Reading The Wheel of Time: Tarna Plans and Cadsuane Wonders in <i>Crossroads of Twilight</i> (Part 15)

This week in Reading The Wheel of Time, we’re spending a quick moment with Pevara and ​​Tarna Fier before leaving the White Tower and heading over to Tear, where Cadsuane and the rest are resting after the events at Shadar Logoth, and Cadsuane is trying to tackle mysteries about Verin, about bonding Asha’man, about Elza Penfell, and most of all, about Rand himself. It’s chapters 22 and 23 of Crossroads of Twilight!

Tarna Fier, who has been made the new Keeper of the Chronicles, is visiting Pevara in her quarters. Pevara congratulates Tarna, but the new Keeper answers that she isn’t sure congratulations are in order—Elaida insisted that Tarna accept the position and Tarna felt she couldn’t refuse. She starts to say something else about Elaida, then changes the topic, remarking that Pevara has always been a bit unconventional for a Red, and that she has heard that Pevara once said that she would like a Warder. Pevara responds that she has been called much worse than “unconventional.”

Tarna tells Pevara about how, on the way back to Tar Valon after her visit to Salidar, she encountered a party of Asha’man recruiting. There were six men in black coats, who talked openly of the Dragon Reborn and of learning to “wield the lightnings.” Elaida still thinks all the Asha’man can be gentled, but Tarna is certain there are now too many for that to be an option. 

Pevara is shocked, but Tarna points out, firmly, that Red Sisters are accustomed to dealing with men who can channel, and although they will have to take more than one Warder each, if Greens can manage that, so can they.

Tarna hasn’t mentioned this idea to Elaida—she tried to bring up the mere subject of Asha’man and was instantly rebuffed. This is a lot for Pevara to process, and she still can’t be sure Tarna isn’t Black. Tarna gives Pevara a letter she has received from Toveine Gazal, and although Tarna states that it changes nothing, once Pevara has read the contents, she replies that it changes everything. It changes the whole world.

Elsewhere, Cadsuane has taken Rand and Nynaeve, along with Min and the rest of Cadsuane’s followers, to the home of Algarin Pendaloan. Pendaloan is a lesser house in Tear, and the home is located near the Spine of the World, which seemed like a safe place for Rand and Nynaeve to recover. Algarin is loyal to Cadsuane because of the way she treated his brother, Emarin, when she took him to the White Tower to be gentled. Cadsuane was able to help Emarin survive for ten years after his gentling.

Verin comes into Cadsuane’s room, chattering about her trip to deliver Harine and the other Sea Folk to the city. Cadsuane knows that Verin is one of those Browns who use the appearance of being scattered and unworldly as a disguise, and isn’t as sure of Verin as she would like to be. Min comes in to tell Cadsuane that Rand has asked to see her.

On her way to see Rand, Cadsuane watches Verin and Nesune fall into a conversation about snakes, and wonders if their respective oaths of loyalty to Rand have superseded the fact that they are, or at least were, on opposite sides of the division in the White Tower. Cadsuane would very much like to know how far Rand’s ta’veren power extends. Although she doesn’t know what three of the ter’angreal in her hair do, she doesn’t think any of them protect against ta’veren.

She stops to watch the Asha’man practicing swordplay. Jahar is fighting against Lan, and each time he is beaten he tries again, with more determination and anger at each attempt. Merise is there, watching her young Warder. Merise is never very talkative, so Cadsuane is surprised when she goes on at length, talking about the way the Asha’man grieve their own, and how Jahar actively expects his death, considering every hour to be his last.

Merise isn’t sure if saidin has truly been cleansed. The male half of the One Power does feel cleaner than it used to when she linked with Jahar, but the fire and chaos of saidin is so great that anything could be hiding underneath it. She also mentions that it is impossible to predict how strong a man will become when he reaches his full strength; the implicit worry is over what might happen if Jahar became stronger in the One Power than Merise herself is. Merise explains that Jahar is upset and frustrated because Rand just gave him the Dragon pin, but Merise wouldn’t let him keep it.

Cadsuane is shocked that Merise would ask advice about how to handle her own Warder—it is an unthinkable level of intimacy.

Alivia and Elza are on guard outside Rand’s rooms. Once admitted, Cadsuane is greeted politely by Rand, who offers her wine. She declines, noting how much colder and harder, not to mention more weary, he looks. Rand tells her that Algarin wants to go to the Black Tower to be tested, then turns the conversation to the Seanchan, expressing his concern over the strength of the war tactics. When Cadsuane asks if he is worried they can’t be defeated, Rand replies that he can defeat them eventually. But he is interrupted before he can finish whatever he was going to say, as Erian and Sarene push into the room despite Elza’s attempts to stop them.

Serene estimates that her Warder, Vitalien, is only a few hours away, and Elza admits that her Fearil is also coming. Cadsuane wonders if she would have mentioned it if the others hadn’t forced her hand.

