The final showdown

The cacophonous admonitions of her Sisters to take things slowly, that she acquire some rest after her harrowing ordeal, washed through her like water through a sieve. She was not a weak bird to be trussed up in a carpet and shipped off to goodness knows where. She was going to show that despicable, damnable...

Next to her, Yavanne uttered a cry of alarm, grasping one of Dallah's clenched fists. Blood was flowing through her fingers. She had been clenching them so hard that her fingernails had dug through flesh. Never since passing through the second ring of the Accepteds' Arches had this ever happened.

Anger made her strong. It quashed the dizziness caused by the forkroot in her system. She probably still could not channel a wisp but she now felt like she was walking on the knife-edge. No-one could stop her.

Flanked by the former Head Daelin, Yavanne and Laurya, Dallah entered the Reds' Parlour just as Idinya was attempting to prevent Michelle sinking her claws into Zarlash. The rest of the tableau consisted of Delhanha and Sephirael, standing tensely against the backwall whilst Niwenay and some seniors looked like warrior women, ready to strike out for Zarlash in a battlefield.

For an instant, all were statues.
Michelle gave a cry of joy and relief, rushing to embrace Dallah's unrelentingly taut body. Idinya looked like she could fall through to the floor, but instead turned back to Zarlash, saying caustically, "So our Head is incapacitated??"

"Answer straight," Laurya said, "Did you order our Head's abduction?"
Rage crossed Zarlash's face that Laurya could have defected from her side but her answer was as smooth as a serpent's scales, "I never have and never did order that Dallah be harmed in any way. Nor did I ever order that she disappear from Tar Valon. This is not my work. And how dare you accuse me, a Sitter, of such a crime? I would be as glad as any other Sister to see her back."

Without a word, Dallah stalked up to the Sitter and with all her might, slapped her hard across the face. The echo of the blow resounded across the room.
Niwenay hissed indignantly, embracing saidar, "You have no right! Zarlash could never lie - the oath rod! And I believe her. She would never do anything so dastardly. None of you have any proof of this matter!"

Yavanne first would like just to send her panther after Zarlash and see her dying. But she was now too smart for that...but there had to be weak point in Zarlash defence. Her friend recognized Zarlash voice, but it was nothing, and she remebered that he mentioned two women talking with him...it had to be Niwenay. Yavanne walked to her room, when a Novice informed her that a man is waiting for her. It was Veldrin. He had something very interesting. She quickly took the gift from him and rushed to Niwenay room. She was readying herself to leave, but Yavane was faster: - You are goin somewhere sister...I think you have forgotten your family's ring.
- How do you have that...you stole from...
- Oh shut up - said Yavanne - I have man who can say that he stole that ring from you that moment when you were giving orders to kidnapp Dallah. I might consider hiding your part in the plot, but give Zarlash to me
- I can't...I -
- If you won't tell me right now, I will let Guenhvywar eat you - Yavanne knew Niwenay was afraid of big animals - and I will go straight to AMyrlin Seat
- No please, it was Zarlash, she told me to "remove any trouble for her" and she threatened to expose me...I...I have once let male channeler got away, because I loved him...and Zarlash knew it...if she would tell it to others, my life would be ruined...
- And you wanted to ruin Dallah life and whole Red Ajah...you are pathetic creature, and if I needen't you now, I would have you stilled, and now you will go with me to Dallah and Daelin and you will tell them what you told me
- Please...I beg you, I can't...- wept Niwenay..
- I have no mercy for the fallen like you, and if you try to lie, or change the statement, you will meet Guenhvywar....very close
And Yavanne brought the sister to Dallah quarters...

Dallah barely heard Idinya and Laurya's demands for Zarlash to give a straight answer. She lashed out, pushing back the drug-induced vertigo by pure will alone, "I won't ask you to give a straight answer, you lowest piece of scum! I don't even want you to hold the oath rod about this. As far as I'm concerned, you're the filthiest cur in the street for committing this travesty. And don't pretend to be civilised by demanding evidence! I just know in my bones that you are guilty, you stinking fish carcass! I think the best thing you can do now is to strip yourself of your shawl and throw yourself into the Alinrendrelle and even then, the fish won't have you!"

She held her breath. This should work. She barely needed to Milk Tears to push Zarlash over the edge.
An Illuminator's fireworks would not have exploded so blisteringly than Zarlash's face did right then.
"All right," she said in a trembling, ugly voice, "For those defamatory insults, I formerly challenge you for your authority as Head of the Red Ajah."
This was serious, as all Aes Sedai knew. Challenges of authority have never been recorded in the Tower's history before, although it was constitutionally available in extreme circumstances. Reading between the lines though, Dallah was sure that challenges had been staged in intra-Ajah affairs.

"The demonstration of Powers," Dallah affirmed, "Tonight, past the hour of twilight."
With that, she left with Daelin following.
***
Dusk was fast approaching.
With a light meal and a sip of wine, Dallah felt more refreshed than never before. The effects of forkroot had long since diminished. And she was at this moment, sharing a meal with Daelin in her spacious room.

Daelin was trying to dissuade her from going ahead with the challenge.
Dallah sighed, "Daelin, you're a dear Sister to me, but when you became Head, I'm sure you did not have to contend with such strong opposition, to the extent that you get abducted! It's time that I proved something, showed my worth and firmly established my authority. Since the evidence against Zarlash as the master-mind is circumstantial, then there is only one other way to get rid of her. And a challenge is it. I made her angry enough to issue it herself so she cannot back away from it."

