Reading The Wheel of Time: Egwene Carries Responsibility and Is Betrayed in Crossroads of Twilight (Part 20)

Welcome back to Reading The Wheel of Time. After our little hiatus I’m feeling a bit rusty. I relaxed for two weeks and then spent another one with a headache to rival those Halima has been secretly giving Egwene, so here’s hoping my skills of analysis are coming back online well. Chapter 30 is packed full of drama, too, as Egwene tries to convince her sisters that she is a Dreamer, reveals her discovered secrets about the Oath Rod, and manages troublesome novices and runaways and whatever is going on with Sheriam, all while Aes Sedai she particularly needs to execute her plans are being mysteriously murdered using saidin.

And then there’s what happens at the end of the chapter, and the Epilogue, but that’s getting ahead of ourselves. First, the recap.

Egwene wakes to the usual activity in the camp and listens to the bustle of workmen and serving women and novices and Aes Sedai all going about their daily tasks, unaware of the momentous thing that is going to happen today. She’s eating her breakfast and trying not to think about what weevils might be in her porridge, when Nisao comes into the tent, to report that Kairen Stang has been murdered using saidin. There is no known link between Kairen and Anaiya except that they were both from the Blue Ajah. Nisao doesn’t know that this murder also affects Egwene’s plans for the day, because now the task that would have been Kairen’s will fall to Bode Cauthon.

When Egwene leaves her tent she notices that three out of every four sisters is wrapped in the light of the Power, and that most are walking in pairs and keeping their Warders close. There’s no reason to believe holding saidin makes one safer, and Egwene is reminded of the hysteria that gripped the Two Rivers during her childhood when there was an outbreak of fever.

In her study, Egwene is surprised by a visit from Theodrin, who delivers the message that Romanda wishes to meet with Egwene. Egwene reads Theodrin’s note, which reports that Romanda has sent two sisters to Cairhien to investigate some rumor that has all the Yellows buzzing. She shares the information with Siuan and they discuss the need to replace Kairen with Bode for Egwene’s plan. Egwene notes how unruffled Siuan is by everything, and reminds herself that Siuan has weathered many crises much worse than those they are facing today. 

Sheriam comes in to tell Egwene that Nicola has run away. Egwene is both disappointed to lose someone of Nicola’s potential and relieved not to have to worry anymore about her conniving and unscrupulous attempts at being allowed to learn more and faster. What worries her is the revelation that Nicola ran away three or four days ago; no one is sure exactly when because her “cousin” novices covered for her. Sheriam seems amused as she explains that the other novices didn’t want Nicola back, and that Tiana intends to teach them all a very severe lesson.

Sheriam also reminds Egwene that Larine Ayellin, one of the recruits from Emond’s Field, is in Nicola’s cousin group, and suggests that if Egwene were to pardon the whole lot, no one could accuse her of favoritism. Egwene is shocked at the suggestion, and sternly tells Sheriam that Larine has a great deal of potential; Egwene won’t rob her of her chance at the shawl by leading her down a bad path.

She turns the conversation to the question of her Dream about the Seanchan attack on the White Tower, but none of the sisters, Sheriam included, believe that Egwene is a Dreamer. They see little danger from the Seanchan, who are a thousand miles away and don’t know how to Travel.

Later, Egwene is talking with Myrelle and Morvrin, when Maigan, who has been appointed as Anaiya’s replacement on Egwene’s council, comes in to joining them. It’s difficult because Maigan isn’t sworn to Egwene the way the rest are.

A soldier arrives with a coded message from Bryne for Egwene, letting her know that it’s time to enact her plan. Siuan makes a hasty exit, and Egwene reminds herself that Bode must do what needs to be done, and that Egwene herself was younger than Bode is now when she was set to hunt the Black Ajah.

Romanda arrives, with Theodrin waiting on her, and informs Egwene that the talks are going badly. Egwene replies naturally that the talks will go as they go, but Romanda continues to press her, pointing out that Elaida will never back down. She also brings up Egwene’s claim that there are more than a thousand members of the Kin and that some of them are five or six hundred years old. She doesn’t believe the numbers and insists that they can’t be channeling much at all if they don’t achieve the ageless look, and that either way they wouldn’t live for six hundred years.

