Chapter Four

Traveling The Ways

A few days had passed and Dav’Altor and Jahid continued to follow the trollics. The noticed quickly that the army was veering off from a direct path until it finally led to one of the openings of the Ways.

At first it looked like the ruined foundations of a castle that had vines covering the frame but upon closer inspection there was a special looking leaf attached. The leaf was palm sized and when a Myddraal reached out with a hand, that was the color of a maggot’s body, and grabbed the leaf. 

It moved it slightly and out of nowhere something that seemed to shimmer like a distortion of heat on an extremely hot day. A portal opened that looked like an opening into a dark well. Everyone, including the trollics, seemed to hold their breaths as they looked at the dark interior of the Waygate opening. The Myddraal paused as if listening to try and detect the Black Wind in case it sat waiting at the entrance for wanderers foolish enough to step into its domain. 

The myrddraal then used whips to force the screaming trollics to enter. It was unclear who the trollics feared more, the fades or Mashin Shin. It took some doing but eventually they were able to get the monstrous trollics to enter. The last of the army that they saw were trollics that had the features of bulls and a few hawks as they were forced inside. 

“Now is our chance before it closes!” Dav’Altor said but he was held back as the warder grabbed him with a grip that felt like iron. He watched helplessly as the opening closed behind the creatures. 

“Blood and Ashes, you made us lose our chance to follow!” Dav’Altor complained.

“What I did was just save your life.” The Warder said sternly yet his features were emotionless. “A Fade was the one to close the WayGate and had we rushed in we’d be running into its hands. Give it an hour and by then when we open the WayGate they should be far enough ahead that they won’t see us enter. We can catch up to them because they'll be lost in the darkness of that place.” Jahid explained.

“Speaking of which, did you bring a torch or anything to help us see?” 

“If I did then it would alert them to our presence if they turned around to see what was behind them.” Jahid said calmly. 

“How do you plan to catch up if we can’t see where we’re going?” 

“I doubt they’ll see any better than we can. That’s why I say give them an hour because it should be easy to catch up to them.” Jahid said, causing Dav'Altor to grunt. 

“So we follow the torch light and hope we don’t fall off the end?” Dav’Altor replied skeptically. He had heard many tales of travelers foolish enough to travel the Ways and those that survived spoke of their near death experiences. 

Dav’Altor paced while they waited and just when he thought he could not wait any longer, the Warder went to the WayGate and opened it. They looked into the darkness and hesitated before stepping inside.

The ground they stepped on was made of solid stone though it felt old and might crumble at any moment. The whole place was dimly lit that only a cat could see clearly. One could not see their feet in front of them and there were a few spots where large holes appeared that led to the endless blackness that surrounded the place. 

“Over there!” Jahid said as he grabbed Dav’Altor and pointed to some diminishing lights. As the trollics continued their advance the light grew smaller and smaller. There were cries as the Myddraal used their whips to keep the trollics moving forward. Dav’Altor wondered if the Shadowspawn were as afraid as they were. 

“Let’s hurry. We should stay close in case Mashin Shin comes to them. Hopefully we can use them to draw its attention while we escape.” Jahid said but he was already running after them. Dav’Altor had to force himself because he feared the very ground would crumble under him at any moment. He swallowed hard as he looked out into the blackness wondering what would await him should he fall.

He pushed all thoughts aside as he finally began to follow the Warder. He ran until something with an iron grip grabbed him and he was about to shout out when a hand gagged him. 

“Shh we're getting too close.” Jahid whispered and Dav’Altor nodded his head as the Warder released him. He looked ahead and saw a Fade bringing up the rear of the army. He guessed it was to keep any stragglers from escaping and running away in fear. 

The trollics seemed petrified and they moaned at the slightest noise or movement. Dav’Altor could not blame them because he was just as jumpy as they were. Only the iron fast resolve of the Warder helped him steady himself. 

They watched carefully and Dav’Altor shook every time the Myddraal turned its head to look around. He was still not sure if it could see them and did it choose to ignore them? Was it trying to lead them along? 

Dav’Altor noticed how The Ways seemed to be interconnected spider webs of paths, some that were crumbled beyond repair, with stations set up in the middle of the spider web paths. These seemed to be written in the Old Tongue so when he tried to catch a glimpse of one he saw the writing but had no clue what it meant. 

They continued to follow the trollic army but the longer they stayed the more fearful he became. He felt unseen eyes watching them but soon the images he imaged changed into something watching with large jaws open. Saliva began to drip as even more time passed from huge pointed teeth. 

