Chapter 48

Egwene arrives in Tear aboard the Darter, fighting nausea as the ship docks. She hides her Great Serpent ring and ter'angreal, reflecting on confusing dream-visions of Rand, Mat, and Perrin, and resolves to focus on the Black Ajah. Nynaeve and Elayne, also seasick, disembark with their horses and take in the vast Stone of Tear while minding their assumed names.

Riding through a muddy, poor district, the women discuss how to find Liandrin’s party without alerting them. Elayne proposes hiring a thiefcatcher; Nynaeve refuses to use an inn, fearing Black Ajah surveillance. Nynaeve turns into a courtyard of a house displaying herbs, seeking a local Wise Woman for both remedies and a discreet base.

Inside, Mother Guenna—Ailhuin—offers a bitter marshwhite tea for queasy stomachs and tests Nynaeve’s healing knowledge. The two trade rapid questions on herbs and treatments, gaining mutual respect. After lighthearted talk about curing quarrels and sharing Tremalking black tea, Nynaeve asks to rent rooms. Ailhuin probes their motives, and Nynaeve explains they pursue murderous thieves—Darkfriends—while avoiding naming Aes Sedai or the Black Ajah.

Satisfied and unafraid of Darkfriends, Mother Guenna agrees to help and recommends Juilin Sandar, the best thiefcatcher in Tear, to find the women and recover the stolen items. She departs to fetch Juilin, while Elayne admonishes Egwene for resenting necessary secrecy, reaffirming their need to stand together as their hunt in Tear begins.