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kat_lair***
As the Re/Read Book Club over at![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tar_valon progresses, I've been doing summaries of questionable taste and accuracy. I'm just cross-posting them here for posterity, 2 books worth at a time.
Previously:
Book 1: The Eye of The World
Book 2: The Great Hunt
Book 3. The Dragon Reborn
Book 4. The Shadow Rising
Book 5. The Fires of Heaven
Book 6. Lord of Chaos
Book 7. A Crown of Swords
Book 8. The Path of Daggers
Now:
[Banners byr_tt_n]
Well, Jordan and I disagree on the acceptable length of a prologue. But in the 77 pages of it (in my paperback) we sure get everywhere. In Tar Valon, we’re picking up with Seaine and co (aka BA hunters) immediately where we left off last time. They are happily torturing Talene on a Chair of Remorse (…no comment on that name) which makes her see all sorts of delightful things, until she relents and forswears all oaths, almost dies as a consequence, is then made to swear new oaths of obedience etc and tada, finally fesses up to being BA. Would’ve been awkward if we’d found out she wasn’t BA after all, would’ve almost suggested that torture doesn’t work or something. Anyway. Talene then suggests Elaida is BA which we know she isn’t, it’s Alviarin. But the knowledge that someone high up sure is feeding BA some accurate information does insert some much needed caution into proceedings. In Caemlyn, Elayne is dealing with some human resourcing problems, Vandene is hunting DFs, Nynaeve is planning how to get the Kin out of Seanchan territory and Birgitte is extremely bitter about being made a lady and the Captain-General of the Queen’s Guard, though she is acing the latter. Gawyn is still awol (where is he? Or Galad for that matter?), Elayne’s political support is not as strong as it could be and the Atha’an Miere are demanding their bargain is met right now with Aes Sedai teaching. Taim drops in to be his usual arrogant ass, suggesting that Rand will disapprove of Elayne’s decision to send Saldeans and Aiel packing and take his banners down, and generally refuses to acknowledge Elayne’s jurisdiction within the unfinished walls of the Black Tower. In the midst of all this and quite purposefully in front of witnesses, the summons to the sister bonding ceremony with Aviendha arrives. Which obviously must be responded to immediately and naked. I will give Jordan this because the nudity actually makes logical sense here but at the same time I am giving him another tick towards his public humiliation kink tally which is already sizeable. However, what follows does absolutely once more remind me that Jordan can deliver an emotionally impactful scene. First we have all the women in the room putting their differences aside to shield Elayne from Taim’s letching. Then we have a beautiful scene where the sister bonding isn’t just some ritual with oaths but an actual OP powered change that bonds them together and actually makes them experience rebirth, after saying and hearing the worst and best of each other and of themselves. Honestly, this is one of my favourite scenes of the series so far and I may have teared up a bit.
Okay, phew, another paragraph and we’re still on the bloody Prologue. In the Black Tower, Toveine and whole lot of Aes Sedai forcibly bonded by Asha’man and kept in secret are not having a great time. Especially as the bond they have makes disobedience impossible, meaning it must be qualitatively different to the Warder bond. Rand is going to be… extremely unamused when he finds out, I predict, although that’ll be nothing compared to when Elayne and Egwene find out… Which will probably take time as they have instructions to hide from outsiders like Elayne who has come to inspect the Black Tower. Another sister, Gabrelle, has capitulated on the situation and seduced Logain in the hopes he’ll slip some useful information during pillowtalk. There’s some entirely unnecessary ‘oh but how thrilling to be so helpless and have a man in charge’ wittering that Jordan put in there to feed his dom kink, like pls, I cannot. Anyway, Logain seems to be searching for the way to heal stilling, snatching young boys from Two Rivers and there is clearly a division in the Tower between him and Taim (and yet, still no actual interaction between the two, which is extremely disappointing). Taim also seems to have named Flinn, Hopwil and Narishma as traitors when we know they weren’t. Wait until Rand hears about that then… Gabrelle and Toveine are plotting, though Toveine certainly seems to be prioritising revenge against Elaida. There’s a queue by now, I believe. In Cairhien, Rand and Min are popping into the Academy to collect some Fel’s books and to also meet with some people in secret. Rand goggles at what I assume is a steam engine prototype (someone else is apparently doing an Edison trick with trapping lightning), tells the Headmistress to keep funding any and all research and gets the update from Dobraine. The dizziness that comes with saidin seems to be even worse now and Lews hardly seems to shut up. Rand is prioritising cleansing saidin over killing Dashiva and the traitors.
Well fuck me, finally to Chapter 1 where winds of change are blowing across the land. We catch up with Perrin and co just as they are leaving the Prophet in Abila, having come to an agreement of sort to take him to Rand the slow way. All the ta’veren are seeing colours when thinking of each other which is very romantic of them. Perrin is worried about how the trek to Rand is going to go with his army factions being less than united and Masema breathing madness at everyone’s necks, not to mention that the whole route is going to be teeming with Whitecloaks (how is Valda still alive, why.wont.he.just.die?) and Seanchan. However, pretty soon he has new and exciting things to worry about as he gets back to the news of Faile and others having been taken by the Shaido and Alliandre’s men trying to get at the Aiel in their camp at misguided attempt at revenge, with only Berelain and her men standing in between. Perrin takes the news as well as you might expect. Elyas, Aram, Warders, Gaul and various Maidens set out in all directions to find more information. Berelain is still after Perrin for motivations beyond my comprehension. Perrin and Tallanvor bond by silently staring into the gloom and almost getting hypothermia.
In the Shaido hands, Faile is about to freeze her feet off but still thinking about escape. Alliandre and Maighdin are taking the capture less resolutely but at least it gives Jordan a reason to really live through all his impact play fantasies (honestly, so much naked spanking here, not to mention the images of the women being arse up over men's shoulders, just, Jordan please, must you?). Hypothermia sets in, dreams are had, but in the end the practicalities of not actually killing their non traditional gai'shain overrules even Jordan's thirst for nudity. Tea is had and Faile tries to get the lay of the land which is full of Shaido but also full of factions. On one side Therava and Someryn, the Wise Ones not particularly happy with Sevanna, on the other Sevanna with her numerous personal gai'shain. And caught in the middle is Galina, the Black/Red Sister newly sworn to obey Therava and Sevanna but plotting to get out of that. She heals Faile and the others, who are fitted into showy belts and collars because Sevanna is embracing her kinks fully it seems. Maighdin and Alliandre are still seething and Faile has to tell them to play at submission because otherwise they'll just draw attention to themselves and escape becomes even more impossible. A long trek in the snow is interrupted by first Therava and then Galina seeking to exploit Faile and co for their own needs. Therava tells them to spy on Sevanna and report back everything said and in exchange she may help them escape. Galina wants the Oath Rod held in Thereva's possession and in exchange she too promises to help them escape, which Faile believes because Aes Sedai cannot lie except this one really can, like twice over. We learn that the Shaido have a Whitecloak as gai'shain who tried to escape nine times and regretted each one and wow, I really hope it's Valda (it won't be but a girl can dream). Faile makes a tactical error by revealing who her husband is and of course Galina as a DF has a bit of a vested interest there.
Perrin is running himself ragged in the wolf dream and almost permanently kills Hopper in his desperation to find Faile. He and Tallanvor almost froze to death like idiots, standing in the cold, uselessly staring into distance. Berelain took some advantage of the situation and had Perrin bought to her tents where he now wakes up, extremely naked. Berelain seems sincere about wanting Faile back safe and even suggests a truce until that happens, but Perrin has no time for her games (I... honestly don't know what they are. Is she genuinely interested? What is the motivation? Who knows.). At least she shares the news of Faile's retainers being spies and spotting the Masema/Seanchan schemes. After finding clothes Perrin goes stalking off to confer with the Two Rivers men, gets everyone to start making a move to follow Shaido, learns Tallanvor has set off on his own like an idiot, and also learns that most people think he slept with Berelain. For some reason that I don't get Faile's pet spies have been denied their horses but they do agree to obey Perrin until she's back even though he's taking his anger out on them unnecessarily. Sulin and the rest of the scouting party come back with abandoned dresses and news that Faile and co have been taken gai'shain which they think will protect them. They also bring evidence of great many Shaido, with families and children, and those other Aiel who had joined them after being unable to accept Rand as car'a'carn, but also of a Seanchan army on the march. It's getting awfully busy in this part of the map, basically. Masema and his men show up as well and Masema decides for reasons that are unknown but deeply suspect that actually, he's going to come with Perrin to 'help' him get Faile back and will even agree to travel via OP to do that, rather than head toward Rand. Hmm, say I.
In Caemlyn, Elayne is surveying her city and people, surrounded by an all female Queen’s Guard set up by Birgitte (love it) and accompanied by a Sareitha Sedai. There is much musing, over Elaida’s motivations, the number of refugees in the city and the attempted kidnap of Elayne when she’d ventured out poorly disguised as a commoner. Birgitte shows up, spitting nails over the news that there is a spy in the palace since their plan to go fetch Elayne’s competitors was foiled and men killed. Somehow people are still surprised by Elayne’s political acumen. Birgitte seems constantly on brink of aneurysm, trying to keep Elayne safe, being given a title and now having to deal with paperwork too. Life is very hard for her but I love the dynamic between her and Elayne. Mistress Harfor has discovered some spies who sadly split before interrogation could take place, and likely they are not the only ones.
We discover what Rand’s gift was: the captured sul’dam and damane, currently in the Kin’s keeping. Ex-Kin, now AS novices once more, Kristian and Zarya have been busy thinking things through and shared their findings with Vandene: not just that Adeleas and Ispan were killed by Darkfriends but that the subject pool is narrow (Merilille, Sareitha or Careane apparently, though I still maintain that it could’ve been Vandene herself). Nynaeve, glowing with the contentment of regular nookie though indignant that the Kin no longer jump when she says boo, solves the problem with her usual efficiency and assigns Kristian and Zarya to help Vandene with her investigation. She’s also been busy, sending the Kin women into Seanchan territories to try and get other women who can channel out. Nynaeve and Elayne go see Reanne and co who have been trying to convince the captured sul’dam that they too can channel on their own with the plan to send them back into Seanchan territories to shake the foundations of their society. Three of the damane seem ready to be let out of their collars, as in, they probably won’t immediately try to free the sul’dam if done so. Interestingly, one of them, Alivia, is apparently considerably stronger than Nynaeve who so far has set the bar. There is some delicious detail about the damane/sul’dam relationships (okay, you cannot tell me that at least some of them hadn’t been sexual because c’mon) and debate about the pros and cons of freeing them but in the end Nyneave makes the call on basis of it being the right thing to do.
That done, Elayne tries to get down to the business of governing, first seeing her First Clerk Norry, who brings the good news of alum deposits found on Elayne’s estates that will get them any loans they want from previously hesitant bankers (incidentally, I rather enjoy all this detail of governing a nation) and fund the Academy of the Rose, i.e. the school Elayne had taken over from Rand. There’s a lovely bit here about leaving a legacy and needing to believe in the future beyond Tarmon Gaidon. Norry also shares the news of Elaida’s, or really Alviarin’s, proclamation re Rand and the attack on the Sun Palace. Luckily, Elayne has enough faith in Rand’s intelligence and his survival skills not to react too much to either. She also deftly manoeuvres the Cairhien intentions to come over and ‘help’ her secure the Lion Throne.
Things get interrupted by Elayne’s less than thrilling lunch of tea and clear broth (why, girl?). Dyelin storms in to announce the coming of the Borderlands’ rulers and their armies. But then! Elayne realises her tea has been laced with forkroot to stop her from channelling, and right on time, here come the assassins! At first, she thinks Dyelin is behind the attempt but she fights in defence of Elayne and gets a knife to her stomach for her troubles. Elayne tries to fight but the poison is too strong. There is a last minute rescue from someone. Elayne wakes up surrounded by her sister, warder and Nynaeve who had healed Dyelin (I was relieved, I like her). The daggers had been poisoned so it was no kidnap attempt this time and Elayne reluctantly agrees to a small bodyguard duty, naming the ‘lucky’ captain Mellar who had been walking past and saved her as the captain. I would like it noted that I smelled a rat immediately and was proven right. Despite drama, Elayne and Nynaeve venture into Tel’aran’rhiod to meet with Egwene and relay the days events. We also learn of Egwene’s struggles to keep the Hall under her thumb. There’s a bit where mention of Sharina Melloy, the grandmother novice, makes Nynaeve startle because turns out she is someone she recognises from the Accepted test visions (I... was too lazy to go find the right book on my shelf, who's gonna help me out here?). Egwene has changed her mind about the Three Oaths even though taking them shortens one’s lifespan (for reasons I didn’t get AT ALL but then learned because of clever people on this com) and has also decided that the Kin becomes the Aes Sedai retirement community, which is kind of genius in its way. Rand’s uncle Luc (we assume) shows up to spy, and so do some other people, because nowhere is private apparently.
We drop in on some Black Ajah in Caemlyn, who after realising that Moghedien was maybe not coming back, had embarked on a mission to take Elayne and Nynaeve themselves. There’s some interesting and heart-breaking detail about the Warders of BA, some determined to kill their AS, some DFs themselves. Another BA, Falion, is being punished and acting as a servant for DF Lady Shiane. Confirmation is had that Mellar and Hanlon the creepy DF are one and the same.
Rand’s troubles with the saidin are continuing. Seems he’s fighting constant nausea and dizziness at the moment. He and Min are popping over the Palace in Caemlyn because he needs to speak to Nynaeve (and Mat, though he’s going to be disappointed in that regard). Determined not to even see Elayne or Aviendha (though he has at least admitted he’s in love with all three of them now so there’s that), he’s disguising himself as the most unattractive labourer he can think of. Min luckily is having none of that and runs off to tattle as soon as Rand is on his way to see Nynaeve, and also learn some exciting home truths. Nynaeve in the meanwhile is suffering through teaching the Sea Folk (because it’s Jordan, the threat of public humiliation is ever present), including their apprentice who is stronger than her but also wants to run away to the White Tower. Nynaeve is also much in demand with the Kin who have opinions on the Aes Sedai/Atha’an Miere relations. In comparison, finding Rand in her quarters seems almost peaceful. He and Lan eye each other like two dangerous animals about tofuck fight whilst discussing how they have both failed to be stoic in the face of love. Sigh. Anyway, excitingly Rand finally learns some key news like how Nynaeve and Elayne are real Aes Sedai thanks very much, and also, oh, btw, Egwene is the Amyrlin. Rand has come to give Nynaeve the two ter’angreal that allow them to tap into the two massive sa’angreal which he wants them to do in order to cleanse saidin. Nynaeve is unsurprisingly on board with the plan that has a chance of curing people, though she’s not going to just sit around let Rand summon her but is going to go with him. And Lan, of course, who is less than thrilled about the whole idea.
Meanwhile, the reckoning is coming. And by that I mean Elayne, Aviendha and Min are about to descend on Rand like an extremely attractive tornado. He’s trying very hard to avoid any real talk for the fear of bringing danger to them but in the end, backed into the corner, admits that he’s in love with all three. Nynaeve is aghast and Rand still seems to think he’s the worst kind of letch but obviously Elayne, Aviendha and Min are having none of that and promptly march him into Elayne’s rooms and bond him as their Warder, all three of them, even knowing the price to be paid if/when he dies at Tarmon Gaidon. Excellent. I mean, ngl, I was hoping for an orgy there, but this was still good. Especially as now they have a much better chance of making Rand remember that having emotions is a good thing. Aviendha and Min leave Elayne to bed him, and go do some bonding of their own, though apparently it requires some booze because both Min and Birgitte are having no luck of blocking the bond enough not to know exactly what’s going on in Elayne’s bedchambers. Also, babies are predicted, because of course. In the morning, Rand is gone but leaves a flower behind because he is a romantic boy. Nynaeve and Lan have gone with him too, and possibly taken the ex damane Alivia with them for the power.
In Cairhien, Cadsuane is neck deep in Aes Sedai, Aiel and Sea Folk politicking. She’s not altogether convinced by the reasons the AS who kidnapped Rand had given for now pledging to him. She is also eyeing Verin with some suspicion (aren’t we all) and startled by the prospect of being friends with Sorilea (would I read a whole book about these two organising everyone's lives? yes, yes i would). After interrogating the Windfinder and the Cairhien woman that Rand discovered in the midst of an attack and incapacitated for their own good or just in case they were involved, only a lesbian love affair is uncovered (second canonical mention of this being a thing and no one really batting an eyelid, I will give Jordan a partial badge for diversity given when these books were written but until we get a mention of two men going at it only partial). An Asha’man has been healing the sisters Rand stilled. Alanna falls unconscious, possibly due to the shock of suddenly sharing Rand’s bond with three other women. Caraline and Darlin have split town.
Somewhere close to the pit of doom, the Forsaken are bickering. I guess it’s hinted that one of them was sort of behind the attack on Rand. Aran’gar wants to have some special ladies’ time with Graendal (hot) and everyone is terrified by Rand’s plans to cleanse saidin. The Great Lord is not a fan either and so has ordered them all to stop him. Assume next book is going to be ‘foiling one Forsaken plot at a time’ en route to thepool of jizz Eye of the World. Moridin kills a rat for funsies and is still crazy enough with True Power to scare the others. No one knows who Cyndane is, nor that Graendal is Moridin’s pawn for now. Fun times.
Tuon, the Daughter of Nine Moons cometh! We learn that she is someone fairly high up and of the Blood. She also has sul’dam abilities and likes to take on damane problem cases. Tuon brings with her Selucia, a nursemaid turned personal bodyguard, Deathwatch Guards, Ogier Gardeners (they seem a very different kind to Loial and his kin… looking forward to that interaction, if we ever catch up with Loial again!), and Anath, her ‘Truthspeaker’ whose sole purpose seems to be to say it like it is (ngl, I really wish the current political systems would have something like this instead brown-nosed ‘advisors’). Oh, and also like a massive fleet of farmers and craftspeople to occupy the land they consider rightfully theirs. Tuon places a lot of weight on various omens, though she disliked what one of the damane said when reading her fortune had her and beaten (though she felt badly about it the next day…). We’re not told what it was but I assume it was a promise of a most unusual husband waiting for her…
In Ebou Dar, so far blissfully unaware of the fate that approaches, Mat is almost recovered from having a building fall on him. He’s busy trying to convince Aludra give up Illuminator secrets in order two turn them into weapon against the Seanchan by inventing a cannon, rubbing Valan Luca the wrong way, and also still being Tylin’s sex toy. I have a lot of feelings about that whole situation. Mostly it’s sadness over how good this whole thing could’ve been – I mean pink ribbons, I am crying Domme tears – if Jordan could’ve only gotten over himself and let Mat self-actualise into the hedonistic little switch he was meant to be). Anyway, in other news: Luca is married and his show is now fifty times bigger and enjoys patronage from Lady Suroth herself, Thom and Beslan are up to something that may get both of them killed, Tylin is playing the game of survival with the Seanchans, Juilin is fucking someone he shouldn’t (bets in, my money is on Suroth just for the lols). Mat observes the Seanchan occupiers landing with their animals and crop plants, and the grisly results of their justice which decapitates criminals high and low (which unfortunately includes the Mistress of the Ships and her Master of Blades whom we met both and I am sad about this). He is desperately trying to get out of Ebou Dar, especially as the dice are near roaring in his head, and in his search to hire a cubby hole to secret away his belongings runs into a gholam intent on killing him very dead. A fight ensues and Mat is saved by a mysterious old man called Noal Charin.