The oil lamp flickered. And that was the only indication that Dallah had of another presence in the room. Quickly, she stood up, turning to the glass doors that opened to the balcony.
"Azbere," she said.
A form swathed in a figure-hugging cloak materialized from the shadows. Quickly, she dropped to her knee before Dallah, saying, "Mistress, I have failed in ensuring your security. I beg forgiveness and will accept any punishment at all."

Dallah clicked with frustration, pulling her personal Eyes and Ears agent to her feet, "You're far too young to be so serious, Azbere. Come, your mother was never like this."
"My mother was honourable. She has never failed you like I have," Azbere continued ashamedly.
"Stop this," came Dallah's swift reply, before saying, "I need you like never before. Everything is forgiven. Knowing your resourcefulness, you should have come up with something by now."

"Yes," she said, bowing first to Daelin, "I am honoured to be in your presence, Daelin Sedai," before continuing her report, "I traced everything backward, of course. The ship captain and carpet deliverer had no idea what they were truly carrying. But they did divulge that the carpets were additional cargo for a certain merchant named Hermas. After searching, I found that there was no merchant called Hermas currently staying in Tar Valon."

"However, a Hermas had been staying at Kiss of the Unfaithful. I went there to ask some questions. The innkeeper, Ternys, was not helpful until I mentioned Aes Sedai. She said she had been ordered by some cloaked women to look out for a dangerous criminal who had repeatedly posed as Aes Sedai, that if she ever mentioned the rose room, she would be that woman, presumably this is you. Ternys was directed to detain her by any means. The innkeeper then asked a known ruffian, Veldrin to stay in a certain room and he would do what was necessary to render you unconscious."

"It was no problem finding Veldrin, although he had a taste of my dagger before he would answer my questions. He said, after knocking you unconscious, the innkeeper force-fed you with forkroot, wrapped you in some carpets and sent a messenger to call the deliverer, under the name of Hermas, perhaps a name she plucked out of her patron list. And so, here the mystery is solved."

"However, Veldrin also eavesdropped on the conversation Ternys had with the two mysterious women and he picked up a Great Serpent ring that one of them dropped. After further 'persuasion', I made him agree to go to the White Tower and report what he had seen and heard to a Red Sister."

Just as Azbere finished her succinct report, the door burst open and in walked Yavanne, nearly dragging a white-faced Niwenay. Attention was quickly switched to them and Azbere drifted unobtrusively back into the shadows.

There were reasons Daelin had suddenly disappeared all those years ago, and thins was one of them. She was no Blue; politics and scheming had no place in her life. Inside she broiled. How much could have already been accomplished if these petty arguements were resolved!
But they were not. Daelin too agreed that Zarlash was somehow behind all of this. She had never trusted the woman in all the years she had known her. If the Sitter was indeed behind Dallah's abduction, being demoted to a scullery maid was the least she could look forward to. Daelin found it hard to believe that anyone, especially a Sister, could be so selfish and stupid. There had to be something deeper to all of this.
And Dallah had challenged the woman to a demonstration of Powers and would not be talked out of it. It was times like these that Daelin wished her age gave her the upper hand in authority. For if Dallah lost, then Zarlash would have all the more reason to challenge her postion. And if she won, it would only succeed in making matters worse by further dividing the Ajah.
She wanted to scream.
Instead the door opened to reveal a very angry Yavanne dragging a very frightened Niwenay behind her.

Yavanne entered Dallah's room almost draging Niwenay there. Meeting the surprised look of her former Mentor she said: "I think demonstration of Power won't be necessary, I got something big against Zarlash - she turned her head to Niwenay - now tell Dallah what you were up to, or we will talk in other way". Niwenay, tried to swallow her tears and not break, told everything to her Ajah Head. When she finished, she couldn't stop crying. Dallah looked at her and said: "You will be dealt later, now it's time to deal with Zarlash - Yavanne interupted her - I hope it will be long and painful way"

Idenya ignored Niwenay's assertation about proof, and returned to the original question by speaking directly to Zarlash: "Laurya told you to answer straight if you ordered Dallah's abduction. You said only that you did not order her to be harmed, and that you didn't order her to disappear from Tar Valon! You never denied ordering Dallah's abduction!" Idenya was getting frustrated, and turned to go take a seat. This would get resolved, one way or the other; the other Sisters were closing in on Zarlash and her party now.

As for herself, Idenya was still horrified about how easily the Eyes and Ears network had been corrupted, endangering the Red Ajah Head and Light knows who else! She could imagine having to rebuild the Network from the ground up, and decided that the job would have to go to someone else this time. Shaking the thoughts for now, she turned her attention back to the Sisters in the room.

"There can be no straight answer to this question. 'Did she order?' No, she commanded. 'Did she command?' No, she insisted. We cannot cover every synonym to make sure she answers right. I would submit for the record that my eyes and ears saw someone of her description at the scene of the abduction, and would like to hear her explanation for why she was there."

Laurya sat.

Delhanha stood against the far wall as Dallah and her companions confronted Zarlash. Delhanha had managed to keep her nose out of this whole affair without taking a public stand for either the Ajah Head or the Sitter. She had received a message from another sister and had actually been outside of Tar Valon for most of it, but she could easily guess what had transpired. She suspected that Zarlash had, in fact, been involved with Dallah's abduction, and that things did not bode well for the venerable sitter. There was still division in the Red Ajah, but changes were on the horizon. Changes that Delhanha feared could lead to disaster. Something had to be done before it was too late.