Towers of Midnight Read-Through #22: Chapter 15 - Use A Pebble

By Linda


WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT

Nynaeve POV

The completely different costumes of the Tairen nobles and commoners are a statement that they are different species altogether and not just people with different status. This emphasis can only widen the social division. The wide straw hats with flat tops should be conical straw hats – coolie hats (see costume article for Tear).

Nynaeve feels a storm of Wrongness in the north, and she feels a disturbing chill when she is around Asha’man, but does not associate the two. Yet the origin and effects of the two are the same. Naeff is delusional but Nynaeve judges that other Asha’man are worse, which means they must be pretty bad.

A bubble of evil sucked the life force or reality from part of Tear. The area looks washed out, like the less probable If Worlds. People and buildings were affected, but not the bedrock; transient stuff, as can be changed in Tel’aran’rhiod (and I’m speaking from the perspective of a geologist here).

No life, no sense that he had ever been alive. His body wasn't even flesh…It was eerie, to see this hollow area. Like a gouged-out eye socket in an otherwise healthy face.

Towers of Midnight, Use A Pebble

"Their substance was removed. Everything crumbled the moment we touched it."
"He would do this to the entire world," Rand said,

Towers of Midnight, Use A Pebble

It has been remarked by the Forsaken that the area near Shayol Ghul is as malleable as Tel’aran’rhiod, but this bubble had far longer lasting effects on the environment.

Nynaeve wants to Heal the sickness or Wrongness of the world. This desire may well make a difference at Shayol Ghul. Determined to Heal, she discovers that the taint madness is a network of evil thorns:

The darkness had tiny, thornlike projections stuck into Naeff's mind.

Towers of Midnight, Use A Pebble

and they have to be detached and their puncture wounds repaired before a counterweave removes the tangle. The tangle reminds me of Verin’s Compulsion.

Nynaeve did this all by intuition, due to feelings of frustration. Aes Sedai think that one can only channel when feelings are controlled or put aside, but Nynaeve could only get around her block to weave when overcome with emotion. Because she learned that way, she is more practised at weaving while under duress. On the other hand, she had to nearly die before she surrendered and broke her block.

Rand has enormous darkness in his mind, so he is very affected by taint, perhaps more than those who are raving. This Darkness is balanced with Light – yet the Light seems to have the upper hand at the moment. The many thousands of barbs form a “Crown of Thorns” and would be a Jesus parallel. It will be a massive job to remove them if Nynaeve uses the method she used on Naeff.

What did create the Whiteness that coats the taint – the power of positive thought, or memories of love – and Light?

Nynaeve wonders how Rand could think with so much darkness pressing on his brain. Good question. She assumes that both the Darkness and the Light were there when she last Healed Rand, which was after Semirhage attacked and that she can see them because she has improved in Delving since then. We “know” that the Light wasn’t there until a few days ago.

Even in the Age of Legends few could Heal mental illnesses with the One Power, so Nynaeve has just done something really remarkable, brought about because she wouldn’t succumb to the Dark One’s pressure to despair.

Rand says if Nynaeve becomes dispassionate or controlled it would ruin her. It was ruining him:

"I tried to be like them, though I wouldn't have admitted it. Cold. Always in control. It nearly destroyed me. That is strength to some, but it is not the only type of strength.”

Towers of Midnight, Use A Pebble

For one thing, controlled can lead to controlling and dispassionate to uncaring. We see that in the Aes Sedai as a whole. Furthermore, there is an emphasis on appearances and decorum in Aes Sedai society.

"To be Aes Sedai is to be calm," Nynaeve replied.
"To be Aes Sedai is to be what you decide it is," Rand said,

Towers of Midnight, Use A Pebble

Music to Nynaeve’s ears I would have thought.

Nynaeve is put out by taking advice from Rand. She sees Tam’s influence in him, and Rand has acknowledged elsewhere what he owes his father, saying that he was brought up better than Lews Therin was.

The Emond’s Fielders thought Moiraine to be distant, but now Rand says she cared. And in truth she did help villagers after Winternight and Whitebridge. Hers is necessarily a tough love.

