Wheel of Time, Books 13 & 14, Kat's Extreme Readers' Digest, The Irreverent Edition

[kat_lair]

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Here we are, at an end of the journey (yes, more WoT activities coming up as promised over at tar_valon). I started doing the 'Kat's Extreme Readers' Digest, The Irreverent Edition' summaries to help with the Book Club posts and to help myself to keep track of what happened and by the time I realised what task I'd set up for myself it was too late; I'd started so now I HAD TO finish.

The total word count for the Reader's Digests of all fourteen books is ~107k. Haha. Ha. In comparison though, the total word count of the actual books is, according to the internet, 4,012,859 so in that sense I did a Very Good Job at condensing the text to its salient (according to me) points :D

I did get increasing wordy though. For comparison, the Irreverent Summary for Book 1 was 2,3k but for Book 14 it was over 17k. In my defense, a the events got more complex and cast larger as the series progressed.

Despite the whining (which also got louder over time) I enjoyed doing this and will, for the sake of completeness probably offer the same for the prequel and short story analysis...

But for now, for your reading pleasure, I present 'Kat's Extreme Readers' Digest, The Irreverent Editions' of the final two books.

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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

Book 9. Winter's Heart

Book 10. Crossroads of Twilight

Book 11. Knife of Dreams

Book 12. The Gathering Storm

Now:
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Book 13. Towers of Midnight

We start with a lovely quote from Loial's book regarding the meeting in the stedding and if this is all we're going to get about that amma gonna smack a bitch. Sanderson keeps his prologue to a reasonable length. First up is Lan, our drama doberman puppy, 'riding to his death' and seething over how his wife tricked him into having at least some chance of survival which is obviously terrible. Anyway, first of the many followers of the Golden Crane finds him and emotionally bullies Lan into accepting his company even though he was not technically riding and therefore Lan didn't need to technically do that. Love what a petty little bitch he is being about this. Perrin, meanwhile, is having vaguely prophetic dreams about working the forge, and not understanding Hopper's advice to stop being obstinate and accept all his parts including the wolf one. There are some creepy steel figurines, one with Aram's face, so at least he's doing some emotional work over that fuck-up as he relives Malden. I don't think it's going to happen but I think Perrin's smithing-fu is wasted if he isn't involved in making Aludra's dragons. In a genuinely surprising twist Graendal turns out to be more resilient than your average cockroach. We get the events of her presumed death from her pov and learn the following: Graendal has a trickle of True Power now and is quite enjoying it, Aran'gar is kinda hers now but is also 'exchanging affections' (that's what we're calling it now apparently) with Delana. Once Graendal realises Ramshalan is Rand's puppet she actually has Delana and Aran'gar be the ones to weave compulsion on him, while she hitches a ride on a dove and goes to see what Rand is up to. She sees him with the access key and realises she's about to get annihilated, promptly slams shields on Delana and Aran'gar and gateways into an ocean cave hideaway before balefire hits the building like a fist of god. The resulting ripple of pattern readjusting I assume is the one that was felt everywhere. Meanwhile, Galad and his ragtag Whitecloaks are traipsing through a swamp. He knows he's headed for the Last Battle sooner rather than later, is willing to ally with the witches and Dragon himself for it. There's a rousing speech and determination to see Asunawa dead, which is a worthy goal. Some delay with that as Galad's scout leads him straight into Asunawa's trap. Too bad for him Galad has been drinking the same Superior Logic juice as Egwene and debates him into a deal to spare the men with him in exchange for surrendering. A beating follows. Elsewhere still, Padan Fain, our shit weasel extraordinaire, lives, crazier than ever. He's spreading the corruption of the Blight, aiming high by planning to kill the Dark One after Rand. Ngl, can't wait for the Shadar Logoth brand of evil fuck things up for everyone. The final part of the prologue is a tear-jerker, set in Heeth Tower where Kandori soldiers are keeping watch on the edge of the Blight. In a 'Gondor calls for aid' scene we get a flash from the neighbouring tower, a boy receives a sword from his father, and a horde of Shadowspawn descend. I'm not crying, you're crying.

The wind that blows through time and space takes us on tour of Seandar that is in full-blown civil war before settling on the foothills of Dragonmount where an old farmer is watching the family orchard which has just dropped all of their fruit overnight. But alas, along comes Obi-Wan Kenobi a strange young man heralded by sunlight and apple blossoms. It's Rand of course, who tells him to gather up the apples (now perfectly ripe and ready for the picking). Near Jehannah Road, Perrin's progress toward Andor is slow. Bubble of evil snakes almost killed the Asha'man, Master Gill and co have changed route due to excess of mud, newcomers in hope of food in exchange for fighting keep joining them and things aren't exactly peaceful in the camp with all the factions. At least he's now learned about Masema's death. Perrin can feel Rand's ta'veren pull tugging at him, but first needs to sort out the awkwardness between him and Faile, and also accept the fact that he's gathering an army and that he's the leader of it. In the Whitecloak camp, Galad wakes up bound and bruised. He occupies himself by cleaning his face, determined to go to the Questioners with his head held high, though turns out he doesn't have to. The Lord Captains in the camp had all turned against Asunawa and bring in his head (yay! I was only sad to have missed the actual beheading) and promptly swear allegiance.

In the White Tower, Egwene is still feeling rather ambivalent about Gawyn. She's leaving a dream message to Nynaeve to stop avoiding her and has some Dreams about thirteen black towers, a serpent killing eagles, and a sphere which I assume is the Dark One's prison. She wakes up to the news that Rand has popped over for a chat. Honestly, this is a scene I've been dreading but it actually goes better than I expected, although not like... super well. We observe the entrance through Siuan's eyes, who is infuriatingly self-aware, acknowledging that Egwene actually is the better option than her as the Amyrlin receiving the Dragon Reborn, although Bryne reminds her that she's the one who paved the way. Rand has achieved a level of jedi tranquillity, smiling softly at people, which unnerves them more than him being cold as ice did. Outstanding. He stops by to thank Siuan for taking an arrow for him that one time and ask what kind of Amyrlin Egwene is. Tiana stops by to deliver a note to Rand, I assume it's one of Verin's letters. Egwene and Rand don't exactly fight but they have some... differences of opinion. Essentially, Rand has come to let her know that he's about to go and break the Dark One's prison in order to seal it anew, and he'd quite like Aes Sedai help. Egwene thinks that's madness. I hope she comes around.

Back to Perrin who is observing the spread of Blight right there on the side of Jehannah Road, and a strange empty village too. No one protests when he orders it to be burned with One Power. In the Wolf Dream, he struggles to accept both sides of himself even while Hopper invites him to come and hunt a magical white stag which Perrin almost kills. There are also some meaningful visions of Mat fighting against versions of himself and people walking blindly toward a cliff edge. Galad is taking to leadership well, sending a missive to the Children under Seanchan rule that he's in charge and come pronto. The others are swallowing the 'allying ourselves with Aes Sedai' pill with grimaces. Honestly hope Galad ends up bonded to someone, or vice versa if he turns out to be like his half-brother with the OP. Anyway, at least he's introducing some shades of grey into the Whitecloak worldview so there's that. The bad news is that they have captured Master Gill and co, and some of them describe Perrin... Bornhald is ready for murder.

Gawyn is skulking around the White Tower but not as murderously as Mesaana who keeps killing sisters still. Gawyn has some observations about the latest crime scene and makes up with Chubain. Relations with Egwene are still decidedly cooler, although she admits that he has a point about encouraging sisters to take Warders to protect them from the Last Battle. She orders him to stop guarding her door at night though, determined to set herself up as a bait. She also sends a letter to Darlin, telling him about Rand's plans to break the seals. Graendal receives summons from Moridin, does her best to convince him that the events at Natrin's Barrow were deliberate scheming from her part, a way to bring pain to the Dragon Reborn by manipulating him to kill innocents. She is shifting her focus to Perrin and has spies among his army (guesses in now). Moridin shows off his collectibles and gives her a dreamspike that can hurt Perrin in the Wolf Dream. There's also a dark prophecy that says Graendal will kill Perrin. Yikes.

Morgase is serving tea and reflecting on the opportunities to hear all sorts of news whilst refilling cups. The Blight infected batch has been thoroughly cleansed and the conversation turns to the logic of trying to send people home when most don't want to go and instead want to stay and fight with Perrin at the Last Battle which is imminent. Perrin finally loses his patience about the wolfhead banner and orders it burned. A scouting party is sent to Cairhien to see if Rand is there, and to get some information and supplies. All possible with Asha'man linking with the Aes Sedai and Wise Ones to form a circle. Morgase hungers for news about Elayne. Perrin tries to order her and Tallanvor to marry and quite rightly gets told to go fuck himself. Tallanvor of course takes it as a personal rejection because he's man, idk. Sulin brings news that Whitecloaks have been spotted.

We find Lan on the border between Kandor and Saldaea. His stubborn ass is trying to take back roads to avoid the help Nynaeve has sent his way, but delightfully all Malkieri descendants are first grade trolls and just rock up and be like 'idk what you're talking about, I'm just riding in the same direction, you can't order me because you're not my king... or are you?' Absolutely outstanding. In the Whitecloak camp, Bryar and Bornhald are frothing at the mouth, filling Galad's head with tales of what a terrible shadowspan Perrin is. Perrin meanwhile is craving meat, and stuck between mud and Whitecloaks, trying to figure out if there's a way out of the situation without fighting.

In Caemlyn full of refugees and teetering on a boiling point, Mat is trying to keep a low profile since everyone seems to be looking for him, and listening to rumours about himself. He's also agonising about Verin's letter but hasn't opened it yet. The gruesome killings in the city tell him that the gholam is still after him. No wonder them dice are back, rattling in his skull. He's sent a letter to Elayne that he's in town but hasn't gotten a reply yet, which is a cause for some peevishness. Mat picks up Thom who has been doing some performing and listening himself, and they head back to the Band's camp on the outskirts of Caemlyn, discussing the gathered intelligence on Tower of Ghenjei. The Aes Sedai have been information gathering too and Teslyn comes by to say they'll be returning to the White Tower and to thank him for freeing them from the Seanchans. Mat offers them horses despite his initial refusal. That's the end of the pleasant part of the evening because as soon as he steps into his tent he finds blood and the gholam waiting. A fight ensues, during which the gholam says he's been ordered to kill everyone Mat holds dear, including Tuon, if it doesn't manage to kill him. Teslyn helps out, but despite that the gholam escapes but not without killing some people. Lopin, Mat's serving man is also dead, but Olver had been safe with Noal. Mat is determined to hunt the gholam down but first, another missive to Elayne.

Perrin is doing the camp rounds and reflecting on the 'what goes around, comes around' nature of his Whitecloaks encounters. The OP users have mastered the art of making a circle and clearly better understanding between the sexes follows. I guess the real victory was the gender dichotomy that we healed along the way. The Asha'man want to return to the Black Tower to check on their families and honestly, I wish Perrin would let them because I want to know what Taim is up to. Perrin and Galad meet to parley except Galad seems to be there just to confirm that Perrin's golden eyes are true which obviously must mean he's a shadowspan, omfg.

In Caemlyn, Elayne has been told not to tax herself which is difficult when she's still dealing with holdouts like Ellorien, trying to decide what to do with the captive nobles and Windfinders demanding their promised piece of land. Time is clearly ripe to move on to secure the Cairhien throne. Norry comes with the news that Duhara (the Red Sister sent as an advisor who we now know to be BA) has been meeting with Ellorien, on purpose to rile her up. Norry also finally shares Mat's hilarious letter (honestly, a thing of beauty), having kept the previous one to himself due to assuming that claims of someone knowing Elayne personally were rubbish. Elayne is delighted to have Mat and the Band here, especially because both will be useful to her.

In Stone of Tear, Min is enjoying the warmth coming from her bond with Rand heralding the change he's experienced. Alanna has disappeared, possibly following instructions from Verin's letter. The tea tastes good once more. Rand arrives with interesting and bloody new viewings, and a calm announcement that there's no more need to hide from the shadow whose eyes are firmly fixed on him now. No time to waste in putting things to right as much as possible then. Rand acknowledges his toh to the Maidens, admits having been a bit of a dick, sends news to the Borderlanders in Far Madding that he accepts their terms, drops the bomb about Egwene being Amyrlin and their little chat, asks Min to figure out how Callandor fits into defeating evil, de-exiles Cadsuane and asks her to locate... someone. Then he puts all the nobles on a row and makes them all meet his eyes because apparently he can now identify DFs like that. Disappointingly (because it was too on the nose) Weiramon and Anaiyella turn out to be guilty and Rand lets them go. Rand and Tam finally hug it out (awww) and Rand introduces Min to his father.

Egwene reflects on the challenges of image management as a leader and has a catch-up with the Wise Ones in tel'aran'rhiod. There's a satisfying amount of women supporting women, and plans to ensure future Accepted get some quality training time with the Wise Ones too. Egwene tells them about Rand's plans to break the seals and her plans to 'gather those who resist him'... Oh dear. Next she catches up with Nynaeve and they also have a conversation about their changing relationship with Egwene's new status. The whole thing was actually quite well handled imho. Elayne pops in as well and news are shared, including Rand's change of mental status and Elayne's pregnancy, which may stop her from coming over to take the test and swear the oaths. Nynaeve, however, has no such impediments and Egwene wants her in the White Tower pronto for that. Before she manages to share news of Verin's revelations, they are interrupted by Talva and Alviarin. Egwene manages to capture first who is then accidentally killed by the latter, who escapes.

Back in Tear, Nynaeve and Naeff, an Asha'man with some visual hallucinations, are hurrying off to witness the aftermath of another bubble of evil. Everything and everyone in its influence is frozen and turns into dust at the first touch. They use OP to blow down everything and sweep up the dust. Nynaeve channels her frustration into healing Naeff's taint induced madness. She and Rand have a chat about the necessity of opening the Dark One's bore, and how Nynaeve needs to cling to her passion and caring. She gets the goddamn praise she needs for her skills. Rand is thinking about sending someone to deal with the Black Tower and I am keeping my fingers crossed for Logain. I mean what is he even doing right now? In the White Tower, Egwene receives research report from Saerin, Yukiri and Seaine, who have been trying to figure out how Mesaana could have avoided detection with the re-swearing of the oaths. Three theories, the murders and Mesaana's background are all discussed. Personally, I'm amused that it's the spurned academic Forsaken who has made it this far alive. Like the extreme consequence of having one too many grant applications turned down.

Faile is keeping busy. Berelain needs to be dealt with, lessons from Malden and before put into practice, a corrupt quartermaster kept within acceptable limits. Perrin is moping on a hillside and questing with the wolves when Faile finds him. They finally have a much-needed heart-to-heart about Perrin's leadership insecurities, things he got up to while Faile was captured, how Two Rivers would now pick a lord regardless and how Perrin was the best option. Faile is determined to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary, which they do with a picnic, discussion of Perrin's wolf-tendencies, story of his old beef with the Whitecloaks and Faile's experiences of Malden, and, once all the secrets are shared, sweet love-making. Mat is having a less pleasant night of it, hiding under Aludra's wagon. He says goodbye to the Aes Sedai, the former sul'dam (who Mat tasks with finding a way to fix the Empire's relationship with women who can channel without destroying it in the process), and Juilin, Thera, Leilwin and Domon who are all going with them, also Vanin who is sent as protection of sorts. Mat gives Teslyn a message to convey to the Amyrlin: he'll be coming for the zombie horn sooner rather than later. Setalle Anan is staying behind and Mat asks her to look after Olver while he and the others are busy hunting the gholem. Elayne and Birgitte are having some words about Elayne's safety and wellbeing. She offers the Kin a formal place in Andor, associated with and protected by the crown in return for healing and traveling. Elayne is future-proofing Andor for after the Last Battle, when the Seanchans might come. She still needs channelers to use in battle though. And the Black Tower is right there...

Perrin is back in the wolf dream, spying on the Whitecloak camp and considering the option of just destroying them once and for all. Another lesson with Hopper follows, Perring trying to be present as his whole self but not too strongly at the same time lest he lose himself in the wolf dream. They encounter a purple wall of wrongness. In Saldea, outside Maradon, Ituralde and his troops are trying to keep the hordes of Trollocs at bay. Maradon doesn’t let them into the shelter of their walls because they are foreign invaders. The Shadowspawn army deploys trebuchets and pummels Itralde’s troops with Trolloc corpses, and then uses that as a ploy to actually send in some live attackers including Draghkars. Things look grim, Ituralde is hoping Rand’s promise of aid holds true. Faile and Berelain finally have a frank discussion, although Berelain’s motivations are still shadowed. Can’t believe we’re just going to brush over that with ‘oh well women’, ugh. Anyway, the rumours of the affair are difficult to counteract. Faile bluffs being prepared to fight Berelain to death over it but really she’s hoping for Berelain to come up with another option since she’s better at scheming. She does, and that’s for two of them to pretend to be friends (...we've all read this fic right?). I maintain that they could’ve just started a rumour that the two of them slept together as well but I guess.

Mat is heading off to finally meet with Elayne whilst having a minor fashion crisis (lace or no lace is the question it seems). Olver is keen to talk about the plans for the Tower of Ghenjei, and is going to take the news that he’ll be left behind badly. Gyubon receives Mat and co and shares some of the rumours about him, many of which hit uncomfortably close to the truth. Mat is expects Elayne to be haughty and to have to bargain hard to get Aludra’s dragons built, but instead gets hugsies, news about Rand’s impending fatherhood (omfg the whole world will know about it before him by this rate) and a relatively reasonable agreement that Elayne builds and owns the cannons, but they are for Band’s exclusive use and they get to keep some of them if and when they depart Andor’s service. Also, Mat gives his medallion to Elayne for three days for study and replication, and gets a new serving man (to help with the lace issue). Elayne will use the Band to help secure Cairhien, and hopefully not against Two Rivers and Perrin’s perceived Manetheren ambitions. Thom gets a court bard title whenever he shows up in Caemlyn, and a pardon.

