[i]How he had arrived there, he did not know. Only by the will of the dark one himself could this have happened, and what he saw was beyond his fear and the death of hope. The Blasted Lands of the Blight swepts under his gaze like a preview to the unmaking of the world, and passed the scarred, bony landscape of beasts was the very bore itself. The scene came to a crescendo when he saw a mountainous crag that towered into the sky; a knife of black iron and flame that belched forth the incinerating essence of Shaitan himself. The very thought of it made him wish he was allowed to buckle his knees and fall to the ground in obsequiousness, but he was forced to watch until he saw the very face of the devil itself. 

A blackened face in terrible contortion, with eyes that glowed of evil and a mouth that leaked out hellfire. The stately figure suddenly towered over him, and in his hands were the man's very soul. Horror and dread filled him, but he could still not look away as the energy was life was drained out of him, and he fell headlong into the fires of Shayo Ghul to meet his end, with but one last message granted to him by his benefactor. 

"Seek the boy with the red eyes..."[/i] 

Jaichim Carridin awoke with a start, sweat pouring off of his body. He felt himself and realized he was still whole and untouched, but to his horror, he slid the sheets off himself to reveal a blackened handprint beside his bed, and smoke coiled from the burnt area.  
[hr] 

The path was not rough at first, winding through the lightly wooded forest to the north, cultivated for centuries by Illianers for lumber and various fruits. Their wine fields were to the east, Ali had discovered through overhearing Deslan prattle on and on about how he supped much of its bounty the night previously. Darius Klien seemed to enjoy the conversation, though he was always looking around suspiciously in Ali's opinion. He had taken a liking of Mave, but it seemed more like he wanted to impress a pretty girl than anything truly nefarious, especially considering Ali was playing the role of her fiance. 

Tanil seemed to appear ahead of them and behind them at will, though it was always after Ali was certain the man had been right beside him a moment before. As for himself, he carried himself as tall as he could, his bow strung and set along his back and his staff in his hand like a walking stick. [i]Always best to have it on hand[/i], his father had told him, [i]and if they think it's just a stick, more fool them[/i]. Death came swiftest to those that underestimated someone, he suspected. He just hoped he didn't need to prove or disprove that theory anytime soon. 

"So Darian, where did you learn to shoot the bow?" Darius asked, giving him a sidelong glance. "That's a big one for a Camelyn bow, but I guess I'm not expert." 

It took Ali more than a second to remember that was the name he had given himself, and when Mave gave him an expectant look it clicked in his head. He was glad he wasn't at the farm anymore, else he would have been called woolheaded by countless people. See if they take the deception better! 

"Oh uh... outside. I...I learned from my father. He was a soldier in the war when the Aiel attacked." He explained, realizing he could tell the truth in most of that capacity anyway. 

"He must have gotten the bow in the war too. How far can you shoot that thing?" He asked, genuinely curious Ali thought.  

"I can kill a deer at two hundred yards if there's nothing in my way. If I had to I could shoot almost twice that far, but I don't know if I could hit anything I wanted to." He confessed. Not as good as his da or Brimford Coplin, but he still felt proud at being the third best shot in the two rivers. 

"Must be those special eyes of yours! That'd be a fine shot."