In this section,
Demandred finally appears in person, and the day dawns twice as Rand enters
Shayol Ghul.
Siuan and
associates escaped the Sharan attack by diving through a pre-existing Gateway
to fall hundreds of feet to the ground, and readers are informed of this via a
short flashback. The flashback allows the author to skip right to the
introspection by Bryne, which is the key element of the scene. A scene with
Siuan falling towards a crash landing even as she surveys the battle from above
could have been awesome, but longer than the 2/3 of a page for the flashback. A
narrow escape might also have raised the reader’s spirits a bit, and the intent
here is to keep them very low.
Lyrelle
gives a solid example of just how self-serving some people can be, even in crisis
times when altruism is the desired virtue. She gets her Warders, but only
because there were enough men who actually wanted to be Warders. The point once
again, is that the Asha’man choose their own path, marching to the Last Battle
not because they must, but because they want to. It’s a nice mirror to Rand’s
own storyline.
Egwene witnesses
Bao the Wyld, Demandred, as he executes prisoners and questions Leane. There
are so many hints of an epic back story to his dominion over the Sharans, but
thankfully it’s used to tantalize and not bog down the story with exposition.
The Sharan
culture is a sharp downturn from even the Seanchan culture which readers and
characters have grudgingly had to accept. In Shara, there is no hope of rising,
only fear of falling to an even worse position. Even the ‘lords’ “had hollow, haunted expressions. They slumped
forward, eyes down, faces wan. Their arms seemed thin, almost skeletal. So
frail. What had been done to these people?” This culture symbolizes what Demandred and the
Dark One offer. Nothing. Had they been
introduced earlier, the symbolism would not have been as effective as now, when
the other Nations and their various cultures stand together in opposition to a
nihilistic way of life.
Perrin
confronts Graendal in Tel’aran’rhiod, bending balefire as a matter of course.
Lanfear, the Age of Legends’ premier researcher into space-time, then tells him
how time is being affected by the Last Battle, even in the waking world. The use
of time distortions, with the Bore acting as a black hole where time runs slowest
is a brilliant way to make the battles in each location last an appropriate amount
of time, and to pass off any disparity as a random fluctuation instead of
author error. It also speaks to the finality of the Last Battle, if time itself
can no longer be counted on and reality frays away.
Lanfear
offers Perrin even more aid, and a chance to be her consort. She scorns his
refusal, jabbing him with the revelation that his father-in-law was Graendal’s
target. Now readers have the big piece of the puzzle they were missing, and
know that the generals are subject to the Forsaken’s influence. Bryne’s bond
with Siuan ought to protect him though…
In
desperation, Gawyn uses the Seanchan Bloodknives’ rings to move Egwene from the
Sharan camp. Leilwin helps her along the way. When confronted with a Sharan who
has captured her, Egwene is able to let herself feel intense fear and then
control it.
At Shayol Ghul, Aviendha leads the channelers
against the first Forsaken and Dreadlords who appear to thwart the strike. She
finds ways to defend against balefire, and devises methods to fool their
opponents should they strike again.
Rand enters
the cave with Moiraine and Nynaeve, Duty and Conscience, at his side. They have
always played these roles, nagging at him to do what he knows he must. He has
found a way to balance the two driving forces in his life. He wasn’t certain if he should be pleased that the two of them had
started to get along. Nynaeve’s new short-haired maturity shows how Rand’s
conscience has found a way to adapt to the other moral frameworks he has encountered,
staying the same but just a little different because of that exposure. Rand wears
a coat bearing the thorns representing Manetheren, a reminder of the tale
Moiraine told long ago to give Rand the bedrock of confidence he needed to face
his greatest opponent.
Thom guards
the entrance as an eclipse occludes the sun. The sun’s return heralds Rand’s
victory, a symbolism that is so obvious that the author spends only two paragraphs
dwelling on it each time a character sees it in their location. Except Elayne,
who makes a speech that would fit Manetheren’s last stand as easily as the defense
of Cairhien she now leads.
Moiraine
gasps as a voice shakes them, the voice of the Creator. It portends no victory,
only the inevitable confrontation that the Pattern has pulled Rand towards with
thousands of threads. As with Rand’s own drive to save mankind so they can
continue trying to live their lives and solve their problems, the Voice can’t
or won’t help Rand, it can only give him the opportunity to do things right this
time.
Fortuona
makes an observation about Mat which mirrors what has happened with Rand: He
has changed, yet is the same. Mat is chaos, Fortuona order. The ability of
Seanchan to accept a change in station is funnily portrayed with Mat’s response
to being renamed, told from Fortuona’s perspective: “Knotai?” Knotai said. Knotai convinces Fortuona to send aid to the
Aes Sedai.
Elsewhere,
Agelmar, Bashere and Ituralde seem to be doing everything right. The Sea Folk
make their last appearance of any import when Zaida reports the Bowl of the Winds
is all that is keeping the Dark One from scouring the valley of Thakan’dar.
Writing Lessons:
Know what
your characters represent so that you portray them consistently.
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