Cema observed him, togheter with the pick up in use of saidar inside she had an easy guess at what went on. "She is alive so far, any atempt of something stupid would be her sure death, so keep calm." Cema much prefered to leave Birgita to her torturing, oh when needed she would do it, but she had no like for it.

 

"When you signed up as a trainee it was with the motivation to help protect the tower right? I fail to see how spliting the tower is helping it, yet that is what Ata is trying, and it can not be permited, it is not ready for what she wants to tell. The loose ends needs to be closed again." In many ways she belived what she where saying thoug her main motive was protecting herself, though what she had done the choises she had taken she belived was for the greater good in the end. And for now it was for the bether that the tower stayed united, her death would but be the first the news would devistate the tower have every sister scowling at eachother, it wouldnt do.

 

She looked at the white fur ball who had trailed behind out of sigth and now kept out in the edge hiding. "So what is with the stray furball following us, is it part of your company?" She had heard rumors of course but some things she just found hard to belive.

Nuitari choose to ignore the womans comments, until he heard her say "so what is with the stray furball following us, is it part of your company?"

 

He looked up and saw Star Blaze a distance off, keeping behind a few trees but obviously watching. "He's part of our company," he said quickly.

 

He'd grown fond of the little guy and didn't want harm to come to him. Although he longed to loose him on the woman, he didn't know if she was actively holding him or whatever she'd done to keep him from escaping.

 

"Muad!" he barked loudly, and watching Star blaze trot over and flop down near his feet, watching both him and the woman. "Shain Star blaze, shain," he said quietly, shifting his gaze back to the woman and glaring at her.

Cema paid close attention to the dog, they where well known to hate channelers, yet could it be the rumors where throug. "He is thame, or is it a she?" she looked somewhat skeptical on the dog. "I heard about it but.." she shook her head, "Yellows always wanting to save everything, thay are maniacs. Keep him under control." mumbeling under her breath "couldnt just get a cat as normal" Something needed to be with the dog it couldnt be kept around and sertainly wouldnt tell anyone of anything. "Would that one survive on its own?"

"No it would not," he said coldly, making it clear that he was not going to stand idly by.

 

"It's tame, but try anything, and Star Blaze won't be the only animal you think is tame."

Cema sighed, and then gave the warder a strickt look. "I am only acting in the best interest of the tower, i am sure that fellow will make a fine farm dog for someone then. Asuming it would come along, well i guess some air would take care of that really." She shook her head.

 

"I am afraid my cat wouldnt like it so would have to do. And honestly cant say i like it either, its not natural." she looked at it again where it lay.

 

She heard her stumock grumble, and left to get some food

Contempt glittered in Brigita's eyes as she looked down upon Ata. The former Yellow was splayed out naked on the rough cot that filled one corner of the small hut. Bonds of Air spread-eagled her arms and legs wide, pinioning them to the bed so firmly that the woman couldn't move an inch. At first, she had flailed wildly about with her torso, accomplishing nothing except exhausting herself. It was obvious that she was appalled at her exposure, and her inability to cover herself. The shame of being naked was a useful tool in questioning. Sweat rolled off of her body, staining even the thin moth-eaten blanket that she was laying on.

 

Brigita walked slowly past the bed, coming to stand next to a rickety table with only three legs. Resting atop the table were the spilled contents of Ata's belt pouch and saddle bags. It revealed much, and created many questions, as well. Ata glared daggers at Brigita when her hand brushed a small leather-bound diary.

 

Seating herself in an even more rickety chair by the bed, Brigita idly riffled through the pages of the diary. Now and then she would glance up from the diary to look at the woman, never betraying her thoughts. Silence was another useful tool. The hut was warded against eavesdropping, so only silence would reach the Warder with Cema outside. When she started to torture Ata, the silence would seem deafening to her Warder, who would feel everything but hear nothing.

 

A good hour passed in which not a question was asked. Not that Brigita was idle during that time, oh no. Other small flows joined what she was using to bind and shield the woman. Minute weaves of Fire mixed with Air and Water increased the temperature of Ata's skin until the Yellow's face was flushed and now the sweat ran in actual rivulets down the creases of her skin. Brigita would release that weave after about 10 minutes or so, only to renew it after a small break.

 

Can't have her dying of heat stroke, can we?

 

Brigita never considered the small voice in her head saying that use of the Power against an initiate was wrong. Her status as Black Ajah quashed that thought almost before it was fully formed. As to the identity of the sister before her, Brigita automatically had started to think of her as nothing more than 'the prisioner'. Prisoners did not have personalities, or rights. Prisoners only did what they were told, or suffered the consequences.

