Consorting with Enemies

[Jay Carpenter]

Asha'man Jai Asad Kojima

He spent most of those moments at the window, watching the exchange below, his brow creased in thought. Arikan was making a show of openness with his allies—too much of a show, in Nythadri’s mind. Was it a message? A warning? She was convinced it meant something.
But that assumed Arikan had the subtlety for it.

Jai shook his head, frustrated at the spiral of thoughts chasing themselves in his mind.

He knows we can see him. But does he know that we know he knows?

Light, what was the end of that kind of thinking? Where did it stop?

A shift in Nythadri's mood caught his eye—something in her irritation giving way to a deeper, more complex worry. That worry turned him from the window.

Jai braced himself. Something was coming.

When she spoke—about the Oath Rod, about Talin Sedai’s offer—he froze. Surprise flickered across his face, but only for a heartbeat. Then he was moving.

He crossed the room in three quick strides, took her hands in his, and met her eyes with an intensity that crossed the bond clearly.

“Light, Nythadri. Do it. Don’t wait another bloody minute.”

He felt her hesitation, sharp as a knife between them. But was it the oaths she feared releasing—or the return to Tar Valon?

“I’ll go with you,” he said softly. “Wherever. Even Tar Valon, if that’s what it takes.”

His voice hardened. “But you have to free yourself. We’ve allied with darkfriends. We’re talking about chasing the Forsaken. You need every advantage you can get. And if casting off the restraints-of the oaths gives you even an inch—then bloody do it.”