Rand thanks Nynaeve for her care and admits he really needs it. He opens up and explains his rationale for breaking the seals:

"Opening the Bore will not free him immediately, though it will give him more strength. It must be done regardless. Think of our task as climbing a tall stone wall. Unfortunately, we are delaying, running laps before attempting the climb. Each step tires us for the fight to come. We must face him while still strong.”

Towers of Midnight, Use A Pebble

When Nynaeve says she believes Rand, he asks her to plead his case to Egwene. I don’t think Egwene listened, or Nynaeve even got to do it, since her opposition is as strong as ever at the end of the book. Judging by her thoughts in the previous scene, Egwene would regard any of Nynaeve’s commendations as merely being “under his influence”.

Rand invites Nyneave back to him when she can; and definitely for Shayol Ghul. He plans to use Callandor and wants two women he can trust to use it with him. Nynaeve is proud that she is one he can trust. Judging by the A Memory of Light book cover, Moiraine will by the other supporting Aes Sedai (see here).

The wounds in Rand’s side would suck in vast amounts of saidar. The True Power and Shadar Logoth power are antithetical to each other, but parasitic on the One Power.

Rand advises Nynaeve against going to the Black Tower because he knows something is happening with the Asha’man there, but has too much to do to figure out how to handle this yet. I groan at the plot device of Zen miracle-worker Rand being utterly unable to do anything about that Darkfriend factory.

Nynaeve treats Rand as she would any close friend and then feels silly. But he needs to be treated like a normal person and an Aes Sedai needs to behave like a normal person. This shows Nynaeve being overly influenced by Aes Sedai in her efforts to earn status and the respect of sisters like Cadsuane.


Egwene POV

After Rand left Tar Valon, the clouds returned, the staleness and rottenness grew, and food stores dwindled. Egwene knows it is due to the Land being one with the Dragon, although she still has a negative view of his state of mind, even after the strong demonstration that he currently radiates health vibes.

Saerin, Yukiri and Seaine are Egwene’s keen supporters, which is fortunate for her, since she is seen as not favouring the rebels.

The ways Mesaana could avoid swearing the Three Oaths on the Oath Rod (if it can’t be disabled for a short time, something that would be obvious in public anyway, since I doubt it could be inconspicuous) are:

• Use another, hidden, Oath Rod while using the Tower one.


• Disguise another non-Darkfriend woman as her and have her take her place.


• Disguise what people hear her say as swears (so long as no one can lip-read).

While Egwene thinks Mesaana may have used still yet another method, Sanderson says Mesaana did use one of those above – one of the latter two, most likely:

He told me that one of the three ways the Aes Sedai had surmised was correct. Considering it probably would have been mentioned if they found an Oath Rod among her things, that it probably was the weave the investigators had rediscovered.

Sanderson at Towers of Midnight booksigning

Egwene tells Seaine and Yukiri to keep investigating Mesaana’s role in the recent murders, yet Mesaana isn’t involved in them. I wonder what evidence they overlook in their efforts to prove that Mesaana was the culprit.

Saerin is sceptical that Mesaana led Dreadlords into battle in the Age of Legends, and she did stay behind the scenes for most of the battle in the White Tower in this book. Yet during the War of Power:

she held several field commands for the Shadow, showing herself to be an adequate general at best but as a governor of conquered territories she blossomed.

The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time

Mesaana is capable rather than skilled or powerful. She did the dirty or boring but necessary jobs, such as training new recruits, to make herself indispensable and advance. Mesaana is angry that she appears inadequate compared to the others.

Saerin says Mesaana sounds like an Amyrlin. I disagree; this is not what an Amyrlin does. It’s a heavy-handed “explanation” of why Mesaana is in the White Tower. She is there because it is a way to get the Dark One’s favour, and though she was running risks, she also had access to useful tools – both people and things. Yet she never seemed to dare make much use of *angreal. All the Forsaken except Moridin make their excuses for that. Sammael made a serious attempt at Ebou Dar and Moghedien did too to a degree.

Egwene realises Mesaana has remained in the White Tower to try and make up for her failure to break the Tower and kidnap Rand. She resolves to use herself as bait in a “subtle” trap for Mesaana.