In the White Tower, Nynaeve is given instructions for her test. She is rightly very firm that she is already Aes Sedai because the Amyrlin raised her and the test is to demonstrate that she’s worthy, not to see if she is. That whole thing was very nicely handled, I thought. Also pleased that Nynaeve has had a warm welcome from the Yellow Ajah for her skills. The test is basically a hundred settings where Nynaeve has to perform the hundred weaves calmly and not run or get distracted by the scenarios set by the other sisters like sick children or Shadowspawn attacking Two Rivers or insects or Lan in danger or… It’s all rather unpleasant and Nynaeve does not face it calmly but instead gets creative with the test weaves and gets through on sheer spite and also balefire which is very sexy of her. At the end some of the sisters argue that she failed because she didn’t remain calm and Nynaeve basically tells them to go fuck themselves, that she’d always choose saving people over a title. She and Egwene have an interesting conversation about the dangers of Aes Sedai and the White Tower being too separate from the world. The final vote is narrowly in Nynaeve's favour and the first thing she does is gateway to find Myrelle to finally get Lan’s bond transferred to her.

Perrin is nodding his way through a powerpoint presentation on the current mess, i.e. the intelligence gathered in Cairhien. Plan still seems to be to go to Andor and avoid a spat with Elayne, though Whitecloaks need dealing with first. The Aiel have decided to give Seanchans the traditional year and a day to keep the captured Wise Ones and then they’ll go and get them back by force. Well, looks like the Last Battle will be done beforehand though. Morgase finally learns that Gaebril was Rahvin and quite understandably has some emotions over it. Perrin is still trying to send people away but mostly they want to stay and fight. Balwer informs Perrin about his ‘wanted’ posters and also refuses a bigger pay in favour of being able to keep dealing in secrets. In Saldea, Ituralde is having a terrible day, his troops in controlled retreat which gets scrambled because Lidrin loses his mind and goes on attack. They are quite literally being slaughtered, but at the last moment Yoeli from Maradon comes to the rescue, against direct orders. Morgase is reflecting on the Rahvin news while Tallanvor comes to do his ‘since thou doth not love me, I shall take mine leave though my heart stays here’ goodbyes, still butthurt over the whole ‘refusing to get married on orders’ thing. He does see sense in the end and agrees to stay when Morgase explains about Rahvin and just needing some time.

Gawyn is still skulking around the White Tower at night, trying to avoid the temptation of Egwene’s door. He speaks to some of the younglings who have decided to choose gay comradery over Warder bond and gets them set up as a unit within the Tower Guard. Then he goes to seen Bryne who is busily preparing for war but has some time to give Gawyn the ‘first learn to love and respect yourself and know who you are before you try to commit to a relationship’ speech which honestly he needed to hear. Siuan shares some advice as well. Gawyn still goes to loiter by the Amyrlin’s door and spots suspicious movement in the shadows. In chasing whatever that is he inadvertently springs the trap Egwene had laid out to catch the killer instead. Sigh.

In Caemlyn, Mat is missing his calling as a writer (man just wants to create OCs). He, Thom and Noal have been gathering the essentials for storming the fey tower: courage, fireworks, musical instruments and iron. Gholam and Verin’s letter are both still causing vexation. Mat decides to go see Birgitte for some advice, seeming as she’s actually been to the Tower of Genjei herself. On the way he interrupts a robbery and then ends up killing the victim because he tried to collect the bounty on Mat’s head. In the palace, Birgitte is suffering through opera (which apparently has been recently invented) when the word comes that someone tried to sneak in. Grateful for the interruption, she goes to find Mat playing dice with the guards. They go out drinking, though Birgitte is restricted to milk on account of Warder bond and Elayne’s pregnancy (although that does not make sense, it’s not like they're sharing a bloodstream). She tells Mat his plan is crazy and the one time she tried it, she eventually died after wandering around the Tower’s maze like corridor for months. Cheery. She does confirm that what the fey want is emotion, that sometimes the snakes and foxes work together, sometimes not. Mat still fancies his odds, which, tbf, tend to be stellar for him. The evening is interrupted by Elayne being in danger and in pain which Birgitte senses.

Elayne has been pretending to watch the opera whilst really pondering on her imperfect efforts to replicate Mat’s medallion. Opera was really a ploy to get Ellorien back into the palace and remembering all the good times she used to have there. Sylvase (remember her?) turns out to be a full on sociopath which isn’t that surprising but it is something Elayne can work with. The captured Black Ajah, however, are a source on consternation. With Birgitte gone, Elayne decides to try a ploy where she OP disguises herself as a Forsaken and gateways to Chesmal’s cell to try and trick some information out of her. She learns that the Forsaken are after Mat, and that there’s an assassination and possibly an invasion plot afoot, something with a deadline at least. But the other BA sisters, freed by Sylvase’s secretary/torturer who obviously was a DF interrupt, and are not so easily duped. Thankfully, Elayne is holding Mat’s medallion so manages to shield them before they do the same to her. The secretary gets hands on though and almost manages to wrestle the medallion off her and definitely hurts her some in the process. Worst still, Mellar has been freed and goes after Elayne with a knife and threats of rape, lovely. Elayne tricks one of the sisters into taking the copy medallion which means the shield she put on Elayne falls because holding the copy means you can’t channel. Mellar kills the BA sisters apparently on orders and manages to escape, though not with the original medallion.

In the White Tower, Gawyn and Egwene are having many drama and by that I mean a discussion of whether or not she asked for any protection and if he could just fucking trust her to know what she’s doing, and finally Gawyn decides it might be time to go see how her sister is (honestly cannot wait for him to learn that he’s about to be an uncle to the Dragon Reborn’s babies, do you think he’s going to have an aneurysm?). In the Borderlands, Lan acquires more friends and followers despite his very best efforts. This is actually turning into the funniest part of the book.

The consequences of Elayne’s jaunt include bed rest for a week which she is less than happy about. There’s a discussion about acceptable risks. Mat was the apparent target of assassination but he does seem to have a plan about the gholam now… In Maradon, Yoeli is showing Ituralde around and owning up his traitor status, fully committed to being executed as one down the line. They go see the leader of the city who is declared either an idiot or a Darkfriend. Perrin is unhappy about being forced to fight the Whitecloaks and lose men they all need for the Last Battle. Lesson with Hopper continue, but this time the jumping from place to place results in them running into Slayer (remember him, Lan’s… half brother was it? Who somehow got fused with another DF or something idek). Perrin gives chase but almost drowns. Back in the waking world he goes to, I kid you not, split some logs to aid introspection. Elyas helps with that too.

Rand and Min and a small retinue return to Bandar Eban which is not doing particularly well, full of the sick and starving thanks to Rand’s abandonment. Things are about to change though. Min sees viewings around everyone, and within hours Rand has people organised. Most satisfyingly he also does a lot of apologising. Everyone traipses to the docks to find the Sea Folk vessels full of food there still, under guard to stop people from eating food that has gone off and getting sick. Except apparently not all of food had spoiled after all, they’d just had the very bad luck of opening only the containers that had. Rand names Iralin the dockmaster to the Merchant’s Council and as Steward of the City and tells then they’ve got him for a day to get things organised.

Perrin and co are marching for the battle. There is something wonky with the weaves since the Asha’man-Wise One circles are not working the way they should. Perrin refuses to be forced into the battle and instead asks Asha’man and Wise Ones to do a demonstration of their OP use and tear up some earth to show what they could do if they wanted to. Then he calls out for one last discussion. Galad agrees despite Bornhald and Bryar still frothing at the mouth re Perrin. We also add another pairing to the list as Galad claps eyes on Berelain and is instantly smitten. Names are finally exchanged and Galad learns Elayne has the throne and marital designs on Rand. Perrin gives his version of the events and denies murder, saying he fought back because wolves were killed. Galad isn’t prepared to accept that as a valid reason. The impasse is solved when Perrin proposes he will submit to a trial although they have trouble finding a suitable judge. That’s when Morgase walks in and Galad obviously recognises her so that queenly cat is out of the bag. Galad wants to whisk her away to his camp but she’s not so easily persuaded. She is, however, accepted as an impartial judge on Perrin’s case by all concerned.

Darlin’s reply to Egwene’s ‘let’s stand together and convince Rand he should not break the Dark One’s seals willy nilly’ letter is less than enthusiastic but he does agree it’s a step that merits some… discussion. Egwene promises that if he brings his troops to the gathering, she’ll ensure he can take them back right quick if the Seanchans attack Tear. Mattin Stepaneos isn’t keen to return to Illian and its current steward Gregorin is not as willing to challenge the Dragon as Darlin is. Silviana brings news that the invasion from the Blight has begun and the Watchtowers are falling silent. Word also comes that the Hall are meeting without informing Egwene about it but she has her ways of knowing, so goes and attends anyway as is her right. The topic of discussion is whether or not to declare official war on the Shadow, given that it would give Egwene power over decisions in that too. She skilfully manipulates people into voting that the Hall is given control of the army while the Amyrlin deals with the monarchs of the world. Too late the sitters realise that this by default means Egwene has control over all dealings with Rand too. Lol. On top of that she gets everyone to agree that there will be no more secret meetings, that all Hall’s decisions must involve all Sitters and the Amyrlin. Wings of change are a-blowing. Egwene sends some Accepted to get the dream ter’angreal from Caemlyn, and also a missive for Gawyn to return.

Perrin is sensing something wrong, while Faile is worried about the trial. Still, it buys Perrin some time to think, and to visit the Wolf Dream to try and sort things out. Thinking about Mat takes him to the Tower of Ghenjei, but soon he and Hopper are investigating a giant violet dome that is stretched right over Perrin’s camp and is trapping everyone in it. They and other wolves go inside regardless to confront Slayer although don’t get far with that this time. Over in Maradon, Ituralde is also sensing something ominous. The Trollocs are beating their wardrums and the Asha’man have discovered that the Shadow’s army also seems to have channelers. Ituralde orders them to flee because they are too important but before anyone really manages that, there’s a massive explosion. Ituralde survives and is given an OP stimulant to keep fighting despite his body falling apart. The city seems lost but there is still hope of help coming so against his instincts Ituralde stays and turns the city into one enormous ambush, he and his men setting clever traps and springing them with bloody results. Meanwhile, gateways are failing within Perrin’s camp, Berelain is looking for excuses to spend time with Galad and Faile is still angry at Morgase. A bubble of evil makes everyone’s weapons attack them, Faile saves Berelain’s life by discovering that throwing dirt on the weapons makes them dormant once more. Morgase is giving Galad the long overdue lesson on shades of grey, challenging his views on Perrin, the ‘witches’ and how mistakes don’t make one a bad person but you do have to learn from them. Tam leaves Perrin’s camp, we know of course why, to try and talk to Rand. In Caemlyn, Elayne is suffering the indignity of being carried on a litter to observe the test of Aludra’s dragons, and distracts herself by pondering on the food shortage and how to best gain Cairhien. The new cannons most decidedly go boom, in a very impressive way. Birgitte is the only one who seems to grasp the enormity of change they herald.

Faile is ensuring there’s a backup plan to get Perrin to safety if the trial doesn’t go their way. Perrin himself is learning to accept the wolf, and is having tactics lessons with Hopper and co. To level up and thus gain the skill needed to defeat the Slayer, Perrin steps into a nightmare which features a giant Dragon Reborn monster with red eyes, giving him the perfect opportunity to practice enforcing his sense of reality over the dreamscape. After, he and Hopper are drawn to the dream Dragonmount, and Perrin climbs it through the storm to stand witness to the events, to Rand’s choice of Light over the Dark Side, in the dream. I’m so glad someone was there with Rand even if he didn’t really know it (though I like to think he senses it maybe and Perrin’s presence swayed the choice). This was, I think, the first time I cried in this second half. The wolves rejoice, the Last Hunt begins.

Mat is making the rounds at taverns, playing some games he doesn’t know the rules of in name of winning the one he very much does. He’s making himself a bait for the gholam while the Band keeps the way clear from robbers. When the gholam finally shows itself, Mat attacks, using Elayne’s copies of the medallion for his advantage as they burn the creature as good as the original. The gholam is clever but Mat is cleverer (and also extremely hot with the Old Tongue battle cries etc, love to see him do his thing) and the fighting leads them to a building where an open gateway awaits, thanks to Sumeko. The gholam is pushed into the darkness between the skimming platforms, doomed to fall forever. One problem dealt with, plenty more to go.

Maradon has been turned into a killing ground as Ituralde proves that his reputation is wholly deserved, luring Trollocs into clever ambushes for weeks. Just as all is thought lost, Bashere and his men arrive. The two are obviously BFFs already what with the mutual admiration, love to see it. Yoeli sadly doesn’t make it. City absolutely seems lost though despite the rescue, with massive waves of Trollocs cresting the hills. Just as they are about to gateway the fuck out, Rand makes an entrance. He apologises to Ituralde, proclaims that the Shadow shall not have this city, and strides of to the battlefield and then. Well. Then he… Snaps? And proceeds to decimate the Shadowspawn forces with OP whilst everyone watches the show slackjawed, which you honestly can’t blame them for. Lord Torkumen is revealed to be a DF. Min has been waiting in the Stone, researching Callandor’s role, and witnesses the return of Maradon’s defence forces. Rand explains that Maradon was an attempt to break his and everyone’s spirit and he couldn’t allow for that even though he also knows he can’t let himself be goaded into that kind of display again, not before Shayol Ghul. Also, he’s pretty plain in saying that whilst he’s gathered the armies, he won’t be leading them, because his fight will take place elsewhere and alone. Min’s research suggests that Rand needs to be in a circle with two women to control Callandor and with it to bind the Dark One, but also this will leave him weak and exposed. They troop to see Cadsuane who has found the missing Arad Doman king. He’d been on the way of being taking to the White Tower for safekeeping but the retinue had been caught up by the weather. Ituralde is overjoyed.

Siuan, Nynaeve and Egwene are enjoying some soup and scheming. At last everyone is convinced that the saidin is cleansed, thanks to Nynaeve’s explanation. The plot is to lure the killer into Tel’aran’rhiod by spreading rumours of an important meeting that is definitely happening but also allows Egwene and co to set up some traps. Perrin is having his own dream training, hitting nightmares (this one of sea monsters, delightful) to get better at controlling them. Gawyn has reached Caemlyn and we were cheated out of a reunion with him and Elayne, I am actually so annoyed. He is still harbouring hatred for Rand and struggling with understanding Egwene, but thankfully his sister talks some sense into him on a little boat ride, making him see his petty jealousy of Rand for what it is and that what Egwene needs is someone to support her. Whilst reflecting on these truths, Gawyn is toying with a Bloodknife he collected from an assassin and a passing former damane recognises it. A former sul’dam is fetched to provide more details of the Seanchan assassins in exchange for Gawyn promising to ask Elayne if she could be put on a leash after all like she wants. It is clear that the killings are by Seanchans, not Mesaana, and whilst Gawyn obstinately refuses to follow the curt command from Egwene to return (actually written by Silviana lol) he does send word of his discovery.

The day of Perrin’s trial arrives. Something is still very wrong on the wind, gatewaying doesn’t work until you are far enough away from the camp, and Perrin mostly needs to survive the day to go and sort it in the wolf dream. At least he’s coming to accept his leadership position. He suspects a trap, set by one of the Forsaken, using Slayer as their tool and, as it turns out, he’s not wrong. Seems they are herded like sheep toward a cliff as per his vision. The trial is refreshingly devoid of posturing. The Whitecloaks present their charges of unlawful murder and being a DF though the last can’t be decided. Byar and Bornhald tell their side of the story, recounting the events of when Perrin, Egwene and Elyas were captured. Perrin says it’s pretty accurate and that he did kill those men and all, but proceeds to explain why by revealing his connection to the wolves. The Whitecloaks attacked his friends and therefore he killed them. He denies having killed Bornhald’s father and logics him toward reasonably doubt, which is going to save his life later. Byar is zealous enough in his accusations though that I assume he’s a DF tool. Morgase nonetheless pronounces Perrin guilty because animal friends don’t count the same as human ones. She does use a loophole of sorts, first saying that because the Whitecloaks were in Andor without permission, the charge is illegal killing rather than murder, and secondly passing the actual sentence decision to Galad. Perrin says he will abide by the sentence but only after the Last Battle, and Galad, who has recently learned world isn’t quite as black and white as he thought, leaves the decision on what the sentence actually is for later.

Okay, both Egwene and Perrin have some unfinished business in the wolf dream/Tel’aran’rhiod and that business intersects in interesting and unexpected ways. Egwene is off to the meeting with Wise Ones and Windfinders that also doubles as a bait for Mesaana and BA. Conspicuously, Gawyn’s warning has not reached her. Perrin is explaining his choices to Faile and everyone within shouting distance, pointing out how no individual lives really matter in the grand scheme of things of bodies needed for the Last Battle. He asks Faile to prepare retreat to Whitebridge while he goes to hunt Slayer/Luc. Galad is standing by his decision despite Byar’s raving. All is not well in the wolf dream, scents blending and the place starting to fracture. Perrin, Hopper and other wolves make for the centre of the dome to try and find what’s causing it. Slayer is waiting and they battle him with variable success, losing Oak Dancer almost immediately. Perrin changes to his wolf self and chases Slayer, and eventually finds the ter’angreal creating the dome (it’s the blimming dreamspike that Moridin gave Graendael but I did not make that connection at the time so…). He can’t break it but he can move it and thus move the dome away from his camp. Egwene checks that Nynaeve is in wait, keeping watch for Mesaana, while she goes to her meeting. There’s some barbed remarks and tea, but eventually Egwene points out that the times are changing, old secrets are out and old traditions should not be clung to for their own sake. Each group of female channelers have their own strengths and much to learn from each other. After a lot of back and forth, a student exchange programme is devised where each faction will send apprentices/novices to the others to train and learn, after which they are expected to return for at least a year but can then go back if they prefer to stay. Egwene also throws in a promise to stop the White Tower hoarding of ter’angreal. Once the others leave, Egwene points to the Aes Sedai dubious of the changes that they are not in position to compel or enforce anymore, especially with the Black Tower in business, and therefore need to lead through other means. Siuan pops into give the news that Mesaana and BA have attacked, while Perrin’s running leads him to the dream version of Tar Valon.

