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 40: Spears
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Galina Casban
Galina is captive of the Shaido Aiel. She has been the head of the Red Ajah for nearly twenty years and in the Black Ajah for over eighty years. She is exhausted from running with bare feet and her hands tied behind her. A very weak Wise One holds her shield. Her punishments have been severe for the two times she tried to escape and she plans to wait until she is sure of success before trying again. They meet up with Sevanna at a camp in Kinslayer’s Dagger. Sevana declares her da’tsang, forced to wear a black robe which absorbs the suns heat.
Point of view: Sevanna
Sevanna wishes to break Galina so she will channel at her order since she cannot channel herself. Caddar arrives and brings an oath rod which can be used to make oaths binding. Caddar has brought what he claims are travelling boxes so the Aiel can move to another area. He also claims that Rand’s Aiel could be here soon so they should leave immediately.
Point of view: Maeric
Maeric is travelling to a new area with the help of Caddar. He is using a different Gateway than Sevanna and most of the Wise Ones. He hopes to go to Rhuidean soon to become the Shaido clan chief. Suddenly the Gateway closes cutting a number of Aiel in to pieces. He finds himself in a trap with other Aiel and wetlanders on horses nearby moving to attack.
Point of view: Graendal
Graendal comments to Sammael about calling the call boxes a “fool box” even though it was in the Old Tongue. They each return to their own palaces.
Point of view: Shaidar Haran
Shaidar Haran was spying on Sammael and Graendal and wonders if they are sowing chaos as they should or if they have some other plan. He feels weak and must return to Shayol Ghul soon.
REACTION:
This is an oddly placed chapter. For the most part, it feels like the type of chapter that Jordan usually includes early in a novel to catch the reader up to speed. It’s placement as the second to last is strange. We should assume *something* that happens here will prove very important to what we see in chapter 41 to end the book.
Galina is a captive of the Shaido. She’s been head of the Red Ajah for 20 years and is one of the top 3 in the Black Ajah. And now she’s da’tsang (a despised one) in the Aiel Camp – which means she wears black woolen clothes and does pointless grueling labor at all times. I think we’re supposed to see in her the fickle nature of fate. She is an example of what it looks like to fall FAR. Mostly, though, I think she’s in the camp for something that might happen later in the series.
We learn through Sevanna’s POV that the point of making Galina da’tsang is to break her, with the end goal being that she will be Sevanna’s personal channeler. This will even out her position with the Wise Ones who can channel. Caddar (Sammael) and Maisia (Graendal) show up at this moment bearing gifts. The first of them is that Sammael gives them an Oath Rod and explains how it works. He suggests this might be a way to help get women (Galina) to do what they want.
It’s kind of funny (in an extraordinarily dark sort of way) that Galina is desperate for a rescue, and believes than she will eventually receive one, and then two people who absolutely *could* rescue her give her captors a weapon to make her more miserable. I think there’s some subtext here that the Forsaken are *NOT* happy that the Aes Sedai let Rand get away. She’s being punished. She also clearly over-estimated her own value.
The Shaido end up spread out all over, in Ghealdan and surrounding areas. That just so happens to be where Perrin and his troops are. It’s also where Masema andhis fanatics are. Perrin also just so happens to have Aiel in his camp, too.
[I have some Book 8 plot predictions…]
What can we really learn from Sammael and Graendal? First, I think that from among the things the Shadow found in Ebou Dar, one of them was an Oath Rod. I don’t think Sammael had any reason to lie when he said he got it the day before. It’s good to know and remember that, in the event Rand and Sammael confront each other soon, Sammael might have something unexpected up his sleeve.
The chapter ends and we find out Shaidar Haran is spying on Sammael and Graendal. He expresses doubt and anger over whether they are spreading chaos, as they are supposed to be. He’s a Super Myrddraal and kind of speaks for the Dark One directly. So we should maybe interpret this as the Dark One himself spying on them. That probably does not bode well for them – Sammael in particular. First we get Moridin spying on them, now this. (I think we are very near to Ishy in his new body seizing control and leadership over all of them, openly.)
But that might mean Sammael is about to die. Hmmm. Is Rand in any condition to do that? It seems unlikely. In fact, Sammael himself kind of implied that he wasn’t worried about Rand any time soon.
[Why didn’t the Forsaken descend on Rand, en masse, once they knew he was laid up? Hmmm.]
One chapter to do!
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