The Great Hunt - Chapter 33 : A Message from the Dark

 

Ch.33 - A Message from the Dark

• The Black Wind/Way Gate :

  
  

  -  “.....dropping the Avendesora leaf in his haste, and Loial cried out, “‘Machin Shin. The Black Wind.”’ “The sound of wind filled their ears; the grass stirred in ripples toward the walls, and dirt swirled up, sucked into the air. And in the wind a thousand insane voices seemed to cry, ten thousand, overlapping, drowning each other. Rand could make out some of them, he tried not to.” “... blood so sweet, so sweet to drink the blood, the blood that drips, drips,drops so red; pretty eyes, fine eyes, I have no eyes, pluck the eyes from out of your head; grind your bones, split your bones inside your fles, suck your marrow while you scream; scream, scream, singing  screams, sing your screams…. And worst of all, a whisper thread through all the rest. Al’Thor. Al’Thor. Al’Thor (401).  The voices of the Black Wind honestly makes me think of Hades the god of the Underworld and all the voices made me think of the lost souls that Hades has killed that reside in the underworld for eternity that most likely all would have unfinished business if they were given the chance. 

  
  

• “The void began to melt and flow; the emptiness steamed with freezing cold. The motion of the Waygate halted, and reversed. Rand started, sure, in the dim thoughts floating outside the void, that he was only seeing what he wanted to see” (401). 

  
  

• Barthanes trying to keep the group from leaving

  
  

  - “As they reached it, Barthanes appeared as if someone had told him they were leaving.” “‘You leaving so soon? Verin Sedai, can I not entreat you to stay longer?”’ “Verin shook her head.” “‘We must go, Lord Barthanes. I’ve not been in Cairhein in some years. I was glad of your invitation to young Rand. It has been … interesting”’ (404). This scene made me think Barthanes didn’t want them to leave so soon because I felt Barthanes had been trying to see if and how he could make use of Rand, Perrin, Mat, Verin, etc. 

  
  

• The group going over the wall into the Garden (399)  

  
  

• - “‘I know,”’ Rand said. But how long before he tells somebody what I am, not even meaning to? He could not believe Mat would betray him on purpose; there was that much of their friendship left, at least. “‘ Loial, boost me up where I can see over the wall.”’ 

  
  

“‘Rand, if the Darkfriends are still—“‘ “‘They aren’t. Boost me up, Loial.”’ The three of them moved close to the wall, and Loial made a stirrup with his hands for Rand’s foot. The Ogier straightened easily with the weight, lifting Rand’s head just high enough to see over the top of the wall. 

“The thin, waning moon gave little light, and most of the area was in shadow, but there did not seem to be any flowers or shrubs inside the walled square. Only a lone bench of pale marble, placed as if one man might sit on it to stare at what stood in the middle of the space like a huge upright stone slab.

Rand caught the top of the wall and pulled himself up. Loial gave a low hsst and grabbed at his foot, but he jerked free and rolled over the wall, dropping inside. There was close-cropped grass under his feet; he thought vaguely that Barthanes must let sheep in, at least. Staring at the shadowed stone slab, the Waygate, he was startled to hear his boots thump to the ground beside him. 

Hurin climbed to his feet, dusting himself off.” “‘You should be careful doing that, Lord Rand. Could be anybody hiding in here. Or anything.”’ “He peered into the darkness within the walls, feeling at his belt as if for the short sword and sword-breaker he had to leave at the inn; servants did not go armed in Cairhein.” “‘Jump in a hole without looking, and there’ll be a snake in it every time (399) (done ?) 

• Fain’s message : 

  
  

  -  “‘He says he will wait for you on Toman Head. He has what you seek, and if you want it, you must follow. If you refuse to follow him, he says he will hound your blood, and your people, and those you love until you will face him. It sounds mad, of course, a man like that saying he will hound a lord, and yet, there was something about him. I think he is mad—he even denied you are a lord, as any eye can plainly see— but there is still something. What is it he carries with him, with Trollocs to guard it? What is it you seek?”’ “Barthanes seemed shocked as the directness of his own questions.” This honestly makes me feel that Fain is actually telling Rand exactly where he and the Horn are but I imagine he’ll have some sort of catch or perhaps a trap planned with several strings attached once they get to Toman Head. 

