
We open in Ghealdan, as a battle rages in a castle. Soldiers are trying to protect the king- who is badly wounded- from a channeling Logain Ablar. Logain finds the king, tells him the Aes Sedai should be working with him to save the world, not fighting against him. Logain is hearing voices telling him to kill the king, but even after the king attempts to stab him, he chooses to heal the king’s wound and tells him there is a place at the Dragon’s side for anyone who would join with him.
Nynaeve, Lan, and Moiraine have arrived at the Aes Sedai camp. Kerene, a green Aes Sedai, heals Moiraine’s wound. She tells Moiraine that only Alanna- another Green-, Liandrin, and herself have been strong enough to hold a shield on Logain from the One Power, and it has been tiring them. Kerene brings Moiraine to the cave where they are holding Logain, who was captured, shielded, and taken in the night from his camp, his army scattering. Liandrin would like to gentle Logain immediately, but Kerene disagrees and is following the Amrylin Seat’s orders to bring him to Tar Valon for a trial. Moiraine offers to help with holding Logain’s shield.
Lan and Kerene’s Warder Stepin train together. Stepin follows Kerene into their tent. They discuss how Liandrin is trying to gain support with the other Aes Sedai for gentling Logain.
Pegwene agree to remain traveling with the Tinkers for now.
Thom, Rand, and Mat ride up toward a farm. Rand is not sure if they should trust Thom. Mat wants to know about the fifth person Dana mentioned who could be the Dragon.
Alanna and Moiraine discuss Logain’s immense power. Alanna jokes about how she enjoys having more than one Warder as a Green, but how she never believed being in the Battle Ajah would actually bring her to the Last Battle. Alanna worries about the Reds gentling the true Dragon Reborn.
Liandrin approaches Nynaeve. Nynaeve asks her about Moiraine. Liandrin gives her a quick history and expresses her dislike for Moiraine, and she leaves when Lan joins them. Lan promises Nynaeve that they will find her friends once they get to the Tower, and he invites Nynaeve to sit by their fire.
Mat’s horse strangely tries to get away from him. The farmer sneaks up and pulls a bow and arrow on the group, but Rand diffuses the situation, after seeing Mat’s hand on his dagger. The farmer, Master Grinwell, and his wife agree to allow them to stay in their barn for the night, after they muck out the stables.
On the road, the Tinkers explain The Way of the Leaf- their life of non-violence- to Pegwene.
Mat begins to feel ill while they are working in the stables. He vomits and it looks like the black shadow from Shadar Logoth emerging from his mouth. Yum. A young Grinwell daughter offers him a loaf of bread. He bonds with her, telling her about his sisters. She tries to give him her doll, Birgitte, who she says protects her while she sleeps.
Thom tells Rand about his nephew, Owyn, who could channel. He was gentled by the Reds, and afterward was so distraught, he slit his own throat. Thom thinks Mat has the same signs, and worries he is keeping his powers from them the same way Owyn had. Thom tells Rand they have to keep Mat away from the Aes Sedai.
Nynaeve chats around the fire with Lan, Stepin, and Alanna’s two Warders, who are sitting very closely together. They explain to her how Aes Sedai serve the world and how they are proud to work with them. Alanna walks by and her Warders follow her to her tent, holding hands and laughing. Lan leaves the fire and goes to Moiraine.
Moiraine is wondering if Logain could be the true Dragon Reborn. Lan asks if he is as strong as Egwene and Moiraine says she doesn’t think so. She is worried that neither she nor the Dark One even know who the real Dragon is.
Egwene is dancing with the Tinkers at night. She looks for Perrin, but Aram pulls her back to dance. Aram tells her about the song, and how it is supposed to bring peace to the world if they can find it, but he doesn’t believe in it.
Perrin fixes Ila’s wagon wheel, as she speaks to him about trying to end violence in the world, and how it will take time. She tells him a story of her daughter, Aram’s mother, being murdered by bandits, and how Ila chose peace and life as her revenge against them.
Aram shoots his shot by asking Egwene if she has lost the man she loves and Egwene says she would know if she had. He tells her that the Tinkers leave their wagons at twenty to make sure that they want to choose The Way of the Leaf for their life.
Rand tells Mat that he is here for him no matter what happens. He goes to sleep and dreams of his friends: Perrin hammering Laila’s dead body, Mat with blood on his hands, the man with the glowing eyes grabbing Egwene. He awakens and Mat is gone. Rand and Thom find Mat in the house, where the Grinwell family has been slaughtered. Mat has the black Shadar Logoth goo coming out of his mouth again, and he points his dagger at the shadows where a Fade emerges. Thom begins fighting the Fade and the boys escape, passing the young girl’s body, and a discarded Birgitte, who did not do her job, on their way out.
Kerene confronts Liandrin about her gentling plan. Liandrin says if they were to let Logain break out, they could gentle him under the Three Oaths, but Kerene rejects that idea.
Nynaeve joins Lan praying. He tells her about his homeland of Malkier. She tells him the last words her parents said to her in the Old Tongue, and he translates them for her. “We shall go into the land, so our children can always hold us and will never be alone.” Shouts ring out across the camp. Logain’s army has arrived!
Lan protects Nynaeve from incoming arrows, but Alanna turns the arrows back on the army. The army advances as the Warders and Aes Sedai fight back. Nynaeve kills one soldier with a dagger.
Logain blasts through his shield, knocking Kerene and Liandrin senseless. He melts the cage around him as Moiraine enters. Logain tells her he can hear the past Dragons in his head when he channels. She tells him the voices are madness and he will be no match for the power of the true Dragon Reborn. The three Aes Sedai try to shield hm again. He attacks them but Kerene protects Liandrin and Moiraine instead of herself and is thrown back against the wall, dead.
Stepin immediately feels Kerene die as the battle rages on outside. Lan takes Nynaeve’s hand (squee) as they and Stepin race toward Logain.
Liandrin almost draws too much of the One Power, but then Stepin enters and slams Logain’s shield with his axes. Logain tears the axes apart with the Power and send shards of them flying through the cave, injuring everyone but Nynaeve and slicing Lan’s throat. As Lan bleeds out, Nynaeve screams and channels, and, in a literal fucking blaze of glory, heals everyone in the cave. Logain tears up as he sees her power. As all the Aes Sedai enter the cave, they link, at Liandrin’s command, and they gentle Logain. Moiraine does not look happy about this and Logain sobs.
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