, "he can’t just make stedding appear". She seemed to find the thought comforting.
"Where did he go?" Elayne asked.
"He strolled out there", Perrin said, waving toward the trees. "And vanished".
People were walking among the massive trunks: soldiers from the various camps, staring upward. She heard a Shienaran talking to Lord Agelmar close by. "We watched them grow, my Lord. They burst from the ground; it took less than five minutes for them to become so tall. I swear it, my Lord, or may I never draw blade again".
"All right", Elayne said, releasing the Source. "Lets begin. Nations are burning. Maps! We need maps!"
The other rulers turned toward her. In the meeting, with Rand standing there, few of them had objected to her being chosen to lead them. That was how it could be around him; a person was swept up in the tides of Rand’s will. Things seemed so logical when he spoke of them.
Many now looked displeased to have her put above them. Best to give them no time to dwell on it. "Where is Master Norry?" she said to Dyelin. "Could he have—"
"I have maps, Your Majesty", Gareth Bryne said as he left the pavilion, Siuan at his side.
He seemed grayer than she remembered him; he wore a stiff white coat and trousers, the breast marked with the Flame of Tar Valon. He bowed in respect, but did not step too close. His uniform made his allegiance plain, as did Siuan’s pr
