Chapter 10 - The Hunt Begins

Summary

Ingtar leads his party southward, maintaining a punishing pace to track the Darkfriends who stole the Horn, though the quarry constantly changes direction and leaves behind murdered victims, including the Shienaran guards Changu and Nidao. After discovering the bodies of the two men flayed and hung in a stone oak on the south bank of the River Erinin, Ingtar orders them buried before the group crosses the river. In the abandoned village on the other side, Rand experiences a terrifying, repeated vision of the villagers' disappearance before realizing he has unconsciously burned the flies with the One Power. The group finds a Myrddraal pinned to a building door with spikes and, realizing the danger and the identity of their pursuer, hastily leaves the area to continue their hunt.

Characters

• Ingtar (Lord Ingtar) — Ingtar commands the relentless pursuit southward, adjusting the pace to preserve the horses while trying to close the gap with the Darkfriends. He orders the burial of Changu and Nidao’s flayed bodies on the south bank, then leads the party across the River Erinin into an abandoned village where the group finds a dead Myrddraal pinned to a door.
• Uno — Ragan and Masema retrieve the ferry and scout the terrain on Erinin's south bank. Ragan finds the dead Myrddraal and reports it to Ingtar. Uno eventually joins the group and helps in the retreat from the eerie village.
• Hurin (the sniffer) — Hurin leads the group along the scent trail, noting the frequent changes in direction and the presence of violence. He detects the specific smell of the murder on the south bank, and confirms the direction of the enemies as they flee the village with the dead Myrddraal.
• Loial (Builder) — Loial rides with the group, discussing the history of Hardan and its fall with Rand and Ingtar. He accompanies them across the river and explains Shienaran burial customs when the guards' bodies are found, later riding into the abandoned village alongside the others.
• Mat — Mat rides at the rear with Perrin, keeping his distance from Rand. He enters a house in the abandoned village to check for inhabitants and later joins the group at the square to stare in disbelief at the dead Myrddraal.
• Perrin — Perrin rides with Mat, maintaining distance from Rand and observing the strange smells of the abandoned villages. He crosses the river with the group and stands with the others at the square, joining the silent awe before the dead Myrddraal.
• Rand — Rand rides with the party, troubled by the distance between him and his friends. He enters a house in the abandoned village and experiences a repeated, paralyzing vision of the villagers' deaths, during which he unconsciously channels the One Power to burn the flies. He then discovers the dead Myrddraal and leaves the village quickly.
• Ragan — Ragan dismounts and wades across the River Erinin with Masema to retrieve the ferry. He scouts the south bank, reports the lack of ambush but reveals the disturbing discovery of the dead Myrddraal to Ingtar, then helps pull the ferry back across.
• Changu — The flayed corpse of Changu is found hanging by his arms from a stone oak tree on the south bank of the River Erinin, having been killed by the Darkfriends.
• Nidao — The flayed corpse of Nidao is found hanging by his arms from a stone oak tree on the south bank of the River Erinin, next to Changu, having been killed by the Darkfriends.
• Red — Rand's stallion, Red, is mounted during the journey. The horse shies as Rand rides toward the square in the abandoned village, seemingly sensing his rider's unease.