Chapter 4 - Shadows Sleeping

Summary

Perrin experiences a series of vivid dreams, beginning with an encounter in a shadowy inn where a mysterious man in dark velvets urges him to abandon his role as the Dragon Reborn and return to his life as a blacksmith, while a beautiful woman in a subsequent vision tempts him with glory. He then finds himself in a labyrinthine dreamscape where three quarreling men are consumed by fire, and later stands before the spinning blade Callandor, which whispers that fate is sealed by the coming of the Twisted Ones. The chapter concludes with a wolf appearing in his final dream to warn him of this threat, jolting Perrin awake in terror.

Characters

• Perrin — Perrin endures a cold, lingering feeling of dread while sitting by a fire, which transitions into a dream sequence where he is tempted by a mysterious man in shadows and a beautiful woman to accept the role of a heroic leader. He resists these urges, asserting his identity as a blacksmith, before finding himself in a dreamscape of stone spires where three men vanish in fire and a sword speaks to him, warning of the Twisted Ones. A wolf in the dream delivers the same warning, causing Perrin to wake up shaking with fear and anger.