finale

Utterly appalled at the way tears of shame and bitterness were streaming down Niwenay's face as she recounted tremblingly her shocking story, Dallah could barely remain upright. Niwenay had once, in her days of innocent youth, a lover who she later discovered could channel, who she continued to love even as the Taint devoured his sanity and when he wasted away with putrid rot from the inside. And that when she slew him, she still loved him. Dallah could only wonder at how Niwenay could have buried this turbulent episode of her life so well that no-one even guessed a hint of it. Were the Reds' lives so full of tragedy then? Was she destined to end up like Niwenay? Filled with bitterness and self-damnation, hating the world, pushing away deeper human contact, only filled with the all-consuming desire to capture, gentle and if possible, kill?

The image of noble Al lex appeared mistily in her mind. Her back stiffened and her will solidified. As the Highest of the Red Ajah and one who had a more fortunate life than most, she decided that it was time to break the vicious cycle. She had been preaching change for long enough. Now for action. But first, she had to methodically eliminate all rivals.

A knock sounded on the office door.
"Come in," her voice sounded alien and far away. Her mentee, Therase entered, then hesitated at the doorway as she absorbed, with wide eyes, the traumatic scene. A weeping senior Red, imprisoned in a triumphant Yavanne's grasp, Daelin standing expressionlessly to the side and then Dallah herself, eyes glowing with a strange intensity.
"I'm sorry to cancel our meeting today, Therase. Please summon all the Red Sisters into the Parlour, especially the current... Sitter."
***
The assembly was complete.
Dallah stood, her eyes flashing venom at her Sitter, "I hereby formally charge Zarlash ab'Deseen, Sitter of the Red Ajah, with the crime of attempting to abduct her immediate superior and pressuring a fellow Sister to join her in this criminal venture. This is a crime punishable by - "

Zarlash stood up, pointing at Dallah in counter-accusation, "You have no evidence for any of this! You are just trying to weasel your way out of my challenge. This demonstrates, Sisters, the depth of her incompetency! Confronting me with all these trumped-up charges - "
She blanched noticeably as the side-door opened and Niwenay entered, escorted by Yavanne.

Niwenay's face would have made ice look hot, only her red eyes indicated that she had been crying.
"It's over, Zarlash. I have confessed," she said the last with a large expellation of air. She faced the speechless audience, "I speak now of my own accord. I was approached and blackmailed by a certain Sister to aid in permanently removing the Head of our Ajah. This Sister is none other than Zarlash ab'Deseen."

"This is a set-up, Sisters, do not believe her!" cried the Sitter, "Niwenay names me as her blackmailer. But can not Dallah, as Head, also pressure another Sister to stand and accuse me of abduction?? You cannot believe the words of one Sister alone."

"No. Do not believe the words of one sister alone. Believe mine as well. My eyes and ears, which are reliable, and I place my life on that, saw you, Zarlash, involved in all of this. You were seen at the inn. Dallah was seen going in. After, you left, and Dallah did not. The inkeeper supports the story, and regardless of what Niwenay has to say about her foray with shadowspawn, her story is corroborated by witness. Any flaws in her judgement and reliability are nullified on the strength of MY witness."

Laurya fixed her glare on the sitter.

"Dallah may not be much of a Head, but she is Aes Sedai, and our sister. You are not worthy of the air we breathe. Now, woman, bow before the superiority of Aes Sedai, for you are NOT."

"Really isn't that enough Zarlash - asked Yavanne - Niwenay ring was found by Dallah Sedai kidnappers...and I can bring few men that will say you were with her, give it up, we all know you are finished here - How dare you speak to me like this...you are the youngest Sister and we all know how close you are to Dallah, and your pitiful accusations can't harm me. This proofs are useles - really useless asked Dallah - I got enough to have you stilled, and in anger she embraced saidar - Ah - replied Zarlash - I see that this tea didnt permanently cut you off from saidar - How do you know that she was given this tea - asked Yavanne - nobody mentioned it, unless...unless it was your job...you have confessed to your own guilt Zarlash..."

Sephirael quietly stared.... she had mostly been an observer through this whole ordeal, rarely becoming very involved, but this, THIS was and outrage...so she spoke,
"Zarlash....how could you DO this to another red, let alone another sister? It is quite obvious to ALL of us here that you are quite guilty...at least you could try to retain some semblance of pride and admit to what is obviously YOUR doing..."

Sephirael stared, amazed that a SISTER could do something so horrible...

