Towers of midnight

For Jason Denzel, Melissa Craib, Bob Kluttz, Jennifer Liang, Linda Taglieri, Matt Hatch, Leigh Butler, Mike Mackert, and all those readers who over the years have made The Wheel of Time part of their lives, and in doing so have made the lives of others better Contents MAPS PROLOGUE: Distinctions Apples First Questions of Leadership The Amyrlin’s Anger The Pattern Groans Writings Questioning Intentions Lighter than a Feather The Seven-Striped Lass Blood in the Air 10 After the Taint 11 An Unexpected Letter 12 An Empty Ink Bottle 13 For What Has Been Wrought 14 A Vow 15 Use a Pebble 16 Shanna’har 17 Partings, and a Meeting 18 The Strength of This Place 19 Talk of Dragons 20 A Choice 21 An Open Gate 22 The End of a Legend 23 Foxheads 24 To Make a Stand 25 Return to Bandar Eban 26 Parley 27 A Call to Stand 28 Oddities 29 A Terrible Feeling 30 Men Dream Here 31 Into the Void 32 A Storm of Light 33 A Good Soup 34 Judgment 35 The Right Thing 36 An Invitation 37 Darkness in the Tower 38 Wounds 39 In the Three-fold Land 40 A Making 41 An Unexpected Ally 42 Stronger than Blood 43 Some Tea 44 A Backhanded Request 45 A Reunion 46 Working Leather 47 A Teaching Chamber 48 Near Avendesora 49 Court of the Sun 50 Choosing Enemies 51 A Testing 52 Boots 53 Gateways 54 The Light of the World 55 The One Left Behind 56 Something Wrong 57 A Rabbit for Supper EPILOGUE: And After GLOSSARY It soon became obvious, even within the stedding, that the Pattern was growing frail The sky darkened Our dead appeared, standing in rings outside the borders of the stedding, looking in Most troublingly, trees fell ill, and no song would heal them It was in this time of sorrows that I stepped up to the Great Stump At first, I was forbidden, but my mother, Covril, demanded I have my chance I not know what sparked her change of heart, as she herself had argued quite decisively for the opposing side My hands shook I would be the last speaker, and most seemed to have already made up their minds to open the Book of Translation They considered me an afterthought And I knew that unless I spoke true, humanity would be left alone to face the Shadow In that moment, my nervousness fled I felt only a stillness, a calm sense of purpose I opened my mouth, and I began to speak —from The Dragon Reborn, by Loial, son of Arent son of Halan, of Stedding Shangtai Prologue Distinctions Mandarb’s hooves beat a familiar rhythm on broken ground as Lan Mandragoran rode toward his death The dry air made his throat rough and the earth was sprinkled white with crystals of salt that precipitated from below Distant red rock formations loomed to the north, where sickness stained them Blight marks, a creeping dark lichen He continued riding east, parallel to the Blight This was still Saldaea, where his wife had deposited him, only narrowly keeping her promise to take him to the Borderlands It had stretched before him for a long time, this road He’d turned away from it twenty years ago, agreeing to follow Moiraine, but he’d always known he would return This was what it meant to bear the name of his fathers, the sword on his hip, and the hadori on his head This rocky section of northern Saldaea was known as the Proska Flats It was a grim place to ride; not a plant grew on it The wind blew from the north, carrying with it a foul stench Like that of a deep, sweltering mire bloated with corpses The sky overhead stormed dark, brooding That woman, Lan thought, shaking his head How quickly Nynaeve had learned to talk, and think, like an Aes Sedai Riding to his death didn’t pain him, but knowing she feared for him…that did hurt Very badly He hadn’t seen another person in days The Saldaeans had fortifications to the south, but the land here was scarred with broken ravines that made it difficult for Trollocs to assault; they preferred attacking near Maradon That was no reason to relax, however One should never relax, this close to the Blight He noted a hilltop; that would be a good place for a scout’s post He made certain to watch it for any sign of movement He rode around a depression in the ground, just in case it held waiting ambushers He kept his hand on his bow Once he traveled a little farther eastward, he’d cut down into Saldaea and cross Kandor on its good roadways Then— in an area who were willing to follow the Dragon Reborn, and only after taking them through gateways near Caemlyn winnow out those who can be taught to channel The remainder, by far the greater number, are sent to Bashere’s training camps The Legion of the Dragon is at present training for the Last Battle length, units of: 10 inches = foot; feet = pace; paces = span; 1000 spans = mile; miles = league Listeners: A Seanchan spy organization Almost anyone in the household of a Seanchan noble, merchant or banker may be a Listener, including da’covale