Lord of Chaos: Chapter 55
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Author: Leora Oldessroth
Chapter Icon: Ancient Aes Sedai Symbol
Points of View: Gawyn, Rand, Perrin
Outline
The chapter describes the battle at Dumai's Wells and Rand's escape. Taim orders the Asha'man to show their killing power on the Shaido which they do. He makes the nine Aes Sedai from Salidar to kneel and swear fealty to him.
Summary
Gawyn's Point of View:
Location: Dumai's Wells
Characters: Gawyn, Jisao, Hal, Rajar, Benji Dalfor, Galina
Gawyn is riding at the head of a column of Younglings at Dumai's Wells. Gawyn has, with considerable difficulty, kept his promise to Egwene not to harm Rand, but he refuses to help Rand. He thinks about Egwene constantly and worries about her safety. Gawyn is not so reluctant to help Min, as he has no grudge towards her and he feels that she didn't deserve to be kidnapped.
Gawyn hears a horse running up to him. He shouts orders to stop to Jisao, Hal and Rajar. Benji Dalfor rides up and reports that thousands of Aiel are about to descend on them from all sides. Gawyn immediately orders the wagons stopped and put into defensive formations. Galina demands to know what he's doing; she dismisses his claims of Aiel, saying that Sevanna has promised her an escort. Gawyn says that they cannot be sure it is Sevanna's forces; he convinces Galina that they need to prepare for an attack.
Rand's Point of View:
Location: Dumai's Wells
Characters: Rand
Rand is inside the trunk, struggling to hold onto the Void. He can feel Alanna drawing ever closer to him but refuses to trust that she might free him - she is Aes Sedai and he will never trust one of them again. He continues to try to find a way to break the shield but it is still being held; the points are soft and he needs them to be hard - tied off - in order to break them. Lews Therin moans that he is tired of darkness.
Suddenly Rand feels the trunk move and tilt. He wonders if it is time for his sunset beating. When the trunk doesn't open he begins screaming to be let out to no avail. Rand goes back to searching for a way to break the shield, laughing hysterically.
Perrin's Point of View:
Location: Dumai's Wells
Characters: Perrin, Kiruna, Sorilea, Rhuarc, Dobraine, Loial, Aram
Perrin is surveying the camp of the Aes Sedai; it is much bigger than he thought. Kiruna tells him that there are two to three hundred women channeling in the camp. Rhuarc tells him there are forty thousand Shaido. Dobraine questions whether Rand is really in the camp. Kiruna tells him that this is a hopeless effort. Perrin responds that she is free to leave at any time but that he will not see Rand turned over to Elaida. Perrin's forces don't have much of plan other than that they need to get Rand out.
The Two Rivers men and the Mayeners have been divided into two squads - one surrounding Wise Ones on foot and the other surrounding mounted Aes Sedai and Warders. The two groups will attack from opposite sides. When the troops are in position, they attack. As they charge forward, Perrin sends for the wolves; the ground erupts with wolves that join in the charge. Perrin begins hacking away at Shaido, determined to reach Rand. Perrin is shocked to see the Aes Sedai striding through the midst of the battle, using the One Power to kill.
All of a sudden a hollow boom erupts and a gateway opens in front of Perrin and about one hundred Asha'man come through the gateway. They begin fighting the Shaido with swords and with the One Power. Perrin concentrates on staying alive and getting home to Faile.
Rand's Point of View:
Location: Dumai's Wells
Characters: Rand, Gawyn, Min, Taim, Gedwyn, Nesune, Jur Grady, Jisao, Bera, Kiruna, Alanna
Rand is still inside the chest, feeling at the six points in the shield. He gasps as one turns hard - it has been tied off - and then a second and a third and a fourth. The last two points are still soft, so they are still being held. Rand decides that he cannot wait for the other two to be tied off. He feels at the hard points, finding gaps between the flows. He edges his way into a gap, slowly, and then he can feel the Source. Rand does something he can't quite explain next - he flexes what he had extended through the first knot as hard as he can and the barrier weakens. He hopes that the Aes Sedai don't catch on to what he's doing yet and he tries again. He goes through each knot, flexing and destroying them in turn.
