The Eye of the World: Chapter 29

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Author: Val a'Shain

Eyes Without Pity


Chapter Icon: A Wolf

Point of View: Perrin


Characters: Elyas, Perrin, Egwene

Setting: somewhere on the plains in Andor

After leaving the Tinkers Elyas sets a hard pace south towards the Caemlyn Road. He takes every precaution not to be seen on the plains. He erases the tracks at their camps, evades the ridges of hills, where they could be seen for miles around, and even sends out the wolves to scout ahead. The wolves cannot tell Perrin what makes Elyas uneasy though. When Perrin asks what they are running for Elyas reacts agitated but does not give a straight answer.

When they approach a hill that stretches for miles in either direction there is no other choice than to go cross it. Perrin joins Elyas scouting and when they reach the top they spot the first ravens. A small group, maybe fifty or a hundred, but they are convinced these are eyes of the Dark One.

After that Elyas pushes for more speed and tells the wolves to watch the skies (something wolves normally don't do). They spot ever bigger groups of ravens closer and their journey becomes a dash for a 'place of safety' as Elyas calls it. At one point the wolves let Perrin know the ravens are behind him as well. Perrin is forced to tell the others and Egwene immediately realizes Elyas is right and Perrin can talk to them. Perrin refuses to discuss it though. Ravens now cloud the sky. Several times Egwene's and Perrin's slings are all that save them from being detected. They see animals that have fallen victim to the ravens and at one point they even see the ravens kill a fox. Perrin also feels the ravens attack the wolves before they are being drawn away by the real prey of this hunt.

Just as Perrin and Egwene are about to collapse from exhaustion, Perrin feels a chill going through him. Elyas tells him they have entered a stedding, the home of Ogier only known in stories in the Two Rivers. The eyes of the Dark One will not follow them there. They are save for the moment.

Elyas leads them to the only place where there is water in the abandoned stedding. Egwene notices the remains of a statue at their campsite which looks like it has hosted generations of travelers before them. Elyas tells them it was a statue of Artur Hawkwing, the king who ruled all the lands between the Aryth Ocean and the Aiel Waste. Elyas tells them his story as they rest by the campfire. Perrin's mood is low that night. He still will not accept the wolves as a part of him. He also wonders if he could have killed Egwene to spare her from being torn to pieces by the ravens if they had caught up with them.

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