occasionally, though seldom so’jhin They take no active role, merely watching, listening and reporting Their reports are sent to Lesser Hands who control both them and the Seekers and decide what should be passed on to the Seekers for further action See also Seekers marath’damane: In the Old Tongue, “those who must be leashed,” and also “one who must be leashed.” The term applied by the Seanchan to any woman capable of channeling who has not been collared as a damane march: See area, units of Mellar, Doilin: See Hanlon, Daved Mera’din: In the Old Tongue, “the Brotherless.” The name adopted, as a society, by those Aiel who abandoned clan and sept and went to the Shaido because they could not accept Rand al’Thor, a wetlander, as the Car’a’carn, or because they refused to accept his revelations concerning the history and origins of the Aiel Deserting clan and sept for any reason is anathema among the Aiel, therefore their own warrior societies among the Shaido were unwilling to take them in, and they formed this society, the Brotherless Moiraine Damodred: A Cairhienin Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah Long presumed dead Thom Merrilin has, however, revealed the receipt of a letter purporting to be from her It is reproduced here: My dearest Thom, There are many words I would like to write to you, words from my heart, but I have put this off because I knew that I must, and now there is little time There are many things I cannot tell you lest I bring disaster, but what I can, I will Heed carefully what I say In a short while I will go down to the docks, and there I will confront Lanfear How can I know that? That secret belongs to others Suffice it that I know, and let that foreknowledge stand as proof for the rest of what I say When you receive this, you will be told that I am dead All will believe that I am not dead, and it may be that I shall live to my appointed years It also may be that you and Mat Cauthon and another, a man I not know, will try to rescue me May, I say because it may be that you will not or cannot, or because Mat may refuse He does not hold me in the affection you seem to, and he has his reasons which he no doubt thinks are good If you try, it must be only you and Mat and one other More will mean death for all Fewer will mean death for all Even if you come only with Mat and one other, death also may come I have seen you try and die, one or two or all three I have seen myself die in the attempt I have seen all of us live and die as captives Should you decide to make the attempt anyway, young Mat knows the way to find me, yet you must not show him this letter until he asks about it That is of the utmost importance He must know nothing that is in this letter until he asks Events must play out in certain ways, whatever the costs If you see Lan again, tell him that all of this is for the best His destiny follows a different path from mine I wish him all happiness with Nynaeve A final point Remember what you know about the game of Snakes and Foxes Remember, and heed It is time, and I must what must be done May the Light illumine you and give you joy, my dearest Thom, whether or not we ever see one another again Moiraine morat-: In the Old Tongue, “handler.” Among the Seanchan, it is used for those who handle exotics, such as morat’raken, a raken handler or rider, also informally called a flier See also der’morat- Prophet, the: More formally, the Prophet of the Lord Dragon Once known as Masema Dagar, a Shienaran soldier, he underwent a revelation and decided that he had been called to spread the word of the Dragon’s Rebirth He believed that nothing—nothing!—was more important than acknowledging the Dragon Reborn as the Light made flesh and being ready when the Dragon Reborn called, and he and his followers would use any means to force others to sing the glories of the Dragon Reborn Those who refused were marked for death, and those who were slow might find their homes and shops burned and themselves flogged Forsaking any name but “the Prophet,” he brought chaos to much of Ghealdan and Amadicia, large parts of which he controlled, although with him gone, the Seanchan are reestablishing order in Amadicia and the Crown High Council in Ghealdan He joined with Perrin Aybara, who was sent to bring him to Rand, and, for reasons unknown, stayed with him even though this delayed his going to the Dragon Reborn He was followed by men and women of the lowest sort; if they were not so when they were pulled in by his charisma, they became so under his influence He died under mysterious circumstances Queen’s Guards, the: The elite military formation in Andor In peacetime the Guard is responsible for upholding the Queen’s law and keeping the peace across Andor The uniform of the Queen’s Guard include a red undercoat, gleaming mail and plate armor, a brilliant red