Contents
Chapter 48
Overview
In the shaken aftermath at Falme, Min finds Rand gravely wounded and near freezing, shelters him, and clashes with Egwene over feelings and fate. Lanfear appears, claims Rand as Lews Therin, and vanishes, raising the stakes. Meanwhile, Byar rides to report Falme, blaming Perrin and fueling future conflict.
Summary
Amid chaos in Falme, Min pushes through stunned crowds, glimpsing burning Seanchan ships and a lone vessel fleeing. She briefly sees a rider appear to shoot flaming silver into a ship, but presses on, drawn to a particular house.
In the garden, Min discovers Rand unconscious, gripping a melted-blade hilt that has branded his palm. She finds a cauterized wound in his side and realizes his body is chillingly cold. Dragging Rand inside, she kindles a fire and slips under blankets to warm him, resolving to keep him alive until Nynaeve can help.
Egwene arrives, saying she and Elayne felt Rand pulling at them, while Nynaeve did not. She reports they have horses and urges quick departure. Tension flares as Egwene warns Rand cannot be safe to love; Min defends her choice to stay with him. Egwene withdraws to fetch Nynaeve.
A striking woman enters, names Rand “Lews Therin Telamon,” and claims to have shaped his path against Ishamael’s designs. Revealing herself as Lanfear, one of the Forsaken, she marks Rand’s forehead like the Dragon’s Fang, declares he is hers, and disappears, leaving Min shaken but clinging to Rand.
Elsewhere, Byar rides from Falme, convinced Darkfriends betrayed the Children and killed Lord Captain Bornhald. He resolves to tell Dain Bornhald and Pedron Niall, blaming Perrin of the Two Rivers and reporting the impossible sky-battle over Falme, thus setting wider conflicts in motion.
Who Appears
- Min FarshawFinds Rand gravely wounded, warms and tends him; confronts Egwene; witnesses Lanfear’s claim on Rand.
- Rand al'ThorUnconscious and freezing after the battle; branded by his heron-hilt; marked and claimed by Lanfear.
- Egwene al'VereFeels Rand’s pull, arrives with plans to flee; clashes with Min over love and danger; goes to fetch Nynaeve.
- LanfearForsaken who appears, calls Rand Lews Therin, asserts control over his fate, and vanishes after marking him.
- Jaret ByarRides from Falme to report, blaming Perrin and Darkfriends for Bornhald’s death and the legion’s ruin.
- Bayle DomonCaptain of the Spray, seen fleeing Falme as Seanchan ships burn.