Sorana

@Lord Meeker

Lena picked up the box and the Tia card. Curious she opened the box.

Damaya stumbled back as the lightning hit, instinctively lifting her arms to protect her head. She was still trying to orientate herself, when she saw Rotcennoc do the same. For a moment she grew still, felt along body. Her head hurt, especially the part where a bird had ripped out her eye. She couldn't really move her left arm and apart from tht there wasn't a single part that didn't hurt, her dress was soakedi in blood andat least a part belonged to her. Step down, turn around flee, or go on, help Nogard and Araha. In the end it came down to this question. Don't leave me alone she silently begged them, and her hands closed around her staff. She wished Coru was here, but she hadn't seen him in a while. Maybe he was hiding somewhere beneath the blood. Maybe he had really left her. Damaya closed her eyes, breathed in more stormlight to give her strength, looked over at Rotcennoc and attacked. Strength before weakness. Her oath, her resposibility. She wouldn't leave her friends alone. She swung her staff at him, tried to capture him between her staff and the wall, careful to not disrupt Nogards line of sight too much.

Thanks a lot! Don't worry about it. This should be fun, not stress.

That was exactly what I wanted to express!

I'd gladly do that Sorry, I'm not really good with these word twists myself...

You're brilliant! Outright brilliant!

That just made my day! I'm still laughing. Oh well, I guess I would share him with you

@Archer Damaya knew he'd destroyed her gemheart as well, when the light vanished. And yet, the island was still there, clinging to her. Instinctively she tried to soothe it and pushed herself back to her feet, using the staff to keep upright, her hands slick with blood. She knew she should stop Rotcennoc, but she also knew she no match for him. Especially not right now. Looking over to Araha she saw how grave her friend was injured and made a decision. "Rotcennoc. Let's talk, please."

*sighs* Lan...

And that's exactly the type of character I usually find exhausting. Just think of Lan. Mysterious, dangerous warrior, loyally bound to someone, following his own morals. I definitly prefer that type.

Don't worry about spoilering me. I did that myself already by skipping some of the books. It's interesting that out of the three you pick out Mat, because for me he was the hardest to read and to follow. I agree that his storyline as a storyline is mysterious and interesting, but as a character I have a hard time with him. He got "easier" during the last two books, as his behaviour changed but especially at the beginning I find him exhausting...

So then I'll add my thoughts in a similar way, trying to avoid spoilers, so it's more or less general stuff. @ILuvHats It would be great, if you could edit the title of the thread with a spoiler warning, so that we can discuss more openly. So, as @whattheHoid mentioned we started with Therin. I really liked the way his actions were described, and how you as a reader easily saw through them, how you knew something was off, and still had no real idea what was going on, until Morainne explained it later. Actually that part is one of my favourite scenes in the whole book, if I remember right. Nothing really changed regarding my favourite characters, I still love Lan, he's simply great. His attitude, his behaviour and all that. He's simply great. Nynaeve, is my rang two, followed by Moraine/Min/Egwene. Although Min, only had a short appearance so far, I still remember her from my previous read. What I also liked a lot was the way the Aes-Sedai are presented, and more importantly the reactions of the normal people to them. In my opinion they are introduced as a force, you don't want to mess with, but they are neither positioned as the good or the bad ones, and I like it, when you have different fractions interacting, and not forcefully the good/ bad distinction. Although of course in the end everybody opposing the dark one is good. Another thing that didn't change: cut out Rand, Mat and Perrin and you change nothing... (yes I know how it goes on and what their roles are) But for me they are really hard to understand and to find interesting. Of course that's only my own personal opinion, and not really based on anything. I simply don't like them at all and most of the time am annoyed by their actions and the stupidity.

