Location: Outskirts of Tar Valon
Characters:
Angharad, Novice of the White Tower
Calandra, Accepted of the White Tower
Ellorin, Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah
Feris, Warder Trainee
Marelain, Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah
Nathan, Warder to Marelain
Rayche, Aes Sedai of the Red Ajah
A Mysterious Man
Many Crows
Other Dangerous Things

Angharad looks around nervously, absently tugging on her braid. Then she quickly gives Rayche a curtsey, growing as pale as her dress. Angharad swallows loudly, not meaning to, of course, then wets her lips. This is not going to be a pleasant afternoon, she assumes.

Ellorin smiles, as usual, not paying any attention to Rayche's gruffness. "Good day," is all she says, smile not wavering. She stays close to Angharad as they continue on their way.

Marelain is along mostly out of curiosity and the opportunity to be outside, so she's in a fairly good mood. The Novice pretty much is beyond her notice, though.

Rayche even spares a slight smile for Ellorin, the woman's countenance enough to lighten her own mood a mite. "We're going to the Darein Village. I have prepared a place for us there." she says, walking up ahead.

Angharad scurries after the group, a bundle of nerves as she yanks on her braid.

Angharad follows close to Ellorin, though she eyes Rayche the most. Angharad isn't affected by Ellorin's bright countenance, however, that doesn't mean the novice can't find comfort in it in the sea of Aes Sedai she has suddenly found herself swimming in.

Rayche leads the way through Darein Village, and onward, towards a small, abandoned farm. She doesn't say much at all, only the occasional piece of chatter on what she thinks Angharad's block might be. Ranging on everything from the presence of a farm, actively tilling the earth or even having a pretty man present. As she trails up to the farm, she nods with satisfaction. "Ah, here we are." she says, dumping the bag to the ground and drawing a sigh. She is noticeably not sweating, but she nonetheless heaves a heavy breath. Not accustomed to much walking, this plump red one.

Angharad is nearly yanking her braid out of her head by its roots, but she remains quiet as she watches the going ons. Angharad's anticipation and fear of what is going to evolve from this "session" with Rayche and company plain on the novice's face, despite Angharad's best tries to keep it hidden.

Ellorin is bringing up the rear of the group, keeping a reassuring closeness to Angharad, but at the same time doing her best not to show how difficult it is for her to keep up. As Rayche finds a stopping place, she too lets out a small sigh of relief, and looks to the Red to see what the next stage of her plan might be.

Feris walks along behind Rayche and slightly before the others, wondering what his role in this whole event shall be. As the party stops, he does too but being nice and in shape he breathes easily.

At dusk and away on the farm the night is fairly quiet. Sound will travel a distance, though the crows that begin to be heard are not too far off. The sky isn't exactly filled with them, though clearly the fly from the trees and scatter to the ground in search of their next meal.

Rayche's eyes skitter around the ground, noting with satisfaction that a few torches and sconces have been set up to keep the dark from being too stuffy. "Feris, be as kind as to take these sconces and set them out. We don't need it too dark neither." she says, taking out a number of short iron sconces with long spikes in the bottom, for setting in the ground, from her bag. "Once again, Angharad. You channeled only when your father was attacked by a wolf, and when your brother was falling from the roof, was it not so?"

Ellorin gives Angharad a quick smile and a light pat on the arm as she moves to take a seat on the ground, carefully arranging her cloak under her.

Marelain remains standing, off to the side a bit, watching and listening with her arms folded.

Feris gives a bow to the Aes Sedai and has to move the quiver of arrows from his side to keep from tripping. He still isn't used to that or the bow he carries but seeing as he was coming out to raven country he thought it wise. Shifting the bow on his back and the quivers and sword he hurries to do as Rayche commanded.

It is a single man that walks out from the trees nearby, if miffed by the scene, he doesn't show it. The look of him is fairly blank. A small man, a little higher in the weight, he is not very imposing.

Feris glances over at the newcomer wondering if he is part of this little charade. He turns a questioning look at Rayche as he sets out the last sconce.

Rayche is about to speak, as she sees the man. Still holding the sconces, there is not much light yet except from the dusky light of the sun just set. Aes Sedai aloofness mode, she turns and straightens, looking at the man. "Pardons, good Master, if we have invaded land that is yours. I thought this farm abandoned."