When only the two soft spots remain, Rand reaches for the Source and shatters the barrier; he embraces the source and uses Air to blast the chest to pieces out and away from him. His muscles, used to confinement, are slow to work but he uses the time to take stock of his surroundings. Rand becomes aware of three women near him - two unconscious on the ground, one screaming hysterically. Some distance away, Rand spots Min lying on the ground. He rushes toward her and turns her over; she is alive and relieved to see that he is unharmed. He unties her.
Rand sees Asha'man fighting and tells Min that Taim and others have come to rescue them. Rand tries to get Min to stay in the safe spot but she insists on coming with him into the battle. Rand spots Erian, his main torturer, and shields her. His eyes search out other Aes Sedai of Elaida's; he finds and shields Katerine and Sarene - one by one he shields the Aes Sedai. Soon, his efforts become obvious in that Perrin's Aiel are suffering few attacks made from the Power. The soldiers and Aiel warriors are still battling one another.
Gawyn rides up to Rand and Min and tells Min that he can get her out of there. Min tells him that she is staying and reminds Gawyn that Elayne loves Rand. Gawyn simply tells Jisao to rally the Younglings - they will cut a way out of the battle - and he rides off.
Taim appears before Rand and Min just in time to stop a young Asha'man named Gedwyn from striking out at them. Taim tells Rand that he thought, under the circumstances, that Rand would not hold it against him for violating orders about confronting Aes Sedai. Rand refuses an offer of Healing from Taim. Lews Therin is ranting in Rand's head about killing Taim. Taim says he will have the campsite secure in a moment.
A dome of Air covers the camp with only a small hole left in the top to let out the smoke. This blocks attacks of lightning and fire being hurled at the camp. The battle dies down inside the dome with defeated Shaido taking off their cadin'sor to become gai'shain. The shielded Aes Sedai are being held prisoner by the Asha'man. Alanna and the others do not approach Rand; he thinks that it is because of the Asha'man. Rand is not really surprised when Dobraine, Nandera, Perrin, Loial and Aram stagger up, wounded and bloody.
Perrin is thankful that Rand is alive. Perrin tells him that they'd meant for him to make a gateway out but there is still too much confusion outside the dome for that to work. Rand orders that the dome of Air be lifted. Taim objects, saying that there are too many Shaido out there; he would rather wait to learn the place so they can make gateways out. Perrin tells Rand that as long as the dome is there and they don't know where Rand is, the Emond's Fielders and the Wise Ones won't stop attacking or leave. Loial suggest that two of them slip out of the dome and let the others know Rand is all right.
Rand rejects the ideas; he is determined to teach Sevanna a lesson. He orders Taim to show him the weapons he has made - to show him what the Asha'man can do. Taim agrees. Rand orders his banner to be raised through the hole in the dome, which an Asha'man named Grady does. Taim has the Asha'man form a battle line and then raise the Air dome barricade two spans. Shaido flood in; Taim orders the Asha'man to kill the Aiel. The Shaido explode in sprays of blood and flesh. Next Taim orders a "rolling ring of Earth and Fire", which causes the ground to erupt beneath the Shaido's feet, launching warriors in every direction. Rand orders a stop. The wounded and dead are everywhere, and the Shaido who have survived are fleeing. Rand congratulates Taim and the Asha'man and tells them that they have done well.
The Aes Sedai, including Bera, Kiruna and Alanna, finally come to greet Rand, telling him that he has done well. Rand coldly tells them that their place is with Elaida's emissaries, on their knees; he said that they could bring six Aes Sedai with them to meet him in Cairhien when they left Caemlyn, but they brought more. He orders them to kneel. Taim says that they must kneel and swear fealty to the Dragon Reborn or they will be knelt. The nine Aes Sedai from Salidar swear fealty to the Dragon Reborn.
Notes
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