Chapter 42 - Falme

Summary

In Falme, Nynaeve and Elayne navigate the occupied city to track the Seanchan, spotting Padan Fain among the crowd and stealing apples while avoiding patrols and the terrifying sight of damane being led by their sul'dam. They establish a watch post outside the High Lord Turak's quarters, hoping to locate Egwene and Min among the captive women. Meanwhile, Egwene endures her captivity as a damane, forced to channel for Renna, a sul'dam who uses the a'dam to punish her and erase her identity by renaming her Tuli. During Min’s weekly visit, Egwene reveals the extent of her conditioning, showing she can no longer touch a weapon or even attempt suicide due to the physical constraints of the collar, before Renna abruptly ends the visit and punishes Egwene for channeling without permission.

Characters

• Nynaeve — Nynaeve and Elayne stalk the streets of Falme, observing Seanchan patrols and the collared damane, while Nynaeve spots a figure resembling Padan Fain. She steals apples from Elayne to quell her hunger, discusses the hopeless situation with Elayne, and settles into a crate to watch the entrance of the buildings housing the damane, planning how to break the collars and rescue her friends.
• Elayne — Elayne accompanies Nynaeve through the crowded streets of Falme, wearing a sheepskin coat and hiding stolen apples in her pockets. She expresses contempt for the Falmen's submission to the Seanchan and defends her thievery as necessary for their survival, later agreeing to Nynaeve's watch post while worrying about their dwindling resources.
• Egwene (damane, Tuli) — Egwene resides in a bare room, secretly channeling to probe her collar while watching sul'dam below. When Min visits, she reveals she is being trained to find ores and has lost the ability to touch weapons due to the collar's conditioning. Renna later enters, punishes Egwene for channeling, and strips her of her name, forcing her to answer to 'Tuli'.
• Min — Min Farshaw visits Egwene in her cell, having been forced into Seanchan serving girl attire by Mulaen. She informs Egwene that she has found a ship captain ready to sail and urges Egwene to flee with him, but Egwene refuses, explaining the physical restrictions of the damane collar that prevent her from harming herself or touching objects she considers weapons.
• Renna (sul'dam, trainer) — Renna, a sul'dam, monitors Egwene's training and enters her cell after detecting unauthorized channeling. She asserts her authority by wearing the bracelet, punishing Egwene with severe discipline, renaming her 'Tuli', and dismissing Min before vowing to ensure Egwene believes in her obedience.