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Dawn and Reincarnation Part 21
🕑 Added 2019-06-10 21:47:56 +0000 UTCDawn wasn’t sure if numbness or white hot rage was the correct response when you were told that your father’s alternate had been locked in a house then burned alive to set an example for the rest of the villagers. She supposed numbness and perhaps tears would come after she got revenge. “This might not be my world but they were still my people.”
“As much as I want them dead, your death isn’t going to solve anything,” Joiya al'Thor said in a soft voice.
“You’re right but I’m not planning on dying,” Dawn assured Joiya.
“What do you expect to be able to do against an Empire?” Javindhra asked, knowing that eventually Dawn’s luck would run out and someone would get a lucky shot.
“I can make sure the Empire dies screaming,” Dawn replied in an icy cold voice as she turned to look at Drusilla. “See if you can recruit the channelers while I deal with the Seanchans. If I’m not back by tomorrow, take everyone to the stone and leave.”
“I’ll do my best,” Drusilla agreed, knowing she couldn’t talk Dawn out of trying to topple the Seanchan Empire. “Don’t sink the island until you’ve rescued The Kitten.”
Dawn shook her head. “I wasn’t planning on sinking the island and I’ll keep my eyes out for any cats that need rescued.”
“How are you able to channel?” Javindhra asked suspiciously. “Narla can barely walk, Moira is worn out and I can barely stand and you’re ready to fight an empire? I don’t care how strong your angreal is, you should be sleeping but you’re not even tired are you?”
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Dawn slipped into the dream world. She wasn’t sure if it was anger keeping her going or not but she felt like she’d drank half a dozen cups of coffee and three shots of espresso. She gestured and created a free standing scrying mirror, keeping the picture firmly in her head. “Rhuidean.”
She frowned as she saw the massive dome of fog in the mirror. “You’d never know they were hiding a city. Let’s hope the keys are actually here.” She took a breath then stepped to just outside Rhuidean. “Let’s hope this works.”
“You won’t be able to enter the city in the dream and you’re here far too strongly,” Amys said as she studied the familiar looking stranger she’d seen in her dreams.
Dawn turned to look at the glowing women in clothes that blended into the sand if you didn’t look that closely. Her long hair was white but her face was unlined and youthful, if she had to guess she’d say the women was in her early twenties but she was probably older considering she could channel. “I wasn’t planning on entering the city in the dream.”
“You’re a long ways from home Dawn,” Amys stated, curious about the stranger she’d seen in her dreams that would lead them to a new land where they could find the Car'a'carn.
Dawn sighed as she realized the woman knew far more than she should. “How much did you see in your dreams?”
“Enough to know this isn’t your world and that you’d be here in the flesh,” Amys said disapprovingly as she glanced at Dawn’s sword.
“That’s annoyingly accurate,” Dawn grumbled as she turned her attention toward the dome of fog, curious about the washed out weaves she could feel.
“Why are you here?”
“I wanted to see if I can figure out how to copy some of the ter’angreal in the Jenn’s city and learn how to recreate the dome over Rhuidean.”
“How do you know about the Jenn?” Amys asked curious how the stranger knew something that only Wise Ones and Clan Chiefs knew.
Dawn considered the woman’s question as she studied the weaves that made up the dome covering the city. “A traveler from another world told me, the dome had been destroyed in his world and the history of the Aiel was revealed to all of the clans so it wasn’t exactly a secret anymore.”
“It doesn’t bother you does it?” Amys asked as she studied Dawn’s face.
“Which part?” Dawn asked. “The part where the Aiel used to be followers of the Way of the Leaf or the part where some of them went crazy and started raiding westland towns and cities at a time when the world couldn’t afford the distraction?”
“The fact that you have Aiel blood,” Amys said, curious how the young lady would react.
Dawn turned to look at Amys. “My bloodline on my mother’s side includes royalty and nobles stretching back to the last king of Aldeshar, I grew up a farmer. The fact that I have Aiel blood doesn’t mean that I’m Aiel or want to be or that I feel any sense of shame for my ancestors abandoning a set of beliefs that didn’t work for them. I’m curious, you obviously knew I was coming, what do you want from me?”
