Chapter 27
Bornhald nodded. "Best be on your way then." As Moiraine and Lan turned back to their horses, Valda's collection of Great Serpent rings clinked ominously. Bornhald hesitated. "I'm sorry. If you would indulge here a moment longer, we have... one of the Questioners with us today. He will be thorough... but brief," he said, as Lan and Moiraine didn't voice any objection. The man inspected Moiraine, touching her hand and shoulders, checking for something. The man was named Valda, who asserted, "All those who seek passage through our land must be properly... questioned." Lan retorted, "This isn't your land." Valda responded, "The Children of the Light hold sway wherever men walk in the Light."
They traveled for hours until they decided to camp out in an abandoned building, where they sat around a campfire. Levi, as usual, was sitting with his guitar on one side and his bag on the other when he noticed how pale Moiraine looked. He sighed for a moment before saying, "Do you want me to heal you?" Lan looked at him. "Can you?" he asked, as Moiraine sat up with difficulty. "Can you heal?" she asked. Levi sighed before getting up. "Give me your hand," he said, and Moiraine looked at him for a second before reaching out her hand. Levi held it and chanted, "Oh magic, heal her from her injuries." The magic listened and took some of his mana, but it did the job and healed Moiraine.
From some great, complex character burdened with some great responsibility to a simple yet powerful singer, if only they knew the responsibility laid on his shoulders as one of Goldie's champions. To even qualify to partake in the great comics war, you would have to be a god. But there was no need to burden his temporary companions with such details as they slept for the night. Until early in the morning, they were awakened by Levi, who said, "We got company, about 300 Trollocs." This fully woke everyone who was the least bit drowsy as they got up. "We need to leave now," Moiraine said as they quickly mounted their horses and left.
Because of Levi's quick warning, they outpaced the Trollocs. Despite the distance between them and the cohort, the Trollocs eventually caught up, but not before they reached an abandoned city called Shadar Logoth, which stopped the Trollocs in their tracks just outside the city walls. The city was surrounded by a large stone wall that had a small opening, allowing the cohort to enter. The city was dead silent. "No sounds of birds, insects, nothing," Perrin noted as everyone except Lan and Moiraine looked at the eerily silent stone city.
"Shadar Logoth is an old tongue?" said Egwene as Moiraine explained, "It means 'Shadow's Waiting.' But it was once called Aridhol. During the Trolloc Wars, it was the richest, most powerful city in the world. But when the world needed them most, they built their wall with no gate, locked themselves inside, and let the other nations of man burn. It was the people of this city who promised Manetheren aid, and they were the ones who let them die. When the Trolloc Wars ended, the survivors came here to find food and shelter. When they knocked, no one answered. When they finally broke through the wall, there was no one inside. It is said that evil itself grew from the city's heart and consumed everyone and everything that lived. Ever since, the city has been abandoned. Not even Trollocs will step foot behind these walls." This made Levi chuckle as he said, "Yeah, I can feel it."
He chanted, "Oh magic, let me see what is haunting this abandoned city," and the magic obliged, taking considerable mana. But he was able to see what haunted the city. "Oh, it's sort of a mist-like malevolent entity that isn't truly conscious. It's basically acting on instinct, and it can absorb the life force of others," he said, making the cohort look at him in shock. "You can see it?" asked Moiraine as Levi smiled. "Yeah, I had to actively look for it," he said as Rand finally asked a question. "I know that male channelers channel the One Power differently, but are all male channelers like you?" he asked as Lan answered, "No, there is no male channeler like him," and Moiraine added, "Nor is there any Aes Sedai like him," making Levi chuckle.
"When it comes to me, it's better if you throw out any common sense you have related to the One Power. I won't fit into any categories you have," Levi said as Mat asked, "Why is that?" Levi smiled as he folded his hands behind his back. "Who knows, maybe I'm not even channeling the One Power at all," he said truthfully as he explored Shadar Logoth. Once a thriving city, its streets were now eerily silent, with grand avenues choked by creeping shadows and an unsettling stillness that pervaded the air. The city's former splendor was masked by an omnipresent sense of dread, making it a place where even the bravest hesitated to tread. Eventually, everyone finished their exploration, and Mat found himself a new golden dagger, which gave Levi the creeps, but he didn't bother with it. In fact, magical artifacts didn't work for him—they worked against him. A flame sword would hurt him, but it would not set itself aflame for him, just like he couldn't access other power sources like the one in this universe. That was why Levi didn't bother taking artifacts from the Belmont trove, Dracula's hoard, or even the treasury of Styria.
The group eventually decided to leave before the creature decided to attack others, crossing to the opposite side of the wall—only to bump into a familiar figure: a woman whom Egwene recognized. She was called Nynaeve, a healer from the village where the four young men and women lived. She was also a channeler of the One Power, though she hated to be called that. She was supposed to be Egwene's master before being taken by the Trollocs, leading Egwene to assume she was dead. Nynaeve hated the Aes Sedai just like Rand did, but Rand hated her, too, as being the apprentice of Nynaeve and becoming a Wisdom meant not having a husband or children—something Rand, Egwene's lover, despised.
After catching up on recent events and their plans, Nynaeve kept eying Levi the whole time. Apparently, having a male channeler of the One Power who could go insane at any moment did not sit well with her. But Egwene must have told her something because she didn't say a single word to Levi. Eventually, they neared Tar Valon, where the White Tower was situated. Levi suddenly stopped and said, "Well, this is where our journey ends, my friends," much to everyone's shock. "You're leaving?" Moiraine asked. "Yes, we're close to the White Tower, but unfortunately, I can't travel with you," Levi replied. "Why not?" Egwene asked, her voice faltering when Rand turned toward her.