cloak, and a conical helmet with a barred visor High-ranking officers wear knots of rank on their shoulder and golden lion-head spurs A recent addition to the Queen’s Guards is the Queen’s personal bodyguard, which is composed entirely of women since the arrest of its former captain, Doilin Mellar These Guardswomen wear much more elaborate uniforms than their male counterparts, including broadbrimmed hats with white plumes, red-lacquered breastplates and helmets trimmed in white, and lace-edged sashes bearing the White Lion of Andor Questioners, the: An order within the Children of the Light They refer to themselves as the Hand of the Light—they intensely dislike being called Questioners—and their avowed purposes are to discover the truth in disputations and uncover Darkfriends In the search for truth and the Light, their normal method of inquiry is torture; their normal manner is that they know the truth already and must only make their victim confess to it At times they act as if they are entirely separate from the Children and the Council of the Anointed, which commands the Children Their sign is a blood-red shepherd’s crook Redarms: Soldiers of the Band of the Red Hand, who have been chosen out for temporary police duty to make sure that other soldiers of the Band cause no trouble or damage in a town or village where the Band has stopped So named because, while on duty, they wear very broad red armbands that reach from cuff to elbow Usually chosen from among the most experienced and reliable men Since any damages must be paid for by the men serving as Redarms, they work hard to make sure all is quiet and peaceful See also Shen an Calhar Saldaea: A nation in the Borderlands Its capital is Maradon, and its royal palace is known as the Cordamora (from the Old Tongue for “Heart of the People”) It is ruled by a king or queen, and is a hereditary monarchy The Crown High Council, also known as the Council of Lords, advises and assists the monarch in administering the nation The husband or wife of a Saldaean ruler is not simply a consort, but an almost co-equal ruler Saldaea is currently ruled by Her Most Illumined Majesty, Tenobia si Bashere Kazadi, Queen of Saldaea, Defender of the Light, Sword of the Blightborder, High Seat of House Kazadi and Lady of Shahanyi, Asnelle, Kunwar and Ganai; her Marshal-General and the leader of her army is her uncle and heir, Davram Bashere, although he has been missing from his post for some time Seandar: The Imperial capital of Seanchan, located in the northeast of the Seanchan continent It is also the largest city in the Empire After the death of Empress Radhanan, it descended into chaos Seekers: More formally, Seekers for Truth, they are a police/spy organization of the Seanchan Imperial Throne Although most Seekers are da’covale and the property of the Imperial family, they have wideranging powers Even one of the Blood can be arrested for failure to answer any question put by a Seeker, or for failure to cooperate fully with a Seeker, this last defined by the Seekers themselves, subject only to review by the Empress Their reports are sent to Lesser Hands, who control both them and the Listeners Most Seekers feel that the Hands not pass on as much information as they should Unlike the Listeners’, the Seekers’ role is active Those Seekers who are da’covale are marked on either shoulder with a raven and a tower Unlike the Deathwatch Guards, Seekers are seldom eager to show their ravens, in part because it necessitates revealing who and what they are See also Listeners Shara: A mysterious land to the east of the Aiel Waste which is the source of silk and ivory, among other trade goods The land is protected both by inhospitable natural features and by man-made walls Little is known about Shara, as the people of that land work to keep their culture secret The Sharans deny that the Trolloc Wars touched them, despite Aiel statements to the contrary They deny knowledge of Artur Hawkwing’s attempted invasion, despite the accounts of eyewitnesses from the Sea Folk The little information that has leaked out reveals that the Sharans are ruled by a single absolute monarch, a Sh’boan if a woman and a Sh’botay if a man That monarch rules for exactly seven years, then dies The rule then passes to the mate of that ruler, who rules for seven years and then dies This pattern has repeated itself since the time of the Breaking of the World The Sharans believe that the deaths are the “Will of the Pattern.” There are channelers in Shara, known as the Ayyad, who are tattooed on their faces at birth The women of the Ayyad enforce the Ayyad laws stringently A sexual relationship between Ayyad and non-Ayyad is punishable by death for the non-Ayyad, and the Ayyad is also executed if force on his or her part can be proven If a child is born of the union, it is left