The Great Hunt: Chapter 19
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Author: Estyrien al'Halien
Chapter Icon: The Horn of Valere
Points of view: Rand, Fain
Contents
Outline
Rand takes back the Horn of Valere.
Summary
Rand's Point of View:
Setting: The edge of Kinslayer's Dagger
Characters: Rand, Loial, Hurin, Selene
Night is falling and Rand is reflecting on the past couple of days. They have stayed where "the trail had been, in that other world" but Rand wants to "take Selene to Cairhien" and leave the trail. Each day Selene has talked him out of it and so they have stayed on the trail, waiting.
Rand thinks of Egwene and her journey to become Aes Sedai, thinking that "the next time she sees me, she'll probably try to gentle me". When he sees Thom's cloak and harp that he has kept, he ruefully thinks that "I was happy then, I think, even running for my life". It is obvious that the pressure is getting to him.
His musings are cut short when he sees Selene "bending over his saddlebags, her hands on the buckles". Selene says that she wishes to clean her dress and was looking for one of his shirts to change into. This she does although Rand stammers protests about him seeing her, as "It would not be proper". Once more Selene talks to him about "the glory that will come" to him when he has the Horn and how "You can be another Artur Hawkwing".
Hurin runs into the campsite that night, saying that there is "a fire, my Lord, down in the hills". Rand realizes that it is Fain and the Trollocs because Ingtar would not try to hide a fire. He wants to follow them in the morning and have Ingtar catch up but Selene convinces him to go down and check that it is Fain and to take the Horn if it is. Rand takes Loial, since he "can see better by moonlight than you", and together they take their horses down the mountain.
As they ride, Rand seeks the void because "he needed the emptiness", convinced that he would not touch saidin. They dismount close to where the fire was and see that it is in fact Fain and the Trollocs. They miss detection by the Trollocs as they are lazy, "apt to give up any task but killing", including guard duty. A moonbeam illuminates the chest of the Horn of Valere and Mat's dagger and Rand crawls to it, followed by Loial. Loial lifts the chest and they walk carefully away through the sleeping trollocs.
However, at the edge of the sleeping Trollocs Fain realises that the horn has been taken and wakes up the Trollocs; "It's gone! Wake, you filth! It's gooonnne!" Rand urges Loial to run and turns to face the oncoming Trollocs, wrapped in the void. Rand fights the Trollocs and "he fought as if a heron-mark blade could keep saidin from him". After a while, Rand follows Loial back to the campsite and lets go of the void. There, they meet up with Selene and Hurin.
Selene wants to look at the horn and so opens the chest. She sees the inscription of "Tia mi aven Moridin isainde vadin" and translates it to "The grave is no bar to my call" and so we know that she can speak the Old Tongue. Rand wants to turn back and take the Horn to Shienar but Selene convinces him to go onwards, "You cannot go back, now. You are committed". They decide to head for the safety of Cairhien to wait for Ingtar. Rand also shows the group Mat's dagger and Selene wants to throw the dagger away because of the danger it brings. Rand refuses, as he knows that Mat will die "without it to use in Healing him". The group prepare to leave, despite Selene's protests that she wants "to finish what is left of my night's sleep".
Fain's Point of View:
Setting: The edge of Kinslayer's Dagger
Characters: Fain, Trollocs and Darkfriends
Fain gathers all the Trollocs in so that the hunt for Rand can continue. He knows that Rand is in Kinslayer's Dagger, "That much of the Dark One's... gift... remained in him". He laughs and cackles "You will pay for what was done to me, al'Thor!" and the hunt begins.
Notes
Character Development
- Rand
- He kills six trollocs.
- He is a little obsessive over Selene and almost seems to have forgotten Egwene exists.
Miscellaneous
- How do the Trollocs and Fain understand each other? What language to they use to communicate?
Spoilers
This section contains Notes on this Chapter which may contain spoilers. Please expand to view.
Miscellanous
- Selene calls Darkfriends "Friends of the Dark" - the term from the Age of Legends
