Chapter 30 - Daes Dae’mar

Summary

Rand al’Thor and Loial remain trapped in Cairhien by the political intricacies of the Great Game, carrying sealed invitations from King Galldrian and Lord Barthanes in his pocket to avoid taking sides while waiting for Ingtar’s arrival. As Rand despairs over his inability to leave safely without alerting Padan Fain’s agents, a fire breaks out at the Defender of the Dragonwall inn, prompting Rand to crawl through smoke and flames to rescue an unconscious Hurin. As Rand retrieves the heron-mark sword banner from his burning room, Mat Cauthon, Perrin Aybara, and Ingtar Shinowa arrive at the scene, reuniting with Rand just as he collapses in exhausted relief.

Characters

• Rand (my Lord, Lord) — Rand burns invitations from the King and Lord Barthanes to maintain neutrality in the Great Game, then struggles with frustration over Ingtar’s absence. He rescues an unconscious Hurin from the burning inn, retrieves his saddlebags containing the heron-mark sword banner, and collapses in the street upon seeing his friends and Ingtar arrive.
• Loial (Ogier) — Loial accompanies Rand through Cairhien, advising him on the futility of navigating the Great Game. He helps rescue Hurin from the fire by carrying the sniffer on his back while Rand retrieves his belongings, noting that the chest containing the Horn is gone.
• Hurin (my Lord, sniffer) — Hurin becomes increasingly formal toward Rand, insisting on bows and titles. He is found unconscious on the floor of his burning room with a head injury and is carried out by Loial.
• Cuale (innkeeper) — Cuale delivers sealed invitations to Rand’s room and later directs men to remove furnishings from the burning inn, shouting orders to his employees while smudged with smoke.
• Mat — Mat arrives at the burning inn with his bow strung across his back, looking pale but grinning weakly as he rejoins Rand in the street.
• Perrin — Perrin follows Mat to the scene of the fire, his eyes shining yellow as he looks around the crowd.
• Ingtar — Ingtar arrives at the scene of the fire, dismounting in a high-collared coat with his sword hilt visible, joining Mat and Perrin to meet Rand.
• Reader (a woman) — A woman identifies herself as a Reader when Rand asks for a Wisdom. She tends to Hurin’s face with a cloth, stating that something is broken inside his head.