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 37: When Battle Begins
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Egwene al’Vere
Elayne and Nynaeve finally get to the topic they have been avoiding. Nynaeve captured Moghedien and Elayne made an a’dam, which they use to control her. Many of their discoveries have come from interrogating her. Egwene is still curious about Birgitte, but continues to keep her promise to Elayne that she won’t pry without permission.
Egwene hopes to find more women who can channel, to make an agreement with the Aiel Wise Ones, and eventually have all women who can channel associated with the White Tower in some manner. Nynaeve brings “Marigan”, the disguised Moghedien to the study. Egwene puts on the a’dam and begins to assess her. She tells Moghedien she will be executed if she is caught lying. Egwene then asks if she can Travel by boring a hole through the Pattern. Moghedien says that is how men do it, but a woman would be destroyed if she tried it. Egwene then asks how it is done. Moghedien says that it is by making both places the same. She is about to show Egwene how when Egwene does it by herself (since it was similar to what she’d already done when entering Tel’aran’rhiod in the flesh). The Gateway Egwene opens leads to the Aiel Waste.
Siuan arrives to begin teaching Egwene the etiquette of being Amyrlin. Egwene wants to leave Salidar and start moving toward the White Tower and asks Siuan how they can accomplish that.
Point of view: Romanda Cassin
Romanda is meeting with her strongest supporters, deciding how to keep Sheriam from having too much control over what Egwene does. She supported Egwene to make sure Lelaine did not become Amyrlin. Delana should be here also, but is not.
Point of view: Lelaine Akashi
Lelaine is meeting with her strongest supporters, pondering that she only voted for Egwene to make sure Romanda did not become Amyrlin. Delana should be here also, but is not.
Point of view: Delana Mosalaine
Delana is meeting with Halima, receiving instructions to pretend to support each of the factions arising in Salidar. Delana fears that she will be caught out by trying to do this, but Halima is insistent. Halima also wants Logain to be gentled again or executed.[1]
Point of view: Siuan Sanche
Siuan is meeting with Lelaine and beginning the plan she and Egwene developed. They will play the factions off against one another and choose the course they believe is best. Siuan complains to Lelaine that Romanda is pressuring Egwene to stay in Salidar instead of marching on Tar Valon.
Point of view: Nynaeve al’Meara
Nynaeve is meeting with Romanda under the pretense of having Romanda try to break her block on channeling. Romanda has Nynaeve hop on one foot and gossip, particularly about what Egwene said about Lelaine. Nynaeve tells Romanda that Lelaine is trying to convince Egwene to stay in Salidar instead of marching on Tar Valon.
Point of view: Elayne Trakand
Elayne gives a new dream ter’angreal ring to Sheriam. She then tells Sheriam that Romanda and Lelaine are recommending staying in Salidar, which Sheriam agrees with. Elayne is worried that if Egwene follows their advice, they will have a hold on her for the future.
Point of view: Egwene al’Vere
Egwene is taking a very welcome bath while pondering the battle she has just begun to become the Amyrlin rather than a figurehead.
REACTION:
It’s interesting to read Egwene’s initial reaction to the news that Nynaeve and Elayne captured one of the Forsaken. She thinks, given how suspicious that he’s become, that this would mean he never trusted Elayne again. She’s obviously wrong on this point (given what he did with Asmodean) but her quick reflex to assume and to get it wrong is what interests me. In theory, she should know him as well as any woman alive. And yet she doesn’t. Have any wives or husbands ever been wrong about their spouses? Of course. Sometimes people can be wrong about each other even after decades of marriage or friendship. The human heart is a mystery, often even our own.
Egwene starts laying out plans here to unify the Wise Ones and Aes Sedai. Her own experience taught her that Aes Sedai would benefit from Wise One knowledge, and vice versa. How would that work, though? That seems like another long-term plot arc. It makes sense coming from Egwene AND it makes sense given the end of the world on the horizon. This is just good plot planning on Jordan’s part. Egwene’s other reason though, which she admits to Elayne, is what Rand is doing with his amnesty. I understand why it seems like madness from her perspective. Dozens or more insane men channeling are counter-productive to fighting the Last Battle. But dozens who haven’t gone insane yet would be extremely helpful. This is an all hands on deck situation.
Eggy meets Moggy and learns about inverted weaves (this is how they’re hiding her.) Given that Egwene has very unhealed trauma due to wearing an a’dam, this is a bad turn of events for Moggy. My favorite part of that first interaction is how afraid of Egwene that Nyn and Elayne become, too. They should have both remember how completely unhinged she was when they rescued her. But their reaction works to help sell Eggy’s threats to Moggy.
Eggy testing her over the subject of Traveling was one of the high points in the book so far. Moggy knew after that she’d been tested and that she would have been dead if she’d lied. She also has to wonder if Egwene is Black Ajah, given that the knowledge is/was limited to the Forsaken – which again should make her *very* afraid.
“Never be too sure that I don’t already know the answer. Remember, lie to me once…”
That whole scene wasn’t quite as good as Nynaeve capturing her, but it’s not far off.
Egwene immediately puts Siuan in her place and DEMANDS her help. Siuan – the brilliant manipulator – acquiesces. Does it occur to Eggy that by doing so, she’s giving herself the most influence with Eggy? Probably not, yet. On the other hand, this is also in Eggy’s best interest too. Eggy – on her own – has decided that the Rebels need to start marching. Why did she decide this? She’s been with Rand for months and knows he needs the Tower and that it needs him, and that Elaida is a giant obstacle in the way. She probably knows this better than anyone. To fix that, Elaida needs to be pulled down.
The rest of the chapter is just laying out the politics of Salidar. Romanda thinks Egwene is Sheriam’s puppet and that raising the four Accepted to Aes Sedai was her idea. She’s allied to Delana among others.
Lelaine leads anther faction. She also thinks she’s allied with Delana. Both Lelaine and Romanda voted to raise Egwene to keep the Stole away from each other. Both think Eggy is Sheriam’s puppet.
Delana is Black and subservient to Halima/Aran’gar – who is telling her to support every faction. The resurrected Forsaken wants Logain severed or dead. Delana doesn’t seem to realize she channels saidin, but as the Reader, we can guess her motive. Logain would sense *her* channeling.
Siuan starts playing Romanda against Lelaine and vice versa. Is this something through which they should both see? Yes. But do they? Not yet. Having Nynaeve and Elayne in on the manipulation might help, or it might make it more obvious. At the least they successfully ferret out that Sheriam is the person keeping them in Salidar.
The battle here, mentioned in the chapter title, is to take power over the rebel Aes Sedai in truth. The main thing helping Egwene is probably that nobody would have guessed she’d be so bold on day 1. I can’t help but think though that any kind of “we’re all being manipulated” realization could absolutely backfire in a spectacular way. Maybe being super powerful in the One Power and from Rand’s village is the firewall against that.
We still don’t know who the boss fight will be against in this book and the end is just coming over the horizon. That doesn’t make it uninteresting but it is a change from previous offerings in the series.
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