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Some said he was mad, and in ordinary times perhaps not even his skill with the sould have kept hions sprang up like weeds Every time one was taken doo more proclaimed themselves, or three, till every nation was torn by war And Rand’s star rose, for he had learned the secret of his madness, a secret he knew he had to keep and did He could channel There were always places, tih to be noticed in the confusion, could , and soh He kneassickness came on him, and he did not care about that, either, and neither did anyone else, for word had co’s armies had returned to reclaim the land

Rand led a thousand men when the Queen’s Guards crossed the Mountains of Mist -- he never thought of turning aside to visit the Two Rivers; he seldoht of the Two Rivers at all, anymore -- and he commanded the Guard when the shattered reth of Andor he fought and fell back, aees, until at last he came to Caemlyn Many of the people of Caemlyn had fled already, and many counseled the army to retreat further, but Elayne was Queen, now, and vowed she would not leave Caemlyn She would not look at his ruined face, scarred by his sickness, but he could not leave her, and so as left of the Queen’s Guards prepared to defend the Queen while her people ran

The Power cahtning and fire a the invaders, and split the earth under their feet, yet the feeling ca else For all he did, there were too many of the enemy to stop, and they also had those who could channel At last, a lightning bolt hurled Rand fro, and burned, and as his last breath rattled in his throat, he heard a voice whisper, I have won again, Lews Therin

Flicker

Rand struggled to hold the void as it quivered under the ha, to hold the one sy the surface of the void He struggled to hold on to any one sy!" Verin screa

Flicker Flicker Flicker Flicker Flicker Flicker

He was a soldier He was a shepherd He was a beggar, and a king He was farleeman, sailor, carpenter He was born, lived, and died an Aiel He died e He was executed, and on Reborn and flung his banner across the sky; he ran fro He held off the madness and the sickness for years; he succumbed between tinters Sometimes Moiraine came and took him away from the Two Rivers, alone or with those of his friends who had survived Winternight; sometimes she did not Sometiwene wene, sternfaced in the stole of the Awene, with tears in her eyes, plunged a dagger into his heart, and he thanked her as he died He loved other women, married other wohter met on the road to Caemlyn, and women he had never seen before he lived those lives A hundred lives More So many he could not count the, as he drew his final breath, a voice whispered in his ear I have won again, Lews Therin

Flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker flicker

The void vanished, contact with saidin fled, and Rand fell with a thud that would have knocked the breath out of hih stone under his cheek, and his hands It was cold

He are of Verin, struggling frohly, and raised his head Uno was kneeling on the ground, scrubbing the back of his hand across his ed and quivering, eyes wild and rolling Ingtar had his sword out, gripping the hilt so hard the blade shook, staring at nothing Loial sat sprawled, wideeyed and stunned Mat was huddled in a ball with his ar into his face as if he wanted to rip ahatever he had seen, or perhaps rip out the eyes that had seen it None of the soldiers were any better Mase down his face, and Hurin was looking around as if for a place to run

"What?" Rand stopped to s He was lying on rough, weathered stone half buried in the dirt "What happened?"

"A surge of the One Power" The Aes Sedai tottered to her feet and pulled her cloak tight with a shiver "It was as if ere being forcedpushedIt seemed to come out of nowhere You must learn to control it You must! That much of the Power could burn you to a cinder"

"Verin, II livedI was " He realized the stone under him was rounded The Portal Stone Hastily, shakily, he pushed himself to his feet "Verin, I lived and died, I don’t kno many times Every time it was different, but it was ht Be, laid by those who knew the Nu to herself "I’ve never heard it, but there is no reason ould not be born in those worlds, yet the lives we lived would be different lives Of course Different lives for the different ways things ht have happened"

"Is that what happened? Iwesa our lives could have been?" I have won again, Lews Therin No! I aave herself a shake and looked at hio differently if you s happened to you? Though I never thought I -- Well The ih not as we hoped"

"Where is here?" he deone, replaced by rolling land There seemed to be forest not far to the west, and a few hills It had been high in the day when they gathered around the Stone in the stedding but here the sun stood loard afternoon in a gray sky The handful of trees nearby were bare branched, or else held a few leaves bright with color A cold wind gusted fro leaves sc