In Caemlyn, Gawyn is stargazing and reflecting. In a scene that caused me to almost cry tears of joy he comes to fully accept his place in a female led relationships. Listen, I am not kidding, and I am forgiving a lot for “He had to watch over her, to serve her. See her wishes to be done” and that whole metaphor about playing in harmony. Yes, he can learn to be a good sub Warder for Egwene. *sobs* Ahem. Anyway. Gawyn tries to talk to Elayne who is otherwise occupied in trying to get into Tel’aran’rhiod, realises Egwene is currently vulnerable whilst she’s in the dreamworld, and gateways to the White Tower. In Tel’aran’rhiod Egwene and co realise that they cannot leave though they don’t of course know it’s because of the dreamspike dome. The only option is to go on attack. Perrin and Slayer are exchanging some words. Gawyn arrives, gets some help and rushes to Egwene’s rooms just in time to confront three bloodknives, barely visible. He and the others work to defend sleeping Egwene, whilst waiting for help to arrive. Perrin and Slayer fight, Slayer gets the dreamspike but Hopper arrives to help. Egwene burns some BA sisters, almost gets mind-whammied by Mesaana, and works with Nynaeve to capture and kill more BA in a tactic that quickly turns predictable and almost leads to their downfall. Perrin leaps into the Tower itself just in time to casually stop balefire from killing Egwene, who is amazed at Perrin’s dream skillz. Hopper sends pain. Gawyn is fighting for his life and losing, but then he figures out that the best way to fight against these shadow figures is to turn off all the lights and swish-swash, he’s made kebabs of them assassins though not without a significant flesh wound cost to himself and so he dramatically collapses next to Egwene’s bed. Mesaana is annoyed and thinks it’s Egwene and co who are keeping everyone trapped in the Tower unable to leave. Slayer has Hopper and he has the dreamspike. Things are not going well for Perrin when the two of them tumble into a nightmare.

In the Tower, the fight continues. Nicola bites it (boo, just as she was getting bearable). Egwene thinks she avoids a trap and spears Mesaana, except that turns out to be Katerine disguised to look like her and the real Mesaana snaps an a’dam around Egwene’s neck which obviously pushes her right into PTSD flashback. However, because she is an absolute badass, she remembers who she is, what she is, and that things in Tel’aran’rhiod only have control over you if you believe them (a mistake that Moghedien did with the a’dam and Nynaeve apparently), and just like that the a’dam falls off. A battle of wills ensues, one that Egwene wins with the conviction of her status and that of the White Tower, and Mesaana drops, turned into a dribbling vegetable. Perrin and Slayer are both caught in an apocalyptic nightmare and Perrin walks the very fine line of believing in it just enough to goad Slayer into doing the same even if only momentarily, and when he’s distracted, knives him in the stomach and steals the dreamspike back. Doesn’t change the fact that Hopper dies (yes, I cried). Egwene wakes up and saves Gawyn by bonding him (fucking finally tho). Perrin wakes up crying, warns Faile and others of the trap coming and they gateway the fuck out. Graendal turns out to have been behind it all and is determined to spring the trap anyway and also seems to have an agent in place, ready to knife Perrin in the back.

Aviendha is happy to be back in the Three-Fold-Land. She’s using the run to Rhuidean to cogitate on her own future and that of the Aiel. When camping for the night she meets a mysterious woman called Nakomi who is clearly more than she seems and asks some pointed questions about Car’a’carn and the purpose and direction of the Aiel now that they will meet their ancient toh by fighting in the Last Battle. She then vanishes into the night.

Perrin is stewing in his anger and the wrongness of no wolves, no pollen, and his current inability to get his hands around Slayer’s throat. The camp is worried about him, but Perrin has a plan, sort of. He sends for maps and checks where the Whitecloaks are camped in order to find the best place for an ambush. Then Perrin finds a forge and starts smithing, horseshoes first and then… He smiths and thinks about choices, about Hopper, about the dual nature of a hammer that can create and destroy. Neald feels compelled to join in, heating the metal for Perrin first and then starting to include more complex OP weaves. Perrin is smithing a power wrought weapon, that both he and Neald, and the circle of other OP users he links with, pour themselves into. In the process, Perrin is also making himself into a leader by accepting that he wants to lead, because if you want to see something done right, you better do it yourself (he’s right and he should say it). When he comes out of the smithing-fu, he has a beautiful hammer with a leaping wolf imprinted to it, and a crowd of people waiting. To them, Perrin says that he’d done trying to send them away and that he will have their oaths if they want to give them, and lead them to the Last Battle. Oh, and fetch that wolfhead banner and raise it high. The hammer is named Mah’alleinir ‘he who soars’, in Hopper’s memory, and yes, I was in bits, shut up. Time to go spring the trap. Berelain, who is now mooning after Galad, is very concerned Perrin means to attack the Whitecloaks after all. We also get a lame as fuck explanation for Berelain’s pursuance of Perrin, Berelain having interpreted Rand’s refusal of him and then sending her with Perrin as an implicit permission to go and get herself a political match to protect Mayne. I guess it’s better than the ‘women be women’ thing. Elyas and Perrin say goodbye, Perrin experiences some regrets about Aram (too little, too late, yes I am still fucking bitter).

Galad is woken up because Perrin’s troops are concerningly close and Byar of course thinks he’s about to attack and so they prepare to meet them. Meanwhile, Perrin refuses to give a direct answers as whether they’re going to be fighting the Whitecloaks or not, though of course the appearance of Trollocs and Myrddraal answers that question right quick. Whitecloaks also realise that their attention should be elsewhere even though some still think it’s Perrin who has summonsed the shadowspawn. Perrin, however, had cracked the purpose of the dome and his vision of sheep being herded to the cliff edge, i.e. this wall of Trollocs likely transported by a Portal Stone, operated by some OP users. A battle ensues, one that isn’t going very well for Galad and his men who are being squeezed against the hillside. Seeing the Whitecloaks losing against the shadowspawn is cracking Galad's entire worldview, as he realises that just being on the ‘right side’ of the battle doesn’t mean you’ll be victorious. Mah’alleinir is proving useful in the battle, burning the shadowspawn on contact. Seeing Galad in trouble, Perrin takes his troops and rides to the rescue straight down the hillside, falling on the Trollocs like a fist of god. He sweeps Galad off his feet into his saddle. Galad is so impressed that he names Perrin’s punishment there and then which is basically to pay a blood price to the families of men he killed and fight in the Last Battle. Byar (…is he a DF and Graendal’s weapon?) tries to stab Perrin the back but Bornhald kills him before he manages.

Gawyn is being a good pup, listening to an update from Egwene and giving her information in return. Mesaana is revealed to have been impersonating as some random Brown sister we never even met which seems extremely anticlimactic. The d/s vibes are strong with Gawyn openly admitting he had to learn how to surrender. I am concerned that he’s carrying around the bloodknife ter’angreal rings and hope he won’t put them on at some point like an idiot. Over in the border between Kandor and Arafel, Lan is feeling Nynaeve’s bond and discovering thousands of his people waiting for him. He attempts to pass unnoticed, but then realises that he can’t tell people not to fight in the Last Battle if they choose to. Also, turns out that the young princes of both Kandor and Arafel are keen to ride with him and also spotted his horse because Nynaeve told them what to watch out for, lol. The Golden Crane is raised and flies to Tarmon Gai’don.

Perrin and Galad are getting on very well, Perrin’s straightforwardness and refusal to take offence of others speaking their mind matching well with Galad’s own brand of that. He’s even letting OP users heal his wounded. Perrin asks, and gets, an oath from Galad that if he rides with him, he will follow his command to the end of the Last Battle. Such is the way of ta’veren. Elsewhere in the camp, Alliandre is listening to Faile and Berelain talk, reminds Faile of everyone’s blind spots and allows Berelain her excuse of going for Galad only for reasons of political advantage, even while she watches two of them moon at each other. I like Alliandre, woman deserves a happy ending, something more than a nice sash. Elsewhere still, Morgase is preparing to depart to Caemlyn, reflecting on her position of returning to a status of a former queen, and the rift it has caused between her and Faile. Tallanvor is still all stiff formality, very much assuming that now that former roles are established, he will have no chance with Morgase but that he’ll stay by her side anyway. Morgase, in the meanwhile, has decided that duty has had too much of her already, and it’s time to get what she wants, which is obviously Tallanvor. They head off to find Perrin, who is reflecting on the forging of power-wrought weapons that has turned into a regular activity now that the skill has been rediscovered. Faile shares a metaphor about hawks and falcons. Morgase and Tallanvor are married in front of appropriate witnesses, with very little ceremony but with heartfelt vows. Celebrations are planned, but before Perrin gets to that, someone is throwing acorns at him from the forest. I honestly knew it was Mat immediately, but Perrin isn’t exactly surprised either. Mat is all like ‘I caught a badger, want to set it free in the village green?’ and he’s gone and caught an actual badger because he was feeling nostalgic. Honestly, A+ reunion, aww boys. Anyway, Mat briefly warns Perrin about the baddies after them and they arrange for a proper chat later in a pub.

In the palace, Elayne wakes up remembering Egwene’s message about Mesaana’s downfall and Gawyn’s timely return. She’s allowed on her feet again and now even the midwife believes that she’s carrying twins. Norry and Dyelin come with news, including food problems, the fact that the captured heads of houses are becoming a burden, and the complexity of the Cairhien situation and how Elayne need to gain that throne without just making it seem like Andor is subsuming the country. There are some Cairhien nobility that are spreading rumours and would have a decent chance of the crown themselves. Surprise guests arrive, first Galad and then… Morgase. Before things get too awkward, it’s clarified that Morgase renounced the throne, which everyone is relieved about. Everyone catches up on each other's news including Galad’s new position, Elayne’s baby daddy, and Perrin’s interesting position. In Rhuidean, Aviendha is reflecting on the changes Rand has brought to the place, and the futility of clinging to the traditions for their own sake.

Interlude in the Black Tower follows, from a pov of Androl, a leatherworker with an eye for detail, who is weak in OP but has a talent for making gateways and mysterious past with much travel and occupations. Things are not going well in the Black Tower. The division between Taim and Logain’s factions is larger than ever, and with Logain away in some mysterious mission, his side is subjected to much pettiness and discrimination. Androl still has respect of others loyal to Logain, and a bit of a leadership position among them despite being weak in OP. He is also seeing shadows in the corners of his eye, although it’s unclear if that’s actual threats or just remnants of taint induced insanity. We meet some of the other men in Logain’s faction, including from Two Rivers and Emarin who is the noble whose house Rand used for a bit. There is practice with bows and some bullying from Taim’s men. More troubling is the fast way men in Taim’s special lessons are improving.

It is also impossible to create a gateway to or from the Black Tower as we learn from the Asha’man in Perrin’s camp. He and Faile are on their way to meet Elayne, Faile having the lead in the diplomatic conversation that needs to happen. Elayne proclaims the crown’s official gratitude for sheltering of her mother and asks if Perrin would like a boon in return. What he would like is discussed in private, and at length, including why it is in everyone’s best interest to not just execute Perrin as a rebel but instead give him the title of Steward of Two Rivers on behalf of the Dragon Reborn and Two Rivers a degree of autonomy. They can spin it as a marking the place that raised the Dragon Reborn, and Perrin comes with a whole host of important allies including Alliandre’s Ghealdia and Faile’s links to the Saldean throne. There’s also talk of their children being ‘encouraged’ to marry into both Andoran and Saldean royal lines to reinforce the links. Elayne also informs Perrin of Rand’s plans to break the Dark One’s seals. In Ebou Dar, Tuon has not yet learned the lesson she really needs to regarding women who can channel, instead watching the training of a new damane captured from the raid on White Tower, including Elaida who is not adjusting to her new life well. Traveling, however, has been shared and Tuon plans to use it to attack the White Tower again, to capture all the remaining marath’damane. Meanwhile, Perrin, Mat and Thom are having a rather pleasant evening, catching up on everything from Mat’s new relationship status to Verin’s letter (still bloody unopened) and the news that Moiraine is alive and Mat and co are about to go get her.

In Rhuidean, Aviendha has survived the trip through the glass columns, witnessing the history of her people, though of course that no longer came as a surprise to her. She wonders whether the experience works as a test of strength any more, now that the secret is out. Remembering that she has a talent for recognising ter’angreal, she tries to do that with the glass pillars but they are too powerful for that. Aviendha steps through again and is transported into a future so grim it makes you weep. She starts with Malidra, a scrawny desert rat of a girl, stealing scraps of food from the ‘Lightmakers’ and getting killed for it. Then she is Norlesh, watching her husband trying to bargain for food and being told doing so with the Aiel is forbidden, while her children die of malnutrition. Then Tava, running from a Seanchan attack, the village destroyed because Aiel are forbidden to gather and establish dwellings. Then Ladalin, a Wise One of the Dragon’s lineage who has lived her whole life in war and hears the news of the White Tower falling, the accusations of how the Dragon abandoned them, left them out of the demands placed on others. She is Oncala, a Maiden of the Spear and grandchild of the Dragon, meeting Tanala the Andorran queen to convince her to join the war by presenting stolen Seanchan plans about attacks and assassinations, but failing to mention that they were only contingency rather than actual plans. Finally, she is Padra, one of Aviendha’s and Rand’s children, a Maiden of the Spear who holds OP perpetually, and enjoys reverence from rest of the Aiel. We learn that Fortuona is no longer in power, which is a shame as an understanding had almost been reached with her. But now, Aiel were bound for war once more. Aviendha realises it is her line that dooms her people but that also means it is within her to change that.

Elayne is sitting in her throne room and listening to the distant boom of the dragons, fired in demonstration for some visiting Cairhien nobility. The High Seats are in the room nearby, invited early for some sanctioned eavesdropping. Time to bring in the prisoners, i.e. Arymilla, Elenia and Naean and put on a show for everyone listening. Elayne strips the prisoners of their estates and on cue Birgitte brings in the Cairhien nobles, all private critics of Rand. Elayne does something very clever, giving the newly freed Andoran estates to Cairhien nobility but also gifting Cairhien estates to the people she just stripped of their own as punishment for fighting against her in the war of succession. Of course, the alliance she buys with the move comes with the price of giving some of those resisting her a chance at the crowns of both Andor and Cairhien, though they are unlikely to seize the opportunity for some years.

Min and co are pondering the Callandor and she has a viewing of an onyx hand holding it. Rand has been unable to Travel to the Black Tower either and sends Naeff under disguise to deliver a message to those loyal to Logain that Rand was wrong, they are not weapons but men. Then everyone heads to meet the Borderlanders but not before Rand gently tells Cadsuane off for calling him a boy when he’s, sort of, hundreds of years old and actually, she could call him Rand Sedai since he’s the only one still ‘alive’ who was raised properly but didn’t turn to the Shadow. Ooooh, snap. On the ride to Far Madding, Rand and Min have a conversation about his identity of being Lews and Lews always being him, except this time he was raised better because of the people around him (aww). It is clear that something drove the Borderlanders south and there’s a challenge Rand is expected to meet. Cadsuane gives a rundown on who’s who and Min provides her viewings. Ethenielle’s opening salvo to the meeting is to slap Rand across the face, and then the other Borderlander leaders do the same. Outstanding. Anyway, turns out that the reason they’d trekked all over the fucking map was to fulfil a prophecy that required them to ‘measure his restraint’ (hence the slapping) and ask him how Tellindal Tirraso died (by Lews’ hand as it turns out). Rand also hints at still having access to True Power, which I feel is the kind of ace up his sleeve that’s going to come handy in the Last Battle. He also tells the Borderlander rules that he remains their only path to the Last Battle and that they’ll either swear to him or remain sitting there twiddling their thumbs, and then goes to apologise to Hurin.

Elayne is marching to Cairhien to take the throne but thanks to her manoeuvring manages to do it accompanied by Cairhien’s own troops. There are cheers, at least some of them genuine, and Elayne accepts Cairhien as Rand’s gift, delivered by Sashalle and Samitsu, despite seething about it inside. Birgitte wisely inspects the cushion on the Sun Throne before Elayne sits on it and finds a poisoned needle waiting. She also tests the seat afterwards, wiggling her bum all over the Sun Throne in name of safety and also keeping Elayne humble lol. Once actually on the throne herself, Elayne wastes no time in telling Cairhien noble houses to gather their troops because they will be marching to meet with the Dragon Reborn asap. Oh and also ready everyone able to bear arms to the Last Battle. Mat, meanwhile, is doing some paperwork which he does not love, even thought the news and rumours are interesting. Setalle comes by to tell him that Joline and co have reached Tar Valon and how she actually quite respects Mat, and to generally discuss the reasons for Mat’s reticence about the Aes Sedai. Mat uses boots as a “metaphor for the onus or responsibility and decision placed upon the aristocracy as they assume leadership complex political and social positions”. Mat still doesn’t open Verin’s letter omfg.

Back in the Black Tower, Pevara is walking with Taim, surveying the new guard posts and being once again denied the permission to bond full Asha’man rather than just the Dedicated. Taim also heavily implies that no one is allowed to leave now without his permission. Javindhra Sedai seems to have changed and is now advocating for staying, and the same seems to have happened to Tarna who isn’t herself anymore, really doesn’t seem to be anything anymore except a meat puppet. Pevara tries to gateway out of there but the weaves fall apart. She is stuck.

Perrin has asked Grady to open a gateway to Mat, Thom and Noal as they go off to free Moiraine. Goodbyes are said. Perrin takes his army to Field of Merrilor to wait for Rand (…how big exactly is this field, because literally every army in the fucking world is there) and reveals that he’s on Rand’s side with the Seals debate. He’s also getting Alliandre and Berelain to send for more of their troops, while Tam is doing the same in the Two Rivers. Everyone is marching toward the Last Battle.