Romanda reacts as if struck, and demands to know if Egwene intends to abandon the Oaths. Egwene hurries to assure her that she has no such intentions, that the Oaths are what makes an Aes Sedai and that she will swear on the Oath Rod as soon as she has the opportunity to do so. Then she outlines her plan to have Aes Sedai retire into the Kin, thereby tying the Kin to the White Tower without any need to hunt them down. Maigan actually falls to her knees upon hearing Egwene’s words and Myrelle looks pale, but Romanda takes on a haughty air, standing and putting on her cloak before answering Egwene’s question.

She leaves, and Myrelle tries to ask Egwene if she really means what she said. Egwene responds that she has only laid out the facts, and the final choice about how to proceed will be the Hall’s.

Lelaine arrives next, making a passing comment about Kairen’s Warder, Llyw, and how perhaps Myrelle will take him. Myrelle hastily excuses herself, and Lelaine starts in on Egwene, more aggressively disrespectful than she has been in months. They discuss whether Kairen’s murder will hinder any agreement being made with the Black Tower, and Lelaine suggests that the Aes Sedai will insist on even more safeguards and strictures, to protect themselves and control the Asha’man.

Egwene is horrified at the mention of something that sounds almost exactly like Compulsion, but Maigan only responds that it’s clear that Compulsion was used on sisters in Cairhien and anyway she was talking about the bond, a different thing entirely. She suggests that it could also be changed so that the sister wouldn’t be aware of or share anything with the Asha’man, allowing a sister to bond as many men as necessary and to remain unaffected by their eventual madness.

Egwene spots Lelaine peering at her and realizes who is really responsible for this suggestion. She tells Lelaine in no uncertain terms that this is Compulsion they are discussing, and Compulsion will always remain banned. Lelaine replies mildly that the White Tower has made mistakes in the past, and they must be owned up to and rectified. Egwene is well aware that Lelaine is talking about the election of the current Amyrlin, and has to perform novice exercises to keep her calm.

But Lelaine’s threats are not what troubles Egwene the most, and by the time Siuan returns to report that Leane and Bode have left, Egwene orders Siuan to have Bela saddled. She orders Siuan not to tell anyone of her departure, or even to hint at it, and departs on Bela, trying to ride badly on purpose so that everyone will take her for Siuan until she is out of sight of the camp.

It’s dark by the time she reaches the spot, but she hears the sound of men moving by the bank and joins them. They recognize her as an Aes Sedai and take her to Bode, who is alarmed and insists that she can do the job. Egwene answers that she knows Bode can, but that it isn’t right for Egwene to ask it of her.

Egwene takes her palace in the boats and is rowed across the river as quietly as possible, coming to rest near the entrance to the Northharbor, right by the great iron chain that blocks all boats from passing through. It only takes Egwene a moment to embrace the Source and to place the weaves, and the chain flashes to white.

She feels someone embrace the Source and then is struck from behind. She tumbles into the cold water, and when she becomes aware of her surroundings again, she can hear voices talking excitedly about getting more than they bargained for, and someone is pouring forkroot into her mouth. She tries not to swallow it but is unsuccessful, and falls into unconsciousness wondering who betrayed her.

In Tear, Rand is watching the rain and thinking that spring must be on its way when Davram Bashere, dressed in his finest, arrives to tell him that the Seanchan are amenable to an agreement, but that they are demanding to meet with Rand himself for the negotiations. The meeting won’t be with Suroth, but with a member of the royal family who has recently arrived, someone called the Daughter of the Nine Moons.

Are you one of those people who watch horror movies and angrily yell at people on the screen for doing silly things like going into the basement alone, or getting into the killer’s car thinking that they’re being saved instead of becoming the next victim? Well, I’m not, because I don’t like horror movies, but if I did watch them, I would definitely be one of those people.

And I absolutely was one of those people during the Epilogue, when Bashere informed Rand that his meeting with the Seanchan would be with the Daughter of the Nine Moons. Rand, the Daughter of the Nine Moons is hiding in a traveling show and engaging in a hilarious, pre-ordained courtship with your prankster of a friend! I cried to nobody. This is a trap! Again!

