The dragon reborn free download

Praise for T W T Book Three HE HEEL OF IME® THE DRAGON REBORN “An exciting, well-written adventure Jordan offers distinctive heroes and themes, including an interesting look at relations between the sexes.” —Milwaukee Sentinel “Jordan’s writing is clear and his vision is fascinating, as are the philosophies which run his characters And speaking of characters, a more interesting bunch I would be hard put to name The Dragon Reborn will be one of the books to read this year.” —Steven Sawicki, Science Fiction Review “Jordan has created a world where everything fits together his characters follow their own personalities rather than types, and his settings are presented with detail that belief is easy.” —Lexington Herald-Leader “Robert Jordan’s latest book is a fine one, filled with the cleverness, imagination, and wonderfully drawn characters expected Jordan’s skill as a writer doubles the pleasure The Dragon Reborn is on a far higher plane than most fantasy novels.” —The Post and Courier (Charleston, South Carolina) “[The Wheel of Time] continues to exhibit a freshness that makes it a welcome addition to any fantasy collection.” —Library Journal “A complex tapestry of fascinating characters, descriptive details, and events I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves epic fantasy.” —Carol Lynn Ukockis, Galactic Dispatch T W HE HEEL OF T IME® 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 THE DRAGON REBORN ROBERT JORDAN A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK NEW YORK This is a work of fiction All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously THE DRAGON REBORN Copyright © 1991 by The Bandersnatch Group, Inc The phrases “The Wheel of Time®” and “The Dragon Reborn™,” and the snake-wheel symbol, are trademarks of Robert Jordan All rights reserved Frontispiece by Donato Giancola 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 978-1-4299-6016-8 First Edition: November 1991 First E-book Edition: December 2009 Manufactured in the United States of America Dedicated to James Oliver Rigney, Sr (1920–1988) He taught me always to follow the dream, and when I caught it, to live it CONTENTS 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 MAPS PROLOGUE: Fortress of the Light Waiting Saidin News from the Plain Shadows Sleeping Nightmares Walking The Hunt Begins The Way Out of the Mountains Jarra Wolf Dreams Secrets Tar Valon The Amyrlin Seat Punishments The Bite of the Thorns The Gray Man Hunters Three The Red Sister Healing Awakening Visitations A World of Dreams The Price of the Ring Sealed Scouting and Discoveries Questions Behind a Lock Tel’aran’rhiod 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 A Way Out A Trap to Spring The First Toss The Woman of Tanchico The First Ship Within the Weave A Different Dance The Falcon Daughter of the Night Fires in Cairhien Maidens of the Spear Threads in the Pattern A Hero in the Night A Hunter’s Oath Easing the Badger Shadowbrothers Hunted Caemlyn A Message Out of the Shadow To Race the Shadow Following the Craft A Storm in Tear The Hammer Bait for the Net In Search of a Remedy A Flow of the Spirit Into the Stone What Is Written in Prophecy People of the Dragon GLOSSARY And his paths shall be many, and who shall know his name, for he shall be born among us many times, in many guises, as he has been and ever will be, time without end His coming shall be like the sharp edge of the plow, turning our lives in furrows from out of the places where we lie in our silence The breaker of bonds; the forger of chains The maker of futures; the unshaper of destiny —from Commentaries on the Prophecies of the Dragon, by Jurith Dorine, Right Hand to the Queen of Almoren, 742 AB, the Third Age PROLOGUE Fortress of the Light Pedron Niall’s aged gaze wandered about his private audience chamber, but dark eyes hazed with thought saw nothing Tattered wall hangings, once battle banners of the enemies of his youth, faded into dark wood paneling laid over stone walls, thick even here in the heart of the Fortress of the Light The single chair in the room—heavy, high-backed, and almost a throne—was as invisible to him as the few scattered tables that completed the furnishings Even the white-cloaked man kneeling with barely restrained eagerness on the great sunburst set in the wide planks of the floor had vanished from Niall’s mind for the moment, though few would have dismissed him so lightly Jaret Byar had been given time to wash before being brought to Niall, but both his helmet and his breastplate were dulled from travel and battered from use Dark, deep-set eyes shone