Chapter 37

On the Blue Crane near Cairhien, Egwene observes burned, abandoned villages and rising smoke while maintaining an Aes Sedai facade. She reflects on wearing the Great Serpent ring, the crew’s deference, and her inconsistent use of the stone ring ter’angreal, which has shown her the Heart of the Stone but little about the Black Ajah.

Egwene reviews her troubling dreams: Rand imperiled and manipulated like stones on a board; Perrin with wolf, falcon, and hawk, and stepping from a cliff; an Aiel possibly tied to Perrin; Min evading a trap; Mat amid dice, pursued by an unseen man, racing toward an unseen goal, and with a woman and fireworks; plus images of kings, queens, puppet-masters, Whitecloaks ravaging the Two Rivers, and the Seanchan. Homesickness surfaces as she recalls sharing the ter’angreal with Nynaeve and Elayne, to little effect.

Elayne joins Egwene, lamenting Cairhien’s suffering. They debate Andor’s history with Cairhien and the halted grain trade. Egwene suddenly interprets a dream as warning that a Gray Man hunts Mat. Elayne questions the logic, but they agree they cannot help him now and press on toward Tear and the Black Ajah.

The ship lurches to a halt, grounded on a sunken vessel likely left by river brigands. Captain Chin Ellisor panics over delays and dangers ashore. Nynaeve decides they cannot wait for rescue sweeps and insists on going to the nearer Cairhienin village of Jurene despite warnings, asserting they can defend themselves.

Ferried to shore with their gear and walking staves, the trio sets out along the riverbank, tense and largely silent. Egwene vows to defend herself if brigands appear; Nynaeve allows they will frighten off threats if necessary. As they skirt thickets, an indistinct figure in brown and gray suddenly rises from behind a lone bush ahead.