Sadly, Rand could not hear me, and as usual Jordan has dropped this tantalizing little piece of dramatic irony and then left us to a rather long wait. A long, frustrating, amazing wait. You know, the 90s and early 2000s were great at cliffhangers. I miss that.

Anyway, since we’ve known for a long time that Suroth is a Darkfriend, we can probably assume that whoever has stepped into Tuon’s vacated place is the Forsaken who has been in charge of Seanchan, which must be Semirhage, since everyone else is accounted for at this point. Although, it is also possible that Moridin is taking a hand in meddling with the Seanchan, and he has Graendal, Moghedien, and Lanfear/Cyndane working under him now, so he could easily send any of them to impersonate the Daughter of the Nine Moons. But he would have had to be keeping a pretty close eye on what is going on with the Seanchan invaders, and/or have taken over being the Forsaken that Suroth answers to. Which is certainly possible, but we have no indication to that effect. Not yet, anyway.

In any case, this meeting with the Seanchan is clearly some kind of trap for Rand, and I haven’t forgotten that Egeanin never did get the chance to throw that kinky bracelet and collar set into the sea. Someone amongst the Seanchan, Suroth presumably, still has the thing. I’m quite confident that will come up at some point, as well. Here’s hoping they don’t actually manage to collar Rand; the man has enough imprisonment PTSD from the whole stuffed-in-a-chest incident without adding some kind of a’dam to the situation. Although with the way his luck goes, I feel like we can expect the collar might get used: Not only would it be out of character for Jordan to introduce an important ter’angreal and not have it be important, it would also be another parallel between Rand and Egwene, which feels thematically and narratively relevant.

I wonder if being ta’veren would have any bearing on the effectiveness of an a’dam, or any other forms of control related to the use of the One Power. We know that Alana was unable to use the bond to control him, but that is a pretty weak form of control in most respects, so the question still remains for anything that’s a stronger level of control, like Compulsion or a male a’dam.

I’ll be curious to see how far into Knife of Dreams we’ll have to get before we get an answer to any of these questions. On the one hand, Jordan loves to make us wait, but on the other hand, I don’t feel like we have as much catching-the-timelines-up to do as we did for the beginning of Crossroads of Twilight. This book has also been less action-heavy than the others, so perhaps Knife of Dreams will be much more jam-packed, as it were. And of course, the real wait would be if I had to read New Spring next, but since I cheated and read out of order, I won’t be taking the break to go back in time, as readers would have done as the books were coming out.

I wonder if Jordan intentionally chose to end Crossroads of Twilight with a reference to the coming of spring, knowing that he was going to have the novella coming out next. The books were coming out so rapidly it’s entirely possible, even likely, that he did, and I enjoyed the nod very much.

I’m just as glad not to have to wait too long to get into Knife of Dreams now that Egwene has been captured! I have to admit, I did not see that one coming, though maybe I should have. After all, things have been going pretty well for Egwene recently, which feels like an odd thing to say given that two of her Aes Sedai have been murdered by saidin; no one believes that she’s a Dreamer; at least some of the Hall is still trying to figure out a way to push her back into a purely ceremonial role; and, oh yeah, she’s too stressed to eat and too busy Dreaming to get much real sleep. Talk about burning the candle at both ends, and maybe some secret third one, too. Still, Egwene has accomplished a great deal in a short period of time and against some pretty stiff opposition: She managed to coerce her Aes Sedai into leaving Salidar, actually forcing their hands when it came to moving on Elaida; she has a coterie of sisters who have sworn direct fealty to her and are working undercover on her behalf; and the opposition she’s facing from those who don’t want to see her as a legitimate Amyrlin doesn’t actually seem to be any worse than that which a lot of Amyrlins before her have faced, if for different reasons.

She even has a plan to overcome the difficulties of not having any ships for her siege, and it’s a really good one. It would have worked perfectly if not for the fact that her Aes Sedai are being murdered, and someone in their ranks is passing information to the other side. But the question is, is the murderer also the informant?

