Contents
Chapter 55
Overview
Nynaeve reunites with Elayne, Egeanin, and the freed Panarch amid palace chaos, and the group flees through a riot with help from Domon’s sailors and Thom. At the inn, Elayne fails to destroy the male a’dam. Nynaeve sends the seal to the Tower but entrusts Domon to sink the male a’dam in the deep sea, while Amathera hides as a servant.
Summary
Nynaeve hurries through the shattered Panarch’s Palace, masking herself among panicked servants and briefly spots Liandrin and Rianna forcing a path with the Power. She reaches the rendezvous, where Elayne, Egeanin, and a disguised Panarch Amathera wait by a servants’ door while unrest rages outside.
Juilin opens the door, revealing a full riot with Whitecloaks clashing against a mob and Bayle Domon’s sailors holding a corridor for escape. Thom, injured, urges haste as the sailors escort the women through chaotic streets to safety. At the Three Plum Court, Elayne introduces Amathera as “Thera,” insisting she hide and learn humility while she quietly plans to rally her Legion later.
In private, Nynaeve admits Moghedien escaped after Nynaeve captured and shielded her, and she confirms she recovered both a cuendillar seal and the male a’dam. The group debates next steps. Elayne condemns palace hoarding and supports keeping Amathera hidden a few days amid the city’s turmoil.
Nynaeve lays out the seal and the collar-and-bracelets. Egeanin notes differences from a Seanchan a’dam. Rejecting Tower custody for the male a’dam, Nynaeve asks Elayne to destroy it; Elayne channels intense Fire but cannot even warm the ter’angreal. Nynaeve then tasks Bayle Domon to drop the male a’dam into the deepest sea he knows, while she will send the seal to the White Tower. With this decided, they turn to next steps and prepare to leave Tanchico soon.
Who Appears
- Nynaeve al'MearaLeads the escape, confesses Moghedien’s escape, secures the seal, and orders the male a’dam sunk at sea.
- Elayne TrakandGuides Amathera into hiding as ‘Thera’; attempts and fails to destroy the male a’dam with the Power.
- EgeaninSupports the escape; identifies differences from a Seanchan a’dam; wary yet cooperative with the group.
- Amathera (Panarch of Tarabon)Freed Panarch; hides as ‘Thera’ to avoid reprisals and plans to rally her Legion later.
- Bayle DomonLeads sailors to extract the group and agrees to sink the male a’dam in the deep sea.
- Thom MerrilinHelps manage the escape through the riot; injured but steady; praises Elayne’s political judgment.
- Juilin SandarPicks the lock to the escape door; escorts the group through the streets to safety.
- RendraInnkeeper who shelters the group and takes in Amathera as a servant.
- LiandrinBriefly seen in the palace using the Power to clear a path; still a nearby threat.
- RiannaAccompanies Liandrin in the palace, forcing passage amid the chaos.