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 56: Glowing Embers
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Rand al’Thor
The Myrddraal and the remaining Trollocs are being hunted down by Aiel and citizens in Caemlyn. Soldiers that had first attacked Rand and his people are now also chasing down the Shadowspawn. Those loyal to Gaebril instead of Queen Morgase would have to be sorted out later.
General Bashere comes to Rand. Rand orders that Mazrim Taim is to be handed over to him as soon as he is found. Rand tells him that he is creating an amnesty protecting all men that could channel. Besides protection men can come to him for instruction in the One Power. They will be needed to face the Dreadlords serving the Shadow during the Last Battle.
Lord Bashere said other nations may pledge to follow Rand, seeing he’s the Dragon Reborn, but he could not be certain. Lord Bashere then pledges 7,000 Saldaean soldiers to Rand to prove his loyalty.
Point of view: Asmodean
Asmodean is trying to puzzle out what happened that morning, but has a strong suspicion. Many Aiel told him that they had seen him dead. Unless they are mistaken, only use of balefire could account for the difference between what some saw and the current situation.
Asmodean enters a wine cellar in search of good wine when he suddenly encounters someone he was not expecting. His last words before he is killed are “You? No!”
Point of view: Morgase Trakand
Morgase is still in search of supporters wanting to help her regain the throne. She is accompanied by Lini, Basel Gill, Breane Taborwin, and Tallanvor (who is starting to treat her familiarly).
REACTION:
And we’re done! This chapter is basically the epilogue, largely setting the direction for whatever Book 6 will be.
Rand meets Davram Bashere, general from Saldaea… and unless I am very much mistaken, Bashere is Faile’s father. I think we actually know that from within the text (end of The Shadow Rising, I think), but even if we don’t, we still know. He’s the right age, he’s from the right country, and his surname is Bashere. Rand now has his own elite Wetlander military general (though he probably doesn’t really need one with the Aiel and especially Mat.) Of course, you can never have too many military geniuses on your side when you’re going up against the sentient god-like embodiment of evil. The upshot politically is that he has a reasonably good belief now that the whole of the Borderlands will follow him. He already knows the leaders in Shienar from Book 1 and 2.
That means Rand has Tear, Cairhien, Andor and the Borderlands (pretty much all of the eastern and northern turf of the continent.) He doesn’t have the Southern and Western nations (Arad Domon, Tarabon, Amadicia, Altara, Murandy, Ebou Dar, Illian.) Illian is the lone remaining major power, though, and I’d guess Sammael’s abode is up next on Rand’s “to-do” list.
Tar Valon is still out there to deal with also. And the Seanchan Empire. And Shara, far to the east of the Aiel Waste.)
Gollum voice: “Long ways to go yet.”
Rand tells Bashere that all men who can channel (Mazrim Taim is mentioned specifically) are going to be given an amnesty to fight alongside him a The Last Battle. That list of channeling men should be incredibly small, but I’m guessing those numbers will grow for some reason or another. There’s no chance that gathering up men who can channel and then go insane will go sideways.
Asmodean gets killed. He recognizes the killer. Given those two things, we should assume his murderer is one of the Forsaken. He could probably handle a non-channeler assassin. We don’t know who does it, though. If we assume that it’s someone we’ve met, or sort of met, we have a very short list of candidates. Sammael is an option, but it’s hard to imagine him showing up in Rand’s city and channeling where Rand might feel him channeling saidin. Graendal could have done it though, largely unnoticed by Rand, because she’d be one of many female channelers. Those two were both part of the Lanfear-led conspiracy at the start of this book. They both know abut Asmodean switching sides. We also know that Demandred, Semirhage, and Mesaana are out there somewhere, too. I guess it’s also possible that the channeler used the True Power (like Ishy used to do) and that would also be undetectable by Rand.
At this point, it’s too early to guess the killer.
Morgase, to end the chapter, is on her way to the Whitecloaks in search of allies against Gaebril. Given what we now know, this is a bad plan on her part. It’s pretty inconvenient for Rand as well.
So as the book ends, what is on deck for Mr. Rand al’Thor? A LOT.
- Sammael looks like the next Forsaken target – this would give Rand Illian
- Graendal is out there somewhere, too
- The White Tower is sending emissaries to meet him in Cairhien
- Taim is in Andor and Rand plans to let him join his side… assuming Taim will agree to fight alongside him at the Last Battle
- Rand now has a Saldaean army at his back
- Rand is very much more insane than he was to start the book
- Rand is now without his chief advisor (Moiraine)
- And the Seanchan, Demandred, Mesaana, and Semirhage haven’t really been brought fully into the plot yet.
Nynaeve and Elayne are in Salidar and it seems they have a captive Forsaken tutor. That might be useful to help the Rebel Aes Sedai tackle the White Tower. Min, Siuan, etc., are there too.
Egwene and Aviendha need to complete their respective training. I’m not sure what that will look like for either of them.
Mat has a personal army now, too. I’d guess that he will be sent off to plan the siege of Illian.
Perrin and Faile are happy newlyweds in the Two Rivers. Neither of them knows that Faile’s dad is now somewhat close by. I’d guess life is about to get rockier after their vacation from this book.
With a lot of threads left with which he can continue weaving, Robert Jordan ends Book #5. I’ll write an official review for the book as a whole sometime soon.