KoD: The Golden Crane

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Rand POV#

Outside Lord Algarin's manor Rand surveys the mess of dead Trollocs and Myrddraal with Logain, Cadsuane, Alivia, Min, the Asha'man and Aes Sedai and the surviving Saldaeans. Nandera leads fifty Maidens with him. Logain has an umbrella of Air against the rain but Rand is afraid Lews Therin will take over again if he tries it. They have given up trying to kill all the crows and ravens. Logain says Gabrelle and Toveine have worn themselves out. The fewer than twelve Asha'man and fewer than twenty Aes Sedai are working to incinerate the thousands of corpses. They think the Trollocs came from the Spine of the World through the Waygate at Stedding Shangtai. The Aes Sedai refuse to teach new weaves to Alivia but she is still learning fast just by watching. Rand thinks someone knows Ishamael's trick of tracking ta'veren, or maybe the blue-eyed man can locate him.[1] The True Source is now clean, but with the wounds in his side from Ishamael and Padan Fain Rand wonders if he is. A serving man even older than Ethin brings Rand a letter from Verin. The nineteen dead Saldaeans are laid out in a barn; they do not bury their dead in the rain. Suddenly they are covered in flies.[2] Alivia weaves and they all fly out the door. Cadsuane notes that she learns fast.[3] Min thinks she had viewings about Moiraine that were wrong because she is dead.[4] Rand reads Verin's letter. She left taking Tomas with her.[5] She says to trust Cadsuane and heed her advice, but be wary of everyone else. Loial and Elder Haman come outside. Loial says he married Erith and Rand congratulates him. Loial promises that he will be there for Rand at Tarmon Gai'don. Rand sealed the Waygates at Caemlyn, Cairhien, Illian and Tear. He put a trap on the open one near Fal Dara. He could not find the one near Far Madding. He needs Loial now to locate the others. Elder Haman insists that Loial must return to Stedding Shangtai to speak at the Great Stump but he volunteers to take up the task himself. Rand says he will take them to Stedding Shangtai the next morning. Elza Penfell arrives with Davram Bashere. Two of the dead Saldaeans are Kirkun and Ahzkan. Bashere and Karldin Manfor met with High Lady Suroth. They were not allowed to talk with anyone else. The Daughter of the Nine Moons will meet with Rand at a manor house in northern Altara. She will bring six sul'dam and damane and no one else. Rand can bring five other channelers and one other woman to make the numbers even.

Nynaeve POV#

Nynaeve is resting from channeling too much. She took willow bark for her headache. She always wears the bracelet and rings angreal and the jewelry set ter'angreal. One of her rings with a pale green stone detects saidar and saidin. Another with a flawless sapphire turns cold when someone nearby is hostile or angry. Lan is there. It still grates on her that Myrelle holds his bond. Outside she sees Aisling Noon, bonded to Arel Malevin, and Ayako Norsoni, bonded to Donalo Sandomere. She avoids the other Aes Sedai because they supported Elaida. They are linked in pairs using saidar and saidin Fire to incinerate corpses. Lan is angry that Rand is negotiating with the Seanchan instead of convincing King Easar to return to guarding the Blight. The Last Battle will be there and at Shayol Ghul. In the Trolloc Wars the Shadow used Tarwin's Gap to move large armies of Trollocs. Nynaeve offers to take him to the Borderlands but first makes him swear to ride to Fal Moran before he enters the Blight and to allow anyone who wishes to ride with him. He agrees. In the stables they mount Mandarb and Loversknot. Outside she weaves a gateway and they lead the horses through. Lan realizes they are not in Shienar. They are at World's End, in Saldaea as far from Fal Moran as possible. Nynaeve reminds him of his oath, hurriedly rides through a new gateway and lets it close.[6]

Weilin Aldragoran POV#

Weilin Aldragoran deals jewels in the common room of The Queen's Lance in Kayacun in western Saldaea. There are rich mines in the Banikhan Mountains. He still wears the hadori of his Malkier heritage even though he lived almost his whole life in Saldaea. His wife Alida Aldragoran is Saldaean. Managan and Gorenellin are also jewel merchants of Malkier heritage though they do not wear hadori. He sells his jewels to two Illianers, Pavil Geraneos and Jeorg Damentanis. His clerk Ruthan carries his coin box. An Aes Sedai approaches; she is young and wears a red ki'sain. Few Malkier go to the White Tower since the Aes Sedai failed Malkier. She asks him to send messages to other merchants with his pigeons. She shows him Lan's ring and identifies herself as Nynaeve ti al'Meara Mandragoran. The message is that Lan Mandragoran rides from World's End toward Tarwin's Gap, toward Tarmon Gai'don. Will he ride alone? Aldragoran swears that he will ride with Lan. She leaves saying that she has more towns to visit before returning to Tear that night. Managan and Gorenellin join him shouting, "The Golden Crane flies for Tarmon Gai'don!"

More POV

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Notes (Possible Spoilers)#

[#1] Of course both are now Moridin and all the evidence says he did not send the attack. So who did and how did they locate Rand? See the discussion in the FAQ, Section 1.4.12, local FAQ, Section 1.4.12.
[#2] Another sign of the decay prefacing the Last Battle?
[#3] The weave of controlling insects is supposed to be a secret of the Blue Ajah. (NS,Ch21) Where did Alivia and Cadsuane learn it?
[#4] Moiraine is alive for now. (KoD,Ch10) Details of Min's viewings are not known.
[#5] Where is she disappearing to this time? We learn where she is heading and where she actually winds up in TGS,Ch36 and TGS,Ch39.
[#6] Rand eventually figures this out and we see his response in TGS,Ch31.