Chapter 42 - Easing the Badger

Summary

Perrin, Moiraine, Lan, Loial, and Zarine arrive in Illian and are shocked by the pervasive, unexplained anger and irritability affecting the populace. Upon entering the Easing the Badger inn, they learn from the proprietor Nieda that recent strange dreams and the sudden rise of Lord Brend on the Council of Nine may be the cause. The tension escalates when Perrin senses a wrongness and identifies six Gray Men among the patrons; he alerts the group and engages them in combat, killing them with the help of his companions just as Moiraine realizes the Shadow's involvement. Following the fight, Moiraine dismisses Lan to protect him from a danger only she can face, ordering him to leave with Perrin and deliver a message to the Amyrlin Seat before departing alone into the night.

Characters

• Perrin — Perrin rides through Illian, noting the city's strange canals and the underlying anger of its people. In the inn, he senses the wrongness of Gray Men, alerts his companions, and brutally kills six attackers with a chair leg and bludgeon after Moiraine is unable to channel without endangering her friends.
• Zarine (the falcon) — Zarine travels with the group, mocking Perrin's shyness and eating her fish with disgust. She retrieves a knife from a dead Gray Man during the fight and argues with Moiraine about her lack of information regarding the danger they face.
• Loial — Loial expresses deep unease about Illian, fearing he will be taken back to the stedding. During the attack on the inn, he grabs a chair like a club, then sits at the table with a book in his pocket, trying to ignore the tension.
• Moiraine (Mistress Mari) — Moiraine detects the Shadow's presence in Illian and feels genuine fear for the first time. After the Gray Men are killed, she orders Lan to take Perrin and flee to warn the Amyrlin, declaring she must go alone to face the threat, before vanishing into the night.
• Lan — Lan escorts the group through Illian and confronts Moiraine about her intention to leave alone, citing his Warder bond. He is ordered to obey and leave with Perrin, leaving him grim-faced and worried.
• Nieda (Proprietress) — Nieda runs the Easing the Badger inn and serves the group a meal. She describes the recent rise of Lord Brend and the strange dreams plaguing the city, then orders her bouncer Bili to dispose of the Gray Men' bodies via the back way.
• Bili — Bili is a large bouncer who leans against the wall during the inn's performance. He arrives too late to stop the Gray Men, then carries their bodies out to the canal as instructed by Nieda.