As a reward, Mat takes him to the Tarasin Palace to share the rooms with those of his men still alive. We see Aes Sedai and Windfinders as damane. Eventually, Mat goes to interrupt Tylin, Suroth and also lays eyes on his future wife Tuon although he doesn’t know who she is yet. Tuon is fascinated and offers to buy him off Tylin (it’s a mood, and I would read this fic). Tuon reassures Tylin that as long as she keeps being a good subject, power and wealth will come her way. In the days that follow, the gholam eats some livestock, Thom and Beslan continue to plot, Tylin has her way with Mat, and the Seanchan keep coming and spreading across the land. Mat hears several rumours about Rand and sees the swirling colours of their special soulbond connections. Mat finally acquires a storage space in the Wandering Woman, because Setalle Anan thinks Tylin is giving the time honoured tradition of pretties a bad name. Mat orders his body servants to start hiding his gold and clothes there, tries to solve Aludra’s riddle about bellfounder and fails to avoid Tuon who is… Everywhere; fingering Mat’s spear (…it is not an euphemism but it probably is some dirty foreshadowing), passing him in the hallways, lurking behind curtains. Intriguingly, we finish on a cliff hanger because something is going to go down in the Wandering Woman…
Okay. *cracks knuckles* We pick up the story in the Wandering Woman where Mat has gone to check on his gold and clothes, and suffers through many knowing smirks. He’s in the kitchens, charming a dinner for himself, when Setelle Anan comes in with Joline Sedai and her Warders, all of whom have been living hard, avoiding the Seanchans. They almost get caught when the newly promoted Egeanin (remember her from Tanchico, helped Elayne and Nynaeve and discovered that sul’dam could be tied by a’dam) barges in with her new so’jhin aka Bayle Domon. Mat hides Joline by pretending to smooch with her, which Egeanin is scandalised by even though she’s literally fucking her so’jhin on the regular. Anyway, none the wiser, Egeanin gets her rooms and Mat and Setelle hide Joline and her Warders in the cellars. Mat thinks it was Joline who left him a warning note and feels obligated to help her out of Ebou Dar, though he realises quickly that it wasn’t Joline after all but Teslyn who had left the note. Which means that now his moral compass (Mat would staunchly deny having any such thing all the while running into the metaphorical or literal fire to pull people out and I love that about him) demands that he’s going to spring free her too, which is easier said than done since Teslyn is now a collared damane. He sneaks into the damane kennels (I… really hope Jordan managed to like work out some of his kinks in a safe and constructive environment) to talk to her, learns that Teslyn mostly wanted to inconvenience Elaida with her note and also demands that they need to free one more sister, Edesina, but that the other two have already been conditioned beyond saving. On the way back he runs into Tuon again, who buys his story about sneaking treats to an ex Windfinder who helped him. There seems to be a social taboo about men taking damane to their beds so guess we’ll assign a partial merit badge to the Seanchans for not like sliding into sexual slavery. Mat’s horrified ‘what kind of man wanted to bed a woman who was on the leash?!’ earns him several points.
We get a pov of Bethamin next, the sul’dam Egeanin had collared in her cellar in Tanchico but then let go. She’s back in her old job but naturally rather jittery over her secrets. The two sul’dam Egwene and co had left collared when fleeing Falme are also still around but not allowed to link with damane (which they call ‘being complete’ and honestly? kind of horny of them) because Suroth is keeping the staggering implications of that on the downlow ‘for the good of the Empire’). There is some interesting detail about damane training practices, and then being ‘heart-friends’ with each other, which reminds me of several good slave AU fics I’ve read, so there’s that. Bethamin is visited by a Seeker who is convinced that Egeanin is at the heart of some conspiracy against the Empress and tells Bethamin to renew her ‘friendship’ with her. Egeanin herself is also contemplating her options to get out of the rather hot soup she’s in, knowing very well a Seeker is after her. Turns out she’d had to buy Bayle because he got into some scraps, and then make him her so’jhin. They are definitely sleeping together and Bayle wants to marry her but they can’t do that until she frees him and to do that she needs to be able to provide for his future, honestly this dynamic is excellent. Also, and more importantly to the overall plot, turns out that they failed to sink the male a’dam like they’d promised and it’s now in Suroth’s hands!! This is definitely going to come and bite Rand in theass neck eventually. Anyway, Bethamin pops over and tells Egeanin all about the Seeker, having decided that committing that level of treason is preferable to Egeanin spilling her secrets. Solution to all of their problems comes in the form of Mat, who Bayle has recognised, along with Thom and Juilin they both know from Tanchico.
Rand has made his way to Far Madding, afemdom matriarchal island city state where men are forbidden to dabble in banking, trade or leadership, and where wives regularly strap them for discipline. Also, there’s a strict no swords drawn rule with well-established civilian police. This is it, folks, I’ve found my WoT holiday destination. The only downside is that there is also a ter’angreal in the city that mimics a stedding, essentially cutting everyone off OP. Well, Rand doesn’t need OP to execute some treasonous Asha’man and he’s currently hot on the heels of Rochaid, who leads him into a trap in an alley as Kisman shows up as well. Rand being Rand, Rochaid is quickly dead and Kisman is momentarily saved by the approaching guardsman and they split. Kisman is definitely a DF and his thoughts confirm that Taim ordered the killing though it is still unclear if he is a DF too. Kisman’s flight is short-lived as he gets nicked by a poisonous knife whilst I scream in all caps ‘FAIN THAT YOU, YOU LITTLE WEASEL?’ in the margins. Back at the inn, Rand catches up with Lan, Nynaeve, Alivia (ha, I was right about her coming along) and Min who is pretending to be his wife and very concerned over what she feels of him through the bond, which is often a big blank of cold nothingness. Rand discovers that he can now draw extremely well, thanks to Lews.
In a twist for the ages, we now discover that Luc (Rand’s uncle) and Isam (Lan’s… cousin, was it? Half-brother?) are somehow one and the same!! Where Isam is Isam in the Tel’aran’rhiod or Wolfdream and Luc is Luc in the waking world… HOW? WHAT THE FUCK? Like did the fucking Great Lord meld them somehow??
Next pov is Shalon, the Windfinder who took a female lover in Cairhien and now has some regrets, and a generally fraught relationship with her sister who is the named Atha’an Miere liaison with Rand. They have tagged along to Cadsuane, Alanna, Verin and whole host of other AS and their Warders (incl the Asha’man who are now Warders, I am feral over this arrangement btw), including the Red Sisters who swore loyalty to Rand. All of them are entering Far Madding, which, it turns out, is where Cadsuane is from and also maybe Verin, or at least she’s definitely gotten herself banned from the city in the past and is now going by another name. We get a cultural info dump which mostly just cements my holiday plans. Shalon experiences the emptiness of being cut off from the Source as they head straight to the Hall of the Counsels as Cadsuane is clearly known to the Counsel (all women, I love it) and also possibly distantly related to Aleis, the First Counsel. Alanna is chomping at the bit to go find Rand but Cadsuane is keeping her on a short leash for now while she steamrolls all over the Counsel and gets them accommodated at Aleis’ palace. The ter’angreal is admired and we learn that it also points out where in the city channeling might occur if it does and whether it’s a man or woman doing it. Verin stirs it with threats of Seanchan. Shalon considers fessing up what she did to her sister.
Rand is playing his flute and waiting for Cadsuane and Alanna to arrive while Min is agitated. Her vision re Alivia says that she’s going to help Rand die which is an interesting way to put it and I assume this is going to be some kind of Tarmon Gai’don plot twist down the line. Cadsuane shows up to lecture Rand about his manners (with an open palm when the warnings don’t sink in), tell him about Asha’man being Warders (because they didn’t have much choice since Rand wasn’t looking after them and Black Tower was no longer an option). Alanna is just elated to have him in his sights again. He tells her about the other bond but now who it is to in order not to put his wives in danger. Alanna offers to let him go if her new bondmate is capable, while Rand offers not to tell anyone about the forced bonding if she lets him go. An impasse. He sends her back to Cairhien to gather other Aes Sedai and go negotiate with rebels in Haddon Mirk. Rand ponders how to get Cadsuane interested in becoming his advisor, since he knows he’ll need her. Verin is relieved to learn that Cadsuane’s priority is keeping Rand alive to Tarmon Gai’don, since now she doesn’t have to do her compulsion trick with her.
Elayne and Egwene are surveying Emond’s Field in Tel’aran’rhiod, noting the increased size, diversity of trade, the battle monument and discussing how difficult it is to go back. The rumours of Black Tower slaving Aes Sedai has reached Egwene and both are concerned over Rand’s role in that. Back in the real world, Elayne wakes up to a disgustingly healthy breakfast since now that everyone knows she’s pregnant, she’s been treated a bit like an invalid. The rumour has it that Captain Mellar (aka Hanlon the DF) is her babydaddy and she’s determined to encourage it so that no one makes the connection to Rand as that would put the baby (babies, though she doesn’t seem to know there are twins coming) in danger. Mellar is milking it and also being casually misogynistic. Norry, the Chief Clerk, brings a variety of news: bankers are ready to give loans, rats are breeding, Borderlander army is staying put in their camps, more spies have been found. Aviendha drags her up a tower to get some fresh air which is apparently very important for expectant mothers. They observe Merilille coming back through a portal. She brings news of the Borderlander army, including the fact that they have several AS with them.
No time like the present to make an impression, so Elayne decides to drop in for a surprise visit though she does send word ahead with Merilille. She also goes as Elayne Sedai of Green Ajah, rather than the Daughter Heir, only bringing Birgitte and Aviendha with her. Love her super focused and calm leadership mode here btw, mmm competency, am I right? Easar, Ethenielle, Paitar and Tenobia are somewhat startled by Elayne in full attack and take everyone by surprise mode but they do recognise both competence and reason where they see it. They have come to find Rand who, they feel has unnecessarily ignored them so far especially as the Last Battle is destined to happen on their doorstep. Rand, however, does not to be found by anyone, but the Borderland rulers believe Elayne knows where he is because they know she was with him in Falme (but nothing more than that). Elayne promises some answers (with very careful wording) in exchange for them moving the army toward Caemlyn. It will look like an invasion which means the houses will rally behind Elayne and when she ‘negotiates’ a peaceful resolution, she’s more or less secured the Lion Throne. Elayne sends them to Murandy for a ‘profitable search’ though Rand is nowhere near there of course and the profit will be all hers. Getting very good at not lying whilst not giving away what is expected either. By the time Elayne and co get back to the palace, she’s ready to pass out in bed, but alas no rest is in sight as we learn an army (though not whose) is on its way to siege the city and Elayne must jump into action.
Back in Ebou Dar, Tylin and Suroth are heading to survey Altara which gives Mat some free time to plan how to get the Aes Sedai, and himself, out of the city. Mat observes the deep conditioning of some of the AS damane and reluctantly agrees that he can’t risk taking them too. He also really wants to free all the Windfinders and tries very hard to convince himself not to do that (spoiler alert: he will). He spends his days exercising his healing leg and hip, building stamina, plotting with Thom, sending Juilin to go steal some damane dresses and a’dam. Noal, the old man who saved him, know he’s up to something and brings news of the gholam continuing his butchering over the city. Mat’s making sure everyone knows he’s planning to leave so that Tylin won’t get any blame when she’s finally back. Tuon is still everywhere, watching him. I’m going to assume that she at least suspects that he is the future husband predicted to her though we don’t get her pov for the details. Beslan is planning an uprising and everyone tries to convince himself not to get himself needlessly killed. Disappointingly, Juilin’s lover turns out to be a lady da’covale and not Suroth (and not a male da’covale as I briefly hoped for, c’mon Jordan, Juilin would’ve made the perfect token gay). Gholam’s killing spree is finally attracting enough attention and the increased patrols are going to be an extra complication for the rescue plot.
In the basement of the Wandering Woman, Joline is at first flatly refusing to wear the a’dam and when she relents the fact that Setelle can’t pretend to be her sul’dam puts the whole plan at risk. Setelle is also planning to come along, having sold her inn already and sent her husband and extended family off in his fishing boats a while back. Answer comes in the form of Bayle Domon who hustles Mat to meet Egeanin. In exchange to her providing some sul’dam (Bethamin and the two others who have experienced a’dam for themselves now and are somewhat desperate not to repeat the experience) Mat promises to help the two of them out of Seeker hands. Thom and Juilin mostly vouch for them and also tell Mat about the male a’dam, though no one still knows that it’s not safely at the bottom of the sea and no one has seen fit to tell Rand that such a thing even exists. That obviously is going to go spectacularly wrong at some point.
In the midst of a downpour, Mat’s rescue plan finally begins. He sends Nerim, Lopin and Olver ahead with his clothes and belongings, talks Beslan down for just a few distracting fires and makes him promise to be seen at a tavern so he can’t be linked to them, and then settles down to brood until dark descends. In a deviation of the plan, Egeanin and Domon show up with the blackmailed sul’dam in tow rather than waiting for Mat at the Wandering Woman. They all troop up to the kennels and while Egeanin goes to get the Aes Sedai, Mat goes to free one of the Windfinders (because he will rescue everyone he can), makes a lifelong ally (my guess is this Nestelle is going to save Mat’s bacon at some point in the future) who promises to wait three hours before freeing her sisters. Mat almost runs into a De’sul’dam on his way out, though Egeanin and her Blood status is smoothing things over. Leaving her to deal with that, Mat goes back to Tylin’s rooms… Only find Tylin returned much earlier than anticipated as Suroth had learned about an army vanishing in Murandy and decided it was urgent enough to rush back. Tylin, to her credit, realises it’s time to let Mat go (with a kiss and a slap) and tells him to tie her up and stuff her under the bed so it seems like he overpowered her.
Just as he thinks the coast is clear, Mat runs into Tuon who has absolutely figured that he was leaving and is determined not to let that happen. There is an extremely foreplay-esque fight scene as Tuon hits hard and fast, but Mat’s nose (and other parts) are saved by Noal who shows up and grabs her. The secure Tuon, Juiling arrives with his da’covale lover Thera (aka the former Panarch of Taraborn!!) and the plan is to leave Tuon in the stables right until the moment Egeanin and co arrive and she finally lets the cat out of the bag that Tuon is the Daughter of the Nine Moons. I actually really loved the reveal because instead any denial Mat goes straight into ‘…She’s my wife and she’s coming with us’ which is actually incredibly sexy of him. Tuon’s bodyguard maid Selucia shows up as well. Tuon herself… smiles. Because I think she suspected and now she knows.
Back in Far Madding, Rand has been showing drawings of the traitor Asha’man with little luck. Many rumours are overheard, which is a clever way to remind the readers what’s going on in the rest of the world. Apparently, the Stone of Tear is under the siege but I can’t figure out from whom so… Rand is maybe delaying leaving Far Madding over worry of the sickness that will return as soon as saidin will. He runs into Verin who tells him that Min, Nynaeve and Alivia are having chats and lessons with Cadsuane, and also that the Seanchan have made it to Illian, meaning all of Rand’s guerrilla tactic warfare in the woods that had cost him many lives was ultimately for not much at all. He decides that it is time to leave and sends apologies and request to be his advisor to Cadsuane via Verin. Some of Nynaeve’s ter’angreal turn out to be the type that stores saidar for later use, which comes handy when Rand and Lan go spring the trap an anonymous letter claiming to know the whereabouts of Torval and Gedwyn invites them to.
Min is not happy about Rand’s plans, and instead teaching Alivia more about the birds and the bees, runs off to alert Cadsuane as soon as the men and Nynaeve are out of earshot. The traitor/possibly DF Asha’man are staying above a bootmaker’s shop. Nynaeve lifts Lan and Rand up onto the roof with her stored saidar, and they sneak in, only to immediately run to some bloated corpses. Rand puts two and two together and comes up with Fain who is here to ensure Rand dies by his poisonous blade and not because of anyone else. Fain’s proximity makes Rand’s old wound flare up badly but he chases him through the agony. In the background, Lan disposes of Toram Riatin. There’s some illusion as Fain tries to distract Rand, but only gets sliced in the face for his trouble and then flees. Rand needs to leave it as the streets are filling with Guards and they need to scamper before they get caught… Except they do anyway by falling off the roof.
Meanwhile, Nynaeve almost gets trampled by the Guards and is then held back by Cadsuane and co who have come to try and rescue this particular shitshow. Nynaeve’s channelling has alerted the authorities and there is little option except to let them capture Rand and Lan. Rans wakes up in a small and dark cell and immediately slides into Box PTSD, not helped by Lews having his own breakdown. Unfortunately, Rand’s chosen coping method is to harden himself even more (baby, no). Cadsuane marches in to interrupt the Counsel’s discussion of what to do with the Dragon Reborn in their cells to suggest that instead contacting Elaida and the White Tower, they should just hand him over to her. She makes her case with the Asha’man and a demonstration of OP thanks to saidar held in her own little well ter’angreal, breaking Aleis’ status in the process.
The book ends near Shadar Logoth (I’m disappointed because I wanted them to go back to thepool of jizz Eye of the World from the first book), which Rand – now freed but fully emotionally closed off – has chosen as his location to use the Choedan Kal and cleanse saidin, nevermind that the massive sangreal statues have never actually been tested. The whole retinue portals there, after Rand first picks up Callandor from where he hid it. Nynaeve and Rand link and we get some interesting description of the male and female half of the power and how they feel to each other and how they tangle. Meanwhile, Cadsuane organises a defensive perimeter around them consisting of linked groups of male and female OP users among them. Which is good because the amount of power Rand and Nynaeve are drawing not only provides an unexpected show to people around the massive statutes in Cairhien and in Tremalking, a Sea Folk island where we get an intriguing glimpse of the complexities of culture and prophesy there, but also alerts every single OP user in the world to the events. Almost every Forsaken shows up to try and stop the events though none of them have much luck. I’m pretty sure we get confirmation that Cyndane was Lanfear (boo) and she has the misfortune of running into Alivia decked with some ter’angreal. Demandred gets his ass kicked by Flinn (I cheered). Osan’gar is revealed to have been hiding as Dashiva all these months (dammit!). Verin is fighting Graendal. Eben gets killed by Aran’gar. Moghedien’s strategy is to hide and get tossed about. Rand and Nynaeve are on the brink of exhaustion. I would have liked more detail about how exactly they were cleansing the saidin but as far as I can see the strategy is to draw out the taint and then separate it from the rest with saidar, and the results are visible as a pitch black dome taking shape around them. Osan’gar tries balefire but is killed by Elza, one of the sisters sworn to Rand who is now revealed to be a DF but determined to get Rand to the Last Battle. The taint dome collapses on itself and takes Shadar Logoth with it so kudos for Rand for picking up the right location and squashing two birds with one stone I guess. He and Nynaeve are unconscious, besides Eben we’ve also lost Kumira (aww), but importantly saidin is clean! On Tremalking, the Time of Illusions has come to an end.