Mat and co arrive at the Tower of Ghenjei. They draw the game symbol on the side of it to make a doorway and step through into a black room with doorways leading from it, and white steam that shies away from fire. They test the doorway back, and then pick a direction and start to walk. Things look different from Mat’s last visit and a glance out of the window makes him realise that he is on one of the spires he’d seen previously. They are definitely being watched. Noal thinks disorientation can be avoided by keeping a good map, but when they trace their steps back they definitely don’t end up in the same room they started from. A fox fey appears to tell Mat that he’s broken the bargain by coming with the instruments and iron and all that, but Mat points out that they didn’t come through the dedicated bargain entrance so tough. They still get almost caught by fey magic until Thom gets his flute out. Mat has the genius idea to let the dice decide which direction they go at every intersection and that way the make it to a room Mat recognises from his earlier visit. They realise that the original red doorway that had melted in their world had melted here too and it was no way out. Mat also realises that the same way cattle is made to get used to the smells of the slaughterhouse, his own repeated visits have been used to get him comfortable with the place. They are surrounded by the fox fey who welcome him as the ‘son of battles’, seem mostly impervious to music and go on about what a snack Mat is (I mean, they are not wrong). The Eelfinn hide in the shadows that they control, and knives mostly miss their mark. Mat spins on a spot for them to pick a direction to flee to in random, they pass through a tunnel of mirrors and finally arrive at a room with a woman floating in the middle.

It is of course Moiraine and she is still alive. Naked as well of course, except for the mist that burns everyone who touches it, because Sanderson’s got to maintain some traditions here. Thom cares not about blisters and gets her down, together with an angreal in her arm. Mat experiences some confusing emotions about Moiraine (he’s angry! he’s grateful!). The Eelfinn show up and since they are in the Chamber of Bonds, it’s time for negotiations because they’re not going to let them walk out with Moiraine for free. Of course, we and Mat already know what the price is: half the light of the world. Listen, I legit though this was going to be some kind of metaphor about human lives and Mat would end up killing half of the people but no, turns out it’s a much more personal reference to the ‘light of the world’ and what the Eelfinn rip out is Mat’s eye. Owwies. Much screaming and pain is had, all of it delicious to the Eelfinn. Mat doesn’t let him dwell on the loss for too long, though he is already thinking of how he needs to adjust his fighting technique with just one eye left as they stumble out toward the exit. Unfortunately, the bargain he made for their safe exit said ‘foxes’ which leaves the snakes perfectly able and more than willing to hunt them down, which they do. Our heroes are fleeing, tossing fireworks behind them to confuse the snake fey, but unable to really go in the direction Mat’s luck suggests because that’s exactly where the enemy is. Noal volunteers to hold the snakes off with his sword, sacrificing himself for the others. Grim goodbyes are said and Noal reveals his identity by asking Mat to pass on a message that Jain Farstrider had died clean. Neither Mat nor Thom seem particularly surprised by this. They continue to flee, finding another circular yellow room but the redstone doorway in it is destroyed. All hope seems lost. Thom starts a funeral song to really set the mood, but Mat is still furiously thinking. He realises that one of the things he’d asked the first time around was a way out, and they’d given him the spear. Ashanderai is the way out. Mat rams it into a wall, draws the requisite signs and ta-dah, a doorway appears. They jump to freedom but not until Mat gives a snotty speech. I love him.

In the Field of Merrilor, Egwene receives the news of Perrin’s arrival and that he’s likely to take Rand’s side. She still seems convinced that deep down Rand knows he shouldn’t break the seals. Gawyn is being the perfect Warder. Egwene goes to welcome Elayne, observing the gathering of the world’s nations in one place. Gawyn discovers his mother is alive. In the Black Tower, Androl and co are discovering that gateway weaves don’t work even though the others do, and that some of their former friends are no longer who they were, just ‘shadows stuffed inside human skin’. Time to join forces with Perava and co (new ship unlocked ngl). Mat and co, now safely outside the Tower of Ghenjei, make camp. Moiraine explains that the Eelfinn feed off emotion, but also power and since they’d been nomming on her for quite a while, she is now much weaker in OP than she used to be. She does have the angreal though. There’s some catching up of news including how Rand cleansed the saidin and Mat ‘accidentally’ married the Seanchan Empress. Also, apparently, Moiraine and Thom are in love and going to marry and also establish a Warder bond. Mat’s loud ‘what the everloving fuck?’ reaction is very relatable.

In the epilogue, Graendal is trying to flee after all her schemes have fallen apart but Shaidar Haran catches up. She is blamed for Mesaana’s fall since it was her too Isam and the dreamspike he had that contributed to the events. Perrin is trying to cling to the dying wolf dream, and to bring Hopper back to life within it, but of course failing. Hopper’s last message had been to seek Boundless for an explanation, so he does. Boundless turns out to actually be Noam, the wolfman who had last all humanity, but who chose to become a wolf because of his human life was nothing but pain and misery. Perrin has the epiphany that balance looks different for everyone. Olver is playing Snakes and Foxes with Talmanes, planning on when he gets old enough to go to the Tower of Ghenjei himself and ask help in finding the exact Shaido who killed his father. Also, this time, Olver wins the unwinnable game. Talmanes doesn’t believe it at first but is quickly distracted by Verin’s letter which Olver opens, reasoning that it’s his duty as Mat’s messenger. And omfg it’s too late for the message which is basically Verin saying that there is an unsecured Waygate in Caemlyn and an enormous force of Shadowspawn is coming. When Talmanes looks outside, Caemlyn is already burning. We get a brief pov of Barriga, a Kandori man trying to flee from the Trollocs but encountering strange Aiel with red veils and filed teeth. Rand, in the meanwhile, is enjoying some piece and quiet in his dream. Well, until the screams start. He follows them and finds a woman weeping. It’s Mierin i.e. Lanfear, suffering eternally and begging for help. At Tarwin’s Gap, Lan and his army of twelve-thousand rides to meet the Shadowspawn army ten times that size. The book ends with a prophecy about the Great Lord making meat puppets of all his followers.
***



Book 14. A Memory of Light

Prologue starts with the stonemason Bayrd, whittling at a stone spear (because all metal is melting) while Jarid’s (Elenia’s husband’s if you remember her) camp is disintegrating like a tissue in the waves. Everyone is deserting because the call to go fight in the Last Battle is too strong and Jarid ends up tied to a tree. Talmanes is in the burning Caemlyn, already overrun by Trollocs and Myrddraal and desperately fleeing people. He and the Band with him are fighting to reach and secure the Dragons. Isam/Luc/Slayer is still alive though doesn’t expect to be so for long. He’s emoting in the Town, next to the Shayol Ghul, reminiscing about his terrible childhood in there and watching Moridin and the Samma N’Sei, i.e. the red veiled Aiel, the turned male Aiel channelers, file by. A mysterious woman enters the inn and gives him a task to kill Rand and not get distracted by Perrin anymore no matter how much Luc hates him. The woman assures him that there’s help in place, and also he gets some of the red veiled Aiel to take with him. Talmanes and co are fighting and he takes a Mydrraal blade to his side, becoming a dead man walking instantly because of the poison (nooo! Talmanes my beloved troll!). It does make his ‘fight or die’ recruitment speech to the mercenaries very effective. In Merrilor, Leilwin is on the mission to find Nynaeve or Elayne. She and Bayle could run and hide but she’s seen how the foundation of the Seanchan rule, based on damane, is flawed, and is determined to do something about it. Once discovered, they are escorted to Nynaeve who has all the Warders hovering around her because Lan can’t be there. Leilwin finally learns the full consequences of her actions of giving the male a’dam to Suroth, and in repayment gives herself to the Aes Sedai. Talmanes has some herbs to slow the taint of the Myrddraal blade and a promise of a swift death when the pain becomes too much. He’s not ready to ask for it just yet though, trying to press for the Palace and from there to the dragons. Meanwhile, Aviendha has been sharing her tale of what she saw in the Rhuidean with the other Aes Sedai. They agree that it is up to Aviendha to try and change Rand’s plans which are the key. They figure out that Rand is planning to demand something of the others but not of the Aiel, thinking he’s doing them honour but not realising the consequences. Bair goes to Rhuidean to experience the visions of the future for herself, and also advices Aviendha to change the name of one her children, and that way perhaps change their fate.

Talmanes is fighting like a man with no fear for his life because it’s already forfeit. Guybon and his troops show up in a nick of time and vice versa but there are no convenient gateways in the Palace as all the channelers have been killed by Darkfriends. Talmanes convinces him to abandon the palace and look after refugees instead. In the Black Tower, Androl and Pevara are making reluctant bedfellows (not literally, not yet, though I will bet a gold mark that that’s where it ends) as they wait for news and try to figure out what to do. Pevara finds him intriguing, being the leader though weakest in OP but with a specific Talent, and Androl is quietly impressed with her control and poise. This is what mutual competence kink looks like. They and the others who are loyal to Logain have figured that Taim is Turning the others with the aid of thirteen Myrddraal and thirteen channelers, because apparently being able to channel means that you can be forced to the Shadow which is legit horrifying. Androl keeps letting nuggets of his interesting past slip. He has of course also figured out that Emearin is Lord Algar. In Caemlyn, Talmanes has found one Kinswoman but her skills are not near enough to deal with the Fade wound. He is starting to succumb to pain, thoughts going hazy, but he’s got more grit than sense (which is saying a lot as he has a lot of sense) and he’s determined to protect the dragons before dying. Except the dragons are gone. Just as despair sets in, they realise that someone is using them against Trollocs. Talmanes kills another Myrddraal (Melten is awed, he also has a competence kink I presume) and they find that Aludra has got to the dragons before Shadowspawn. Time for everyone to get the fuck out of Caemlyn.

Moghedien is apparently still alive and though beholden to Moridin, she has her cour’souvra around her own neck. She’s visiting Moridin’s (aka Ishmael, aka Elan) dreamshard (surrounded by a sea of tortured souls, presumable for the ~aesthetic~, Moridin is very extra), observing his increasing signs of TP madness. Others arrive for the designated Forsaken coffee hour; Lanfear in Cyndane’s body with her soul still around Moridin’s neck, Graendal now in an ugly meatsuit for her sins and called Hessalam, Demandred who is still confident about his ace in the sleeve, and a newcomer. Seems Taim has climbed the DF ranks successfully enough to have been elevated to a position as Chosen. If Logain doesn’t get to be the one to kill him, I’m gonna be so mad. Moridin orders Moghedien to assist Demandred. In Caemlyn, Talmanes is lying on his back and mostly just waiting for sweet oblivion that almost comes from Melten’s sword (ngl, I am… getting into this pairing) but then he decides to tough it out just a bit longer. They’re planning for one final, desperate play of destroying the dragons but then Talmanes decides that a better option is to just blast their way through the city walls since Caemlyn is already a lost cause.

The wind rises from the Mountains of Mist, like it did in the very first book, as the Wheel turns a full circle. The wind blows across Andor to the burning Caemlyn, by the refugees trudging across the land. It finds Rand and Perrin, laughing together in Rand’s tend in Merrilor, and having the reunion we all deserved to see as Perrin recounts stories of his time in the Two Rivers. Namely stories about the people, because Rand needs to remember the people. He is still distracted by memories of Mierin though… They go for a walk while Rand tries to explain being both himself and Lews at the same time. Balwer has reports. The ground shakes. Apparently Rand learned about Elayne’s pregnancy OFF PAGE, LIKE I AM SO FUCKING MAD ABOUT THIS. Egwene is trying to organise her arguments against Rand’s proposition. She and Gawyn pop over to see Elayne, who is inclined to take Rand’s side of the seal breaking business. Turns out though that Egwene isn’t opposed to breaking them, only the timing of it, which seems an altogether different argument to have. The prophecies are typically ominous about what happens if they crack those discs at the wrong time. The news about Caemlyn arrives, along with Guybon, Talmanes and co. Guybon is ready to fall on his sword for ‘failing’ to save Caemlyn but Elayne is having none of that, quite rightly pointing out that Andor is its people, not one city no matter how symbolic. Nynaeve arrives in nick of time to save Talmanes after all. I was so relieved ngl. Leilwin and Bayle submit themselves to Egwene. She lends her strength to Nynaeve for a long night of healing the wounded that keep pouring in.

Rand explains to Perrin about being mad but in control, and also about the necessity of breaking the seals with a metaphor of smithing. Perrin thinks he should explain it to Egwene like that too and I think it would be an excellent idea. Rand muses on the kinds of kings he and Perrin are and promises to bring everyone to the Last Battle united. Messenger comes with the news of Caemlyn. Rand thinks it might be a distraction tactic by the Shadow to divide their attention and forces. He also senses Aviendha arriving. Rand and Perrin have some cute banter about understanding battle tactics. Rand suspects it’s Demandred behind the attack on Caemlyn and muses on how he could’ve been nicer to the guy back in the day so maybe he wouldn’t have chosen evil. He also points out the poetic of justice of how it was the taint that made him mad, gave him Lew’s memories, and therefore may be the very thing that leaves to the Dark One’s downfall.

Pevara and Androl are watching the world unravel, people bursting to flames at random intervals and ghosts roaming the Black Tower grounds. Androl has been looking for some meaning all his life and found it here, which Pevara kind of approves. They flirt converse about the relationship between their respective Towers, the fate of Red Ajah, Pevara’s origin story and eventually decide to try a circle. Androl is impressed by Pevara’s strength and gets distracted by trying to use it to create a Gateway. When he doesn’t release Pevare when she tells him to, she panics and bonds him, and then he lashes back and bonds her and honestly, this was absolutely only a matter of time. Mutual non-con mindmelds ftw. News arrives that more Asha’man and Aes Sedai have switched to Taim’s service, and most worrying of all, Logain is promised to join them soon. In Merrilor, Aviendha is determined to change the fate of the Aiel. She sneaks into Elayne’s tent and hears the plans to essentially not fight for Caemlyn and focus on helping the refugees instead. Rand’s sent a very clever letter urging her to go to Caemlyn, of course calculated to have the opposite effect. Elayne is kind of proud and also tells Aviendha to go forth and bed their man. In the Black Tower, Androl and Pevara are listening to the tall tale of how Taim and Logain have buried their differences. They almost get into a OP measuring contest with Taim’s supporters that they would surely lose so Androl loses face rather than his life or life of others, and tells everyone that time has come to rescue Logain. Extremely sexy of him tbh. Rand meanwhile is working on an important document, but Aviendha comes over to interrupt accompanied by the Maidens shouting insults at him (respectfully). It’s a whole thing. Rand is still angsting over the ‘but I love all three of you’ so Aviendha spells it out to him, tells him to suck it up and bed her already. Pevara and Androl’s mutual competency kink is being fed the more they learn about each other, figuring out there’s a ter’angreal stopping the gateways, that Taim is probably serving the Shadow, and people are being Turned. Oh and also developing like mutual empathy and telepathy as they progress. Cute. They take one of the Turned hostage, and get surprised by two others, except Pevara handles them like a pro and Androl has a little moment about it. Fed I tell you. Anyway, they share more childhood trauma as Androl tells how his father killed himself after the channelling induced madness got too much. Eventually, Emerin comes back and they manipulate one of the captured DFs into thinking he wants to make a deal of sorts, just enough to get him talking and reveal that Taim is keeping Logain captive in the tunnels he’s built into the foundations of the tower.

Rand is pulled into a dreamshard where Elan/Moridin tells him how they are “two ships moored on the same beach, beating against each other with each new tide” and honestly, wow, the boy is not subtle. He is, however, so mad when Rand refuses to fight with him because Ran’s got a bigger target in mind. Androl and Pevara are honing their telepathy skills as they and the others try to sneak into the secret tunnels. They manage to kill the guards and even find Logain who luckily hasn’t been turned yet but are discovered before they manage to escape as Taim’s minions collapse the room on them. In Merrilor, Rand awakes to ponder how the very land is tired but still clinging to life. He sends word that he’ll be meeting with all the rulers in an hour. First he and Aviendha have an OP shower, and Aviendha tells him she’ll be asking for a boon later. In Egwene’s dream the world is cracking. She’s been sleeping back in the White Tower due to Gawyn’s persuasion, and is not pleased to find the note about the timing of Rand’s meeting being pretty much now. They gateway over and Egwene gathers her retinue of Sitters only, reflecting on the size and scale of the meeting about to start as she observes rulers and representatives of every nation gather. Everyone is worried about what Rand’s demands will be. Egwene calms some nerves but gets nothing but disrespect from the Murandian ruler. Rand makes an entrance, striding over whilst constructing a massive pavilion from the materials floating behind him with nothing but OP and not even looking what he’s doing, just calmly announcing that everyone can bring five people to the meeting. In they go, Egwene first as everyone understands this is a discussion between the Amyrlin and the Dragon Reborn at its heart. Egwene does feel proud of who Rand has become. Sort of. A little. Something possibly sus is going on with Roedran but idk if this is a red herring.