  
  

• “....but his legs wobbled as he joined Verin and the others. He wants me to follow? And he’ll hurt Emond’s Field, Tam, if I don’t. He had no doubt Fain could do it, would do it. At least Egwene is safe, in the White Tower. He had sickening images of Trollocs descending in hordes on Emond’s Field l, of eyeless Fades stalking Egwene. But how can I follow him? How” (404-405)? Rand has a choice: does he follow Fain to Toman Head to find the Horn or let Emond’s Field pat the price until he faces Fain. The choice is completely his on what he wants to do.

• “‘I’d never have thought Fain had the courage for the Ways.”’ Ingtar sounded almost mild, but suddenly he banged his fist against the wall. “‘I do not care how, or even if, Machin Shin works on Fain’s behalf. They have taken the Horn of Valere into the Ways, Aes Sedai. By now they could be in the Blight, or halfway to Tear or Tanchico, or the other side of the Aiel Waste. The Horn is lost. I am lost.”’ His hands dropped to his sides, and his shoulders slumped. “‘I am lost”’ (406). 

  
  

• “‘And I don’t think you can really stop me.”’ “‘Well, I’m going,”’ Mat said. “‘Fain still has that dagger, so I’m going. But all that  servant business ended tonight.”’ “Perrin sighed, an introspective look in his yellow eyes.” “‘I suppose I’ll come along, too.”’  “After a moment, he grinned.” “‘Someone has to keep Mat out of trouble”’ (407).  This scene made me believe that if Rand was going to Toman Head his friends didn’t want him to face Fain alone but face him along with all his friends and for maybe if Rand runs into trouble with Fain. 

• “‘Not even a clever trick,”’ Ingtar muttered. “‘Somehow, I’ll get Barthanes alone, and I will learn the truth. I mean to have the Horn of Valere, not chase Jak o’ the Wisps.”’ “‘It May not be a trick,”’ Verin said carefully, seeming to study the floor under her toes. “‘There were certain things left in the dungeons at Fal Dara, writings that indicated a connection between what happened that night and”’ —she gave Rand a quick glance under lowered brows— “‘Toman Head. And I believe we will find the Horn there.”’ 

“‘Even if we could somehow sneak past Barthane’s guards,”’ Rand said, “‘I think we’ll find Machin Shin still there. We cannot use the Ways.”’ “‘How many of us could sneak onto Barthane’s grounds?”’ Verin said dismissively. “‘There are other Waygates. Stedding Tsofu lies not far from the city, south and east. It is a young stedding, rediscovered only perhaps six hundred years ago, but Ogier Elders we’re still growing the Ways, then. Stedding Tsofu will have a Waygate. It is there and we will ride at first light”’ 

• “‘Apparently it did not work so well as we believed. The sickness takes an interesting course in him. His strength remains; he will keep that to the end, I think. But his body wastes away. Another few weeks, at most, I would say. You see, there is  reason for haste”’ (408). 

  
  

• I think I’ve figured out why Nynaeve feared what might happen to Emond’s Field bursting into flames  based on what Fain’s  message to Rand said and sorta gives more context to that Nynaeve’s fear at the White Tower with the Trollocs and such tearing up Emond’s Field. I also suspect Nynaeve somehow was able to predict what would happen to Emond’s Field if Rand didn’t meet Fain at Toman Head (where the Horn supposedly is at this moment in time). 

  
  

• Barthanes feels like he can be a Darkfriend (I’m very sure Barthanes is a Darkfriend/he’s one of the Dark One’s right hand man/can channel the One Power) because  he’s so powerful and is taking orders from Fain to deliver his message to Rand 

  
  

• What if Fain giving Barthanes the message for Rand was actually Selene shapshifting. 

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Point of View 

• This chapter is from Rand’s Point of view.

• At the end of the chapter Rand asks Verin why Mat looks worse and her answer is he is wasting away completely and if they don't get the dagger soon he won’t make it much longer; weeks at tops.