***
Deep breath folks, this prologue is 96 pages long (on my paperback edition), which has got be some kind of record? Anyway, let’s drop straight into a pov of yet another new character (my capacity to care about characters is infinite, but my capacity to remember them is not) and new area on the map. At least I don’t remember us stepping foot to Arad Doman before but here we are, freezing our arses off along with Rodel Ituralde, trying to save his country (and if he’s lucky, his life too) by cleverly manoeuvring between his hiding-possibly-mad-possibly-under-Forsaken-influence king, Domani lords, the Dragonsworn and Taraboners. Plans are hatched and temporary truce agreed to try and keep the Seanchan out of Arad Doman and maybe harry them in Tarabon, except it also seems like Ituralde has his own agenda. Elsewhere, Valda and Asunawa are still, regrettably, alive and surrounded by about nine-thousand of their fanatics. At least they’re all cold and miserable, though with plans to go against Tar Valon and possibly Egwene’s army while they’re at it. Next we catch up with Gabrelle who is having a pleasant(ish) ride in the woods with Toveine and Logain. We get a confirmation that the bond Asha’man have used to bond the Aes Sedai is indeed a twisted version of the Warder bond and that the obedience is an opt-in rather than inbuilt feature. The sisters are still plotting amongst themselves of course. Gabrelle, at least, sounds like she’s getting some good orgasms out of her bond with Logain. And maybe some information too. There’s a hostile interaction between Logain and one of Taim’s men (and even still, no actual interaction between the two, I am pining for the hate-filled sexual tension come onnnn). Interestingly, Taim’s been holding his own classes and none of his men have bonded Aes Sedai. Logain, it seems, has decided to go recruiting though it seems clear to Gabrelle and Tovaine that he’s riding off to war instead (…to find Rand? I wish!).
I’m going to start a new paragraph here even though we’re only like third of the way through the fucking prologue. Do you know that I’ve written over 50k worth of these summaries now, jesus wept. Anyway. Next up, Yukiri, a Grey Sister in the White Tower, part of the secret network hunting for the Black Ajah, walking with Meidani (one of the rebel sisters sent to sow discontent but now caught by this faction and co-opted to DF hunting duties instead) contemplating the rumours from the world in turmoil and also the heavily fractured situation inside the Tower, all the Ajahs eyeing each other suspiciously. Yukiri and co have managed to identify some of the Black Ajah thanks to Talene’s eager blabbing though doing much more than that has proved challenging. To hasten things along, Yukiri wants Meidani to renew her friendship with Elaida, who they still suspect being a DF (along with Alviarin so there’s hope yet). Discussion is interrupted by Seaine who has been logic’ing things in her head and has come to the conclusion that something sus is going on with the Sitter selection process and that possibly Ajah Heads are conspiring (btw, absolutely love that they have secret titles like ‘Head Clerk’ for Greys and ‘Captain-General’ for Greens, outstanding). Not too far from Tar Valon, Gawyn is regretting not going to Caemlyn when he had a chance, as he, quite frankly, should. Instead, he and his men are hiding in some cheese-making village, in middle of some Aes Sedai change of guards situation. At least he finally learns that Elayne is associated with the rebels. Cannot wait for him to find out about Egwene though.
Outside Caemlyn, the High Houses opposing Elayne’s claim to the throne are gathered for the siege, and beyond that Bashere is chewing on his frozen moustache in frustration because he and Bael and their combined troops can do nothing more than watch, since external intervention would undermine Elayne. At least Rand understands that much, assuming that it’s him who’s sent the observers. Bashere is tiny bit worried about his niece, Queen Tenobia, who is now almost within bollocking distance and ready to deliver that. However, an attack on his wife distracts him from that. She survives but the offenders don’t which means they weren’t working alone. In Cairhien, Samitsu has a headache and her name is Sashelle, one of the Aes Sedai oathsworn to Rand and quite casually undermining any and all authority Cadsuane had left her before traipsing off to Far Madding. We get an update on Cairhien political situation and effects of temporary stilling on one’s complexion, but are then interrupted by news that there’s an Ogier in the kitchens. Despite obfuscation, I immediate wrote LOIAL?! into the margins. There may have been some hearts too. There’s a delightful Tolkien reference, but Samitsu calls their bluff pretty quickly and the visitors of course are none other than Loial and young Karldin, the Asha’man sent with him to close the Waygates (I would still like the travel journals of this trip please), now come back in search of Rand. We get interrupted again by the news that Dobraine has been killed. Everyone rushes to see, finds him in a pool of blood, but Samitsu checks and finds enough life left to gently coax back. Yay, I liked him and am glad he's not dead. Seems that his assassins had found what they were looking for (something Rand left for him to look after? I honestly can’t remember if we know what it was). We end the prologue in the thrilling announcement that Logain has arrived! (what a fucking tease this one, then we don’t hear about him for the next 15 chapters at least)
Anyway, onto the book proper now. In comparison, chapter 1 mostly consists of Mat brooding over some burnt-out ship husks that are littering the harbour of Ebou Dar. Seems that the freed Atha’an Miere hadn’t gone quietly, the losses were sizeable on both sides and Mat feels somewhat responsible for every corpse they pull out of the water. Noal (sus) and Egeanin (grumpy, especially as she and Mat are playing at eloping lovers as their cover) effectively draw Mat from his emoting and old memories with discussion of fishing, value of damane and the likelihood of Suroth and co coming after them. We get a flashback of how they had all made it out of Ebou Dar, almost getting caught at the gates, with the Daughter of Nine Moons rolled up like a burrito over Mat's saddle, but were saved by the Atha’an Miere chaos. They are all hiding with Valan Luca’s circus which is still on the outskirts of Ebou Dar, on logic that everyone would expect them to be far gone and wouldn’t look that close. Not that the Seanchans are openly searching for Tuon, keeping her disappearance on the down low. Anyway, Mat and co get back to the show and its sprawling camp to the news that there are Seanchan soldiers talking to Luca. Mat despairs over the constant leadership tussle he’s caught in with Egeanin but in the end they both get close enough to try and see what’s what, passing Aludra and her thusfar mysterious fireworks on the way. Domon and the Warders are also loitering and trying to look like they’re not with varying success. The Seanchans were only after Luca’s horses, but it's still enough to rattle them into starting to decamp. Mat goes to urge Juilin and (Ama)Thera and Olver to start doing the same and just as he thinks things are going okay, them bloody dice are tumbling in his head again. Time to go see his future wife I guess, a course of action Mat is equally compelled to follow and wary (not afraid note, properly wary) of. Seems we have been doing some serious backtracking over the ‘she’s my wife’ comment with the others, though Mat is refreshingly not in denial about it, just… Not willing to discuss it with others, which is understandable. Tuon and Selucia are kept isolated (under pretence of being thieving maids) in a wagon of their own and under watchful and amused eye of Setelle Anan. Seems Tuon is less than impressed with the ‘thieving servant’ ruse and promptly yeets some crockery at Mat. We learn that Tuon is twenty, much to Mat’s disappointment as he’d hoped she would be too young to marry for several years. She also definitely knows about Mat’s old memories/past lives in some way because she asks if he remembers Hawkwing’s face and almost catches him out. In the end they spit-shake on a promise not harm each other and as soon as their hands touch Mat’s dice fall silent. Aww, romance. Thom comes back from the city with bad news: Tylin’s dead. Seems a gholam found her still trussed under the bed where Mat left her so he is understandably not taking the news well. Neither am I, like I wasn’t her biggest fan but… Alas, Mat is summonsed to talk to wagonful of Aes Sedai and sul’dam, all confined together and getting along about as well as two strange cats in a sack. There is much bickering over the direction they should head but that is interrupted by Rand and Nynaeve’s ‘cleansing the saidin’ OP display (from now on: Beacon of OP, or BOP) which makes every OP user whip their head in that direction like a whippet seeing a rabbit.
POV jump, time to take a shot! Next up we have Kadere, the Deathwatch Guard, brooding in the Wandering Woman with his servant who sounds a bit like some kind of stereotypical Celt tribesman, human skull goblet and all. Anyway, Kadere is pondering on Tuon’s disappearance, trying to decide if it’s her own doing again (apparently a habit of hers) when in pops Seeker Mor to tentatively exchange some information and hint that Kadere has some personal affection to Tuon so he might actually be interested in finding her. They put some of the pieces together but get a different picture of who might be responsible. Rumour says that Deathwatch Guards are somehow implicated so Kadere arranges to meet some of his men and also a troop of these fighting Ogier (that’s a culture clash waiting to happen) and sul’dam and damane (including the well conditioned ex Aes Sedai Mylene) outside the town and sets off to make trouble. We also learn that Tuon is in fact an actual heir to the Crystal Throne so that’s going to be double awkward for Mat lol.
Elsewhere, Perrin is not dealing with the loss of Faile (22 days since that happened we learn) in a manner that could be called healthy and balanced. After mindlessly gatewaying in after the Shaido and therefore actually going in the wrong direction for a few days, he’s reigned in all his rage, squeezed it into a little fiery ball and stuffed it into the recesses of his mind. That kind of shit is terrifying and I can’t wait for the blow up. Anyway, here’s what happens in the course of the one single morning we spend with him: Perrin has nightmares about something the wolves fear more than anything, asks local wolves what it is and gets ghosted for his trouble, feels guilty for wasting time, especially as the Shaido numbers have swollen. Balwer and Selande bring news that Masema has been sending riders to Amadicia and receiving goods from Altara, suggesting both Whitecloak and Seanchan connections, whilst also letting his followers pillage and burn the countryside. Perrin doesn’t have a good way to stop it since he’s vastly outnumbered and also single-mindedly focuses on getting Faile back. More intriguingly, it seems that both Masuria (Aes Sedai under Wise One control) and Annoura (Berelain’s Aes Sedai advisor) have been visiting Masema. As it is, an uneasy peace exists between Perrin’s army and Masema’s. And most of Perrin’s think he’s sleeping with Berelain which is not making him the most loved leader right now. He and Balwer go into the forest to discuss some intelligence and Perrin tells him he doesn’t have to subtly try to push him in the right direction and can just tell him straight up what he thinks is the best thing to do. All the while this is going on Perrin ponders on Aram’s loyalty, protectiveness and jealousy over everyone else except Faile being close to him and thinks ‘oh well, nothing I can do to address this’ while I scream in the margins JUST FUCK HIM YOU FOOL. Anyway, they come across Darkhound tracks and Perrin recognises their scent as the one that had scared the wolves in his dream and in the real life too. Perrin sends Aram to warn the rest and follows the trail which goes all around the camp, suggesting that they weren’t after him. He runs into a party of Berelain, Wise Ones and various assorted factions. Berelain rides up to meet him and under guise of bringing him breakfast, passes him a document her men had taken from Masema which is essentially a hallpass signed by Suroth. Seems Masema knows who took it though as Berelains men have not come back… Perrin tells Berelain about Annoura having been meeting with Masema and she seems determined to find out what’s going on. Everyone witnesses the Darkhound tracks and gets understandably afraid. Masuri turns out to be somewhat of an expert and after studying the tracks declares the pack unusually large, long gone and not one she’s aware of. A warning from the Two Rivers men alerts Perrin and others to the fact that Masema and his ragtag group of fanatics is about to pop in. There is a tense stand off whle Masema tries to suggest that he’s just come to tell them about the this town with plenty of food to share that he found and Perrin rightly smells a rat.
I’m making a paragraph break here but we are honestly still within the same morning in the storyline, fuck me. Right, scouts are finally returning with word that they have found the Shaido camp where Faile and the others are being held. Elyas breaks the news that finding Faile among tens of thousands of Shaido and gai’shain is going to be nigh on impossible, which is a word Perrin doesn’t know. Elyas does seem to know what is up with Aram though and I really want him to dispense some wolf wisdom about what Perrin and Faile should do about it (doesn’t the alpha pair need an omega bed warmer? And yes, before you start, I know these are fanfic tropes and not representative of actual wolf hierarchy). Anyway, there’s some debate whether they could offer a ransom to get Faile and others out but consensus is that Shaido would likely accept it but not honour the bargain. From Elyas we learn that Darkhounds are wolf souls twisted after being killed by the Shadow which is likely why the wolves have to be part of the Tarmon Gai’don, fighting them. Perrin wants to see the camp so off they troop through an Asha’man provided gateway (need me one of these fellows to make travel easier, where can I order one?). Perrin is very fixated on everything being magically better once he has his wife back and I get a feeling it’s not going to be that easy or simple… Anyway, there’s creeping through snowy forest to finally observe the sprawling Shaido camp over the rise. It is indeed big. And also likely includes all the Shaido Wise Ones meaning Perrin is outnumbered both in manpower and One Power. Ouch. Perrin, however, has settled into mood beyond despair, the kind of cold determination that’s going to be painful for anyone in his way. He also observes an aqueduct which I think is going to be central to the rescue plan somehow. Anyway, colour explosion in his head and every single OP user staring toward the BOP timestamps this at the time Rand and Nynaeve are laundering the saidin.
Another shot, another POV! In the Shaido camp, Faile is making a good play at meekness, worrying that it will stop being pretence the longer she has to do it. She’s caught between several factions and traps, one of whom is Someryn, demanding verbatim reports of everything Sevanna does or says. Sevanna has surrounded herself with several gai’shain and is having them punished in the ‘beatings will continue until the moral improves’ way. In a convenient timestamp, Faile observes every OP able Wise One staring toward BOP and Faile figures it has to do something with channelling and hopes it isn’t a sign of her idiot husband come to try and rescue her. There’s like good news and bad news on that front I guess. Surreptitiously she catches up with Chiad who had helped Lacelle and Arrela (Alliandre’s maids if memory serves) to escape. Chiad and Bain are determined to hold their honour and serve as gai’shain for one year and one day and not a minute longer, but this does mean that while they will help Faile et al escape, they won’t leave with them. Shaido have settled around a once prosperous town of Malden, accidentally burned most of it during looting and made majority of inhabitants gai’shain. On her way to wash Sevanna’s laundry, Faile gets accosted by a man unconcerned about holding up any type of custom anymore and instead setting his sights on some raping. We were doing pretty well in this series re sexual violence but here it is again. Rolan, the Aiel who had technically made Faile gai’shain interrupts before anything extreme happens, indicating that Faile is his gai’shain and Sevanna has taken her without any kind of bargain. He has also figured out that Faile isn’t quite as meek and downtrodden as she appears and suggests some friendship, maybe more, because apparently marriage vows don’t apply during gai’shainhood. Good to know. Faile plays it neutral, thinking this would be a potential ally if handled correctly. Finally, Faile is able to join Alliandre in laundry duty. Alliandre hints that if Faile has to fuck her way through here then she would not breathe a word and also Perrin should just be thankful to get her wife back. Which is actually a refreshing view on it, so. Maighdin (Morgase) has gone to finally try and steal the box (with the Oath Rod in it) from Therava’s tent that Galina was after. We get some accurate description of how to wash silk clothes, which I can only assume must be credited to Jordan’s wife and unacknowledged co-author. There is some casual musing over the pleasure Therave might get from dominating (verbatim!) Galina and I make many exclamation marks in the margins. Anyway, Maighdin had gotten caught but only for presumed stealing, not for looking for the box and therefore Galina is off the hook for now. Aravine, another of Sevanna’s servants, arrives to fetch Faile. First she shows her that Lacelle and Arrale have unfortunately gotten caught after all, but, in a surprising turn of events, she says she won’t be revealing their connection to Faile and then swears allegiance to her… Which Faile accepts, because it might be good to have some aces up her sleeve. Galina has tattled to Sevanna about Faile’s well hidden knife and punishment awaits. Trussed up in the cold, Faile however gets some relief from Rolan who shows up to bring warmth and massages. Perrin better be chill about this or else.
Top your glass, we’re off to Caemlyn. Well, technically first to a small manor house somewhere in Andor. Elayne has been doing the rounds, gathering support (and what actual troops remain) among the minor nobles. It is more about being seen and Elayne is relying on word of mouth to travel from village to village that she is around, strong and confident. More to the point, she’s making sure that she has the support of her people for after she has the throne and she takes them all to pit against the shadow in the Last Battle. Amidst all this, poor Elayne is suffering through pregnancy hormones and the incessant coddling Aviendha and Birgitte subject her to. There’s a ghost sighting by a servant girl that seems so random I’m suspicious it’s not. She’s worrying about Rand but at least has Aviendha to do it with her, complete with supportive hugs (they are so cute). BOP catches their attention too and Elayne’s first instinct is to run to Rand’s aid, but Aviendha talks her out of it, pointing out that they don’t know anything and could make things worse. So after gathering their ragtag groups of boys and old men, Elayne and Aviendha and a retinue of female bodyguards gateways it back to Caemlyn. There every OP users is also thoroughly distracted and rattled by BOP. Birgitte is primarily interested in whether Elayne drank her goat’s milk (apparently good for expectant mothers). Dyelin who has gone to gather support and High Seats of some more powerful houses, is not yet back. We get a lesson in Andoran politics and how the throne is secured. Elayne suffers more from Birgitte’s hangover headache, has to settle some rattled Aes Sedai (one of whom is Adeleas’ killer and DF) who half want to flee from BOP even though it’s not moving, and then deliver a public humiliation to Mellar (Hanlon the DF) for what he’s made seem like a heroic securing of troops from another House but actually probably let in people whose loyalty is in question.
Time for a bath. Aviendha has one with her while Birgitte takes the time to catch everyone up on some news including how well-supplied Caemlyn’s food reserves are thanks to plenty of people able to create gateways for the wagons to get through from Tear and Illian. We also learn that Darlin has made it to Tear and claims it as a Steward for the Dragon Reborn (good for him). Elayne is hoping for news of Gawyn or Galad but none are forthcoming. Gawyn really needs to get to her sister’s side, though first he probably needs to come to terms with Egwene as the Amyrlin, now sieging Tar Valon for a week. Elayne seems understanding of Gawyn’s role in what went down there though this is before she knows he was there for Rand’s kidnapping and boxing… Aes Sedai have been coming and going, staying at an inn in the city, and letting Cadsuane’s name slip to listening ears. Elayne’s musings of Aes Sedai schemes gets interrupted by a commotion as Zaida and her troupe of wavemistresses and windfinders file in to announce the death of their Mistress of the Ships and that they’re going to have to go the select a new one, and they’re going to be taking the promised Aes Sedai teachers with them. Negotiations and weak tea follow. In exchange for some land on which to do trade, Zaida leaves some of the windfinders behind for creating the gateways for supplies and settle for the Aes Sedai teachers to be sent from the Tower once it is secured. No sooner have Zaida and co departed than news comes that Dyelin is back, and with the High Seats of key Houses on tow. Time for fancy frocks to impress, and even Aviendha is stuffed into some frippery. Anyway, turns out that what we have are very young (read: children and adolescents) High Seats of Mantear, Haevin, Gilyan and Northan, some who have potential and some who need to do some growing up, no guardians on sight. They have brought armsmen so there is that, though any further troops making their way from various estates are not going to get to Caemlyn before spring and before their presence would make an actual difference.
High Seats dealt with, and thesexual tension animosity between Birgitte and Dyelin observed, we move on with the updates. First Maid and First Clerk arrive to make their reports. Reene has uncovered that the Second Librarian is a spy for the Brown Ajah, and has plans to turn one of Arymilla’s spies into a double agent. Norry reports on more arson attempts at food warehouses, and that the Houses on the Arymilla’s side have taken large loans against their revenues, two or three times, suggesting they may be trying to buy some of the mercenaries currently staffing Elayne’s guards and other key positions. Once the First Maid and First Clerk leave, Elayne, Birgitte and Dyelin have a warded strategy meeting and study the maps, trying to figure exactly when the Borderlanders were likely to arrive. Bashere and Bael’s troops are involved in this scheme somehow as well. It seems that many of the High Seats of the undeclared Houses have gone into hiding or just… Disappeared. Aemlyn, Arathelle and Pelivar who Dyelin thinks would support Elayne have entered back into Andor but their intentions are still very unclear. Monaelle Wise One arrives to check on Elayne with a special pregnancy ultrasound weave, with Sumeko and Aviendha getting a lesson on it on the go. Elayne learns she’s going to have twins. Also, Monaelle says that she has seven children and three husbands. Not ‘have had’ three husbands which I only interpret as these husbands being simultaneous and I AM TAKING IT, PRAISE POLY JESUS OR WHATEVER. Anyway, news arrives that Merilille has disappeared with one of the windfinder apprentices in tow, which could be a sign that she was the one who killed Adeleas… Or could be something else entirely!