with a feverish, urgent light in a face that seemed to have had every spare scrap of flesh boiled away He wore no sword—none was allowed in Niall’s presence—but he seemed poised on the edge of violence, like a hound awaiting the loosing of the leash Twin fires on long hearths at either end of the room held off the late winter cold It was a plain, soldier’s room, really, everything well made but nothing extravagant—except for the sunburst Furnishings came to the audience chamber of the Lord Captain Commander of the Children of the Light with the man who rose to the office; the flaring sun of coin gold had been worn smooth by generations of petitioners, replaced and worn smooth again Gold enough to buy any estate in Amadicia, and the patent of nobility to go with it For ten years Niall had walked across that gold and never thought of it twice, any more than he thought of the sunburst embroidered across the chest of his white tunic Gold held little interest for Pedron Niall Eventually his eyes went back to the table next to him, covered with maps and scattered letters and reports Three loosely rolled drawings lay among the jumble He took one up reluctantly It did not matter which; all Shai’tan (SHAY-ih-TAN): See Dark One Shayol Ghul (SHAY-ol GHOOL): A mountain in the Blasted Lands, the site of the Dark One’s prison Sheriam (SHEER-ee-ahm): An Aes Sedai of the Blue Ajah The Mistress of Novices in the White Tower Siuan Sanche (SWAHN SAHN-chay): The daughter of a Tairen fisherman, she was, according to Tairen law, put on a ship to Tar Valon before the second sunset after it was discovered that she had the potential to channel Formerly of the Blue Ajah Raised to the Amyrlin Seat in 988 NE Soulless: See Gray Man span: See length, units of Spine of the World, the: A towering mountain range, with only a few passes, which separates the Aiel Waste from the lands to the west stedding (STEHD-ding): An Ogier (OH-geer) homeland Many stedding have been abandoned since the Breaking of the World They are shielded in some way, no longer understood, so that within them no Aes Sedai can channel the One Power, nor even sense that the True Source exists Attempts to wield the One Power from outside a stedding have no effect inside a stedding boundary No Trolloc will enter a stedding unless driven, and even a Myrddraal will so only at the greatest need and then with the greatest reluctance and distaste Even Darkfriends, if truly dedicated, feel uncomfortable within a stedding stilling: The act, performed by Aes Sedai, of shutting off a woman who can channel from the One Power A woman who has been stilled can sense the True Source, but she cannot touch it So seldom has it been done that novices are required to learn the names and crimes of all women who have suffered it Stone Dogs: See Aiel warrior societies Stone of Tear: A great fortress in the city of Tear, said to have been made soon after the Breaking of the World, and to have been made using the One Power It has been besieged or attacked countless times, but never successfully The Stone is mentioned twice in the Prophecies of the Dragon Once they say the Stone will never fall until the People of the Dragon come In another place, they say the Stone will never fall until the Dragon’s hand wields the Sword That Cannot Be Touched, Callandor Some believe that these Prophecies account for the antipathy of the High Lords to the One Power, and for the Tairen law that forbids channeling Despite this antipathy, the Stone contains a collection of an’greal and ter’angreal rivaling that of the White Tower, a collection which was gathered, some say, in an attempt to diminish the glare of possessing Callandor Sunday: A feastday and festival in midsummer, widely celebrated in many parts of the world sung wood: See Treesinger Talents: Abilities in the use of the One Power in specific areas The best known of these, of course, is Healing Some, such as Traveling, the ability to shift oneself from one place to another without crossing the intervening space, have been lost Others such as Foretelling (the ability to foretell future events, but in a general way) are now found only rarely if at all Another Talent long thought lost is Dreaming, which involves, among other things, interpreting the Dreamer’s dreams to foretell future events in more specific fashion than Foretelling does Some Dreamers had the ability to enter Tel’aran’rhiod, the World of Dreams, and (it is said) even other people’s dreams The last known Dreamer was Corianin Nedeal, who died in 526 NE ta’maral’ailen (tah-MAHR-ahl-EYE-lehn): In the Old Tongue, “Web of Destiny.” A great change in