Black Ajah

The Black Ajah is spoken of, though never openly and never safely. The name stands for a rumor, repeated in taverns and behind hands across the nations, that hidden among the seven Ajahs of the White Tower is an eighth, a secret sisterhood of Aes Sedai sworn to the Dark One. The White Tower denies the charge utterly. Sisters meet the words with icy anger, and saying them to an Aes Sedai's face is a good way to learn how cold that anger can burn. Enemies of Tar Valon, the Children of the Light among them, treat the accusation as plain truth, while most ordinary folk repeat it with a shiver and hope never to learn more. Whether any such Ajah exists at all is a question no one can answer, and asking it aloud is considered dangerous in itself.