Chapter 15 finally! Here we hop to the pov of Elenia Sarand, caught in Arymilla’s ambitions for the throne and held at the camp outside Caemlyn with a threat of sexual advances from Nasin, the High Seat of the most powerful House in Andor and also a complete nutcase. Anyway, not one to waste an opportunity even in the shitshow she finds herself, she’s riding around letting her face be known by the rabble thinking she’s a better fit for a queen than Arymilla who is apparently not the sharpest tool in the shed but dangerous nonetheless. The mistake they both make, of course, is not taking Elayne seriously. Elenia strikes a bargain with Naean Arawn who is also caught in the same trap, also under the threat of sexual violence. This is clearly a theme here and I don’t like it. Anyway, the deal will leave the House Arawn much weakened but Naean is out of options and Elenia isn’t particularly merciful. Anyway, veiled threats and innuendos are exchanged between all concerned, the outcome of which is that Elenia’s maid’s loyalty is in question and I think Nasin’s granddaughter Sylvase may still surprise us all. The second half of the final chapter takes us to the unpleasant mind of Daved Hanlon, currently pretending to be Doilan Mellar, Captain of Queen’s Guard. He’s skulking about in the night, pondering on the Palace politics and power dynamics and underestimating a lot of it. He also casually knifes a man sent (by whom we don’t know and neither does Hanlon) to kill him. Hanlon is off to visit his current leash holder DF Lady Shiaine. Falion is still suffering the punishment as her maid though she and Hanlon have reached an understanding where he just pretends to rape her and they exchange information instead. I’d say that’s something but there’s a very clear indication of another of Shiaine’s servants doing the actual deed as well, and just… Guess it was too good to wish we could get through the series without this theme being so depressingly present. I also just get the impression that we’re supposed to feel okay about it because so far all the women experiencing it are the antagonists and somehow unpleasant and therefore we’re supposed to think they had it coming? Ugh. Anyway, Falion tells Hanlon and the readers that representatives of Houses of Marne and Sarand have been visiting Shiaine. Whoever her current visitor was, however, remains a mystery as Hanlon discovers him thoroughly dead when he’s finally summonsed to Shiaine’s rooms. She wants him to arrange for some of the sul’dam and damane held in the Palace to escape and also to try harder re the food warehouse arsons. Having the whole of Caemlyn looted seems to be the end goal here.
On the banks of Erinin, Egwene is feeling home sick, gazing at the White Tower and contemplating the challenges of sieging Tar Valon. The city and therefore the Tower are still getting supplies and reinforcements via ships and, trying to live by the Three Oaths already, Egwene is not simply sinking them despite the temptation. Sneaking into the ships to gain access to the city has also been made difficult. Bryne wants the Sisters to put him and his men inside Tar Valon via gateways, suggesting it’ll be the least bloody – though still not pretty – option they have, but Egwene wants to keep such use of OP and gateways out of the business of warmaking, and White Tower alive to face Tarmon Gai’don. Egwene’s inner circle, i.e. the AS she made to swear loyalty to her who are now pretending to be her advisors/spies for their respective Ajahs, plus Sheriam are waiting for her with surprise guest of Delana (DF if I remember correctly) who has come to insinuate all manner of things but mostly to say that some of the Sitters are muttering about opening negotiations with Elaida. Egwene tells her to repeat her news to her advisors and after much angry muttering, some cautious support for the suggestion also emerges. Egwene says sure, go ahead and negotiate but the only terms she’ll accept is for Elaida to surrender and go to exile. She is also rightly suspicious of Delana, although hasn’t really considered she might be BA. She certainly is still depressingly accepting of Halima and her magical ability to cure her headaches, which she is obviously also the cause of. Discussion of Delana’s motivations follows. Negotiations are a time-delaying tactic and whilst most seem to think Egwene’s plan is to block the harbour with ships, she knows no such ships are to be had but clearly has some other plan we’re not privy to. She tells the negotiators not to reveal the fact that they’ve discovered ability to Travel or, obviously, that they have people inside the Tower already, trying to undermine Elaida (although we know they’re currently kept busy hunting BA), who they know (thanks to Tel’aran’rhiod trips) to be ruling in a rather erratic and cruel manner. Egwene’s army itself is spread across the river bank into town and villages, and also suffering from food being spoilt (Dark One’s work that is widespread it seems) and weaves of Keeping seemed to be failing even (is that because of what Rand and Nynaeve did?). Overall, Egwene seems to have mastered leadership well, shifting truth from evasion and figuring out what the Ajahs are telling her and what they are keeping to themselves. The massive influx of novices have been organised into ‘families’ with ‘cousins’ thanks to Sharina the grandmother novice with potential out of wazoo, which has reduced the number of runaways considerably. Egwene has set up the Sisters with the relevant talent to making cuendillar and goes to visit the enterprise, trying to stay incognito for the most part. Under the watchful eye of Tiana, Mistress of the Novices, and Sharina, Novices, Accepted and Sisters are all turning objects into cuendillar for the purpose of sale and income revenue, something some of the AS are not feeling particularly easy about. Nicola and her friend Areina (remember them, they made the mistake of trying to blackmail Egwene) are still unhappy and sulky, greedy for more knowledge, and in Nicola’s case exaggerating her Foretelling abilities widely. I doubt we’ll see the last of them.
Inspection done, Egwene contemplates on her new reputation as a hard taskmistress with a temper to match. She returns to her study to find Halima and Siuan staring at each other like strange cats. Halima makes a clumsy attempt to get Egwene to confide in her, which fails at least for now. Siuan tries to convince Egwene that Halima is rather less pleasant when Egwene isn’t watching but it falls on dead ears sadly. They do exchange some information though, Egwene explaining about the negotiations with Elaida, Siuan telling her about her forays into Tel’aran’rhiod version of the White Tower, both of them pondering on the mystery of too young for the position Sitters (this better be an interesting mystery when solved or else). White Tower seems to be isolating itself from the city of Tar Valon but so far they don’t have the secret of gateways at least. There’s some musings on men and love (seems Siuan has made no progress with Byrne yet, I’ll be upset if we don’t get this on page after all this). News of the world is largely depressing, including acceptance of Seanchans who, for all their organised slavery, actually seem to be keen on providing organised health and social care. The unknown quantity and quality of the Sisters accompanying the Borderlanders are a worry. As are the Sisters who are Travelling in and out of the camp as they please, not that Egwene can really do anything about that. Egwene’s plans to introduce the changes of Kin retirement and the Atha’an Miere bargain (which, cleverly enough, will include sending their own tribute sisters back to their own). No one is sure what’s happening at Tear but Merana (a grey Sister sworn to Rand) have been seen to enter the fortress. For some reason Egwene is jumping to the Compulsion conclusion without realising that the same way she’s twisted some arms to get Sisters to swear loyalty to her, Rand may have presented similar choice to the AS… News of Cadsuane being around have also reached them.
News comes that the Hall is sitting. Egwene waits the bare minimum before striding off to attend, Sheriam barely making it in time to announce her (where was she, what is going on with her?). There are clear schemes happening since people aren’t even sitting in their usual places and are just whispering in random combinations. I mean, I find AS politics fascinating but from the pov of writing these summaries they get glossed over because dear god. Anyway. Lelaine and some others seems ready to talk about these negotiations with Elaida (which comes us more or less of a surprise to different people) but others have much more urgent matters, which is the findings by the Sitters who went to see BOP and found a big hole where Shadar Logoth used to be and also figured out it was made with both saidar and saidin. The conclusion everyone jumps to is Forsaken (…why is no one thinking Rand?). And because not even all of them in circles is a match for that a solution is suggested: let us bond some Asha’man. Or at least propose a deal. Because the way to increase the size of a circle is to include men in it. Hysterics follow. After much wailing and hair pulling (Sheriam, get hold of yourself woman!) but not before Egwene shouts them to order, the Hall actually accepts the proposal. How they are to implement it, however, is not something decided in one sitting. Finally, Egwene gets to go have some dinner and hear how uneasy Halima makes Chesa. After that she pops off to leave a dream telegram to Elayne to come and have a chat, but it’s Aviendha who shows up because apparently being pregnant makes handling OP a bit of a hit and miss. Egwene is still having some quiet disapproval over the whole foursome situation with Rand, Elayne, Aviendha and Min, but at least she keeps it to herself. Anyway, she updates Aviendha on the AS plans to eventually head toward Caemlyn to approach the Black Tower, and to pop into see how Elayne is doing. Plans must be made how to keep both the Atha’an Miere bargain and the ex damane and sul’dam in Caemlyn hidden. After some mutual wishes for self-care, Egwene slips in to observe her dreams which include some sexy ones of Gawyn but also the prophetic ones about Mat bowling over men like pins, the whole thing involving an Illuminator (I say the reinvention of canon and gunpowder is still in the works) and of a Seanchan attack on White Tower and possibility of Egwene having to accept a Seanchan’s help to save herself. Morning brings news that Anayia and her Warder had been killed using saidin (pretty obviously by Halima). Egwene tasks Nisao to find out who did it.
Alviarin’s return to White Tower is less triumphant than she anticipated. She’s been on Mesaana’s errands in Tremalking (remember how shit was going down there and then we haven’t head anything else) but has also popped over to see the big ‘ol hole Rand and Nynaeve made. She’s contemplating on how much she hates Mesaana and Elaida both, and generally I just get the impression that we need to empower women to get to positions of influence without resorting to evil and we would solve some problems here? Anyway. She confirms that it is the Dark Lord responsible for all the food spoilage and gateways to the maths library (smallest lol). The Sea Folk librarians hint at sad times and Alviarin hurries to see what is up, climbing all the way to Elaida’s study (whilst dreaming of a marvel from the Age of Legends called lift lol). Her relief at finding Elaida alive is short-lived though, as she has gained the upper hand, meeting with the Sitters and ordering Alviarin into the naughty corner. Alviarin logics that the only way she would have the gumption to do that is if she knew and had proof that she was BA (though later we find out that’s not really the case because Elaida is not that clever). The Sitters are there to inform Elaida that they will be entering negotiations with the rebels to try and keep the White Tower whole. Alviarin observes the way Talene defers to Yukiri and Doesene which is bad news for them. Elaida’s terms are as unmovable as Egwene’s and include disbandment of Blue Ajah and penance for every sister who followed the rebels. The Travelling cat is also out of the bag. Once the Sitters leave, Alviarin learns the extend of her troubles: all her blackmail threats are powerless since blame for the disaster with Rand and Black Tower has fallen on others, and since she was away when the rebels arrived it had been easy to get Elaida to remove her as the Keeper. The word treason is thrown about which Alviarin takes as confirmation that Elaida knows she’s BA. In panic she flees to her rooms and uses an OP telephone to call Mesaana, who doesn’t seem particularly receptive to helping. However, Shaidar Haran pops over for a surprise visit and we learn that not only is he angry with Mesaana (presumably because she didn’t show up to try and stop Rand and Nynaeve cleansing saidin, though honestly, what good would’ve she have done?) but is also possibly the Great Lord himself, riding a Myrdraal meat suite. He gonna make Mesaana sorry but first gives a dark mark to Alviarin right on her forehead. Guess there’s no backing out now.
Elsewhere in the Tower, Pevara is having tea with Tarna, the new, if somewhat reluctant, Keeper. If you remember, she was also the one who’d travelled to Salidar to try and convince people to return. On the way back, she’d ran into Asha’man recruiting parties, done the numbers, and reached the conclusion that the only way to deal with them is for the Red Sisters to take them as Warders, and also, not to mention this to Elaida. She’s brought the proposal to Pevara because of her reputation for being unconventional. Pevara shares the letter from Toveine and now they know that Asha’man have been bonding Aes Sedai.
In a manor house somewhere in Tear (belonging to a man whose brother Cadsuane once caught for channelling and got gentled), Cadsuane is overseeing the rest and recuperation of the party responsible for BOP and flattening of Shadar Logoth. The Sea Folk have been delivered to Tear to deal with the death of their Mistress of Ships and because Harine thinks Min’s prophecy of her attaining the title means it’ll happen now. Min comes to fetch Cadsuane for a chat with Rand. We get a casual suggestion that Verin is indeed banging her Warder Tomas, and I for one support that. Cadsuane is unsure of Verin, disapproves Min and co bonding Rand, observes Sisters putting differences aside for sake of knowledge, gets drawn into a discussion about the complexities of bonding Asha’man as Warders including how they seem to be growing stronger in OP, seems to doubt whether saidin really is free of the taint and spots Nynaeve watching Lan and others do sword practice (she is conscious, why is she not on the dreamland phone to Egwene and Elayne already omfg??). Alivia (former damane, foretold to help Rand die in the future) and Elza (one of the AS sworn to Rand) are guarding his door but eventually let Cadsuane in. Rand himself is colder and harder still after the saidin cleansing, and still dizzy to boot. Rand has been learning about the Seanchan army from Alivia but before he can share his conclusions they are interrupted by news that Warders left in Cairhien are coming and bringing some unexpected guests with them.
We finally get Rand’s pov! I’ve actually missed it so even this short chapter is welcome. He is still angsting over loving three women and whether it was right to let them bond him (not that he had much of a choice there), and also still having chat with good old Lews, vacillating between doom and gloom and gibbering excitement in his head. I am personally affronted that the Shadar Logoth cursed dagger wound did not just magically heal when Rand evaporated the cursed city itself, seems terribly unfair. Snuggled in bed with Min, Rand ponders on the arrivals which include Davram Bashere with troops, Logain (yes!!) and Asha’man with their bonded Aes Sedai (though at this point Rand doesn’t know that’s what they are). Min sees some troubling dark images around Bashere. Rand is still feeling the sickness when seizing OP even with the taint gone which is just insult to injury, boy just can’t catch a break. On the bright side, Loial has also arrived and the reunion is joyous, or at least as much as Rand is capable of feeling feelings still. Loial brings news that while some Steddings have promised to guard Waygates, some haven’t. Rand has plans for Loial, given the tales of Seanchan ‘Gardeners’. Loial also explains about the bonded Aes Sedai, while Samitsu breaks the same news to Cadsuane, who orders her back to Cairhien to keep an eye on Sashelle.
The vibes between Logain and Rand are more positive than between Rand and Taim, but still tense (delicious). Rand is, as expected, somewhat incensed by the ‘we bonded Aes Sedai’ news, especially as Logain explains that Taim gave the order and let it be assumed that it had come from Rand (wow, Taim is really playing a dangerous game) and also confirms my earlier thoughts in that the Asha’man are loyal to Taim because he’s there, present, unlike Rand who most of them have never even seen. Also, no one (including Logain) seems to believe it was Rand who cleansed the saidin. Honestly, poor boy. Anyway, what’s done is done with the bonding on both sides but Rand is adamant there should be no more of it, certainly not without informed consent on both sides. Bashere delivers to the news of the ransacking on his tent, explaining that it seems that DFs are thinking he and Dobraine are guarding the seals for Rand. Rand shares his plans: he can’t fight both the Shadow and the Seanchan at the same time, so he’s sending Logain, Bashere and Loial to forge truce with the Seanchan. No one takes it well. Elza and her Warder are revealed to be DFs and, like I suspected, her motivation for swearing to Rand is to ensure he makes it to Tarmon Gai’don so that the Great Lord could defeat him.
Elsewhere, Perrin has dressed up fancy to go buy some supplies. Their camp is pretty permanent now and food is getting scarce. He still hasn’t fucked Aram to contentment so the poor boy is sulking and growling like a dog in heat. Arganda is increasingly difficult to handle too. They plus, Berelain, Masuri, Seonid and various others head off to the city of So Habor with much pomp and circumstance in order to impress the nobles and merchants there that they mean business with their buying excursion. Balwer comes too, with his new adopted spy children aka Faile’s retinue. Neald, the Asha’man, is the only one who’s having whale of a time. All is not well in So Habor. Everyone is not just suspicious of outsiders but also unwashed and generally seem to have given up on life. The local lord has fled but eventually Perrin and co are directed to what’s left of the merchants’ guild. The Aes Sedai set off to figure out what’s going on, while Perrin and Berelain ask to see the warehouses before agreeing on the purchase. What they find (after Perrin’s casual flex of physical prowess) are some very aggressive rats and grain absolutely infected with weevils. We learn that the dead are walking in So Habor and people are seeing and possibly dying of because of the ghosts. Why that means they have stopped washing themselves, I don’t know (the only way to tell the living from the dead is... the stench?). Anyway, I learn a new word: winnowing. This happens with all the grain purchased which takes too long for Perrin’s tastes and eventually he leaves the rest of them to it and returns to the camp. There he finds much tension, and Masema and Arganda torturing some Shaido prisoners in a rather gruesome manner, but because Aielmen are good at embracing pain they’re not giving anything up. Perrin asks for information nicely first and when that doesn’t work, he chops off the prisoner’s hand, tells AS to heal it and then says he’ll keep going and eventually leave them handless and footless to beg in a village somewhere, which is the kind of threat that gets Aiel’s attention. Perrin stalks off to the forest, leaves his axe there (very symbolic sure but I think he'll regret it later), has a heart-to-heart with Elyas about how alive he feels in the battle. Because this is fiction, torture works (children, research shows that it does not) except the information they get is next to useless. Balwer comes back with Tallanvor of all people, who hasn’t found Morgase obviously but he has found fifteen thousand Taraboner under Seanchan covers and dozen damane too. There’s a devil’s bargain that might dip the scales in Perrin’s favour.
For Mat and co, the trek from Ebou Dar with Luca’s circus is slow and wet. There’s some coin to be had with performances and roads are teeming with Seanchan soldiers and settlers. The Aes Sedai are sneaking out for some information gathering and the sul’dam are sneaking out after them and together they are trying Mat’s very last nerve. The word on the streets is that the Seanchan army is aiming for Illian next, and that Suroth has made a deal with some king of another (assume the Domani one). Everyone takes it on themselves to gather more intelligence for an excuse to get out, and Mat worries about Thera caving at the first frown from Seanchans and selling them all up. Mat’s got a game of his own to play though. His opening salvo of shiny jewellery, however, is a… Well, let’s call it a misfire. There’s an interlude of Tuon playing Snakes and Foxes with Olver and Noal reciting some prophecy about Mat, but eventually the jewellery gets dismissed by Tuon and then Selucia, who hands it to poor Egeanin who gets her Blood status revoked in the process. Mat’s a clever boy though and next night he goes simply to play stones with Tuon, and the next, and the next etc, whilst also bringing paper flowers and cloth flowers… To Selucia. Surprisingly (to most het men at least I assume), simply spending time with her doing something they both enjoy, turns out to be the ticket. Mat is feeling some feelings about her eyes and laughter and sharp mind, which is generally fucking adorable. Eventually, he brings Tuon some silk rosebuds and she informs him she wishes to go for walks. Mat suspects she might even know what he’s up to with this seduction strategy of his. Anyway, they talk about their interests (…horses seems to be the one shared one lol) and spend some quality time together. From Egeanin Mat learns that they are already Seanchan engaged because he named her his wife three times and now all Tuon has to do is name him her husband three times in return within a year and a day and then they are married. Absolutely impeccable use of the ‘accidentally married according to alien customs’ trope. A+ I lolled. Mat has… some feelings about it all. However, a couple of days later they ride through a village full of Seanchan soldiers and Tuon is out of the wagon (though hidden in her cape and cowl, and yet she never says a word, when a mere call for help would’ve brought it all crashing down. In a beautifully executed moment, Mat decides that there’s no point of running from fate and also, man ought to trust the woman he’s going to marry. Then he takes her (and Selucia) shopping for dress fabrics, even though the dice are tumbling in his head again. More ghosts are sighted, at least by Mat, on the road to town where the women proceed to visit every fabric shop before spending a sizeable amount of his coin. Back at the camp, they are faced with the news that Egeanin has been stabbed… By Rena, one of the sul’dam, who has also taken flight to try and get to the Seanchan garrison relatively nearby. Teslyn heals her despite witnesses so the Aes Sedai cats are out of the bag. As is the little detail how the a’dam work on sul’dam so that’s given Tuon some things to ponder on (this is also when Mat realises that he’s going to marry a woman who can channel). Mat tells everyone to leave the show and run ahead, while he and Vanin and various Redarms head after Rena. They reach her before she can sell them out but not in time to take her alive. Mat orders her shot and angsts over the third woman he’s killed (he and Rand ought to compare notes here), and when they return to the show he finds everyone still there because Tuon has wrapped Luca around her little finger with promise of imperial protection. She also forbids Mat to mourn for a traitor, and is finally wearing the silk rosebuds. Mat loses it but in a positive way, delighted by her ability to surprise him. Absolutely loving this canon pairing.