It’s pretty obvious for the reader that Halima’gar is the one who murdered Anaiya and Kairen—they were both killed by saidin, after all. But I’m not sure what Halima’gar’s motives would be. When Anaiya and her warder were killed, I assumed that it was either a case of them accidentally stumbling across some Darkfriend activity or perhaps that Halima’gar was attempting to destabilize Egwene by taking away one of her advisors. The former supposition could certainly be true, but the latter would probably only happen if Halima’gar figured out that Egwene’s council are sworn to her, which doesn’t seem likely. Maybe she could have overheard something, especially since she can wield saidin without anyone sensing any weaves. Perhaps she was aware of Anaiya’s knowledge about Dreaming and wanted to undercut Egwene that way, especially since Halima’gar has clearly been messing with Egwene’s dreams herself.

A lot of things are possible when you’re dealing with the Forsaken, but I think it’s far more likely that there’s some other reason Halima’gar killed Anaiya and Kairen, and the fact that they were two sisters who were particularly important to Egwene’s plans was just unlucky (or lucky, from Halima’s point of view). Halima’gar is clearly directing Sheriam as well as Delana, and it’s possible that she has been trying to orchestrate more active and effective countermeasures against Egwene and the Salidar Aes Sedai now that they have started making real moves, such as planning a potential alliance with the Asha’man. Sheriam absolutely lost her cool when that decision was made, and I suspect that reaction had more to do with worrying about what her Dark bosses would have to say than any fear of saidin.

The last thing Halima’gar, or any of the agents of the Dark, are going to want is for Egwene’s position to get stronger. The divide in the White Tower was orchestrated by them, after all, and they need the Aes Sedai to stay divided, weakened, and focused on their own internal affairs rather than what is going on in the rest of the world. If Egwene’s forces allied with the Asha’man, even uneasily, it would not only mean less tension between Aes Sedai and Asha’man, which would strengthen the Light’s position as Tarmon Gai’don approaches, but might also give Egwene the leverage she needs to take control of the White Tower and reunite the sisters under one banner. Which would also strengthen the Light’s position as Tarmon Gai’don approaches.

That’s a lot of ifs and maybes, of course, but the danger is real enough for Halima’gar to be concerned. As Lelaine points out, the death of two sisters at the hands of saidin is going to make any kind of talks and any kind of potential agreement with the Asha’man much more difficult to achieve, so it might be this alone that drove Halima’gar to commit the murders. I doubt she could have guessed that Kairen was important to Egwene’s plans, but killing someone who worked closely with the Amyrlin makes a lot of sense as a move to knock everyone off balance. 

It’s also possible that Halima is the one who betrayed Egwene’s plan to the Tar Valon Aes Sedai. Egwene told the Hall what she was going to have done, which means that Halima would know about it through Delana. Success in changing the harbor chain to cuendillar would make the siege of Tar Valon actually effective, one step closer to some kind of end to the division of the White Tower. She’s not the only possible suspect, however. Really, anyone who knew about Egwene’s plan and isn’t sworn to her might have decided to betray it. It was hard enough to get the Salidar Aes Sedai to make any motions towards confronting Elaida at all; Egwene has basically had to force their hands every step of the way. Her success in changing the harbor chain to cuendillar makes the siege much more viable, and it might be that such a move was too much for one of the Sitters to accept.

It’s mentioned in this chapter that basically everyone is getting involved in the talks with Elaida’s sisters, and it would be easy enough for someone to slip a little information from one side to the other during the negotiations. Perhaps one of the Salidar Aes Sedai wants to go back to Tar Valon rather than stay with Egwene, and negotiated a return without punishment in exchange for help in defeating Egwene’s side. No one could have guessed that Egwene herself would go to complete the task herself. It’s an unexpected boon for Elaida’s forces, of course, but in some ways it might also prove a disaster, because if anyone else had gone instead of Egwene, they would likely not have been able to complete the transformation of the harbor chain to any significant degree. No doubt the whole point of warning the Tar Valon Aes Sedai was to stop Egwene’s plan before the chain was altered; now that it has been, the Salidar Aes Sedai could decide to carry on with a siege that will be much more effective now than it was before. Some of them, like Romanda and Lelaine, might find the whole situation completely satisfactory; they can now lead the rest of the Salidar Aes Sedai as they see fit, without Egwene’s unexpected competence in power to get in the way.