Marelain raises a hand to rub absently at her forehead, a vague frown crossing over her face for just a moment. She looks across at the newest arrival, the frown disappearing to be replaced by curiosity.

The heavy-set man continues to step forward, his eyes large and empty. "What is it you do here, if I may ask, Aes Sedai?" The words are all too well formed. And just behind him a few crows settle in a tight pattern just above the trees.

Angharad stands, looking between the Aes Sedai and the man. Perhaps she is saved? Perhaps they'll just end up elsewhere. Either way, she doubts that Rayche has finished with her this evening. Therefore, Angharad sighs slightly to herself, and tugs absently on her braid.

Ellorin looks up at the man curiously, glancing quickly at first Rayche and then Marelain. Her gaze rests on the Green for a moment longer; she has noticed her friend's reaction, and a hint of concern is in her eyes.

Feris sets down the sconce and much to his surprise some training has actually seeped in and he places his hand on his sword, ready to draw if needed. However, noticing the crows he wonders if maybe he should go for the bow and arrows that he still can't use that well.

The sound of wings flapping catches Ellorin's attention, and she looks up at the trees at the crows, thoughtfully.

Marelain doesn't even notice Ellorin looking at her, attention focused on the man. The curiosity fades quickly from her face, and her eyes narrow down suspiciously. Her mouth opens to speak, but she seems to decide against it, and no words come out.

"We are here on Tower business, good Master." says Rayche, tilting her head and looking back over the man's shoulders at the ravens. Hm. "You have bought this land, then?"

Feris takes a moment to look around, seeing if the man is the only one they have to worry about. He glances to the left and right seeing if he'll be attacked by another cloud of birds. Just what he'd need, another chance to show he knows nothing of the bow.

By the darkness they move, their cloaks unmoving by the wind or night. Avoiding any hints of light, the small group of them are hidden among the shadows, though clearly taking to their targets. The Neverborn approach, unseen.

Marelain growls harshly, animal-like, and to those that can see such things, the Power suddenly fills her. Weaves of Air burst from her, bludgeons that rush headlong toward the man Rayche is speaking to.

Angharad is nervous enough, as it is. All the negativity in the air, and the elongating shadows arenUt helping Angharad any at all. Silently tugging on her braid, Angharad is, of course, oblivious to any danger.

Marelain's fingers curl into something resembling claws and she follows her weave with her own headlong rush, running at the man as if she intended to sink those claws into his throat.

Rayche blinks. Whatever is Marelain up to now? But the sister's channeling is enough to have her embrace and whip her head around, searching for targets.

Too mechanical, the heavy-set man nods his head. There is a pause in him, body going stiff as he wipes at something on his face, and then looks in shock to see that it is blood. That is when Marelain's weaves of Air burst at the man. They hit at him hard, his eyes losing no expression as though he were already dead. A funnel of blood escapes his mouth now, as though his insides were grabbed and squeezed from within. His limp body flings backwards in the spray of blood before dropping hard.

Angharad lets go of her braid and blinks at Marelain. She'd heard that Greens were an odd sort... but this?

Feris is glancing back towards the rest of the group and catches sight of the odd behavior of the Aes Sedai. Fearing danger but still unsure of from where, though judging by the dash of Marelain it is the man they are speaking to, Feris unsheathes his sword.

Ellorin gasps, seizing saidar an instant after Marelain does, even before she sees the Green's target. Her eyes widen in horror as she sees the effect of Marelain's weaves - it happens too quickly for her to rise, or react in any other way than to whisper, "Light save us all..." Her pale face grows even paler in the fading daylight, and she turns to look at Marelain in bewilderment.

Marelain blinks suddenly, stopping dead in her tracks and looking around as if she's only just seeing the scene. Her eyes drop to the broken body in front of her and her face goes instantly pale. One shaking hand begins to lift to her mouth.

Angharad's eyes are as big as saucers now, and the young woman takes up a defensive stance, from what, she doesn't know. Angharad's dark eyes gaze about her, eyeing Marelain warily, the dead body with horror, Ellorin with worry, Feris with hope, and then she looks to Rayche; for guidance.

"What in the bloody pits of doom are you doing?" squeaks Rayche, quickly walking up to Marelain and seizing her by the shoulder. Nonetheless, she seems as alert as any, eyes skittering around, seeking anything out of the ordinary.

