16 An Unexpected Offer

At dawn in Sienda, Nynaeve wakes uneasy from troubled dreams and debates travel plans with Elayne: continue by coach across Amadicia and beyond, or take boats through Ebou Dar to Tear. Their goal is Tear, while avoiding Tar Valon. They also worry about Moghedien and the dangers of being hunted.

In the common room, Galad appears—Elayne’s half-brother, now a Whitecloak officer—startling them. He speaks cautiously of Tower events, claiming the Amyrlin who sent them away has been deposed, stilled, and executed, and offers to escort Elayne to Caemlyn for safety. Elayne recognizes Galad’s absolute adherence to “what is right” and fears he will either force her home or turn them in, since Aes Sedai and Tower-trained women are outlawed in Amadicia.

After Galad is drawn away by fellow officer Trom, Elayne orders immediate departure. She explains to Nynaeve that Galad’s uncompromising morality makes betrayal likely if they refuse his escort. Thom and Juilin arrive; they and Elayne share a shocked recognition, as Elayne remembers Thom from childhood as Morgase’s court-bard and lover. From the window they spot Galad watching the inn.

Seeking escape options, Nynaeve rejects a risky attack and squeezes intel from Thom and Juilin. Political gossip about Pedron Niall’s aims in Altara jogs no clear solution, and local criminals offer no help. Then Nynaeve seizes on Valan Luca’s traveling menagerie as cover. She and Elayne will become its patrons, abandon the coach, and slip out the back way, while Thom and Juilin buy a wagon and supplies and meet them on the road.

Nynaeve pays the innkeeper for another night to mask their departure and procures bonnets for disguise. Back upstairs, they pack only essentials, including the caskets, ter’angreal, and the seal. During packing, Elayne candidly recalls Thom’s past with Morgase, revealing personal history that complicates their group bonds. They steel themselves to flee before Galad can act.