Cadsuane answers that events never wait on anyone. She considers that whatever problems are on their way along with the Warders, she has gotten another answer from Rand, and will have to consider very carefully how to advise him on it.

In a way, nothing much happened in these chapters. But in another way, kind of a lot happened. We now have three different groups of Aes Sedai considering three different approaches to working with Asha’man. The rebel Aes Sedai have decided to make some kind of alliance or arrangement with the Black Tower so that Asha’man can be included in linked circles during battle; Cadsuane’s followers have bonded Asha’man as Warders in the traditional way; and Tarna is suggesting bonding solely as an alternative to gentling, and only by the Red Ajah.

All of these different approaches have some things to recommend them and some (very big) flaws. As far as the Salidar Aes Sedai go, even if Taim doesn’t become a problem for them, it’s certain that any deal made with the Asha’man won’t be as much to the Aes Sedai’s terms as they want—making a bargain with the Black Tower will probably look more like making a bargain with the Sea Folk, and require what feels like huge concessions from the Aes Sedai. But even though I imagine the Asha’man will be more confident in their ability to defeat the Dark without the help of female channelers, it is still true that both halves of the One Power are much more limited on their own than when saidin and saidar are used together. If the Asha’man are truly committed to their identity as weapons against the Shadow, then they should be ready to embrace anything that increases their ability to fight, and the ability of the Light to triumph in Tarmon Gai’don. In theory, at least.

Tarna, on the other hand, is suggesting bonding as an alternative to gentling, and probably without the consent of the Asha’man involved. This is a much less equitable suggestion than the alliance the rebels are considering—even if the Asha’man accept the stipulation that only Aes Sedai will lead the circles. She probably intends for the Red Sisters to exert a great deal of control over these Warders, though it’s probable she hasn’t gotten too far, yet, in imaging the specifics of what that would look like. 

In some ways, it could be argued that forcibly bonding a man who can channel isn’t that far of a jump, morally speaking, from gentling. The argument in either case is that it is a necessity brought on by the taint, and being bonded as a Warder at least offers a man a chance to live. Some men might even choose becoming a Warder willingly, if gentling was the alternative, and if they had a good relationship with their Aes Sedai they could benefit from the privileges and prestige that come from being a Warder. That doesn’t make forcible bonding okay, of course, but gentling is hardly better, and might even be considered worse.

It’s a bit like Cadsuane’s relationship with Lord Algarin. Despite the fact that she is the one who captured his brother and took him to be gentled, Cadsuane clearly managed to treat Emarin with enough care and respect that he lived much longer than gentled/stilled channelers usually do. She probably worked with him after his gentling, teaching what the Aes Sedai know about finding purpose in life to replace the lost connection to the One Power. As long as the taint was still a factor in how men who can channel lived and died, you can see how an Aes Sedai might have done similar work with a man who was bonded as an alternative to gentling.

However, I doubt that many men who have been at the Black Tower for very long would consider willingly bending their necks that far for anyone—and certainly not for Aes Sedai—even outside of whatever is going on with Taim and his followers. There are probably others like Eben, Damer, and Jahar, but even those three might not have agreed if they hadn’t been separated first from their fellow Asha’man, and then from Rand.

Also, if there are too many Asha’man to capture and gentle all of them, how will the Reds capture and bond all of them?

Even in the case of Asha’man willingly becoming Warders, Cadsuane has noted that the boundaries around Aes Sedai and Warders—that Aes Sedai command and Warders obey—are going to have to shift if Aes Sedai are going to be bonding Asha’man. The balance of power between two channelers is different than when only one side, the controlling side, is connected to the One Power. She notes how even an experienced Green like Merise is struggling with that change in the usual dynamic. Asha’man training might well make them resistant to Ae Sedai ways of doing things, as well. More compromise is probably going to be necessary, even with the edge being the “controlling” side of the bond gives to the Aes Sedai.

I wonder if Lan and Moiriane’s arrangement might point the way to a more balanced dynamic between Aes Sedai and bonded Asha’man. Moiraine was certainly in charge, but she did not force Lan to do things (until that one time at the end, anyway), and she shared more with him and relied on his expertise and advice more than is usual for an Aes Sedai. Channeling will still make such a balance more complicated to work out, but I could see Merise and Jahar managing it well, and Damer and Corele seem as though they might have already figured out a pretty good balance, based on the fact that they both just want to think about and work on Healing as often as possible.

It occurs to me, however, that if Aes Sedai start bonding Asha’man regularly, and if Asha’man also continue “bond” Aes Sedai the way Logain and some others have, they might run into a problem when it comes to aging. Now that the taint on saidin has been cleansed, Asha’man will live much longer than Aes Sedai who are bound by the Oath Rod, even if their lives are somewhat extended again by Egwene’s Aes Sedai retirement plan.

