"We can just make seven days if we ride hard round the city and don't stop while we eat." Markus said. It sounded dreadful to the Aes Sedai, he imagined, and he wasn't relishing it either. Markus had barely had a full day's rest where he slept soundly just before the road to Barinse, if how a log 'rested' could be called such. Such was his life, days without sustenance and catching up when he could like a predator searching for days to find food. 

"I really think we should-" She began, but her to amazement he cut her off.

"We are not going into the blight, Lysabel Sedai." Markus replied firmly. He realized as he said it that what he just did was brave but terribly foolish when dealing with an Aes Sedai. She did not completely have the ageless look he was told they had. Rather she looked like a girl with flowers in her hair, dancing as all the men look at her. But even so, she had the authority of her station and the personality to boot. Perhaps he had said it too harsh where sweeter words might have changed her mind, but the fish were out of the net now.

"You are my guide, [i]sir[/i], not my commander." She snapped, using a tone that played as a warning. He swore she made 'sir' sound like 'boy'. "Your own commander bade you aid me in my endeavor, and you are going to guide me where I see fit and how I see fit. If you are the enemy of the dark, then prove it and show me the way as quickly and efficiently as possible!" 

They stared at one another for a couple of heartbeats. It was hard to tell what either of them were thinking. Markus, for his part, knew she had him. He wasn't afraid to die like some men, but he didn't want to waste his life either. If this was worth it, then he would. But... well, if an Aes Sedai said it was worth it, then who was he to argue? 

"In the blight, flowers can kill, and leaves maim. A bite from an insect could spell your doom, Lysabel Sedai. And those are the least of your worries. It's not even wise to burn wood in the blight. So if we enter there, you will do exactly as I say, when I say it. No arguments. No rebuttals. Do you understand?" He asked her, and it was clear he was not speaking of any wounded pride. He seemed nervous, like someone who had just been told the rain this year would not yield the crop needed to live.

He waited for her response, and then he would turn west towards terrible danger.