Chapter 44 - Hunted

Summary

Perrin, Moiraine, Lan, Loial, and Zarine flee Illian after learning Sammael, a Forsaken, rules the city. Pursued by a pack of Darkhounds, the group seeks refuge atop a mound featuring a stone carving of a woman's face. When the hounds close in, Moiraine employs a forbidden, powerful method to annihilate the pack, revealing that they were likely a secondary target. Meanwhile, Mat Cauthon and Thom Merrilin camp in a thicket while en route to Caemlyn; Mat inspects the contents of Aludra's fireworks before the pair is ambushed by assassins. Thom swiftly kills the attackers, including a woman who led the ambush, and Mat notes a familiar quality in the dead crossbowman's features, deducing he had traveled from the river.

Characters

• Perrin — Perrin dresses hastily and argues with Moiraine about Zarine's loyalty before fleeing Illian with the group. He rides with his unstrung bow to face the Darkhounds, drawing and loosing arrows at them while waiting for Moiraine's intervention. He questions Moiraine about the pursuit and listens as she explains her use of a forbidden power to destroy the pack. Later, Mat encounters attackers and kills them, thinking to himself that the woman had no luck.
• Moiraine (Aes Sedai) — Moiraine commands the group to flee Illian immediately due to the threat of Sammael. She leads them to a mound with a stone carving to await the Darkhounds. She uses a forbidden power, described as something not used in two thousand years, to vanquish the pack of Darkhounds, leaving the area in darkness.
• Lan (Gaidin, Warder) — Lan finishes saddling the horses while Nieda holds a lantern, and he tells Zarine to hold the horses while he prepares to fight. He rides up to Zarine to instruct her to hold the mounts, noting her knives will be useless against the Darkhounds. Perrin questions why the Darkhounds were not sent by Sammael, and Lan agrees with Loial that the Ogier's suggestion to wait on the mound is a good one.
• Loial — Loial helps Perrin with his cloak and identifies the stone face on the mound as an Ogier carving, noting it is not from a stedding. He questions whether they should leave due to the potential for more threats. Lan suggests heading to Tear, calling it a good idea. Loial later helps hold the horses during the Darkhound attack.
• Zarine (Mandarb) — Zarine refuses to swear an oath to go another way, choosing to follow the group. She mounts a bay gelding offered by Lan and rides alongside Perrin. She questions Moiraine about the threat and the power she used, expressing shock that Mat sounded the Horn of Valere.
• Nieda — Nieda holds a lantern for Lan as he saddles the horses. Moiraine orders her to flee Illian immediately and take anyone she cares for with her, threatening her to keep silent. Nieda nods vigorously in response to the threats.
• Mat — Mat rests by a campfire with Thom and examines a firework from Aludra, opening it to find pebbles. He and Thom are ambushed by assassins; Mat throws the firework to create a distraction and fights with his quarterstaff. After Thom kills the attackers, Mat recognizes the dead crossbowman as a figure from his memories and resolves to deliver the letter to Caemlyn quickly.
• Thom (gleeman, Thom Merrilin) — Thom tunes his harp and warns Mat about the dangers of the fireworks he is examining. He kills one of the assassins with a knife when they attack Mat's camp. He kicks back the cloak of the dead woman leader to retrieve his knife and advises Mat to saddle their horses so they can move on.