Rand makes a speech. It’s an excellent one about need for unity, need to plan, need to do something different than what he did three thousand years ago starting by having one clear leader rather than several factions in the fight against the Shadow. He also says that in exchange for him giving up his life to fight the Dark One, he demands the Dragon’s Peace to be signed by all so that he doesn’t leave behind chaos and suffering. Boy trying to start UN and establish international laws. The second thing he demands is the Seals from Egwene, or well, he has them but, you know. Whilst the other rulers bicker about the details of the peace document, Rand and Egwene have a much quieter debate about the pros and cons of breaking the seals, of whether to take a risk or play it safe and end up with an imperfect solution and whether or not it’s insanity for Rand to think he can actually kill the Dark One. This is actually such an interesting scene between the two of them, where each gets some things right and other things wrong… Rand’s third demand is that he will command all the armies. His will is starting to bend the rulers’ and he and Egwene descend into name calling. Just as all hope of that unity seems lost…

Moiraine enters. The impact is incredibly satisfying. Rand’s knees hit the deck, Egwene welcomes her back to the White Tower with open arms (loved Moiraine’s response btw) and Nynaeve actually gives her a teary hug. Moiraine essentially slaps everyone in the face with prophecy and it is beautiful. Some document amendments are made to include the Seanchan (well, Rand still needs to get them to agree) and Aiel (Aviendha’s boon) and establish an International Criminal Court of sorts except more effective than the real thing (the bar is low tbf) with Aiel as the world law enforcement. Egwene gets the seals but is told that she’ll be the one breaking them when the time is right. Elayne gets command of the armies. One by one everyone signs. Rand sends help to Lan, and not a moment too soon. His forces have been whittled down considerably. They are forced to retreat out of Tarwin’s Gap and outside of it they gather for one final heroic charge, thinking they’ll at least ride to their deaths attacking rather than running away. Turns out, they don’t ride alone and it’s not to their death just yet, as massive gateways open and troops from all the Borderlands ride through to help, swelling their number more than tenfold. Back in Merrilor, those stepping out of Rand’s pavilion are greeted by a newly emerged grove of great trees. Elayne waits no time and gathers maps and everyone useful to warmaking. They have four battlefronts and four great generals and so it’s divided: Byrne and Egwene to Kandor, Agelmar to Tarwin’s Gap to aid Lan, Ituralde and the Aiel to Shayol Ghul to secure Ran’ds back, and Bashere and Elayne to Andor with a plan to deliver a quick and decisive victory there so they can support the other three battles. When plans are made, they find further allies waiting outside. The Ogier are finally here, led by Loial who is singing to the trees that have grown and has brought with him an army and of course his lovely wife. Elayne wants to give a task to Perrin but he’s needed in Shayol Ghul with Rand, and so it’s left to Faile to deliver the zombie horn to Mat.

Lan learns that the Borderlander rulers have decided that Dai Shan will lead their fight here under the banner of Golden Crane so he’s going to just have to adjust. Lan reminds everyone to celebrate rather than mourn, King Easar recites a poem and apparently no one has yet mentioned to him that Moirane is alive. Sigh. Outside Caemlyn, Elayne and Talmanes are surveying the scene, they’ve got plenty of troops including most of the Two Rivers folk with Tam. The plan is to draw the Trollocs out of Caemlyn and into the woods so they can pick them out more easily. To do that they burn what’s left of Caemlyn. Bashere points out that it would raise the morale if the troops knew that the children Elayne carries are the Dragon Reborn’s so she relents. In the foundations of the Black Tower, Androl regains consciousness to find himself and others tied up and shielded. Instead killing them, the plan is to Turn them one by one and young Evin is the first to succumb. Pevara telepathically guides Androl through trying to undo the knots tying his hands. Meanwhile, Lan’s army is fighting relentlessly in rotations. He loses Bulen, the first one who has followed him, and asks his body to be preserved on a cold mountain top so he can be given proper burial after everything. The ground shakes and ominous cracks appear, filled with unnatural darkness. Tenobia is getting very rash. General Agelmar tells Lan that it’s time to stop being selfish about throwing away his life and the lives of his men to uselessly try to cling to lost ground and instead retreat in an orderly fashion, that the burden to lead is the heavier one he needs to own up to rather than take the easy way out and die. He’s right and he should say it. In Kandor, Egwene is Making Decisions and Being Awesome, which includes setting up a hospital in Mayene staffed by Yellow Sisters. Leilwin swears an oath of loyalty to her and Egwene commands her to start telling her everything she knows about the Seanchan.

Rand’s preoccupied by ontological musings (what does it mean to be alive?) and whether or not it's actually possible to permanently rid the world of evil. He does take time to sneak into Elayne’s tent and we finally get a rather lovely scene of his wonder at becoming a father. The two of them have a romantic dinner whilst talking about tactics and the burden of leadership, how Rand must not deny anyone their right to fight, how the reason his ta’veren powers are only leading to good things at the moment is because the Dark One is hoarding all the bad stuff and the Pattern demands a balance. He gives Elayne a seed of an angreal and Elayne gives her the ter’angreal that hides you from the Shadow’s gaze.

Fighting in Braem Wood starts in earnest, Perrin in the midst of it whilst Elayne is annoyed that Brigitte won’t let her get close enough to see the battle with her own eyes. Uno makes an appearance and gives Elayne an excuse to test out new curses she’s learned. News from the Borderlands is less than great so the urgency of getting the Trollocs out of Caemlyn and defeating them increases. In the Black Tower, Androl is forkrooted, Toveine is caught and Taim is fondling a mysterious disc… Which we assume is one of the Seals. Tarwin’s Gap is lost because Dreadlords join the fight. The Trollocs finally take the bait and pour out of Caemlyn. The Two Rivers archers are there to greet them, followed by crossbowmen. The plan is to draw them deep into the woods where the siswai’aman will easily pick them out. But first Aludra’s dragons have their first proper field day. Elayne thinks the cannons will bring peace but Birgitte has a way more realistic view of humanity. In Kandor, Adelorna makes peace with Egwene and implicitly admits to being the Captain-General of the Greens. Bryne and Yukiri have gotten creative with gateways and created one that is horizontal, opening into the air above the enemy troops and providing a perfect vantage point for spying. Egwene reminds Bashere that he has the Aes Sedai at her disposal and should be using them, aggressively. Oh and she Gawyn are married now and we missed that too. Sigh.

Mat is finding his way back to Ebou Dar, trying to stay disguised and again upset when no one wants to hear his detailed cover story. He spots Petra from Luca’s menagerie, so going to assume they will crop up at some point… He reminisces about Tylin and observes the changes to the city under Seanchan rule, learning that duels whilst not outlawed now must be witnessed by government officials. Amazing. He tries to get some info in a tavern and gets mistaken for one of the many assassins sent after Tuon, including ones arranged by General Galgan. Mat of course takes this news calmly and doesn’t like rush out of there and break his cover in the process. Oh wait. Another in the series of Scenes That Didn’t Make It To Page, we’ve bypassed the Lan/Moirane reunion entirely and just get a weird mention of things being a bit distant between them (…why?). Anyway, she wants Rand to stop dilly-dallying and get to the Shayol Ghul already, but Rand is plagued by the affliction known as compassion and is determined to repeat Maradon if he can. There’s also an incredibly touching scene where Rand gifts Lan the crown of Malkier (newly wrought based on old drawings), a matching one for Nynaeve and tells him that while Elayne taught him how to rule, Lan was the one who taught him to stand. Aww. Rand goes off to confront the Dreadlords, calling out Taim to show his face, but the whole thing is a bit of a trap and they come out against him en mass, almost managing to shield him. Rand cuts his losses and retreats.

Birgitte is worried about losing memories of her past lives, especially those of Gaidal, but soon gets distracted by Trollocs. Rand is coping with his loss by creating a dreamshard, but turns out there’s someone determined to have a chat. We find Mierin/Lanfear splashing about in a cavern pool, pretending to drown repeatedly to try and entice Lews to save her. He doesn’t buy it and instead demands that if Mierin is serious about this redemption/returning to light business she should open her mind to him fully. She hesitates but doesn’t do it in the end and so Rand reveals his mind to her so that she knows his intentions and that he’s well and truly not in love with her. In Braem Wood, Perrin has come to the realisation that his fight is elsewhere and seeks advice on how to enter the world of dreams physically, only to be told that such a thing is both evil and dangerous. In Kandor, Egwene is being a total badass once more, leading her Aes Sedai to the frontline and raining death and destruction on the Shadowspawn, their OP enhanced by the angreal and sa’angreal emptied from the White Tower storage. Elayne is getting battlefront updates and orders key cities of the Borderlands evacuated and burned so as not to give any food or other resources for the Trollocs. Bashere suggests that her own forces retreat toward the river and then toward Cairhien to draw the Trollocs out so that they can use the dragons more effectively and find a place to make a stand. Perrin formally hands Tam the command of his forces since he needs to go to Rand, and also, much to Tam’s dismay, makes him a lord in the process. He tells his men that he has to go and why, but before he actually leaves, Bornhald unburdens himself by telling Perrin that it wasn’t Shadowspawn who’d killed Perrin’s family, but Whitecloaks on Ordeith’s (Fain!) orders. Gaul insists on coming with Perrin. They gateway to Merrilor and from there after Rand who is close to Shayol Ghul, surveying the Blight. Perrin asks him about entering Tel’aran’rhiod in the flesh, explaining that he can help with the Black Tower situation. Rand agrees to help him. The two say an emotional goodbye.

The world of dreams is boiling with a storm that keeps pulling it apart and makes things even trickier and more dangerous for Perrin and Gaul. They stow their supplies and Perrin gives Gaul a quick rundown of the rules here as they head toward the Black Tower in hunt for Slayer. As expected, they find the purple dreamspike dome surrounding it, and discuss the reasons for Gaul’s loyalty to Perrin (I… have some thoughts on this). Up pops Lanfear who tries to convince Perrin that they have mutual goals and that she’s totally going to help. Poor Tovaine has been turned. She obviously wasn’t the nicest person I guess but deserved better. Also, I can’t help but wonder what it would mean to be bonded to someone who is Turned, like wouldn’t that alone fuck you up? So far Logain has been able to resist. Androl manipulates the Turned Evin into starting a fight with the Asha’man holding Androl’s shied. As soon as it drops, he gets out of the ropes though doesn’t get much further before Taim catches on. Still, discord is sown as Graendal/Hessalam and Taim start bickering and Taim admits to having stolen the seals. Taim still tries to balefire Androl who manages to create a small gateway to divert the weave. Rescue arrives in form of other Asha’man loyal to Logain. At the same time, Perrin, Gaul and now Lanfear (who also explains about this Turning business) too are entering the Black Tower, taking care of the guards. Perrin finds and removes the dreamspike and Lanfear teaches him how to use it, explaining about her motivations to find freedom of her bondage. Androl makes clever use of gateway to ensure Taim’s channelers are killed by their own balefire.

Mat is climbing up the walls of Tarasin Palace in Ebou Dar, doing a fine job of convincing himself about the very rational decisions he’s taking, definitely no heroics here. He almost gets shot by Selucia who has been lying in wait for assassins in what is ostentatiously Tuon’s bedroom. She tells him that Tuon is out for a stroll, and that Galgan’s assassins are nothing to worry about, although Mat thinks Galgan is also after him which does change the game a bit. Selucia shows Mat a passageway to the palace gardens where Tuon is. Rand goes to see his father, bringing him a gift of a blademaster’s sword. Turns out Tam still has something to teach Rand as the two go to the practice grounds to spar. Rand is reluctant and at first does badly because he forgets to compensate for his missing hand. But with Tam’s advice, he lets go of what he’s learned and lets instinct take over. Tam is still better, having clearly practiced with only one hand, but Rand is catching up. And most importantly, the exercise allows him to let go of the weight of the lost hand. In Ebou Dar, Mat finds Tuon practicing her hand-to-hand skills and muses on her beauty, deadliness and whether or not he loves her. Everyone else misses the Gray Man who gets close enough to almost kill her if not for Mat who throws a knife at him. In a telling move, Tuon when seeing Mat with a knife aimed at her, looks over her shoulder and once the Deathwatch Guard piles on him she orders them to go after the real culprit. It’s also a gesture that very much wins Mat over. Karede and the other guards are all ‘we shall kill ourselves for this failure’ but Tuon is like ‘don’t be idiots, Mat is going to teach you how to deal with this’. Then they have sex in the garden. I mean it’s actually an interesting framing around love and duty and omens and building something from what is kind of fate arranged marriage, but largely, good for them for getting their wedding night.

Whilst far too short, the Loial pov we get on butchering Trollocs, on hacking them down like deceases wood whilst singing the Ogier war song, is impactful. Galad and the Whitecloaks are appropriately awed and terrified, though some idiots think Ogier themselves are Shadowspawn. Rand senses that it’s time to go to Mat in Ebou Dar. First he has a conversation with Moiraine about whether it’s even possible to kill the Dark One like he plans, whether he is part of the pattern or outside of it. Also, apparently, Callandor is a sa’angreal for True Power as well as One Power, I feel this is going to be significant somehow. An all too brief Moiraine pov on Rand’s chances. Lan and co are starting their long and hard retreat while Borderland cities burn as per the plan. In the battle, his banner carrier is pulled down, as a trap to draw his attention and so Lan ends up fighting two Myrddraals at the same time and still winning because he’s the shit obviously. Kaisel has a moment. He also has some patronising thoughts about Tenobia and other Saldean women joining the fight which Lan shuts down right quick. I can only assume that Kaisel and Tenobia end up together. They leave casualties on the field as bait for the hungry Trollocs to lure them in and then attack them again, harder. It goes well until Taim shows up and ends up killing Deepe, one of the Asha’man.

Mat wakes up to find Tuon carrying on a calm conversation with her guards whilst completely naked. They’ve barely managed clothes when Rand enters, calmly led by the guards. Tuon screams for damane who shield him quickly and snatch Mat into air as well because Tuon has taken his medallion whilst he slept. Mat and Rand have an incredibly ‘Mat and Rand’ conversation, laced with bragging about their exploits, and veiled compliments without actually coming out to say how glad they are to see each other. Adorable. Tuon starts from the ‘you’ll be taken to Seanchan and that’s that’ policy but Rand, who has taken the logic and debate lessons to heart, argues that his position supersedes that of Hawkwing or any of his descendants. And to really underline his message he makes the grass green and peach trees blossom whilst still shielded. The prophecy of him bending knee in front of the Crystal Throne is fulfilled but Rand does it to extend a hand of alliance, not to submit. He gets his peace for hundred years but Tuon gets to keep the damane she’s captured, which I think is the kind of compromise that will cost them but I guess also gives her some time to find reason about this particular blind spot. Time to prepare for battle, but not before Mat lets Rand know that it was him who saved Moiraine.

Gawyn is killing the Trollocs that make it past Egwene and other Sisters, slightly resentful that he can’t be involved in the fighting more. Bashere is worried the Trollocs are going to try and brace among the hills and the plan is to push back. Egwene sends for the Sisters outside the Black Tower wanting them to return. Egwene goes to rest and Gawyn reflects on finally ridding himself of any Rand related emotions. He’s also still fiddling with the Bloodknife rings, and hasn’t told Egwene about them though at least he gets a clear explanation of how dangerous they are from Leilwin. Rand is visiting the various battlefronts, disguised but revealing himself before he leaves to raise morale. He’s also reflecting on the creation of Shadowspawn. Cadsuane comes by to point out that she’s noticed Rand giving goodbye gifts for everyone which is not great because he should not go to this fight expecting to die no matter what the prophecies say. She also gives the news that Black Tower has freed itself, without Rand’s intervention. In Borderlander camps, men are remembering Deepe and Lan is having a deep and meaningful conversation with his horse about the good days to come (shut up, I’m not crying). Lord Bandhere comes by to express concern over a mistake General Agelmar had made. He, this one scene character, also seems to be first explicitly gay man we have reference to so tick that box of the queer token bingo I guess. Back in Andor, Bashere’s plan has encountered a snag in form of a second Trolloc army heading straight to Cairhien. The only chance is to get ahead of it and hit it first before the one from Caemlyn gets there. Egwene is meeting the Wise Ones in Tel’aren’rhiod and they show her the cracks of nothingness. It’s another goodbye (and another occasion to ugly sob for me) as while the world of dreams is splintering like this, it’s no longer safe to visit. Egwene wakes to meet up with Rand for what is yet another goodbye, complete with a meaningful and nostalgic gift of a hair ribbon. Gawyn learns that Galad is Rand’s half brother and I am so mad those two have had not had any direct interaction with each other. Rand asks to see the Seals and that’s when they both realise that they are fakes and that the Dark One has the keys to his own prison. Uh-oh. In Ebou Dar, Mat is suffering through the ministrations of imperial tailors as he’s fitted into the clothes suitable for the Prince of Ravens. He gets a swanky eyepatch, ceremonial battle uniform and refuses to give up his beloved hat. He also finally internalises his current status both as someone who is rich and a "bloody nobleman". Oh Mat, bless your rapscallion heart.

Egwene, Romanda, Leane and others are holding the hills, fighting the Trollocs that are driven hard by Myrddraal to resist. They realise it’s a trap just as it’s sprung so essentially too late, as a massive gateway opens and out pour the bloody Sharans with hundreds of female channelers meaning they can sense others who do that. Romanda gets killed (boo!). In minutes, Egwene’s army is in chaos and it even looks like Bryne and Siuan have been killed as the command tent is trashed. Egwene and Gawyn have no choice but to hide and wait. In Shayol Ghul, Aviendha is among the first to scout the valley that they need to keep to protect Rand’s back while he goes do his thing. They spy the terrible forgers and the prisoners waiting for their blood to be used for the Shadow’s weapons. Ituralde, Rhuarc and Amys debate how long they will need to keep the valley and conclude that it could be anything from hours to years. Aviendha and Rand have their own goodbye during which she suggests making the Dark One a gai’shain, which, honestly, would read. The group that goes to Shayol Ghul is made up of various nations, Ituralde at the head of all, except for the OP users which are Aviendha’s to command. Rand sends Min to Egwene ahead of the Seanchans who are coming her way as well. Rand is determined to take Callandor into the fight with the Dark One despite knowing it’s a trap, and what using it will mean.

Siuan and co are miraculously alive thanks to Yukiri’s quick thinking of pushing everyone down the horizontal gateway and cushioning their fall. Siun refuses to give up on the hope that the Amyrlin is alive, even though the losses they have suffered are considerable. Bryne is angry at himself because he should’ve seen the trap from the start. We get a brief interlude from the pov of Lyrelle (why all these new characters when e.g. Myrelle – running out of name ideas I see – is right there omfg) waiting outside the Black Tower, getting the word that the problems have been dealt with and they were now welcome to come and pick the men for bonding as promised. Pevara is there, cheerfully welcoming them and trying to give some advice on how going into this with control in mind is not the right approach. Of course, they also don’t have much of a choice about who to pick because all full Asha’man have been sent to the battlefronts already and Androl and Pevara have kept behind exactly the number promised. Rand leaving the Black Tower to succeed on its own or fall on its own has the necessary outcome of them now standing on their own, without leaning on him, but with his last lesson of ‘you are men, not weapons’ to guide them. Aww.

