The Eye of the World

Perrin wakes up alone. He starts moving downriver, hoping that Egwene was also able to swim across. He comes across her and after some debate, the two decide to go to Caemlyn and wait there for the others.

After travelling for several days, Perrin and Egwene come across Elyas Machera, a strange man dressed in furs whose eyes are yellow. He welcomes them to his campfire and feeds them. After a while, a pack of huge wolves emerges from the woods. Elyas calls them his friends and reveals that he can communicate with them. He believes that Perrin has the same ability.

After hearing the young people’s story, Elyas and the pack decide to accompany them south to Caemlyn, to make sure they reach the city.

After a particularly disturbing dream, Rand experiences euphoria and performs dangerous acrobatics on the ship’s mast. After descending, he notices Mat holding a dagger with strange symbols. Mat is behaving uncharacteristically as well, becoming withdrawn and sullen. Mat reveals he took the dagger from Shadar Logoth.

Together with the wolf pack, Perrin, Egwene, and Elyas, make their way south. On the third day they run into a group of Traveling People, or Tuatha’an. The Tuatha’an travel across the world seeking a song and live their lives according to the Way of the Leaf—a doctrine of non-violence.

Rand, Mat, and Thom arrive at the river port of Whitebridge. They talk to an innkeeper in hopes of locating the rest of their group. Instead, they learn that a madman and, later, a Fade have been asking after them. Thom wants them to go back to the boat and continue down to Illian. Rand and Mat want to go to Tar Valon to figure out how to stop the dreams. They argue and Mat grows suspicious of the old man. Thom reveals that his nephew became embroiled with the Aes Sedai and died as a result.

While trying to get away from the town unnoticed, the three men run into a Fade. Thom sacrifices himself and acts as a distraction, allowing Rand and Mat to get away.

Perrin, Egwene, and Elyas spend time with the Traveling People, making their way slowly south. Egwene begins a flirtation with one of the young men and seems to enjoy herself. Perrin, however, is impatient to keep going. He is also beginning to sense the wolves and keeps seeing them in his dreams.

Nynaeve, Moiraine, and Lan arrive at Whitebridge. They discover that some kind of riot has taken place and houses have burned down. They are unable to find out any concrete information, but Moiraine knows that one of the coin holders is close by to the north and that the other two were alive as of two days ago. The Aes Sedai decides to try finding the person nearest and then head to Caemlyn in the hopes of being reunited with the others. Nynaeve is unhappy but has no better alternative to offer.

Perrin, Egwene, and Elyas strike out on their own. They are traversing a vast grassland when they are spotted by ravens in the service of the Dark One. The birds begin hunting them, but they reach a stedding, a magically void place where the servants of the Dark do not go.

They make their camp by a small oasis next to a toppled giant statue of a legendary king, Arthur Hawkeye.

The small group by the oasis has no time for respite. The wolves report seeing a large group of men with lances approaching. Elyas leaves to run with the wolves, while Perrin and Egwene hide in the shadows thrown by the statue, hoping they will remain undetected. The wolves find the remnants of their fire and canvas the area. They eventually reach the statue. Just as Perrin decides to surrender, the wolves attack and a fighting rage overcomes Perrin.

The young man wakes up some time later in a large tent. Both he and Egwene are tied up. They have been captured by the Children of the Light and will be taken to Caemlyn, where Perrin is to be executed.

Rand and Mat slowly make their way toward Caemlyn doing odd jobs and performing at inns. The journey is difficult as the two men feel tired, sad, and afraid. Rand, especially, is becoming slowly depressed from grief over Thom and the knowledge that Tam is not his real father. Rand and Mat are also constantly faced with hostility and suspicion; they must run to save themselves several times.

Rand and Mat decide to stay the night in the town of Four Kings, despite having a bad feeling. After the performance, the innkeeper tricks the young men and manages to lock them in a storeroom. In his desperation, Rand obsessively thinks about finding a way out; suddenly, a great light bursts, destroying the wall. The young men escape into the night.

Both Rand and Mat feel unwell after the confrontation at the inn. They are plagued with disturbing dreams, but keep moving. Eventually, Rand becomes seriously sick and he and Mat are forced to spend the night at a stable. A woman pretends to want to help them. She tries to kill them and warns them a Myrddraal is coming. The young men have to keep moving.

Mat and Rand continue to Caemlyn, sleeping in haystacks and going mostly hungry. Several times people on the road are violent with them. Mat is always on the verge of fighting back, but Rand is able to restrain him.

At one of the villages they pass, Rand notices suspicious activity and realizes there is a Fade asking around about him and Mat. Terrified of being caught, Rand gets a ride from a farmer who is also heading into the city to see the False Dragon, who was captured and neutralized by the Aes Sedai.

Mat and Rand arrive at Caemlyn, Andor’s capital. They go to the inn Thom had told them about. The innkeeper is an old friend of Thom’s and tells the young men that Thom used to be the queen’s Courtbard and possibly her lover. However, Thom and the queen had a falling out and he is no longer welcome in Caemlyn.

While Mat falls further into apathy and withdrawal, Rand wants a quiet space to think. He is directed to the library where he meets the Ogier Loial, a very tall being who communes with trees. Loial is very young by his people’s standards but has been curious about the outside world for a long time and decided to travel and explore in order to write a book.

Moiraine, Lan, and Nynaeve finally catch up with Perrin, only to realize he is being held prisoner by the Children of the Light. The three plan his release, and while Nynaeve is securing horses for the escapees, she realizes that Egwene is also there.

Lan frees Perrin and Egwene. The three make their way out of the camp while Moiraine causes a distraction. Nynaeve takes longer than expected to secure horses and the Warder wants to go look for her. Moiraine forbids him, evoking his full name and title, “al’Lan Mandragoran, Lord of the Seven Towers” and “Diademed Battle Lord of the Malkieri” (574).

Nynaeve reappears shortly with an extra horse for Egwene and the group escapes into the night.

Rand goes out to witness the procession escorting the False Dragon to the palace. He climbs a high wall to get a better vantage point and escape the crowd but loses his balance and falls down on the other side.

When Rand regains consciousness, he is faced with two young people, who call themselves Elayne and Gawyn. They are the royal prince and princess. They take Rand to meet their mother, the queen.

The queen’s advisor, an Aes Sedai, is suspicious of Rand. The queen, however, refuses to detain her subject without solid proof of wrongdoing and Rand is let go.