Ellorin struggles to her feet, still not fully comprehending what has just happened. "Mari....?

Marelain turns woodenly to Rayche. "I... he..." She swallows heavily, looking a bit nauseous. "I don't entirely know," she whispers. She keeps her eyes carefully averted from what she's just done.

Raspy voices from behind, their forms unseen. "They kill... when they swear their Oaths?" Another voice, from a different direction, rasped with hatred. "They kill... perhaps they work for the Lord?" The voices spread across the scene, the neverborn hidden by the shadows and some distance away, but their voices do carry a ways in the night.

Ellorin's breath catches in her throat as the voices start to fill the air. Straightening up, she whips her head around, alert and wary, still holding saidar, and growing paler by the minute.

Rayche stares evenly at Marelain, leaning close to whisper to her. She mutters to Marelain, "... help you, sister,... you've..." That is as far as she gets before the voices rasp out. She flips around, seeking shapes in the night. And finding none, she banishes it. A small ball of light hurtles upwards, then springs into brilliant light, illuminating the farm and most of the aroundlying farmland.

Feris glances at the grouped up Aes Sedai and decides perhaps the novice is the one that would need more protection. Turning he starts off towards her, his sword still drawn. He pauses halfway there as the voices as heard. Glancing around he holds his sword tightly.

Angharad squeaks, and spins in a circle, pivoting in one spot. This is not going at -all- how she imagined it would. Angharad is thinking it is quite time to go back to the Two Rivers and live with being called a witch. It's safer, and far less frightening there.

Marelain's head jerks up at the voices, looking around with an expression somewhere between fear and anger.

The heavy-set man lays dead on the ground, his head tilted sideways as the last of blood escapes through his lips. Yet somehow his chest is pushed down on while his throat is held, a loud gurgling noise comes out as the body raises from its death. "Lord of the grave, or master of your life?" A raspy voice sounds from a distance. "It is your choice," another speaks closer nearby.

Feris is frozen by the rasping voice and the words they utter. His eyes dart around while his knuckles go white upon his sword.

Calandra comes running after Nathan and embraces almost immediately to see what's going on. Nathan Gaidin doesn't usually run through the courtyard as if the Dark One were after him.

Angharad decides that she is unarmed, and that is not a good thing to be right now. Angharad bends down, ripping at the hem of her dress, forming a crude, but useful sling. Then, Angharad searches the ground around her, looking for small smooth stones that would make useful projectiles. Despite her best efforts, Angharad's hands are shaking, showing her fear.

Nathan bursts on the scene at a full run, his sword already out of the sheath as he approaches. Even before he can fully assess what is happening a snarl twists his features into a savage expression, "Neverborn!" Light gleams sharp off the edge of his blade as it whips towards the nearest.

Well, that's about as much reason Rayche needs to do her work. With the sphere above still illuminating, her targets should be clear. But first, the 'corpse' seems to cause her quite a lot of discomfort. She lets go of Marelain, stepping back from her as her hand seems to collect air, drawing it into a ball of fire over her palm. Then she thrusts her hand out towards the walking corpse, the ball roaring through the air, expanding as it unerringly flies towards it. "Bloody ashes!" she roars, already seeking new targets. "Feris! Protect the child!" she snaps, already weaving a new weave aimed at the Fade nearest the children. In her eyes at least.

Marelain turns a look at Nathan, relief flooding over her face. Maybe if her Warder's shown up, she hasn't gone insane after all. She channels Air, a faint outline of a razor-sharp blade glimmering before her as she advances toward the Fades.

The yell from Nathan gets through Feris' fear enough for him to say softly and in a curious tone, "Neverborn." It is then that Rayche's voice gets through as well. Nodding and not able to think to well on his own he heads towards Angharad, his sword still clutched tightly.

Calandra is beside Rayche and Ellorin in no time and offers quickly, "Link?"

Ellorin, too, stands frozen, halfway between Marelain and Angharad. Her eyes dart around the scene, looking for...something, some kind of target or clue. The light reveals the Fades, though, and then, as if breaking the spell that has held her motionless, Rayche's words and flames fly through the air, and Ellorin is set in motion again. Air is her method of choice as well, but her weaves are not blades, but ropes. To hold the Fades is her goal, to keep them frozen and away from herself and her friends, and she sends her flows of Air towards them.