From their hiding place Egwene and Gawyn observe the Sharans and their leader. The lesser the amount of tattoos, the higher the status, which is quite troubling as it suggests one can always fall but not rise. The leader introduces himself as Bao the Wyld or Barid Bel… aka Demandred. He sends Leane with a message to Rand to come and fight him but dude’s gonna be mightily disappointed when it’s Egwene and Tuon who kill him in the end. In the dream world, Perrin and Gaul have been visiting the packs of wolves gathering in the Borderlands and eager for Perrin to lead them in the Last Hunt. He spies Heartseeker (Graendal/Hessalam) rifling through Ituralde’s documents and muttering to herself about the victory to come no matter what Moridin throws her way. She and Perrin do a bit of mutual chasing about, out-tricking each other with dream powers. She’s also been invading people’s dreams as Lanfear oh so helpfully explains what Perrin saw, including those of Perrin’s own father-in-law. Lanfear also tries to seduce Perrin to the dark side by suggesting he could really use his powers to right all the wrongs, but he’s not buying it.

Gawyn does the exact idiot think I suspected he would and sticks one of the Bloodknife rings on his finger, telling himself it’s for the good cause of sneaking Egwene away from danger. And it’s not that he’s wrong per se, it’s just that it’s still such a fucking dumb move and presumably means he’s not going to survive. Egwene follows him, congratulating herself on her sneaking abilities mere seconds before a shield slams into her. An interesting exchange with the Sharan woman who captured her follows, during which we at least learn that not all Sharans seem to be mindless followers of Demandred. Egwene tries to call Gawyn through the bond but it’s Leilwin who reaches her first, bashing the Sharan woman's head in. She and Bayle had come looking and now the four of them are free to gateway the fuck out of there. In Shayol Ghul, the attack has begun and Aviendha leads the channelers to deal with the Shadow forgers. Rand, Nynaeve, Moiraine and Thom gateway to the path leading up to the Cavern of Evil (not the Bore, not the actual prison, just a place where his touch is the strongest). For a moment, true darkness falls though only momentarily. It’s enough to shake everyone a bit though. Whilst Aviendha and co are wise enough not to use balefire, the Forsaken (presuming Graendal) coming at them has no such qualms. They end up killing some of the Turned, and Aviendha adapts a Maiden raid tactic for OP users and generally handles the leadership tasks like a boss. Rand and the others leave Thom to guard the cavern entrance and start the descent, linked with Rand in lead (which does make him vulnerable for anyone seizing control). He’s wearing clothes symbolic of his origins and his current status, though both are quickly drenched in blood as the old wound in his side opens. The Dark One himself intones the time for the task to be undertaken.

The Seanchan Empire is preparing for war. Beslan stays behind to govern Altara. Fortuona and Selucia observe Mat in action, and Tuon reflects on the balance his chaos brings to her order. Galgan is letting Mat issue orders largely to see what he’s capable of. Tuon names Mat Knotai and gives him the rank of Rodholder, making him second in command after Galgan which means he can’t exclude him from the decision-making. When the news comes about Egwene’s army being scattered, Tuon considers the option of just swooping all the marath’damane and going back to the Seanchan isles to secure her rule there but luckily reason prevails. Mat sends for Tylee (remember her?) to assist with the planning. Things are not going great for Lan’s fight but they persist. Elayne’s army has made it to Cairhien in nick of time to meet the second army of Trollocs advancing on the city. She makes one hell of a speech about blood and victory and light. She also tells Birgitte that she will not stand by for this battle; it’s not just her babes that are in danger but everyone’s and she is the strongest power user and therefore an asset that cannot remain unutilised. The dragons make slaughter of the Trollocs too and Elayne starts to suspect that their impact on the future of humankind will be profound. In Shayol Ghul, Ituralde is fighting a battle he knows he’s going to lose eventually but not before prolonging it as long as he can and taking Shadowspawn with him. He’s going lose in style. Legit love him. The Windfinders are using the Bowl of Winds to combat the storm that would otherwise be destroying them all. Ituralde, working through his Maradon PTSD still, has organised clever defences out of burning logs, boulders and shit ton of brambles that do a fine job at slowing down the Shadowspawn.

Siuan is relieved to have the Amyrlin back, though she asks some pointed questions first to make sure she really is Egwene. Egwene herself is less than pleased to have Rand’s message, delivered by Min, that the Seanchan fight the Shadow, and that they’re coming to her aid. Rand and co enter the cavern which narrows quickly, Rand refuses to crawl on his knees so there’s a battle of wills and the cavern reshapes itself around Rand. Down they go, encountering Moridin and behind him true darkness born of the Dark Lords Myddraal meat puppet apparently. Elan is determined to fight so fight they do. Shadow's forces are desperate to get to Lan, and there’s some tangling of reserves as Agelmar seems to have made another mistake. Perrin arrives in the Cavern of Evil, the Dream Version just in time to find Slayer poised to kill Rand and stop his arrow. Perrin gets the wolves to guard the cavern entrance and then he fights Slayer while Gaul dances with the red veiled Aiel. Perrin’s lessons have paid off and he shifts between wolf and man. Lanfear shows up to explain about the red veiled Aiel being Turned, having been the Aiel men who could channel and who’d gone to the Blight to fight the Shadowspawn. Mercy killings follow. Lanfear heals injured Gaul to convince Perrin she’s not a foe. Perrin returns to Rand and co, leaving Gaul to watch. He manages to communicate with Nynaeve and tells him he’s setting the dreamspike so they can’t use gateways but it of course protects them too. He returns to Gaul to learn that what felt like minutes to him was hours to Gaul.

The Seanchan have come to White Tower’s aid and no one is happy about it, least of all Egwene herself. The meeting between her and Tuon is tense af but also just, incredibly fascinating, as Egwene makes several excellent arguments undermining the Seanchan belief system. Tuon is not happy to discover that no one, not even Mat, thought to tell her that Egwene had once been collared. Egwene is just gobsmacked to find Mat there and laughs in Tuon’s face when she discovers that they’re married. Details of the Dragon’s Peace are hashed out and Egwene successfully argues that since the Seanchan have no effective power on Tremalking it won’t be included in their current territory. There’s also an agreement on mutual missionaries to spread their conflicting messages of what the right place for channelers is and they can move peacefully between one jurisdiction to another. Egwene dares Tuon to put on an a’dam but she refuses and just before things come to head Mat steps in and agreement to fight on the same side achieved. Outside Cairhien, Elayne’s has fought for the point of passing out but their plan to defeat the first Trolloc army before the second one arrives seems to be working… Except the second army arrives right now, a full day before Bashere had claimed. In the command tent, Tam is arguing with Bashere. Turns out the reports from the scouts were faked and seems like Bashere knew exactly what was going to happen. Elayne has him arrested as a suspect Darkfriend and tells people to throw everything possible into the fight lest they die here.

In Kandor, Bryne is on constant move, since command tents tend to get burned. The Aes Sedai are getting exhausted and commanders are getting killed, leaving men like Uno in charge (aww remember him). Bryne sends a messenger to the Seanchans to ask for cavalry help but she gets killed by a felled to’raken. Min volunteers to go instead. In the Seanchan camp she’s passed around a bit until she finally gets to Mat, who is full of sayings in languages no one understands but sends Tylee to lead the cavalry support troops. He asks Min for her viewings. She sees a death lily above Tuon, who oversees this and immediately proclaims Min as Doomseer, reader of omens, for her talents and also appoints her as the Truthspeaker.

Lan, like others, is starting to see the mistakes from his General who has sent two separate reserve forces to plug the same hole and thus leaving another part of the line exposed to attack. After conferring with Baldhere and others, and after intersecting another order from Agelmar that would make things worse, Lan’s suspicions seem confirmed. Loial and the Ogier are fighting with Elayne’s troops, singing a song of mourning for the humans they see falling so easily around them and then one of growing and life to fight on. Mat has had enough of maps and heads to the battlefield himself to get a proper feel of its pulse, though first he dons his old clothes that he’d bribed the servants not to destroy (I love him). He also emotionally manipulates Min into staying in her role, given that she has a lot of power to ensure that the Seanchan and Aes Sedai cooperation goes as smoothly as possible. She sees right through it but he’s also not wrong, so.

Egwene also sees a problem, noting how Bryne’s orders have left a section of their troops completely exposed. She’s forced to watch as they get butchered by the Sharans. She also notices Gawyn looking a tad pale. Because of the fucking Bloodknife ring. Lan has some questions for Agelmar and when it appears there’s a massive force of Shadowspawn advancing on them no one has spotted, relieves him of duty. Everyone figures he’s under Compulsion, but it’s too late to save Tenobia who has already ridden right into the danger with her troops. Tuon and Mat are eyeing the battlefield, just in time to hear Demandred whining and stomping his feet to get Rand to fight him. Honestly, embarrassing. Mat’s not happy to find Tylee and her troops just sitting and waiting because of order from Bryne, and puts a stop to that. What’s more, he rides right into the battle with them. Fighting ensues, during which Mat defeats a female channeler and gains some fans among the troops, including some who had rather wondered about the Empress’ choice of a consort. Tuon is not so happy about Mat putting himself in danger though. Mat’s warfare tactics fu leads him to conclude that Bryne is a Darkfriend. He sends Min to warn Egwene and demands, and gets, absolute control of the Seanchan armies immediately.

In the Wolf Dream, Perrin and Gaul are still guarding the entrance to the Bore which Slayer is attacking repeatedly, while also trying to keep an eye out for Graendal. Perrin hasn’t yet figured out how to shift in and out of the dream in flesh, and the time spend there is really catching up with his body. The wolves spot Graendal and Perrin goes in pursuit, finding her creeping into Ituralde’s tent. He can’t follow her to the waking world but luckily Elyas shows up and promises to take a warning about Ituralde and the other generals being compromised. Inside the Cavern of Evil Rand and Moridin are locked in battled, ‘bursting’ with One Power (uhhh, no comment). Rand slips enough that he touches the pure darkness and all goes black. Elayne is exhausted, Gallanne has fallen and the troops outside Cairhien are fracturing badly. Logain to the rescue! Better late than never I guess, my mans been absent a bit but here he is, announcing that ‘Black Tower stands with the Lion of Andor’ and bringing a hundred Asha’man to save the day. Well, to be more accurate it’s Androl who does that with the aid of a large circle of both men and women, just, you know, casually, opens a gateway straight into the Dragonmount and lets the lava flow through and burn the Shadowspawn. Absolute power move.

Egwene is searching for Bryne but only receiving more news of his worrying incompetence before she has to go back to the fighting. Min arrives with Mat’s message which Gawyn doesn’t believe but… Mat also wants control of Egwene’s armies, but that’s for the Hall to decide. In Tha’kandar, Ituralde is suffering through the aftereffects of horrific nightmares and fighting the compulsion to shout out orders that he doesn’t quite agree with… Another surge of Shadowspawn comes but so do the wolves and with them a man who pushes Ituralde off the cliff before he gives an order to retreat, much to his relief. Egwene has a cup of tea to reflect on the wisdom of giving control to Mat, remembering his tendency to do the right thing despite all his complaints. They finally locate Bryne, just as Gawyn comes with the news regarding Bashere. Egwene’s pointed questions about Bryne’s recent decisions help everyone, including Bryne himself, see what’s going on. Bryne is relieved of duty but they also can’t trust his commanders for the same reasons. Of course, Mat is ever so conveniently definitely beyond Compulsion thanks to the medallion he wears.

Mat is observing the battlefield whilst also having a moment or several over Tuon being In Charge. Demandred continues to be embarrassing and unable to take a hint. Listen, maybe He’s Just Not That Into You. Galgane is warming up to Mat. Min’s ‘omens’ are being used as basis for personnel allocations. Mat is disappointed female armours don’t have boob moulds. When Tuon starts using Min’s visions as basis for executions, she objects and they come to an accommodation that involves no one being beheaded for crimes they may commit in the future. Gateways are used for a conference call to talk to both Egwene and Elayne. The dire state of the battle is quickly established, what with the loss of the great captains and two thirds of the Borderlander forces. There’s nothing left to do but combine all their forces in the Fields of Merrilor, to take the last stand, for the Last Battle. Galad is reflecting on his personal growth in accepting that other people just aren’t as perfect as he is. I mean… it’s something, I guess. He’s proud of his sister but pines after Perrin since he never took offence of his directness. Still doesn’t quite understand why Elayne and Tam are keen on framing the day’s events as a victory despite the losses.

Perrin is chasing Slayer through the skies of the Wolf Dream, the two of them shifting and clashing and fighting with all the creativity Tel’aran’rhiod enables for imaginative boys like them. We get a full on parting of the seas scene while the two fight on the ocean floor and Slayer explains what a good little tool he is for the Great Lord. Perrin’s body is exhausted though and so he slips and takes two arrows. Faile is supervising loading of supply wagons in Tar Valon, including a special instrumental delivery for Mat, disguised as a trunkful of tabac. She’s accompanied by Aravine, and men from the Band, including Vanin and Harnan, whilst Olver is also along for the ride. They’re waiting for their turn to take a gateway to Merrilor when a bubble of evil strikes, this time in form of crystal spikes with screaming people inside. Lovely. In all the fuss, the gateway goes somewhat disarray and when they escape through it, the group find themselves in the Blight. Aviendha is having a little break, contemplating the state of the fight and the many days since Rand went to face the Dark One, when she sees unauthorised channelling in the camp, more precisely in Darlin’s tent, which is worrying since he’s the one in command now that Ituralde has fallen. She’s lulled into false sense of security upon seeing Aiel, only for them to turn around and attack her, wrapping her up with OP and slamming a shield in place. Aviendha realises exactly who these red-veiled Aiel are. Cadsuane’s arrival and her suspicion saves Aviendha having her throat slit, and mere minutes later she saves Cadsuane in return as the mysterious intruder tries to strike her down with OP weaves. The intruder disappears but there are suddenly a lot of enemy channellers around. Avienhda and others form circles to start hunting them.

Rand is in the darkness outside the Pattern. The Great Lord mocks Moridin’s size (I don’t make the rules, this is literally what happened). Perrin is in pain and struggling to imagine the arrow in his shoulder gone. Lanfear finds him and refuses to help. In the Blight, Faile’s group is losing people to the myriad of horrors. It looks like maybe they didn’t end where they did simply by accident and Faile is suspicious of Darkfriends among them. Their best option is to head toward Shayol Ghul and try to reach the Light’s forces making battle there. Aviendha is killing the red-veiled Aiel, recognising one as an Aiel channeler from her childhood. She makes a mistake of scouting too far from the circle supporting her, leaving them vulnerable to Graendal’s attack which kills several and captures some with Compulsion.

Olver misses his family, the one he made with Mat and the men from the Band, as he watches yet more people die as a result of the dangers all around them. He is full of thoughts of fighting Trollocs and plans of what he needs to do to find the Shaido who killed his first family. Everyone is leaving him; Noal dead, Mat going with the Seanchans, Talmanes with Elayne, people dying all around him. They are getting close to the Blasted Lands around Shayol Ghul. Cadsuane is reflecting on the grit of the Wise Ones, and sharing her research which suggests that the intruder used True Power for her vanishing trick, marking her as one of the Forsaken (correctly identified as Graendal). In the Blight, Faile has set up a trap to tempt the Darkfriend into revealing themselves, leaving the trunk exposed but having hidden the Horn itself elsewhere. A scream interrupts the night, coming from the exact direction of the hiding place. Faile rushes over to find Vanin and Harnan clutching the zombie horn. All the shouting attracts monsters. In the fight Faile gets the horn back, Vanin and Harnan, now labelled as Darkfriend thieves, vanish into the night.

Nynaeve is worried about Rand, frozen in place with Moridin, while the darkness at their back threatens to suck in everything including her and Moiraine. Determined not to spend the Last Battle clinging to a stalagmite, Nynaeve inches her way across the cavern only to find Alanna, chained to a wall and dying from a wound. A clever ploy to affect Rand who of course is bonded to her. In Merrilor, Mat is showing the ordinary folk (among them the old farmer who gave him and Rand a lift when Mat was under the influence of the cursed Shadar Logoth dagger) how to carve weapons. He’s strategizing and estimating their odds, which with them outnumbered four to one are not that great. Still, everyone is determined to fight. Mat is trying to escape the Deathwatch Guards who are set to drag him back to Tuon to sit in judgement with her and seeks temporary refugee with Egwene. She reports that the zombie horn is still awol. They survey the battleground from top of the Dashar Knob. Grady reports that people from a village down south have been recruited and Mat orders him to see them defend the river. There will be no retreat, not for any of them. It’s win or nothing, even if Rand completes his own task. And to do that, Mat realises, he has to change everything, every damn detail of the battle plan already agreed. One last toss of the dice into the face of the enemy that is already here. In the wolf dream, Perrin fades and in so doing he wakes up, slipping into the real world and right into Master Luhhan’s arms.

The Last Battle starts. And lasts for one massive 200-page chapter. There’s a missed opportunity, I feel, to dot the chapter with more quotes from Loial’s book. Anyway, the first pov of many, many, so fucking many, is Lan’s. He’s surveying the Sharan army, already blasting them with OP fireballs. Luckily, they have Logain and his Asha’man to defend and do the same. Together with the Two Rivers troops they brace for the attack. Elayne hears a croon of the Draghkar from the Seanchan camp and renders everyone deaf with a big OP bang, enabling them to fight back before she heals them again. She’s got time to curse out Mat for changing the plans, though he explains about the necessity of it and not sharing the new plans with anyone either. The next pov is with Uno if you remember that flaming one-eye Shienaran with propensity for cursing and low tolerance for bullshit. He’s been bloody promoted too, currently getting his ears blasted watching Talmanes and Aludra rip Trollocs apart with their dragons. There’s still plenty of fighting for him to do except for the order of retreat from Mat, at first incomprehensible but once the Sharan channelers join the fight it makes excellent sense. Demandred is using balefire without any caution, and some of the familiar minor characters are erased from the Pattern.