 

Long experience as a questioner had taught Brigita the most effective weaves to use before and during the inquisiton. It was now time to prepare the prisoner to have a loose tounge when the questions started. Brigita cracked her knuckles in anticipation, and began her onslaught.

 

Needles of Fire pricked the prisoner's face and scalp, leaving a nest of tiny blisters that appeared almost immediately. The woman flinched and then cried out as the pricks intensified. Whip-thin rails of Air buffetted the prisoner's torso and thighs with stings like a switch. When the front of the woman was striped from breasts to shins, Brigita flipped her over with Air and repeated the buffeting to the woman's backside. Her cries grew to wails as the invisible switch reached the back of her knees. That was a most sensitive area of skin; Brigita again intensified the weave, focusing on that tender area. The wails now were bone-shattering shrieks, albeit muffled by the prisoner's face shoved hard into the mattress.

 

Without warning, Brigita stopped the flows. She seized the woman roughly with Air again, and flipped her back upright, pinning her into a sitting position on the bed, so that she was facing Brigita. The prisioner's shrieks had faded into muted whimpers interrupted by hiccoughs and sniffs. Brigita grimaced, she could not stand sniveling.

 

I hope this one has more mettle than she has shown so far....otherwise I might be rather disappointed.

 

She shifted her chair so that her face was a mere foot away from the prisoner's, and spoke in flat and final tones.

 

"You will tell me everything I ask. No half-truths or Aes Sedai word twisting will be accepted. I cannot abide liars, and so anything but complete and utter truthfulness will result in more....persuasion. Do I make myself clear?"

 

The prisoner was silent for long moments, but Brigita thought she detected a shadow of defiance in the woman's eyes. A slow smile curved on her lips as she waited for the prisoner to speak.

 

Ah, there is something left of the fight in this one after all. Good, it is always much more satisfying when I break them completely in the end.

Two days had passed, many a question asked but still she held her ground, she could well recognise the shield that went up, it would not allow for anyone to hear what was going on in the hut, so far she had managed to get through these sessions with her honor intact.

 

In the hours to come she would learn that the patient of her captors where runing out, she would feel humiliation and defencelessness. Her gag didnt even allow her to scream properly. Though in due time the effect of the weaves had less effect, her skin where so sore she could hardly feel the new tormation of blisters and heat weaves, she where empty of tears.

 

To begin with she had tried to remain calm, not giving in to showing signs of her pain but it wherent posible so instead she tried to embrace it. She swore to herself thoug over and over she wouldnt break, whatever they wanted she wouldnt give it, and she tried to think on some escape but it was so hard, it was all she could do to try and fuzz the bond so that Nuit wouldnt share her pain. She took some relif in feeling that though he was angry and frustrated he didnt seem to be in pain.

 

"You will tell me everything I ask. No half-truths or Aes Sedai word twisting will be accepted. I cannot abide liars, and so anything but complete and utter truthfulness will result in more....persuasion. Do I make myself clear?" Slowly the world came to an halt and she managed to focus on the gray sister, she refused to answer, she didnt know what they wanted but giving it would be defeat, and she wouldnt aid the shadow in its batle, she had been almost killed before she migth not make it this time but she wouldnt help them at least.She wherent surpriced when her silence where answered with a new round of beatings.

Cema had had plenty time to think while Birgita rested and she tended the shield. Birgita was slowly making progress with the Aes Sedai, the warder was a difrent mather thoug, as soon as she came into usefull ground he thigthen up and didnt have a word for her.

 

She steped out of the hut after giving back the shield, outside she gaged the warder before she steped forward, there where only one way to gain control, a way she had forsworn long ago because of the pain coming with the loss. But she needed this tool, she needed to find out what info had been found as well as where the weak link was.

 

She didnt need to put him against her though from what litle she had heard he had been a run wild with Ata before or maybe after the second bonding. Well she wouldnt stand for it, and when he where dead she would be rid of him. Steping forward her hand trailed down his cheek softly..her other hand trailed up his neck and her fingers curled softly but firmly into his hair, slowly bending his head so she could look into his eyes as she formed the weave of spirit, the dark one help her if she made a mistace now. But her face showed none of her hesitation as she let the bonding weave sink into his head. As soon as it setled she felt herself beeing surpriced for a moment of the knot in her backhead before she blocked her feelings from the bond, she wanted to feel his feelings and gain insigth, not give insigth to him.

 

Steping back she sat down in the stairs again and leaned back as she relised the gag, observing waiting.

Pulling back slightly, as the woman stepped forwards, he refused to look away now.