exposed to the elements, and dies Male Ayyad are used as breeding stock only They are not educated in any fashion, not even how to read or write, and when they reach their twenty-first year or begin to channel, whichever comes first, they are killed and the body cremated Supposedly, the Ayyad channel the One Power only at the command of the Sh’boan or Sh’botay, who is always surrounded by Ayyad women Even the name of the land is in doubt The natives have been known to call it many different names, including Shamara, Co’dansin, Tomaka, Kigali and Shibouya Shen an Calhar: In the Old Tongue, “the Band of the Red Hand.” (1) A legendary group of heroes who had many exploits, finally dying in the defense of Manetheren when that land was destroyed during the Trolloc Wars (2) A military formation put together almost by accident by Mat Cauthon and organized along the lines of military forces during what is considered the height of the military arts, the days of Artur Hawkwing and the centuries immediately preceding Sisnera, Darlin: A High Lord in Tear, he was formerly in rebellion against the Dragon Reborn After serving for a short period as Steward of the Dragon Reborn in Tear, he was chosen to be the first king of Tear Snakes and Foxes: A game that is much loved by children until they mature enough to realize that it can never be won without breaking the rules It is played with a board that has a web of lines with arrows indicating direction There are ten discs inked with triangles to represent the foxes, and ten discs inked with wavy lines to represent the snakes The game is begun by saying “Courage to strengthen, fire to blind, music to dazzle, iron to bind,” while describing a triangle with a wavy line through it with one’s hand Dice are rolled to determine moves for the players and the snakes and foxes If a snake or fox lands on a player’s piece, he is out of the game, and as long as the rules are followed, this always happens See also Aelfinn, Eelfinn so’jhin: The closest translation from the Old Tongue would be “a height among lowness,” though some translate it as meaning “both sky and valley” among several other possibilities So’jhin is the term applied by the Seanchan to hereditary upper servants They are da’covale, property, yet occupy positions of considerable authority and often power Even the Blood step carefully around so’jhin of the Imperial family, and speak to so’jhin of the Empress herself as to equals See also da’covale Stump: A public meeting among the Ogier It is presided over by the Council of Elders of a stedding, but any adult Ogier may speak, or may choose an advocate to speak for him A Stump is often held at the largest tree stump in a stedding, and may last for several years When a question arises that affects all Ogier, a Great Stump is held, and Ogier from all stedding meet to address the question The various stedding take turns hosting the Great Stump Succession: In general, when one House succeeds another on the throne In Andor, the term is widely used for the struggle for the throne that arose upon Mordrellen’s death Tigraine’s disappearance had left Mantear without a Daughter-Heir, and two years passed before Morgase, of House Trakand, took the throne Outside of Andor, this conflict was known as the Third War of Andoran Succession Tarabon: A nation on the Aryth Ocean Once a great trading nation, a source of rugs, dyes and the Guild of Illuminators’ fireworks among other things, Tarabon has fallen on hard times Racked by anarchy and civil war compounded by simultaneous wars against Arad Doman and the Dragonsworn, it was ripe for the picking when the Seanchan arrived It is now firmly under Seanchan control, the chapter house of the Guild of Illuminators has been destroyed and the Illuminators themselves have been made da’covale Most Taraboners appear grateful that the Seanchan have restored order, and since the Seanchan allow them to continue living their lives with minimal interference, they have no desire to bring on more warfare by trying to chase the Seanchan out There are, however, some lords and soldiers who remain outside the Seanchan sphere of influence and are fighting to reclaim their land Tower of Ravens, the: The central Imperial prison of Seanchan It is located in the capital of Seandar and serves as the headquarters for the Seekers for Truth Members of the Blood are imprisoned, questioned and executed within it The questioning and execution must be accomplished without spilling a drop of blood See also Seekers Towers of Midnight, the: Thirteen fortresses of unpolished black marble located in Imfaral, Seanchan At the time of the Consolidation of Seanchan, it was the center of military might The final battle of the Consolidation took place there, leaving Hawkwing’s descendants in power Since that time, it has been unoccupied Legend