Dallah slowly released saidar with a tinge of reluctance, as gradually as the air was expelled from her lungs.
"Out of your mouth comes your own condemnation, Zarlash," the Red Head said. She looked at all the Sisters assembled around. Without any physical movement at all, it still seemed like all the others were distancing themselves from Zarlash; nobody wanted to be caught in her fall from grace.

"Does everyone accept the evidence?" Dallah asked.
Barely waiting for their nods of agreement, Niwenay then turned to face her Head, saying with an almost inperceptible waver in her voice, "I will accept whatever punishment you wish to give me for my part. I have done wrong and will pay for it."
She inclined her head slightly, as if waiting for the beheading blow.

Dallah sat down, smoothly arranging her skirts and beckoned those who had stood to speak - Laurya, Yavanne and Sephirael - back to their seats.
"You are not the principal, Niwenay. For that, I can grant you a small mercy. I sentence you to farm penance for an indefinite term," she said.
Even aware of this public humiliation, Niwenay still managed to curtsey gracefully, as if accepting an award of honour.

Then, all attention shifted to Zarlash, who seemed ready to wilt. Dallah waited until the suspenseful pause seemed about to explode.
"You are aware that it is within my power to bring this matter to the Amrylin Seat," her voice was freezing as a glacial blast, "She may hold a Tower trial for your crime, Zarlash. Everyone, from the lowest servant to the highest Warder will know of what you have done."
It didn't seem possible but Zarlash's face blanched even whiter still.

"Would you like me to do that?"
"No," Zarlash's voice was small and childlike in its plea, "Please... Dallah, I beg for leniency. I will accept your judgment as binding as the Amyrlin's."
Dallah looked at her calculatingly, "I don't think you deserve leniency, Zarlash. But, I will be lenient, because it too is within my power. I will hereby pass my sentence on you. You are to be stripped of your position as Sitter, you are to be stripped of your shawl. Although the latter may not be permanent depending on your behaviour. And you will be sent to do farm penance near the Spine of the World, under security, until I summon you back."

Zarlash collapsed into her chair. No-one offered any sympathy. Sephirael, standing near the door, opened it and beckoned in two guards to escort the disgraced former Sitter and Niwenay back to their rooms.

As soon as the door closed again, Dallah leapt back to her feet, her cold demeanour washing off her like water. In a swift single stroke, she had removed her arch-rival and a senior who held great influence amongst the conservatives. She deserved to feel victorious if at least for a little while. She channeled to open the glass doors and windows, letting in a cooling evening breeze.

It had just stopped raining.
The change in mood was sudden and bewildering - an effect Dallah desired. Handling her audience with dexterity, she proclaimed loudly, "Summon the servants to bring in ample tea and the first dishes of our evening meal."

"First, to the question of who will fill the vacant position of Red Sitter. Now that the Ajah has grown significantly, there will be a lot more duties for a Sitter to do. So, I will form three positions of Sitter and appoint three Sisters to them. Yavanne, Sephirael and Laurya - will you three accept this role?"

She could not help smiling at the stunned looks on their faces. It was another ingenious stroke - this sharing of power between the Sitters. Also, both Yavanne, her former mentee and Sephirael, with her liberal views, would continue to lend their staunch support. She had debated whether to appoint Michelle or Laurya but ultimately, the latter became her choice, if at least to appease the conservative faction of the Ajah. Besides, the woman had demonstrated that she was ethical in this abduction matter.

After embracing, kissing and congratulating them, Dallah continued, "To the second matter, I have had word that the Red Ajah's network of Eyes and Ears AND the network of our personal agents have been thrown into disarray by these latest events. I am sorry to say that there have been some rash acts... some members have been injured and some killed in an underground warfare. I will leave it to you, Idinya, how to reorganize the networks."

" Finally, I will deal with the policy changes in the Red Ajah," she declared, unfurling a scroll, "These have been contemplated in light of the discovery of the Black Tower and our Embassy to it. One - it will no longer be the practice of any Red to depersonalise herself from a male channeler so much that he should be equated with a common animal or a Shadowspawn. These are men, Sisters, human beings like you and me, but with the misfortune to be born with the spark. Everyone has the right to be treated in a dignified manner."

"Pursuant to this end, the role of the Red Ajah is still to seek out men who can channel. But, if the man is sane, has not disrupted the peace of the realm and is as yet unfiliated with the Black Tower, we Reds will escort this man to the Black Tower to discipline and control his skills with saidin. The question of his sanity will be determined by a trial."