In a camp outside Tar Valon, Egwene is trying to behave normally despite big plans being afoot. Alas, another sister, one who was tapped for doing an important task, is murdered, and now Bode Cauthon (Mat’s sister) needs to take her place. Egwene observes everyone being on edge, most of the sisters walking around holding saidar and followed by their Warders. She receives some intelligence about Nynaeve, another history lesson from Siuan, and news that Nicola and Areina have ran away (my guess is to Elaida). Sadly, no one believes she’s really a Dreamer and therefore her warnings re Seanchan attack is not taken seriously. Now that Anaiya is dead, the Blue Ajah has sent a new advisor but of course Maigan is not one who has sworn fealty to Egwene so her showing up puts a stop to the more important discussion. Eventually, Romanda pops over as well to report that the negotiations with White Tower are not going well, but mostly to voice her doubts and objections about the Kin. Egwene shares her findings on how the Oath Rod shortens their lives which is why the retirement to the Kin makes sense. There is much exclamations and falling of chairs. Not sooner has Romanda left, that Lelaine comes in to suggest that the Warder bond as applied to Asha’man could be… modified, to ensure obedience. Egwene’s line on compulsion, however, is a firm no. Finally free of the visitors, Egwene decides that she won’t leave this important task for Bode and rides out, incognito, to replace her. She gets on the boat and starts turning the chains across harbour into cuendillar. But as soon as she’s done someone strikes her down… The White Tower has her and she was betrayed! By whom, though, is the question.
In Tear, Rand received word that the Seanchan are amenable to a truce and they have heir to the throne ready to meet her… Except we know that Suroth is lying and the Daughter of Nine Moons is busy elsewhere.
***
As the Re/Read Book Club over at
tar_valon progresses, I've been doing summaries of questionable taste and accuracy. I'm just cross-posting them here for posterity, 2 books worth at a time.Previously:
Book 1: The Eye of The World
Book 2: The Great Hunt
Book 3. The Dragon Reborn
Book 4. The Shadow Rising
Book 5. The Fires of Heaven
Book 6. Lord of Chaos
Book 7. A Crown of Swords
Book 8. The Path of Daggers
Now:
[Banners by
r_tt_n]Well, Jordan and I disagree on the acceptable length of a prologue. But in the 77 pages of it (in my paperback) we sure get everywhere. In Tar Valon, we’re picking up with Seaine and co (aka BA hunters) immediately where we left off last time. They are happily torturing Talene on a Chair of Remorse (…no comment on that name) which makes her see all sorts of delightful things, until she relents and forswears all oaths, almost dies as a consequence, is then made to swear new oaths of obedience etc and tada, finally fesses up to being BA. Would’ve been awkward if we’d found out she wasn’t BA after all, would’ve almost suggested that torture doesn’t work or something. Anyway. Talene then suggests Elaida is BA which we know she isn’t, it’s Alviarin. But the knowledge that someone high up sure is feeding BA some accurate information does insert some much needed caution into proceedings. In Caemlyn, Elayne is dealing with some human resourcing problems, Vandene is hunting DFs, Nynaeve is planning how to get the Kin out of Seanchan territory and Birgitte is extremely bitter about being made a lady and the Captain-General of the Queen’s Guard, though she is acing the latter. Gawyn is still awol (where is he? Or Galad for that matter?), Elayne’s political support is not as strong as it could be and the Atha’an Miere are demanding their bargain is met right now with Aes Sedai teaching. Taim drops in to be his usual arrogant ass, suggesting that Rand will disapprove of Elayne’s decision to send Saldeans and Aiel packing and take his banners down, and generally refuses to acknowledge Elayne’s jurisdiction within the unfinished walls of the Black Tower. In the midst of all this and quite purposefully in front of witnesses, the summons to the sister bonding ceremony with Aviendha arrives. Which obviously must be responded to immediately and naked. I will give Jordan this because the nudity actually makes logical sense here but at the same time I am giving him another tick towards his public humiliation kink tally which is already sizeable. However, what follows does absolutely once more remind me that Jordan can deliver an emotionally impactful scene. First we have all the women in the room putting their differences aside to shield Elayne from Taim’s letching. Then we have a beautiful scene where the sister bonding isn’t just some ritual with oaths but an actual OP powered change that bonds them together and actually makes them experience rebirth, after saying and hearing the worst and best of each other and of themselves. Honestly, this is one of my favourite scenes of the series so far and I may have teared up a bit.
Okay, phew, another paragraph and we’re still on the bloody Prologue. In the Black Tower, Toveine and whole lot of Aes Sedai forcibly bonded by Asha’man and kept in secret are not having a great time. Especially as the bond they have makes disobedience impossible, meaning it must be qualitatively different to the Warder bond. Rand is going to be… extremely unamused when he finds out, I predict, although that’ll be nothing compared to when Elayne and Egwene find out… Which will probably take time as they have instructions to hide from outsiders like Elayne who has come to inspect the Black Tower. Another sister, Gabrelle, has capitulated on the situation and seduced Logain in the hopes he’ll slip some useful information during pillowtalk. There’s some entirely unnecessary ‘oh but how thrilling to be so helpless and have a man in charge’ wittering that Jordan put in there to feed his dom kink, like pls, I cannot. Anyway, Logain seems to be searching for the way to heal stilling, snatching young boys from Two Rivers and there is clearly a division in the Tower between him and Taim (and yet, still no actual interaction between the two, which is extremely disappointing). Taim also seems to have named Flinn, Hopwil and Narishma as traitors when we know they weren’t. Wait until Rand hears about that then… Gabrelle and Toveine are plotting, though Toveine certainly seems to be prioritising revenge against Elaida. There’s a queue by now, I believe. In Cairhien, Rand and Min are popping into the Academy to collect some Fel’s books and to also meet with some people in secret. Rand goggles at what I assume is a steam engine prototype (someone else is apparently doing an Edison trick with trapping lightning), tells the Headmistress to keep funding any and all research and gets the update from Dobraine. The dizziness that comes with saidin seems to be even worse now and Lews hardly seems to shut up. Rand is prioritising cleansing saidin over killing Dashiva and the traitors.
Well fuck me, finally to Chapter 1 where winds of change are blowing across the land. We catch up with Perrin and co just as they are leaving the Prophet in Abila, having come to an agreement of sort to take him to Rand the slow way. All the ta’veren are seeing colours when thinking of each other which is very romantic of them. Perrin is worried about how the trek to Rand is going to go with his army factions being less than united and Masema breathing madness at everyone’s necks, not to mention that the whole route is going to be teeming with Whitecloaks (how is Valda still alive, why.wont.he.just.die?) and Seanchan. However, pretty soon he has new and exciting things to worry about as he gets back to the news of Faile and others having been taken by the Shaido and Alliandre’s men trying to get at the Aiel in their camp at misguided attempt at revenge, with only Berelain and her men standing in between. Perrin takes the news as well as you might expect. Elyas, Aram, Warders, Gaul and various Maidens set out in all directions to find more information. Berelain is still after Perrin for motivations beyond my comprehension. Perrin and Tallanvor bond by silently staring into the gloom and almost getting hypothermia.
In the Shaido hands, Faile is about to freeze her feet off but still thinking about escape. Alliandre and Maighdin are taking the capture less resolutely but at least it gives Jordan a reason to really live through all his impact play fantasies (honestly, so much naked spanking here, not to mention the images of the women being arse up over men's shoulders, just, Jordan please, must you?). Hypothermia sets in, dreams are had, but in the end the practicalities of not actually killing their non traditional gai'shain overrules even Jordan's thirst for nudity. Tea is had and Faile tries to get the lay of the land which is full of Shaido but also full of factions. On one side Therava and Someryn, the Wise Ones not particularly happy with Sevanna, on the other Sevanna with her numerous personal gai'shain. And caught in the middle is Galina, the Black/Red Sister newly sworn to obey Therava and Sevanna but plotting to get out of that. She heals Faile and the others, who are fitted into showy belts and collars because Sevanna is embracing her kinks fully it seems. Maighdin and Alliandre are still seething and Faile has to tell them to play at submission because otherwise they'll just draw attention to themselves and escape becomes even more impossible. A long trek in the snow is interrupted by first Therava and then Galina seeking to exploit Faile and co for their own needs. Therava tells them to spy on Sevanna and report back everything said and in exchange she may help them escape. Galina wants the Oath Rod held in Thereva's possession and in exchange she too promises to help them escape, which Faile believes because Aes Sedai cannot lie except this one really can, like twice over. We learn that the Shaido have a Whitecloak as gai'shain who tried to escape nine times and regretted each one and wow, I really hope it's Valda (it won't be but a girl can dream). Faile makes a tactical error by revealing who her husband is and of course Galina as a DF has a bit of a vested interest there.
Perrin is running himself ragged in the wolf dream and almost permanently kills Hopper in his desperation to find Faile. He and Tallanvor almost froze to death like idiots, standing in the cold, uselessly staring into distance. Berelain took some advantage of the situation and had Perrin bought to her tents where he now wakes up, extremely naked. Berelain seems sincere about wanting Faile back safe and even suggests a truce until that happens, but Perrin has no time for her games (I... honestly don't know what they are. Is she genuinely interested? What is the motivation? Who knows.). At least she shares the news of Faile's retainers being spies and spotting the Masema/Seanchan schemes. After finding clothes Perrin goes stalking off to confer with the Two Rivers men, gets everyone to start making a move to follow Shaido, learns Tallanvor has set off on his own like an idiot, and also learns that most people think he slept with Berelain. For some reason that I don't get Faile's pet spies have been denied their horses but they do agree to obey Perrin until she's back even though he's taking his anger out on them unnecessarily. Sulin and the rest of the scouting party come back with abandoned dresses and news that Faile and co have been taken gai'shain which they think will protect them. They also bring evidence of great many Shaido, with families and children, and those other Aiel who had joined them after being unable to accept Rand as car'a'carn, but also of a Seanchan army on the march. It's getting awfully busy in this part of the map, basically. Masema and his men show up as well and Masema decides for reasons that are unknown but deeply suspect that actually, he's going to come with Perrin to 'help' him get Faile back and will even agree to travel via OP to do that, rather than head toward Rand. Hmm, say I.
In Caemlyn, Elayne is surveying her city and people, surrounded by an all female Queen’s Guard set up by Birgitte (love it) and accompanied by a Sareitha Sedai. There is much musing, over Elaida’s motivations, the number of refugees in the city and the attempted kidnap of Elayne when she’d ventured out poorly disguised as a commoner. Birgitte shows up, spitting nails over the news that there is a spy in the palace since their plan to go fetch Elayne’s competitors was foiled and men killed. Somehow people are still surprised by Elayne’s political acumen. Birgitte seems constantly on brink of aneurysm, trying to keep Elayne safe, being given a title and now having to deal with paperwork too. Life is very hard for her but I love the dynamic between her and Elayne. Mistress Harfor has discovered some spies who sadly split before interrogation could take place, and likely they are not the only ones.
We discover what Rand’s gift was: the captured sul’dam and damane, currently in the Kin’s keeping. Ex-Kin, now AS novices once more, Kristian and Zarya have been busy thinking things through and shared their findings with Vandene: not just that Adeleas and Ispan were killed by Darkfriends but that the subject pool is narrow (Merilille, Sareitha or Careane apparently, though I still maintain that it could’ve been Vandene herself). Nynaeve, glowing with the contentment of regular nookie though indignant that the Kin no longer jump when she says boo, solves the problem with her usual efficiency and assigns Kristian and Zarya to help Vandene with her investigation. She’s also been busy, sending the Kin women into Seanchan territories to try and get other women who can channel out. Nynaeve and Elayne go see Reanne and co who have been trying to convince the captured sul’dam that they too can channel on their own with the plan to send them back into Seanchan territories to shake the foundations of their society. Three of the damane seem ready to be let out of their collars, as in, they probably won’t immediately try to free the sul’dam if done so. Interestingly, one of them, Alivia, is apparently considerably stronger than Nynaeve who so far has set the bar. There is some delicious detail about the damane/sul’dam relationships (okay, you cannot tell me that at least some of them hadn’t been sexual because c’mon) and debate about the pros and cons of freeing them but in the end Nyneave makes the call on basis of it being the right thing to do.
That done, Elayne tries to get down to the business of governing, first seeing her First Clerk Norry, who brings the good news of alum deposits found on Elayne’s estates that will get them any loans they want from previously hesitant bankers (incidentally, I rather enjoy all this detail of governing a nation) and fund the Academy of the Rose, i.e. the school Elayne had taken over from Rand. There’s a lovely bit here about leaving a legacy and needing to believe in the future beyond Tarmon Gaidon. Norry also shares the news of Elaida’s, or really Alviarin’s, proclamation re Rand and the attack on the Sun Palace. Luckily, Elayne has enough faith in Rand’s intelligence and his survival skills not to react too much to either. She also deftly manoeuvres the Cairhien intentions to come over and ‘help’ her secure the Lion Throne.
Things get interrupted by Elayne’s less than thrilling lunch of tea and clear broth (why, girl?). Dyelin storms in to announce the coming of the Borderlands’ rulers and their armies. But then! Elayne realises her tea has been laced with forkroot to stop her from channelling, and right on time, here come the assassins! At first, she thinks Dyelin is behind the attempt but she fights in defence of Elayne and gets a knife to her stomach for her troubles. Elayne tries to fight but the poison is too strong. There is a last minute rescue from someone. Elayne wakes up surrounded by her sister, warder and Nynaeve who had healed Dyelin (I was relieved, I like her). The daggers had been poisoned so it was no kidnap attempt this time and Elayne reluctantly agrees to a small bodyguard duty, naming the ‘lucky’ captain Mellar who had been walking past and saved her as the captain. I would like it noted that I smelled a rat immediately and was proven right. Despite drama, Elayne and Nynaeve venture into Tel’aran’rhiod to meet with Egwene and relay the days events. We also learn of Egwene’s struggles to keep the Hall under her thumb. There’s a bit where mention of Sharina Melloy, the grandmother novice, makes Nynaeve startle because turns out she is someone she recognises from the Accepted test visions (I... was too lazy to go find the right book on my shelf, who's gonna help me out here?). Egwene has changed her mind about the Three Oaths even though taking them shortens one’s lifespan (for reasons I didn’t get AT ALL but then learned because of clever people on this com) and has also decided that the Kin becomes the Aes Sedai retirement community, which is kind of genius in its way. Rand’s uncle Luc (we assume) shows up to spy, and so do some other people, because nowhere is private apparently.
We drop in on some Black Ajah in Caemlyn, who after realising that Moghedien was maybe not coming back, had embarked on a mission to take Elayne and Nynaeve themselves. There’s some interesting and heart-breaking detail about the Warders of BA, some determined to kill their AS, some DFs themselves. Another BA, Falion, is being punished and acting as a servant for DF Lady Shiane. Confirmation is had that Mellar and Hanlon the creepy DF are one and the same.
Rand’s troubles with the saidin are continuing. Seems he’s fighting constant nausea and dizziness at the moment. He and Min are popping over the Palace in Caemlyn because he needs to speak to Nynaeve (and Mat, though he’s going to be disappointed in that regard). Determined not to even see Elayne or Aviendha (though he has at least admitted he’s in love with all three of them now so there’s that), he’s disguising himself as the most unattractive labourer he can think of. Min luckily is having none of that and runs off to tattle as soon as Rand is on his way to see Nynaeve, and also learn some exciting home truths. Nynaeve in the meanwhile is suffering through teaching the Sea Folk (because it’s Jordan, the threat of public humiliation is ever present), including their apprentice who is stronger than her but also wants to run away to the White Tower. Nynaeve is also much in demand with the Kin who have opinions on the Aes Sedai/Atha’an Miere relations. In comparison, finding Rand in her quarters seems almost peaceful. He and Lan eye each other like two dangerous animals about to
Meanwhile, the reckoning is coming. And by that I mean Elayne, Aviendha and Min are about to descend on Rand like an extremely attractive tornado. He’s trying very hard to avoid any real talk for the fear of bringing danger to them but in the end, backed into the corner, admits that he’s in love with all three. Nynaeve is aghast and Rand still seems to think he’s the worst kind of letch but obviously Elayne, Aviendha and Min are having none of that and promptly march him into Elayne’s rooms and bond him as their Warder, all three of them, even knowing the price to be paid if/when he dies at Tarmon Gaidon. Excellent. I mean, ngl, I was hoping for an orgy there, but this was still good. Especially as now they have a much better chance of making Rand remember that having emotions is a good thing. Aviendha and Min leave Elayne to bed him, and go do some bonding of their own, though apparently it requires some booze because both Min and Birgitte are having no luck of blocking the bond enough not to know exactly what’s going on in Elayne’s bedchambers. Also, babies are predicted, because of course. In the morning, Rand is gone but leaves a flower behind because he is a romantic boy. Nynaeve and Lan have gone with him too, and possibly taken the ex damane Alivia with them for the power.
In Cairhien, Cadsuane is neck deep in Aes Sedai, Aiel and Sea Folk politicking. She’s not altogether convinced by the reasons the AS who kidnapped Rand had given for now pledging to him. She is also eyeing Verin with some suspicion (aren’t we all) and startled by the prospect of being friends with Sorilea (would I read a whole book about these two organising everyone's lives? yes, yes i would). After interrogating the Windfinder and the Cairhien woman that Rand discovered in the midst of an attack and incapacitated for their own good or just in case they were involved, only a lesbian love affair is uncovered (second canonical mention of this being a thing and no one really batting an eyelid, I will give Jordan a partial badge for diversity given when these books were written but until we get a mention of two men going at it only partial). An Asha’man has been healing the sisters Rand stilled. Alanna falls unconscious, possibly due to the shock of suddenly sharing Rand’s bond with three other women. Caraline and Darlin have split town.