has it that in time of dire need, the Imperial family will return to the Towers of Midnight and “right that which is wrong.” See also Consolidation weight, units of: 10 ounces = pound; 10 pounds = stone; 10 stone = hundredweight; 10 hundredweight = ton Winged Guards, the: The personal bodyguards of the First of Mayene, and the elite military formation of Mayene Members of the Winged Guards wear red-painted breastplates and helmets shaped like rimmed pots that come down to the nape of the necks in the back, and carry redstreamered lances Officers have wings worked on the sides of their helmets, and rank is denoted by slender plumes The Wheel of Time® by Robert Jordan The Eye of the World The Great Hunt The Dragon Reborn The Shadow Rising The Fires of Heaven Lord of Chaos A Crown of Swords The Path of Daggers Winter’s Heart Crossroads of Twilight Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson The Gathering Storm Towers of Midnight About the Authors Robert Jordan was born in 1948 in Charleston, South Carolina He taught himself to read when he was four with the incidental aid of a twelve-yearsolder brother, and was tackling Mark Twain and Jules Verne by five He was a graduate of the Citadel, the Military college of South Carolina, with a degree in physics He served two tours in Vietnam with the U.S Army; among his decorations are the Distinguished Flying Cross with bronze oak leaf cluster, the Bronze Star with “V” and bronze oak leaf cluster, and two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses with Palm A history buff, he also wrote dance and theater criticism He enjoyed the outdoor sports of hunting, fishing, and sailing, and the indoor sports of poker, chess, pool, and pipe collecting He began writing in 1977 and continued until his death on September 16, 2007 Brandon Sanderson was born in 1975 in Lincoln, Nebraska After a semester as a biochem major, Brandon came to his senses and recognized writing as his true vocation He switched to English, graduating from Brigham Young University, then returning for a master’s in creative writing During this time Brandon wrote thirteen novels, finally publishing his sixth, Elantris, in 2005 He has since released books for both adults and young readers, including the Mistborn trilogy, Warbreaker, and the Alcatraz series He lives with his wife and children in Utah, where he often plays Magic: The Gathering, regularly eats mac-and-cheese, and occasionally teaches writing at BYU Find more at www.brandonsanderson.com This is a work of fiction All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously TOWERS OF MIDNIGHT Copyright © 2010 by The Bandersnatch Group, Inc The phrases “The Wheel of Time®” and “The Dragon RebornTM,” and the snake-wheel symbol, are trademarks of Robert Jordan All rights reserved Maps by Ellisa Mitchell Interior illustrations by Matthew C Nielsen and Ellisa Mitchell A Tor Book Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC 175 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10010 www.tor-forge.com Tor® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC ISBN: 978-0-7653-2594-5 Table of Contents MAPS PROLOGUE: Distinctions Apples First Questions of Leadership The Amyrlin’s Anger The Pattern Groans Writings Questioning Intentions Lighter than a Feather The Seven-Striped Lass Blood in the Air 10 After the Taint 11 An Unexpected Letter 12 An Empty Ink Bottle 13 For What Has Been Wrought 14 A Vow 15 Use a Pebble 16 Shanna’har 17 Partings, and a Meeting 18 The Strength of This Place 19 Talk of Dragons 20 A Choice 21 An Open Gate 22 The End of a Legend 23 Foxheads 24 To Make a Stand 25 Return to Bandar Eban 26 Parley 27 A Call to Stand 28 Oddities 29 A Terrible Feeling 30 Men Dream Here 31 Into the Void 32 A Storm of Light 33 A Good Soup 34 Judgment 35 The Right Thing 36 An Invitation 37 Darkness in the Tower 38 Wounds 39 In the Three-fold Land 40 A Making 41 An Unexpected Ally 42 Stronger than Blood 43 Some Tea 44 A Backhanded Request 45 A Reunion 46 Working Leather 47 A Teaching Chamber 48 Near Avendesora 49 Court of the Sun 50 Choosing Enemies 51 A Testing 52 Boots 53 Gateways 54 The Light of the World 55 The One Left Behind 56 Something Wrong 57 A Rabbit for Supper EPILOGUE: And After GLOSSARY ... confused Why would you pull them? “It is a thing of men,” Perrin said Things of two-legs, of men Always, it is a thing of men to you What of things of wolves? “I am not a wolf.” Hopper entered the... pattern of thick, dark hardwoods, the marble of the floor sparkling with inlaid chips of mother -of- pearl and gold Aran’gar was just trying to provoke her Graendal put the irritation out of her... Sparks Flying chips of light that bounced off his leather vest and his apron With each strike, the walls of the room—sturdy leatherleaf wood —fuzzed, responding to the beats of metal on metal He