Chapter 33 - The Dark Waits

Description

Racing away from danger after a confrontation with a Darkfriend at The Queen’s Man inn, Rand falls ill with severe fever and chills, forcing him and Mat to take shelter in the inn’s stable. Throughout a night haunted by feverish visions of Ba’alzamon and his friends, Mat tends to the desperately sick Rand until morning brings an elegantly dressed woman who reveals herself as a Darkfriend by attempting to kill Mat with a mysteriously poisoned dagger. After subduing her and locking her in the tack room, they flee upon learning a Myrddraal is coming, though Rand’s weakness from his illness forces them to accept a ride from a farmer named Hyam Kinch, who offers to take them toward Caemlyn where they claim to be heading to see the false Dragon.

Characters

  1. Rand al'Thor - Falls ill with fever and chills at The Queen's Man inn, experiences vivid hallucinations of Ba'alzamon and familiar faces, and recovers after a night of Mat's careful tending.
  2. Mat Cauthon, Matrim - Cares for feverish Rand throughout the night, defends against a Darkfriend's assassination attempt, and demonstrates growing paranoia while trying to protect his friend.
  3. Ba'alzamon - Appears in Rand's fever dreams, threatens and taunts him about the impossibility of escape, and marks him with burning flames.

Takeaways

  1. The sick and exhausted Rand is nearly killed by a female Darkfriend posing as a noblewoman at an inn, but Mat saves him by dodging her poisoned dagger and holding her at knifepoint.
  2. The captured Darkfriend reveals there is confusion among their ranks after events in Four Kings and Market Sheran, and warns that a Myrddraal is coming to the inn.
  3. Rand experiences fever dreams where he's visited by visions of his friends and family who alternately accuse him of abandoning them and warn him about trusting Aes Sedai.
  4. Despite his weakness, Rand and Mat manage to escape before the Myrddraal arrives, eventually getting a ride from a farmer named Hyam Kinch who is heading toward Caemlyn.
  5. Mat shows growing paranoia and readiness for violence, nearly killing the female Darkfriend before Rand stops him, demonstrating their diverging responses to danger.