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 5: The Breaking Storm
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Elayne Trakand
All of the strongest channelers among the Aes Sedai, the Kin, and the Windfinders climb up to the highest hill surrounding the Farm. Nynaeve is impatient to be done using the Bowl of the Winds so they can give it to the Sea Folk and part ways. Aviendha tells Elayne that she has failed her because she can’t make a large Gateway, doesn’t know how to question Ispan, and failed to keep the Windfinders cowed. Aviendha seems to be contemplating throwing herself from the cliff she is standing next to. Elayne admits that she would not have been able to do the questioning either.
Nynaeve has been trying to get things organized, then tells Elayne that Lan has her acting foolish and Elayne should straighten her out in the future. Nynaeve even apologizes, which floors Elayne. Renaile begins to order the Windfinders to their posts and gives command of the circle to Caire din Gelyn Running Wave. Caire orders Nynaeve to demonstrate how to link. Nynaeve demonstrates with Elayne. An angry Renaile interrupts, believing women could be forced into a circle against their will but Sareitha explains that the link can only be made voluntarily. Nynaeve passes the link to Elayne who then brings in the rest to form a full circle of thirteen. Elayne passes control of the circle to Caire who roughly seizes control and then begins channeling. She creates a four-point star and lays it on top of the bowl. A column of saidar shoots up into the air. Elayne also realizes that the Bowl itself is drawing saidin, even though it can’t be seen by a woman. Then a spider-web of flows blossoms from the top of the column spreading across the sky. Finally Caire declares it is done and releases the source, again abruptly.
After they finish they begin to sense massive amounts of saidar being used, but far away toward Ebou Dar. Lightning flashes but there are no clouds so they suspect it might be the Forsaken. One of the Kin shouts, ‘Shadowspawn!’ and women begin tossing fireballs at a flying creature, then spot another. Elayne and Nynaeve recognize the flying creature as a raken and realize that it is the Seanchan that must be channeling in Ebou Dar. Elayne orders everyone to head for the Farm so they can prepare to leave before the Seanchan arrive.
REACTION:
Avi has been played to some extent for fish-out-of-water comedy, but the start of this chapter sucks all of the humor out of that shtick. She’s shamed to her bones and is thinking about killing herself by jumping off a cliff. I feel guilty as a Reader… like I should have taken her self-berating over her newfound love of dresses more seriously. It might have seemed silly to me, but obviously it was not to her. And with any reflection at all about what I know of the Aiel, it *should not* have been silly to me.
I feel like Robert Jordan did that to me on purpose. He set me up to laugh so that he could make me feel bad about laughing. Anyway, I enjoyed the subsequent moment with Elayne, who talks her down… err, back. It was endearing to read the distinction between Avi and Elayne’s mutual admissions of self-delusion, regarding torturing Ispan. Elayne admits she couldn’t really do it at all. Avi admitted that she would probably have killed Ispan by accident (but otherwise would have tried earnestly.) Her shame was in implying that she could do it well.
Elayne gives Avi one of the newfound angreal for when they form the circle to use the Bowl of the Winds. I kind of thought she would give those to her friends, considering she found a total of three, and she, Avi, and Nyn add up to three people. Nynaeve obviously assumed the same thing and later took one for herself.
Speaking of Nynny, she interrupts Elayne and Avi’s moment by asking Elayne to help her to stop acting like a fool. She is also on the point of a mental breakdown. Nyn is self-aware of the fact that she is smitten with Lan, to the point of silliness and distraction. So… it’s a big deal that she’s pleading for help. I won’t make the same mistake that I made with Avi. I’m taking you seriously, Nynaeve al’Meara!
All of the young heroines are growing and self-reflecting. It won’t last, but it’s a nice moment.
A lot of the chapter is the very interesting to read, but not so interesting to recap, actual use of the Bowl of the Winds. The Se Folk lead the circle and using the ter’angreal, they fix the weather. Does it make sense that the Sea Folk Windfinders kn how to use a ter’angreal that their pepeople have not possessed in centuries? No. I think we have to assume that something about this is a lot easier than it seems, provided you have a base amount of knowledge regarding the working of weather. (Maybe it’s like how Rand figured out Portal Stones right away.)
Just as they finish, they begin to sense a massive amounts of channeling from a distance, in Ebou Dar and then someone sees a Seanchan raken flying over them. Elayne and Nynaeve know that this must mean the Seanchan have invaded Ebou Dar. They make plans to leave before the damane arrive to their location in large numbers.
If they hadn’t all just worn themselves out channeling, that would have been an insane fight. I think Nyn and the others might have ended the invasion right there. I suspect they had the numbers and if they’d been smart enough to link, it would have been difficult for the damane to sever any of them. On the other hand, virtually none of them are trained in battle, so they might have all been collared, guaranteeing the Seanchan army marches unstopped across the continent.
Looking ahead, now they have a real problem. They need to Travel to escape, AND they need to avoid leaving the residue of the weave behind (so that the damane don’t learn how to Travel.) It’s a good thing that we just found out that unweaving was possible a couple chapters ago. We also probably need to concern ourselves with the possibility of Moridin showing up. They kind of set up a signal fire to the world, re: what they were up to. However, their efforts might have been masked by the damane. Keep in mind, too, that Moridin is looking for them elsewhere. AND… now that they’re done, he probably doesn’t have a reason to show up. That toothpaste cannot be put back into the tube. The Dark One will just have to mess up the weather again and undo their work.
I definitely appreciated that both Nynaeve and Elayne immediately thought about rescuing Mat, as soon as they realized what was happening. It made sense that they chose not to actually do so, but it was good that they considered it. Nynaeve was described as anguished over not trying to save him. Hopefully they appreciate even more now what Mat risked to save them from the Stone. I think Elayne does. Mat’s rescue of her in the storeroom opened her eyes. And I think Nynaeve’s lack of appreciation was always kind of false and showy, and indicative of insecurity or pride. Her identity was built around saving her charges from back home, not being saved by them. Her treatment of Mat was always more about being mad at herself than anything else. (That doesn’t excuse her, but I think I understand her.)
Anyway… now it’s time for everyone to run for their lives.
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