Crossroads of Twilight - Chapters 20-22

In this section, there is harsh reaction to failures.

Tel’aran’rhiod makes its first appearance in some time. Egwene meets with Aviendha, and finally discuss Rand’s cleansing of saidin from their perspectives. Egwene shares the view that it was the Forsaken, and how that has driven the rebels to commence talks with the Black Tower. Aviendha doesn’t think the Wise Ones would have taken such a radical course of action. She manages to be evasive about what she knows, while probing Egwene’s reasoning. Even if the Forsaken didn’t scoop Shadar Logoth out of the earth’s crust, the Asha’man still must be dealt with, so Egwene will proceed with the Hall’s decision, but recognizes the danger Mazrim Taim poses.

Egwene has a number of prophetic dreams, and catalogues them. This is blatant foreshadowing, and is of course of interest to the reader who has the means to decipher some of them. Mat will kill men with an Illuminator’s help; Egwene will be saved by a Seanchan; the Seanchan will attack the White Tower. These give readers something to look forward to, and create expectations that can either be fulfilled or foiled, depending on the author’s desire.

Anaiya is killed, along with her warder, obviously by Aran’gar who is looking to reinvigorate the distrust between Aes Sedai and Asha’man that seems to have fallen to the side with the recent vote to open talks between them. Nisao may uncover the killer, but it’s more likely Anaiya was simply killed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, for any Aes Sedai killed with saidin will do.

In the White Tower, Alviarin returns from Tremalking. There is no clue why Mesaana sent her there for a month, though perhaps she went to other places as well, giving orders to Darkfriends? She doesn’t even reveal exactly what is happening there after the use of the Choedan Kal fulfilled an Amayar prophecy. She notes wards are failing in the White Tower, similar to how Egwene noted rotting food that had been preserved using the One Power. Was it Rand’s use of so much of the One Power that did it, or is this a new result of the Dark One’s touch?

The three Sea Folk Aes Sedai manage the most secret records of the White Tower. It would be funny if they had been passing the most privileged information to the Sea Folk all these years.

Alviarin gets anxious about some rumour that every one has heard but her. The other Aes Sedai watch her in a way that indicates they know something she doesn’t. She soon learns Elaida has replaced her, and becomes certain that she is in danger of being revealed. In her panic she summons Mesaana, bringing her into the open for the first time since saidin was cleansed, and into the clutches of Shaidar Haran. Her failure to follow orders merits a punishment even Alviarin doesn’t want to see. Alviarin is set a task to deliver the Black Ajah Hunters to Shaidar Haran. Obviously, she does not intend to fail.

Elaida treats the negotiations the same way as Egwene, not taking them seriously at all unless her all but impossible conditions are met.

Pevara, one of the Hunters, has received a message from Toveine, revealing they have been bonded by Asha’man. Tarna, the new Keeper, thinks this news is inconsequential to her plan to bond Asha’man. Pevara disagrees, implying it is too late to bond Asha’man, they might instead be bonded by them.

The happenstance that both Rebels and Tar Valon Aes Sedai are entertaining the idea of joining with the Black Tower in some fashion provides both a question of who will get there first and implies that one way or another, there will be some treaty between the two forces before the Last Battle.

Alviarin’s evil isn’t depicted directly here, but she has enough peculiar characteristics and behaviours to give readers a queasy feeling about her:

Her pride is to the point where any rumour of weakness is avoided, but more so if others are aware of it: To have anyone hear such things said, and to her face!

She considers inconveniencing others for no reason but to spare her own inconvenience: Today, though, by the time Alviarin had climbed close to eighty spans, she was seriously considering making Elaida move back down.

She strives to act in a manner which is aloof from the general population: She prided herself on her icy detachment, always presenting a cool unruffled surface.

She is mean: She almost wanted to tell Zemaille what was happening on Tremalking, just to see whether the other woman would flinch.

She lacks common human emotions: Mercy was for those afraid to be strong.

Writing Lessons:  

You don’t need evil actions to make a character villainous; their unconventional thoughts can give effective and subtle feelings of wrong-doing.

Crossroads of Twilight - Chapters 8-9

In this section, Perrin and Faile become aware of Rand’s actions.

This is the second and third times in which characters become aware of Rand’s effort to cleanse saidin. The Forsaken were able to sense the immense amount of the One Power being used, and so are the various other channelers dispersed around the world. We already saw Mat’s perspective, now the Aes Sedai, Asha’man and Wise Ones with Perrin and Faile give warning of the event.

Up until now, important events such as the conquest of a nation, the fall of a ruler, or large-scale battles took place, and characters in other locales learned of them months, weeks or days later. The temporal gap in knowledge has been getting shorter and shorter as the series progresses. It took months for the Amyrlin to chase down Moiraine in The Great Hunt, or for news of Falme to spread across the continent. As Traveling, Dreamwalking and Bonding have been introduced, the ability to learn the truth of far-off events became quicker and more accurate.

The cleansing of saidin is the first time where events are being observed as they happen. Both Mat and Perrin, through some ta’veren link, are able, or forced, to see images of Rand taking place at that very moment. This new mechanism gives immediacy to each of their actions. It hasn’t made much difference yet, but in A Memory of Light I expect to see this ability used to its full potential, allowing the three ta’veren to coordinate actions across the continent, or even into other realms such as Tel’aran’rhiod.

The cleansing of saidin is also the first time that a world-spanning event has taken place. The fall of the Stone of Tear, the proclamation of the Dragon, the fall of Nations, or the largest battles since Hawkwing’s time have all been important, and have all had repercussions, but their scope was local first and foremost. Cleansing saidin has immediate consequences that matter to everyone in the entire world, which is one of the most important reasons for giving other character’s instantaneous perspective on it.

The other reason to show this event from multiple perspectives is to use it as an example of the personal battles each of the other characters is going through. Perrin quickly dismisses the event, since it has no relevance to finding Faile. This should heighten concern that he is neglecting important duties for selfish reasons. We’ve heard often enough from him since his return from Dumai’s Wells that the world can burn if it keeps him from Faile. Now we see direct proof that it is not rhetoric, but painful fact.

Perrin’s mood has the effect of creating a negative opinion in the reader’s mind. Aside from his single-mindedness, the brooding weighs on the reader’s spirit as much as Perrin’s. The only thing that elevates it somewhat is the comparison to a blacksmith’s puzzle. Now that he has seen all the pieces, Perrin is determined to solve it. In the face of overwhelming odds, that kind of perseverance inspires hope and approval. Leaving the scene with that mood is important to make the reader want to read the next Perrin section. You always want the reader to want to read more, no matter whether the characters are happy or despondent.

Faile has a pivotal discussion with Chiad. Chiad tells her: If I cast aside my honor and my obligations just because the Shaido have, then I allow them to decide how I will act. I will wear white for a year and a day and then they will release me, or I will walk away, but I will not throw away who I am. This lesson is equally applicable to Perrin and Rand, who are under intense pressure sufficient to make them consider paths that they would normally never take. Changing the way they act changes their character so much that the original version of them might as well be dead. Obviously, that is not the desired outcome for the reader.

Faile’s tangle is in many ways more interesting than Perrin’s, because the characters surrounding her are well-rounded individuals, unlike the generic Wise Ones, Aes Sedai, and soldiers following Perrin. Galina, Sevanna, and Therava have a solid strike against them based on their previous appearances, invoking negative emotions. Morgase, Bain and Chiad induce positive feelings. Rolan is man of mystery, and the new gai’shain introduced present interesting possible threats. The hazards Faile faces are specific, while Perrin’s are vague.  

Writing Lessons:

Be aware of the mood you end a scene with.