Egwene POV#

Egwene reads in the Amyrlin's study. All references to Elaida have been purged. Silviana is quite effective as Keeper and the Red Ajah seems to have accepted her as a peace offering. She now has stiff opposition from Lelaine and Romanda, especially over her plan to train the captured damane as Aes Sedai.

Most of the Black Ajah in the Tower, over sixty, escaped including Evanellein. Saerin took a census after the attack. Forty initiates, over two dozen of them Aes Sedai, were taken by the Seanchan. Velina, Chai Rugan, Birlen Pena and Alviarin escaped. In reswearing the White Tower sisters, they only caught three more that Verin missed. From Verin and Sheriam, Egwene is convinced that Mesaana was in the Tower. However, the list of women missing since the attack and not on Verin's list is short: Nalasia Merhan, a Brown, Teramina, a Green, and Jamilila Norsish, a Red. All three are very weak and have been in the Tower for years so they are all poor candidates to be Mesaana in disguise. Did she leave or is she somehow still in the Tower?[1] Egwene speculates that Mesaana knows how to defeat the Oath Rod.[2]

Silviana enters and tells Egwene there is something she should see. She follows Silviana to the Hall of the Tower. Masons are working the hole in the wall into a window. Through it she can see that the clouds have broken in a ring around Dragonmount. The peak of the mountain is bathed in light, the first sunlight she has seen in weeks. She tells Silviana to mark the calendar. Something has happened and perhaps someday they will learn what it is. Storms are coming but for now Egwene is home.

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