The Dragon Reborn: Chapter 50

The Hammer

Val a'Shain

Characters: Perrin, Moiraine, Lan, Faile, Loial, Dermid Alaja

Setting: the city of Tear

Point of view: Perrin

Perrin and his party arrive in Tear on a ship from Illian. To Perrin the city is almost as hot as Illian and very humid after a severe rain shower. Faile has been trying to get answers out of Perrin for most of the trip but he refuses to answer. The Moiraine and Lan have gone back to travelling incognito again. Channelling is outlawed in Tear though Aes Sedai are allowed to enter. Perrin smiles at the breaches the men in Tear wear but Loial remarks there is nothing to laugh about. The people of Tear look defeated. Once Loial mentions it Perrin sees it too.

Lan leads them to a simple inn between a weaver and a blacksmith. They take rooms there and Moiraine tells them to stay close to the inn while she goes out to gather information. When Perrin has put his stuff in his room both Faile and Loial are gone. He decides to take a look in the blacksmith shop. The smith wants to know if Perrin is an apprentice and when Perrin confirms that he gives him some work. After Perrin has shown he knows his way around the smithy the smith, Dermid Alaja, lets him work on some of the orders he has received. All of his apprentices have run off, complaining about the bad dreams they have been having.

Perrin looses himself in the work. When he finally looks up Faile is watching him. She remarks he really is a blacksmith's apprentice. Alaja replies for him and says he should be a master by now. He will take Perrin on as an apprentice if he wants. Faile wants to know if this is really what he wants to do with his life. Perrin says this is what he wants to do someday, but not yet. The smith gives him a hammer he has been using as payment and a reminder of that someday. Back in his room Perrin puts the hammer with the axe. The axe is several pounds lighter but feels a lot heavier.

Lan comes to get him, Moiraine is back an the need to make plans. Moiraine tells them one of the Forsaken, Be'Lal, is in Tear posing as High Lord Samon. This time there is no running, they will have to fight. Moiraine thinks Be'Lal is planning on luring Rand to the Stone and having him take Callandor. He then plans to take Callandor and kill Rand with it. This plan would fit with what little Loial and Moiraine know of Be'Lal. Moiraine and Lan are going to try to make their way into the Stone and kill Be'Lal. Moiraine thinks she can do it if she can get close enough. Lan also has news. There are Aiel in Tear. They are trying to stay hidden and use the rooftops to move around. Perrin tells them something Gaul, the Aiel he met in Remen, said to him about the prophecy. The Aiel will leave the three-fold Land when the Stone falls. Moiraine doesn't know of this prophecy but it makes their need to get into the stone all the more urgent.

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