Knife of Dreams - Chapters 8-10

In this section, Mat unites his followers.

In other posts I’ve pointed out how the books are most entertaining when they follow a character for a few chapters, then jump to another locale for a few more chapters, and so on, so that each locale is seen three or more times, and enough time is spent in each locale to advance the story. This section takes us to the fifth consecutive chapter from Mat’s point of view, with one more to come after. That’s a significant chunk of the book, and a sign that either some characters will be cut out, or have abridged sections. Nonetheless, Mat’s uniquely funny voice and a sense of advancement in the relationships among his followers make these chapters entertaining and flow smoothly.

A number of other ongoing plots are advanced: Mat and Aludra make a deal regarding her cannons, Bayle and Egeanin get married, the sul’dam begin to learn how to channel from the Aes Sedai, more of the Prophecies concerning the Last Battle are revealed, and continual references to the Snakes and Foxes keep cropping up.

Tuon educates Mat about the finer points of reading omens. Most omens are related to animals’ behaviour. The Pattern could have a wonderful control mechanism for the Seanchan Empire with the fervent belief in these superstitions. The Empress and High Blood take them very seriously and appear to alter plans based on seemingly random events. I wonder if Robert Jordan was detail-oriented enough to have known some of these omens when he wrote the earlier books and insert them before readers had any context to interpret them. Even he wouldn’t have. Right? Funnily, things that Mat knows to be true, she derides as superstition.

Mat finally gets Tuon to take a horseback ride with him, and while visiting some ruins he makes a startling realization: the Aelfinn and Eelfinn have established a lasting connection to him and may know exactly what he is doing.

Egeanin tells Mat more about Tuon and what she knows of life in the Imperial Family. Mat has slowly been falling for Tuon, despite starting out as him simply trying to learn more about his fated wife. Setalle Anan is also helping him as much as she can, and trying to correct his roguish ways.

All in all, Mat leaps from misadventure to another, slowly getting to know Tuon, slowly gaining the confidence of followers, and slowly letting other followers get out of hand. Amongst these, Joline loses her temper against Tuon, and then finds an a’dam clapped around her neck. Tuon provides a taste of her effective training methods. Then Mat steps into the fray, unlocking the a’dam despite Tuon controlling the Aes Sedai to weave flows of air around Mat. The Aes Sedai and Tuon had already seen the foxhead medallion in action, so this is the second time Mat is able to do what no man should be able to do, earning the respect of everyone involved. It has taken a while, but Mat’s ragtag band is forging links of trust, dependence, and mutual respect.

A bubble of evil or breakdown in the Pattern has an ancient village materialize, then vanish, taking a peddler with it. Once again, this stands out as a little contrived, seeming to serve no direct purpose other than to provide another example of the signs heralding the Last Battle. It does serve an incidental purpose as a motivating factor for Egeanin and Juilin to make peace between them, and vacate the tent, leaving Thom, Noal, Olver and Mat alone.

Thom has been reading a letter over and over, subtly making Mat curious about the letter, hoping he will ask about it, as Moiraine insisted he must before he can show it to him. Mat, oblivious as always, has taken months to finally ask Thom about it, and at last we get confirmation that Moiraine is not dead. Mat agrees to undertake a perilous journey back to the realm of the Aelfinn and Eelfinn to rescue her, with Thom and Noal in tow. This gives some satisfaction that a long-awaited plot will be resolved, but its resolution is yet several books away.

Writing Lessons:

Create suspense and tension by telling what must happen, then dragging out its resolution.

Knife of Dreams - Chapters 5-7

In this section, Faile and Mat advance their romantic relationships.

Faile is steadily recruiting help, faster than she would like. Rumour travels quickly among the gai’shain, and some of her new followers may not be very reliable. Faile marches inexorably closer to her death at Galina’s hands when some of her followers are able to steal the Oath Rod. Readers have been told Galina’s plan is to get the Oath Rod, then kill Faile. She is unknowingly charging towards her own murder. This has the effect of creating anxiety over Perrin’s recent treaty; instead of beginning the attack now before Faile gets killed, Perrin is heading the other way to gather Forkroot. What looked like progress now costs precious time that Faile may not have. Reversing expectations like this is a wonderful way to keep the reader invested in the story.

Rolan makes his romantic intentions towards Faile known. His is the third possible means of escape she has before her, the other two relying on Perrin and Galina. Accepting Rolan’s help may end up with her sleeping with him. She further realizes that all of Rolan’s spear brothers would know if she did sleep with him. Despite his claim that what happens when you wear gai’shain white is forgotten when you put it off, she still recognizes that secrets are hard to keep: “If Rolan could be believed they all knew! Hope and danger, all tied together inextricably. What a tangle.”