the Pattern of an Age, centered around one or more people who are ta’veren See also Pattern of an Age; ta’veren Tanreall, Artur Paendrag (tahn-REE-ahl, AHR-tuhr PAYehn-DRAG): See Hawkwing, Artur Tarmon Gai’don (TAHR-mohn GAY-dohn): The Last Battle See also Dragon, Prophecies of the; Horn of Valere ta’veren (tah-VEER-ehn): A person around whom the Wheel of Time weaves all surrounding life-threads, perhaps ALL lifethreads, to form a Web of Destiny See also Pattern of an Age Tear (TEER): A nation on the Sea of Storms Also the capital city of that nation, a great seaport The banner of Tear is three white crescent moons slanting across a field half red, half gold See also Stone of Tear Telamon, Lews Therin (TEHL-ah-mon, LOOZ THEH-rihn): See Dragon, the Tel’aran’rhiod (tel-AYE-rahn-rhee-ODD): In the Old Tongue, “the Unseen World,” or “the World of Dreams.” A world glimpsed in dreams which was believed by the ancients to permeate and surround all other possible worlds Unlike other dreams, what happens to living things in the World of Dreams is real; a wound taken there will still be there on awakening, and one who dies there does not wake at all ter’angreal (TEER-ahn-GREE-ahl): Any one of a number of remnants of the Age of Legends that use the One Power Unlike angreal and sa’angreal, each ter’angreal was made to a particular thing For example, one makes oaths taken with it binding Some ter’angreal are used by Aes Sedai, but the original purposes of many others are largely unknown Some will kill or destroy the ability to channel of any woman who uses them See also angreal; sa’angreal Tigraine (tee-GRAIN): As Daughter-Heir of Andor, she married Taringail Damodred and bore his son Galadedrid Her disappearance in 972 NE, shortly after her brother Luc vanished in the Blight, led to the struggle in Andor called the Succession, and caused the events in Cairhien that eventually brought on the Aiel War Her sign was a woman’s hand gripping a thorny rose stem with a white blossom Time of Madness: The years after the Dark One’s counterstroke tainted the male half of the True Source, when male Aes Sedai went mad and Broke the world The exact duration of this period is unknown, but it is believed to have lasted nearly one hundred years It ended completely only with the death of the last male Aes Sedai See also Hundred Companions; True Source; One Power Traveling People: See Tuatha’an Travels of Jain Farstrider, The: A very well-known book of travel stories and observations by a noted Malkieri writer and traveler The book was first printed in 968 NE and has been reprinted continuously ever since Jain Farstrider disappeared shortly after the Aiel War and is generally believed to be dead Treekillers: An Aiel name for the Cairhienin, always said in tones of horror and disgust Treesinger: An Ogier who has the ability to sing to trees (called “treesong”), either healing them, or helping them to grow and flower, or making things from the wood without damaging the tree Objects made in this manner are called “sung wood” and are highly prized Few Ogier remain who are Treesingers; the ability seems to be dying out Trollocs (TRAHL-lohks): Creatures of the Dark One, created during the War of the Shadow Huge of stature, they are a twisted blend of animal and human stock They are divided into tribe like bands, among them the Dha’vol, the Ko’bal, and the Dhai’mon Vicious by nature, they kill for the pure pleasure of killing Deceitful in the extreme, they cannot be trusted unless coerced by fear Trolloc Wars: A series of wars, beginning about 1000 AB and lasting more than three hundred years, during which Trolloc armies ravaged the world Eventually the Trollocs were driven back into the Great Blight, but some nations ceased to exist, and others that survived were almost depopulated All records of the time are fragmentary True Source: The driving force of the universe, which turns the Wheel of Time It is divided into a male half (saidin) and a female half (saidar), which work at the same time with and against each other Only a man can draw on saidin, only a woman on saidar Since the beginning of the Time of Madness, saidin has been tainted by the Dark One’s touch See also One Power Tuatha’an (too-AH-thah-AHN): A wandering folk, also known as the Tinkers and as the Traveling People, who live in brightly painted wagons and follow a totally pacifist philosophy called the Way of the Leaf Things mended by Tinkers are often better than new They are among the few who can cross the Aiel Waste unmolested, for the Aiel strictly avoid all contact with them Verin Mathwin (VEHR-ihn MAH-thwihn): An Aes Sedai of