The slithered laughter ends at the sight of the fireball. A few feet might be visible between the trees at the light, though one on that stands too far away shows little hint of movement before the fireball hits the tree he was favoring. Fire bursts, as a heavy wind picks on the scene, the Fade's appearing out into the opening. At least three are visible, their swords doing little good from the distance. Ellorin's weaves of air take to one crashing him to the ground, while the other two rush at the two armed men.

For those who can see, the glow of Saidar winks out around Rayche as she quickly lets go of the Source, then once again grasps it, including Calandra in the link. Her attention is mostly focused around Feris and Angharad, her eyes alit in anger. She will /not/ let anyone hurt them. So there is some sort of strange compassion in the woman for the students after all, even with the way she does treat them to any normal day.

Marelain intercepts the Fade rushing for Feris and Angharad, swirling her blade of Air low across its midsection.

Calandra stands beside Rayche and yells at Feris to get the Novice and himself behind her and the other Sedai. "Now."

Light as a feather, quick as death. Nathan's blade floats towards the Myrdraal's throat with less than a thought, driven along with a scream of pure fury.

Angharad fumbles with a pebble, trying to load it into her ... sling. White as her dress, Angharad looks on in horror. This is -not- what she had in mind when she came to Tar Valon. No indeed!

Ellorin hastily ties off her weave - it won't last more than a few minutes, perhaps, before dissipating, but that might be enough time to let someone else deal with the now-trapped Fade.

Feris winces at the yell at him. As if that wasn't what he was going to do. Skidding to a stop next to Angharad he grabs her arm. "Come on, we need to get you to some safety." he manages to get out. Turning around he finds himself an oncoming Fade, the one that Marelain wounded with her blade of Air. Holding Angharad behind him with his one arm he holds out his sword before him, knowing that he will most likely die.

Calandra growls, "Oh Light, "Ellorin!" she points to the Novice and Feris.

Angharad yelps first at Feris grabbing a hold of her arm, dropping her rocks. Then she yelps seeing the fade and drops the piece of cloth she had hoped to use as a sling. "Ah... A... " Angharad stutters as she stares in front of her.

Her blade of Air visible, the Fade easily blocks Marelain's slashing blow. The Green Sister though apparently had something else in mind, turning the weave to lash around the thing's blade and giving it a good yank. It doesn't quite disarm the Fade, but it does stumble a moment in surprise, allowing someone else to get a good whack at it.

Ellorin's head turns quickly to see the Fade facing the two students, and her eyes flash. Too far away to engage it directly, she spins to face the group and, almost without thinking, she sends another rope of Air directly at the Fade's sword arm, in an attempt to divert the blade from its target.

Rayche does indeed see the Fade's steady approach towards Angharad and Feris, rapidly beginning to weave. But just then a number of ravens swoop down from above, one black feathered menace batting wings in Rayche's line of sight. With an angry shriek, Rayche sends the intended weave into the raven instead, bringing an explosion of feathers and black ichor, but delaying her.

"The Lord of the Grave for you...." The raspy voice of the neverborn trails from a distance, as there are clearly more well hidden among the trees. Nathan's weapon causing little reaction to the Fade, tainted sword meeting his as the Fade's blade twists as his body does, returning in one quick are to move at the Gaidin.

Raven's flock to the skies now in greater numbers, the pattern of circling bringing them closer to the scene until they are nearly overtop.

The Look of the Eyeless is Fear and fear is what Feris has. He really should bother a Gaidin to teach him the void. And some more sword forms. He's been here long enough after all. Useless thoughts as these fly through his head as he watches the Fade come closer to him. He stares for a second as the sword arm of the Fade is pulled back and moves in ways you normally wouldn't expect an attacker to move them. It takes him another second to realize that the Aes Sedai are helping him. What does he do though? Leave his charge to attack the thing... Unfortunately he doesn't have to decide since the Fade is almost on him. He raises his sword to catch the incoming blow, knowing he would have no chance to get by its defenses and would most likely leave himself wide open.

And so the dance begins. Fury drains from the wolfbrother's features as the Void settles over him. He turns the counterstrike aside with a grunt and returns with one of his own. Form flows to Form with fluid grace.

