An unbreakable bond

Chapter 31

Lan ran back and forth over and over again, but there were still many women left. The warders were trying their best to evacuate them to safety, but some of the women were using the One Power against the warders to free themselves. Especially, the women of the Red and the Green Ajah were very quick with fighting back. Many warders, who had been protecting the door, had been knocked out, and some of the Aes Sedai had passed the door before another warder had been able to close the damn thing.

The whole time, Lan was looking out for Alanna, but he never saw her or one of her warders. Maybe, she was already safely hidden. Nynaeve and Egwene did their best to help Lan and the warders, but soon they were at the end of their tether. Even Lan wondered, how many times he would be able to run back and forth before he would have to give up.

The room with the ropes was almost completely filled. Soon, he would have to find a new solution to secure the women. Sighing, he grabbed the next Aes Sedai and pulled her away from the crowd. But before he was able to face her, he felt how the air around him tightened, then he was thrown against the wall. And the air held him in place!

"I'm sorry." Alanna! She was shaking terribly, while tears were running down her cheeks. "I can't... Ihvon and Maksim... they tried to stop me as well... my body is reacting to a threat... Please. I don't want this."

"I know." It was hard to speak, but at least he was able to move his tongue. "It's the poison."

"Lan!" Nynaeve tried to help him, but immediately, Alanna's attention turned to her. The sister of the Green Ajah used the One Power to nail the wisdom to the wall, just like Lan. But when she did this, she released the air around the warder, and he fell to the ground.

Lan didn't hesitate, got back on his feet, and closed the distance between him and Alanna. He turned her arms on her back and broke her connection to the One Power.

"Are you alright?", he asked Nynaeve, who was now free again.

"Yes. Do you need help?"

"No, I can take care of her." When Nynaeve nodded, Lan pushed Alanna into the next corridor. He would need all his strength to force her to move onward. "You knocked out Ihvon and Maksim?"

"I didn't mean to. But they came at me and... Lan, what is happening?"

"The Black Ajah brought a gift to the White Tower. Their poison lures you to it, and when you touch it, you will die."

"What about Moiraine? And the Amyrlin? And... there are so many Aes Sedai in the White Tower. Where...?"

"We're doing our best. Moiraine and the Amyrlin are safe. So is Liandrin. Although, I have to say that I was tempted not to save her."

Alanna chuckled, and Lan smiled. It felt good to joke about the red sister. "I understand you. Where are you bringing me?"

"We use the room of silence and humility to secure the women. This way, they can't run back to the poison."

"The room we use to discipline young channeler?"

"It was the only safe place I could think of."

A few minutes later, they reached the door. Moiraine's eyes shot up when she felt him entering the room, then she filled their bond with her relief and her appreciation. Lan smiled at her, then he pushed Alanna to a free spot and repeated the work, he had done so often now in the past hours. Hopefully, this madness would soon come to an end.

When the sun rose, everyone in the White Tower was exhausted. The warders were at the end of their tether, and the Aes Sedai as well. Most of the women had been saved, but the warders hadn't been able to save all of them.