Finally, we get Logain pov, I have missed him. He has some issues re power and control for sure, lusting after the sa’angreal Demandred is using. But for now he’s focused on hunting Taim and his cronies, following Rand’s last orders to find the seals. Gabrelle is still with him, even though he struggles to make sense of how genuine her regard for him is. Gawyn is tired, thanks to the bloodknife rings. Bryne is still around, insisting on fighting even when he can’t be trusted to lead. Whilst everyone is distracted by listening Demandred, now in a full circle of men and women, rant about how much he wants to be bitch slapped by Rand, Gawyn decides that he is in fact up to the task of shutting him up (dear readers, he is not) and sneaks out, slipping all the remaining bloodknife rings into his fingers like a fucking idiot. Elsewhere in the battlefield, Tam is the void, the void is him, and together they kill Trollocs. We also catch a glimpse of the Bayard the stonemason against my expectations, and learn that Perrin is in Mayene, healing from his wounds. Alliandre is encouraging her troops. Mat sends a word to hold the river here no matter what.

Pevara and Androl are flirting their way through the Last Battle and I respect that choice. The mutual competency kink, coupled with the telepathic connection the mutual bonding affords, makes for some great banter as they attack Taim’s channelers and Shadowspawn together with other Asha’man. The focus needed to keep themselves from not blending too much is lost when an OP attack tosses them around and in the resulting mixing Pevara is able to use their shared power to weave a gateway even though Androl is leading the circle and it shouldn’t be possible. Mat is distracted from the grant painting he and Demandred are creating by Galad questioning his orders and Tuon’s and Elayne’s concern for his safety thanks to Min’s viewing. He sends messages to the Ogier and Lan’s troops, and a coded one to Talmanes. View of the battlefield through a gateway confirms his suspicion of a spy in the command tent since Demandred’s troops are moving to intercept theirs even though the order was sent only moments ago. Talmenes’ return message is equally coded, meaning Mat now has a chance to fool the Shadow into thinking the dragons are done for. He takes Elayne aside and explains his plan to use the spy to their advantage, that he’s losing on purpose in order to hold back for the last bet when the time is right. Elayne takes her troops where she’s needed.

Galad is leading the remaining Children of the Light and various hangers on. The flow of the river is slowing down and there’s little hope that the battle will cease for the night. Galad is reluctantly impressed with Mat, even with the snarky orders he sends to join Elayne, complete with a dig about that one quarterstaff fight (ah yes, I remember it fondly). The Dark One is battering Rand, trying to tear his very essence apart, in preparation for the show and tell to come as he shapes the Pattern into what might be, demonstrating what the world will look like after his victory. Rand enters the endless Blight, finding Tam and Two Rivers men hacking at a tree and then quickly dying, none of them recognising him. The alternate reality Dannil takes Rand to the alternate reality Emond’s Field where alternate reality Nynaeve, now one of the Chosen, gathers thirteen Myrddraal and thirteen OP users in preparation of Turning him. Despite the guilt of the failure, Rand fights back and starts spinning a ‘what if’ of his own. In Mellor, Egwene is ready with her troops but notices and somehow heals the cracks caused by balefire. She also notices Gawyn gone. Bryne volunteers to go look for him. Siuan goes to Mat and the Seanchan, but not before telling Egwene how proud she is of her, of having a legacy like her. Obviously knew this was the end from that alone, god damn. Egwene gets into the position, only to realise that Gawyn is heading right toward Demandred. He even gets pretty close thanks to the death rings on his fingers, slipping past Sharans and Shadowspawn, but starting to notice that pain of injury is not touching him at all. His reasoning for this fool’s errand his that he's expendable, that while no one would order him to do it, but it must be done as taking Demandred down is essential for winning the battle. He’s got a point but I hate it. And, to be fair, he almost does it, getting to knife’s width of the Forsaken before he realises what’s happening. Demandred, who has a rather one track mind at the moment, immediately assumes him an assassin sent specially by the Dragon Reborn. Learning that Gawyn is there of his own initiatives probably angers him more than the fact that he’s there at all. Sad. Anyway, there’s masterful sword fighting and many taunts, and it all ends up with a sword through Gawyn’s gut. He barely feels it though. Demandred leaves him alive as a message to Rand and Gawyn just about drags himself onto a horse.

In the Blight, Mandevwin is trying to convince Faile that Vanin and Haran aren’t Darkfriends, but she’s not really buying it. Everyone in the group now knows that they’re transporting the zombie horn. They discover a caravan, and beyond that the miserable Town huddling near Shayol Ghul, and acting as the Shadow’s central supply station via regular gateways. This presents an opportunity for an escape if they managed to infiltrate the supply caravan. Perrin, meanwhile, is waking up in Berelain’s castle, having done some sleeping and recovering, though not enough yet. The fight is still going on of course and Perrin soon figures that it’s not going that well either. He gets the news about Faile’s disappearance but refuses to lose hope. No one is willing to use OP to wipe away his exhaustion and Perrin makes the wise decision to get some real sleep rather than return to the wolf dream just yet. Androl and Pevara are recovering from almost been flattened by Demandred with some of the others. Androl makes his boo some tea with honey, all accomplished with a very clever use of gateways, and compares her to an old strap of leather in a loving and complimentary way. Honestly, these two are adorable. They are also hatching a crazy plan.

We get an overview of the fight in Tha’kandar through Rhuarc’s eyes. It’s not going great, with the defence lines broken and Shadowspawn set to flood the valley soon, though ordinary folk fight like cornered wolves, to say nothing of the ferocity of the actual wolves. Rhuar manages to kill a red-veiled OP user but gets zapped by Graendal’s compulsion and becomes one of her mindless pets. Unfair. Rand, meanwhile, is demonstrating the world in which he wins, created for his turn of the show and tell. Everything is lovely in Emond’s Field, the people are happy, there’s a school dedicated to learning and Perrin’s granddaughter presides over the centennial commemoration of the Last Battle. But the Dark One taunts him by pointing out he can never fully eliminate suffering and tears the vision apart. In Merrilor, Silviana is fighting alongside others when she sees the Amyrlin grow pale and try to get the Heights where she can sense Gawyn grievously injured. Silviane points out that it’s too dangerous, suggesting that Egwene passes Gawyn’s bond to her and she’ll go. Egwene’s having none of that but relents on the gateway idea and instead they continue the fight to gain ground as ordered, conveniently in Gawyn’s direction.

Elayne’s troops are dealing with Trollocs. Birgitte has lost all her memories of her past lives, including those of Gaidal. Galad shows up and makes disapproving noises at Elayne for being in the battlefield ‘in her condition’, but before they can start properly fighting about it, another message from Mat arrives. This comes with one of the OP rejecting medallions and suggestion to go do what needs to be done since no one else has the stomach or the unforgiving moral compass to do it. ‘It’ turns out to be killing as many of the Sharan channelers as possible. Bryne arrives asking after Gawyn. Mat is surveying the battlefield, remembering past battles and kind of reluctantly enjoying having an opponent as well matched as Demandred. Logain shows up to talk about how he could’ve been the Dragon Reborn but now he’s happy to leave Rand to die, but he’s also hankering to give Demandred the next best thing and go against himself. Mat tells him he can but in the meanwhile shut his trap and get on with dealing with the Sharan channelers. Tuon and Mat almost start their pre-planned fake fight, but then a Gray Man attacks and Sharan channelers pour through the gateways to attack the command tent directly, setting it on fire. Min’s quick thinking saves Tuon’s life in time for her to go help Mat who is also being attacked. Min is almost killed by one of the male channelers but Siuan saves her. Min is aghast that she’s there because the viewing about her and Bryne needing to stay together lest they both die is still present no matter that Siuan thought those events had already come to past. Siuan is adamant in helping Mat though and they plunge back into the burning tent, just in time to help Tuon and Mat, still struggling with the Gray men. Unfortunately, an explosion takes out half of the tent and people in it, including Siuan. God fucking dammit.

Egwene is fighting ferociously to get to Gawyn. Demandred is using a falcon to survey the game board, musing on the opposition and still entertaining the delusion that Rand is going to even piss in his direction. He’s also gone and fallen into, well not love, but at least mild interest with a Sharan woman. Honestly not sure what this late game character development adds but there we have it. She’s convinced the only way to preserve the Sharan people is to align them with Demandred despite his shadowy alliances. Taim comes to posture a bit, showing off that Dark Daddy has granted him some True Power as well (Demandred is right, everyone apparently has some nowadays, Dark Daddy being generous/desperate). Taim may be the new kid on the block but he is still a kid compared to Demandred, especially as he doesn’t care for political games or the Dark One’s attention, only about his Lews bae. Demandred TP slaps Taim about a bit but lets him go in the end. In the cavern of evil, or more precisely on some metaphysical plane, the Dark One is preparing to torture Rand more with images of all the people he’s killed and will kill.

We have a fighting on the ground interlude from Juilin Sandar, presumably to help us remember the little people. Androl and Pevara are taking time for the important things, i.e. making telepathic heart-eyes at each other’s competence. They have all disguised themselves as Black Ajah or Turned Asha’man and are traipsing behind the enemy lines, trying to find Taim. They are interrupted by Sharan who escorts them to see the Wyld, aka Demandred. On the way there, Androl has time to get jealous over Pevara’s idle musings about maybe bonding a few more Warders. We also get a throwaway reference to another male character who ‘prefers men’, like wow, Sanderson so ally . Demandred doesn’t even question them, just shouts at them to get where Taim is and sends them on their way, conveniently giving them Taim’s location. Galad is doing his assigned task very efficiently, killing Sharan channelers with great success. In the process, he and his group find Gawyn, who has just enough breath left to tell Galad about his other half-brother the Dragon Reborn and to tell Egwene that he loved her before he dies. Can’t say I didn’t see it coming as soon as he picked up those fucking rings but I still bawled like a baby. Egwene reacts to this as you would expect, with a wall of death and passing out.

The Two Rivers men, under Tam’s leadership, release their last volley of arrows on the hordes of Trollocs. Knowing no more arrows are coming, Tam organises them into two wedges of attack, himself at the point with the sword Rand gave him. Tuon orders Kadere and the other Deathwatch Guards who had missed the Gray Man attack one more to head out and slay the enemy marath’damane directly as a punishment, as it’s better than letting them fall on their own swords. In repayment of saving her life, she gifts Min a new name of Darbinda. Tuon and Mat decide that now is a perfect time for a mock fight to deceive the spy among them, get into an argument about the risk Mat’s actions were placing her in, and as a result she takes all the Seanchan forces off the battlefield. Well, not very far though. On the metaphysical plane, the Dark One is showing Rand a new possible future. This time we are in Caemlyn that looks to be thriving, with people and steamwagons going about their business. Soon Rand witnesses a saleswoman kill a street urchin in cold blood and with a gun, and realises that what the Dark One has done is let people think they won but actually just removed their empathy and conscience. The lesson is hammered home even more when Gill sells him out immediately. Back in Merrilor, Mat asks Min to go with Tuon, and grabs Kadere and his men as they head to the frontlines (“You ride to battle?” “I was thinking more of a saunter.” – hands down in the top ten Mat moments, I love him).

Tam slays Trolloc after Trolloc with his sword, exuding strong DILF energy. Land definitely thinks so too, pausing just to pay his respects before riding off to another skirmish. Berelain and a large group of gai’shain, Tinkers, children and elderly pour through a gateway to start looking for the wounded and gathering up arrows. Elayne says her goodbyes to Bryne’s body, knowing the cause of his death is Siuan’s. In the light of the news of Mat’s command tent having been destroyed, Elayne is taking charge but the Andoran forces are pushed back hard, especially as Demandred starts flaying about with balefire, still whining after Rand like a needy bitch, figuring that if he threatens Elayne, Rand will come running. Birgitte sends a decoy and takes Elayne toward safety. Galad, still reeling from losing Gawyn, heads to Demandred, telling him that the Dragon Reborn is otherwise occupied but here's his brother, willing to clash swords. In the cavern of evil, Nynaeve is working frantically to try and save Alanna’s life.

Mat runs into Bashere and Deira, both bloodied from the battle, and tells them the fake news of the Seanchan departure. He’s got his finger on the pulse of the battle well and truly now, though having the Horn of Valere really would help right about now. Sadly, Faile is still awol. Mat sends the Basheres and their troops to help Lan. He’s got need for some more troops and comes across the Ogier (Loial’s and the Seachan ‘Garderners’ together andlook, I really just want a book about Ogier social relations okay, to explore this), felling down Trollocs like dead trees. Mat gathers the Ogier and the Dragonsworn, looking for someone who can make a gateway. Teslyn appears to provide one with a help of a circle, and through the gateway Mat takes everyone to the Heights he’d abandoned to the Shadow not too long ago to strike right at their core. Egwene wakes to the unbearable loss and yet has to and will push through it, insisting on returning to the battle despite everyone’s advice because Egwene can grieve but the Amyrlin is needed. Weaving OP in her circumstances is only possible if she’s able to replace her grief with an emotion even stronger than that. Luckily, Egwene has plenty of rage to draw from right now. She bonds Leilwin as her new Warder because she needs one to watch her back and strides back to the battlefield.

Galad’s fight with Demandred ends much the same as Gawyn’s, but with additional limb loss. Androl and co, still under disguise, have finally located Taim. He’s too busy shouting and torturing to grasp a potential for deception, and in a hilarious turn of events makes Androl, disguised as Nesen, to disguise himself as Androl and sends him off to kill Logain. You couldn’t make it up. Androl, in the midst of all that, swipes the Seals right out of Taim’s belt pouch. Absolute legend. Arganda is still alive, but missing Gallenne (aww). He gets a message that Mat is also still alive, meets up with Tam and shares the good news with him and Mat’s dad. Help is coming and it arrives in form of Lan and the Golden Crane. They have arrows as well again so they’re good for a two-pronged archer/cavalry attack. Demandred is boasting about having defeated Galad. Arganda’s horse gets killed from under him and he almost dies too. Ogier come with the message to hold the line no matter what. The battle his hardly over.

Rand is showing off his world without Shadow, having weaved a what if world of Caemlyn without anything evil where everyone is happy all the time and no one knows suffering. Of course, as these things go, it soon becomes apparent that the place is as terrible in its own right as the one Dark One had created because when you take away people’s choice, you leave empty husks behind, no matter how pretty. Encountering this version of Elayne, vapid and smiling with nothing behind her eyes that made her who she was, drives the point home. And so Rand and the Dark One are back to shouting and fighting. Mat is surveying his own battlefield, hoping his luck and the various troops he’s positioned across the gameboard hold out.

In the Blight, Olver is keeping his head down as he and the others march along the Shadow’s supply line, having overpowered and taken one of the caravans for a decoy. Everyone plays their part well and they pass through the gateway to Tha’kandar, right into the middle of Trolloc camp. They see the Banner of the Red Hand and are trying to figure out how to get to it, but Aravine, who turns out to have been a Darkfried who had tried and failed to leave that life behind, betrays them before they can even try. She takes the horn, declaring she’ll be delivering it to Demandred. Olver launches himself at the DF OP user knife first, causing her to drop the weaves holding Faile. In Mellor, Leane is fighting and losing Sisters, but still proud of the way Aes Sedai are holding together and not giving up. The Sharans are starting to use ordinary folk as living shields for the channelers. The Aes Sedai are fragmented though and need a rallying point. Egwene emerges, glowing with saidar and holy fury, to provide one. Talmanes is hiding in a cave with Aludra, the dragons and folk to repair and use them. His brand of humour is not getting the appreciation it deserves but that’s not stopping him raising everyone’s spirits with a rendition of Jak ‘o the Shadows. Olver’s actions allow Faile to go after Aravine and the horn, grabbing the nearest horse that turns out to be none other thank Bela. Harnan and Vanin, now vindicated, show up to provide support. Faile kills Aravine, grabs the horn and is immediately set upon by every Shadowspawn in the camp. Without choice, she gives the instrument to Olver and tasks him to hide and get it to Mat if he can while she leads the pursuers elsewhere.

Logain has the Seals. He is reflecting on his losses and opportunities, while also making Androl a full Asha’man. He decides that given the state of the Amyrlin, the Seals are better off with him at the moment. For now, he mostly lusts after the sa’angreal Demandred has and goes to get it. Egwene, burning holy fury like a living flame, leads the Aes Sedai and Asha’man toward confrontation with Taim. We get an interlude from the point of view of Ila, Aram’s grandmother, whose worldview is rather shaken by the recent events. Olver is hiding, scared and alone, with no way out. Except Bela, she is there and on her back he runs toward freedom. Except… Except Bela is killed too, I am sobbing and Olver crawls deep into a cleft on the mountainside while Trollocs are reaching for him. Logain puts up a good show but in the end he is no match for Demandred, not with that sa’angreal in his hands and gets shielded. Thinking quick he lobs a stone at Demandred which is enough to distract him so Logain can gateway the fuck out of there and back to Gabrelle’s healing. Egwene and Taim clash in a magnificent display of OP. Taim is using balefire, but Egwene manages to shield him. Yet he still has True Power and uses it to escape. Another minor character interlude, this time from Hurin who is fighting to make Lord Rand proud, especially now that he’d apologised for being a dick.

In Mayene, Berelain’s field hospital is stretched to its limits of space, resources and energy to heal. In a miracle of sorts, Galad has been found alive, saved by Annoura who burned herself out getting them to safety via a gateway. Rand is weeping for the dead, including Hurin, the Basheres, Siuan and Bryne, Gawyn, while the Dark One taunts him. Taim is lusing after Demandred’s sa’angreal as much as Logain is. In a plot twist Demandred actually hands it over to him, though he’s bonded it so it can’t be used directly against him. Elayne and co have retreated as far as they can go. A group that looks like Caemlyn refugees turns out to be the enemy in disguise and attacks them. Amongst them is none other than the creepy Mellar, who beheads Birgitte (also saw her death coming in some form or another but it didn’t stop me gasping in horror here). Elayne reels from the loss of her Warder while Mellar sends off a decoy of a dead woman looking exactly like Elayne to demoralise her troops by convincing them that she is dead. He also plans to cut out Elayne’s babies, and deliver them to the Great Lord as ordered. Yikes.

