The Eye of the World

The ferryman and his men agree to take the group over to the other side for a sizable sum. Just as they are disembarking, the ferry sinks. Rand and the others suspect that Moiraine has sunk the ferry to further slowdown their pursuers. They feel uneasy about her ruthlessness.

The group is exhausted. Lan leads them to a cave he scouted and prepared on the way to Emond’s Field. Moiraine takes Egwene to the side and reveals that the young woman has natural talent for channeling the True Power. Egwene is jubilant at the prospect of becoming an Aes Sedai, while Rand feels uneasy.

After a night’s rest, the group continues their journey to the nearest town, Braelon. Moiraine and Lan are known to the locals under assumed names, as there is ill will toward the Aes Sedai. While talking to the guard, they learn that a group, known as the Children of Light, has arrived in town. They are fanatics, opposing anyone who uses the True Source; their presence makes the group’s stay even more dangerous.

The group arrives at a tavern. The proprietor seems to be well-acquainted with Moiraine and Lan’s assumed personas. The Aes Sedai decides to recuperate for two nights before continuing the journey. The group is led first to the baths and then to a private dining room. After Mat almost tells one of the tavern servers about the Trollocs in the Two Rivers, Lan and Moiraine emphasize the need for secrecy.

That night Rand has another disturbing dream, in which he converses with the Dark One and is unable to wake up. The man calls himself Ba’alzamon. He insinuates that he was the one responsible for Lews Therin’s madness and killing spree, as well as other historical events, all leading to chaos and death. In the dream, the man also kills a rat, breaking its spine.

When Rand wakes up the following morning, everyone has already left. He has a lingering headache. When he goes down to the kitchen for breakfast, he witnesses a confrontation between the tavern keeper and the cook. Several guests have complained about finding rats with broken spines. They think it is the work of the cook’s cat, but the woman denies it. Rand realizes that this is somehow related to his dream and goes in search of his friends. Perrin is still in the room, not having been able to sleep well either. According to him, Mat had a disturbed night, as well.

Rand explores the city. While walking around, he sees the peddler, Padan Fain. The man attempts to run away, but Rand corners him in a dead-end alley. The peddler seems worn out and jumpy. Rand invites him back to the inn, but Fain is afraid of Moiraine and asks Rand to keep his presence a secret from the Aes Sedai. Rand agrees.

On his return to the inn, Rand finds out that Nynaeve unexpectedly showed up and is having a talk with Moiraine.

At first, Nynaeve is furious, believing the Aes Sedai kidnapped the young people. After learning all the details, the Wisdom seems inclined to believe that the three young men are being hunted by Trollocs, but has not yet decided what to do about it.

That evening, Thom tells stories and plays music in the common room. After the merriment, Rand is preparing to go upstairs to sleep when a Myrddraal ambushes him. He is too shocked to react, but Lan comes just in time to save him. The Warden wakes everyone up and gets them moving. They need to leave immediately, before the Fade comes back with Trollocs.

Just as the group leaves, they see a fire has started in the city. The Aes Sedai believes Trollocs attacked the inn where they were staying.

The group makes steady progress, but they eventually begin hearing the Trollocs’ horn behind them. Lan finds out there are five hundred troupes catching up with them. The group decides to veer north to escape the monsters. However, they run into more monsters and engage in a skirmish, led by Lan. After the Warder kills the Fade, the Trollocs are incapacitated, and the group gains some distance.

To escape, Moiraine and Lan head to the ruins of the abandoned ancient city of Aridhol, also known as Shadar Logoth.

After reaching the city ruins, the group makes camp inside one of its buildings. The three young man explore. After a while, they sit down to rest and are approached by a man who introduced himself as Mordeth. He claims to be a treasure hunter who has found riches beyond imagination and needs their help to load his horses. He promises them a cut of the treasure in exchange for their aid. Mat immediately agrees and follows him. Rand and Perrin are more suspicious, but they cannot leave their friend behind.

The young men soon realize there is something unnatural about Mordeth as he casts no shadow. They are terrified and run back to the camp. Moiraine is angry at them for being so careless and naïve. She tells them the story of Aridhol, who was once a staunch enemy of the Dark One until the arrival of Mordeth. Under Mordeth’s influence the king became insane and the citizens turned on each other, giving rise to a shadow presence, called Mashadar. Everyone died except for Mordeth who now waits to lure a traveler to devour their soul and take on their body to escape the city.

Lan returns with the news that a large group of Trollocs is searching for them. The group is forced to continue their journey toward the river.

While the group tries to leave the city, Lan and Moiraine are separated from the rest by a tendril of smoke, a manifestation of Mashadar, the shadow presence. The Aes Sedai decides it best to split up and tasks the rest to continue until they reach the river.

While searching for a way clear of the fog, the group comes face to face with Trollocs. Rand is separated from the rest but manages to escape and soon reunites with Mat and Thom. The three of them escape the Trollocs by jumping onto a passing ship.

Perrin is also separated but runs into Egwene. While fleeing the city in the dark, Perrin rides right off the edge into the river and barely makes it to the other side.