Angharad gazes up at the Eyeless, then flicks her gaze towards Feris. That is when Angharad grows deadly white, something on the Trainee's face tells her all she seems to need to know. Quickly, Angharad acts out of instinct. She wraps her arms around Feris' waist then yanks backwards, pulling the trainee backwards and away, but sending the two of them tumbling... towards ... something.

A different light than that provided by Rayche's glowball brightly illuminating the scene appears, as next to Angharad and Feris a single point of brilliant light appears. suddenly widening into a tall slash. The fade's befuddlement is evident as the light expands - or rather the slice of light seems to... fold on itself, widening into a frame of brilliant light.

Feris certainly wasn't expecting that. His eyes jerk backwards towards whatever it is that has him, thinking it has to be something besides the novice. Why would she pull on him anyway. At least he manages to hold on to his sword.

With two Fades on the ground, one disarmed, three more come unto the scene. Nathan's sword is quick for the one, the Fade slipping back a touch in the battle. As the others approach from the darkness, they use the cast of the small battle before they appear with their swords. Marelain's attack does almost disarm the Fade, though he turns quickly with a long knife slipping out from his belt. His eyes catch sight of the two stumbling at him, sword drawn backwards to slice at them. Another two head for Marelain.

Calandra curses and mutters something about her throwing knives.

....towards the slash of light. Angharad tugs Feris with her through the strange phenomenon, toppling to the ground behind it. Then, just as suddenly as the frame of light appeared, it reverses, once again shrinking to a bright slash, then shrinking to a single spot in mid-air before vanishing altogether.

Marelain holds a hand up to shade her eyes from the sudden light. She senses, rather than sees, her newest assailants, and sends a roaring trail of Fire arching toward one. That done, she scampers away to get out of the path of the rushing Fades, muttering something about a lack of proper mobility.

Feris' eyes are wide as he watches where he just was disappear through a .... window. Anything else he says or does is lost as he is lost from view.

Ellorin lets out a gasp as the strange light appears and grows, and for an instant, she stares at Angharad - and then the light is gone, and the Fade remains...with only Ellorin to face it, blinking from the afterglow of the flash, but with her flow of Air still wrapped around the Fade's sword arm.

Rayche is bare aware of the occurrence, though the appearance of the slash of light has her attention caught. "Ashes!" she gets out weakly, her face pale. Then she steels herself once more, growling with anger as she lashes out once again towards the Fade with a weave. "Die!"

Enough. Nathan draws back and calmly drives his blade across the Myrddraal's neck. No matter that the corpse still flails about like one alive. He pales and turns to find the three advancing on Marelain and throws himself desperately in her direction, quickly picking up speed in order to interpose himself between her and her attackers.

Calandra blinks, "Bloody Ashes, what was that." She'd watched the whole thing, but she just remains next to Rayche, open to her for the link.

Marelain hmphs with satisfaction as the Fade catches on fire. Oh look, a torch! Maybe Rayche won't need that Light weave anymore. Her strength not lying with Fire, she switches back to Air, wrapping a wrist-thick rope of it around the feet of another Fade and pulling it tight.

Calandra is going to start to curse like Trelaine Sedai in a bit here. What odd thing will happen next? At least the two students have... erm.. disappeared from sight...

One Fade bursts into flames, the other scatters and convulses. There is little control over the scene, as most seem to head for Marelain now until her Gaidin reaches out with his sword. Yet there is an odd sensation in the air as wisps of it seem to move pass Marelain. The Fade that she has tied up loses its head just as quick, his body suddenly bursting into flames.

"Enough!" shouts Rayche, more a wolfish growl than her usual grouchy voice. She lifts her walking stick over her head, grasping with both hands as she turns towards the onrushing fades from the forest. Then she jams the stick down into the ground hard. At the same moment, the earth rings as if a bell was struck, reverberating. From where the staff sunk in, the earth ripples like waves, rushing forward in an ever expanding cone towards the Fades, the sound of tormented earth filling the air along with pieces of grass and earth flying into the air as the wave moves steadily forward.

Marelain lets out a yelp, first at the exploding Fade that she apparently had nothing to do with, then at the sudden earthquake.

Calandra blinks and watches Rayche's amazing strength in earth.

