A Crown of Swords: Chapter 36

Blades

Author: Toral Delvar

Characters: Cadsuane, Caraline, Damer, Darlin, Dashiva, Rand, Samitsu, Toram

Setting: Outside Cairhien

Point of view: Min

Min and Caraline try to talk Rand out of fighting Toram, Caraline telling him Toram is a blademaster with a mean side, who will try to hurt him and worried that the presence of four Red Aes Sedai may cause problems. Toram hands him a practice blade and attacks Rand, who fights back, neither able to strike the other, though Rand is on the defensive. While they fight, a fog comes to life and snatches one of the Red Aes Sedai, distracting Rand and allowing Toram to strike him. He suggests leaving and the others agree, Cadsuane taking control. Rand uses balefire and is slapped by Cadsuane who tells him never to use it again. He neither agrees nor argues. Toram realizes who Rand is and runs off, though Darlin stays. In the confusion Fain is able to stab Rand, who is partially healed by Samitsu who expresses confusion over the wound not healing properly. Cadsuane tells Darlin to carry Rand and they leave.

They come across a farmer and his wagon and Min tells him to take them to the Sun Palace, Cadsuane arguing against it at first until Min tells her Rand might react badly if he wakens in an unknown place surrounded by unknown Aes Sedai. Cadsuane accepts this, but Min has to tell them of Rand's capture, treatment and escape. Once in the palace, he is taken to his bed, where Dashiva calls Flinn to heal him. Like Samitsu, he identifies two different sorts of darkness within the two wounds and is able to seal them away from each other, which he says will give Rand a chance. Samitsu is able to tell this is so and bemuses Damer by begging him to tell her how he did it.

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