The Wheel of Time, #5
The Fires of Heaven
by Robert Jordan
Contents
44 The Lesser Sadness
Overview
Rand hammers the Shaido from afar, averts a breach at Cairhien’s gates, and survives a devastating lightning attack Sammael directs at the Maidens, which topples the watchtower. While Egwene and Aviendha rotate storm-weaving, Mat arranges a trap for Couladin’s host with pikes and flanking cavalry.
By night, Lan reports a complete victory: Shaido routed or captured and the other clans negotiating with Wise Ones. Drained and bleeding, Rand finally collapses as Moiraine is summoned.
Summary
From a hilltop tower, Rand channels through his angreal for hours, coordinating with Egwene and Aviendha as they drive storms over Cairhien. He spots Shaido pressing the city gates and hurls precise lightning to break the assault, accepting friendly losses to prevent a disastrous breach.
Suddenly, lightning from a clear sky, woven with saidin, rakes the Maidens and blasts the tower to ruin. Rand seizes Egwene and Aviendha as the structure collapses; they survive, but many Maidens are dead or burned, including Jolien. Tracing the residue, Rand identifies Sammael as the attacker and is restrained by Egwene and Aviendha from charging after him. A runner reports eastern clans moving together; Rand orders Han to hold them off and relocates closer to the city with a smaller guard.
At the Wise Ones’ encampment, Sorilea directs triage; Moiraine Heals the worst cases, near to exhaustion. Asmodean, pressed into carrying water, edges near Rand. The Wise Ones parley with representatives of four approaching clans. Rand, hurting and frayed by the taint, pushes on.
Elsewhere, Mat scouts for an escape route for his mixed Tairen and Cairhienin, but finds Aiel blocking every southern path. Learning Couladin’s force is bearing down on them, Mat sets a trap: pikes advance to draw the Shaido in, bowmen cover the flanks, and cavalry under Nalesean and Talmanes maneuver wide to smash the rear. He orders the cry “Protect the Lord Dragon” to fix the Shaido’s focus and commits to holding until the horse strikes.
After dusk, half-delirious, Rand lights the sky to “see,” then is led to camp as Lan brings news: the battle is decided. Only remnants of Shaido remain south of Cairhien; thousands are prisoners, the rest fleeing across the Gaelin. The four clans’ Wise Ones negotiate terms. Releasing saidin, Rand is overwhelmed by pain and exhaustion; bleeding from his reopened wound, he topples from the saddle as Moiraine is called.
Who Appears
- Rand al'ThorDrives storms against the Shaido, averts a gate breach, survives Sammael’s lightning strike, pushes on despite injury, learns of victory, and collapses.
- Mat CauthonScouts for escape, then crafts a pike-and-cavalry trap to fix and flank Couladin’s force, anchoring the battle’s turning point.
- Egwene al'VereRotates storm-weaving with Aviendha; later withdraws to the Wise Ones’ camp exhausted after the tower’s fall.
- AviendhaChannels storms with Egwene, tends Rand after the collapse, urges duty over chasing Sammael, and later retires to the camp.
- SammaelUnseen Forsaken; launches deadly lightning on Rand’s position, killing many Maidens and toppling the tower.
- SulinMaiden leader; wounded yet active, manages Rand’s guard, restrains him, and later supports him as he collapses.
- Lan MandragoranWarns Rand the Wise Ones are meeting; reports complete victory and calls Moiraine when Rand falls.
- Moiraine DamodredExhaustedly Heals the worst wounded; summoned to tend Rand when he collapses bleeding.
- Asmodean (Jasin Natael)Kept from channeling; carries water among the wounded and anxiously checks on Rand.
- DaeridCairhienin commander of pikes; coordinates Mat’s plan to bait and hold the Shaido center.
- TalmanesLeads Cairhienin cavalry on a flanking strike as part of Mat’s trap.
- NaleseanLeads Tairen cavalry on the opposite flank to crush Couladin’s rear.
- EsteanTairen lord; scouts approaching Shaido and relays their route toward the pikes.
- CouladinLeads a large Shaido force toward the pikes; becomes target of Mat’s encirclement.
- SorileaWise One overseeing triage; organizes gai’shain and healers among the wounded.
- SeirinTomanelle runner who reports the four eastern clans moving to join together.
- EnailaMaiden who helps manage Rand’s movement to the Wise Ones’ camp after nightfall.
- AdelinMaiden coordinating with Sulin and Moiraine as Rand is brought to camp.
- JolienMaiden killed by the lightning and tower collapse, underscoring the battle’s cost.