rj.theshadowrising-第53部分

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ant　to　sleep　longer　than　that。　You　must　wake　me　as　soon　as　the　flame　reaches　that　mark。　As　soon　as！〃
　　　　　　　〃We　will；〃　Elayne　said　soothingly。　〃I　promise　it。〃
　　　　　　　〃The　stone　ring；〃　Aviendha　said　suddenly。　〃Since　you　are　not　using　it；　Egwene；　could　not　someone　…　one　of　us　…　use　it　to　go　with　you？〃
　　　　　　　〃No；〃　Egwene　muttered。　Light；　I　wish　they　could　all　e　with　me。　〃Thank　you　for　the　thought；　though。〃
　　　　　　　〃Can　only　you　use　it；　Egwene？〃　the　Aiel　woman　asked。
　　　　　　　〃Any　of　us　might；〃　Nynaeve　replied；　〃even　you；　Aviendha。　A　woman　needn't　be　able　to　channel；　only　sleep　with　it　touching　her　skin。　A　man　might　be　able　to；　for　all　we　know。　But　we　do　not　know　Tel'aran'rhiod　as　well　as　Egwene；　or　the　rules　of　it。〃
　　　　　　　Aviendha　nodded。　〃I　see。　A　woman　can　make　mistakes　where　she　does　not　know　the　ways；　and　her　mistakes　can　kill　others　as　well　as　herself。〃
　　　　　　　〃Exactly；〃　Nynaeve　said。　〃The　World　of　Dreams　is　a　dangerous　place。　That　much　we　do　know。〃
　　　　　　　〃But　Egwene　will　be　careful；〃　Elayne　added；　speaking　to　Aviendha　but　obviously　meaning　it　for　Egwene's　ears。　〃She　promised。　She　will　look　around　…　carefully！　…　and　no　more。〃
　　　　　　　Egwene　concentrated　on　the　map。　Careful。　If　she　had　not　guarded　her　twisted　stone　ring　so　jealously　…　she　thought　of　it　as　hers；　the　Hall　of　the　Tower　might　not　agree；　but　they　did　not　know　she　had　it　…　if　she　had　been　willing　to　let　Elayne　or　Nynaeve　use　it　more　than　once　or　twice；　they　might　know　enough　to　e　with　her　now。　Yet　it　was　not　regret　that　made　her　avoid　looking　at　the　other　women。　She　did　not　want　them　to　see　the　fear　in　her　eyes。
　　　　　　　Tel'aran'rhiod。　The　Unseen　World。　The　World　of　Dreams。　Not　the　dreams　of　ordinary　people；　though　sometimes　they　touched　Tel'aran'rhiod　briefly；　in　dreams　that　seemed　as　true　as　life。　Because　they　were。　In　the　Unseen　World；　what　happened　was　real；　in　a　strange　way。　Nothing　that　happened　there　affected　what　was　…　a　door　opened　in　the　World　of　Dreams　would　still　be　shut　in　the　real　world；　a　tree　cut　down　there　still　stood　here　…　yet　a　woman　could　be　killed　there；　or　stilled。　〃Strange〃　barely　began　to　describe　it。　In　the　Unseen　World　the　whole　world　lay　open；　and　maybe　other　worlds；　too；　any　place　was　attainable。　Or　at　least；　its　reflection　in　the　World　of　Dreams　was。　The　weave　of　the　Pattern　could　be　read　there　…　past；　present　and　future　…　by　one　who　knew　how。　By　a　Dreamer。　There　had　not　been　a　Dreamer　in　the　White　Tower　since　Corianin　Nedeal；　nearly　five　hundred　years　earlier。
　　　　　　　Four　hundred　and　seventy　three　years；　to　be　exact；　Egwene　thought。　Or　is　it　four…hundred　seventy…four　now？　When　did　Corianin　die？　If　Egwene　had　had　a　chance　to　finish　novice　training　in　the　Tower；　to　study　there　as　an　Accepted；　perhaps　she　would　know。　There　was　so　much　she　might　have　known；　then。
　　　　　　　A　list　lay　in　Egwene's　pouch　of　the　ter'angreal；　most　small　enough　to　slip　into　a　pocket；　that　had　been　stolen　by　the　Black　Ajah　when　they　fled　the　Tower。　They　all　three　had　a　copy。　Thirteen　of　those　stolen　ter'angreal　had　〃no　known　use〃　written　alongside；　and　〃last　studied　by　Corianin　Nedeal。〃　But　if　Corianin　Sedai　had　truly　not　discovered　their　uses；　Egwene　was　sure　of　one　of　them。　They　gave　entrance　to　Tel'aran'rhiod；　not　as　easily　as　the　stone　ring；　perhaps；　and　perhaps　not　without　channeling；　but　they　did　it。
　　　　　　　Two　they　had　recovered　from　Joiya　and　Amico：　an　iron　disc；　three　inches　across；　scribed　on　both　sides　with　a　tight　spiral；　and　a　plaque　no　longer　than　her　hand；　apparently　clear　amber　yet　hard　enough　to　scratch　steel；　with　a　sleeping　woman　somehow　carved　into　the　middle　of　it。　Amico　had　spoken　freely　of　them；　and　so　had　Joiya；　after　a　session　alone　in　her　cell　with　Moiraine　that　had　left　the　Darkfriend　pale…faced　and　almost　civil。　Channel　a　flow　of　Spirit　into　either　ter'angreal；　and　it　would　take　you　into　sleep　and　then　into　Tel'aran'rhiod。　Elayne　had　tried　both　of　them　briefly；　and　they　worked；　though　all　she　saw　was　the　inside　of　the　Stone；　and　Morgase's　Royal　Palace　in　Caemlyn。
