The Eye of the World: Chapter Thirty-Four

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: THE LAST VILLAGE

I found myself focusing on the background details that we learn in this chapter instead of Rand and Mat, because their progression through this chapter is the exact same goddamn thing it was in the last one. If it weren't for the fact that there was a pointless chronology scramble in the last chapter, these chapters could be merged and presumably shortened into one. I'm sure it was enjoyable for Jordan to write, but it's generally not a good idea to be so redundant and repetitious when telling a story.

The pair continue to trudge along the Caemlyn Road, and it's choked full of people wanting to see Logain in chains before he's sentenced to death or life imprisonment or whatever fate awaits him. Much like the average tourist in the real world, they're self-centered and completely disrespectful of anything that gets in the way of their fun:

• A flicker of motion as the first wagon rumbled close was all the warning [Rand] had. He went sprawling on the ground as the wagon driver's whip cracked in the air where his head had been. From where he lay he met the driver's eyes as the wagon rolled by. Hard eyes above a mouth in a tight grimace. Not a care that he might have drawn blood, or taken an eye.
  
  "Light blind you!" Mat shouted after the wagon. "You can't-" A mounted guard caught him on the shoulder with the butt of his spear, knocking him down atop Rand.
  
  "Out of the way, you dirty Darkfriend!" the guard growled without slowing.

These two can't catch a break, can they? I thought accusing people of being Darkfriends was serious business, but I guess it can just be used as a casual insult by people with road rage.

Everyone's sick of these jerks on the road, but sadly the hands of the Queen's Guard are tied, as they haven't actually hurt anyone or stolen anything yet. They seem like far more reasonable authority figures than the Whitecloaks, who are less beleaguered and at their wits end than bigoted and frothing at the mouth.

It's starting to feel like Mat and Rand are part of the Long Walk now, with Rand's insistence that they keep going as much as they can despite exhaustion and hunger. They can't afford food anymore, nor can they perform for money thanks to the Darkfriends knowing about their entertaining abilities. Through sheer willpower, they manage to make it to another village, where Rand spots a Fade almost immediately.

Thankfully, it doesn't spot him, instead talking with an innkeeper and leaving. The innkeeper passes on the cover story it told him to Almen Bunt, a man with a cart nearby, that Rand and Mat stole the heron-mark sword from him. It's a reasonable story, since nobody's going to believe that a weapon like that is the rightful property of a peasant boy like Rand, but Bunt doesn't seem to be taking it all that seriously:

• "Darkfriends and followers of the false Dragon? And telling wild stories, too? Getting up to a lot for young fellows. You did say they were young?" There was a sudden note of amusement in Bunt's voice, but the innkeeper did not seem to notice.

Bunt disregards the innkeeper's warnings about traveling and gets ready to leave, and Rand decides that he's better off with him than with the Fade. They hit it off well and Bunt starts an expository talk about Caemlyn and its politics.

Apparently Caemlyn is the capital of the nation of Andor (where we've spent the whole story so far), or at least where Queen Morgase lives. She also works with an Aes Sedai named Elaida, and it's a matter of contention as to which of them is dominant over the other. Uh, I mean which one is in control. Yeah. Rand thinks Elaida would be helpful, but Mat just shakes his head, because he doesn't trust anyone anymore.

Bunt is a good Queen's man - I know because he said so at least three times - and denies that Morgase is subservient to Elaida or that she wrongfully stole the throne from the previous heirs, Luc and Tigraine, who died in the Blight and vanished without a trace, respectively. They were trained as Warder and Aes Sedai, as are the current Lady Elayne and Lord Gawyn, which doesn't sit well with Bunt. He'd just as soon see Andor sever ties with Tar Valon. It might sound weird, but political intrigue like this is a good way to hold my attention. Hell, there's times when real world politics can really capture my interest, so fantasy politics are good, too, and you just know that Rand's going to get dragged into that mess sooner or later.

That's all Rand hears before Bunt's endless droning puts him to sleep. When he wakes up, they're in Caemlyn, and Mat confirms that Bunt talked the entire way there.

I may be getting my hopes up here, but now that the boys have finally reached Caemlyn, I'm excited for what sort of things are going to happen here now. It seems like everything's going to happen in Caemlyn! Everyone's going there or already inside: Rand and Mat just got there, the Whitecloaks who captured Perrin and Egwene are stopping over there, Moiraine, Lan, and Nynaeve are following them, Logain is on display in the city, and then there's the mysterious queen we know barely anything about. If this series is worth a tinker's damn, things are going to happen and happen big. Let's not waste any more time!

NEXT TIME: Caemlyn, at long last.