Chapter 4

Alone in Fal Dara’s women’s apartments, Moiraine dons her Blue Ajah shawl to meet the Amyrlin. Anaiya and Liandrin arrive to escort her, and as they walk through the halls, courtesies and undercurrents of rivalry frame their progress. Moiraine glimpses Egwene slipping away with a burdened companion and wonders at Liandrin’s unusual friendliness toward Lady Amalisa.

On the way, Anaiya shares news: three new false Dragons appear in Saldaea, Murandy, and Tear; riots in Caemlyn ebb but tensions remain; Elayne and Gawyn reach Tar Valon while Whitecloaks press; the Great Hunt of the Horn is called; Sea Folk and Aiel stir; rumors speak of trouble on Almoth Plain and Toman Head. Moiraine notes the implications and Liandrin’s sharp interjections hint at ulterior aims.

In the anteroom, Browns Verin and Serafelle, White Carlinya, Green Alanna, and others regard Moiraine coolly before Keeper Leane admits her to the Amyrlin. A heavy, ornate golden cube—the Horn’s chest—sits before them. The Amyrlin recounts forcing the river to speed their travel, then delivers Elaida’s accusations: Moiraine meddles with a ta’veren youth. The Hall even considered sending Moiraine into retreat under Red custody, while Greens oddly align with Reds and seek to curb the Amyrlin’s movements.

Moiraine argues that Egwene and Nynaeve possess exceptional potential—enough to offset Red influence—while the Amyrlin notes Elayne’s great promise and the Reds’ swelling prestige. The two weigh the White Tower’s fraying unity against mounting world crises, acknowledging risks to authority and custom.

After dismissing Leane and warding the chamber, Siuan and Moiraine embrace as old friends. They confess the stakes: their hidden designs must proceed, but discovery would mean stilling. Even so, they commit to their course, accepting peril for the chance to steer events against the Shadow.