Chapter 15 - Kinslayer

Summary

Rand, Loial, and Hurin continue their journey through a dead, faded world, struggling with the sensory distortions and the faint scent trail of their quarry. Loial performs the fading Ogier talent of Treesong to fashion a quarterstaff for protection, sensing the land's desperate need for a weapon. As night falls, Rand takes watch and is confronted by a spectral manifestation of Ba'alzamon, who taunts him about his past as the Dragon Reborn and tempts him with power and immortality in exchange for service to the Shadow. Rand firmly rejects the Dark One's influence, refusing to channel the One Power, and awakens unharmed but with a branded heron symbol appearing on his palm.

Characters

• Rand — Rand rides with Loial and Hurin through the desolate landscape, attempting to lead them while hiding his own fears. During his watch, he confronts a spectral Ba'alzamon, refusing the Dark One's temptations of power and service. He emerges from the encounter unharmed but finds a heron branded on his palm.
• Loial — Loial rides silently with the group, visibly unsettled by the unnatural stillness of the world. He uses the fading Ogier talent of Treesong to shape a giantsbroom tree into a quarterstaff, sensing that the land itself desires the weapon for protection.
• Hurin (the sniffer) — Hurin tracks the fading scent of the Darkfriends, describing the strange sensation of smelling trails that have no physical mark. He attempts to maintain morale with humor and religious verses before falling silent as the trail grows fainter and the environment more disturbing.
• Ba'alzamon (Father of Lies) — A masked figure cloaked in shadow appears to Rand in the fog, revealing himself as Ba'alzamon. He mocks Rand's denial of his past as the Dragon, claims to be inextricably linked to him, and offers him power and immortality if he serves the Great Lord of the Dark, which Rand vehemently refuses.