Damaya felt a brid rip into her shoulder and cried out, moving her staff over in the direction. She hit another bird acidently on the arm, and it screeched, the arm dangling useless by its side, tried to finish her turn, to get the other one off her shoulder, when suddenly it was gone. "STAY. AWAY. FROM. HER. SHE'S MY FAMILY." Araha. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" Damaya sobbed in relief, stumbled a few steps to the side, whacking another bird on the back and it reeled away, smoke rising from it's eyes, while another one ripped out a chunk of flesh from her arm. Pain, she knew she was in pain, but the stormlight kept it away, stormlight and pure shock. Inhaling even more she tried to evade the attack of another bird, but judged the distance wrong and stumbled over a wing, falling to the ground. Next to her, Araha was still punching birds, defending her. Damaya tried to get back to her feet, when she felt something reach out for her, bond to her. Pressing a hand against her bodice she felt the gemheart there, felt the bond settle into place, bringing with it fear. Fear of the chaos and the death around them. It's alright little one. she whispered. Araha will find a way out for us. We'll protect you. She tried to get up, but strangely her legs had decided to not carry her body anymore, her hands were slick with blood, most of it probably her own. Damaya knew what her body could take, regularly beatings until she passed out had given her some sense for that. And she knew, she had crossed that border already, had lost too much blood, her wounds severe. If not for the stormlight, she would already be unconcious, maybe dead. And yet she needed to go on. She couldn't leave the fighting to Araha. Reaching out for another bird, she desperately threw her mind against its essence turning it to rose petals, because that was what she had practiced. Blood to rose petals. Searching for another one, she saw Rotcennoc create a visible connection her gemheart and called out to Araha. "Behind you. He's doing something." @#Voidapple

I'm in.

"I will protect them, however I have to. Even if it cost me my life." Damaya needed a moment to understand, to grasp what Araha was implicating. "NO!" She screamed and scrambled to her feet. Staring into the sky she watched as Araha fought, and even she could see that she was loosing. "TAKE ME INSTEAD YOU STUPID BIRDS!!!" Her voice was shrill, strange in her own ears. "You need to practice." Araha looked at her. "I know you don't like it, but you need to practice. Trust me." Practice. Araha had pushed her to practice, had forced her to do it. Damaya breathed in, the storms were still waging, there was plenty investiture. Araha hit another bird and blood dripped down. Blood. Practice. Tears running down her face Damaya reached out, focused on a bird clawing at her friend's back. Practice. It was different from the puddle on the floor, there was a resistance, but then she had no real idea what she was doing and so she simply hurled stormlight at it, pressed her will at whatever was resisting her until it gave way. The bird vanished, rose petals softly started to fall to the ground. About half of the birds turned towards her and panic blew over her mind, shattered her concentration. They descended upon her, their claws ripping at her, tried to get at the gemheart. A child, they tried to kill a child. She pushed the gemheart down her bodice, while a claw scartched over her face, ripping out an eye. Damaya screamed again, covered her face with her hands. "Go." She whispered at Coru. "Take that gemheart and go." But he stayed, buzzing softly, as she doubled over, the birds ripping her apart faster than the stormlight could heal her. "I'm sorry, I blamed you for my oath. It were my words, my responsibility. I am afraid of the sacrifice needed to fullfill them, I am lost in this world full of oaths and I am almost panicking when I try to imagine what this means for me." Another bird ripped at her arm and instinctively she tried to block it, to protect herself. And somehow she did. A staff formed in her hands, the bird screeching as it touched it. Damaya turned around herself, wildly swinging the staff around her body. She hit a bird straight in the chest and felt only a slight resistance, continued to turn a full circle, dripping blood on the ground. Too many, there were too many. Even with a staff, it still were too many for her.

You have notes for the chapter???

With a scream Damaya jumped at the gemheart, gasping in pain when she hit the floor. She pulled the gemheart close to her chest, while her body started to heal what damage she had done. Fearfully staring at the birds she rolled over to the wall and pressed herself against it. "Tell me you have plan, Araha." @Ark1002

Only a part of us haven't read it at all, some are rereading, some stopped during the series. Simply try to mention nothing where we haven't been so far and it should work...

Damaya lurged at Rotcennoc and tried to grab the gemheart. One dead island was enough. She would protect this one.

I thought end of chapter 16, beginning of chapter 17? My bad. Doesn't matter as it's monday I started the next part already...

Alright. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea, just as I liked the concept of the Thieve's guild. I'm simply not sure if it works with the worldbuilding so far and wanted to think about an alternative. That's why I asked for the reasons.

In my version they didn't leave yet... They are still at the inn.