Rand dreams he is forced to confront Ba’alzamon with only Mat and Perrin at his side. Terrified, he wakes, still in the women’s apartments inside the walls of Fal Dara. His sole companion is the “Wisdom,” Nynaeve. She promises to keep his hiding place secret but is suspicious of the presence of so many women who seem to be searching the keep rather than preparing for the Amyrlin’s feast. Rand promises to leave Fal Dara the moment the gates are unguarded, but despite his vow to stay hidden, Nynaeve doubts he can hide from his fate. Rand protests that “’Shai’tan [the Dark One] is dead’” (87), but even the mention of his name sends Rand reeling.

An alarm suddenly sounds inside the keep, and Rand, fearing Egwene is in trouble, prepares to dash out and save her; but Nynaeve stops him, arguing that Egwene doesn’t need his protection. He ignores her and charges out into the corridor, now bustling with curious women. The sight of an armed man in the women’s apartments sends a panic through the crowd. Running through the packed corridor, Rand encounters the Amyrlin herself. He stops for a moment—long enough to be recognized—before charging through another hallway where he finds soldiers scrambling to fend off a Trolloc attack.