29 Eyes Without Pity

Nynaeve rides with Moiraine and Lan toward the legendary White Bridge, struggling with resentment over Moiraine’s evasions and offers of training in Tar Valon. The land feels unnaturally still, and even Moiraine and Lan grow tense, hinting at the Dark One’s attention pressing on the world.

Crossing the gleaming bridge, they find Whitebridge scarred by recent fires. Soldiers in shabby red uniforms patrol nervously, and the few townsfolk hurry through the square in fear. Moiraine gathers information by offering sympathy; people give conflicting stories—accidents, bandits, Darkfriends, and a man meddling with the One Power—while refusing to face the obvious destruction.

Snatches of truth emerge: a mob rushed the docks, but a boat cut loose and escaped downriver, and a gleeman was aboard. In the inn, Moiraine feels a lingering emotional trace and concludes that two of the boys were there a day or two earlier, terrified but alive. She cannot tell which two or which way they went.

Lan reports the scent of a Halfman all over the town, raising the stakes for the boys’ safety. Nynaeve presses about Egwene, and Moiraine, briefly angered, vows hope for all of them but prioritizes what she can act on. Because she can still track the boy who carries her token, Moiraine resolves to find him first.

Leaving the fearful town behind, the trio rides out on the Caemlyn Road. Moiraine focuses northeast, determined to close on the token-bearer while trusting the others will head toward Caemlyn and can be gathered later.