The Shadow Rising (Chapter 47): The Truth of a Viewing

Welcome back to my re-read, recap, and reaction to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. This post will only have spoilers through the current chapter.

You can find my previous chapter recaps HERE.

Chapter 47: The Truth of a Viewing

NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com:

Point of view: Siuan Sanche

Siuan is reviewing the many reports she has received recently. Danelle appears to be not paying close attention to her responsibilities. She is frustrated because none of the reports deal with what is important, Moiraine and the Dragon Reborn. The Hall of the Tower accepted that Rand al’Thor is the Dragon Reborn based on the report that he drew Callandor from the Stone of Tear. The door crashes open and more than a dozen Aes Sedai enter. Elaida pulls the striped stole from Siuan’s shoulders and tells her she won’t need it anymore. Elaida tells her that she has been deposed by the Hall of the Tower, but not all of the Hall was present, only enough to make it legal. As Siuan is taken away she finds Leane has also been captured and her warder, Alric, is on the floor with a knife in his back.

Point of view: Min Farshaw

Min enters the White Tower gate that is missing the usual guards. She notices smoke from a fire on the grounds in the distance. Her thoughts wander to what she should or shouldn’t wear for Rand and then is furious with herself for wanting to be attractive. Gawyn emerges with a group of young men, all with bared blades. Gawyn tells her that Siuan was deposed and that she should leave immediately. She decides to stay even though she can not think of what good she can do.

Point of view: Siuan Sanche

Siuan wakes in a cell, naked, cold and bruised. Leane calls to her from nearby. Both have been stilled. They stand up as a key grates turning the rusty lock.

Point of view: Min Farshaw

Min has teamed up with Laras to try to free Siuan and Leane. Min enters and is confused because the women in the cell do not appear to be Siuan and Leane. Stilling has changed their appearance. Min passes bundles of clothes to the women and explains that she distracted the guard while Laras hit him on the head. They move up the stairs, out of the basement and in to the tower proper without being seen. When Siuan learns of the fighting she realizes that the Tower has been broken. All members of the Blue Ajah have left and most Greens. The other Ajahs split except the Reds all stayed to support Elaida.

As they reach the horses Gawyn steps out, having recognized Egwene‘s horse, Bela. He demands Siuan to tell him where Egwene and his sister Elayne are. Siuan says they are safe and were in Illian, realizing that she can lie now that she has been stilled. Min asks him to go with them but all he will do is ensure they can leave through the nearest gate. Gawyn with some of the Younglings faces down the gate guards and writes out passes so the three women can leave the city. Siuan spots someone ahead of them and recognizes Logain. She decides to add him to their party and Logain agrees. Min sees again the aura of glory to come above Logain’s head. She also remembers the unusual aura she saw above Gawyn.

• Gawyn kneeling at Egwene’s feet with his head bowed and Gawyn breaking Egwene’s neck, first one then the other as if either could be true.

Either vision could come true and she has never seen a dual aura like that.

REACTION:

Welcome back Min and Siuan! This was a LONG chapter. I’ll break my thoughts down by section.

Siuan deposed.

I won’t say that I saw this coming, precisely, but Min’s viewing from when she first entered the Tower in this book has been hanging over this situation throughout. Jordan reminds us of that with the chapter title. Siuan seemed a little too dismissive of Min’s viewing – even though I cannot think what she might have done about it even if she’d given it priority number 1.

Does it make sense that Elaida is the ringleader? I dunno. You would assume that being in Andor for a decade would have limited her ability to gather political influence so quickly upon her return to the Tower. However, Elaida is certainly not acting alone. Does this mean she’s Black Ajah or that she’s being used by the Black Ajah? We will have to read and find out, I think. That said, we have seen a Forsaken present in most of the major coups within the series. Lord Gaebril is in Andor. Sammael is in Illian. Be’lal was in Tear. Another of the Forsaken is in Tanchico with Nynaeve and Elayne. It stands to reason that one of the women involved in the White Tower coup was a Forsaken, too.

One other random issue from this sequence. Why didn’t Siuan notice her Warder being stabbed in the back – through the bond – while she was being taken captive? She should have felt it. I feel like this lends credence to the idea that a Forsaken was involved and perhaps manipulating things.

Min and Laras rescue Siuan and Leane.

Laras is definitely intended to be a comic relief mystery. Why is she so enamored of Min? What in the world did her life look like as a young woman? I enjoyed this section. We don’t get to know her deeper motivation for helping but we don’t really need to know it.

Siuan and Leane look different now that they have been stilled. The Agelessness is gone and their faces are young again. That obviously means something. Other channelers outside of the White Tower do not have an ageless look. Something about the White Tower leads to that look.

Siuan learns she can lie again when they run into Gawyn. That’s useful. The connection to the Oath Rod is severed when stilling occurs, apparently. Speaking of Gawyn… bruh. I get that he is angry with Siuan for keeping his sister’s whereabout hidden… but *this* angry? He also knows Elaida and maybe that swayed him, too, though the relationship between the Andoran nobles and Elaida is never portrayed as a fond one. Gawyn knows that Elayne is doing what she is doing of her own volition. It’s just wild that a prince would take part in a coup. He not only takes part, he kills the leader of the opposition Warders.

I have an additional theory with Gawyn. I think he dislikes / doesn’t trust Rand. He murmured “not Tear” when Siuan lied to him about where the girls are. He knows Rand is the Dragon Reborn now and in Tear. He knows Elayne and Egwene both like Rand romantically. He’s probably *deeply* unhappy about that, on both accounts, for different reasons. So… if Siuan knew Rand was the Dragon Reborn, he’s probably extra mad at her for keeping his identity secret and letting his two favorite women get tangled up with him. (Keep in mind that The Dragon in this universe is like being the Antichrist in ours – if the Antichrist somehow also averted total global annihilation.) He has severe romantic angst tied up in his decision-making.

Does Gawyn killing Hammar make sense? Absolutely not from an ability standpoint. My guess is that we have to imagine the older Warder probably held back, a little, not wanting to kill Gawyn. Alternatively, he was surprised that the other man was willing to kill him. Even assuming Hammar mostly taught Gawyn all that he knows, Hammar has a bit of a power boost from being bonded. Gawyn is not bonded to anyone, yet.

Where is Galad in all of this? Do we have to assume he left the White Tower to join the Whitecloaks?

Gawyn lets Min’s group leave the city – mostly due to a fondness for Min, I think, and probably some doubt about the side he has chosen. Siuan finds Logain on their way out of the city and adds him to their group.

We now have three stilled channelers traveling together and Logain has the vision around him of future glory. I suspect that the impossible – a cure for stilling – might come to pass at some point.

Min’s other big vision is the one I find annoying. Gawyn either kneels to Egwene or breaks her neck. This feels like a rule change to me, with her abilities. I don’t like random magical system rule changes. Why is this so uniquely uncertain (outside of driving future plot drama)?

All in all, this probably should have been three chapters instead of one, but going through things this quickly increases the pacing of the book and that is much appreciated as we run toward the finish (which is now within sight.)

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