Page 44 (1/1)

The Amyrlin Seat frowned and turned to Moiraine "Did Lan teach him this?"

"No, Mother He had it froain

The Aht in the eye and said, "Because you are the Dragon Reborn"

The void rocked The world rocked Everything see, and the emptiness returned, the world steadied "No, Mother I can channel, the Light help me, but I am not Raolin Darksbane, nor Guaire Aentle o, but I will not be a taasp, and the Aaze as hard as blue rock It did not affect him; it slid off the void within

"Where did you hear those names?" the Amyrlin demanded "Who told you Tar Valon pulls the lines on any false Dragon?"

"A friend, Mother," he said "A gleeman His name was Thom Merrilin He’s dead, now" Moiraine lanced at her She claimed Thom was not dead, but she had never offered any proof, and he could not see how any ht was extraneous, and it faded away There was only the void and the oneness now

"You are not a false Dragon," the Aon Reborn"

"I ahter, tell hian speaking Rand kept his eyes on the Ao the Aiel crossed the Spine of the World, the Dragonwall, the only tih Cairhien, destroyed every arainst theht all the way to Tar Valon It inter and snowing, but cold or heat mean little to an Aiel The final battle, the last that counted, was fought outside the Shining Walls, in the shadow of Dragon, the Aiel were turned back Or rather they turned back, for they had done what they ca Laainst the Tree It is then that onwall like a flood All the way to the Shining Walls Rand waited for the memories to fade, but it was Ta up secrets froet in

"I was one of the Accepted, then," Moiraine said, "as was our Mother, the Amyrlin Seat We were soon to be raised to sisterhood, and that night we stood attendance on the then Amyrlin Her Keeper of the Chronicles, Gitara Moroso, was there Every other full sister in Tar Valon was out Healing as many wounded as she could find, even the Reds It was dawn The fire on the hearth could not keep the cold out The snow had finally stopped, and in the Amyrlin’s cha villages burned in the fighting"

Battles are always hot, even in the snow Had to get away from the stink of death Tam’s delirious voice clawed at the empty calm inside Rand The void treain The Aain "It was all a fever dream," he said "He was sick" He raised his voice "My name is Rand al’Thor I am a shepherd My father is Tam al’Thor, and my mother was-- "

Moiraine had paused for hi voice cut him off, soft and relentless "The Karaethon Cycle, the Prophecies of the Dragon, says that the Dragon will be reborn on the slopes of Dragon of the World Gitara Sedai had the Foretelling sometimes She was old, her hair as white as the snow outside, but when she had the Foretelling, it was strong Theas I handed her a cup of tea The Amyrlin Seat asked me what news there was from the field of battle And Gitara Sedai started up out of her chair, her ar, her face as if she looked into the Pit of Dooain! I feel hionht help the world! He lies in the snow and cries like the thunder! He burns like the sun!’ And she fell forward into my arms, dead"

Slope of the mountain Heard a baby cry Gave birth there alone, before she died Child blue with the cold Rand tried to force Tarew sasped I couldn’t leave a child "I was born in the Two Rivers" Always knew you wanted children, Kari He pulled his eyes away froaze He tried to force the void to hold He knew that was not the way, but it was collapsing in hiood nas treon was Reborn," Moiraine went on "The Amyrlin swore us to secrecy, o, for she knew not all the sisters would see the Rebirth as itThere were many fatherless children after that battle Too many But we found a story, that one man had found an infant on the mountain That was all A man and an infant boy So we searched on For years we searched, finding other clues, poring over the Prophecies ’He will be of the ancient blood, and raised by the old blood’ That was one; there were others But there are ends, re Then, in the Two Rivers, where the old blood of Manetheren seethes still like a river in flood, in Emond’s Field, I found three boys whose naonmount And one of them can channel Did you think Trollocs came after you just because you are ta’veren? You are the Dragon Reborn"

Rand’s knees gave way; he dropped to a squat, hands slapping the rug to catch hione, the stillness shattered He raised his head, and they were looking at him, the three Aes Sedai Their faces were serene, smooth as unruffled ponds, but their eyes did not blink "My father is Tam al’Thor, and I was born " They stared at hi I a, trying to use me "I will not be used by you"

"An anchor is not de used to hold a boat," the Amyrlin said "You were made for a purpose, Rand al’Thor ’When the winds of Tarmon Gai’don scour the earth, he will face the Shadow and bring forth Light again in the world’ The Prophecies must be fulfilled, or the Dark One will break free and re, and you were born to unite