　　　　　　　Egwene　had　not　wanted　her　to　try；　however　fleeting　the　visit；　but　not　from　jealousy。　She　had　not　been　able　to　argue　very　effectively；　though；　for　she　had　been　afraid　Elayne　and　Nynaeve　would　hear　what　was　in　her　voice。
　　　　　　　Two　recovered　meant　eleven　still　with　the　Black　Ajah。　That　was　the　point　Egwene　had　tried　to　make。　Eleven　ter'angreal　that　could　take　a　woman　to　Tel'aran'rhiod；　all　in　the　hands　of　Black　sisters。　When　Elayne　made　her　short　journeys　into　the　Unseen　World；　she　could　have　found　the　Black　Ajah　waiting　for　her；　or　walked　into　them　before　she　knew　they　were　there。　The　thought　made　Egwene's　stomach　writhe。　They　could　be　waiting　for　her　now。　Not　likely；　not　on　purpose　…　how　would　they　know　she　was　ing？　…　but　they　could　be　there　when　she　stepped　through。　One　she　could　face；　unless　she　was　caught　by　surprise；　and　she　did　not　mean　to　allow　that。　But　if　they　did　surprise　her？　Two　or　three　of　them　together？　Liandrin　and　Rianna；　Chesmal　Emry　and　Jeane　Caide　and　all　the　rest　at　once？
　　　　　　　Frowning　at　the　map；　she　made　her　hands　loosen　their　white　knuckled　grip。　Tonight　had　given　everything　urgency。　If　Shadowspawn　could　attack　the　Stone；　if　one　of　the　Forsaken　could　suddenly　appear　in　their　midst；　she　could　not　give　in　to　fear。　They　had　to　know　what　to　do。　They　had　to　have　something　besides　Amico's　vague　tale。　Something。　If　only　she　could　learn　where　Mazrim　Taim　was　in　his　caged　journey　to　Tar　Valon；　or　if　she　could　somehow　slip　into　the　Amyrlin's　dreams　and　speak　to　her。　Perhaps　those　things　were　possible　for　a　Dreamer。　If　they　were；　she　did　not　know　how。　Tanchico　was　what　she　had　to　work　with。
　　　　　　　〃I　must　go　alone；　Aviendha。　I　must。〃　She　thought　her　voice　was　calm　and　steady；　but　Elayne　patted　her　shoulder。
　　　　　　　Egwene　did　not　know　why　she　was　scrutinizing　the　map。　She　already　had　it　fixed　in　her　head；　everything　in　relation　to　everything　else。　Whatever　existed　in　this　world　existed　in　the　World　of　Dreams；　and　sometimes　more　besides；　of　course。　She　had　her　destination　chosen。　She　thumbed　through　the　book　to　the　only　engraving　showing　the　inside　of　a　building　named　on　the　map；　the　Panarch's　Palace。　It　would　do　no　good　to　find　herself　in　a　chamber　if　she　had　no　idea　where　it　was　in　the　city。　None　of　it　might　do　any　good　in　any　case。　She　put　that　out　of　her　mind。　She　had　to　believe　there　was　some　chance。
　　　　　　　The　engraving　showed　a　large　room　with　a　high　ceiling。　A　rope　strung　along　waist　high　posts　would　keep　anyone　from　going　too　close　to　the　things　displayed　on　stands　and　in　open　fronted　cabinets　along　the　walls。　Most　of　those　displays　were　indistinct；　but　not　what　stood　at　the　far　end　of　the　room。　The　artist　had　taken　pains　to　show　the　massive　skeleton　standing　there　as　if　the　rest　of　the　creature　had　that　moment　disappeared。　It　had　four　thick　boned　legs；　but　otherwise　resembled　no　animal　Egwene　had　ever　seen。　For　one　thing；　it　had　to　stand　at　least　two　spans　high；　well　over　twice　her　height。　The　rounded　skull；　set　low　on　the　shoulders　like　a　bull's；　looked　big　enough　for　a　child　to　climb　inside；　and　in　the　picture　it　seemed　to　have　four　eye　sockets。　The　skeleton　marked　the　room　off　from　any　other；　there　was　no　mistaking　it　for　anything　but　itself。　Whatever　it　was。　If　Eurian　Romavni　had　known；　he　had　not　named　it　in　these　pages。
　　　　　　　〃What　is　a　panarch；　anyway？〃　she　asked；　laying　the　book　aside。　She　had　studied　the　picture　a　dozen　times。　〃All　of　these　writers　seem　to　think　you　know　already。〃
　　　　　　　〃The　Panarch　of　Tanchico　is　the　equal　of　the　king　in　authority；〃　Elayne　recited。　〃She　is　responsible　for　collecting　taxes；　customs　and　duties；　he　for　spending　them　properly。　She　controls　the　Civil　Watch　and　the　courts；　except　for　the　High　Court；　which　is　the　king's。　The　army　is　his；　of　course；　except　for　the　Panarch's　Legion。　She　…〃
　　　　　　　〃I　didn't　really　want　to　know。〃　Egwene　sighed。　It　had　only　been　something　to　say；　another　few　moments　to　delay　what　she　was　going　to　do。　The　candle　was　burning　down；　she　was　wasting　precious　minutes。　She　knew　how　to　step　out　of　the　dream　when　she　wanted；　how　to　wake　herself；　but　time　passed　differently　in　the　World　of　Dreams；　and　it　was　easy　to　lose　track。　〃As　soon　as　it　reaches　the　mark；〃　she　said；　and　Elayne