FicWad

The wind began to pick up along the shoreline of Tanchico. Though all coastal areas were subject to these drastic changes of weather, and, for Tanchico, these gale-force winds were not unheard of. Some might call these winds a beginning, a foreshadowing of things to come, but the wiser know that there are no beginnings or endings to the Wheel of Time. What made this weather, not quite what one would expect, was the lack of accompanying storm-clouds. There was barely a wisp of cloud in the sky. Just the day before, the sun was burning down on the port relentlessly. For now, most in the city were happy for the winds, as it seemed to cut the worst of the heat. However, the experienced knew that the temperature was about to greatly drop, and fast.
Dadrien, a young boy of close to seventeen, was huddled together with his sister. Already, the weather was beginning to fluctuate. His left hand was doing its best to keep his hood up, and cloak shut. His right hand was around the shoulders of his sister, helping to keep hers. She was four years his senior, and was also clinging to her cloak in hopes of keeping it on. She shrunk into her brother in the worst of the winds for that added support and balance. To any other passer-by, they would seem to be just another couple walking down the street to their destination. This was important for their purpose, as Tanchico was now flooded with Seanchan.
Dadrien’s sister, Aria, was not a channeler, but she did have fits regularly. Through these fits, channelers always seemed to know where they were. Within minutes, they would be compromised. Dadrien was already kicking himself as to why he listened to his sister and brought her to Tanchico, now he was wishing upon the Creator to spare them the misfortune of another of his sister’s fits.
“Dadrien...?” Aria seemed to be labouring in speech now-days. The fits seemed to take their toll, the travels did not help very much either. “They were here... they had to be...”
Dadrien looked worriedly to his sister, “Who are ‘they’ Aria? Why did you want to come here so much?”
He noticed his sister open her mouth, under her hood. As she had, her legs gave way, and she began to crumple to the floor in a spasm. Dadrien put one hand behind her head and one on her chest. People around them continued to walk past, albeit, slightly slowing down so as to watch the event unfolding in front of them. Aria’s fit concluded around a minute later. Though the fit itself was never that long, Dadrien felt as if the seizure lasted an eternity. He looked around frantically, checking to make sure that there were no Seanchan, or any other channelers for that matter, closing in at that moment. When the fit concluded, Dadrien picked up his feint sister, and cut down an ally-way out of sight...


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Aria struggled to keep her cloak around her. She was aided by her brother, but the hood always seemed to fly backwards, if her hand was not keeping it in place. Every once and a while, the winds would become especially strong and cold. She would shrink into her brother as these gusts came. Thank the Creator for him! she thought, I could never do this alone. She had been growing increasingly tired over the past few months. She equated her current difficulties to this insomnia, and perpetual state of restlessness. Her vision was marred. Things seemed more vibrant, even keener to her. However, this enhanced vision of hers was also plagued with a multitude of lights and fluorescent clouds in humanoid shapes, which seemed to press upon each-other and dissolve periodically. For every miniature war concluding, there were always another five pairs beginning a new one. This became increasingly more taxing for her, especially seeing as she had been blind, in a way, from birth until a few months ago.
What used to exist were only these colours dancing in her head, encompassing her entire vision. Now, it seemed as if she was gaining clarity. At the worst times of these dancing lights, she would revert back to her blind state. When that happened, she would be subjected to fits and vivid dreams. Her latest one was of Tanchico, and a man captured by the Seanchan. She saw the man as clear as day. It could only mean she was to seek him out. He would have answers for her problems...most likely.
“Dadrien...?” Aria felt her voice waver. “They were here... they had to be...”
She watched as her brother looked worriedly down to him, “Who are ‘they’ Aria? Why did you want to come here so much?”
As she opened her mouth to answer him, the lights around her became even more numerous. The humanoid shapes became much more numerous. Lights dissolved other lights, more shapes were created, and, like an infection, they grew till they blocked her vision. When her vision was blindingly colourful with these lights, they all went white in intensity and burst into a million sparks before leaving her in a black void.
A single dot could be seen in the center of her view. It was not so much a dot of light, but a shade of grey. It flew closer to her. As it closed in, more detail was able to be made out. It was the same ‘map’, almost an aerial view of the world. She had a sense of vertigo, as she fell speedily toward the world. She made out the Spine of the World, and the Blight. She noticed Tanchico, where she and her brother were at a time just moments ago. Her vision did not carry her to Tanchico anymore, it took her to a different place: Salidar.
Through wisps of shadow and light, many of the people walking were blurred and unrecognizable. Taking note of where her vision was leading her, she ended in a house, slightly more ornate, and better kept than many of the others in the camp. At a desk inside sat a woman with long dark hair, and dark eyes. She was beautiful by male standards, and she had a friendly face which burned into Aria’s mind. She was concerned, almost concentrating. Just as Aria’s vision began to pull her out, the woman opened her eyes and looked straight up in her direction. Now, Aria felt herself falling backward again and away from the city. The world began to pull away from her, and she was left in darkness...