The very next paragraph is a metaphor for her decision regarding Rolan. This is not only a description of the search for the Oath Rod, but also a description of Faile feeling exposed and dirty, hoping to keep her secrets as best she can when so many know. Covering herself as best as she could with her hands, Faile huddled together with other women wearing Sevanna’s belt and collar – they had been made to put those on again straightaway - huddled for a scrap of decency while Shaido rummaged through the gai’shain tents, tossing everything out into the mud. All Faile could do was think about her hiding place inside the town and pray. Hope and danger, and no way to untangle them. As Rolan advised, Faile will not speak of it again, even to herself, and neither will the other women in her situation, each of them complicit in keeping each other’s secrets.

A disadvantage of participating in Theoryland is that we tend to only give credit to information that is given in the text of the story, so in the past I did not believe Faile had slept with Rolan. In this case, Faile has become an unreliable narrator, refusing to even broach the topic of her affair with Rolan within her internal point of view, and certainly never alluding to it in the text. If what happens while she is wearing white can be forgotten, she has already done so to the extent that she can, and the reader will be none the wiser unless they read between the lines. It’s a wonderful piece of writing that says so much while appearing to say so little.

Mat is having much less luck with Tuon. He buys her a gift of a zebra-like horse, a rare and valued breed. Before he can give it to her, he gives Tuon a nickname: Precious. Mat asks Noal about Jain Farstrider, since he is oddly knowledgeable about his ‘cousin’. Even after keeping his identity secret for this long, it still feels contrived that Jain Farstrider is in the story. It would have been obviously worse had readers been told who he was right away. Tuon cuts through Noal’s melancholy, and just like that, another of Mat’s followers is as much under her control as his. The back and forth tug of war between Mat and Tuon for anything and everything is entertaining, and despite Mat seeming to achieve his goals as the relationship develops, he loses as much or more to Tuon’s influence.

Some Seanchan show up outside the circus tents, and after a brief scuffle, the circus folk pack up and move on before the soldiers come back to cause more trouble. Mat is alarmed that the Aes Sedai are channeling with soldiers right outside, and a confrontation with Joline results in Mat learning part of Setalle Anan’s secret: she was stilled. Learning that she has secrets at all feels only a little contrived, because readers still don’t know whether she was an important Aes Sedai or a run of the mill one. Once again, the brilliant ta’veren mechanism can be used to explain away any number of incredible coincidences such as the high profile list of Mat’s followers.

Writing Lessons:

Create tension by having progress in one plotline result in greater danger in another plotline.

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.

Crossroads of Twilight - Prologue part 2 to Chapter 1

In this section, old and new characters converge in Cairhien, and Mat resumes his slow escape from the Seanchan.

Samitsu has been running the Sun Palace in Cairhien since Cadsuane’s departure. She helped heal Rand after Fain scratched him with his ruby dagger, and she is considered the most skilled healer in the White Tower. However the emergence of Sashalle from her time as a Wise One apprentice derails Samitsu’s control.  Sashalle is ranked higher due to her strength in the Power, strength that has been re-established by her healing from stilling by one of the Asha’man. The two of them clash over who will take control of a handful of situations, from rebels, to Loial’s return, to Dobraine’s attempted assassination, to Logain’s appearance at the Sun Palace. 

Jordan uses a rapid series of unrelated events happening at the same time frequently, usually as a means of cramming as many conversations between characters in the same locale into as short a text as possible. Over these fifteen pages, Ailil, Loial, Dobraine, Sashalle, and Logain are handled, as well as even smaller tidbits passed quickly over so the reader can get a sense of what has happened in Cairhien since Cadsuane was last there. In this case, as it has been in the past, each interaction is introduced by someone entering the room with important news.

Mat has hidden at Valan Luca’s circus, and is still within sight of Ebou Dar nearly a week after he set the Windfinders free and abducted Tuon. He is trying to tally the losses to the Sea Folk as they made their escape to sea, measuring the cost of the choice he made to free them. Mat is surprised the Seanchan aren’t tearing the countryside apart looking for their missing heiress. There is also significant mention of the fact that the Seanchan are here to stay. There are too few ships to take them anywhere else, and the steady disgorgement of settlers means they will soon be setting down roots throughout the land. The entire Seanchan invasion may be a sort of metaphor about how one cannot be rid of the worst part of themselves. Later discussions of a truce being needed in order to concentrate on fighting the Last Battle seem to bear out this idea.

Noal is fishing near Mat, and a few clues are meant to have the reader question what they know about the gnarled old man. Astute minds may recall an old man in Graendal’s palace and note Noal’s foggy memory. Others may have noticed a family name shared between Noal and another notable figure. Whether or not they do, does it matter that he’s seen dark-skinned people with blue eyes before? By drawing attention to this mystery, the author is hinting that the reader should spend some time thinking about this. I still don’t know what it means, which is frustrating because if readers are going to spend time thinking about it at the author’s direction, they expect an answer at some point.

Writing Lessons:

If you draw attention to something, you are expected to make it worth the reader’s time.