Lelaine’s comment about the White Tower making “mistakes” and her open hostility towards Egwene almost makes me think that she is the betrayer. However, Lelaine is Blue Ajah, and the only way I could see her ever allying herself with Elaida’s sides is if the Tower Hall agreed to unseat Elaida and not to carry out any of her edicts against the Blue. I doubt many of the Hall feel loyalty towards Elaida these days, but that would still be a huge (not to mention dangerous) commitment for Elaida’s followers to make. So it’s possible, but I don’t know how likely it really is.

And then there’s Nicola. Egwene is a little surprised that the woman ran away, since she’s so desperate to learn to channel. But she doesn’t stop to consider that there is another place to learn besides her camp, and that’s in the White Tower itself.

Of course, Nicola wasn’t privy to Egwene’s plan, but if she got wind of it, even a suggestion that Egwene was planning something, she might have believed she could use that to her advantage when she went to the White Tower. We know she’s tried to blackmail Aes Sedai to get what she wants, and might have thought that her knowledge of the camp would gain her favor and privilege, that the Aes Sedai in the White Tower would be grateful, or at least impressed, and allow her to learn faster. She’s a smart girl, one of those who was learning to make cuendillar, and she and Areina are both eavesdroppers, so perhaps she put together what Egwene was planning. And even if she didn’t, the sisters in the White Tower would pump her for every scrap of information about Egwene and her followers, and one of them might have figured out what Egwene might be intending to use the weave for.

After that, it would only be a matter of lying in wait for whichever Aes Sedai came to do the work. Pretty simple, really.

I really appreciated the title of this chapter, since it has so many different meanings. On the one hand, it references the fact that Egwene has finally revealed, at least to a few sisters, the truth about the effects of using the Oath Rod and the fact that it, not channeling, produces the blurring effect, and that it shortens the lifespan of those who are bound by it. But it also references the way the Aes Sedai feel that the Three Oaths define who they are, that the Oath Rod is what makes an Aes Sedai. Romanda connects her identity as being defined by the Oaths even before she came to the White Tower, and even with the suggestion that it might be shortening her lifespan, she rejects the idea of ever not living as an Aes Sedai. Which means never not living by the Three Oaths.

Of course it makes sense that the Aes Sedai wouldn’t initially be onboard with Egwene’s plan, because it really is a huge departure from how the White Tower functions and how the Aes Sedai see themselves. But it’s hard, I think, as a reader to understand how the identity is more about the rules and scriptures than it is about, you know, being a channeler. Being connected to Creation in a way most people couldn’t even fathom. Being someone whose primary job it is to defend the world against the Dark and the power it wields. But maybe that’s part of the point, thematically speaking. Maybe the use of the Oath Rod, the disconnect from their past and from the other half of the One Power, has led to this fundamental problem with what it means to be Aes Sedai, and that problem must be resolved before the Aes Sedai can adapt to the changes the Dragon Reborn is bringing to the world.

I wonder if Egwene really will take the Three Oaths eventually. I wonder if Nynaeve and Elayne will. The Oaths are awfully limiting, after all, and they need every advantage they can get. But before any of them even have a chance to ask themselves the question of whether or not they must take the Oaths, the Tower needs to be restored, and Egwene needs to be the Amyrlin for all sisters, not a prisoner that at least some of the Salidar Aes Sedai probably don’t even want back. It will be interesting to see how Egwene—who has been a captive before, and under harsher circumstances even than Elaida can bring down upon her—handles her new situation. I think the results might not be what the White Tower, or Elaida, expect. She has been trained by Aiel and by Siuan Sanche, so I have to wonder if she won’t be more than a match for Elaida, even in these less than ideal circumstances. Best of all? She’s away from Halima’gar, which hopefully means no more headaches. Worst of all? The Seanchan are probably going to attack before the White Tower can sort out its differences.

And that’s it for Crossroads of Twilight. Thank you all for joining me on this read! It’s been a really wild and enjoyable ride so far, and I can’t wait to see what’s coming next. I feel like it’s going to involve a lot of people trying to bind and control Asha’man, and also the Dragon Reborn. But also maybe Mat will get married, and maybe, if we’re lucky, Perrin will get Faile back without losing his soul in the process.