 

Shifting his head away from her touch, the restraints around him stopped him from moving very far, and grunted as his hair was pulled to force his face so he couldn't look away from her eyes even if he'd wanted to.

 

He glared into her eyes, before he was suddenly aware of more emotions than just the ones from Ata, but they quickly disappeared.

 

His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped in shock as he looked at the woman, even as she stepped back and settled down in the steps away from him.

 

She couldn't have... every custom he knew of screamed what she had just done was worse than rape. Shaking his head, he closed his eyes.

 

"No, burn you no." he whispered softly, before opening his eyes and glaring at the woman. He'd only been glaring daggers and death before, but now if looks did anything the woman in front of him would be less than ashes.

"No, burn you no." Cema could understand the hatred in his eyes as he looked at her, what she had done was just as good as rape, but she needed to turn this around, at least now she would have some control.

 

And again she picked up conversation and questions, trying to use the bond to help her bring him of his thigth secure spot and at least answer her through his feelings if not in words.

Brigita looked almost as haggard as the prisoner huddled on the small cot across from her. While Cema had stepped in and taken over the flows from time to time, it had mostly fallen to Brigita to keep the prisoner shielded and talking. Holding a shield of Spirit on someone for nearly 2 days straight is enough to weary even an Aes Sedai. Not to mention the other....persuasions.

 

It had taken much longer than Brigita had anticipated, but the prisoner had finally broken. She had practically begged before the end to tell Brigita everything she knew, if the Green would only make the torture stop. Finally, Brigita was too exhausted to even continue the torture if she had wanted to.

 

She sat now, slumped in the rickety chair. The prisoner was weeping softly again, and Brigita studied her out of the corner of one hair-shrouded eye. The prisoner had given up much that was useful, but now her usefulness was past. She apparently had been hunting down the rumour of the Black Ajah for some time now, tracking down the facts behind a diary of a young darkfriend in the Tower some years ago. Many of her other revelations would be useful to the Black, as well.

 

Brigita mused over this while she stood to stretch, and smooth her dress and hair. She turned at a sound from the door, and stood gaping to see Cema with the prisoner's Warder in tow. What was she DOING? Brigita knew that she had made strides bending the Warder to her will, but putting back in the presence of his Sedai, especially in this state, was asking for trouble. She eyed the man warily, backing to the wall and waiting to see what would play out here. In any event, Brigita did not mean to be caught in some crossfire. She was ready to kill.

Cema stepped into the hut, but behind her came Nuitari. She had learned more then expected in the 5 days passed since she took the risky descision who would turn out to take its own twists of fate. And for the last two days she had worked so intensly to get to this point that she hardly had time at all to relive Birgita.

 

The strain could be seen in the woman, and then confusion when she saw Nuitari, of course the grey had no idea what Cema had been up to or where it had lead to, but that where coming to an end now. It was time she learned cause the time here where at end.

 

Bringing her reasoning to the warder had taken a break and darkness could be seen in his eyes at times, if anything he where even more dangerous then before. She where not sure she liked that as such it stood now, but in time she could shape him to learn control, to draw strength from his new path. Untill then she would just keep an eye at him at all times and keep him isolated, which shouldnt be hard.

 

She smiled, she knew in one way it was madness what she where planing, but then again she knew the game of the tower well enough, the man had been thorugh 3 snapped bonds, she would have ample reason to with help of her age and rank put him out of public view untill he where stable again.

 

Ata looked up as the door went up and squinted from the ligth, slowly she had broken and told them all about her search. She had convinved herself it would be of no harm, she knew she wouldnt get out of here alive, and bether they fougth internaly, any darkfriend put into the ground was for the good.

 

She saw Nuit and something was definantly diffrent, she had had weird feelings through the bond but she hadnt had time to think of them, all wraped up in keeping herself togheter and making sure she didnt reveal something not asked for. Not giving away ajah secrets.

_________

 

Cema looked at Birgita, in case she was wrong she wherent going to take any chanses. "Step back" herself she readied weaves of air to be ready should it turn out he where a bether actor then she would ever have thougth. She unsheated a knife and handed it blade first to the warder and then steped back out of reach. "Its all up to you now" would he go through with it, get rid of his bond to the yellow that he claimed to be troubled by by now, by killing his own Aes Sedai. She watched to see if she had succedded

Nuitari slowly followed Cema into the cabin, and looked at Ata, before looking at the other woman who had been there to capture him and Ata before.

 

Nuitari took the knife he ws handed, and looked at it, barely hearing the words Cema told him. Spinning the knife so he held it by the grip, he looked at the other woman and then around at Cema.