the Brown Ajah Warder: A warrior bonded to an Aes Sedai The bonding is a thing of the One Power, and by it he gains such gifts as quick healing, the ability to go long periods without food, water, or rest, and the ability to sense the taint of the Dark One at a distance So long as a Warder lives, the Aes Sedai to whom he is bonded knows he is alive however far away he is, and when he dies she will know the moment and manner of his death While most Ajahs believe an Aes Sedai may have one Warder bonded to her at a time, the Red Ajah refuse to bond any Warders at all, while the Green Ajah believe an Aes Sedai may bond as many Warders as she wishes Ethically the Warder must accede to the bonding voluntarily, but it has been known to be done against the Warder’s will What the Aes Sedai gain from the bonding is a closely held secret See also Aes Sedai War of Power: See War of the Shadow War of the Hundred Years: A series of overlapping wars among constantly shifting alliances, precipitated by the death of Artur Hawkwing and the resulting struggle for his empire It lasted from FY 994 to FY 1117 The War of the Hundred Years depopulated large parts of the lands between the Aryth Ocean and the Aiel Waste, from the Sea of Storms to the Great Blight So great was the destruction that only fragmentary records of the time remain The empire of Artur Hawkwing was pulled apart in the wars, and the nations of the present day were formed See also Hawkwing, Artur War of the Second Dragon: The war fought (FY 939–43) against the false Dragon Guaire Amalasan During this war a young king named Artur Tanreall Paendrag, later known as Artur Hawkwing, rose to overwhelming prominence War of the Shadow: Also known as the War of Power, this war ended the Age of Legends It began shortly after the attempt to free the Dark One, and soon involved the whole world In a world where war had been forgotten, even the memory of it, every facet of war was rediscovered, often twisted by the Dark One’s touch on the world, and the One Power was used as a weapon The war was ended by the resealing of the Dark One into his prison See also Hundred Companions, the; Dragon, the weight, units of: 10 ounces = 41 pound; 10 pounds = stone; 10 stone = hundredweight; 10 hundredweight = ton Wheel of Time, the: Time is a wheel with seven spokes, each spoke an Age As the Wheel turns, the Ages come and go, each leaving memories that fade to legend, then to myth, and are forgotten by the time that Age comes again The Pattern of an Age is slightly different each time an Age comes, and each time it is subject to greater change Whitecloaks: See Children of the Light wilder: A woman who has learned to channel the One Power on her own, surviving the crisis as only one in four does Such women usually build barriers against knowing what it is they are doing, but if these can be broken down, wilders are among the most powerful of channelers The term is often used in derogatory fashion Wild Hunt: It is believed by many that the Dark One (often called Grim, or Old Grim, in Tear, Illian, Murandy, Altara, and Ghealdan) rides out in the night with the “black dogs,” or the Darkhounds, hunting souls This is the Wild Hunt Rain can keep the Darkhounds out of the night, but once they are on the trail, they must be confronted and defeated or the victim’s death is inevitable It is believed that merely seeing the Wild Hunt pass means imminent death, either for the viewer or for someone dear to the viewer Wisdom: In villages, a woman chosen by the Women’s Circle for her knowledge of such things as healing, and foretelling the weather, as well as for common good sense A position of great responsibility and authority, both actual and implied She is generally considered the equal of the Mayor, and in some villages his superior Unlike the Mayor, she is chosen for life, and it is very rare for a Wisdom to be removed from office before her death Almost traditionally in conflict with the Mayor Depending on the land, she may instead have another title, such as Guide, Healer, Wise Woman, Seeker, or Wise One About the Author 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 twelveyears-older 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 Table of Contents Cover Page Title Copyright Dedication Contents MAPS PROLOGUE: Fortress of the Light Waiting Saidin News from the Plain Shadows Sleeping Nightmares Walking The Hunt Begins The Way Out of the Mountains Jarra Wolf Dreams 10 Secrets 11 Tar Valon 12 The Amyrlin Seat 13 Punishments 14 The Bite of the Thorns 15 The Gray Man 16 Hunters Three 17 The Red Sister 18 Healing 19 Awakening 20 Visitations 21 A