Rand POV#

Rand opens the door to find the six Aiel dead along with three more Gray Men. Soldiers are fighting Fades and Trollocs.[1] Rand's One Power sword flashes blue sparks when it strikes the Myrddraal's Thakan'dar forged blade. Rand kills the Fade and the Trollocs linked to it collapse. Rand leads the troops, but there are too many Shadowspawn in too many places. Rand wonders where Lanfear is. Rand sees Moiraine and Lan fighting. Lan is injured. There are Darkfriends fighting with the Trollocs. Rand falls and is pinned by a dead Trolloc. Just as another Trolloc prepares to kill him, a third Trolloc kills it saving Rand. He sees two Fades fighting each other. During a lull, Lanfear appears. He asks if she is responsible for the good guy Shadowspawn but she denies it.[2] She again offers to teach him. He binds her with Air, but she severs his weave telling him she does not have to see it to know what it is. She tells him to get Callandor before another of the Forsaken does and he decides to comply. On his way, he sees Perrin and Faile guarding each other's backs. He retrieves Callandor. A Fade following him sees it and turns to flee, but he vaporizes it. He runs through the hall killing Shadowspawn one at a time, but soon gives up because there are too many. He channels a powerful storm cloud. A cackling voice in his head says, "Now,"[3] and the cloud releases streams of lightning that kill every Fade and Trolloc in the Stone of Tear.[4] Rand has no idea what he did but he thinks he could destroy all the Shadowspawn in the world though it would kill him as well.[5] Moiraine and Lan arrive, but stay well away from him. Rand sees a child's body. Thinking that he can do anything,[6] he tries to revive it using Callandor. Moiraine tells him to stop. He is not the Creator and death cannot be Healed. He finally stops and asks if the others are all right. Moiraine assures him that they are. He asks how the Trollocs got in and Lan tells him eight grain barges and thirty wagons arrived at the Stone of Tear late that afternoon and no one questioned their arrival. Rand starts to collapse from exhaustion. Lan holds him and Moiraine Heals him. He tells Moiraine that Lanfear was there and that neither of them tried to kill the other. Moiraine tells him she doubts that he could kill Lanfear. Moiraine says Lanfear loved Lews Therin so she will probably continue to try to win him to her side. Rand thinks Lanfear is jealous of Elayne.[7] He announces that he will reveal his plans tomorrow and thinks that Lanfear gave him almost the last piece without knowing it.[8]

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