Chapter 53 - A Flow of the Spirit

Summary

Perrin Aybara returns to the Star inn in Tear with Zarine Bashere and is met by Moiraine Damodred and Lan Mandragoran, who announce that Rand al’Thor has arrived in the city and that they intend to confront the Forsaken Be’lal that night. The group discovers Zarine collapsed in their private dining room, trapped by a hedgehog ter’angreal that has sent her consciousness into Tel’aran’rhiod while her body remains unresponsive. After interrogating the terrified innkeeper Jurah Haret to identify the Black Ajah trap, Moiraine prepares to leave, but Perrin refuses to abandon Zarine and enters the dream world himself, guided by the wolf Hopper, to search for her while Loial guards Perrin’s physical body.

Characters

• Perrin (blacksmith, farmboy) — Perrin reflects on his work as a blacksmith and his awkwardness around Zarine before joining Moiraine and Lan to find her collapsed in a dining room. He discovers she is trapped in a dream by a ter’angreal and, refusing to leave her, enters the dream world himself to find her while Loial guards his body.
• Zarine / Faile (Fai, falcon) — Zarine walks with Perrin toward the inn and eagerly runs into their private dining room to find Moiraine. She collapses on the floor, trapped by a hedgehog ter’angreal, appearing lifeless with a stopped heartbeat while her consciousness is pulled into the World of Dreams.
• Moiraine (Aes Sedai) — Moiraine arrives at the inn with Lan to report that Rand is in Tear and that she will deal with Be’lal that night. She detects the Spirit flow of the trap killing Zarine, interrogates the innkeeper Jurah Haret about the trap's origin, and explains to Perrin that Zarine has been sent into Tel’aran’rhiod.
• Lan (Warder, Gaidin) — Lan accompanies Moiraine to the inn, follows her orders to bring the innkeeper Jurah Haret for questioning, and returns to his room before vanishing down the stairs in his color-changing cloak.
• Loial — Loial emerges from his room in his shirtsleeves after Lan informs him of Zarine’s trap. He reacts with anger to the idea of her being trapped, agrees to guard Perrin's physical body, and threatens that nothing will pass him while he lives, after Perrin asks if he will guard his back.
• Jurah Haret / Jurah (innkeeper, Master Haret) — Jurah Haret, the balding innkeeper of the Star, is forcibly brought before Moiraine and confesses that two Ladies allowed a hedgehog surprise into the room. He sweats and stammers under her threats, scrambling down the stairs to flee.
• Hopper (wolf) — Hopper appears in the wolf dream to meet Perrin, warning him of the danger and telling him that Zarine is trapped. Upon Perrin's decision to hunt the falcon to free her, Hopper joins him, and the two wolves begin tracking the scent through the dream landscape.