 

Boucing the knife in his hand, he looked sadly at Ata and shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "May the creator shelter you in his palm, and the last embrace of the Mother welcome you home."

 

Tightening his grip on the knife in his right hand, he reached out to embrace Ata before plunging the knife into her heart.

 

Ata didnt belive what she saw, she where tied down and could but shake her head as Nuitari walked closer a knife in hand, only it wasnt him, she senced it even bether now, and there was an aura of danger surounding him. "No.." she whispered, her eyes went to Cemarillinin, what had the woman done to him, she met a gloating look.

 

Ata's eyes went back to her warder as he sat down. She wanted to streatch out and touch him but she where tied up. "I'm sorry," She shook her head in denial of the soft words, trying to seek the truth in his eyes before he embraced her, she shivered. "May the creator shelter you in his palm, and the last embrace of the Mother welcome you home." She felt the steel sink into herand life drained out of her, thinking he was the one who needed the Creators shelter now as darkness embraced her, the last thing passing over her lips a soft whisper "Nuitar..."

 

Cema looked on the scene playing out and nodded slowly to herself, it was done. She turned to Birgita and instructed the woman to so pack up and go back, not speaking of what had passed here. Herself she would delay a day or two, that way all explanation would fall on her as it wouldnt seem like the women had been togheter, hopefully all would think they had difrent reasons for beeing out of the tower.

 

In case of any future revelations it was bether nothing tied the two togheter. She needed to get rid of the body, and waited to the warder picked her up, a grave had been prepared an half hours walk from the hut.

 

She would use air to cover it up after the body was in it, in this heat it would be easy to explain not bringing a body along as it would be to smelly and decomposed by the time they reach Tar Valon. Convinient as the torture had left marks. When they returned Birgita was gone and she let the warder have his things back, then mounted her horse waiting to ride in the oposite direction again, a days ride sould take them out of the forest into country land and find a farm to leave the dog at before starting on the return, they should be back within the limits of the forest come dark.

 

Then on the morrow they would cross through the forest and hopefully reach Tar Valon late at nigth on the morrow.

 

--------

 

Cema looked up and saw the moon shine donw on the white walls of the tower as they rode through the city towards it, it had taken all her authority to get the guards to open the gate when she arived, she had been close to flicker some of them behind the ear by the time they stoped discusing and opened the gate. She but expected the same hazle at the tower gate. And as they aproached it she readied herself for what would come.

 

After 10 minuites she where finaly able to dismount infront of the stable to wake some tired stable boys and have them take care of the 4 horses, they looked rather unhappy but had more sence then to say anything.

 

Walking into familiar hallways she lead Nuitari up to her rooms, leting him know to make himself comfortable on the coutch to rest before tuging some few strands behind her ear and leaving the rooms locking the door with air. She would not have anyone enter or him for the mather wander about rigth now and stumble upon the wrong persons.

 

She herself would need to apear to have rushed here and be dutyfully reporting at once, so her nite would be long.

Nuitari held Ata after plunging the knife into her heart, and closed his eyes as the Bond between them snapped back on him, once more filled with the pain of a broken Bond this time of his own cause.

 

After the last spasms left Ata's body, he whispered "I'm sorry," one last time. Letting the tears come, he knelt there holding her dead body and ignored the blood that drenched his pants and shirt.

 

Taking a deep breath, he slowly rose to his feet and looked at Cema before turning and throwing the knife hard into the wall. Turning back, he picked up Ata's body to find a spot to bury her, she deserved that much from him, and was mildly surprised that Cema had already had a grave prepared.

 

He went back to the shack, and dropped down, stroking Star Blaze and trying not to think about what he'd done. After a time, he took back his blades from Cema and put both on his back. Swinging upto into his saddle, he rode slumped and no longer caring.

 

He raised a small protest when Cema had him leave Star Blaze with some farmer, but he didn't have much heart to argue. But the moment her back was turned, he extended a pouch of money to the farmer, and quietly made a sincre threat to the man if he treated Star Blaze badly.

 

Then he rode after Cema, once more slumped and uncaring, not truly paying attention to where he was, or what his surroundings were.

 

When he realised she had dismounted, he did the same and followed her through the halls, not looking up and dragging his feet slightly. A small part of him was aware of how much he'd changed and hoped someone who knew him would challenge whatever Cema would explain.

 

Squashing that voice, he also squashed another that insisted he should walk with pride and burn what he'd done. He dropped onto a couch after a time, and waited until Cema had left before jumping up and testing the doors, only to flop back down on the couch in disgust.