“My name is Amys of the Nine Valleys sept of the Taardad Aiel. I understand that I have no right to ask but I request your help to save my people.”
“What do you need?” Dawn asked, curious what the stranger wanted.
“The Seanchan made deals with some of the less honorable septs and clans and have been doing their best to corrupt the clans and destroy anyone that won’t fall in line. It is only a matter of time before Rhuidean is looted to the ground and our people broken. Normally we’d fight until the last but our dreams showed us another way. A way that we can deny the Seanchan their victory and help the Car'a'carn against Sightblinder in your world.”
“I can’t…” Dawn trailed off as she realized that sending everyone to her island would be easier than trying to move tens or possibly hundreds of thousands of people via the portal stone. “On second thought, I know a way but it requires a price and a promise.”
“Name them,” Amys replied, hoping the price wouldn’t be more than they could pay.
“I can open a door to my island but anyone that walks through the door will need to understand that they’re guests.”
Amy didn’t see a problem with that simple request considering it was common sense. “And the price?”
“Slightly more problematic and probably a deal breaker, I’d like an escort to Rhuidean so I can copy some ter’angreal and one of my friends might be a dreamer, I’d like her trained in at least the basics so she doesn’t get herself killed.”
“That’s it?” Amys asked, a touch surprised that Dawn hadn’t asked for more.
“As I understand it, my birth parents were part of the Taardad clan on my world, it costs me very little to help family. That being said, if your clan on my world doesn’t want you in their lands, I can take you to another world or the Shadow Coast, it has been empty for generations.”
“That is more generous than I was expecting. Are you willing to help our allies?”
Dawn nodded. “I need to get back to my world in a couple of days for a day or two but I’m willing to help as long as they’re willing to offer training.”
“Training?” Amys asked, wondering what secrets she wanted.
“I’ve been recruiting channelers, we have about four hundred girls with various levels of skill. I don’t have a great deal of blacksmiths or scouts and your warriors are generally speaking exceptional at stealth. I’m not asking for secrets, just the basics.”
“I’m sure we can work something out,” Amys agreed, knowing the other clans would be willing to do a lot for a way out of their present trouble.
“In that case, where should I step out of the dream?”
Amys shifted them to her tent. “Here is fine.”
Dawn jumped as she found herself in a smallish tent. “A little warning next time.”
“Step out of the dream,” Amys said as she got more transparent as she woke herself up.
Dawn shifted back to the real world then glanced at the older man sitting on a cushion, touches of red in his otherwise white hair. “Greetings.” She turned to look at the attractive red haired glowing woman that looked in her early twenties. “Hello.”
Amys opened her eyes. “Dawn let me introduce you to Aviendha, a fellow Wise One and my husband, Rhuarc, clan chief of the Taardad Aiel. Dawn has generously agreed to help us relocate.”
”Can we afford the price?” Rhuarc asked bluntly.
“If not, you aren’t trying,” Dawn replied, knowing that she wasn’t asking all that much in the grand scheme of things.
Amys smiled at her husband. “I should be able to get the other Wise Ones to agree to allow her into Rhuidean with a guide so she can take a look at the ter’angreal the Jinn left behind. In exchange, she agreed to give our clan transportation to a land where we can make a new home.”
“Thank you,” Rhuarc said as he got to his feet, proving that he was still decently spry for an old man.
“How are you planning on transporting an entire clan?” Aviendha asked, curious what weave she’d use.
“I have a key that opens a door to my island,” Dawn said as she gestured toward the key around her neck. “You should be able to walk through then I’ll open the door at our destination and you can walk out.”
“What about your world’s Taardad clan?” Aviendha asked, not sure what would happen when the two clans met.
“Either they accept you or they don’t. If they don’t, I can take you to the Shadow Coast, an area that hasn’t been claimed in generations or I can take you elsewhere.”
Rhuarc asked, “What is your island like?”
Dawn smiled as she thought about the rather pleasant weather on her island, so far it had only ever rained at night and only the once. “Warm and wet. I doubt you’ll have a problem with the weather for the short time you’ll be there.”
“Is there enough room for a hundred thousand people?”
