30 Children of Shadow

Elyas pushes Perrin and Egwene south across rolling grassland, taking elaborate precautions and avoiding skylines. Though the wolves scent no Trollocs, Elyas is driven by an unnamed threat. From a ridge they spot ravens erupting from groves and winging south—Dark One’s spies sweeping the land. Elyas sends for the wolves to check their backtrail.

As they advance ridge to ridge, they witness ravens swarming and killing a fox, confirming the danger. Egwene downs a lone raven with her sling, and they continue a grueling, stop‑and‑dash pace, skirting multiple raven flocks. Evidence of the ravens’ passage—shredded animals—litters the ground, heightening their fear.

Perrin suddenly shares the wolves’ senses: Dapple’s pack fights off ravens to the north and reports more coming from behind. Forced near despair, Perrin contemplates sparing Egwene a raven’s death if they are overrun. Elyas drives them harder, keeping just ahead of the southern sweeps while the northern flock gains.

When the ravens ahead vanish, a chilling, cleansing sensation passes through them. Elyas laughs, announcing they have crossed into a stedding, where ravens and Shadowspawn cannot enter and Aes Sedai cannot touch the Source. He urges them deeper inside before distant ravens can mark the boundary.

They reach a small, clear pool amid ancient boulders and make a careful camp. Tension lingers as Perrin withdraws, burdened by what he considered doing. By a soot-stained stone shaped like an eye, Elyas explains it is the Eye of Artur Hawkwing’s colossal statue, once the planned heart of a new capital here. Hawkwing’s death, the ensuing War of the Hundred Years, and hatred of Aes Sedai ended that dream and left only ruins.

As dusk deepens, Elyas orders the fire out. Safe for now within the stedding yet haunted by the day’s terror, Perrin, Egwene, and Elyas bed down beside the relic of a fallen age.