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 24: A Message Sent
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Egwene al’Vere
Egwene prepares for bed after a day’s travelling. She reads a book Aviendha gave her about Birgitte, Gaidal Cain, and other Heroes of the Horn. She falls asleep and enters Tel’aran’rhiod early for the meeting with Nynaeve. She hears voices a bit away from her so she embraces the Source and creeps closer. She sees Elayne talking with an oddly dressed woman, who looks exactly like the Birgitte she was reading about. Before she can speak, Amys and Bair arrive early also and reprimand her for coming early or for not leaving when she found she was alone.
They approach Elayne and Bair begins to berate her for coming alone into Tel’aran’rhiod. Elayne gives a polite, but regal reply noting that she is not Bair’s pupil. Nynaeve didn’t come because she is bruised after Latelle attacked her for attracting the attention of the men from the menagerie, even though Nynaeve isn’t interested in any of them. Egwene gives Elayne a message to meet in the Novice quarters which she hopes Elayne understood and the Wise Ones didn’t. They exchange news, then leave for their beds.
REACTION
Very little actually happens in this chapter, except that 1) Egwene realizes that Elayne knows Birgitte Silverbow, 2) Egwene begins to puzzle out where the Heroes of the Horn must be while they wait for the Horn to blow, and 3) Egwene sends a very coded messages to Elayne about meeting her alone in the White Tower, so that they can talk without the Wise Ones present.
From a character development standpoint, Egwene is still not coming off particularly well. She is still glorying in how she achieved a measure of dominance over Nynaeve (not admitting to herself that she managed this in large part by abusing the other woman physically with superior power.) Egwene is living under a little bit of a delusion that she achieved this power over Nynaeve solely by arching an eyebrow and reacting to her temper with calmness. I’m not convinced that she would have managed the eyebrow trick if she hadn’t also set a nightmare monster loose on her friend first.
Meanwhile, Egwene is concerned about Rand’s arrogance and not her own.
This chapter also reminds us that Egwene has gone through some *significant* trauma in these books. She still freaks out at the mention of the Seanchan. She was beaten horrifically and imprisoned by the Black Ajah in Tear. That’s entirely apart from the trauma of being driven out of her village by monsters and losing her relationship with the man she has intended to marry for her entire life along the way. She is undoubtedly driven to obtain power and to be powerful, to get back her sense of self.
Nevertheless… you do wonder if Egwene’s monstrous experiences are creating a bit of a monster in her. Unfortunately, given that this is an apocalyptic book, things are also likely to get worse for her going forward.
Not on the subject of Egwene… the story about Nynaeve’s life in the circus was pretty funny. If someone started throwing hands at her, without cause, I cannot really fault her for fighting back and I consider it a sign of restraint that she didn’t use the One Power. I do kind of miss Book 1-3 Nynaeve, though. Comic Relief Nynaeve was probably a necessary evolution for the character, while she struggles with anger and her block, but I’m looking forward to her getting her feet back under her again.