But to get back to Tarna for a moment. We last saw her back in the Prologue, trapped in Dorlan and unable to reach the White Tower because of the rebel siege. I guess she was able to use Narenwin’s information to find a way to sneak back into Tar Valon, which probably means Katerine did as well. And we know that Katerine is probably Black Ajah, since someone poisoned her Aiel guards after she was captured during Dumai’s Wells. I suppose there could be some other reason she was freed, but I can’t think of any other reason an Aiel would have to risk being caught killing other Aiel just to free a random Aes Sedai, unless they weren’t both Darkfriends.

In any case, Katerine has some very serious information to share with Elaida: She can fill everyone in on exactly what happened with the kidnapping of Rand and the battle at Dumai’s wells, and substantiate the rumors that some Sisters have sworn fealty to the Dragon Reborn. Tarna’s information about the rebels might be useful, too, although Egwene moved faster than Tarna could have wished, or ever anticipated.

I must say that I don’t blame her for not wanting to be Elaida’s keeper. Elaida has proven herself to be an erratic, overly-strict Amyrlin, governing by edict and punishing on a whim. Tarna has her favor for now, but how easy would it be to lose it, even if Elaida didn’t find out about Tarna’s idea to have Reds bond the Asha’man? One wrong step would see her serving penance; any offer of advice might be seen as insubordination. Most of the White Tower is angry at Elaida at this point, which might well translate to everyone being angry at Tarna as well. On top of all that, the Keeper’s duties will also keep Tarna very busy, which will give her less time to work with her Ajah on her plan to have the Reds take all the Asha’man as Warders.

Having Pevara on her side will certainly help there, since Pevara is a Sitter and therefore very influential. If the plan can get enough momentum it will eventually have to be put before the Hall, and I don’t think Elaida could stop it if the Hall voted positively. And the letter from Toveine, which I can only imagine must contain information about the way she and the rest of her companions have been “bonded” by Asha’man, will probably push more sisters to consider turnabout to be fair play. Or revenge. Or something.

Even with all that being said, however, I can’t think that Tarna’s plan will be easy to sell, either to the Reds or to the rest of the Tower. Egwene’s Hall had a hard enough time with the idea of partnering with the Black Tower to the extent of bringing Asha’man into linked circles. Making them Warders is a far more intimate connection than including them in a link—yes, it gives the Aes Sedai more advantage, and maybe more control, over the Asha’man than an agreement to link does, but it also brings her closer to saidin, which most people still believe is tainted. And if Aes Sedai like Cadsuane and Merise, who have actually experienced saidin, are still uncertain whether or not it has actually be cleansed, how are you going to convince a bunch of Red Sisters that it’s safe now?

But anyway, the other question I have about Tarna’s proposal is what such an arrangement would do to the balance of Power between the Ajahs. Things are already tricky enough in that regard, and the Reds suddenly having more than one Warder apiece, and those Warders with the ability to channel saidin, is a huge change to the order of things. If I were a Green I would have a problem with that, I think. I imagine the Blues would as well—which isn’t currently something Tarna has to worry about, but even if Egwene doesn’t become the next Amyrlin, it’s unlikely that any kind of reconciliation in the White Tower is going to happen if Elaida’s edict to dissolve the Blue Ajah is allowed to stand. I think Tarna is wrong to believe that the Greens would all faint at the idea of bonding an Asha’man. Some might be appalled or frightened, of course, but so will some Reds. I think many members of an Ajah that calls itself a Battle Ajah would jump at the chance to increase their ability to fight the Shadow in such a way. After all, while Merise, Daigian, and Corele were instructed by Cadsuane to make overtures to Rand’s abandoned followers, none of them seem to have been too bothered by the idea, and Merise is the only Green among them.

Speaking of Greens, Cadsuane notes that all of the Aes Sedai who supported Elaida before they were sworn to Rand seem suspicious of her, but Elza seems almost to be jealous, and determined to keep Cadsuane away from Rand if she can. As we know, Elza is Black Ajah, and her way of accommodating Verin’s cobbled-together compulsion was to decide that she has to protect Rand and keep him alive and safe so that he can make it to the Last Battle to be defeated by the Dark One. It’s interesting to watch Cadsuane observe the results of that twisting of Elza’s mind, interpreting it as jealousy. She picks up on the fact that Elza might not have mentioned that her Warder was on his way; perhaps she would rather not reveal her Warder’s whereabouts for some reason. If he is a Darkfriend, she might have wondered if he was coming to her for some Shadow-related reason, or wanted to hide his arrival from the others so she could use him more effectively in whatever plans she has.

I also enjoy watching Cadsuane be wary of Verin, especially since Cadsuane and I are on the very same page with regards to that particular Brown sister. Verin has recently decided she’s sure of Cadsuane, but I think Cadsuane is right to keep a close eye on Verin. I’ll be very interested to see if she is able to learn anything about Verin that the narrative hasn’t already revealed to us, the readers.

Next week we’ll get to spend some time in Rand’s head and catch up with Loial. Plus, I’ll share some more of my thoughts and theories about the ongoing development in the relationships between male and female channelers. See you then!