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 25: Like Lightning and Rain
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Egwene al’Vere
Amys, Sorilea, and the other Wise Ones discuss the White Tower Aes Sedai with Egwene. Egwene gives what information she can, but she hasn’t really spent much time in the Tower. Sorilea sends Aeron, Colinda, and Edarra to the royal library after learning that Nesune Bihara plans to use it to investigate the Seals. The Aes Sedai refused to stay in the palace, instead staying at a noble’s house in the city. After the discussion, Egwene heads into the city, avoiding notice by any Wise Ones. She heads to Lady Arilyn Dhulaine‘s palace, where the Aes Sedai are staying to see if she can find out anything about them or their intentions. At least one of the Aes Sedai is channeling continuously. She channels to try to eavesdrop but only catches fragments of conversation―and that mostly from the maids.
Nesune Bihara leaves the house with her warder and begins looking around. Egwene decides she better leave quickly to avoid being caught. As she begins to run away, she bumps right into Gawyn. After some awkwardness they head to an inn where they can speak privately. Gawyn rages against Rand but Egwene tries to cool him down by letting him know that Elayne is safe and that Rand wouldn’t have killed his mother. Gawyn admits to wanting to be her warder and Egwene tells him he will be, realizing one of the dreams she had is a true dream.[1] They begin kissing and expressing their love for each other. Egwene asks Gawyn to not let the Aes Sedai know of her presence and he agrees. She checks the manor house before returning to the Aiel camp and the Aes Sedai are still channeling continuously.
Point of view: Katerine Alruddin
Katerine is telling Lady Colavaere that they will escort Rand to Tar Valon, leaving a vacuum in the leadership of the city―a vacuum Colavaere might be expected to fill.
Point of view: Nesune Bihara
Nesune is telling High Lord Meilan that they will escort Rand to Tar Valon, leaving a vacuum in the leadership of the city―a vacuum Meilan might be expected to fill.
Point of view: Sarene Nemdahl
Sarene and some other Aes Sedai are discussing rumors of a Green Aes Sedai that may be helping Rand.[2] Some of them do not believe Moiraine is dead. If Rand doesn’t go to the Tower with them, they have a backup plan that relates to channeling all the time.[3] There are other Aes Sedai (Beldeine and Mayam) arriving in the city secretly.
REACTION:
Note: Nesune mentions something within the hearing of Rhuarc about the Cairhien Royal Library and Seals. Didn’t Rand recently ask Herid Fel about those in the library? Does she / they have spies? Seems that way. That implies the Black Ajah is aware of that conversation, then, too.
It wasn’t particularly bright of Egwene to go to where the Aes Sedai are channeling, alone, and to then use the One Power to try listening in. Multiple people see her outside. They could just go inside and report what they see, what she looks like, what she’s wearing, etc. She stays out there for hours. She’s not able to overpower multiple Aes Sedai alone… and she came alone. What is her real motivation for being so reckless? Protecting Rand. She’s irrational and inadvertently self-harming in pursuit of that objective. She is often acting in an unwise way to do what she believes is protecting Rand, when communicating with him might have served her goal better. Her big flaw is that she refuses to trust to him being capable and competent (even though if you asked her she would begrudgingly admit that he is.) In fact, she doesn’t really trust anyone else, either, or she would not have gone by herself.
Let’s talk about Gawyn. His refusal to believe Rand did not kill his mother is unhinged. Egwene tells him Elayne is alive and that she knows it and she reiterates that Rand did not kill Morgase, and that she knows it, and it doesn’t soften him at all. He *wants* to believe this of Rand for some unexplained reason. In lieu of an overt explanation for him wanting to believe that from within the text, we will look for a motivation in the subtext or off the page.
Egwene is almost as crazy, telling Gawyn that she loves him and that he will be her Warder, within about 3 minutes of seeing him in person for the first time in months. They’ve hardly ever interacted previously and even when they did, she interacted more, and showed more interest in, Galad. She shared a naughty dream with him one time. Now she loves him?
Or, as I believe is the case, Lanfear used compulsion on Egwene to make her think that she loved either Gawyn or Galad. The same infatuation is true and just as confusing with Gawyn in return. Why is he so hung up on Egwene? Lanfear was with him in the White Tower for quite a long while, too. Maybe she planted some hatred for Rand in him along with his love for Egwene. It kind of makes some sense. If Egwene loves a man that hates Rand, it will draw her away from Rand. Alternatively, if that man tries to kill Rand, he will definitely fail, and Rand will have killed a man Egwene believes that she loves. That will also turn Egwene from Rand. Lanfear can’t kill Egwene outright, or risk Rand finding out and hating her forever over it (which probably kept her from killing Ilyena, too,) but she can pull strings.
Bigger picture issues:
It seems pretty obvious that the White Tower Embassy has bad intentions for Rand. They’re already planning to put someone on the Cairhien throne – and they consult with people who are Rand’s known political enemies.
Nesune tells Meilan – just like Katerine did with Colavere – that they plan to escort Rand to the White Tower. This implies Rand won’t be available to govern Cairhien or Tear anymore after that escort. Yes, Nesune says Cairhien when talking to Meilan, but the fact she is talking to *him* implies Tear as well.
We learn at the end of the chapter that Egwene’s spying efforts did not go unnoticed. They think it’s Moiraine, though. That might protect Egwene to some extent. If they’re looking for Moiraine, they might not think to look for Egwene.
Part of whatever their plan is, is to make it outwardly obvious that they are channeling at all times. Clever. I have no idea why they might do that.
At about the midway point of the book, it feels as though the two problems Rand will need to deal with are Sammael and the White Tower Embassy. Will those two problems eventually overlap? Perhaps.