Ellorin stands her ground, white-faced and tense, as the Fade advances. She tightens her flow of Air around its arm, quickly sharpening the edges to create a knifelike circle. The pain doesn't seem to affect the Fade very much, though, and despite the slow drip of dark blood that begins to run down its arm, it keeps moving towards Ellorin...and then the ground heaves, rolling in waves past Fade and Aes Sedai alike. Both are thrown to the ground with the force of the tremor.

With the trembling ground, the remaining Fades do loss balance. Though the one near Marelain decides Nathan is the better target, and heads in that direction. And then gets blasted by the erupting Earth. Crashing to the ground near Nathan, the tainted sword is lost from it, though it attempts to reach for the long knife at its belt. The Fade Ellorin battles faintly tries to stand on its feet, missing eyes scan over the scene as it rushes Ellorin moments later with its sword raised.

Ellorin, struggling to get to her feet on the uneven, still-shaking ground, doesn't see the fade before it is almost too late. She has no time to do anything more than let her weave snap back away from its arm and throw up a hasty barrier of Air in front of herself, still seated on the ground.

Marelain turns almost instinctively toward Ellorin, sending a battering ram of Air sailing for the advancing Fade, hoping to send him flying over and past her friend.

Nathan stumbles and topples--the dark figure falling in a rush--but it's a rush that takes him onward unswervingly towards his target. Dark eyes full of the Fade as it falls he sweeps towards it, blade cutting for that so-vulnerable neck now that its own weapon is gone.

Calandra watches, mouth wide, but taking everything in, still open to Rayche.

The earthquake fades, Rayche discarding the now broken staff as she turns wearily to seek new targets. And of course, her target is the same as Marelain's. Buffered by the extra power lent by Calandra, she does manage to weave more, even though she would usually have crumpled with the force of the Earth she wove. A lashing knife of Air and fire forms a blade, sent directly towards the Fade's middle, even as Marelain's ram prepares to strike.

What more could be said for the poor Fade that is leaping at Ellorin with its tainted blade sweeping forward? Clashes of Air used to hurl it away, as the lashing of a knife cuts into its stomach. The Fade bursts into its acidic blood near Ellorin, though the shield of Air would likely keep her safe. It crashes to the side and is slow to stand, black liquid oozing from its stomach and side. The one Nathan swings at takes the hit with no chance of warning, its head being ripped from its body before flailing arms seek Nathan.

Calandra just watches in awe, learning.

Ellorin gasps - partly in pain as a jet of the dark blood spurts around her too-hastily-woven shield, leaving a burning, smoking stain on her dress and eating its way through the cloth to her skin. The other part of her emotion is surprise, though, seeing the Fade suddenly explode before her eyes, where a moment before she had thought it was about to attack her. And then it is over - too stunned to move, she stays where she is, still staring at the place where the Fade was, as if she expected it to come to life again.

Nathan stumbles back to his feet, wiping his blade on the Myrddraal's cloak. Despite the others--despite the chaos, there is only one thing on his mind. "Marelain." His eyes find her first and he weaves towards her.

Calandra moves to Ellorin and tears a piece of her own dress off to wipe away as much of that burning blood as she can, "Let's get this off of you."

Rayche sags visibly now, eyes still wary as she looks around for more Fades to spit and roast. Finding none, she makes short process of the twisting half-alive Fade that was attacking Ellorin, setting a fire spurting from every pore of the Fade's body. With that, she lets go of the Source, perhaps with more snap than necessary as the link recoils and parts. Breath pounding heavily, she moves over towards Ellorin and Calandra, wobbling prominently now without her walking stick.

Ellorin flinches away from the touch of cloth on her burned skin, but the sensation brings her closer to reality than she was a moment ago, and she nods, turning to look at Calandra, and raising one trembling hand to help the Accepted. The glow of saidar winks out from around her, and she seems to sag a little more as the added strength leaves her.

Nathan's hand falls on Marelain's shoulder and his head lifts as he looks away towards the wooded lands, his eyes narrowed as if searching for something..

Calandra leaves the piece of her dress under Ellorin's hand and then hops up to help Rayche, "Come on, let's get you sitting so you don't topple over." Once Rayche is seated near Ellorin, she goes back to wiping that acidic blood off of the Sedai.

Rayche grumbles, waving her hands to ward off Calandra's hands. "I can tend myself well, child." she snaps, her usual growly mood amplified with what happened. Nonetheless, she sits down perhaps a bit more hard than she intends. "Blood and bloody ashes." she mumbles again, looking over at Ellorin with an expression that speaks much of what she thinks of this. Not perhaps so much from the Fade's appearance, but the disappearance of others.

