Knife of Dreams - Chapters 35-37 and Epilogue

In this section, Elayne gains a throne and Mat gains a wife

Dyelin throws her support behind Elayne, publishing her proclamation so it cannot be rescinded. Dyelin claims she never had any interest in the throne, and that it should stay in the Trakand family unless there is good reason for it not to. More importantly, she finds Elayne is an excellent ruler, has believed she would be a great ruler since before she went to the White Tower, and praises her in a manner reminiscent of Elayne’s mother Morgase. As the symbolic mother, Dyelin’s praise elevates Elayne to full womanhood, as well as to ruler of Andor.

The remaining High Seats are skeptical and question Elayne, but she explains herself and turns the question back on them. What would they have done differently? Nothing, as it turns out, and they quickly recognize her worth as ruler and throw their support behind her. Ellorien holds out, but promises to come when Andor marches to the Last Battle.

Elsewhere, Karede enters Mat’s camp in pursuit of Tuon, believing that her abductor is Thom Merrilin. Karede’s perceptions of Mat’s followers give a brief and accurate summary of where they stand in their relationships with each other and with regard to the Seanchan. Mat rides up with Tuon, settles a dispute between his Aes Sedai and the damane Mylen, and proves he can’t be touched with the One Power. Karede has a brief spell of confusion as Thom is revealed to follow Lord Mat, who rides up with Tuon and her maid. Karede may not know who Mat is, but now Tuon does, when he finally returns her to the protection of her bodyguard. Mat doesn’t know or trust Karede with her, until she reveals how she followed his career even after he was posted elsewhere. She trusts him, so Mat does as well.

Tuon tells Mat that love is possible, but she is marrying to serve the Empire. She thinks he is lying about his misadventures beyond the redstone doorways, but tells him of her damane’s prophecy, foretelling who she would marry. Mat takes some of her soldiers, while his own men give her a proper send-off. Riding into possible danger, she removes the veil, affirming her identity, and is ready to die as who she is. For his part, Mat has a new identity he has not yet accepted, a nobleman, the Prince of the Ravens.

I have a long-standing theory that Mat is Gaidal Cain, despite the obvious flaws. Tuon’s political view of her marriage added to Mat’s constantly wandering eye makes it plausible, even now, but for Mat’s admission that he may actually be in love with Tuon.

Suroth’s point of view could have been a chapter of its own, or this could have been a chapter from Tuon’s point of view. The amount of time elapsed and the brevity of the section make it appropriate for the epilogue instead. In a show of justice being served, while Tuon claims her new identity, Suroth is stripped of hers.

At the Black Tower, Pevara, and five other Red Ajah meet Mazrim Taim, his first appearance on-page since The Path of Daggers, and claim the right to bond Warders, which he grants. Having Tarna initiate the idea of bonding Asha’man provides a means to get her out of the White Tower and isolate Elaida. A middleman like the Keeper of the Chronicles would have to take Elaida’s side.

Taim’s closing words are a jab at those of us who stuck with the theory that Taim is Demandred. Using a phrase associated with Demandred, even if it was communicated to other Forsaken, will ensure that Demandred comes to mind when someone else utters it. The phrase ‘Lord of Chaos’ is also associated with trickery and deceit, so it is unclear if the author meant to invoke Demandred, or revoke the association. That tag has more than one association.

Writing lessons:

Use a tag associated with one character to bring them to mind when it is applied in another context.

Knife of Dreams - Chapters 31-34

In this section, Elayne turns a sour experience into crushing victory!

A professional purse snatcher does what no one else has been able to so far, following Mellar to the Lady Shiaine’s home. Giddy at the prospect of capturing a circle of Darkfriends, two Black Ajah, and giving the boot to Mellar, Elayne hastily assembles the Aes Sedai and Warders to raid the manor before they disperse. Mellar’s treachery is strongly downplayed; his arrest is but a footnote.

Elayne cleverly gets the two Aes Sedai she is unsure of in linked pairs, so they cannot channel to disrupt her plan. The raid goes perfectly, until the unforeseen arrival of four other Black Ajah, seemingly still bent on capturing Elayne as Moghedien ordered so long ago. Shiaine is grateful for the rescue, but is quickly put in her place; these women have their own agenda which has nothing to do with Moridin’s or Shiaine’s. This is not the first time that one evil plot has been undone by another concurrent evil plot, where the villains do not share information or objectives.

