INTRO to "In Quest of Perfection"


In the middle of the night, a wind swept over Tar Valon. Few would have noticed it. It was only a breeze. But the cold wind was felt by a dark-clad woman standing slilently on a shaded balcony in the White Tower. The wind was a signal. As soon as she felt it, the woman dropped to her knees and picked up a small package on the floor. She then rose, and, taking the package with her, entered a door into a room lit by firelight.

The shrouded figure seated beside the fire rose as soon as she entered. "Do you have it, Aes Sedai?" it said. The words were not stated as a question, but as a command. "Yes, my Master," replied the Aes Sedai, without hesitation.

"Good," the figure said, reaching for the package. "The pitiful wretches in the White Tower will never try to find a missing Seal with the Whitecloaks. I will point the Portal Stone to another in an abandoned basement in the Fortress of the Light."

They both left the room. Neither noticed the woman huddled under chair beside the fire.