The Dragon Reborn/Chapter 39

==Summary==
:
The Maidens examine Dailin after the Healing and are surprised at its effectiveness. Aviendha says she owes a debt to Nynaeve because Dailin is her cousin. Aviendha had heard that a few Aiel Wise Ones could do this but assumed it was just boasting. Nynaeve asks whether there is a ship at Jurene and Aviendha replies that she saw one there yesterday. Elayne asks why the Aiel are in the Westlands and the Maidens say that they are searching for He Who Comes With the Dawn. Nynaeve says they should be on their way. Aviendha says that they are looking for omens and signs as part of their search and ask the three where they are going; Nynaeve tells them that they are on their way to Tear to hunt Darkfriends. 
They depart and Elayne explains that the Aiel do not think of the Aiel War as a war; they were only looking for King Laman Damodred to punish him for cutting down Avendoraldera. Elayne quotes from the Prophecies of the Dragon which state that the Dragon shall be born on the slopes of Dragonmount of a maiden wedded to no man; Rand certainly looks like Aiel. Egwene agrees that the Aiel could be looking for Rand. Elayne, still trying to play peacemaker, compliments Nynaeve on the Healing and her handling of the Aiel. This prompts Egwene to compliment Nynaeve as well, but then Nynaeve spoils it by treating Egwene as a child again. They continue walking awhile in silence. Suddenly Elayne cries out as Egwene sees men with slings step out in front of them, but it is too late. A rock hits Egwene's head and she passes out. 
Egwene opens her eyes slowly and sees that she is tied to a moving horse. She sees Nynaeve and Elayne similarly bound and her captors notice that she is awake and she is knocked unconscious again. When she wakes up again she finds herself in a hut with a dirt floor, but she is unbound. She gets up and peeks through cracks near the locked door to see dirty men discussing their situation. There are a dozen men waiting for someone to come "buy" the Aes Sedai that they captured. Egwene realizes their rings have been taken.
Egwene wakes Nynaeve and Nynaeve quickly realizes that they were given sleepwell root. The men think it will keep them down for a long time when in reality it is a light herb that only induces some drowsiness to help sleep. The main thing the herb did was clear the pain from being hit in the head. Nynaeve examines Elayne and realizes she is hurt badly and will die without Healing. Unfortunately Nynaeve cannot muster her normal method of Healing without her herbs. But she works herself into a temper and manages to heal Elayne through the Aes Sedai method of Healing, using Spirit, Water and Air rather than all Five Powers. The Healing energy radiates around Nynaeve and heals Egwene's headache too. Elayne wakes and feels hungry as is normal for this method of Healing; Nynaeve also feels fatigued. Egwene explains to Elayne what happened and the three prepare to strike at their captors.
They look through the cracks again and find that three Myrddraal are now in the other room, looking at their stolen rings. One tells the men that the captured women are the ones they seek after seeing Golden Crane signet ring that Nynaeve had with her. Egwene channels Earth to break the chain the lock is holding and they position themselves to attack. The Myrddraal sense channeling and question whether the women are actually sleeping. Just as the chain falls to the floor, seven Aiel storm into the room and kill all the humans in a quick melee. The Myrddraal, wounded, defend themselves by positioning back to back. The five remaining Aiel pace around them, taunting them as the opposing sides assess each other. Nynaeve opens the door and the three rush out. Egwene throws Fire at the Myrddraal as Elayne crushes them together with Air. But then Nynaeve sends a bar of white light at the Myrddraal and the Fades vanish, leaving nothing behind. Nynaeve is astonished and does not know what she did; Egwene intuits that it was balefire, but she did not see the weave.
The Aiel, impressed by the power of the channeling, immediately unveil themselves to express their peaceful intentions. The sounds of fighting outside die down as well. Nynaeve checks the two fallen Aiel and is crestfallen to see that one of them is Dailin whom she Healed earlier. Having taken wounds from the Myrddraal's blades, they are dead. Aviendha says she followed the girls from a hundred paces behind to see what they would do. By the time she realized that they had been captured, it was too late to help by herself. So she went and gathered the others before returning to rescue them. Rhuarc, Aviendha's clan chief, recognizes Nynaeve's ring as the ring of Malkieri kings. Rhuarc had not wanted to come on this expedition to find He Who Comes With the Dawn, but the Wise Ones had dreams that said he must go. Egwene asks if the Wise Ones know how to interpret their dreams and Rhuarc confirms that some can, but can provide no details.
Nynaeve says that they will take the men's horses and continue south. The Aiel escort the girls to Jurene, keeping pace on foot with the horses, and depart. The girls enter the village hoping to find a ship. Fifty Queen's Guards from Andor are there and some of them ask the three to stay with them; Nynaeve slaps one of them. They see the Darter and purchase passage. The captain admits that his ship will not be traveling quickly, but it is unlikely they will find another ship. They find out that the Blue Crane is still hung up on the sunken ship.
==Characters==
*Egwene
*Jolien
*Dailin
*Nynaeve
*Bain
*Chiad
*Aviendha
*Elayne
*Coke
*Adden
*Rhuarc
*Mist (horse)
*Gaidin (horse) - as Nynaeve's black stallion
*Canin - as captain of the Darter
===Referenced===
*Laman Damodred
*Verin
*Rand
*Tigraine
*Tam
*Kari al'Thor
*Moiraine
*Mat
*Lan
*Coram
*Dhael
*Luaine
*Amys
*Bair
*Melaine
*Seana
*Chin Ellisor
==Places==
*Cairhien
*Jurene
===Referenced ===
*Aiel Waste
*Rhuidean
*Andor
*Aringill
*Shienar
*Kandor
==Items==
*Golden Crane signet ring
*Darter
===Referenced===
*Blue Crane