Was it his imagination, he thought to himself, or was it in fact what was really happening? He remembered stories ab out men who could channel and how they slowly slipped into madness. Was this what it was like for them? Was he going mad like them?

It seemed impossible because he could not channel so he dismissed the thought then it occurred to him that there are other ways of going mad than just by channeling Saidin. He looked at the Warder and the indifference of the man infuriated him. 

Was he emotionless? Did he not feel the dread of this place and the effects the longer they stayed? He understood the terror that those who had somehow managed to escape the ways felt. Why was the Warder unphased by this place? What kind of training did they receive that he could leisurely walk through here without a care in the world.

“How can you be so calm?” Dav’Altor whispered to Jahid. Jahid just looked at him blankly as if aware that he was with him for the first time. 

“One of the first lessons most learn when trying to become blademasters is The Flame and The Void. Simply put you think of a large flame and feed into it any emotion. Fear, Anger, or anything else to be burned into the flame. This helps you achieve peace and helps you not to get bogged down by emotions. In the midst of battle you don’t want anything slowing you or tying you down, emotions included.” Jahid explained as he whispered back. 

The trollic army stopped and Jahid and Dav’Altor crouched as they waited to see what would happen. They watched as they set up their black cauldrons. Dav’Altor watched in horry are bodies of dead people were removed from storage sacks they carried. Even a could of trollics that had died during their march were quickly butchered and dumped into the pots.

Dav’Altor thought of Ktanos briefly as he saw a dead child being placed on a butcher’s block then cut so that he’d cook faster. As the stew simmered the smell drifted in their direction and Dav’Altor had to force himself from sicking up. 

He wondered how long it would take for him to return home and would he find Ktanos starved to death in his cage. He knew the boy could not get free on his own and would anyone hear him crying for help? Then he remembered something about one of his soldiers mentioning they did not find the lad inside the cage. 

It made him feel slightly better at the thought the slave could at least try to survive as best he could without being imprisoned. He hoped the others in the city might take mercy on him knowing that his master was here trying to protect them. Hopefully someone might throw him a few scraps to live on until he returns. 

Jahid was as immune to the smell as he was to seeing the dead bodies being mutilated before being cooked. Dav’Altor wondered if he even had a heart. He had explained The Flame and The Void concept but how could you block out what they were seeing like that? 

“I think they’re camping for the night,” The Warder remarked. 

“I’ll admit I could use with a bit of rest myself but in all this blasted darkness, I have no idea what time it is. Is it still day or night? Blood and Ashes, who can tell?”  

“Nothing to do but wait until they’re ready to  move out.” Jahid replied calmly. 

“In this darkness and with your cloak, couldn't you sneak over and slit the throats of the Myrddraal? Without them those trollics will scatter and be easy prey for Machin Shin.” 

“I don’t believe that Fades sleep. I could sneak over but the first one who’s throat I try to cut would quickly sound the alarm and end us. That is unless you would like them to feed on us tomorrow.” Jahid retorted. Dav’Altor cursed under his breath

Jahid agreed to take the first watch because he still was not tired even after the distance they had traveled. Dav’Altor wished he had the Warder’s stamina and was grateful to sleep for a few hours before the Warder woke him to change shifts. 

Dav’Altor felt like he had just woken up and he felt disoriented but that lasted only a second then everything seemed perfectly normal. He was back in his home and he had heard a crash from the other room. 

He stomped his boots as he went knowing what he would find. His slave had once again broken something! He walked in and saw his slave collecting the sharks of a broken vase. A very well known vase and one of Dav’Altor’s favorites.

“Blood and Ashes!!!!” He screamed and the slave jumped and dropped the pieces he was holding. This made a couple of the fragments break into smaller pieces. 

“I’m sorry master!” Ktanos cried out in fear and with good reason. Dav’Altor ignored him as he looked at the fragments. 

“That was a gift from Lord Torkumen! A gift for bravery and valor. I can’t just walk down to the shop and buy a new one!” He raged as the lad backed against the wall and clung to it. 

“I’m sorry Master,” Ktanos cried then Dav’Altor rushed over to him and backhanded him across his face. Ktanos fell to the floor covering his cheek as a hairline slit opened and leaked blood. 

He tried to steady his breathing as the boy huddled on the floor and sobbed. He looked at Ktanos in disgust as he thought about how weak the lad was. He had been pushing and trying to make the boy stronger and once he proved himself he would release and adopt him.

