The travelled through the night, twisting down game trails and old half forgotten paths. It was nearly pitch black and although Ali had a lantern in his pack he never even considered lighting it. Mave had little fear that the Fade would return, at least not swiftly the tortured scream the thing had given when she bathed it in light wasn’t something that it would soon forget, but it was best to put as much distance as they could between themselves and the farm.

By the time they reached the river at Tarren Ferry, the first glow of morning was beginning to lighten the sky to the east. The river ran sluggishly through the ferry crossing but there was no sign that any of the boatmen were yet at their posts, probably sleeping off the worst of the Beltane ale. Worse still as the climbed a small hillock they could see people waiting at the ferry, families returning south to their farms after the festival.

“We can’t cross there,” Ali said with a frown.

“People would recognise me.” Mave marveled that despite walking all night and carrying her half the way, he still seemed fresh and energetic. Nor, for that matter did he seem unduly distressed at having to leave his home. Mave wondered what the family would make of the handful of silver she had left under the pillow of her bed, each piece stamped with the shining flame of Tar Valon. It had been a risk, but she couldn’t simply snatch away the breadwinner of a family. Carefully husbanded the coins would keep the family well for several seasons. Of course it might lead them to believe that Aes Sedai had abducted Ali, but even if that were so she trusted that his father would be too sensible to blab it about.


“Is there another crossing?” she asked, peering into the lightening gloom. It was still very cold, cold enough to mist her breath before her lips as she spoke. Even with the jacket she would have been cold, though she had mastered the trick of ignoring mere physical discomforts.

“Not for miles, as far as I know,” Ali admitted, “we tried to find the headwaters when I was a child, walked all day without it getting much narrower.”

Mave nodded in acknowledgement.

“Lets go down to the water, around the bend,” she said pointing to where the river turned out of sight of the ferry station. THey made there way down to the waters edge, picking there way through the thick forest. Ali had an instinct for it and Mave followed as closely as she could until they stood on the muddy bank. The water looked to be deep and even at the narrowest point they could see it was nearly a hundred feet across.

“We could swim it, or make a raft, but the current will probably sweep us around the bend before we can make it,” Ali observed. 

“I have a better idea,” Mave said with a cryptic smile and then, raising her hand, began to channel. Flows of air and water, invisible to Ali, spread out from her hands like gossamer, settling down over the river. Ice began to form rapidly, growing like a crystal from where they stood and spreading over the water. The river instantly began to overflow the ice damn, like a cataract, but it would still be passable if they were careful. Ali looked impressed.

“Well I wouldn’t want to try it at mid summer,” Mave admitted modestly.