Careane is unveiled as Black Ajah, and is stabbed by Vandene. Careane’s treachery is strongly downplayed; her death is also but a footnote, since the immediate menace is the six Black Ajah who will have no trouble killing the remaining Warders and carrying Elayne off. Fortunately, none of them know Traveling. Maintaining control over who can Travel is important for several plotlines, and devising ways to keep it secret from the general population of channelers and Mat’s group, while simultaneously allowing other heroes to make liberal use of it must have required intricate planning on the author’s part. Be careful of the tools you give your heroes, because they may make life too easy for them.

Birgitte responds correctly to Elayne’s capture and the death of the Warders. She goes for the only help capable of stopping channelers: other channelers. Birgitte appeals to the Sea Folk’s sense of self-interest, and the Black Ajah are captured and Elayne freed. In minutes, they had destroyed several hundred soldiers, providing yet another example of the escalation of the battles and their outcomes. Obviously, the Last Battle will involve large numbers of channelers, and the value of soldiers will be much less than in traditional warfare.

Birgitte had been forced to give away a number of soldiers to Dyelin to defend the city gates, which made a big difference in the city’s defense, but little difference in Elayne’s rescue which depended on the One Power. With the city under attack from one of Elayne’s rivals for the throne, she Travels into position and catches them between the city walls and her army. It is enough to win, yet the thin margin of victory could have gone the other way several times.

Elsewhere, Karede divines Mat’s plan, and moves to intercept him, setting up another tense conflict where small chance-driven events may make the difference between victory and defeat.

Robert Jordan has a particular way with his sentence structure, often crafting lengthy sentences filled with descriptions, information, the character’s personal views, symbolism, and inference. Since I’m nearing the end of the books he wrote himself, it’s long past time to study these more closely.

Just  two of the mirrored stand-lamps were lit, six flames filling the sitting room with a dim light and the scent of lilies – so much of the lamp oil had gone bad that it was always perfumed, now – but a crackling fire on the hearth was beginning to take away some of the early hour’s coolness.

In this sentence, the room’s temperature, odour, and lighting are described, establishing a mood. There are links to other ideas and plotlines: the Dark One’s touch, Elayne working at early hours of the morning, insufficient supplies to meet needs. Elayne’s situation is symbolized, she can hardly shed light on the solution to her problems, but another source will give her what she needs. So many things conveyed with just one sentence.

Gliding to one of the carved sideboards, she wrinkled her nose at the silver pitcher holding goat’s milk and poured herself a cup of dark wine before taking a chair across from Elayne.

In this sentence, the first part might have been dropped but leave the entire meaning intact. Instead of breaking the sentence into smaller parts, Jordan links them together as a complete sequence of related events. He does it again with the next sentence:

Deni made a move as if to try dragging her out, but Elayne shook her head.

In this case, an action is begun, another is contemplated, and then both are negated. Three actions in one short sentence.

The gag, a dirty piece of rag with a vile, oily taste, tied so tightly that it dug into the corners of her mouth, had been meant to keep her from shouting for help at the gates.

This is not simply a description of her gag, but has added links to explain her captor’s attitude (tightness of gag), and the reason why she has a gag in her mouth, which will lead to an explanation of Elayne’s own strategy.

At last, however, even the most diehard began shedding weapons and armor, and if not every voice cried for quarter, the roar was still thunderous.

Here, large scale events are summarized with a quick series of events. The words ‘at last’ convey Elayne’s hopes as well as the finality of the situation. Using words like ‘roar’, ‘thunderous’, and ‘every’ conveys the large scale of their surrender. Describing the actions of many through the actions of few, either by making them representative, or extraordinary, allows the entire scene to be condensed.

Writing Lessons:

Give longer descriptive passages more weight and interest by linking the ideas and actions within them.

Crossroads of Twilight - Chapters 2-4

In this section, Mat tries to re-establish command.

Mat has an awful time trying to earn respect. His own men know all he is capable of, and Thom and Juilin know enough to respect him. The Seanchan he has picked up only know him as Tylin’s Toy, and treat him accordingly. Even the Seeker searching for Tuon considers Mat a pawn being moved by Thom Merrilin. Earlier scenes with Gawyn, Logain, and Samitsu established that having two captains is terribly inefficient. Mat is in a similar plight, with both he and Egeanin fighting for dominance among their followers.

Mat is finally able to throw Egeanin off balance by mentioning Tuon’s name. This gains him a precious advantage over her, for the time being. He has no such hold on Tuon herself however.

Tuon is angered over being called a servant as part of the cover story Mat has cobbled together. She hurls a cup at him, and Setalle presents her with another one to throw should she desire it. Mat promises to set her free once he figures out how to do so safely. After some intense seemingly random questions directed at each other, Tuon makes a promise herself. She will not betray Mat or try to escape.