World of Dreams 22 The Price of the Ring 23 Sealed 24 Scouting and Discoveries 25 Questions 26 Behind a Lock 27 Tel’aran’rhiod 28 A Way Out 29 A Trap to Spring 30 The First Toss 31 The Woman of Tanchico 32 The First Ship 33 Within the Weave 34 A Different Dance 35 The Falcon 36 Daughter of the Night 37 Fires in Cairhien 38 Maidens of the Spear 39 Threads in the Pattern 40 A Hero in the Night 41 A Hunter’s Oath 42 Easing the Badger 43 Shadowbrothers 44 Hunted 45 Caemlyn 46 A Message Out of the Shadow 47 To Race the Shadow 48 Following the Craft 49 A Storm in Tear 50 The Hammer 51 Bait for the Net 52 In Search of a Remedy 53 A Flow of the Spirit 54 Into the Stone 55 What Is Written in Prophecy 56 People of the Dragon GLOSSARY Table of Contents Cover Page Title Copyright Dedication Contents MAPS PROLOGUE: Fortress of the Light Waiting Saidin News from the Plain Shadows Sleeping Nightmares Walking The Hunt Begins The Way Out of the Mountains Jarra Wolf Dreams 10 Secrets 11 Tar Valon 12 The Amyrlin Seat 13 Punishments 14 The Bite of the Thorns 15 The Gray Man 16 Hunters Three 17 The Red Sister 18 Healing 19 Awakening 20 Visitations 21 A World of Dreams 22 The Price of the Ring 23 Sealed 24 Scouting and Discoveries 25 Questions 26 Behind a Lock 27 Tel’aran’rhiod 28 A Way Out 29 A Trap to Spring 30 The First Toss 31 The Woman of Tanchico 32 The First Ship 33 Within the Weave 34 A Different Dance 35 The Falcon 36 Daughter of the Night 37 Fires in Cairhien 38 Maidens of the Spear 39 Threads in the Pattern 40 A Hero in the Night 41 A Hunter’s Oath 42 Easing the Badger 43 Shadowbrothers 44 Hunted 45 Caemlyn 46 A Message Out of the Shadow 47 To Race the Shadow 48 Following the Craft 49 A Storm in Tear 50 The Hammer 51 Bait for the Net 52 In Search of a Remedy 53 A Flow of the Spirit 54 Into the Stone 55 What Is Written in Prophecy 56 People of the Dragon GLOSSARY Table of Contents Cover Page Title Copyright Dedication Contents MAPS PROLOGUE: Fortress of the Light Waiting Saidin News from the Plain Shadows Sleeping Nightmares Walking The Hunt Begins The Way Out of the Mountains Jarra Wolf Dreams 10 Secrets 11 Tar Valon 12 The Amyrlin Seat 13 Punishments 14 The Bite of the Thorns 15 The Gray Man 16 Hunters Three 17 The Red Sister 18 Healing 19 Awakening 20 Visitations 21 A World of Dreams 22 The Price of the Ring 23 Sealed 24 Scouting and Discoveries 25 Questions 26 Behind a Lock 27 Tel’aran’rhiod 28 A Way Out 29 A Trap to Spring 30 The First Toss 31 The Woman of Tanchico 32 The First Ship 33 Within the Weave 34 A Different Dance 35 The Falcon 36 Daughter of the Night 37 Fires in Cairhien 38 Maidens of the Spear 39 Threads in the Pattern 40 A Hero in the Night 41 A Hunter’s Oath 42 Easing the Badger 43 Shadowbrothers 44 Hunted 45 Caemlyn 46 A Message Out of the Shadow 47 To Race the Shadow 48 Following the Craft 49 A Storm in Tear 50 The Hammer 51 Bait for the Net 52 In Search of a Remedy 53 A Flow of the Spirit 54 Into the Stone 55 What Is Written in Prophecy 56 People of the Dragon GLOSSARY Table of Contents Cover Page Title Copyright Dedication Contents MAPS PROLOGUE: Fortress of the Light Waiting Saidin News from the Plain Shadows Sleeping Nightmares Walking The Hunt Begins The Way Out of the Mountains Jarra Wolf Dreams 10 Secrets 11 Tar Valon 12 The Amyrlin Seat 13 Punishments 14 The Bite of the Thorns 15 The Gray Man 16 Hunters Three 17 The Red Sister 18 Healing 19 Awakening 20 Visitations 21 A World of Dreams 22 The Price of the Ring 23 Sealed 24 Scouting and Discoveries 25 Questions 26 Behind a Lock 27 Tel’aran’rhiod 28 A Way Out 29 A Trap to Spring 30 The First Toss 31 The Woman of Tanchico 32 The First Ship 33 Within the Weave 34 A Different Dance 35 The Falcon 36 Daughter of the Night 37 Fires in Cairhien 38 Maidens of the Spear 39 Threads in the Pattern 40 A Hero in the Night 41 A Hunter’s Oath 42 Easing the Badger 43 Shadowbrothers 44 Hunted 45 Caemlyn 46 A Message Out of the Shadow 47 To Race the Shadow 48 Following the Craft 49 A Storm in Tear 50 The Hammer 51 Bait for the Net 52 In Search of a Remedy 53 A Flow of the Spirit 54 Into the Stone 55 What Is Written in Prophecy 56 People of the Dragon GLOSSARY ... are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously THE DRAGON REBORN Copyright © 1991 by The Bandersnatch Group, Inc The phrases The Wheel of Time®” and The Dragon Reborn ,”... HE HEEL OF T IME® 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... doubt there are more than two hundred gathered in any one place The Taraboners or the Domani, either one, could sweep them away if they weren’t so busy fighting each other.” “Even a false Dragon, ”