"However, if the man is found to be insane and has disrupted the peace of the realm, as in proclaiming himself to be a False Dragon, causing uprisings and civil wars, then our function is the same as before. With one change. Previously, such a captured male channeler will be brought back to the White Tower at all costs, tried, sentenced and gentled. In a changing world where the Wheel is weaving new threads into the Pattern, this procedure may no longer be feasible. Such a male channeler may be gentled immediately, even in the midst of battle, to prevent any risk of his escape so that he can wreak even more death and destruction."

"These changes take effect from today."

Just then, the food arrived.
"Any questions?"

Idenya had suffered devastating change in the last week: she recognized her real purpose for gaining the Red shawl was not some illustrious desire to help the world, but rather her innate hatred of men. She also saw her E&E network turned inside out. Yes, in hindsight it was almost good to know that the problem was internal—E&E were often loyal to the recruting Aes Sedai, and then to the ajah; and the E&E network falling apart was reflective of the Red Ajah falling apart.

However, Idenya couldn't grasp this concept of taking male channellers directly to the Black Tower, and she posed her question:

"Dallah, the Reds might have captured the channellers before, but we've never passed sentence on them!" Trailing off, she added quietly, "well, except for that shameful time some years ago..."

Shaking off those thoughts, and raising her voice again, she continued: "However, surely we cannot make decisions that have fallen in the realm of the entire White Tower, or rather the Hall of the Tower, for 3000 years! What you're suggesting seems to suggest that!"

In Idenya's new-found respect for herself and the Tower, she wanted to be very clear that Tower law was obeyed first and foremost.

"Tower law is important... ... but like all laws, parts of it will become anachronistic one day. And this is that one day! We cannot afford to ignore the fact that the Wheel is spinning out more and more False Dragons in this Age. And it would be utter foolishness if we are to tie up our resources to escort a captured False Dragon or an obviously mad male channeler back to the White Tower when there is a high risk that he could escape. There have been instances in history where a captured, shielded man did manage to escape. To again wreak large scale havoc until the White Tower could leash him again. We are talking not only about preserving our scarce resources but also about saving more lives."

Laurya glared at the Head. Did the woman think she could BUY her with the Sittership? She had never really seen Dallah as WEAK, per se... Obviously unfit for the headship, but not weak... Why now was she doing this? Zarlash deserved stilling. She deserved to work in the kitchens for the rest of her natural life! Looking with even further disdain on the Head, she found herself almost wishing that the woman hadn't survived. Zarlash would still be incriminated, and Daelin would likely have taken the seat. She sighed.

Idinya was the head of E&E? Laurya determined to put an end to that. She would seize control. Perhaps, governing the flow of information, she could manage to unseat Dallah. And she was clearly more competent than Idinya.

She looked up at the head at the words "Policy changes. Listening, her teeth began to grind, and her face became an awful grimace... She refused to let the Head dictate to her what she should or should not believe. Men who could channel were darkfriends at best. Why else would they choose insanity?

Escorting men to the black Tower? Her jaw dropped at that. That she would NOT do! She would NOT help that vile congregation to increase its numbers! All Aes Sedai should bristle against that, and here this... this... WOMAN... was ready to embrace them! Alas, what could be expected from a woman who had fouled herself with Saidin? Maybe... She shook her head. Of course there was no Black Ajah. Dallah wouldn't have had the gumption to be in it even if there were.

The small bone of gentling men on the spot... That was foul. The rest of the Tower would rise up against the Reds for that. Light, but they were unpopular enough as it was. Dallah was actively working to bring down the reds!

Laurya waited, waited until the woman was finished speaking, then she rose, pushed her chair back, and walked out of the room, without a word.

Yavanne couldn't believe her ears...she was chosen to be Sitter...she knew that that would require even more that she was giving to Red Ajah....but she was ready to face the challenge. "As for male channelers" she said "I agree that those mad should be gentled without waiting for sentence...if someone destoryed innocents using Saidin, do we need more evidence...do we also have enough resources to shield this male during the journey to White Tower...it's just inviting his companions to rescue attacks. But about Black Tower, I'm not sure if they are really peacful now...and if that's good to increase their strength, but if that save even one being, it should be done...And I have just a question, what shall we do if one of Black Tower goes mad?"

"From some intelligence sources... it seems that the Black Tower men has some method of dwelving which will allow them to discover fast ahead of time when a man begins the degeneration into insanity. Once such a finding has been made, the man is "dealt" with in the Black Tower. However, these reports are patchy. If in the instance that we find a lone Black Tower man, roaming the realm totally insane, I believe we have the power to gentle him then."

She ended with a smile, "Thank you for your support in this Yavanne. I have and always will continue to trust you."