Elmindrede has a minion!

Crystalion the Iceeci

Elmindrede walked swiftly down the hall of the inn. She passed relatively unnoticed by the surrounding people, most either ignoring her or sparing only a brief glance. Sometimes though, a man or woman would nod or smile and then be on their way, only to do a double take, their faces incredulous or startled. It wasn�t everyday that one saw a young girl dressed in men�s clothes, with her brown hair cut as short as a boy�s. Her aunts had tried to interest her in dresses and sewing as a child, but she had always preferred to dress in breeches and spend her time in the stables, with the horses. As if to finish off her eccentricity, working in the coal mines had roughened her tongue and mannerisms, much to her aunts' displeasure.

She walked out into the common room, intending to order a drink, then paused. Autumn sunlight streamed invitingly through the inn's open door, dappling the wooden planks with warm yellow and orange hues. Deciding instead to visit the stables, Elmindrede strode towards the door, but was stopped abruptly when a woman stepped out from the crowd in front of her. The woman was dressed in a fine blue silk dress, a necklace of sapphires about her neck and a belt of woven gold around her waist. Her hair was dark and curly, caught up in a net of pearls. She was definitely at least a lady, but that was not what stopped Elmindrede short, or made her heart heavy with dread. The woman�s face was beautiful and smooth, but Elmindrede could put no age to it; the mark of the Aes Sedai, those who worked with the One Power.

Before the Aes Sedai could open her mouth, Elmindrede lifted her chin and said, �What I can do has nothing to do with the One Power. Others like you have already �visited� and determined that. I don't know how I do it but it can have nothing to do with your kind, so if you please . . .� Elmindrede tried to slip around the Aes Sedai, but the woman caught her arm and firmly said, �I would speak with you in private.� Elmindrede swallowed a curse and pressed her lips together in exasperation but followed, if reluctantly. One did not refuse an Aes Sedai what she wanted. It was unheard of.

The Aes Sedai pulled her into a private dining room, and after speaking with the innkeeper, shut the door and turned to her. Elmindrede watched her warily, brushing the side of her coat with her hand to ensure that the knives she kept hidden there were secure. Not that she would attack an Aes Sedai, she would be dead before she finished her first step, but Aes Sedai did not like what they did not understand, and some were far from patient and kind. The lady folded her arms and looked her up and down, her face unreadable. Elmindrede slumped down in a chair and crossed her legs grumpily, wishing to be anywhere but here.

As she waited, she studied the images that flashed about the Aes Sedai�s head. A cloud of darkness with tiny lights trying to fill it. A wreath of flowers, maybe a bridal wreath. A tower of shining steel. A crystal sword glowing with bright light. Such images were common around Aes Sedai. They had so many adventures that viewings were never short in quantity. Elmindrede had begun seeing such images around people when she was eight. It had taken her a while to realize that others could not see them, and even longer to realize that she was seeing glimpses of important points of that person�s future. Her abilities had scared the people in the town she lived in, and she had been forced to flee for her life. Here, dwelling in an isolated country village, she kept her abilities secret. Unfortunately, Aes Sedai had a way of finding things out whether you wanted them to or not.

�I truly am intrigued by your ability,� the Aes Sedai said suddenly, �But I am not here to study it.�

Elmindrede blinked in surprise, then frowned and peered at her narrowly. Aes Sedai were bound by oath to never lie, but they told truths that were not the truths you thought they were. Their words were as slippery as an eel. If this Aes Sedai said she did not want to examine her personally, that probably meant she was only going to drag her off to the Tower, where all of the other Aes Sedai could question her.

The Lady smiled slightly as if she knew what Elmindrede was thinking and said, �I wish you to view a group of boys I am traveling with. They will be out of their rooms soon.�

For a moment Elmindrede could only stare. An Aes Sedai wanted her to use her abilities? On her companions? �Aes Sedai,� Elmindrede said hesitantly, "I-

�Call me Moiraine,� the woman said, smiling.

�Moiraine Sedai,� Elmindrede continued slowly, �I would rather not flaunt my abilities before people, if you understand.� She stopped, biting her lip. She did not want to anger this Moiraine, but the danger was only too apparent. Sometimes Aes Sedai seemed to have no regard for the safety of others.

Moiraine nodded and said �You do not need to tell them what you see, only me.�

Elmindrede nodded, relieved. Then she took a deep breath and said, �I suppose that you want me to tell you my viewings of you?� Aes Sedai sometimes asked her that, as if she were some fortune teller. Many were displeased about what they heard however, and some grew angry. It wasn�t as if she could help what she saw or prevent it. What she saw always happened though, which often made the viewings painful.

�Oh, no,� Moiraine said, shaking her head, �I am quite well without it. My travels are hard enough without having to endure prior knowledge of some terrible event.�

Elmindrede nodded in understanding and stood, wishing to get it over with. She didn�t want to spend one more minute with the Aes Sedai than she had to. Moiraine walked smoothly over to the door and out into the hall, Elmindrede trailing behind. They both stood there in silence for a short time, watching the inn�s patrons stream past, until Moiraine murmured, �There,� and pointed to three young men stepping off of the staircase.

Elmindrede peered at them over the heads of crowd, picking out the images that flashed about their heads and shoulders. She was surprised at the number, almost as much as an Aes Sedai would have. Normal people would only have one or two if any, but these boys had many, flashing into view and then fading, only to be replaced with another. Picking out whose was whose as best she could, she quietly related them to the Aes Sedai. Moiraine nodded, thanked her, and turned expectantly to wait for the small party. Elmindrede quickly strode down the hall past the boys and into the common room once again, her heart pounding.

Character from the Wheel of Time Series, by Robert Jordan
Profile by me
Picture by Milano