The trouble was the lad was too weak and he could never be his son without bringing dishonor to his name. Even the women of Saldea would look upon the slave with disdain at how weak he was. Women were just as, if not stronger than the men of the city. Unmarried women would join raiding parties to hunt trollics. 

In truth he cared nothing for the vase; it was an ugly gift just given so that Lord Torkumen could put on a public display of show. He was trying to use it to teach the slave respect and as he saw the boy huddled crying it proved the slave had learned nothing. 

He bent over the lad and beat him until he stopped crying because he needed to learn to be stronger. He could never be in the army or fight trollics if he spent all his time sniveling and whining. 

The scene changed and he was watching as a fully adult Ktanos looked out at 13 women that had red shawls on their backs. Ktanos had a wild look in his eyes and he reached out with his hand as a ball of fire flew out from it. A couple of the women raised their hands and almost translucent shields appeared to protect them from the fire. When the fire struck the ground a large explosion threw the women aside. 

“Aes Sedai,” Dav’Altor thought to himself as men ran towards Ktanos with their swords raised and cloaks covering them that made the Warders hard to see as the colors of the cloaks made them blend into the landscape. 

Ktanos laughed as he touched the ground with both hands and the ground shook and toppled the Warders just as the fireballs had toppled the Aes Sedai. 

“This can’t be real,” He remarked in disbelief as he watched the scene skeptically. He knew Ktanos would never be strong enough to fight Warders or Aes Sedai even if he could use Saidin. Knowing how weak the slave was,  he knew he could never use it. 

Had he ever suspected the slave could use Saidin then he’d kill him himself before he went mad. Still it would make him respect the boy more than seeing him as a sniveling crying tyke that was not ready to be let off his mother’s apron strings. 

The scene changed but a third time and he saw a grown man with fiery red hair and a red coat to match. Ktanos was one of the men standing behind him and each of then wore long black coats with the collars turned upward in the Lugoth style. 

An unknown number of trollic stood marching before them and the army seemed twice if not three times larger than the 5 fists they had been following. He felt dizzy as he remembered he was in a dream and Dav’Altor remembers going to sleep. 

He saw a dagger slide out of the sleeve of Ktanos’ coat then he stabbed the man in red with the dagger As the man in red fell dead to the ground the trollics descended upon the men and killed them while they watched Ktanos stunned by the murder. The trollics then marched and destroyed the villages and towns that stood in their way. 

Dav’Altor woke with a jump as The Warder covered his mouth with his hand as he woke him. 

“Shift change.” The Warder whispers dryly. Dav’Altor yawned and stretched as he sat up and the Warder used his color changing cloak to wrap himself up as he laid down to sleep. 

His thoughts kept going back to the dream he had and remembering what he saw about his slave. He wondered if he had been unfair to the boy and he remembered Ktanos had stabbed a man that had fiery red colored hair. He had been dressed as a lord or a king but in a dream it could have been anyone. Even himself since he also had hair almost the same color as the man. 

He wondered if it was his imagination getting the best of him or was it some kind of warning. Could he be the man that Ktanos was going to stab? Perhaps it was revenge for how he had been treated. 

He thought he should ease up a bit and enroll the lad in classes so that he learned how to toughen up and defend himself. Maybe that was what he needed in order to advance! Perhaps training with other boys his age might push him in a more positive way than how Dav’Altor had been doing. 

He quickly woke the Warder when he noticed some movement among the trollics. At first he was not sure until he saw a wolf-like trollic rise and howled to get the others to wake. They woke groggily and  by the time the entire army was ready the spies were already hiding and waiting to continue following them. 

Numerous trollic whined at not being allowed to eat as they set forth but Jahid and Dav’Altor were relieved to b e moving again. They feared being too long in one spot when Machin Shin could arrive at any moment. 

Dav’Altor jumped suddenly and Jahid turned to stare at him. He was not sure how long he had been listening to it but he suddenly heard the wind blowing. At first it was very soft as if far away but it was slowly becoming louder.

“Do you heard that? Machin Shin is coming!” Dav’Altor whispershouted and the Warder’s face showed the first sign of emotion he had ever seen. 

“Blood and Ashes you are right!” Jahid exclaimed and they turned to see panic slowly setting in the trollic army. “Retreat for now and hopefully The Black Wind will kill off the trollics while we escape.” 

They quickly ran in the opposite direction they were going and Dav’Altor glanced behind him as he saw a Fade staring at them. He was sure they must have heard them running but it just watched. Could ikt b e thinking the same thing they were and that it assumed Machin Shin would go after them instead of the trollics and Mryddraal? 