The Dark One offers a compromise which is basically nothingness, no world at all. Rand refuses and suffers the consequences. Min is waiting with the Seanchan. Galgan judges Mat’s request for them to return to have come too late. Min is pretty sure she’s figured out that Yulan is the spy, albeit one acting under Compulsion. To figure out who’s holding his leash, she denounces Tuon’s hesitation to commit her armies and reveals Yunlan and almost manages to knife the female servant who was the Darkfriend responsible. Given the events, Tuon is happy to do what her heart wants and bring the Seanchan empire back onto the board. Egwene is fighting even though the women around her are dropping from exhaustion. She gets the news that Logain has the Seals. Taim shows his face again but this time Egwene is ready with a weave that counters balefire. The two throw everything at each other, Egwene drawing more OP than is safe, and in the end her weave crystallises Taim where he stands. Egwene knows that if she releases her power now, she’ll burn out and even though Taim is dealt with, the Sharan channelers remain. She gives Leilwin her last message to watch for the light and when it appears to destroy the Seals, before pushing her to safety through a gateway, releasing their bond. Egwene draws the One Power, lets it consume her, and turn her into one last beautiful explosion of light that takes out the enemy, heals the cracks left by balefire, and carries her soul to the light.

Both Rand and I sob and scream in sorrow. Leane finds a column of crystal where the Amyrlin was. Galad gives Berelain the medallion that needs to get back to Mat. Mat receives the news of Egwene’s death like a punch to the face, only marginally softened by the fact that she took all the enemy channelers with her. He’s played a good game, but he’s not sure it’s enough to win. Rand’s banner is hoisted. News of Elayne’s supposed death comes, but so does the message that the Seanchan are ready to return. Mat sends Asha’man to Talmanes. Lan is now heading for Demandred. Olver is in his burrow, curled around the Horn like a frightened baby rabbit while the Trollocs dig around him. Loial and Erith are having a moment of rest, but then Loial spots Lan, knowing he’ll need to witness what he is about to do. Tam and the Two Rivers men light the way for Lan with flaming arrows, clearing a path through the Shadowspawn for him to reach Demandred. He’s wearing the medallion Berelain had sent through, making him immune to OP. Demandred experiences some genuine surprise when Lan’s opening salve actually mars his pretty face.

Min feels Rand fighting, and Rand himself is almost broken under the weight of guilt… That he needs to let go of to win. Lan’s fight with Demandred is glorious. They are evenly matched but Demandred is well rested. He misunderstands Lan’s intentions in a fundamental way, however. Lan isn’t here to win, he is here to kill Demandred. He steps into Demandred’s blow, sheathing the sword in his own body whilst getting close enough to deliver a killing blow himself.

Lan’s fall almost undoes Rand, but at the back of his mind there are voices (Tam’s, Egwene’s) reminding him that other people’s choices are theirs to make and his to accept. By letting others be heroes too, by letting go of the guilt he’d carried, Rand is finally free to fight. And in doing so he understands that it’s not about winning, it’s about not giving up. In the battlefield, that’s exactly what Mat is doing, and Lan’s victory becomes the rallying call for the Light’s armies. Rand is remembering everyone who fought and kept fighting, nevermind the odds or the obstacles, realising that the Shadow will never win because it will never break the people completely, because hope always perseveres. The armies of the Light still fight, against overwhelming numbers, but Rand’s voice delivers the message that the one who defeated the Shadow’s general still lives, as Lan lurches to his feet, holding Demandred’s head. In a scared rabbit burrow in Tha’kandar, Olver blows the Horn of Valere, which obeys him because… Because Mat died since he blew it! I admit, I did not figure that until the literal moment it happened. Anyway, the heroes of the legend ride back into the battle, among them Birgitte Silverbow, who arrives just in the nick of time to shoot Mellar before he hurts Elayne.

Mat call everyone who can hold a weapon to him, and rides to catch Lan just before he collapses again. Narishma is there to heal him enough for them to get him to safety. Mat rides out to meet the heroes of the horn, relieved when Hawkwing’s friendly snarking tells him that they are on their side. The heroes also give him a lecture about being grateful to Rand for saving his life twice. In Tha’kandar, the Trollocs finally have Olver, wrenching him out of his hiding place but turns out one of the people Olver lost has come back to him and one of the heroes summoned is none other than Noal, arriving to rescue Olver just in time and also break my fucking heart in the best of ways (I was sobbing uncontrollably jfc).

Birgitte rallies Elayne’s guards, because she’s still their commander, dead or not. She tells Elayne she’s happy because she has all her memories back. Elayne insists on riding back to the battle because her troops need to know she’s alive after all. Tha’kandar is beaten by a terrible storm, but through that Aviendha still hunts. She sees Elyas and both of them witness the arrival of Darkhounds. Elyas and the wolves can’t defeat them but they’re attacking anyway to slow them down. Aviendha spots Graendal and sends a signal to Amys and Cadsuane as agreed, and together they attack her. Elayne is calling for her troops to stand with their queen, and attacks a Trolloc with a sword to provide an example and also creates a great big banner to float above her to really drive the message home. Mat is pushing the troops with him, hoping to strike hard while the Sharans are still reeling from Demandred’s death. The Seanchan troops return to add their force to the fight, while Aludra and Talmanes fire the dragons straight from their cavern through a gateway which is bloody clever. Upriver, Grady has been holding off from using his powers even though he’s had to watch a group of villagers, including women and children, be slaughtered as they fought to secure the river. He has orders to make a gateway to the same village at dawn and follows it even though he doesn’t understand why… Except that village is called Hindestrap and the people coming through are the same ones who died earlier. Grady destroys the dam and releases the river.

Pevara, Androl and co are concerned over defending the dragons but Logain has other priorities and sends his Asha’man looking for the sa’angreal Taim had among the crystal pillars left from the fight between him and Egwene. Androl does some creative obedience, deciding that prior orders override that and take his group elsewhere though. Demandred’s death has freed Moghedien. She also discovers that the Dark One has opened the True Power floodgates to all his followers. She disguises herself as Demandred and travels to the Sharan troops, and orders Shadowspawn to go butcher refugees in order to force the other side to divide its forces to protect them. Gateway opens to spit dragon fire at them. Talmenes is in a right jolly mood thanks to the success of the strategy.

Aviendha, Amys and Cadsuane are hunting Graendal while all around them reality is starting to break apart as the whole valley becomes consumed by impossibilities of both good and evil, reflecting Rand’s fight with the Dark One. She almost gets killed by one of Graendal’s compulsion slaves but kills him first, only to find out that it was Rhuarc. Alviarin, Misharaile and other Dreadlords are thinking of abandoning a sinking ship, though they are maybe going to do something about those dragons first. They see the Dragon Reborn himself on the battlefield, looking exhausted and escaping through a gateway. Thinking they can defeat him, they follow, only to run straight into a trap that Androl had lured them into, wearing Rand’s face. The trap itself is an Ogier stedding where the old Ogier take the Darkfriends into their care… Possibly permanently. When Pevara and co return though, they find the Trollocs slaughtering the Caemlyn refugee. Aviendha despairs over what she’s done even though intellectually she knows it was Graendal who killed Rhuarc. Her chance of revenge comes and she runs at Graendal spear first, but suffers serious injuries to her legs from an explosion of earth. Aviendha’s spear finds its mark but both of them stumble through a True Power gateway Graendal creates at the last second.

Logain is still yearning after the sa’angreal because the power would mean no one would ever chain him up again, despite Gabrelle’s disapproval. Leilwin comes with the Amyrlin’s last message of breaking the seals with the light, but Logain intends to ignore that as well and keep the seals. They find the sa’angreal and Logain is just about to use balefire to destroy the crystal when Androl and Pevara arrive with the word of the slaughter and plea for help. Mat is riding with the heroes of the Horn, relieved to learn that he isn’t one of them. With the combined assault of them, the Seanchans and Aludra’s dragons, the end comes quickly and the Shadowspawn start to fracture, then flee. The red string of fate invisible bond tying Mat to Rand is tugging tighter but before he leaves he asks Hawkwing to go have a little chat with his descendant, i.e. Tuon. Honestly so disappointed we don’t get to see that. Rand and the Dark One are still conversing IN ALL CAPS cos that’s how you do it on the metaphysical plane apparently. Rand is all GO AHEAD AND KILL ME, DEATH IS NOTHING, AND ALSO I’M GONNA TAKE YOU WITH ME (I’m paraphrasing but that’s the gist of it, promise). On a stone ledge not too far off Aviendha and Graendal are having the OP version of a really tired slap fight. Aviendha makes a gateway but no help comes.

Perrin wakes up from his much-needed nap, to find Chiad keeping watch. Her question about Gaul reminds him that he should probably get back to him in the wolf dream. Besides Rand is still tugging at him. Master Luhhan comes by because there’s one final lesson he has to teach. For all Perrin has learned to be careful of his strength there is time to stop holding himself back and that time is now. Chiad has found Masuri who is willing to wipe away Perrin’s fatigue with OP. And then Perrin steps into Tel’aran’rhiod in the flesh. Outside the cavern of evil, Thom is smoking his pipe and pondering on a right word to describe the events of the day (he settles on ‘exquisite’ in the end) in his ballad. He sees Cadsuane approaching the cave and kills her as soon as she’s passed, for of course it was not Cadsuane at all. Thom stashes the body with the others.

Mat meets up with Grady, now healed Olver and Noal of course, delighted that Jain has made it as a hero of the horn though mostly still relieved he isn’t in the same boat. Mat needs to get to Rand but gateways are not working at Shayol Ghul. Instead they go to a Seanchan scouting camp nearby. In Tha’kandar Fain (Shaisam, Mordeth, Mist of Evil) has finally popped up like a toxic mushroom he is. He’s got plans to establish a new Shadar Logoth right there and his mist tendril drones are busily consuming everyone who they touch, people and Shadowspawn alike, for the noms. It is unclear if he regards the Dark One his friend or enemy (frenemy?) but he does very much want to eat Rand’s soul. In the wolf dream, Gaul is being battered by the storm and harrying the Slayer together with the wolves. Unfortunately, Slayer gets him on the side with one his own spears. Perrin arrives in the nick of time and stills the storm. Some taunts are thrown and we learn that Slayer had sought the ability to channel but the Tel’aran’rhiod was better. Perrin has, how shall I put it, ran out of all fucks to give. Gaul makes a tactical retreat. Mat and Olver are screaming their way to Shayol Ghul, riding on a to’raken, though for very different reasons (terror and delight, respectively). On approaching their destination, Mat has an instant feeling of familiarity with the mist that snakes its way around the valley, sensing both Fain and the dagger he carries. A volley of arrows takes out the rider, leaving Mat to try and get the beast and themselves to the ground. Olver sounds the zombie horn once more.

Rand exits the metaphysical plane and steps back into the Pattern and his body once more. Moridin is not done though and throws a knife at Alanna. There’s nothing Nynave can do but her efforts have brought Alanna back enough that she has sense to release the bond before she dies. Moridin goes for Rand, Rand raises Callandor to counter, Moridin knifes his own hand but the effects are somehow felt by Rand who drops the crystal sword. Perrin fights. And by ‘fight’ I mean ‘shifts between shapes and realities too fast to comprehend while annihilating Slayer’. Very sexy of him tbh. Perrin’s magic hammer hits home and Slayer dies. They end up in the waking world, in the middle of the battleground in Tha’kandar where Shadowspawn have all but overwhelmed the Light’s forces. He shifts himself and a group of Aiel to the path leading up to the Pit of Doom where Rand still fights, intending to hold as long as possible. Horn of Valere sounds and it brings with it the dead heroes, not just human, but wolves too. And these wolves are more than a match for the Darkhounds. Mat leaves Olver with Noal and the heroes and goes up to Perrin, explaining to him what Olver had said about the last time he’d seen Faile. Oh and also that Fain is here. They both have a debt to settle with that weasel but the mist gets to Mat first.

Aviendha and Graendal are still fighting, both of them seriously injured. Aviendha realises that her only chance is to let the gateway’s weaves unravel. Which they do, with an explosion. Fain’s hopes of world domination are dashed when one part of his extended misty body grows numb and at the root of the problem he finds Mat who stabs him right in his shrivelled black heart with the cursed knife because guess what, he’s got immunity now against this brand of evil. Outstanding. Perrin goes to get Gaul out of the wolf dream and delivers him to Merrilor for healing. He’s torn between trying to go find Faile and returning to Rand, but the first is pointless if the second isn’t taken care of though. Moridin grabs the fallen Callandor, delighted to find it can amplify True Power as well and determined to channel that for the sweet, sweet oblivion. But the trap springs before he can. One of Callandor’s many flaws is that a man using it can be forced into a link with and thus control of women, which is precisely what Nynaeve and Moiraine do before linking with Rand in turn and feeding him their, and Moridin’s power too. And with his metaphorical hand coated in True Power, Rand seizes through the darkness and reality and snatches up the Dark One like one might pry a garden snail off a leaf. Light explodes.

Elayne sees the light and knows. Thom sees the light and knows. Min sees it. Aviendha sees it (Graendal, whose Compulsion weave backfired, now only sees Aviendha). Logain, fresh from saving babies and experiencing gratitude and awe where there had only been hatred and disgust before, sees it and does the right thing. He breaks the seals.

The wolf dream is dying. Perrin shifts to the cavern and finds Lanfear waiting. And the frozen image of Rand, Moridin, Nynaeve and Moiraine. Lanfear is thrilled. She can see that Rand’s got the Great Lord in a grip that can snuff him out and Lanfear is in a perfect position to save him. And because she’s laid a Compulsion on Perrin, he is going to help her to kill Moiraine and Nynaeve. Except she hadn’t counted for one thing. This is the wolf dream and in here whatever Perrin believes becomes reality. And he believes in saving Rand and loving Faile. The Compulsion vanishes and Perrin snaps Lanfear’s neck, doing what Rand could not. The seals crumble and the Dark One is free except he’s caught in Rand’s hold like a spindly spider held in a cage of fingers. Rand starts to squeeze, but remembers the horror of the world without shadow and instead shoves the Dark One back into its prison, weaving saidar, saidin, True Power and Light itself to forge a new shield, to repair what men had broken. Moiraine grabs Nynaeve and they make it out of the cavern just as light consumes it and in the midst of it the darkness shrinks to a pinprick and vanishes.

Rand stumbles out of the cave, carrying a body. He falls and sees an old Aiel woman whispering that he’s doing exactly what he should. He’s left people with a choice. Mat exercises his immediately. Standing over Fain’s body he almost reaches for the dagger and then… Doesn’t. Perrin walks to the camp, keeping thoughts of Faile’s fate at bay. People are starting to celebrate but in a healing tent Rand lies still, dying despite Flinn and Nynaeve’s best efforts. Perrin asks if they have sent for Elayne, Min and Aviendha. Nynaeve shares the news of Egwene’s death and Perrin reminds her that it’s not her fault, but from her point of view she left her village because four of their children were taken and now she’s lost one already and the other one soon. Moridin is there too, but also dying. At least there is Lan, still alive.

Loial is looking for Perrin and Mat. He witnesses Ituralde being pressganged into accepting the Arad Domani crown by Aes Sedai, and sees Lan and Nynaeve wearing the Malkieri ones. Apparently Moridin is getting better while Rand is getting worse. Elayne, Min and Aviendha are around but none seem overtly distressed over the prospect of losing Rand. Mat walks into the Seanchan camp and right up to Tuon, having arranged for some fireworks to really make his entrance. Tuon delivers the news that she’s pregnant, and she can now kill Mat if she wants. Mat is largely excited by the prospect of an interesting marriage. Perrin finally gives into his grief, weeping amongst the dead of the battlefield. Moghedien is the last Chosen standing, unless you count Graendal. She’s doing her best to sneak out of the Sharan camp, thinking of the opportunities available to her in this new world, but doesn’t get far until an a’dam snaps around her neck as one of the Seanchan sul’dam grabs her spoils of war.

Nynaeve announces Rand’s death. Min, Elayne and Aviendha take the news calmly. Nynaeve thinks they know something she doesn’t but doesn’t manage to bully it out of them. Perrin is running in the wolf dream, trying to keep his loss at bay, running through the cities and places where he saved people and where he killed people and where he failed and where he learned to do better. In Merrilor he sees a falcon, its leg broken and pinned by a rock. He wakes and finds Faile under the corpses, still alive, and takes her to Nynaeve for healing. The other heroes are gone but Birgitte remains a little while longer saying her goodbyes. She has saved Elayne from making a decision by telling Olver to go toss the Horn of Valere into an ocean. She can feel her rebirth happening, and knows she’ll get to meet Gaidal (we all assume it’s Olver right?) in her new life. Tam surveys the flowers and plants that now cover Tha’kandar, the last gift from his son, as he lights his funeral pyre. Min, Elayne and Aviendha make a show, standing together like Min’s vision predicted, watching Rand’s body burn. And it is only the body, because their bond with him is only getting stronger and their task now is to make everyone believe that he is well and truly gone.

Rand wakes up in a dark tent. Moridin’s face stares back at him from the mirror. Alivia, destined to help him die, has done just that, leaving clothes and coin for him. As he leaves, he notices Cadsuane watching him. She knows, but she also gets ambushed by Aes Sedai who have come to extend the kind of invitation you can’t refuse. A new Amyrlin is needed. Rand is relieved as he heads off. He discovers that he can no longer channel, neither One Power nor True Power. Except apparently he can shape reality by just thinking about it so there is that. He sees all three of his loves watching him as he leaves, wondering if any of them will follow, if all of them will, in their own way, in their own time. In the meanwhile, there is a whole world for him to explore, without the burden of having to save it, or rule it. Rand rides toward south, and toward a new life. The Wheel turns, and a wind rises, bringing us all to an ending.
 

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