"I am myself, now and also then. Sharp lessons are the best lessons. Do you mean to stab me?"

Hesitating, Egwene sheathed the knife. "You have no right to —"

"I have every right! You gave me your word. I did not know Aes Sedai could lie. If I am to teach you, I must know you will do as I say. I will not watch a pupil of mine cut her own throat!" Amys sighed; the glow around her vanished, and so did the barrier between Egwene and saidar. "I cannot shield you any longer. You are far stronger than I. In the One Power, you are. You very nearly battered down my shield. But if you cannot keep your word, I do not know that I want to instruct you."

"I will keep my word, Amys. I promise I will. But I have to meet with my friends, in Tel'aran'rhiod. I promised them, too. Amys, they might need my help, my advice." Amys's face was not easy to make out in the darkness, but Egwene did not see any softening. "Please, Amys. You've taught me so much already. I think I could find them wherever they are, now. Please, don't stop when there is so much yet for me to learn. Whatever you want me to do, I will."

"Braid your hair," Amys said in a flat tone.

"My hair?" Egwene said uncertainly. It would certainly be no inconvenience, but why? She wore it loose now, falling below her shoulders, yet it was not that long ago that she had almost burst with pride on the day the Women's Circle back home had said she was old enough to put her hair in a braid like the one Nynaeve still wore. In the Two Rivers, a braid said you were old enough to be considered a woman.

"One over each ear." Amys's voice was still like a flat rock. "If you have no ribbon to twine in the braids, I will give you some. That is how little girls wear their hair among us. Girls too young to be held to their word. When you prove to me that you can keep yours, you can stop wearing it so. But if you lie to me again, I will make you cut your skirts off short, like little girls' dresses, and find you a doll to carry. When you decide to behave as a woman, you will be treated as a woman. Agree to it, or I will teach you no more."

"I will agree if you will accompany me when I must meet —"

"Agree, Aes Sedai! I do not bargain with children, or those who cannot keep their word. You will do as I say, accept what I choose to give, and no more. Or else go off and get yourself killed on your own. I – will – not – aid it!"

Egwene was glad of the dark; it hid her scowl. She had given her word, but this was all so unfair. No one was trying to hedge Rand around with silly rules. Well, perhaps he was different. She was not sure she wanted to trade Amys's edicts for Couladin's desiring to put a spear through her, in any, case. Mat would certainly not put up with other people's rules. Yet ta'veren or not, Mat had nothing to learn; all he had to do was be. Very likely he would refuse to learn anything given the chance, unless it had to do with gambling or raising food. She wanted to learn. Sometimes it seemed an unending thirst; however much she absorbed, she could not quench it. That still did not make it fair. Only the way things are, she thought ruefully.

"I agree," she said. "I will do as you say, accept what you give, and no more."

"Good." After a long pause, as if waiting to see whether Egwene wanted to say more – she wisely held her tongue – Amys added, "I mean to be hard on you, Egwene, but not without purpose. That you think I have taught you much already only shows how little you knew to begin. You have a strong talent for the dream; very likely you will outstrip any of us by far, one day. But if you do not learn what I can teach you – what we four can all teach you – you will never develop that talent fully. It is most likely you will not live long enough to do so."

"I will try, Amys." She thought she managed a good approximation of meekness. Why did the woman not say what she wanted to hear? If Egwene could not go to Tel'aran'rhiod alone, then Amys had to come, too, when she next met Elayne. Or it might be Nynaeve, next time.

"Good. Do you have anything else to say?"

"No, Amys."

The pause was longer this time; Egwene waited as patiently as she could, hands folded on her knees.

"So you can hold your demands inside when you wish," Amys said at last, "even if it does make you twitch like a goat with the itch. Do I mistake the cause? I can give you an ointment. No? Very well. I will accompany you when you must meet your friends."

"Thank you," Egwene said primly. A goat with an itch indeed!

"In case you did not listen when I first told you, learning will be neither easy nor short. You think you have worked these last days. Prepare to give real time and effort now."

"Amys, I will learn as much as you can teach me, and I will work as hard as you want, but between Rand and the Darkfriends... Time to learn may turn out to be a luxury, and my purse empty."

"I know," Amys said wearily. "He troubles us already. Come. You have wasted enough time with your childishness. There is women's business to be discussed. Come. The others are waiting."

For the first time Egwene realized Moiraine's blankets were empty. She reached for her dress, but Amys said, "That will not be needed. We only go a short way. Throw a blanket around your shoulders and come. I have done a great deal of work for Rand al'Thor already, and I must do more when we are finished."

Shrugging a blanket around her doubtfully, Egwene followed the older woman into the night. It was cold. Skin turning to tight goose bumps, she hopped from bare foot to bare foot over stony ground that seemed little short of ice. After the heat of day, the night seemed as frigid as the heart of a Two Rivers winter. Her breath turned to thin mist in front of her mouth, absorbed immediately by the air. Cold or not, the air was still dry.

At the rear of the Wise Ones' camp stood a small tent she had not seen before, low like the others, but staked tightly down all around. To her surprise, Amys began, stripping off her clothes, and motioned her to do the same. Clenching her teeth to keep them from chattering, she followed Amys's example slowly. When the Aiel woman had shed down to her skin, she stood there just as if the night were not freezing, taking deep breaths and flailing herself with her arms before finally ducking inside. Egwene darted after her with alacrity.

Damp heat hit her like a stick between the eyes. Sweat popped out of every pore.

Moiraine was already there, and the other Wise Ones, and Aviendha, all bare-skinned and sweating, sitting around a large iron kettle full to the brim with sooty stones. Kettle and stones alike radiated heat. The Aes, Sedai looked mostly recovered from her ordeal, though there was a tightness around her eyes that had not been there before.

As Egwene was gingerly finding a place to sit – no layered rugs here; only rocky ground – Aviendha scooped a handful of water from a smaller kettle at her side and tossed it into the larger one. The water hissed to steam, leaving not even a damp spot on the stones. Aviendha had a sour look on her face. Egwene knew how she felt. Novices in the Tower were also given chores; she was not sure if she had hated scrubbing floors more than pots or the other way around. This task did not look nearly so onerous.

"We must discuss what to do about Rand al'Thor," Bair said when Amys was seated, too.

"Do about him?" Egwene said, alarmed. "He has the signs. He is the one you have been looking for."

"He is the one," Melaine said grimly, brushing long strands of red-gold hair from her damp face, "We must try to see that as many of our people as possible survive his coming."

"Just as importantly," Seana said, "we must assure that he survives to fulfill the rest of the prophecy." Melaine glared at her, and Seana added in a patient tone, "Else none of us will survive."