Mat learns that the search for Tuon is being carried out secretly and that Tylin has been killed by the gholam, which Tuon calls superstition. Importantly, Joline senses the cleansing of saidin, far to the north, which frightens her so much she wants Mat to get the circus move as far from it as possible. The cleansing is a convenient marker for establishing the timing of these chapters, but it isn’t necessary unless there is some chance of these separate storylines being brought together.

Noal takes too long to reach Mat’s Wagon, which Mat thinks is due to him dropping off his fish, but it comes so close after the last clue that Noal is not what he seems that the reader should be distrusting him. This is a very deliberate attempt by the author to introduce doubt about Noal. The first clue was Noal finding a dark-skinned man with blue eyes familiar, and the second is that he vanished for a few minutes. It’s not much, and it’s not menacing, but it does have the desired effect, and the reader should be watching Noal very closely, even if Mat is not.

The chapter featuring Karede allows a glimpse into the most secretive parts of Seanchan society. The supposed conspiracy around Tuon’s disappearance prompts the Seeker and Karede to establish their own conspiracy, so secret only they know of it. Their persistence is played up, and builds up some tension as they set out to find Tuon. Mat never had a chance to fight Seanchan, and this could be building up towards a great battle.

Let’s take a closer look at how new ideas are introduced in the text.

In chapter 2, we first learn Valan Luca has a circus.  We next see that attendance is down, so the bouncers are playing dice. Next, the strongman and his wife are engrossed in the dicing, which is atypical for them. Any behaviour out of the ordinary catches the reader’s attention. The flow from the first idea to the next, and the next after is smooth and logical.

The circus folk react to Mat and Egeanin’s arrival, giving an opportunity to describe Mat and Egeanin’s cover story. The strongman warns Mat about Seanchan speaking with Luca. Egeanin interrupts. Noal is ready to flee. The strongman’s wife tells Egeanin the Seanchan are just talking. The strongman adds to Mat that he doesn’t think there’ll be any trouble. The bouncer adds that they’ll protect Egeanin, admitting her gold is a factor in that loyalty.  Egeanin lays down the law and renews the promise of gold. Mat is angry because it’s actually his gold. He launches into all the other things that Egeanin does wrong, and then, out of nowhere, asks himself the original question again: why are the Seanchan there?

These pages allowed the introduction of a danger to reveal aspects of Mat and Egeanin’s relationship. They jostle for control, and each of them is seen as the leader by some of the circus folk. After a short while, the author brings the reader’s attention back to a previously raised point. The fact that the Seanchan’s presence had been revealed and discussed earlier allows the sudden shift in Mat’s thinking back to that topic. By placing that sudden shift in the middle of a paragraph, the author makes it feel even more like a sudden thought interrupting Mat’s other thoughts.

Considering the danger, Mat doesn’t even think of making a run. He tells everyone he’s confident it will work out, and they are mostly surprised he even spoke since Egeanin had done such an effective job of presenting herself as leader. Mat says he’ll slip near Luca’s wagon. Noal implies they will all die. Mat searches for signs he may be right by listening for dice rolling in his head. Egeanin catches up to him. Mat worries she will be recognized by one of the Seanchan. Egeanin dismisses the idea. Mat warns her not to glare at everyone. She angrily agrees.

Now the control has shifted back to Mat. Note how Egeanin ruins his plan by showing up immediately after he has dismissed the danger. Mat is not given any time to find solid footing, and it is not done through physical inconveniences, but through relationships. There is no time pressure, no imminent threat, just a chance of impending doom if he can’t regain control of his followers.

They traverse the circus grounds, spotting Aludra on the way. Egeanin berates Mat for blowing their cover by staring at her. Mat gives a snide comment, winning that particular skirmish. They see the Seanchan, as well as a number of their followers who are also watching the Seanchan. Mat worries about the clues they are giving away to the Seanchan. Egeanin recognizes the officer as he leaves. Mat realizes his luck is all that kept him from recognizing Egeanin.

The Seanchan wanted horses, but Luca’s warrant was enough to send them on. Luca worries about them returning and insists they should have left Ebou Dar earlier. Mat says leaving that night would have drawn attention. He says not to worry, they can leave right after Thom returns from the city. Luca dances a happy dance. Egeanin is angry her orders were not followed. Luca points out that Mat has the gold so he gives the orders.

As each event unfolds, it allows the strained competition between Mat and Egeanin to be revealed. Every other danger is subordinate to that one. Except the one that Mat eventually uses to finally beat her out: the danger posed by Mat’s relationship with Tuon.  

Writing Lessons:

Allow the solution to a problem to pose its own problems to the heroes.