A Memory of Light

it was laughable—an Aes Sedai could sooner fly than kill someone who wasn’t a Darkfriend—but Tuon took no chances.
    The gateway opened to reveal the Hall of the Tower seated in a tent. Behind them, Egwene sat upon a large chair. The Amyrlin Seat itself, Mat realized. Blood and ashes ... she had them fetch it.
    Egwene looked exhausted, though she was doing a good job of hiding it. The others were no better. The Aes Sedai had been strained to their limits. If she were a soldier, he’d never send her into battle. Blood and bloody ashes—if he had a soldier with that cast to his skin and that look in his eyes, Mat would send the fellow to bed rest for a week.
    “We are curious to know the purpose of this meeting,” Saerin said calmly.
    Silviana sat in a smaller chair by Egwene’s side, and the other sisters were organized by Ajah. Some were missing, including one of the Yellows, by Mat’s best guess.
    Tuon nodded to Mat. He was to lead this meeting. He tipped his hat to her, which earned him a half-raised eyebrow. Her dangerous look was gone, although she was still Empress.
    “Aes Sedai,” Mat said, standing up and tipping his hat to the Sitters. “The Crystal Throne appreciates you coming to your bloody senses and letting us direct the battle.”
    Silviana’s eyes bulged as if someone had just stepped on her foot. From the corner of his eye, Mat caught a hint of a smile on Tuon’s lips. Blood and bloody ashes, both women should know better than to encourage him so.
    “You are as eloquent as ever, Mat,” Egwene said dryly “Do you still have your pet fox?”
    “I do,” Mat said. “He’s snuggled up nice and warm.”
    “Take care of him,” Egwene said. “I would not see you suffer Gareth Bryne’s fate.”
    “So it was really Compulsion?” Mat asked. Egwene had sent him word. “As near as we can tell,” Saerin said. “Nynaeve Sedai can see the weaves on someone’s mind, Fm told, but none of the rest of us can.”
    “We have our Healers looking at Bryne,” said a stocky Domani Aes Sedai. “For now, we cannot trust any battle plans that he touched, at least not until we determine how long he’s been under the Shadow’s thumb.”
    Mat nodded. “That sounds good. Also, we need to withdraw our forces from the ford.”
    “Why?” Lelaine demanded. “We have stabilized here.”
    “Not well enough,” Mat said. “I don’t like this terrain, and we shouldn’t have to fight where we don’t want to.”
    “I hesitate to give an extra inch to the Shadow,” Saerin said.
    “A pace given up now could earn us two at the dawn,” Mat replied. General Galgan murmured in agreement, and Mat realized that he’d quoted Hawk wing.
    Saerin frowned. The others seemed to be letting her lead the meeting. Egwene mostly stayed out of it, fingers laced before her, sitting at the back.
    “I should probably tell you,” Saerin said, “that our great captain was not the only one targeted. Davram Bashere and Lord Agelmar also tried to lead their respective armies to destruction. Elayne Sedai did well in her battle, destroying a large force of Trollocs, but she was only able to do so because of the Black Tower’s arrival. The Borderlanders were crushed, losing nearly two-thirds of their numbers.”
    Mat felt a chill. Two-thirds? Light! They were among the best troops the Light had. “Lan?”
    “Lord Mandragoran lives,” Saerin said.
    Well, that was something. “And what of that army up in the Blight?
    Lord Ituralde fell in battle,” Saerin replied. “No one quite seems to know what happened to him.”
    “This was planned very well,” Mat said, mind racing. “Blood and bloody ashes. They tried to crush all four battlefronts at once. I can’t imagine the amount of coordination that would take . . .”
    “As I noted,” Egwene said softly, “we must be very careful. Keep that fox of yours near at all times.”
    “What does Elayne want to do?” Mat said. “Isn’t she in charge?
    Elayne Sedai is currently helping the Borderlanders,” Saerin said. “She has instructed us that Shienar is all but lost, and is having the Asha’man bring Lord Mandragoran’s army to a place of safety. Tomorrow, she plans to move her army through gateways and hold the Trollocs in the Blight.”
    Mat shook his head. “We need to make a unified stand.” He hesitated. “Could we bring her through one of these gateways? At least contact her?” There seemed to be no good objection. In a short time, another gateway