Somewhere close to the pit of doom, the Forsaken are bickering. I guess it’s hinted that one of them was sort of behind the attack on Rand. Aran’gar wants to have some special ladies’ time with Graendal (hot) and everyone is terrified by Rand’s plans to cleanse saidin. The Great Lord is not a fan either and so has ordered them all to stop him. Assume next book is going to be ‘foiling one Forsaken plot at a time’ en route to the
Tuon, the Daughter of Nine Moons cometh! We learn that she is someone fairly high up and of the Blood. She also has sul’dam abilities and likes to take on damane problem cases. Tuon brings with her Selucia, a nursemaid turned personal bodyguard, Deathwatch Guards, Ogier Gardeners (they seem a very different kind to Loial and his kin… looking forward to that interaction, if we ever catch up with Loial again!), and Anath, her ‘Truthspeaker’ whose sole purpose seems to be to say it like it is (ngl, I really wish the current political systems would have something like this instead brown-nosed ‘advisors’). Oh, and also like a massive fleet of farmers and craftspeople to occupy the land they consider rightfully theirs. Tuon places a lot of weight on various omens, though she disliked what one of the damane said when reading her fortune had her and beaten (though she felt badly about it the next day…). We’re not told what it was but I assume it was a promise of a most unusual husband waiting for her…
In Ebou Dar, so far blissfully unaware of the fate that approaches, Mat is almost recovered from having a building fall on him. He’s busy trying to convince Aludra give up Illuminator secrets in order two turn them into weapon against the Seanchan by inventing a cannon, rubbing Valan Luca the wrong way, and also still being Tylin’s sex toy. I have a lot of feelings about that whole situation. Mostly it’s sadness over how good this whole thing could’ve been – I mean pink ribbons, I am crying Domme tears – if Jordan could’ve only gotten over himself and let Mat self-actualise into the hedonistic little switch he was meant to be). Anyway, in other news: Luca is married and his show is now fifty times bigger and enjoys patronage from Lady Suroth herself, Thom and Beslan are up to something that may get both of them killed, Tylin is playing the game of survival with the Seanchans, Juilin is fucking someone he shouldn’t (bets in, my money is on Suroth just for the lols). Mat observes the Seanchan occupiers landing with their animals and crop plants, and the grisly results of their justice which decapitates criminals high and low (which unfortunately includes the Mistress of the Ships and her Master of Blades whom we met both and I am sad about this). He is desperately trying to get out of Ebou Dar, especially as the dice are near roaring in his head, and in his search to hire a cubby hole to secret away his belongings runs into a gholam intent on killing him very dead. A fight ensues and Mat is saved by a mysterious old man called Noal Charin.
As a reward, Mat takes him to the Tarasin Palace to share the rooms with those of his men still alive. We see Aes Sedai and Windfinders as damane. Eventually, Mat goes to interrupt Tylin, Suroth and also lays eyes on his future wife Tuon although he doesn’t know who she is yet. Tuon is fascinated and offers to buy him off Tylin (it’s a mood, and I would read this fic). Tuon reassures Tylin that as long as she keeps being a good subject, power and wealth will come her way. In the days that follow, the gholam eats some livestock, Thom and Beslan continue to plot, Tylin has her way with Mat, and the Seanchan keep coming and spreading across the land. Mat hears several rumours about Rand and sees the swirling colours of their special soulbond connections. Mat finally acquires a storage space in the Wandering Woman, because Setalle Anan thinks Tylin is giving the time honoured tradition of pretties a bad name. Mat orders his body servants to start hiding his gold and clothes there, tries to solve Aludra’s riddle about bellfounder and fails to avoid Tuon who is… Everywhere; fingering Mat’s spear (…it is not an euphemism but it probably is some dirty foreshadowing), passing him in the hallways, lurking behind curtains. Intriguingly, we finish on a cliff hanger because something is going to go down in the Wandering Woman…
Okay. *cracks knuckles* We pick up the story in the Wandering Woman where Mat has gone to check on his gold and clothes, and suffers through many knowing smirks. He’s in the kitchens, charming a dinner for himself, when Setelle Anan comes in with Joline Sedai and her Warders, all of whom have been living hard, avoiding the Seanchans. They almost get caught when the newly promoted Egeanin (remember her from Tanchico, helped Elayne and Nynaeve and discovered that sul’dam could be tied by a’dam) barges in with her new so’jhin aka Bayle Domon. Mat hides Joline by pretending to smooch with her, which Egeanin is scandalised by even though she’s literally fucking her so’jhin on the regular. Anyway, none the wiser, Egeanin gets her rooms and Mat and Setelle hide Joline and her Warders in the cellars. Mat thinks it was Joline who left him a warning note and feels obligated to help her out of Ebou Dar, though he realises quickly that it wasn’t Joline after all but Teslyn who had left the note. Which means that now his moral compass (Mat would staunchly deny having any such thing all the while running into the metaphorical or literal fire to pull people out and I love that about him) demands that he’s going to spring free her too, which is easier said than done since Teslyn is now a collared damane. He sneaks into the damane kennels (I… really hope Jordan managed to like work out some of his kinks in a safe and constructive environment) to talk to her, learns that Teslyn mostly wanted to inconvenience Elaida with her note and also demands that they need to free one more sister, Edesina, but that the other two have already been conditioned beyond saving. On the way back he runs into Tuon again, who buys his story about sneaking treats to an ex Windfinder who helped him. There seems to be a social taboo about men taking damane to their beds so guess we’ll assign a partial merit badge to the Seanchans for not like sliding into sexual slavery. Mat’s horrified ‘what kind of man wanted to bed a woman who was on the leash?!’ earns him several points.
We get a pov of Bethamin next, the sul’dam Egeanin had collared in her cellar in Tanchico but then let go. She’s back in her old job but naturally rather jittery over her secrets. The two sul’dam Egwene and co had left collared when fleeing Falme are also still around but not allowed to link with damane (which they call ‘being complete’ and honestly? kind of horny of them) because Suroth is keeping the staggering implications of that on the downlow ‘for the good of the Empire’). There is some interesting detail about damane training practices, and then being ‘heart-friends’ with each other, which reminds me of several good slave AU fics I’ve read, so there’s that. Bethamin is visited by a Seeker who is convinced that Egeanin is at the heart of some conspiracy against the Empress and tells Bethamin to renew her ‘friendship’ with her. Egeanin herself is also contemplating her options to get out of the rather hot soup she’s in, knowing very well a Seeker is after her. Turns out she’d had to buy Bayle because he got into some scraps, and then make him her so’jhin. They are definitely sleeping together and Bayle wants to marry her but they can’t do that until she frees him and to do that she needs to be able to provide for his future, honestly this dynamic is excellent. Also, and more importantly to the overall plot, turns out that they failed to sink the male a’dam like they’d promised and it’s now in Suroth’s hands!! This is definitely going to come and bite Rand in the
Rand has made his way to Far Madding, a
In a twist for the ages, we now discover that Luc (Rand’s uncle) and Isam (Lan’s… cousin, was it? Half-brother?) are somehow one and the same!! Where Isam is Isam in the Tel’aran’rhiod or Wolfdream and Luc is Luc in the waking world… HOW? WHAT THE FUCK? Like did the fucking Great Lord meld them somehow??
Next pov is Shalon, the Windfinder who took a female lover in Cairhien and now has some regrets, and a generally fraught relationship with her sister who is the named Atha’an Miere liaison with Rand. They have tagged along to Cadsuane, Alanna, Verin and whole host of other AS and their Warders (incl the Asha’man who are now Warders, I am feral over this arrangement btw), including the Red Sisters who swore loyalty to Rand. All of them are entering Far Madding, which, it turns out, is where Cadsuane is from and also maybe Verin, or at least she’s definitely gotten herself banned from the city in the past and is now going by another name. We get a cultural info dump which mostly just cements my holiday plans. Shalon experiences the emptiness of being cut off from the Source as they head straight to the Hall of the Counsels as Cadsuane is clearly known to the Counsel (all women, I love it) and also possibly distantly related to Aleis, the First Counsel. Alanna is chomping at the bit to go find Rand but Cadsuane is keeping her on a short leash for now while she steamrolls all over the Counsel and gets them accommodated at Aleis’ palace. The ter’angreal is admired and we learn that it also points out where in the city channeling might occur if it does and whether it’s a man or woman doing it. Verin stirs it with threats of Seanchan. Shalon considers fessing up what she did to her sister.
Rand is playing his flute and waiting for Cadsuane and Alanna to arrive while Min is agitated. Her vision re Alivia says that she’s going to help Rand die which is an interesting way to put it and I assume this is going to be some kind of Tarmon Gai’don plot twist down the line. Cadsuane shows up to lecture Rand about his manners (with an open palm when the warnings don’t sink in), tell him about Asha’man being Warders (because they didn’t have much choice since Rand wasn’t looking after them and Black Tower was no longer an option). Alanna is just elated to have him in his sights again. He tells her about the other bond but now who it is to in order not to put his wives in danger. Alanna offers to let him go if her new bondmate is capable, while Rand offers not to tell anyone about the forced bonding if she lets him go. An impasse. He sends her back to Cairhien to gather other Aes Sedai and go negotiate with rebels in Haddon Mirk. Rand ponders how to get Cadsuane interested in becoming his advisor, since he knows he’ll need her. Verin is relieved to learn that Cadsuane’s priority is keeping Rand alive to Tarmon Gai’don, since now she doesn’t have to do her compulsion trick with her.
Elayne and Egwene are surveying Emond’s Field in Tel’aran’rhiod, noting the increased size, diversity of trade, the battle monument and discussing how difficult it is to go back. The rumours of Black Tower slaving Aes Sedai has reached Egwene and both are concerned over Rand’s role in that. Back in the real world, Elayne wakes up to a disgustingly healthy breakfast since now that everyone knows she’s pregnant, she’s been treated a bit like an invalid. The rumour has it that Captain Mellar (aka Hanlon the DF) is her babydaddy and she’s determined to encourage it so that no one makes the connection to Rand as that would put the baby (babies, though she doesn’t seem to know there are twins coming) in danger. Mellar is milking it and also being casually misogynistic. Norry, the Chief Clerk, brings a variety of news: bankers are ready to give loans, rats are breeding, Borderlander army is staying put in their camps, more spies have been found. Aviendha drags her up a tower to get some fresh air which is apparently very important for expectant mothers. They observe Merilille coming back through a portal. She brings news of the Borderlander army, including the fact that they have several AS with them.
No time like the present to make an impression, so Elayne decides to drop in for a surprise visit though she does send word ahead with Merilille. She also goes as Elayne Sedai of Green Ajah, rather than the Daughter Heir, only bringing Birgitte and Aviendha with her. Love her super focused and calm leadership mode here btw, mmm competency, am I right? Easar, Ethenielle, Paitar and Tenobia are somewhat startled by Elayne in full attack and take everyone by surprise mode but they do recognise both competence and reason where they see it. They have come to find Rand who, they feel has unnecessarily ignored them so far especially as the Last Battle is destined to happen on their doorstep. Rand, however, does not to be found by anyone, but the Borderland rulers believe Elayne knows where he is because they know she was with him in Falme (but nothing more than that). Elayne promises some answers (with very careful wording) in exchange for them moving the army toward Caemlyn. It will look like an invasion which means the houses will rally behind Elayne and when she ‘negotiates’ a peaceful resolution, she’s more or less secured the Lion Throne. Elayne sends them to Murandy for a ‘profitable search’ though Rand is nowhere near there of course and the profit will be all hers. Getting very good at not lying whilst not giving away what is expected either. By the time Elayne and co get back to the palace, she’s ready to pass out in bed, but alas no rest is in sight as we learn an army (though not whose) is on its way to siege the city and Elayne must jump into action.
Back in Ebou Dar, Tylin and Suroth are heading to survey Altara which gives Mat some free time to plan how to get the Aes Sedai, and himself, out of the city. Mat observes the deep conditioning of some of the AS damane and reluctantly agrees that he can’t risk taking them too. He also really wants to free all the Windfinders and tries very hard to convince himself not to do that (spoiler alert: he will). He spends his days exercising his healing leg and hip, building stamina, plotting with Thom, sending Juilin to go steal some damane dresses and a’dam. Noal, the old man who saved him, know he’s up to something and brings news of the gholam continuing his butchering over the city. Mat’s making sure everyone knows he’s planning to leave so that Tylin won’t get any blame when she’s finally back. Tuon is still everywhere, watching him. I’m going to assume that she at least suspects that he is the future husband predicted to her though we don’t get her pov for the details. Beslan is planning an uprising and everyone tries to convince himself not to get himself needlessly killed. Disappointingly, Juilin’s lover turns out to be a lady da’covale and not Suroth (and not a male da’covale as I briefly hoped for, c’mon Jordan, Juilin would’ve made the perfect token gay). Gholam’s killing spree is finally attracting enough attention and the increased patrols are going to be an extra complication for the rescue plot.
In the basement of the Wandering Woman, Joline is at first flatly refusing to wear the a’dam and when she relents the fact that Setelle can’t pretend to be her sul’dam puts the whole plan at risk. Setelle is also planning to come along, having sold her inn already and sent her husband and extended family off in his fishing boats a while back. Answer comes in the form of Bayle Domon who hustles Mat to meet Egeanin. In exchange to her providing some sul’dam (Bethamin and the two others who have experienced a’dam for themselves now and are somewhat desperate not to repeat the experience) Mat promises to help the two of them out of Seeker hands. Thom and Juilin mostly vouch for them and also tell Mat about the male a’dam, though no one still knows that it’s not safely at the bottom of the sea and no one has seen fit to tell Rand that such a thing even exists. That obviously is going to go spectacularly wrong at some point.
In the midst of a downpour, Mat’s rescue plan finally begins. He sends Nerim, Lopin and Olver ahead with his clothes and belongings, talks Beslan down for just a few distracting fires and makes him promise to be seen at a tavern so he can’t be linked to them, and then settles down to brood until dark descends. In a deviation of the plan, Egeanin and Domon show up with the blackmailed sul’dam in tow rather than waiting for Mat at the Wandering Woman. They all troop up to the kennels and while Egeanin goes to get the Aes Sedai, Mat goes to free one of the Windfinders (because he will rescue everyone he can), makes a lifelong ally (my guess is this Nestelle is going to save Mat’s bacon at some point in the future) who promises to wait three hours before freeing her sisters. Mat almost runs into a De’sul’dam on his way out, though Egeanin and her Blood status is smoothing things over. Leaving her to deal with that, Mat goes back to Tylin’s rooms… Only find Tylin returned much earlier than anticipated as Suroth had learned about an army vanishing in Murandy and decided it was urgent enough to rush back. Tylin, to her credit, realises it’s time to let Mat go (with a kiss and a slap) and tells him to tie her up and stuff her under the bed so it seems like he overpowered her.
Just as he thinks the coast is clear, Mat runs into Tuon who has absolutely figured that he was leaving and is determined not to let that happen. There is an extremely foreplay-esque fight scene as Tuon hits hard and fast, but Mat’s nose (and other parts) are saved by Noal who shows up and grabs her. The secure Tuon, Juiling arrives with his da’covale lover Thera (aka the former Panarch of Taraborn!!) and the plan is to leave Tuon in the stables right until the moment Egeanin and co arrive and she finally lets the cat out of the bag that Tuon is the Daughter of the Nine Moons. I actually really loved the reveal because instead any denial Mat goes straight into ‘…She’s my wife and she’s coming with us’ which is actually incredibly sexy of him. Tuon’s bodyguard maid Selucia shows up as well. Tuon herself… smiles. Because I think she suspected and now she knows.
Back in Far Madding, Rand has been showing drawings of the traitor Asha’man with little luck. Many rumours are overheard, which is a clever way to remind the readers what’s going on in the rest of the world. Apparently, the Stone of Tear is under the siege but I can’t figure out from whom so… Rand is maybe delaying leaving Far Madding over worry of the sickness that will return as soon as saidin will. He runs into Verin who tells him that Min, Nynaeve and Alivia are having chats and lessons with Cadsuane, and also that the Seanchan have made it to Illian, meaning all of Rand’s guerrilla tactic warfare in the woods that had cost him many lives was ultimately for not much at all. He decides that it is time to leave and sends apologies and request to be his advisor to Cadsuane via Verin. Some of Nynaeve’s ter’angreal turn out to be the type that stores saidar for later use, which comes handy when Rand and Lan go spring the trap an anonymous letter claiming to know the whereabouts of Torval and Gedwyn invites them to.
Min is not happy about Rand’s plans, and instead teaching Alivia more about the birds and the bees, runs off to alert Cadsuane as soon as the men and Nynaeve are out of earshot. The traitor/possibly DF Asha’man are staying above a bootmaker’s shop. Nynaeve lifts Lan and Rand up onto the roof with her stored saidar, and they sneak in, only to immediately run to some bloated corpses. Rand puts two and two together and comes up with Fain who is here to ensure Rand dies by his poisonous blade and not because of anyone else. Fain’s proximity makes Rand’s old wound flare up badly but he chases him through the agony. In the background, Lan disposes of Toram Riatin. There’s some illusion as Fain tries to distract Rand, but only gets sliced in the face for his trouble and then flees. Rand needs to leave it as the streets are filling with Guards and they need to scamper before they get caught… Except they do anyway by falling off the roof.
Meanwhile, Nynaeve almost gets trampled by the Guards and is then held back by Cadsuane and co who have come to try and rescue this particular shitshow. Nynaeve’s channelling has alerted the authorities and there is little option except to let them capture Rand and Lan. Rans wakes up in a small and dark cell and immediately slides into Box PTSD, not helped by Lews having his own breakdown. Unfortunately, Rand’s chosen coping method is to harden himself even more (baby, no). Cadsuane marches in to interrupt the Counsel’s discussion of what to do with the Dragon Reborn in their cells to suggest that instead contacting Elaida and the White Tower, they should just hand him over to her. She makes her case with the Asha’man and a demonstration of OP thanks to saidar held in her own little well ter’angreal, breaking Aleis’ status in the process.
The book ends near Shadar Logoth (I’m disappointed because I wanted them to go back to the
***
Deep breath folks, this prologue is 96 pages long (on my paperback edition), which has got be some kind of record? Anyway, let’s drop straight into a pov of yet another new character (my capacity to care about characters is infinite, but my capacity to remember them is not) and new area on the map. At least I don’t remember us stepping foot to Arad Doman before but here we are, freezing our arses off along with Rodel Ituralde, trying to save his country (and if he’s lucky, his life too) by cleverly manoeuvring between his hiding-possibly-mad-possibly-under-Forsaken-influence king, Domani lords, the Dragonsworn and Taraboners. Plans are hatched and temporary truce agreed to try and keep the Seanchan out of Arad Doman and maybe harry them in Tarabon, except it also seems like Ituralde has his own agenda. Elsewhere, Valda and Asunawa are still, regrettably, alive and surrounded by about nine-thousand of their fanatics. At least they’re all cold and miserable, though with plans to go against Tar Valon and possibly Egwene’s army while they’re at it. Next we catch up with Gabrelle who is having a pleasant(ish) ride in the woods with Toveine and Logain. We get a confirmation that the bond Asha’man have used to bond the Aes Sedai is indeed a twisted version of the Warder bond and that the obedience is an opt-in rather than inbuilt feature. The sisters are still plotting amongst themselves of course. Gabrelle, at least, sounds like she’s getting some good orgasms out of her bond with Logain. And maybe some information too. There’s a hostile interaction between Logain and one of Taim’s men (and even still, no actual interaction between the two, I am pining for the hate-filled sexual tension come onnnn). Interestingly, Taim’s been holding his own classes and none of his men have bonded Aes Sedai. Logain, it seems, has decided to go recruiting though it seems clear to Gabrelle and Tovaine that he’s riding off to war instead (…to find Rand? I wish!).
