TGH: Chapter 36

Among the Elders

Summary

Rand POV - Juin leads Rand, Perrin, Mat, Verin, Ingtar and Hurin to the Ogier council. Loial waits outside. Alar is the Eldest of the seven council members. Verin says they need to use the Ways. Alar brings in Trayal who was caught by Machin Shin. Alar asks Verin to touch him and Verin is shocked that he is "empty."¹ Verin says they need Loial to read the Guidings. Alar can dimly sense ta'veren. Rand promises to return Loial to Stedding Shangtai. Back outside, Loial has a flower that Erith gave him. Marisa Ayellin likes Mat.² Hurin goes to get Uno and the others and Alar and Juin lead them to the Waygate. Verin opens the Waygate and Machin Shin is waiting again. Verin is quite startled, but seems to figure it out. Loial suggests other stedding, Stedding Cantoine just above River Iralell or Stedding Taijing east of it in Spine of the World. The Tar Valon Waygate is closest. Verin mutters to herself some more. Hurin suggests a Portal Stone. Verin knows of a Portal Stone in the Aiel Waste³ and knows something of their use. When asked, she says Browns know a lot.⁴ Alar says there is a Portal Stone nearby and they head for it.

Verin apparently Delves Trayal, yet in a stedding she cannot touch the True Source. At signings, Jordan purportedly said that detecting a soul does not require channeling.
In early printings her name is incorrectly given as Neysa Ayellin. This is corrected in more recent printings.
What an odd piece of information! How could she know that?
But she does not directly say that Browns know about Portal Stones. Again, there is the question of what special knowledge she has and where she might have got it.