Nathan murmurs to the woman near him and then steps away. He heads straight for the woods with a frown marking his features darkly.

Ellorin's hand clutches the scrap of cloth, and she dabs almost mechanically at the blood as Calandra goes off to attend to Rayche, willingly relinquishing the cloth to Calandra's hands again. Slowly, she turns to look at Rayche, and when she speaks, her voice is faint and shaky. "Are you all right?"

Calandra doesn't mind Rayche's growly mood, expecting it, as she bends back down to get that awful stuff off of Ellorin. "Should I go get some trainees to help get you both back to the Tower?" she offers.

Rayche lets out a trademark snort. "All right? Bloody sheepheads, you know what that weave was, Ellorin. And the fool I am, I didn't see the weave either! Sheepheads. Sheepheads and bloody buttered onions, I will not have it." Calandra's suggestion on trainees is all but ignored as she pins a stare on the still alive Fade bound to the ground. That one will be dead in short time if Rayche has her way.

The Red's familiar gruffness seems to be comforting somehow, because Ellorin actually manages a trace of a smile, although it disappears quickly. "First we find them," she says, "and then we worry about the rest...Light," she continues, her voice dropping to a whisper. "It's something I've only read about..."

Calandra chews on her lip, "What was it?" she may have a slight inkling, but it's only from reading as well, and even then, legend.

"That is not for you to know." snaps Rayche at Calandra, then stumbles to her feet once again. "We go back. Gaidin, deal with that... Thing." she says, waving a hand at the still bound Fade. "Ellorin, we will speak when we get to the Tower. Then we must see Mother. Most urgently."

Ellorin nods. "Definitely," she agrees, reaching down to push herself to her feet.

Calandra helps Ellorin to her feet and doesn't say anything more about it, "Lean on me for support at least, All right Rayche Sedai?"

Ellorin hesitates for a moment, then sighs, gives in, and accepts Calandra's offer of aid.

Nathan returns from the woods with a grim expression. He takes Rayche's command without his expression changing a hair and with one glance towards the bound creature, he draws his sword and neatly takes off its head. In a simple motion he wipes both sides of his blade off and sheathes it again, continuing on to Marelain and lowering his voice as he speaks to her.

Ellorin nods to Calandra, leaning on the Accepted a little more than she would like to admit, perhaps. "All right..."

Intermission, in which some OOC talking occurred, and several players were disconnected. When IC action resumed, only Ellorin, Calandra, and Marelain were left, and it was decided that the action should fast-forward to the Tower Infirmary.

Calandra helps Ellorin into a bed while a Yellow comes over to tend to those burns. After she makes sure Ellorin is situated she helps Marelain to a chair and then finds a chair herself, finally showing that she is exhausted.

Ellorin is leaning heavily on Calandra by the time they reach the upper level of the Tower, but she still finds the strength to protest faintly, "No...I don't need to go to the infirmary...." She doesn't have enough energy to resist being led over to the bed, though, and drops into it almost gratefully.

Marelain mumbles, "Hush, Ellorin. We -all- need the infirmary. I feel half-dead myself, and I didn't get injured."

Calandra isn't as drained as the two Sedai, but she didn't do as much either, "I just need to rest some. That was quite draining, mentally and in the One Power."

Ellorin shakes her head, even as the Yellow comes to heal her burned arm. "It's not - " Her words are cut off by a gasp and shiver - in her weakened, exhausted state, the chill of Healing feels that much stronger, and she has less ability to hide her reaction to it.

Calandra adds to Marelain's words, "Shhh, Ellorin Sedai. Just rest."

Marelain waves off a Yellow that comes to attend to her. Irritably waves her off. "I'm uninjured. I just need rest." She slumps a bit in her chair, apparently meaning to do just that.

Ellorin drops back against the pillows, too drained to even protest anymore after the Yellow finishes. Still, she asks, "You're all right, Mari?" her voice faint but anxious.

Marelain says quietly. "I'm fine. Really." Sort of a stubborn finality to it.

Ellorin smiles. "Good," she says softly. There is a pause, then almost too quietly to be heard as she starts to drift off to sleep, "Thank you...."