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TSR: Chapter 23 Beyond the Stone |
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Egwene POV - Egwene almost falls from Mist as they arrive on Chaendaer. In the valley below she sees a fog bank with tops of buildings stick out - Rhuidean. Rand is exhausted, so Moiraine Heals him. He gruffly tells her to ask next time. Lan, Mat and the Aiel all made it. There are three camps on the mountain, a large camp of the Shaido, a smaller camp of the Taardad and a much smaller one of Wise Ones. Four Wise Ones, Amys among them, greet Rhuarc, Rand and the others. They tell Aviendha to stay. Moiraine admits that the Wise Ones' letter said they would meet at Rhuidean this day, but she did not believe it. Two men arrive from the camps. Rhuarc greets Heirn, chief of the Jindo sept. The other man is Couladin of the Shaido. He says the clan chief, Suladric, is dead. Couladin's brother, Muradin, is now in Rhuidean. Rand approaches the Wise Ones and asks permission to enter Rhuidean. Amys and the other three, Bair, Seana and Melaine, agree. Couladin is furious at the request, but they tell him to shut up. Rand says his mother was Aiel. Egwene is puzzled because she thought Kari al'Thor was Rand's real mother. Amys tells Rand his father was Aiel, but his mother was not. Suddenly, Mat asks to enter Rhuidean as well.1 Couladin tries to attack him, but he flies through the air instead. Egwene realizes that Amys and Melaine can channel. The Wise Ones tell all the rest of the Aiel men to go to their tents and they do so. They tell Mat that he cannot go, but Rand insists and they finally agree. Bair says the Time of Change has come.2 They call Lan Aan'allein. Rand and Mat are told to leave all weapons, then go to the heart of the city. They do so, then head for the fog bank. Egwene starts to introduce herself to Amys, but Amys cuts her off and tells Lan to go to the tents as well. He leaves. Moiraine asks why they call him Aan'allein which means One Man. Amys says they know him and know he is the last of the Malkieri. From the dream they knew if Moiraine came he would almost certainly come, too. Bair then speaks up and tells Aviendha it is time for her to go to Rhuidean. She balks. Amys tells her that when it was her time, her sisters took her to Bair and Coedelin bound and naked. Egwene finally realizes that Aviendha can channel3 and that Moiraine has known it all along. After she gives up all her weapons and strips, the Wise Ones tell her to go to the three rings. Aviendha leaves. Egwene tells Amys that she has come to learn. She asks about Rand's parents, but Amys says that is his story. They all go to the Wise Ones' tent to rest. Egwene and Moiraine learn a bit about gai'shain and ji'e'toh. Bair tells a story of taking ji'e'toh to extremes. It involves Chenda, the roofmistress of Mainde Cut, who was pushed by a Haido boy. She went to Bent Valley and demanded that he make her gai'shain. Within a year the Haido and Jenda septs were at peace. Moiraine asks about the letter and what they saw in their dreams. Melaine begins telling about dreamwalking. The dreamwalkers did not see Egwene or Mat at all. There was an even chance Rand would come. If he did not, he and the Aiel would die. If he survives Rhuidean some of the Aiel will survive. If Moiraine did not come Rand would die. If Lan did not come Moiraine would die. Melaine then slips and starts to say what would happen if Moiraine does not go through the rings. Moiraine says she assumes she must go as Aviendha did and strips. She heads down the hill as well. Egwene asks if they know what will happen. Seana tells her that some places are shielded from dreams - Rhuidean, Ogier stedding, a few others.4 The Wise Ones tell Egwene that she must obey everything they tell her and she agrees. Then they begin teaching her about dreamwalking. Of all the Aiel Wise Ones, only the four of them are dreamwalkers. It is not a thing of the One Power. Injuries and death in Tel'aran'rhiod are real. To enter Tel'aran'rhiod in the flesh is evil. Each time you lose something of what makes you human.5 As the lesson progresses Egwene listens intently.
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