“You’ll have to camp in the forest or along the beach but that shouldn’t be a problem as long as you don’t overhunt the forest.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll bring food and water,” Rhuarc assured her.
Dawn shook her head. “We have enough water to share and we should be able to get enough fish to feed everyone without too much trouble, I just don’t want the wildlife in the forest hunted to extinction. We also don’t have that much in the way of spices.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll bring spices,” Amys said as the tent flap was pulled back and Sorilea stepped inside with Melaine following behind her. “Sorilea.”
Dawn turned to look at the white haired leather faced women that was glowing faintly then glanced at the attractive red haired glowing woman that looked in her early thirties which probably meant she was far older considering her strength in the Power. “Hello.”
“So this is the Aes Sedai that is going to help us leave?” Sorilea asked as she studied Dawn, shocked to feel how strong she was considering she towered over everyone she’d ever met.
Melaine stared at Dawn, not sure what to make of her strength in the Power.
Dawn shook her head. “I’m not an Aes Sedai.”
“You’re an apprentice?” Melaine asked shocked that an apprentice already had as much power as the young lady in front of her.
Dawn looked at the attractive redhead. “I’m the girl with the means to send you to a different world. Beyond that, does it matter?”
Sorilea said, “I’m curious how an apprentice managed to acquire such a valuable item, did you steal it?”
“Did you fuck a cactus?” Dawn asked sarcastically.
Rhuarc did his best to not laugh at the shocked look on Melaine’s face.
“Can’t say I’ve ever been that drunk,” Sorilea replied deadpan.
Dawn laughed. “In that case to answer your earlier question, no, I didn’t steal it. I found it while exploring the sand hills, a place most people from my hometown consider bad luck.”
“Is that where you found the rest of your trinkets?” Sorilea asked as she glanced over Dawn’s collection of jewelry.
“No, I picked up most of the rest of my trinkets in Ebou Dar.” Dawn slipped her bracelet with rubies off and held it out toward Aviendha. “Speaking of ter’angreal, tell me the first thing that comes to mind when you touch the bracelet.”
Aviendha took the bracelet, absently running her thumb over the expensive rubies as she tried to figure out what Dawn wanted to hear. “It feels safe.”
“Fire or air?” Dawn asked, curious if this Aviendha had the same talent as the one Mat knew.
“Air?” Aviendha asked, not sure why she knew it had something to do with air and armor.
“Promising, one more,” Dawn said as she handed Aviendha her bracelet with emeralds. “What about this one?”
“Lightning,” Aviendha replied after a couple of seconds. “Or protection from lightning?”
“It protects a person from lightning,” Dawn agreed rather pleased with her little test. “We’ll have to do some more testing later.”
Aviendha handed the bracelets back. “How common is the talent?”
“Other than my family, you’re the only person I’ve heard of that has the talent,” Dawn explained as she put her bracelets back on.
“What is your price to take the Chareen Aiel with you,” Sorilea asked, wondering how painful it would be.
Dawn turned to look at Sorilea. “I have nearly four hundred girls that can channel on my island, I should be able to grab another thousand students before I head home based on what I know of my friend’s world. We could use additional instructors for channeling, common sense, stealth and various crafting skills.”
“I can’t see any of the girls enjoying the instruction,” Amys spoke up.
“I don’t need them to enjoy it, I just need them to learn. I need people that won’t break when the world starts coming apart at the seams.”
“How long do you expect us to teach your people?” Melaine asked, knowing Bael would want to know.
“I expect a good faith effort. I’d be satisfied if you merely spent a week looking over the training program we have and helped make it better. I’d be happy if you spent six months training people and putting steel in their spines.”
Rhuarc spoke up, “I can’t speak for the Wise Ones but you’ll have your trainers for the mundane skills.”
“I’m willing to take a number of apprentices provided I get to choose,” Sorilea said, unwilling to put up with apprentices she didn’t like.
“I’m sure you can find someone suitable.” Dawn had a feeling some of the girls would hate her for recruiting the Wise Ones but they’d be better for it in the end.
“We’ll have to figure out how to keep everyone from fighting,” Rhuarc stated, knowing that some of the septs and clans that would want to come had blood feuds with each other.