They ran as fast as they could b ut the noise of the wind was getting louder and louder and soon they heard the incoherent chatter of voices screaming. There were so many voices screaming at once that it was impossible to know what they were saying. The chatter was quiet at first but was becoming louder and louder the closer Machin Shin got to them. 

Dav’Althor followed Jahid as he ran and at one point he realized the Warder had been running in a zig zag pattern. The noise of Machin Shin kept getting louder as it seemed unphased by the Warder’s misdirection. When they reached the next marker in the center of the spider web pattern of The Ways the Warder made a hard left turn and he came skidding to a halt as he was just barely able to see that the path in front of them had crumbled leaving nothing but a drop into the dark abyss. 

“Blood and Ashes! You lead us to our deaths!” Dav’Altor screamed. 

“I wish I had because death would b e better than what Machin Shin is gonna do to us.” Jahad replied.

“Do we have time to back track out of here?” 

“No, we’ll just be running into The Black Wind.” Jahid remarked as he looked into the darkness below them. 

“Should we jump? Whatever is there can’t b e any worse that what is coming towards us.” Dav’Altor shouted as he covered his ears. The screams of Machin Shin were so loud he could not even hear the reply from Jahid. 

A darkness seemed to cover him and Dav’Altor was shouting and screaming but he did not realize it was him that was doing it. He felt himself being lifted and something fell off of him like a discarded article of clothing but it no longer seemed important. His mind was slowly becoming numb and he realized he was screaming but had no idea why. He was no longer himself but just another voice added to the collection.

He could vaguely hear the other screams but he  no longer cared about them. He no longer cared who or what he once was; the only thing that seemed to matter was to join in with the countless others as they begged and cried and screamed. 

He did not know why he cried out and the last bit of what he once called himself wondered if The Creator would ever listen to his cry. Was he calling out for mercy to The Creastor? It did not matter nothing mattered anymore because what was once his voice had been added to the hundreds, if not thousands, of souls that Machin Shin had devoured. 

He was nothing! Not man nor anything other than just another voice shouting for anyone that was close enough to hear. 

In the land of Saldea in the place that was once home to Ktanos and Dav’Altor, The Brown Ajah Aes Sedai named Velessa Sedai screamed out in pain as a strange sensation tugged at the bond she held with Jahid. She felt the bond immediately break and a terrifying feeling of emptiness filled the now hole where she had once felt Jahid’s presents. 

She fell to the floor crying uncontrollably as if her arms had been ripped off. A part of her had been removed when she felt that Jahid had died. Their bond had made them close and she struggled with the part that was no longer there. 

She struggled to regain her composure and though she was able to hide it outwardly she was glad her innermost feelings could not be seen. Aes Sedai were expected to have a certain amount of decorum even in situations like these. 

She silently cursed herself for sending Jahid after the trollics. He had been bored while she studied the ancient manuscripts and the idea he could go chasing after some trollic, whether real or imaginary, might keep him interested. Had she known it would lead to his death she never would have sent him. 

“It’s all my fault,” She mumbled as she tried not to whimper. She knew she had to keep strong and move forward no matter how hard it is. He had been a part of her, through the bond, and it was like having him inside. She wondered how she could continue now that he was gone and would never return…

Ktanos and Master Gil had been traveling south for weeks now. Ktanos was amazed at how cold it got the farther south they traveled. He saw that most were complaining about the late spring as the cold persisted. 

They heard rumors of trollics attacking the Two Rivers during Bel Tine but stories of an Aes Sedai dressed all in blue defended them. The city was demolished and trying to rebuild after all the lives that were lost in the attack was difficult. 

They had lost their Wisdom after she left to round up some children that were reported missing. No one expected them to return as they were considered casualties from the attack. Most doubted they’d ever be found but rumor said that one man was claiming the Aes Sedai had taken them. 

Life was certainly different that where he was from and they had at one point taken a boat down river. Ktanos had never been on a boat before and he found it thrilling while Master Gil spent his time gambling with the sailors. 

A couple of them had shown Ktanos some very basics to running the ship and were enjoying that they could use him to slack off on their duties. He even received offers to join the crew full time but he refused knowing that he needed to meet The Friends of The Dark that Master Gil told him about. 

Once the spring season had finally arrived they had at last reached Salidar and Master Gil went about seeking a man named Bao The Wyld who had led a slave revolt to end slavery in the land of Salidar and he had become well loved by his people. Though not a proper lord he had risen to power. Ktanos looked forward to meeting this Friend of The Dark after learning about the slave revolt. 

To Be Continued…