I’m going to start a new paragraph here even though we’re only like third of the way through the fucking prologue. Do you know that I’ve written over 50k worth of these summaries now, jesus wept. Anyway. Next up, Yukiri, a Grey Sister in the White Tower, part of the secret network hunting for the Black Ajah, walking with Meidani (one of the rebel sisters sent to sow discontent but now caught by this faction and co-opted to DF hunting duties instead) contemplating the rumours from the world in turmoil and also the heavily fractured situation inside the Tower, all the Ajahs eyeing each other suspiciously. Yukiri and co have managed to identify some of the Black Ajah thanks to Talene’s eager blabbing though doing much more than that has proved challenging. To hasten things along, Yukiri wants Meidani to renew her friendship with Elaida, who they still suspect being a DF (along with Alviarin so there’s hope yet). Discussion is interrupted by Seaine who has been logic’ing things in her head and has come to the conclusion that something sus is going on with the Sitter selection process and that possibly Ajah Heads are conspiring (btw, absolutely love that they have secret titles like ‘Head Clerk’ for Greys and ‘Captain-General’ for Greens, outstanding). Not too far from Tar Valon, Gawyn is regretting not going to Caemlyn when he had a chance, as he, quite frankly, should. Instead, he and his men are hiding in some cheese-making village, in middle of some Aes Sedai change of guards situation. At least he finally learns that Elayne is associated with the rebels. Cannot wait for him to find out about Egwene though.
Outside Caemlyn, the High Houses opposing Elayne’s claim to the throne are gathered for the siege, and beyond that Bashere is chewing on his frozen moustache in frustration because he and Bael and their combined troops can do nothing more than watch, since external intervention would undermine Elayne. At least Rand understands that much, assuming that it’s him who’s sent the observers. Bashere is tiny bit worried about his niece, Queen Tenobia, who is now almost within bollocking distance and ready to deliver that. However, an attack on his wife distracts him from that. She survives but the offenders don’t which means they weren’t working alone. In Cairhien, Samitsu has a headache and her name is Sashelle, one of the Aes Sedai oathsworn to Rand and quite casually undermining any and all authority Cadsuane had left her before traipsing off to Far Madding. We get an update on Cairhien political situation and effects of temporary stilling on one’s complexion, but are then interrupted by news that there’s an Ogier in the kitchens. Despite obfuscation, I immediate wrote LOIAL?! into the margins. There may have been some hearts too. There’s a delightful Tolkien reference, but Samitsu calls their bluff pretty quickly and the visitors of course are none other than Loial and young Karldin, the Asha’man sent with him to close the Waygates (I would still like the travel journals of this trip please), now come back in search of Rand. We get interrupted again by the news that Dobraine has been killed. Everyone rushes to see, finds him in a pool of blood, but Samitsu checks and finds enough life left to gently coax back. Yay, I liked him and am glad he's not dead. Seems that his assassins had found what they were looking for (something Rand left for him to look after? I honestly can’t remember if we know what it was). We end the prologue in the thrilling announcement that Logain has arrived! (what a fucking tease this one, then we don’t hear about him for the next 15 chapters at least)
Anyway, onto the book proper now. In comparison, chapter 1 mostly consists of Mat brooding over some burnt-out ship husks that are littering the harbour of Ebou Dar. Seems that the freed Atha’an Miere hadn’t gone quietly, the losses were sizeable on both sides and Mat feels somewhat responsible for every corpse they pull out of the water. Noal (sus) and Egeanin (grumpy, especially as she and Mat are playing at eloping lovers as their cover) effectively draw Mat from his emoting and old memories with discussion of fishing, value of damane and the likelihood of Suroth and co coming after them. We get a flashback of how they had all made it out of Ebou Dar, almost getting caught at the gates, with the Daughter of Nine Moons rolled up like a burrito over Mat's saddle, but were saved by the Atha’an Miere chaos. They are all hiding with Valan Luca’s circus which is still on the outskirts of Ebou Dar, on logic that everyone would expect them to be far gone and wouldn’t look that close. Not that the Seanchans are openly searching for Tuon, keeping her disappearance on the down low. Anyway, Mat and co get back to the show and its sprawling camp to the news that there are Seanchan soldiers talking to Luca. Mat despairs over the constant leadership tussle he’s caught in with Egeanin but in the end they both get close enough to try and see what’s what, passing Aludra and her thusfar mysterious fireworks on the way. Domon and the Warders are also loitering and trying to look like they’re not with varying success. The Seanchans were only after Luca’s horses, but it's still enough to rattle them into starting to decamp. Mat goes to urge Juilin and (Ama)Thera and Olver to start doing the same and just as he thinks things are going okay, them bloody dice are tumbling in his head again. Time to go see his future wife I guess, a course of action Mat is equally compelled to follow and wary (not afraid note, properly wary) of. Seems we have been doing some serious backtracking over the ‘she’s my wife’ comment with the others, though Mat is refreshingly not in denial about it, just… Not willing to discuss it with others, which is understandable. Tuon and Selucia are kept isolated (under pretence of being thieving maids) in a wagon of their own and under watchful and amused eye of Setelle Anan. Seems Tuon is less than impressed with the ‘thieving servant’ ruse and promptly yeets some crockery at Mat. We learn that Tuon is twenty, much to Mat’s disappointment as he’d hoped she would be too young to marry for several years. She also definitely knows about Mat’s old memories/past lives in some way because she asks if he remembers Hawkwing’s face and almost catches him out. In the end they spit-shake on a promise not harm each other and as soon as their hands touch Mat’s dice fall silent. Aww, romance. Thom comes back from the city with bad news: Tylin’s dead. Seems a gholam found her still trussed under the bed where Mat left her so he is understandably not taking the news well. Neither am I, like I wasn’t her biggest fan but… Alas, Mat is summonsed to talk to wagonful of Aes Sedai and sul’dam, all confined together and getting along about as well as two strange cats in a sack. There is much bickering over the direction they should head but that is interrupted by Rand and Nynaeve’s ‘cleansing the saidin’ OP display (from now on: Beacon of OP, or BOP) which makes every OP user whip their head in that direction like a whippet seeing a rabbit.
POV jump, time to take a shot! Next up we have Kadere, the Deathwatch Guard, brooding in the Wandering Woman with his servant who sounds a bit like some kind of stereotypical Celt tribesman, human skull goblet and all. Anyway, Kadere is pondering on Tuon’s disappearance, trying to decide if it’s her own doing again (apparently a habit of hers) when in pops Seeker Mor to tentatively exchange some information and hint that Kadere has some personal affection to Tuon so he might actually be interested in finding her. They put some of the pieces together but get a different picture of who might be responsible. Rumour says that Deathwatch Guards are somehow implicated so Kadere arranges to meet some of his men and also a troop of these fighting Ogier (that’s a culture clash waiting to happen) and sul’dam and damane (including the well conditioned ex Aes Sedai Mylene) outside the town and sets off to make trouble. We also learn that Tuon is in fact an actual heir to the Crystal Throne so that’s going to be double awkward for Mat lol.
Elsewhere, Perrin is not dealing with the loss of Faile (22 days since that happened we learn) in a manner that could be called healthy and balanced. After mindlessly gatewaying in after the Shaido and therefore actually going in the wrong direction for a few days, he’s reigned in all his rage, squeezed it into a little fiery ball and stuffed it into the recesses of his mind. That kind of shit is terrifying and I can’t wait for the blow up. Anyway, here’s what happens in the course of the one single morning we spend with him: Perrin has nightmares about something the wolves fear more than anything, asks local wolves what it is and gets ghosted for his trouble, feels guilty for wasting time, especially as the Shaido numbers have swollen. Balwer and Selande bring news that Masema has been sending riders to Amadicia and receiving goods from Altara, suggesting both Whitecloak and Seanchan connections, whilst also letting his followers pillage and burn the countryside. Perrin doesn’t have a good way to stop it since he’s vastly outnumbered and also single-mindedly focuses on getting Faile back. More intriguingly, it seems that both Masuria (Aes Sedai under Wise One control) and Annoura (Berelain’s Aes Sedai advisor) have been visiting Masema. As it is, an uneasy peace exists between Perrin’s army and Masema’s. And most of Perrin’s think he’s sleeping with Berelain which is not making him the most loved leader right now. He and Balwer go into the forest to discuss some intelligence and Perrin tells him he doesn’t have to subtly try to push him in the right direction and can just tell him straight up what he thinks is the best thing to do. All the while this is going on Perrin ponders on Aram’s loyalty, protectiveness and jealousy over everyone else except Faile being close to him and thinks ‘oh well, nothing I can do to address this’ while I scream in the margins JUST FUCK HIM YOU FOOL. Anyway, they come across Darkhound tracks and Perrin recognises their scent as the one that had scared the wolves in his dream and in the real life too. Perrin sends Aram to warn the rest and follows the trail which goes all around the camp, suggesting that they weren’t after him. He runs into a party of Berelain, Wise Ones and various assorted factions. Berelain rides up to meet him and under guise of bringing him breakfast, passes him a document her men had taken from Masema which is essentially a hallpass signed by Suroth. Seems Masema knows who took it though as Berelains men have not come back… Perrin tells Berelain about Annoura having been meeting with Masema and she seems determined to find out what’s going on. Everyone witnesses the Darkhound tracks and gets understandably afraid. Masuri turns out to be somewhat of an expert and after studying the tracks declares the pack unusually large, long gone and not one she’s aware of. A warning from the Two Rivers men alerts Perrin and others to the fact that Masema and his ragtag group of fanatics is about to pop in. There is a tense stand off whle Masema tries to suggest that he’s just come to tell them about the this town with plenty of food to share that he found and Perrin rightly smells a rat.
I’m making a paragraph break here but we are honestly still within the same morning in the storyline, fuck me. Right, scouts are finally returning with word that they have found the Shaido camp where Faile and the others are being held. Elyas breaks the news that finding Faile among tens of thousands of Shaido and gai’shain is going to be nigh on impossible, which is a word Perrin doesn’t know. Elyas does seem to know what is up with Aram though and I really want him to dispense some wolf wisdom about what Perrin and Faile should do about it (doesn’t the alpha pair need an omega bed warmer? And yes, before you start, I know these are fanfic tropes and not representative of actual wolf hierarchy). Anyway, there’s some debate whether they could offer a ransom to get Faile and others out but consensus is that Shaido would likely accept it but not honour the bargain. From Elyas we learn that Darkhounds are wolf souls twisted after being killed by the Shadow which is likely why the wolves have to be part of the Tarmon Gai’don, fighting them. Perrin wants to see the camp so off they troop through an Asha’man provided gateway (need me one of these fellows to make travel easier, where can I order one?). Perrin is very fixated on everything being magically better once he has his wife back and I get a feeling it’s not going to be that easy or simple… Anyway, there’s creeping through snowy forest to finally observe the sprawling Shaido camp over the rise. It is indeed big. And also likely includes all the Shaido Wise Ones meaning Perrin is outnumbered both in manpower and One Power. Ouch. Perrin, however, has settled into mood beyond despair, the kind of cold determination that’s going to be painful for anyone in his way. He also observes an aqueduct which I think is going to be central to the rescue plan somehow. Anyway, colour explosion in his head and every single OP user staring toward the BOP timestamps this at the time Rand and Nynaeve are laundering the saidin.
Another shot, another POV! In the Shaido camp, Faile is making a good play at meekness, worrying that it will stop being pretence the longer she has to do it. She’s caught between several factions and traps, one of whom is Someryn, demanding verbatim reports of everything Sevanna does or says. Sevanna has surrounded herself with several gai’shain and is having them punished in the ‘beatings will continue until the moral improves’ way. In a convenient timestamp, Faile observes every OP able Wise One staring toward BOP and Faile figures it has to do something with channelling and hopes it isn’t a sign of her idiot husband come to try and rescue her. There’s like good news and bad news on that front I guess. Surreptitiously she catches up with Chiad who had helped Lacelle and Arrela (Alliandre’s maids if memory serves) to escape. Chiad and Bain are determined to hold their honour and serve as gai’shain for one year and one day and not a minute longer, but this does mean that while they will help Faile et al escape, they won’t leave with them. Shaido have settled around a once prosperous town of Malden, accidentally burned most of it during looting and made majority of inhabitants gai’shain. On her way to wash Sevanna’s laundry, Faile gets accosted by a man unconcerned about holding up any type of custom anymore and instead setting his sights on some raping. We were doing pretty well in this series re sexual violence but here it is again. Rolan, the Aiel who had technically made Faile gai’shain interrupts before anything extreme happens, indicating that Faile is his gai’shain and Sevanna has taken her without any kind of bargain. He has also figured out that Faile isn’t quite as meek and downtrodden as she appears and suggests some friendship, maybe more, because apparently marriage vows don’t apply during gai’shainhood. Good to know. Faile plays it neutral, thinking this would be a potential ally if handled correctly. Finally, Faile is able to join Alliandre in laundry duty. Alliandre hints that if Faile has to fuck her way through here then she would not breathe a word and also Perrin should just be thankful to get her wife back. Which is actually a refreshing view on it, so. Maighdin (Morgase) has gone to finally try and steal the box (with the Oath Rod in it) from Therava’s tent that Galina was after. We get some accurate description of how to wash silk clothes, which I can only assume must be credited to Jordan’s wife and unacknowledged co-author. There is some casual musing over the pleasure Therave might get from dominating (verbatim!) Galina and I make many exclamation marks in the margins. Anyway, Maighdin had gotten caught but only for presumed stealing, not for looking for the box and therefore Galina is off the hook for now. Aravine, another of Sevanna’s servants, arrives to fetch Faile. First she shows her that Lacelle and Arrale have unfortunately gotten caught after all, but, in a surprising turn of events, she says she won’t be revealing their connection to Faile and then swears allegiance to her… Which Faile accepts, because it might be good to have some aces up her sleeve. Galina has tattled to Sevanna about Faile’s well hidden knife and punishment awaits. Trussed up in the cold, Faile however gets some relief from Rolan who shows up to bring warmth and massages. Perrin better be chill about this or else.
Top your glass, we’re off to Caemlyn. Well, technically first to a small manor house somewhere in Andor. Elayne has been doing the rounds, gathering support (and what actual troops remain) among the minor nobles. It is more about being seen and Elayne is relying on word of mouth to travel from village to village that she is around, strong and confident. More to the point, she’s making sure that she has the support of her people for after she has the throne and she takes them all to pit against the shadow in the Last Battle. Amidst all this, poor Elayne is suffering through pregnancy hormones and the incessant coddling Aviendha and Birgitte subject her to. There’s a ghost sighting by a servant girl that seems so random I’m suspicious it’s not. She’s worrying about Rand but at least has Aviendha to do it with her, complete with supportive hugs (they are so cute). BOP catches their attention too and Elayne’s first instinct is to run to Rand’s aid, but Aviendha talks her out of it, pointing out that they don’t know anything and could make things worse. So after gathering their ragtag groups of boys and old men, Elayne and Aviendha and a retinue of female bodyguards gateways it back to Caemlyn. There every OP users is also thoroughly distracted and rattled by BOP. Birgitte is primarily interested in whether Elayne drank her goat’s milk (apparently good for expectant mothers). Dyelin who has gone to gather support and High Seats of some more powerful houses, is not yet back. We get a lesson in Andoran politics and how the throne is secured. Elayne suffers more from Birgitte’s hangover headache, has to settle some rattled Aes Sedai (one of whom is Adeleas’ killer and DF) who half want to flee from BOP even though it’s not moving, and then deliver a public humiliation to Mellar (Hanlon the DF) for what he’s made seem like a heroic securing of troops from another House but actually probably let in people whose loyalty is in question.
Time for a bath. Aviendha has one with her while Birgitte takes the time to catch everyone up on some news including how well-supplied Caemlyn’s food reserves are thanks to plenty of people able to create gateways for the wagons to get through from Tear and Illian. We also learn that Darlin has made it to Tear and claims it as a Steward for the Dragon Reborn (good for him). Elayne is hoping for news of Gawyn or Galad but none are forthcoming. Gawyn really needs to get to her sister’s side, though first he probably needs to come to terms with Egwene as the Amyrlin, now sieging Tar Valon for a week. Elayne seems understanding of Gawyn’s role in what went down there though this is before she knows he was there for Rand’s kidnapping and boxing… Aes Sedai have been coming and going, staying at an inn in the city, and letting Cadsuane’s name slip to listening ears. Elayne’s musings of Aes Sedai schemes gets interrupted by a commotion as Zaida and her troupe of wavemistresses and windfinders file in to announce the death of their Mistress of the Ships and that they’re going to have to go the select a new one, and they’re going to be taking the promised Aes Sedai teachers with them. Negotiations and weak tea follow. In exchange for some land on which to do trade, Zaida leaves some of the windfinders behind for creating the gateways for supplies and settle for the Aes Sedai teachers to be sent from the Tower once it is secured. No sooner have Zaida and co departed than news comes that Dyelin is back, and with the High Seats of key Houses on tow. Time for fancy frocks to impress, and even Aviendha is stuffed into some frippery. Anyway, turns out that what we have are very young (read: children and adolescents) High Seats of Mantear, Haevin, Gilyan and Northan, some who have potential and some who need to do some growing up, no guardians on sight. They have brought armsmen so there is that, though any further troops making their way from various estates are not going to get to Caemlyn before spring and before their presence would make an actual difference.
High Seats dealt with, and the
Chapter 15 finally! Here we hop to the pov of Elenia Sarand, caught in Arymilla’s ambitions for the throne and held at the camp outside Caemlyn with a threat of sexual advances from Nasin, the High Seat of the most powerful House in Andor and also a complete nutcase. Anyway, not one to waste an opportunity even in the shitshow she finds herself, she’s riding around letting her face be known by the rabble thinking she’s a better fit for a queen than Arymilla who is apparently not the sharpest tool in the shed but dangerous nonetheless. The mistake they both make, of course, is not taking Elayne seriously. Elenia strikes a bargain with Naean Arawn who is also caught in the same trap, also under the threat of sexual violence. This is clearly a theme here and I don’t like it. Anyway, the deal will leave the House Arawn much weakened but Naean is out of options and Elenia isn’t particularly merciful. Anyway, veiled threats and innuendos are exchanged between all concerned, the outcome of which is that Elenia’s maid’s loyalty is in question and I think Nasin’s granddaughter Sylvase may still surprise us all. The second half of the final chapter takes us to the unpleasant mind of Daved Hanlon, currently pretending to be Doilan Mellar, Captain of Queen’s Guard. He’s skulking about in the night, pondering on the Palace politics and power dynamics and underestimating a lot of it. He also casually knifes a man sent (by whom we don’t know and neither does Hanlon) to kill him. Hanlon is off to visit his current leash holder DF Lady Shiaine. Falion is still suffering the punishment as her maid though she and Hanlon have reached an understanding where he just pretends to rape her and they exchange information instead. I’d say that’s something but there’s a very clear indication of another of Shiaine’s servants doing the actual deed as well, and just… Guess it was too good to wish we could get through the series without this theme being so depressingly present. I also just get the impression that we’re supposed to feel okay about it because so far all the women experiencing it are the antagonists and somehow unpleasant and therefore we’re supposed to think they had it coming? Ugh. Anyway, Falion tells Hanlon and the readers that representatives of Houses of Marne and Sarand have been visiting Shiaine. Whoever her current visitor was, however, remains a mystery as Hanlon discovers him thoroughly dead when he’s finally summonsed to Shiaine’s rooms. She wants him to arrange for some of the sul’dam and damane held in the Palace to escape and also to try harder re the food warehouse arsons. Having the whole of Caemlyn looted seems to be the end goal here.