“It’s up to you to arrange things Rhuarc, the only clan I flat out refuse to help is the Shaido,” Dawn said flatly, thinking about Mat’s less than stellar opinion of the rats.
“Any particular reason?” Melaine asked, noting the shift in tone of Dawn’s voice.
“In my friend’s world, they decided to burn their way across the wetlands and loot everything they could, including people.”
Rhuarc scowled. “I wish I could say I was surprised but a decent number of their septs have worked with the Seanchan.”
Dawn said, “If you know of any maidens or blacksmiths that are worth saving, feel free to ask but otherwise, I’m not sure it’s worth the risk unless we’re just going to dump them in an uninhabited world.”
Melaine shifted uncomfortably. “What about the Shaido Wise Ones?”
“They murdered one of their own to follow a ‘clan chief’ that had never been to Rhuidean in my friend’s world. Maybe they’re different in this world but I’m not feeling particularly charitable toward them.”
Amys spoke up, “There are one or two that might be worth talking to, they were maidens before they were Wise Ones.”
“In that case, let’s find a door and I’ll show you proof that I have the means to help then you can start organizing.”
0o0o0
Xander gulped as he peeked around the corner and saw a glowing Drusilla dragging half a dozen unconscious glowing demon girls down the hall by their ankles using faintly glowing yellow threads. He winced as she turned and smiled at him. “Are we in hell?”
“I found the Kitten!” Drusilla said happily.
“Great…” Xander trailed off as he realized that Drusilla was standing in a shaft of daylight and wasn’t smoking. “Why aren’t you burning?”
Drusilla shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like much fun.”
“Where are we?” Xander asked, hoping for at least some information.
“Seanchan empire, it’s full of bad people that need to be punished.”
“Have you seen anyone else around?”
“Nope, Dawn should have been dealing with stuff but she seems to have gotten delayed so I decided to collect the girls and the Kitten, hello Kitten.”
Xander looked at the unconscious girls, starting to wonder if they were actually demons. “Why are you dragging around glowing girls?”
“Because Dawn said we needed them to fight the Dark One.”
“Great, I just got here and it’s apocalypse season already,” Xander muttered as he hauled the girl he’d knocked unconscious out from behind the hall, ready to toss her at Drusilla and run if it was some sort of trick. “If the girls aren’t demons why is everyone glowing?”
“Most likely because we can use magic and you can see magic, it’s not a very common ability.”
“Right, one that sees,” Xander muttered not sure what was going on but hoping Willow could figure it out. “Where would I find Dawn?”
“She wandered off, I’m pretty sure I just said that, did something hit you on the head?” Drusilla asked as she studied the stranger that she’d seen in her vision.
“I’m starting to wonder,” Xander said, not sure what game Drusilla was playing but hoping that she could lead him to Dawn.
“Wait, everyone? That means you’ve seen other glowing people?”
“Just about.” Xander scowled as yellow threads wrapped around him from behind then vanished. “That’s getting annoying.”
The damane stared in shock at the man-shaped creature that had caused her weave to fall apart. “What are you?”
“Getting annoyed at people trying to wrap me up in yellow glowing shit,” Xander snapped as he turned and looked at the two glowing women, not sure why their magic kept failing.
Drusilla reached out and shielded the damane. “Welcome to the Queen’s service.” She reached out with a thread of air and put pressure on the sul’dam’s throat. “Time for you to fall down.”
‘Okay, at least she isn’t ripping them apart and drinking their blood, that has to be a good thing, right?’ Xander thought as he watched the two women collapse. “Now what?”
“Now we send Dawn a message and tell her we found you.”
“I have a name,” Xander grumbled.
“Yep, Kitten,” Drusilla replied playfully, having fun playing with the handsome stranger.
“It’s going to be one of those days, isn’t it?” Xander muttered under his breath as the yellow thread tying the girls together stretched to wrap around the two new girls.
Drusilla opened a gateway against the wall. “Let’s get the girls secured and you somewhere safe then Dawn can take care of the rest.”
Xander stared at the hole in the world that led to what looked suspiciously like a renaissance fair although he was fairly sure it wasn’t. “Yeah, it’s one of those days.”
