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 18: A Peculiar Calling
NOTE: The following chapter summary comes from wot.fandom.com
Point of view: Egwene al’Vere
Egwene and the sitters begin mingling with the nobles from Andor and Murandy. Egwene tells Sheriam to find out about the references to Aes Sedai and Tower Guards moving through Andor. When Siuan starts to express concerns over Egwene’s statements to the nobles, she mentions that she knows Siuan is in love with Gareth Bryne. She then heads over to talk with Talmanes. Talmanes wants to know where Mat is so Egwene tells him in Ebou Dar the last she heard.
Talmanes is going to aid Roedran, the king of Murandy in uniting the noble houses which are typically independent of the King. Egwene makes him promise to not get involved in a war though. Talmanes is also feeling Mat’s ta’veren nature tugging him to the south, so he will no longer be shadowing the Aes Sedai army. As she moves away she notices Romanda and Lelaine casting angry glances her way. Both had told Egwene that they should be assigned the role of speaking to the nobles, but Egwene kept that task for herself.
Egwene mingles with the nobles, rarely getting the respect she should. Finally it is time to leave and Egwene wants to get everyone back before the sun sets so she can go forward with the next part of her plan.
REACTION:
Egwene figured out a chapter or so ago that Siuan is in love with Gareth Bryne. Here she calls her out on that. On the one hand, I don’t like the way she did it (paternalistic, dismissive, etc.) On the other though, Siuan publicly berating her – however quietly – was probably not a god idea, either. However, in Siuan’s defense, publicly doing that gave the appearance to anyone who was watching that she was not in on what just happened. (Both her and Egwene need that.) I suppose Egwene dismissing her and walking away was positive for their larger goals, too. Anyone watching saw an interaction wherein Siuan looked like she had little sway with the child Amyrlin.
Do I think Siuan was aware of her own feelings? Probably not.
It’s fascinating to me that Talmanes’ first comment to Egwene was to mention that she changed the Andor / Murandy border. It felt like he was trying to find out if she was smart, or not. He clearly is. He knows she’s using the Band and why. He negotiates an end to that arrangement. He learns where Mat is. He gets her permission to make some money for the Band. But the comment makes sense, too. The tension over the Band’s presence is what Roedran intends to use to unite Murandy beneath him.
My biggest annoyance from that conversation was the following thought from Egwene:
It was strange enough to think of Mat the wastrel as leader of the Band of the Red Hand, much less as ta’veren, but surely a ta’veren had to be present nearby to have any effect.
First, she should know better about ta’veren. She’s had more opportunity to observe them than anyone. I suspect she’s too self-involved to really notice the men she grew up with in the way that she should She’s obviously doing big things too, so it’s somewhat understandable. She acts like she’s the main character, when she’s not, for totally understandable reasons.
Second, “Mat the wastrel” is just ridiculous. She was in Cairhien when and where Mat began building a legendary reputation for leading troops. She’s witnessed him fighting and keeping her alive in the Blight, to start the series. She just got a report from Elayne and/or Nynaeve about Mat’s heroic actions in Ebou Dar. Sigh. That said… Mat still thinks of her as someone in need of rescue, in her current situation. That should balance this out somewhat, except that Mat’s reasoning for viewing things the way that he does is MUCH better grounded than hers.
The women of the Two Rivers not giving men sufficient credit is just a long running theme of the series. And it’s bizarre because Emond’s Field seems to be Jordan’s favorite forms of government on the main continent.
The only other notable thing that happens here is that Egwene finds out to her surprise that Pellivar is not a fan of Elayne. She does not get a chance to find out why, though, because Siuan immediately pulls her away. So… Elayne will have to deal with that herself. Her mom’s close allies are now enemies, and nobody is explaining to those former allies what happened. Would they believe that Morgase was being puppeteered by one of the Forsaken? I think they would if they’d been told by Aes Sedai.
“Gaebril was Rahvin” would have carried some weight. Yet… nobody tells them. Good luck, Elayne.
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