KoD: At the Gardens

Aran'gar POV#

Aran'gar arrives at a meeting in Tel'aran'rhiod, summoned by Moridin. Graendal, Demandred, Mesaana and Semirhage are already there. There are eleven chairs. Mesaana looks wan.[1] Graendal, wearing streith, arrived first and made the room an image of the Ansaline Gardens with sculptures by Cormalinde Masoon, buildings like spinglass and chinje wheels for gambling. Why eleven chairs? Asmodean, Sammael, Be'lal and Rahvin are dead.[2] Osan'gar has not been seen since Shadar Logoth.[3] Beautiful zomara serve wine. They were made by Aginor. Aran'gar has no doubt that Moridin is Ishamael. He found a stasis box with dozens of zomaran. Aran'gar found two but they only held rubbish. She wears an emerald necklace from Delana. Aran'gar is weak in Tel'aran'rhiod. She can only find Egwene's dreams when she is right beside her. Graendal has wide contact with Darkfriends. Aran'gar propositions Graendal with an alliance and more and her gown turns black as midnight in Larcheen. Mesaana is angry as a hissing coreer because Aran'gar lost Egwene and the rebellion will fall apart. Aran'gar tells her the rebellion is holding on. Mesaana will wait until Elaida breaks Egwene. She will not tell anyone where Egwene is held.

Moridin arrives leading Moghedien and Cyndane; he is Nae'blis. He sits and they sit beside him. Moridin says Sammael or someone disguised as him ordered a hundred Myrddraal and thousands of Trollocs into the Ways.[4] It must have been one of the Chosen. He does not know their orders.[5] Moridin orders them to order all Darkfriend contacts to watch for them. Only Moridin knows what was done to Mesaana for punishment. Moridin orders them to locate the three remaining seals.[6] He will not let Cyndane near Rand because she would kill him. No one but Moridin is to harm Rand. Graendal insists Cyndane is too weak to be Lanfear but Aran'gar is sure she is.[7] Moridin orders them to kill Mat and Perrin and shows them images. They will be easy to find because they are ta'veren.[8] Graendal says finding ta'veren is not that simple and is now harder than ever with the whole Pattern in flux. This is the first time Semirhage has seen their faces.[9] Aran'gar thinks Moridin will be disappointed over Rand.[10]

More Aran'gar POV

Notes (Possible Spoilers)#

[#1] From her punishment with Shaidar Haran. (CoT,Ch21)
[#2] Good question, and no apparent answer.
[#3] He was killed. (WH,Ch35)
[#4] Robert Jordan adamantly insisted that Sammael is dead, so who issued the orders? See the discussion in the FAQ, Section 1.4.12.
[#5] They are on their way to eastern Tear to attack Rand. (KoD,Ch18)
[#6] Rand does, indeed, have them but we do not know where.
[#7] Cyndane's thoughts in WH,Ch35 are near proof that she was Lanfear.
[#8] We finally have an explanation of how Ishamael and Lanfear were able to track Rand so easily in The Great Hunt.
[#9] Semirhage implies that she did not know who Mat was when they were together in Ebou Dar. (WH,Ch17) If true, that explains why she did not take the opportunity to kill him then. And she does not often lie.
[#10] So Aran'gar has her own plans concerning Rand and Moridin. It seems reasonable to assume that others of the Forsaken do as well.


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