Good chapters; with 75% of the book behind us, I can definitely feel that "end of the novel" approach starting to loom. The 3-way rift in the party is healed as Moriaine, Lan, and Nynaeve find first Perrin and Egwene, then Rand and Mat. Long-held secrets are revealed, including the boys' dreams and Mat's Mashadarian dagger, and some subplots are tied up while deeper roots are laid for the later novels. We are introduced to more forms of prophecy, some information about Rand's heritage (he appears to have Aiel blood), and we hear of the Green Man, the Eye of the World, and meet the ruling family of Camelyn - including the Daughter-Heir Elayne, who finds Rand handsome.
Chapter 37: Moiraine, Nynaeve, and Lan plot to rescue Perrin and Egwene from the Whitecloaks. Not really much to say about this chapter, except that I'm not really sure why it was included - had I been editing this series, I think I may have cut it and stuck to the Perrin POV chapter of the rescue.
Chapter 38: Perrin discovers that Elyas Machera used to be a Warder. This is one of the secrets of Elyas' past that he didn't want the Mahdi to reveal in previous chapters. It's interesting that Byar is able to hold the dichotomous view of his duties to the Whitecloaks that allow him to offer Perrin a way to escape.
Chapter 39: A strange, repulsive beggar chases Rand away from the streets where he is attempting view Logain; he ends up climbing a wall that lands him inside the palace grounds, but not before he gets a view of Logain. I love Jordan's wordcraft here, as he described the captured (but definitely not humbled) Logain:
His clothes seemed ordinary, a cloak and coat and breeches that would not have caused comment in any farming village. But the way he wore them. The way he held himself. Logain was a king in every inch of him. The cage might as well not have been there. He held himself erect, head high, and looked over the crowd as if they had come to do him honor. And wherever his gaze swept, there the people fell silent, staring back in awe.
Chapter 40: We meet the First Family of Andor; Elayne, the Daughter-Heir, her brothers Gawain and Curt...err, Galad; and Morgase. One of the more interesting, but subtle points of these chapters is Gareth Bryne's observations about Rand's relationship to his father's heron-marked blade...
"I do not know, Morgase," Bryne said slowly. "He is too young, yet still it belongs with him, and he with it. Look at his eyes. Look how he stands, how the sword fits him, and he it. He is too young, but the sword is his."
Even though the book, like most epic fantasy, is full of fates and fortunes, prophecies and predictions, this is a far more subtle hint that - at least in this reality - Jordan is arguing "nature" over "nurture". We *know* Rand is not a master of the sword equal to the demands of a heron-marked blade - yet here we have one the prominent military minds of the time telling us: "the sword fits him, and he it".
Chapter 41: Moiraine, Nynaeve, Lan, Perrin, and Egwene make their way to the inn where Rand and Mat have been staying, and a glad - albeit brief - reunion ensues among the Emond's Fielders...except for Mat, who is so deeply in the control of the dagger's taint that he doesn't trust any of his companions - although he DOES appear to have some kind of startling insight into the character of each of them. Even though the party has joined back together, the levity is brief as Moiraine Sedai attempts to cleanse Mat of the taint of Mashadar and Shadar Logoth. Perrin, especially, sinks rapidly into a defeatist spiral of black humour...
"Better we were all dead. Everywhere we go, we bring pain and suffering on our backs. It would be better for everyone if we were dead."
he opines. Not so, Moiraine Sedai is quick to correct him - even in death, the three ta'veren no longer have any hope of evading the Dark One.
Chapter 42: All the secrets finally come out, as the two groups compare stories. The city is surrounded by Trollocs and Fades, and there is no safe way to leave the city - but they dare not stay, either. Their best bet, Moiraine suggests, is to take the fight directly to the Dark One - and she has just the means, too. She asks Loial to take them to Mafal Dadaranell via "the Ways"; a description of which will have to wait for the next summary!
Again, these are great chapters, and reveal a couple of the points that I think may have been central themes to the story Jordan is trying to tell; I hope MG will chime in here with the insightful comment along the same lines he shared this afternoon.
