ChapterTrack

Chapter 34 - The Last Village

Summary

Exhausted and wary, Rand and Mat sleep in haystacks before entering Carysford, where they overhear innkeeper Raimun Holdwin conspiring with the old farmer Almen Bunt about a hundred-crown reward for capturing two young men, one carrying a heron-mark sword, whom Bunt suspects are Darkfriends. Fleeing the immediate threat of a Fade lurking nearby, Rand coaxes a reluctant Mat into accepting passage from Bunt, whose cart provides temporary sanctuary. During the ride to Caemlyn, Bunt drones on about Queen Morgase and the political tensions regarding Tar Valon, while Rand drifts into a terrified dream where a Raven-like entity attacks him, only to wake with a shriek as the cart arrives at their destination.

Characters

  • Rand — Rand travels with Mat, sleeping in haystacks and navigating Carysford while fearing pursuit by Fades and Darkfriends. He overhears the plot against them, approaches Almen Bunt, and pulls Mat onto the cart before falling into a nightmare of a raven attacking him and waking up in Caemlyn.
  • Mat — Mat accompanies Rand, sharing their exhaustion and fear as they sleep in haystacks and evade detection in Carysford. He is reluctant to accept Bunt's ride but eventually agrees, sitting wary in the cart and stifling his yawns while listening to the old man's monologue.
  • Raimun Holdwin (the innkeeper) — Holdwin is the nervous innkeeper at Carysford who meets with Almen Bunt near the cart. He anxiously discusses a reward for capturing two young men with a heron-mark sword, whom he identifies as followers of the false Dragon and Darkfriends, before retreating into the inn.
  • Almen Bunt (the farmer) — Bunt is an old farmer with a cart who meets with Holdwin at night. He is skeptical of Holdwin's suspicious friend but eager to travel to Caemlyn early. He picks up Rand and Mat, offering them a ride, and talks at length about Queen Morgase and the political state of Andor during the journey.
  • Thom — Thom appears only in Rand's nightmare, sitting on the makeshift litter in the Westwood. He juggling brightly colored balls while reciting cryptic warnings about the Dragon and the land, unaware of the Fade approaching behind them.