Chapter 38 - Wounds

Summary

Egwene al'Vere battles Black Ajah sisters within Tel'aran'rhiod, realizing she must combine channeling and dreaming to survive the assault. She confronts Mesaana, who has disguised herself as Katerine and places an a'dam on her neck, but Egwene resists the compulsion through sheer will and breaks the Forsaken's mind during a mental duel. Upon waking, Egwene discovers Gawyn Trakand mortally wounded by assassins; she bonds him as her Warder and husband before he dies. Meanwhile, Perrin Aybara navigates a terrifying nightmare of Tar Valon burning to lure Slayer into a trap, steals his ter'angreal spike, destroys it in lava, and wakes grieving Hopper's death before ordering his camp evacuated through gateways. Graendal receives word of Egwene's victory but commands her servant to spring the trap against Perrin anyway, intending to use his ta'veren nature to draw him into a deadly storm.

Characters

• Egwene / Egwene al'Vere (Amyrlin) — Fights Black Ajah in Tel'aran'rhiod, realizes she must combine channeling and dreaming to survive. She confronts Mesaana, resists the compulsion of an a'dam through sheer will, and breaks the Forsaken's mind during a mental duel before waking to find Gawyn mortally wounded.
• Gawyn / Gawyn Trakand — Ambushed by assassins in his sleep, suffers a gaping side wound. He partially heals himself, bonds Egwene as his Warder and husband, confesses his love, and dies shortly after.
• Perrin / Perrin Aybara — Enters a terrifying nightmare of Tar Valon burning to lure Slayer into a trap. He steals the ter'angreal spike, destroys it in lava, and wakes grieving Hopper's death before ordering his camp evacuated through gateways.
• Mesaana / Katerine — Disguised as Katerine, she places an a'dam on Egwene's neck and attempts to dominate her mind in Tel'aran'rhiod. Her will is broken by Egwene's resistance, leaving her catatonic and drooling.
• Melaine — Saves Egwene from behind a granite wall during the Black Ajah assault. She later inspects the fallen Mesaana and acknowledges Egwene's debt to the Aiel.
• Amys / Amys Benttree — Inspects the catatonic Mesaana, identifies her condition as Sammana, and remarks that Egwene has proven herself beyond an apprentice.
• Bair — Observes the aftermath of the mental duel, confirms Mesaana's broken state, and agrees with Amys that the battle is over.
• Nynaeve / Nynaeve al'Meara — Searches through rubble in Tel'aran'rhiod alongside the other Dreamers after Mesaana's forces flee.
• Siuan / Siuan Sanche — Finds Egwene alive and expresses relief that the Amyrlin survived the assault, noting the dome still traps the enemy above.
• Leane / Leane Sharif — Bears blackened cuts on her face but stands strong beside Siuan as Egwene returns to the upper floors of the Tower.
• Alviarin — Stands back-to-back with Ramola sending destructive weaves before receiving Mesaana's order to withdraw her forces from the dream.
• Ramola — Fights alongside Alviarin against Egwene before fleeing the Tower upon Mesaana's command.
• Nicola — Caught in a magical trap that erupts from the ground, she is killed by molten rock while Egwene attempts to save her.
• Evanellein — Lobbing fire down a hallway with another sister, she is blown against a wall by Egwene's Earth weave and dies from the impact.
• Hopper — Fades away after sending a final message to Perrin about Boundless, his consciousness extinguished in the wolf dream.
• Slayer — Drawn into Perrin's nightmare trap, he is momentarily distracted by the terror before Perrin steals his ter'angreal and destroys it, leaving only a melted lump of metal.
• Faile — Tends to Perrin's wounds upon his waking, shares his grief over Hopper, and accompanies him out of the abandoned camp as troops evacuate.
• Masuri — Attempts to Heal Perrin while he sleeps but is stopped by Edarra, who insists it would not work on dream wounds.
• Edarra — Stops Masuri from Healing Perrin, watches him with a measuring gaze, and remains behind as the camp empties.
• Chiad — Holds a lantern to illuminate the grassy meadow as Perrin and his followers prepare to depart.
• Grady — Opens a gateway for the departing troops, eager to leave the tainted campsite behind.
• Elyas — Waits with Gaul and the Maidens as Perrin's forces evacuate through the newly opened gateways.
• Gaul — Stands ready with the Aiel Maidens, observing the evacuation of the camp before crossing through the gateway.
• Neald — Creates glowing globes to illuminate the empty meadow as the last troops file through the exit.
• Graendal — Receives news of Egwene's victory but orders her servant to spring the trap against Perrin anyway, planning to use his ta'veren nature to draw him into a deadly storm.