The Path of Daggers/Chapter 24

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Captain-General Kennar Miraj is camped a few miles east of Ebou Dar. He has received countless reports of groups of enemy soldiers in the Venir Mountain range and several of his outposts has been overrun. He estimates their number at 90,000, nearly twice what he has. He has several raken and to'raken, but something is wrong with the damane and the sul'dam are staying confined to their tent.
The High Lady Suroth enters his tent, newly arrived from Ebou Dar, accompanied by her Voice, Alwhin and 2 da'covale. Oddly, one of the da'covale, a short, dark-haired, slim, pale-eyed woman is leashed as a damane, with Alwhin holding the a'dam. The other da'covale, a young woman with a doll's face and her hair in thin braids is sullen and poorly trained. Both her and the damane have a strange, ageless look to them.
Suroth asks Miraj if he is ready to march; Miraj thinks it will take at least 10 days for the enemy to combine and march on Ebou Dar. Suroth tells him that there are only about 5,000 men, but 50 Asha'man. They are Traveling, so they could be there by tomorrow. Miraj wonders how Suroth knows this, but she orders him to wipe them out. Miraj asks Suroth to release the damane to him and asks if they are still sick. Suroth does not say, but she agrees to give him the damane he needs after pointing out the price of failure.
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Rand pushes a final drive against the Seanchan. Lews Therin becomes increasingly withdrawn. Dashiva, Flinn, Adley, Eben Hopwil, Morr, Narishma, Manel Rochaid, and Charl Gedwyn are all holding gateways for his army. Davram Bashere rides up, accompanied by all the other nobles, joining Ailil Riatan and Anaiyella Narencelona. Rand tells them that there are still 50,000 Seanchan 10 miles west and warns everyone to stick with the plan. The remaining Seanchan are still enough to defeat them. The nobles all head out. 
* Weiramon Saniago leads Kiril Drapaneos, Bertome Saighan, Doressin Chuliandred and several minor Cairhienin. 
* Gregorin leads Sunamon and Dalthanes. 
* Bashere leads Jeordwyn Semaris, Amondrid and Gueyam. 
* Semaradrid leads Torean, Maraconn and Ershin Netari. 
* Gedwyn accompanies Weiramon while Rochaid accompanies Bashere. 
* Jak Masond leads a company of the Legion of the Dragon.
The remaining Asha'man join Rand and Dashiva, revealing that he is not so mad as he usually pretends, says that saidin is behaving oddly; his weaves are vibrating instead of holding steady. Rand shrugs this off, telling Dashiva that he's just feeling the taint more strongly. Dashiva persists though and forces Rand to actually look at a weave, which unsettles him. He secretly wishes Herid Fel were alive to answer this for him. Arlen Nalaam Travels in to report that the Seanchan are on the march and Rand sets his army in motion.
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Miraj hopes to close with Rand's forces before he knows they are there. A scout reports the enemy 5 miles ahead, deployed in 5 columns. Miraj gives the order for deployment of his forces and worries about the damane.
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Bertome is riding in one of the attack columns and moves up to talk to Weiramon. He overhears Weiramon and Gedwyn talking, but they cut short the conversation before he can understand what it is about. A scout rides in then and warns of 2,000 Taraboners right behind him. Weiramon and Bertome lead their men in an attack.
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Varek has a message he needs to get to Banner-General Chianmai but there is much fighting around him. When he reaches the camp, Chianmai is dead. A Taraboner reports that they were attacked and were winning thanks to the damane, but then the damane channeling went wrong. Varek takes command of the remaining men, planning to disengage.
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Bashere is deciding between crossing a meadow which could be a death trap or going around which will take time. He asks for Rochaid for assurances the Asha'man will respond more quickly next time. They are having difficulty channeling. He decides to go around with triple scouts out.
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Bashere reports to Rand and suggests strongly that Rand and his army leave the field of battle. He tells Rand that their original battle plan cannot work now as the Seanchan general has adapted and gathered his forces. Now the Seanchan lie in wait for Rand and his forces ahead in the forest. Rand, nervous but confident, opts to wield Callandorand unleash lightning in the area. He loses control of both saidin and Callandor, and devastates the surrounding area until Bashere knocks him down to cease the attack which is also affecting his own forces. Now really seeing what his attack has done, Rand chooses to leave the battlefield with his forces. He feels this as the first defeat of the Dragon Reborn and Lews Therin in his head is furious about that.
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Yulan covers the body of Banner-General Miraj, to keep the rain off of him. He orders the retreat back to Ebou Dar; the Seanchan have suffered their second defeat since The Return. Someone will have to apologize to the Empress.
==Characters==
* Kennar Miraj
* Suroth Sabelle Meldarath
* Alwhin
* Liandrin
* Pura?
* Rand al'Thor
* Davram Bashere
* Corlan Dashiva
* Varek
* Abaldar Yulan
* Bertome Saighan
* Weiramon Saniago
* Manel Rochaid
* Jonan Adley
* Anaiyella Narencelona
* Tai'daishar
* Lews Therin
* Flinn
* Hopwil
* Morr
* Narishma
* Gedwyn
* Ailil Riatin
* Denharad
* Tihera
* Demetre Marcolin
* Sunamon
* Torean
* Kiril Drapeneos
* Doressin Chuliandred
* Gregorin den Lushenos
* Dalthanes Annallin
* Jeordwyn Semaris
* Amondrid Osiellin
* Gueyam
* Maraconn
* Semaradrid
* Ershin Netari
* Jak Masond
* Nalaam
* Lisaine Jarath
* Doile
* Zakai
* Quick
===Referenced===
* Empress
* Luthair Paendrag Mondwin
* Herid Fel
* Colavaere
* Chianmai
* Eagan Padros
* Asmodean
==Places==
* Altara
===Referenced===
* Ebou Dar
* Sen T'jore
* Alqam
* N'Kon
* Khoweal
* Dalenshar
* Venir Mountains
* Falme
* Seandar
* Seanchan (continent)
* Aryth Ocean
* Illian
* Dumai's Wells
* Shadar Logoth
* Sa'las Plains
* Cairhien
* Tarabon
* Amadicia
* Stone of Tear
==Items==
* Callandor
* Crown of Swords
* Dragon Scepter
===Referenced===
* Horn of Valere
===One Power===
*Damane
*Saidin
*The taint
*Callandor
===Culture===
*Da'covale
*Hailene