On the banks of Erinin, Egwene is feeling home sick, gazing at the White Tower and contemplating the challenges of sieging Tar Valon. The city and therefore the Tower are still getting supplies and reinforcements via ships and, trying to live by the Three Oaths already, Egwene is not simply sinking them despite the temptation. Sneaking into the ships to gain access to the city has also been made difficult. Bryne wants the Sisters to put him and his men inside Tar Valon via gateways, suggesting it’ll be the least bloody – though still not pretty – option they have, but Egwene wants to keep such use of OP and gateways out of the business of warmaking, and White Tower alive to face Tarmon Gai’don. Egwene’s inner circle, i.e. the AS she made to swear loyalty to her who are now pretending to be her advisors/spies for their respective Ajahs, plus Sheriam are waiting for her with surprise guest of Delana (DF if I remember correctly) who has come to insinuate all manner of things but mostly to say that some of the Sitters are muttering about opening negotiations with Elaida. Egwene tells her to repeat her news to her advisors and after much angry muttering, some cautious support for the suggestion also emerges. Egwene says sure, go ahead and negotiate but the only terms she’ll accept is for Elaida to surrender and go to exile. She is also rightly suspicious of Delana, although hasn’t really considered she might be BA. She certainly is still depressingly accepting of Halima and her magical ability to cure her headaches, which she is obviously also the cause of. Discussion of Delana’s motivations follows. Negotiations are a time-delaying tactic and whilst most seem to think Egwene’s plan is to block the harbour with ships, she knows no such ships are to be had but clearly has some other plan we’re not privy to. She tells the negotiators not to reveal the fact that they’ve discovered ability to Travel or, obviously, that they have people inside the Tower already, trying to undermine Elaida (although we know they’re currently kept busy hunting BA), who they know (thanks to Tel’aran’rhiod trips) to be ruling in a rather erratic and cruel manner. Egwene’s army itself is spread across the river bank into town and villages, and also suffering from food being spoilt (Dark One’s work that is widespread it seems) and weaves of Keeping seemed to be failing even (is that because of what Rand and Nynaeve did?). Overall, Egwene seems to have mastered leadership well, shifting truth from evasion and figuring out what the Ajahs are telling her and what they are keeping to themselves. The massive influx of novices have been organised into ‘families’ with ‘cousins’ thanks to Sharina the grandmother novice with potential out of wazoo, which has reduced the number of runaways considerably. Egwene has set up the Sisters with the relevant talent to making cuendillar and goes to visit the enterprise, trying to stay incognito for the most part. Under the watchful eye of Tiana, Mistress of the Novices, and Sharina, Novices, Accepted and Sisters are all turning objects into cuendillar for the purpose of sale and income revenue, something some of the AS are not feeling particularly easy about. Nicola and her friend Areina (remember them, they made the mistake of trying to blackmail Egwene) are still unhappy and sulky, greedy for more knowledge, and in Nicola’s case exaggerating her Foretelling abilities widely. I doubt we’ll see the last of them.
Inspection done, Egwene contemplates on her new reputation as a hard taskmistress with a temper to match. She returns to her study to find Halima and Siuan staring at each other like strange cats. Halima makes a clumsy attempt to get Egwene to confide in her, which fails at least for now. Siuan tries to convince Egwene that Halima is rather less pleasant when Egwene isn’t watching but it falls on dead ears sadly. They do exchange some information though, Egwene explaining about the negotiations with Elaida, Siuan telling her about her forays into Tel’aran’rhiod version of the White Tower, both of them pondering on the mystery of too young for the position Sitters (this better be an interesting mystery when solved or else). White Tower seems to be isolating itself from the city of Tar Valon but so far they don’t have the secret of gateways at least. There’s some musings on men and love (seems Siuan has made no progress with Byrne yet, I’ll be upset if we don’t get this on page after all this). News of the world is largely depressing, including acceptance of Seanchans who, for all their organised slavery, actually seem to be keen on providing organised health and social care. The unknown quantity and quality of the Sisters accompanying the Borderlanders are a worry. As are the Sisters who are Travelling in and out of the camp as they please, not that Egwene can really do anything about that. Egwene’s plans to introduce the changes of Kin retirement and the Atha’an Miere bargain (which, cleverly enough, will include sending their own tribute sisters back to their own). No one is sure what’s happening at Tear but Merana (a grey Sister sworn to Rand) have been seen to enter the fortress. For some reason Egwene is jumping to the Compulsion conclusion without realising that the same way she’s twisted some arms to get Sisters to swear loyalty to her, Rand may have presented similar choice to the AS… News of Cadsuane being around have also reached them.
News comes that the Hall is sitting. Egwene waits the bare minimum before striding off to attend, Sheriam barely making it in time to announce her (where was she, what is going on with her?). There are clear schemes happening since people aren’t even sitting in their usual places and are just whispering in random combinations. I mean, I find AS politics fascinating but from the pov of writing these summaries they get glossed over because dear god. Anyway. Lelaine and some others seems ready to talk about these negotiations with Elaida (which comes us more or less of a surprise to different people) but others have much more urgent matters, which is the findings by the Sitters who went to see BOP and found a big hole where Shadar Logoth used to be and also figured out it was made with both saidar and saidin. The conclusion everyone jumps to is Forsaken (…why is no one thinking Rand?). And because not even all of them in circles is a match for that a solution is suggested: let us bond some Asha’man. Or at least propose a deal. Because the way to increase the size of a circle is to include men in it. Hysterics follow. After much wailing and hair pulling (Sheriam, get hold of yourself woman!) but not before Egwene shouts them to order, the Hall actually accepts the proposal. How they are to implement it, however, is not something decided in one sitting. Finally, Egwene gets to go have some dinner and hear how uneasy Halima makes Chesa. After that she pops off to leave a dream telegram to Elayne to come and have a chat, but it’s Aviendha who shows up because apparently being pregnant makes handling OP a bit of a hit and miss. Egwene is still having some quiet disapproval over the whole foursome situation with Rand, Elayne, Aviendha and Min, but at least she keeps it to herself. Anyway, she updates Aviendha on the AS plans to eventually head toward Caemlyn to approach the Black Tower, and to pop into see how Elayne is doing. Plans must be made how to keep both the Atha’an Miere bargain and the ex damane and sul’dam in Caemlyn hidden. After some mutual wishes for self-care, Egwene slips in to observe her dreams which include some sexy ones of Gawyn but also the prophetic ones about Mat bowling over men like pins, the whole thing involving an Illuminator (I say the reinvention of canon and gunpowder is still in the works) and of a Seanchan attack on White Tower and possibility of Egwene having to accept a Seanchan’s help to save herself. Morning brings news that Anayia and her Warder had been killed using saidin (pretty obviously by Halima). Egwene tasks Nisao to find out who did it.
Alviarin’s return to White Tower is less triumphant than she anticipated. She’s been on Mesaana’s errands in Tremalking (remember how shit was going down there and then we haven’t head anything else) but has also popped over to see the big ‘ol hole Rand and Nynaeve made. She’s contemplating on how much she hates Mesaana and Elaida both, and generally I just get the impression that we need to empower women to get to positions of influence without resorting to evil and we would solve some problems here? Anyway. She confirms that it is the Dark Lord responsible for all the food spoilage and gateways to the maths library (smallest lol). The Sea Folk librarians hint at sad times and Alviarin hurries to see what is up, climbing all the way to Elaida’s study (whilst dreaming of a marvel from the Age of Legends called lift lol). Her relief at finding Elaida alive is short-lived though, as she has gained the upper hand, meeting with the Sitters and ordering Alviarin into the naughty corner. Alviarin logics that the only way she would have the gumption to do that is if she knew and had proof that she was BA (though later we find out that’s not really the case because Elaida is not that clever). The Sitters are there to inform Elaida that they will be entering negotiations with the rebels to try and keep the White Tower whole. Alviarin observes the way Talene defers to Yukiri and Doesene which is bad news for them. Elaida’s terms are as unmovable as Egwene’s and include disbandment of Blue Ajah and penance for every sister who followed the rebels. The Travelling cat is also out of the bag. Once the Sitters leave, Alviarin learns the extend of her troubles: all her blackmail threats are powerless since blame for the disaster with Rand and Black Tower has fallen on others, and since she was away when the rebels arrived it had been easy to get Elaida to remove her as the Keeper. The word treason is thrown about which Alviarin takes as confirmation that Elaida knows she’s BA. In panic she flees to her rooms and uses an OP telephone to call Mesaana, who doesn’t seem particularly receptive to helping. However, Shaidar Haran pops over for a surprise visit and we learn that not only is he angry with Mesaana (presumably because she didn’t show up to try and stop Rand and Nynaeve cleansing saidin, though honestly, what good would’ve she have done?) but is also possibly the Great Lord himself, riding a Myrdraal meat suite. He gonna make Mesaana sorry but first gives a dark mark to Alviarin right on her forehead. Guess there’s no backing out now.
Elsewhere in the Tower, Pevara is having tea with Tarna, the new, if somewhat reluctant, Keeper. If you remember, she was also the one who’d travelled to Salidar to try and convince people to return. On the way back, she’d ran into Asha’man recruiting parties, done the numbers, and reached the conclusion that the only way to deal with them is for the Red Sisters to take them as Warders, and also, not to mention this to Elaida. She’s brought the proposal to Pevara because of her reputation for being unconventional. Pevara shares the letter from Toveine and now they know that Asha’man have been bonding Aes Sedai.
In a manor house somewhere in Tear (belonging to a man whose brother Cadsuane once caught for channelling and got gentled), Cadsuane is overseeing the rest and recuperation of the party responsible for BOP and flattening of Shadar Logoth. The Sea Folk have been delivered to Tear to deal with the death of their Mistress of Ships and because Harine thinks Min’s prophecy of her attaining the title means it’ll happen now. Min comes to fetch Cadsuane for a chat with Rand. We get a casual suggestion that Verin is indeed banging her Warder Tomas, and I for one support that. Cadsuane is unsure of Verin, disapproves Min and co bonding Rand, observes Sisters putting differences aside for sake of knowledge, gets drawn into a discussion about the complexities of bonding Asha’man as Warders including how they seem to be growing stronger in OP, seems to doubt whether saidin really is free of the taint and spots Nynaeve watching Lan and others do sword practice (she is conscious, why is she not on the dreamland phone to Egwene and Elayne already omfg??). Alivia (former damane, foretold to help Rand die in the future) and Elza (one of the AS sworn to Rand) are guarding his door but eventually let Cadsuane in. Rand himself is colder and harder still after the saidin cleansing, and still dizzy to boot. Rand has been learning about the Seanchan army from Alivia but before he can share his conclusions they are interrupted by news that Warders left in Cairhien are coming and bringing some unexpected guests with them.
We finally get Rand’s pov! I’ve actually missed it so even this short chapter is welcome. He is still angsting over loving three women and whether it was right to let them bond him (not that he had much of a choice there), and also still having chat with good old Lews, vacillating between doom and gloom and gibbering excitement in his head. I am personally affronted that the Shadar Logoth cursed dagger wound did not just magically heal when Rand evaporated the cursed city itself, seems terribly unfair. Snuggled in bed with Min, Rand ponders on the arrivals which include Davram Bashere with troops, Logain (yes!!) and Asha’man with their bonded Aes Sedai (though at this point Rand doesn’t know that’s what they are). Min sees some troubling dark images around Bashere. Rand is still feeling the sickness when seizing OP even with the taint gone which is just insult to injury, boy just can’t catch a break. On the bright side, Loial has also arrived and the reunion is joyous, or at least as much as Rand is capable of feeling feelings still. Loial brings news that while some Steddings have promised to guard Waygates, some haven’t. Rand has plans for Loial, given the tales of Seanchan ‘Gardeners’. Loial also explains about the bonded Aes Sedai, while Samitsu breaks the same news to Cadsuane, who orders her back to Cairhien to keep an eye on Sashelle.
The vibes between Logain and Rand are more positive than between Rand and Taim, but still tense (delicious). Rand is, as expected, somewhat incensed by the ‘we bonded Aes Sedai’ news, especially as Logain explains that Taim gave the order and let it be assumed that it had come from Rand (wow, Taim is really playing a dangerous game) and also confirms my earlier thoughts in that the Asha’man are loyal to Taim because he’s there, present, unlike Rand who most of them have never even seen. Also, no one (including Logain) seems to believe it was Rand who cleansed the saidin. Honestly, poor boy. Anyway, what’s done is done with the bonding on both sides but Rand is adamant there should be no more of it, certainly not without informed consent on both sides. Bashere delivers to the news of the ransacking on his tent, explaining that it seems that DFs are thinking he and Dobraine are guarding the seals for Rand. Rand shares his plans: he can’t fight both the Shadow and the Seanchan at the same time, so he’s sending Logain, Bashere and Loial to forge truce with the Seanchan. No one takes it well. Elza and her Warder are revealed to be DFs and, like I suspected, her motivation for swearing to Rand is to ensure he makes it to Tarmon Gai’don so that the Great Lord could defeat him.
Elsewhere, Perrin has dressed up fancy to go buy some supplies. Their camp is pretty permanent now and food is getting scarce. He still hasn’t fucked Aram to contentment so the poor boy is sulking and growling like a dog in heat. Arganda is increasingly difficult to handle too. They plus, Berelain, Masuri, Seonid and various others head off to the city of So Habor with much pomp and circumstance in order to impress the nobles and merchants there that they mean business with their buying excursion. Balwer comes too, with his new adopted spy children aka Faile’s retinue. Neald, the Asha’man, is the only one who’s having whale of a time. All is not well in So Habor. Everyone is not just suspicious of outsiders but also unwashed and generally seem to have given up on life. The local lord has fled but eventually Perrin and co are directed to what’s left of the merchants’ guild. The Aes Sedai set off to figure out what’s going on, while Perrin and Berelain ask to see the warehouses before agreeing on the purchase. What they find (after Perrin’s casual flex of physical prowess) are some very aggressive rats and grain absolutely infected with weevils. We learn that the dead are walking in So Habor and people are seeing and possibly dying of because of the ghosts. Why that means they have stopped washing themselves, I don’t know (the only way to tell the living from the dead is... the stench?). Anyway, I learn a new word: winnowing. This happens with all the grain purchased which takes too long for Perrin’s tastes and eventually he leaves the rest of them to it and returns to the camp. There he finds much tension, and Masema and Arganda torturing some Shaido prisoners in a rather gruesome manner, but because Aielmen are good at embracing pain they’re not giving anything up. Perrin asks for information nicely first and when that doesn’t work, he chops off the prisoner’s hand, tells AS to heal it and then says he’ll keep going and eventually leave them handless and footless to beg in a village somewhere, which is the kind of threat that gets Aiel’s attention. Perrin stalks off to the forest, leaves his axe there (very symbolic sure but I think he'll regret it later), has a heart-to-heart with Elyas about how alive he feels in the battle. Because this is fiction, torture works (children, research shows that it does not) except the information they get is next to useless. Balwer comes back with Tallanvor of all people, who hasn’t found Morgase obviously but he has found fifteen thousand Taraboner under Seanchan covers and dozen damane too. There’s a devil’s bargain that might dip the scales in Perrin’s favour.
For Mat and co, the trek from Ebou Dar with Luca’s circus is slow and wet. There’s some coin to be had with performances and roads are teeming with Seanchan soldiers and settlers. The Aes Sedai are sneaking out for some information gathering and the sul’dam are sneaking out after them and together they are trying Mat’s very last nerve. The word on the streets is that the Seanchan army is aiming for Illian next, and that Suroth has made a deal with some king of another (assume the Domani one). Everyone takes it on themselves to gather more intelligence for an excuse to get out, and Mat worries about Thera caving at the first frown from Seanchans and selling them all up. Mat’s got a game of his own to play though. His opening salvo of shiny jewellery, however, is a… Well, let’s call it a misfire. There’s an interlude of Tuon playing Snakes and Foxes with Olver and Noal reciting some prophecy about Mat, but eventually the jewellery gets dismissed by Tuon and then Selucia, who hands it to poor Egeanin who gets her Blood status revoked in the process. Mat’s a clever boy though and next night he goes simply to play stones with Tuon, and the next, and the next etc, whilst also bringing paper flowers and cloth flowers… To Selucia. Surprisingly (to most het men at least I assume), simply spending time with her doing something they both enjoy, turns out to be the ticket. Mat is feeling some feelings about her eyes and laughter and sharp mind, which is generally fucking adorable. Eventually, he brings Tuon some silk rosebuds and she informs him she wishes to go for walks. Mat suspects she might even know what he’s up to with this seduction strategy of his. Anyway, they talk about their interests (…horses seems to be the one shared one lol) and spend some quality time together. From Egeanin Mat learns that they are already Seanchan engaged because he named her his wife three times and now all Tuon has to do is name him her husband three times in return within a year and a day and then they are married. Absolutely impeccable use of the ‘accidentally married according to alien customs’ trope. A+ I lolled. Mat has… some feelings about it all. However, a couple of days later they ride through a village full of Seanchan soldiers and Tuon is out of the wagon (though hidden in her cape and cowl, and yet she never says a word, when a mere call for help would’ve brought it all crashing down. In a beautifully executed moment, Mat decides that there’s no point of running from fate and also, man ought to trust the woman he’s going to marry. Then he takes her (and Selucia) shopping for dress fabrics, even though the dice are tumbling in his head again. More ghosts are sighted, at least by Mat, on the road to town where the women proceed to visit every fabric shop before spending a sizeable amount of his coin. Back at the camp, they are faced with the news that Egeanin has been stabbed… By Rena, one of the sul’dam, who has also taken flight to try and get to the Seanchan garrison relatively nearby. Teslyn heals her despite witnesses so the Aes Sedai cats are out of the bag. As is the little detail how the a’dam work on sul’dam so that’s given Tuon some things to ponder on (this is also when Mat realises that he’s going to marry a woman who can channel). Mat tells everyone to leave the show and run ahead, while he and Vanin and various Redarms head after Rena. They reach her before she can sell them out but not in time to take her alive. Mat orders her shot and angsts over the third woman he’s killed (he and Rand ought to compare notes here), and when they return to the show he finds everyone still there because Tuon has wrapped Luca around her little finger with promise of imperial protection. She also forbids Mat to mourn for a traitor, and is finally wearing the silk rosebuds. Mat loses it but in a positive way, delighted by her ability to surprise him. Absolutely loving this canon pairing.
In a camp outside Tar Valon, Egwene is trying to behave normally despite big plans being afoot. Alas, another sister, one who was tapped for doing an important task, is murdered, and now Bode Cauthon (Mat’s sister) needs to take her place. Egwene observes everyone being on edge, most of the sisters walking around holding saidar and followed by their Warders. She receives some intelligence about Nynaeve, another history lesson from Siuan, and news that Nicola and Areina have ran away (my guess is to Elaida). Sadly, no one believes she’s really a Dreamer and therefore her warnings re Seanchan attack is not taken seriously. Now that Anaiya is dead, the Blue Ajah has sent a new advisor but of course Maigan is not one who has sworn fealty to Egwene so her showing up puts a stop to the more important discussion. Eventually, Romanda pops over as well to report that the negotiations with White Tower are not going well, but mostly to voice her doubts and objections about the Kin. Egwene shares her findings on how the Oath Rod shortens their lives which is why the retirement to the Kin makes sense. There is much exclamations and falling of chairs. Not sooner has Romanda left, that Lelaine comes in to suggest that the Warder bond as applied to Asha’man could be… modified, to ensure obedience. Egwene’s line on compulsion, however, is a firm no. Finally free of the visitors, Egwene decides that she won’t leave this important task for Bode and rides out, incognito, to replace her. She gets on the boat and starts turning the chains across harbour into cuendillar. But as soon as she’s done someone strikes her down… The White Tower has her and she was betrayed! By whom, though, is the question.
In Tear, Rand received word that the Seanchan are amenable to a truce and they have heir to the throne ready to meet her… Except we know that Suroth is lying and the Daughter of Nine Moons is busy elsewhere.
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